Here's a more complete summary of the first 8 books for those interested...I googled myself cuz I'm such a goof. 
These have some HEAVY spoilers for the books and the Sparky moments. You've already read my thoughts on Mirror, Mirror, the only book not reviewed.
Here I'm more friendly to Rodney in the Chosen. Having read it a second time now, I realized he annoyed me.
Book 1: Rising: Is a novel for the pilot episode based on the original finalized, pre-shooting version of the script.
It has good Elizabeth and John stuff, particularly how their relationship as co-heads gets started. The writer is very John/Elizabeth friendly, so some of the observations Sheppard makes of her (their first meeting--when he activates the chair, he notices something like "the question was asked by a slender, dark haired woman who John would have considered attractive had she not looked so p***ed" *LOL*) Differences from the actual pilot include Sumner's presence (he's much more of a jerk) and a few additional scenes/scene changes made during filming. Not phenomenal writing--very basic--but good enough.
Book 2: Reliquary: This was actually a pretty good book. It's about them discovering a gate address that leads to an ancient repository that has a sinister inhabitant. This book actually came up with the idea of John 'morphing' long before Conversion.
There are only two or three Sparky-ish moments, but what there is, it's good. It's all John POV--Elizabeth isn't featured as a POV. But the stuff John notices has a few sparkish moments--a scene where he's in delirium but sees her by his hospital bed (along with all the other characters, but hers is the only one where she seems to be there for the long haul--with her feet propped up and typing on a laptop); one really great scene where he chews out Bates for failing to protect Elizabeth, and the end scene where he has this funny, flirty moment of smirking at Bates with a 'she likes me best' attitude (he actually thinks that. )
Book 3: The Chosen: This is the first written by Sonny Whitelaw & Elizabeth Christensen, and it's excellent in terms of story, but not a lot of Sparky. It has to do with a world protected by an ancient device similar to the one from Sanctuary. These authors are incredibly detailed in their storytelling and it has some great Rodney moments--addressing his arrogance similar to what he argued in Trinity. The number of times they return to Atlantis trying to correct their mistakes is amusing because of what Elizabeth has to say. I also think this is the one where Elizabeth gets a cold.
Book 4: Halcyon: This is my least favorite of the novels. It's about a planet run by arrogant nobles who believe they are invulnerable to the Wraith, and actually make sport of Wraith hunting. The Lanteans don't really want much to do with them but they're curious about the power source, and of course chaos insues.
It doesn't have much Elizabeth at all, and actually has one or two John and Ronon competitive moments over Teyla. I wasn't much into the story, either--the world they're trying to save is full of arrogant characters who never seem to get their due.
Book 5: Exogenesis: Probably my favorite, and a novel that should have been made into an episode or movie. The second by Sonny W. & Elizabeth C. The story is the second that has a direct bearing on the safety of Atlantis, which always makes the best stories! Basically the Lanteans anger the spirit of an ancient (who takes over Carson, a la the entities in TLG) and sets off an exogenesis machine on the planet trying to reduce the entirety of Pegasus to goo. The Lanteans find that they can counter it with another exogenesis machine from another world, but they have to disturb the entire environment of another planet if they take it.
They split the plot into two segments--what's going on in Atlantis (with Elizabeth and Teyla in charge) and what's going on with the other world (with Rodney, John and Ronon). There are fantastic Rodney moments in this book, as well as some really good Sparky moments (interpreted how you'd like, but in one scene, close to the end, Elizabeth falls over and John catches her, and she looks at him funny (in part because they've been in a fight--a Hot Zone type conflict that is resolved at the end of the story). There is also a moment where John begins "there were many things he wanted to say to her, about what they were doing, and what they were about to do, but he found he couldn't find the words--so he took the cowards way out..." so *sticks out tongue to non-Sparkiers*)
It's actually pretty good. Nothing obviously over the top, but those writers definitely know the J/E relationship when they see it, which is why I was a bit disappointed with "Blood Ties"--where they don't give the characters much chance to interact.
Book 6: Entanglement: Another I wasn't particularly fond of, though the story is pretty good, because it has Zelenka and Dr. Kusanagi in it. On a moon while exploring, John and his team (with the doctors) discover a Quantum mirror, and meet a race of people who are the AU version of the Wraith. Elizabeth doesn't appear at all, just her voice. But the story is pretty interesting.
Book 7: Casualties of War: This is HUGELY Elizabeth, written by Elizabeth C., and it is pretty good. It's about Elizabeth attempting to negotiate a treaty between two cultures that have been at war over minerals on their planet for hundreds of years. It actually features Elizabeth going off-world. At the same time, John has resigned as head of Atlantis because he believes two of his teammates have been killed. There isn't a lot of Sparky togetherness but there is a TON of Elizabeth--moreso than any of the other books--and there is a lot of her perspective thinking on John, which is basically a first for the books. A little more flowery than Exogenesis, but some of the J&E scenes are great.
Book 8: Blood Ties: I was so-so on this one. It features everyone, including Elizabeth, who heads to SGC to sort out a problem that has arisen on Earth. It ends up being a very John-heavy novel, with a few Rodney moments packed in because the authors wanted to explore Rodney's feelings about Carson's death. It is also a cross-over, with Daniel being a major player.
I enjoyed bits and pieces, but nothing significantly Sparky save perhaps John's feelings of unease about Elizabeth leaving him out of the loop on some things--and the very last scene, where he reassures her that they'll always be there for each other. That scene had a vibe where you knew the authors knew what was coming, so it's a bit bittersweet. It may also explain why they didn't focus their energies on J/E, though again they probably have the best understanding of the John/Elizabeth dynamic.
