Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

Layla
I finished the other day and really liked it. I think it's the best one so far in the Hathaway series.

KarenH I finished last night. I really enjoyed it. Ian is such a different hero from what you normally read about. I really enjoyed their love story. Thanks for another great rec!

Read This Month

Lexa wrote: "KarenH I finished last night. I really enjoyed it. Ian is such a different hero from what you normally read about. I really enjoyed their love story. T..."

Glad you liked it, Lexa! I thought it was wonderful, and really liked Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage (the second book in the series), too. I'm looking forward to getting back to the series one of these days...

I finished Golden Trail by Kristen Ashley. Loved those boys!

I finished my second pick
I don't read much of mystery but I like this series. Good, fast and entertaining read.

I love new books and discovering new authors, anyone with me here? :P I ordered my reccomended books and they have arrived so I shall be starting my first, better late than never...

I forgot to post these earlier.

I finished Iron Kissed, which I loved. and Naked in Death, which was okay. I've heard so many good things about the series that I will keep reading for at least a couple more books.

Thanks for the recommendations!

Amy J. wrote: "I forgot to post these earlier.

I finished Iron Kissed, which I loved. and Naked in Death, which was okay. I've heard so many good things about the series that I will keep reading for at least a ..."

Can't go wrong with Mercy! I hope you do continue with the In Death series. It's one of my favorites!

Jodi wrote: "Hi Lexa,

I just finished my pifm reads. I have to agree with your comment about "Willow Springs", it was not the best of the series but ok. I did enjoy reading "Blackberry Summer" Thanks again ..."

Hey Jodi! I was so let down! I loved Amy in the other books. I'm not really looking forward to her new book either... I wasn't a fan of Anna in this one. It'll take a lot of work for Blake to make me like her more.

I'm glad you enjoyed Blackberry Summer though!! I'm trying to find the second book in the series too, but so far no luck

Laura, I finally finished one of my books, Samson's Lovely Mortal. Maybe it was my frame of mind, but I didn't really enjoy the book that much. But that seems to be the way I've felt of books that I've finished in the past couple of weeks. I'm really hoping next month is going to be better!

Oh, and I still am going to try and read Vengeance in Death. I'm just not sure I'll finish it before the month is up!

UPDATE:


Hey Erin! So, here are my picks for the month:

FINISHED:
9/1/12
9/2/12
9/6/12
9/22/12--this was pretty good although I don't see how she didn't get sued for copyright infringement! LOL, it was almost exactly like the Breeds Series by Lora Leigh, but I did like certain aspects of it better than Breeds. I think I'll probably continue the series at some point! Thanks for getting me into a new series. :)



LEFT TO FINISH:

Coffeentea,

Finished:
I really enjoyed this one, I haven't read an HR in a while.
This was a sweet read
I enjoyed this, but sadly I seem to be losing interest in this series. I know, I know, how could I say such a thing!!

Started and really liking it so far.

Thank you!

Dee,

I just finished Hard Bitten and really enjoyed it (except for the ending, of course). Thanks for the rec to get this off my TBR. Now I'm just hoping for a good shelf call in my Bingo game over at SOS so I can start the next one soon.

Duration: 9/1/12 - 9/30/12

Picker: Elise

1. A Laird for All Time 9/2/12 *** stars

2. Show No Mercy 9/22/12 ****1/2 stars
Elise - I loved this book! Thanks so much for introducing me to Cindy Gerard - now I have another series to read -haha!! I loved how this was a little dark and serious. Great action and characters.
These were great picks this month - I enjoyed them both and they were so different. Thanks again!!

I am awfully slow getting this posted, but life does that sometimes.

Pre-game Statistics

Of the 657 picks given, 84 titles were suggested more than once. The most popular books were:

The Help - 7 picks
Dark Lover - 5 picks
Dragon Bound - 5 picks
The Host - 5 picks
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake - 5 picks
Outlander - 5 picks
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - 4 picks
A Discovery of Witches - 4 picks
Fifty Shades of Grey - 4 picks
The Hunger Games - 4 picks
Mystery Man - 4 picks
Naked in Death - 4 picks
Seduce Me at Sunrise - 4 picks

I think several of those titles were helped by the Movie/TV Show rule!

