Romance Lovers for the Challenge-Impaired discussion

Since I still a book for Hawaii in my states challenge I decided to check out what's been shelved "hawaii". Clearly people are using that shelf for vacation reads. I certainly don't remember anyone in Great Expectations or Frankenstein going to Hawaii. Kind of funny.

Mary wrote: "Since I still a book for Hawaii in my states challenge I decided to check out what's been shelved "hawaii". Clearly people are using that shelf for vacation reads. I certainly don't remember anyon..."

That's a crack up, Mary :-) Frankenstein in Hawaii, lol!

Did you end up finding something for this week from that list?

Actually a couple of erotica books on my Kindle are on the list and actually take place in Hawaii. But I am still undecided.

I added a bunch of kindle books to my kindle WL after scrolling through there. So we'll see.

Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)

Read a book with a hat on the cover.

I'm going to read:

Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)

♩♪ Any book published between 2000 and 2010.

I am reading . I am about half way through it.

There is so much variety for what to read this week.

I'll read:
Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)

♩♪ Any book published between 2000 and 2010.

Published in 2004.

Kate, we're doing a buddy read of that starting Oct 1. You'll have to stop by and chat with us about it!

Mary wrote: "Since I still a book for Hawaii in my states challenge I decided to check out what's been shelved "hawaii". Clearly people are using that shelf for vacation reads. I certainly don't remember anyon..."

LOL that is too funny Mary...they must have their "Hawaii" shelves mixed up with their "vacation" shelves mixed up because like you I don't recall either of those books having anything to do with Hawaii LOL

Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)

Book: Safe Haven


Book/Song Connection: Any book published between 2000 and 2010
Rating:★★★★★
Finished: September 27, 2012
Review:Wow!!! This book really touched home for me. Coming from an abusive relationship (years ago) I normally don't read books involving domestic violence BUT really enjoyed this one. I don't know how I managed to read two books involving domestic abuse in the last week but this was the second one and by far the better of the two. In the first book I read, the author tried to convince the reader that domestic abuse is an addiction (which IMO it isn't) by repetitively stating that and never allowed the protagonist/victim to understand/realize that in order to get out of the situation one must realize it's not his/her fault. Sparks, on the other hand, didn't do that. Instead he told a story of a woman being abused the mistakes she makes,realizing the problems,setting goals and finding ways to achieve those goals while KNOWING the abuse is NOT her fault.Sparks tells/shows the reader that domestic violence/abuse is by no means an easy situation to deal with, for the abuser or the victim. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot with a shocking ending that I was not at all expecting. There's a little bit of mystery/suspense mixed in with the romance. Sparks did a very nice job blending the different genres. The characters,the plot,the genre mix is set at a very nice pace with everyone/everything being introduced to the reader not too slowly but not too quickly either. The characters were all very likeable even those you wish you could hate.This book IMO is NOT your typical Nicholas Sparks read but definitely one of his better works. This was a book that I couldn't put down as I kept wanting to know what would happen next. I do recommend this book.

Good review Robin. I just added it to my TBR list.

Well done Robin! You're the first to complete a review for this song!

Thanks Anna!! I hope you enjoy it and find it as good as I did. ☺

Thanks CaroB. UMMM I probably wouldn't have been first in reviewing if I had of been able to put this one down. It just kept calling my name every time I tried LOL

Right now I am 53% done with my book. I'll finish it tomorrow for sure. How is everyone else doing on theirs? Did you ladies notice we hit 1st place last week...:-)

Anna wrote: "Right now I am 53% done with my book. I'll finish it tomorrow for sure. How is everyone else doing on theirs? Did you ladies notice we hit 1st place last week...:-)"

I noticed and thanked everyone who congratulated us ☺

I have not read any posts yet...working hard on this week book. But I would also like to say 'Thank You' to everyone.

Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)
4/5 Stars
Finished: 9/28/12

Review: This book was more than I expected. Sex, Sex and more sex. The plot kept me interested.

Dislike: Immediately the names of six brothers were thrown in and it was confusing at first to keep them all straight. It also didn't tell what happened at the end with brother Joseph and Cady. I would have liked to have known if her procedures worked.

Song Link: picture with hat on cover.

Hot on Her Trail

LOL, Anna! the words "sex sex and more sex" make me want to add that to my TBR... is that too pervy of me or what?! :-)
Just a quick note: could you please add the book link to your review above? Thanks a squillion!

Ok I finally picked a book. I had a couple of borrowed ebooks that I had to finish before I ran out of time.

I decided to read:

It's set in Hawaii. It's also a Prime Lending Library book and I needed to get my September borrow picked before I ran out of September. I love the cover.

Mary wrote: "Ok I finally picked a book. I had a couple of borrowed ebooks that I had to finish before I ran out of time.

I decided to read:

It's set in Hawaii. It's also ..."

I like that cover too ☺ I hope you enjoy it!!

