Meet & Greet Challenge Round 11 (Aug/Sep): READING

[Stephanie]

I have finished two of my picks: Pushing the Limits and Kiss of Fire. I really enjoyed both. It was my first time reading any of these authors. I will have to try their other books.

[Dana (aNovelAllure)]

Diane ~Firefly~ wrote: "Group 3

Dana - thanks for the rec. It was a good start to a new series.

"

So glad you enjoyed it! I will have to add that series to my list :)

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

Penney - Just Like Heaven 8/3/15
Preethi - 8/6/15
Shelby - 8/4/15

I've managed to finish 3 books so far this month:

Just Like Heaven recommended by Penney - very cute and enjoyable...I'm definitely going to continue the series soon, hopefully book 2 next month! :D

Masters & Boyd recommended by Shelby - there were things about this book that I liked a lot, but didn't really care for the choppy way it was presented...no true story, more like just a series of incidents in the lives of the MCs. I didn't really feel like I connected very well with either character, probably for that reason. It was very nice though to see an established couple dealing with very real day-to-day problems and managing to work through them together.

Master of the Night recommended by Preethi - I liked this but didn't love it. Interesting twist on the Arthurian legends, and I'm sure I'll continue the series at some point, but in no great hurry to do so.

Thanks for the picks! :D

[Mai]

I've finished two more of my picks:

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy picked by Jojo ★★★
I adore Julia Quinn's Smythe-Smith series, I like them even more than her Bridgertons. This one would be a 4 stars read, too, if it wasn't for the hero: While he redeemed himself in the end, his overall plan why he married the heroine is just awful. I felt so bad for his spouse and family. Otherwise the book has quite some charming and funny moments, the writing is excellent as usual.

Hard Bitten★★★
picked by Larissa and Caipi
This was tough to rate, so I settle for a medium 3 stars: Up to the last chapter I'd have rated the book lower. I felt kind of "meh" towards the plot, thought it rather boring and formulaic. But then: the cliffhanger! OMG. I need to read the next book now. I need to know!! :-O

Thank you for picking again!

[Ezi]

@Holli:
Dear Teammate, I listened to your book Stray first and I enjoyed it. I have already purchased audiobook 2

[Jennifer]

I've just finished . Loved this first book and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

I'm now on to .

[Mai]

I've read some more:

Blood Rites - 15/08/08 ★★★★ (picked by Becca)
A fun read as usual - I'm really enjoying the series. I loved to see more of Murphy in this part.

Ill Wind - 15/08/09 ★★★ (picked by KarenH)
The idea of the Weather Wardens is pretty interesting. I liked the book - I didn't love it, but it is a promising start enough to the series, that I'll will continue it :)

Thanks for picking <3

[Jennifer]

Finished reading I think I would give it ★★★.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Jennifer wrote: "Finished reading I think I would give it ★★★."

I only rated this book 3 stars as well. I read the next one (2 stars) to see if it improved, but there continued to be too much internal dialogues and not enough action as I recall...

[Christina]

Finished yesterday and gave it 4 stars. It was my first book by this author and I really liked it. I doesn't hurt that I'm on a little of a sports romance kick either...

[Holli]

Ezinwanyi~the Impish Angel wrote: "@Holli:
Dear Teammate, I listened to your book Stray first and I enjoyed it. I have already purchased audiobook 2"

Glad you liked it. Hope the next one proves as good. :-)

[Dee]

i'm finally finishing up my second book - The Wild Child - picked for me by ~Leslie~ - all these historicals from the early 2000's, remind me why I loved historical romance in my early reading - well written, developed, love the plot line - kind of like a female version of Flowers from the Storm where she is thought be insane

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Group 1

~Melissa~ - thanks for the recommendation. I enjoyed the book

[Holli]

Read my first book for Group 3:

, rec by Ramneek

Thanks for picking this one. It was better than I expected and a good read. I gave it 3 stars. I'm wanting to get this series off my TBR mountain and you helped me get that much closer. :-)

[Mai]

Thank you all for the recommendations!

I Shall Be Near to You★★★★ (rec by Zara)
Quite a tear-jerker, I found the historical facts really interesting. It would have been a 5-stars-read if it wasn't for the first person/present tense POV; I like my books in past tense :)

A Groom of One's Own★★½ (rec by Donna)
The writing style was really charming and entertaining - I'll probably read more by this author, but (historical inaccuracies aside) the heroine was rather unlikeable: (view spoiler)[Despite being jilted at the altar herself, she found nothing wrong with dallying with an already engaged guy. (hide spoiler)]

Rosemary and Rue ★★★★★ (rec by Armi)
Gosh, I loved it. A kickass (but not invincible) heroine, plenty of fae mythology and a surprise end. I'm totall in for the rest of the series.