And that, friends, is you synopsis summary for today
These have some HEAVY spoilers for the books and the Sparky moments. You've already read my thoughts on Mirror, Mirror, the only book not reviewed.
Here I'm more friendly to Rodney in the Chosen. Having read it a second time now, I realized he annoyed me.
Spoiler:
Book 1: Rising: Is a novel for the pilot episode based on the original finalized, pre-shooting version of the script.
It has good Elizabeth and John stuff, particularly how their relationship as co-heads gets started. The writer is very John/Elizabeth friendly, so some of the observations Sheppard makes of her (their first meeting--when he activates the chair, he notices something like "the question was asked by a slender, dark haired woman who John would have considered attractive had she not looked so p***ed" *LOL*) Differences from the actual pilot include Sumner's presence (he's much more of a jerk) and a few additional scenes/scene changes made during filming. Not phenomenal writing--very basic--but good enough.
Book 2: Reliquary: This was actually a pretty good book. It's about them discovering a gate address that leads to an ancient repository that has a sinister inhabitant. This book actually came up with the idea of John 'morphing' long before Conversion.
There are only two or three Sparky-ish moments, but what there is, it's good. It's all John POV--Elizabeth isn't featured as a POV. But the stuff John notices has a few sparkish moments--a scene where he's in delirium but sees her by his hospital bed (along with all the other characters, but hers is the only one where she seems to be there for the long haul--with her feet propped up and typing on a laptop); one really great scene where he chews out Bates for failing to protect Elizabeth, and the end scene where he has this funny, flirty moment of smirking at Bates with a 'she likes me best' attitude (he actually thinks that. )
Book 3: The Chosen: This is the first written by Sonny Whitelaw & Elizabeth Christensen, and it's excellent in terms of story, but not a lot of Sparky. It has to do with a world protected by an ancient device similar to the one from Sanctuary. These authors are incredibly detailed in their storytelling and it has some great Rodney moments--addressing his arrogance similar to what he argued in Trinity. The number of times they return to Atlantis trying to correct their mistakes is amusing because of what Elizabeth has to say. I also think this is the one where Elizabeth gets a cold.
Book 4: Halcyon: This is my least favorite of the novels. It's about a planet run by arrogant nobles who believe they are invulnerable to the Wraith, and actually make sport of Wraith hunting. The Lanteans don't really want much to do with them but they're curious about the power source, and of course chaos insues.
It doesn't have much Elizabeth at all, and actually has one or two John and Ronon competitive moments over Teyla. I wasn't much into the story, either--the world they're trying to save is full of arrogant characters who never seem to get their due.
Book 5: Exogenesis: Probably my favorite, and a novel that should have been made into an episode or movie. The second by Sonny W. & Elizabeth C. The story is the second that has a direct bearing on the safety of Atlantis, which always makes the best stories! Basically the Lanteans anger the spirit of an ancient (who takes over Carson, a la the entities in TLG) and sets off an exogenesis machine on the planet trying to reduce the entirety of Pegasus to goo. The Lanteans find that they can counter it with another exogenesis machine from another world, but they have to disturb the entire environment of another planet if they take it.
They split the plot into two segments--what's going on in Atlantis (with Elizabeth and Teyla in charge) and what's going on with the other world (with Rodney, John and Ronon). There are fantastic Rodney moments in this book, as well as some really good Sparky moments (interpreted how you'd like, but in one scene, close to the end, Elizabeth falls over and John catches her, and she looks at him funny (in part because they've been in a fight--a Hot Zone type conflict that is resolved at the end of the story). There is also a moment where John begins "there were many things he wanted to say to her, about what they were doing, and what they were about to do, but he found he couldn't find the words--so he took the cowards way out..." so *sticks out tongue to non-Sparkiers*)
It's actually pretty good. Nothing obviously over the top, but those writers definitely know the J/E relationship when they see it, which is why I was a bit disappointed with "Blood Ties"--where they don't give the characters much chance to interact.
Book 6: Entanglement: Another I wasn't particularly fond of, though the story is pretty good, because it has Zelenka and Dr. Kusanagi in it. On a moon while exploring, John and his team (with the doctors) discover a Quantum mirror, and meet a race of people who are the AU version of the Wraith. Elizabeth doesn't appear at all, just her voice. But the story is pretty interesting.
Book 7: Casualties of War: This is HUGELY Elizabeth, written by Elizabeth C., and it is pretty good. It's about Elizabeth attempting to negotiate a treaty between two cultures that have been at war over minerals on their planet for hundreds of years. It actually features Elizabeth going off-world. At the same time, John has resigned as head of Atlantis because he believes two of his teammates have been killed. There isn't a lot of Sparky togetherness but there is a TON of Elizabeth--moreso than any of the other books--and there is a lot of her perspective thinking on John, which is basically a first for the books. A little more flowery than Exogenesis, but some of the J&E scenes are great.
Book 8: Blood Ties: I was so-so on this one. It features everyone, including Elizabeth, who heads to SGC to sort out a problem that has arisen on Earth. It ends up being a very John-heavy novel, with a few Rodney moments packed in because the authors wanted to explore Rodney's feelings about Carson's death. It is also a cross-over, with Daniel being a major player.
I enjoyed bits and pieces, but nothing significantly Sparky save perhaps John's feelings of unease about Elizabeth leaving him out of the loop on some things--and the very last scene, where he reassures her that they'll always be there for each other. That scene had a vibe where you knew the authors knew what was coming, so it's a bit bittersweet. It may also explain why they didn't focus their energies on J/E, though again they probably have the best understanding of the John/Elizabeth dynamic.
And that, friends, is you synopsis summary for today
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