No problem CaroB...I added the link. I hope you enjoy the book...;-)

Hint: At first I thought there was a typo, McCoy and McCay, but it is actually two different people. ENJOY!!

Anna wrote: "Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)
4/5 Stars
Finished: 9/28/12

Review: This book was more than I expected. Sex, Sex and more sex. The plot kept me interested. Very glad to know that you enjoyed it when I do get it read ☺

Dislike: Immediately the na..."

I just realized that I got that book as a kindle freebie but won't read it until I get the first one LOL

I have many books like that - If I see the second book in a series cheap or free I'll get it. But I never want to read them till I've read the first one. It's why my shelves are packed with books I've not read cause I haven't read the first one yet.

Kate wrote: "I have many books like that - If I see the second book in a series cheap or free I'll get it. But I never want to read them till I've read the first one. It's why my shelves are packed with books I..."

I have noticed that a lot of times if you get a 2nd or 3rd book of a series as a freebie, if you wait it out long enough you will get the rest of them sooner or later either really cheap or free lol I have enough to read that I can wait and see ☺

Finished this weeks book:

Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)

10/1/12
4 stars
Song connection: set in Hawaii

I'm so glad that I used my Sept. Prime Lending Library borrow on this book. Excellent mystery. I docked it 1 star for 2 reasons. First I got tired of being reminded of what "pidgin" is and having it pointed out every time one of the native Hawaiian characters talked that way. Luckily the reminders eventually stopped. I only needed to be told once what "pidgin" speak means. The second reason was that the # of stalkers the heroine had was a little unbelievable. But I get that the author needed to do that to keep me guessing about the bad guy.

Just getting this ready.

Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)

Dancer request:


Mary: Blood Orchids review

Anna: Hot on Her Trail review

Robin: Safe Haven review

Kate: You Slay Me review

Neat review, Mary! I don't like it when an author does that.

♬ Week 4 Song: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz (2008)

Book: You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister
Rating: ★★★★
Finished: 2nd October, 2012
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Aisling Grey is a courier who gets herself caught up in a world of magic, gorgeous thieving dragons and a underground underworld in Paris that she never dreamed existed.

I really enjoyed reading this one. The characters are a little zany and have some entertaining banter. I liked the ideas and how they all gelled together in the story.

I liked all the different forms of magical creature (dragons, wiccans, demons etc.) that were incorporated into the story. They all managed to co-exist in a way that made sense to me reading it. And I love books set in Europe so this was another fantastic thing in the book's favour. I'm glad I finally got around to buying the first book in this series - I've had the second one sitting on my shelves for a few years and now that I've finished You Slay Me I can start reading it.

*SONG LINK - This book was published between 2000 and 2010

I'll have to submit for another dancer tonight. For some reason I cannot do the copy link thing on my work computer no matter what browser I use. I think it's too outdated.

Mary wrote: "I'll have to submit for another dancer tonight. For some reason I cannot do the copy link thing on my work computer no matter what browser I use. I think it's too outdated."

LOL Ok Mary...I am anxiously waiting to see what the next song pick will be for the new week☺

Mary wrote: "Finished this weeks book:

Week 4: ♩♪ "I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz (2008)

10/1/12
4 stars
Song connection: set in Hawaii

I'm so glad that I used my Sept. Prime Lending Library borrow on this book. E..."

@ Mary I hate when something is repetitive in a book. It seems to be a common recurring problem with a lot of books/authors.

@ Kate Glad you enjoyed your book. I will have to keep this series in mind for some of challenges that call for mythical creatures ☺

Well thanks to my crappy work computer we are no longer in first place. Another team beat us to the 4th week finish.

I just rechecked and it didn't matter as someone else did it yesterday. Oh well we are still doing good.

Well done Two To Tango!! You now have 4 dancers groovified. Your dance card has been updated :-)

If I am looking at this right we are in 4th place right? It's ok Mary ☺ I am learning about these team challenges. This is the first time I have participated in a team challenge and I think we are doing good, but what the heck do I know. Are these team challenges pretty much based on time? How quickly you get your books read and everything posted?

That's pretty much about right Robin. We might look at doing scores in future rounds, but for this round it's whoever gets finished first by the game.

Week 5: ♩♩ "Like A Virgin" - Madonna (1984)


I'm going to read:

I about to start this book when I realized it was Wednesday and time for a new book...now it fits perfectly.

Book Link: Married by Mistake
Song Link: Wedding Dress on cover

Week 5: ♩♩ "Like A Virgin" - Madonna (1984)

♩♩ Any book published or set in the 80s.

I am going to read
which was first published in 1989.

Right now it doesn't really matter what place we are in as long as we don't fall behine. What will be important is the last week. When the last song is called we all need to be caught up and read that last song book very quickly if we want to win. Hopefully it won't be anything that's hard for one of us to come up with something.