With those 657 picks, we had 119 authors with multiple suggestions! Here is how that shook out:

Lisa Kleypas - 19 picks, 11 different titles
J.R. Ward - 14 picks, 8 different titles
Karen Marie Moning - 13 picks, 9 different titles
Nalini Singh - 13 picks, 9 different titles
Patricia Briggs - 10 picks, 8 different titles
Diana Gabaldon - 10 picks, 4 different titles
Kristen Ashley - 8 picks, 4 different titles
J.D. Robb - 8 picks, 4 different titles
Nora Roberts - 8 picks, 7 different titles
Ilona Andrews - 7 picks, 4 different titles
Deborah Harkness - 7 picks, 2 different titles
Charlaine Harris - 7 picks, 5 different titles
Kathryn Stockett - 7 picks, 1 title

Even with both personas, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb didn't pass Lisa Kleypas! But she did beat everyone else. I thought it was interesting to see Kathryn Stockett make the most picked author list with only one book too!

This is also posted in message #5. I'm working on our Halftime Stats (sort of) and hope to get those up soon too.

Great statistics, MountainKat!!

Here are the very late for halftime, Halftime Stats:

55% of the participants have completed the challenge and a total of 68 books have been read!

Thanks Leslie! It was really interesting, but I haven't figured out the easiest way to do it...

Love the stats Kat :)

...Sandy, I'm working on my book as I type (well, sort of - it is sitting next to me, beckoning ;)

Rachel- Goodbye Borders

I finally finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James and it was very interesting. It was my first BDSM novel, so I'm not sure if it was good or not. I'll have to read some others to compare and contrast. The first half of the book was getting on my nerves, there was a lot of repetitive phrases but the 2nd half was better! Three Stars!

Great stats, MountainKat! I think Lisa Kleypas came at the top last month too but I'm not sure.

Sandy - I've just finished Archangel's Blade. I really enjoyed it, probably more the revenge aspects than the romance strangely enough! 4 stars. I'm going to see if I can get the next book in audio - only just released a week ago. Hopefully the DRM will be open to Australia sometime soon :)

Thanks for the push back into this series!

Hey Elke glad you liked Flat Out Sexy and hey Gigi I am more than halfway through The Gargoyle now, i am enjoying it for some reason just seem to be slow at reading this month.

MKat, thanks for hosting! I love seeing the ststs and updtes

I love the stats! Thank you :)

I am 300 odd pages into outlander, Diana gabaldon, and loving it. Most likely a silly question, cam anyone tell me of its the same book as cross stitch?

Misskim wrote: "I am 300 odd pages into outlander, Diana gabaldon, and loving it. Most likely a silly question, cam anyone tell me of its the same book as cross stitch?"

Yes, it's the same

Leslie I finished my 3rd pick for the month

loved it 5*'s
Was a great beginning to the spin off from Kate Daniels world. I love Andrea Nash ~ she is just as kick ass as Kate is. This first book was about andrea coming into her own and deciding what to do with her life now that the Order has in essence "fired" her. Can't wait for book 2!!

Thanks for the great picks! I am still going to try to read but I probably won't finish it by the end of the month...

Thanks Susan!

Valerie -- Just finished my second pick of the month -- . It was great! I really enjoyed it. Thanks for the pick.

~Melissa~ wrote: "Leslie I finished my 3rd pick for the month

loved it 5*'s
Was a great beginning to the spin off from Kate Daniels world. I love Andrea Nash ~ she is just as kic..."

So glad you enjoyed your picks!! I'm so jealous that you read Gunmetal Magic. I can't get to that book until November. I love Andrea and am looking forward to her story.

I read the princess bride and gave it 4 stars. Thanks for the recommendation.

Leslie wrote: "~Melissa~ wrote: "Leslie I finished my 3rd pick for the month

loved it 5*'s
Was a great beginning to the spin off from Kate Daniels world. I love Andrea Nash ~ ..."

