What the Wenches Are Reading

 Chicagoland Vampires and the Night Huntress are common themes throughout our check-in this week. Many Wenches are enjoying Wild Things and saying goodbye to Cat & Bones in Up From the Grave. The rest of us are working on ASOIAF, Outlander, Vampire Academy, a brand new advance review book, a friend-recommended historical fiction, and a visit with our favorite federal agents. 

Click through to find out which Wench's choice is which. And tell us what you're reading, in the comments below!



Amanda: This week, I finished Up From the Grave, the last Cat & Bones novel. I wasn't too sure for a minute there, but I ended up liking it pretty well. No, it wasn't perfect, and Cat & Bones's relationship is still far from perfect. Maybe that's fitting for one of my favorite literary couples? Maybe that's what made me fall in love with them in the first place? At the end, when it was time for them to say a temporary goodbye to all their dearest friends, it was hard to believe that it was a permanent goodbye to us, the readers. Sure, we'll see them pop in on their friends in another book, surely, but it's not the same. I'm gonna miss them. Don't worry about me though, I didn't wallow in wistfulness for long. I immediately headed back to Westeros. A Storm of Swords has me on the edge of my seat...until 2 a.m. last night! That's quite a feat considering lately I've been thinking I need to fashion a little reading nook with my own version of the Iron Throne. Do you think fear of impalement will keep me awake while reading at night?!

Angela: This week I read an ARC, Moth and Spark by Anne Leonard. It was a fun, light read, more to come in due course as we are reviewing this book. Returned to The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon and Gabaldon is putting Roger through the wringer. Will the torment stop??? One thing I have to say for the author, she is very good at creating a sense of foreboding.

Anne: Last week, I devoured Up from the Grave, the very last Cat & Bones book. I'm both sad that it's over and happy that they got a good ending. This week, I've been reading Wild Things, the newest Chicagoland Vampires book. After that, I'll be moving on to Night Broken, the upcoming Mercy Thompson book. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy, so look for a review on that soon!

Barb: Since I last checked in I have read Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, and Spirit Bound, books 3, 4, and 5 in the Vampire Academy saga. I'm completely, utterly captivated. I've lost sleep, avoided housework, snuck in chapters at work...hooked. I'm certain that I'll have finished Last Sacrifice, the final VA book, and probably read the Vampire Academy Ultimate Guide by the time we chat again. And I hope to see the movie, too. I feel a blog post brewing, as well, about this stunning series that finally broke my young adult boycott.

Beta: This week I finished reading Up From the Grave and I just started reading Wild Things, which I'm very excited about!

Care:  Oh, goodness, this week has been jam packed!  I found out that I was going to have a home visit from an occupational therapist, and suddenly my house just looked TRASHED.  As a result, I've spent the last week doing very little that wasn't deep cleaning.  I did, however, take an evening to smile fangirly smiles and rejoin my dear friends Nick O'Flaherty and Kelly Abbott in their novel, Shock & Awe.  As is usual, I adored every moment of it, and I'm looking forward to starting my Grand Cut & Run reread in preparation for Ball & Chain in March! 

Kathi: This week I capped off my reread of the Night Huntress series by finishing Home for the Holidays, followed by Up from the Grave! Then I decided it was time to tackle a historical novel recommended by a friend. (We made a deal early last year that she would read Outlander if I would read Wolf Hall, and I’m making good on that deal.) Set amidst the court of Henry VIII at the time he sought to annul his first marriage, this book follows events from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell. I found the author’s voice quite difficult to adjust to, but I think I’ve finally gotten the hang of it now. I am very glad I recently read the White Queen books and am familiar with the Tudor court, because I wouldn’t recognize many of the events and characters that Cromwell mentions here and there in conversation otherwise. He speaks of them tangentially to other characters; therefore, we see snippets of major historical events occur obliquely around the edges of his daily life, not at the center of a straightforward narrative, like I’m used to. I am always interested in reading about this period in history, and this book was critically acclaimed (though readers have expressed the same frustrations I’ve had), so I’m hoping this book will be worth the extra effort.

Merit: I am reading Wild Things, Chloe Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires number 9. What a story! I am so busy, which leaves me with short periods of reading time, it takes me forever. I love Methan, they are amazing together, in this book; I really think they are at their best here. For me, this is one of the best installments in the series so far.

Natalie: Is it really time to tell you what I'm reading for the week again?  Man this week has been full of lots of real life ups and downs.  As for the reading front I was able to get through the first four Night Huntress Books and I'm half way through Spade's book First Drop of Crimson.  My goal is to keep going with the rest of the Night Huntress Books along with the Night Huntress World books.

Shau: Well, if you aren't you should be reading Wild Things by Chloe Neill. It's the latest installment in the Chicagoland Vampires Series. The wenches here are crazy about Merit and drooling after Ethan. Ms. Neill has managed to pull it off again. She has elaborated on some things from previous books and introduced some new twist to her story. The story continues where the previous book (Biting Bad) stopped, Ethan in need of a refuge because he needs to hide from the mayor of Chicago. That's how Merit and him end up being „guests“ of the North American Pack. During their stay an incident happens during one of the pack's celebrations. Merit wouldn't be Merit if she didn't find herself in the middle of a supernatural mystery. Of course, that's not all; our favourite Sentinel has to keep her master away from a scheming mayor and homicidal GP. All in all, a really good story.

Zee: Read, and absolutely effing LOVED, Wild Things. It was just amazing. I love how much I am still loving this series. Other than that, not time to read!