Here's the full requirements for this week's song:

Week 5: ♩♩ "Like A Virgin" - Madonna (1984)

Possible Links:
♩♩ Any book published or set in the 80s.
♩♩ A book with the words VIRGIN or LIKE A... in the title.
♩♩ A book about a virgin.
♩♩ A book about renewal or trying new experiences.
♩♩ A book about religion.
♩♩ A book with a titled Lady as the heroine (I'm looking specifically for a quote with the words "My Lady" or Ma Donna in it).
♩♩ A book by an author with a single name.
♩♩ A book with a wedding dress on the cover.

poopy. I was hoping I could work into this week's song but it's not a wedding dress and I don't think anything else will work for it.

So I'll need to think of something.

Urgh and I just read a historical romance with a "lady" who happened to be a virgin. Oh well.

I think I'll go with Vision in White

Song link: wedding dress on cover

If I still have: then I will read this. I need a book that's on the humor shelf for another challenge. Would be nice if I can combine both. This book is also on the "virgin heroine" shelf.

I picked a book:

I need a pirate book for another challenge. Book was published in 1984 and I'm guessing has a virgin heroine, at least at the beginning.

Week 5: ♩♩ "Like A Virgin" - Madonna (1984)

Book Read: Married by Mistake
4/5 Stars
Date Finished: 10/05/12

Review: I liked the plot in this book. I wasn't sure if either couple would get/stay together. My favorite person was Eloise.

Dislike: There were only a few typos...noticeable but not distracting.

♬ Week 5 Song: "Like a Virgin" by Madonna (1984)

Book: Vision in White by Nora Roberts
Rating: ★★★★
Finished: 6th October, 2012
Review: I love novels about weddings and people in the wedding industry so I was delighted by this week's song.

This book is about Mackensie Elliot - a photographer for the wedding company she works at with her three best friends. Emma does the flowers, Laurel bakes the cakes and Parker does everything else. They've been best friends since they were children and after many play weddings as kids it seems fitting that as adults they're helping other people plan their special days.

But Mac is a little jaded towards the whole institution of marriage. Her parents both have three marriages a piece and have always been more concerned with their own relationships than they have been with her.

When Carter Maguire comes into Mac's life she's not looking for a relationship. But with his geek chic style and adorable clumsiness, Mac can't help but be attracted. But her personal history and messy life stand in the way of what could be the love of her life.

I've never read a Nora Roberts book before but I really enjoyed this one. It's the sort of book that whilst I was reading it felt like I was watching a romantic comedy. IT had the meet cute, the slightly sleazy but well-meaning best friend for Carter and the fantastic team of friends that Mac has surrounding her who are always there when she needs a shoulder to cry on or a pint of ice cream to wallow in.

I didn't love the extensive use of acronyms... MOH, MOB, FOB, FOG, CBBM, SBM, B, G, BA... argh... I just don't like acronyms... they annoy me for some reason. Whilst it was easy to know what they meant... I just didn't like how often they were slinging CBBM (Cheating Bastard Best Man) around during one of the weddings... It's almost like they wanted him to start some trouble...

It's cute and sweet and I couldn't have picked a better book to read whilst lounging by the pool.

Song Link: Book with a wedding dress on the cover

♬ Week 5 Song: "Like a Virgin" by Madonna (1984)


Bound by the Heart
2 stars
Originally published 1984.
Heroine was a virgin.

This review is for the rewritten ebook version. I should have read the reviews before I got the ebook version. I wanted and was expecting a good old fashioned Bodice Ripper. It was pretty boring. I mean yes there were some exciting moments at sea. But if that's what I was looking for I would have picked up Treasure Island. Apparently all the good stuff was edited out to make the book more PC. I was so excited that some of my Marsha Canham print books popped up as freebies on Kindle. I'm so glad I haven't taken the box to the thrift store yet. Because I'm pulling the print versions out in case the ebooks have been edited.

Week 5: ♩♩ "Like A Virgin" - Madonna (1984)

Book: Straight from the Heart


Book/Song Connection: Any book published or set in the 80s.
Rating:★★
Finished: October 8, 2012
Review: I don't read category romances very often but this book reminded me why. I definitely could tell that this book was written/published in the 80's LOL and can't believe I used to love this type of book. All in all it was pretty much your predictable/typical category romance with the H/H meeting again after a long break-up, heroine denies still having feelings after the years gone by, the cat and mouse game begins until they get back together, of course the trust factor is an issue,a few sex scenes and then the HEA. It was a quick,light, cheesy read and I had trouble getting through it simply because it just didn't keep my attention. I would only recommend this book IF you like the category romance books.

Dancer request:

Week 5: ♩♩ "Like A Virgin" - Madonna (1984)

Anna: Married by Mistake review

Kate: Vision in Whitereview

Mary: Bound by the Heartreview

Robin: Straight from the Heartreview

OK submitted for dancer #5 and it looks like we're the first. Go team 2!!

Thanks Mary!!!! WTG Team ☺☺☺☺

Congratulations Two to Tango!! You now have 5 dancers groovified. Your dance card has been updated in post #2.