It rocked and I was able to make it work for 3 or 4 different challenges - woohoo!!

Leslie wrote: "Duration: 9/1/12 - 9/30/12

Picker: Elise
Show No Mercy
9/22/12 ****1/2 stars
Elise - I loved this book! Thanks so much for introducing me to ..."

Glad you like them, I too was impressed with Cindy Gerard's series have have chewed thru much of the series this summer.

I just finished Glass Houses - didn't enjoy it that much which just confirmed that I really don't like YA books.

Thanks for the picks though Sallie I had fun deciding which one to read.

Daffodil,

I finished from your list of recs about two weeks ago, and I love it. Thanks for the push to finish the Wallflowers series.

I was hoping to finish another book from the list, but looks like my schedule will not allow me that luxury.

I finished Fifty Shades Freed today. The series did have it's issues, especially when it came to editing, but overall I enjoyed all of the books. I'm starting Clear Water tonight, and may even have enough time before the end of the month to finish one more beyond that.

Thanks for the great recommendations this month, Jane!

Oooh - you are doing well Karen! ...I loved Clear Water, so I hope it suits you too :)

Jane (PS) wrote: "Love the stats Kat :)

...Sandy, I'm working on my book as I type (well, sort of - it is sitting next to me, beckoning ;)"

Jane - what accent does the book speak in? LOL

Joyce wrote: "Jane - what accent does the book speak in? LOL"

Hehehe - I won't say 'tongues' ;)

I finished Angels' Blood and really liked it. I've had it suggested several times, and am glad I finally read it =)

Hi Julie, I finished yesterday. I liked the book ok but I found the main character, Harriet to be too good. I also didn't get why the main characters couldn't talk things out clearly. It could have avoided so much misunderstandings. I liked the ballet aspect of it though. I rated it 3 1/2 stars. Thanks for the rec, Julie!

Sassafrass wrote: "UPDATE:
this was pretty good although I don't see how she didn't get sued for copyright infringement! LOL, it was almost exactly like the Breeds Series by Lora Leigh, but I did like certain aspects of it better than Breeds. I think I'll probably continue the series at some point! Thanks for getting me into a new series. :)


Yeah, that's what I thought too, but I still found them to be a fun series of books. Glad you're enjoying your picks!

Tiffany, I just finished my second challenge book this month and liked it. It's a strange mix--castles and manly warriors in kilts with guns in the Victorian era, but overall it was a fun book. I liked that the heroine was so strong a character. The secondary character of Olivia was quite hilarious, as well. I've got the other two books of the trilogy on order--thanks for the great pick.

Carla, I just read those books this summer and loved them! The last of the trilogy was my favorite! Ethan was a great hero!

Skandia, finished and it was a solid 4 star read! This is such a great series and I'm continuing to enjoy it. Thanks for the great picks!

You are welcome, Breann :)
I'm a fan of In Death series too, after only reading two first books. It's good to know, if the mood hits, there is plenty of good reading ahead :)

UPDATE:


Hey Erin! So, here are my picks for the month:

FINISHED:
9/1/12
9/2/12
9/6/12
9/22/12
9/27/12--It took me a while to get into this one, simply because I had to get into a certain mindset to understand the lingo and hierarchy, but this was a very smart book. I loved what it said about society without "really" saying it! I thought it was hilarious at the same time, and I really enjoyed it. It's a big departure from what I usually read, but I'm so glad I didn't give up on it in the beginning. Thanks, again. You're batting a thousand at this point!

Only one more book to go!

LEFT TO FINISH:

I'm not going to finish my book by the end of the month. I feel as though I am missing a deadline and letting others down :/ J. K. Rowlings isn't helping me to achieve the goal, but I now have a few new books and authors to love and tell others about, so good outcome overall!

Sassafrass wrote: "UPDATE:


Hey Erin! So, here are my picks for the month:

FINISHED:
9/1/12
9/2/12
9/..."

I'm glad you liked it. It took me a little bit to get into also, but I thought it was hillarious. If you've never read any of his other books, they're great as well.