[Elke]

Finished my second book recommended by Diane-Firefly. Loved it of course! :D

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Elke wrote: "Finished my second book recommended by Diane-Firefly. Loved it of course! :D"

Yay! I read it as well (from your rec) and can't wait for the next one!

[Elke]

Finished my 3rd and 4th books recommeded by Dee & recommended by Anita-they were pretty good! :)

[Dee]

The Wallflower - recommend by Jane(PS)/Sunshine - short but sweet - i kind of expected it to be a bit more spicer than it was, but a cute read and i'm glad it was different shifters than normal (puma vs. wolves/bears) - hopefully will continue the series in the future - 3 stars

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

I remember enjoying it Dee - light and easy ;)

[Stacie]

Making progress! I've really enjoyed the picks I've read so far this month.

[MountainKat, Moderator]

I'm getting a slow start this round! So far I've finished three of my picks, but I've started two more!

Sallie(GeorgiaGirl) - Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn 8.12.15 - I really enjoyed this! Wonderful historical and wonderful narration in the audiobook too!

~Melissa~ - Bound to Darkness by Lara Adrian 8.17.15 - This was so good! I love this series and really enjoyed this addition! (I just wish the audiobook had come out at or near the same time as the book, but I couldn't wait especially with no date for release yet!)

Ty - Tangle of Need by Nalini Singh 8.17.15 - This series just keeps getting better - I never know where things are going! Wasn't sure how this one would end, but I liked how the author handled the situation. Can't wait for more - good thing the next book is a M&G pick too!

Thanks everyone!

[Elke]

Just read my 5th book recommended by Amy-of course loved it! Love the Play by Play series!

[~Melissa~]

MountainKat wrote: "I'm getting a slow start this round! So far I've finished three of my picks, but I've started two more!

Sallie(GeorgiaGirl) - Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn 8.12.15 - I really enj..."

Glad you enjoyed the newest Midnight Breeds book - I have a few to go to catch up with you :)

[Raine]

Here's what I've read so far:


Group 3:
(Aarati) ★★★★★
(Holli) ★★★★★


Bonus:
(Stephanie) ★★★★★
(Shelby) ★★★
(KellyJo) ★★★

[Ezi]

GROUP 3 PICKS

Zara: ★★★ was funny. A couple trying to lose weight via a challenge by their local radio station. I liked it.

Holli: was a pleasant surprise. I gave it ★★★½ and quickly bought the sequel.

Aarati: was a ★★★. this one was just too mundane as I have read this trope often.

UnusualChild{beppy}: ★★★★½ --the BEST highland romance I've read in a while, probably top 3 all year. Favorite read so far this MnG.

LaurLa: was a good RS ★★★½. I enjoyed the crime mystery aspect of it. I will follow this series now.

Raine: wasn't as good as Never Let You go. I gave it ★★★. this one had one dimensional characters. Never Let you go was just awesome.

Skandia: was good conclusion to this NA humorous love story. I gave it ★★★★. Sandeky and Parker took me on a great journey.


BONUS PICKS

Nichole: I liked ★★★★. It was Giles' book and it was interesting seeing the uptight butler being all Alpha. I wonder how he will change when Max gets back. Catch up to me :D

Penney: Well, I tried and gave it ★★★. I liked the underlying story but there was just too much sex. Not even porn stars get down this much in a month. I think I will call it quits with the authors as they haven't learned the concept of less is more.

Stacie Mass D-struction was disappointing. I gave it ★★. I think Tara Sivec doesnt work for me as I never really feel engaged to her stories.


THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS

[Elke]

Read my 6th book recommended by Nichole-it was a little too dark for me.

[Nichole]

Yeah, I've had that on my kindle forever! It's not my usual thing but everyone seems to love it! It will probably gather more dust though, lol. One of these days! Maybe... :P

[Elke]

Ok, read my 7th book recommended by Dana-loved it of course!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Elke wrote: "Ok, read my 7th book recommended by Dana-loved it of course!"

I need to read a Jaci Burton again - which series would you recommend?

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Group 1

Grace, you finished your pick and really enjoyed it. Thanks so much.

[Elke]

Jane (PS) wrote: "Elke wrote: "Ok, read my 7th book recommended by Dana-loved it of course!"

I need to read a Jaci Burton again - which series would you recommend?"



I love the Play by Play series......but the Hope series is getting better and better!! If you haven't read the first one I would start with that!

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Group 3

Anita, I finished your pick and it was great. Thanks for the recommendation

[Jennifer]

Completed . Love her books.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Thanks Elke - the Play By Play series is the one I keep eyeing so nice to know I'm on the right track!

[Elke]

Read my 8th book recommended by Jane (PS)-it was really good!!

[Christina]

Jane (PS) wrote: "Thanks Elke - the Play By Play series is the one I keep eyeing so nice to know I'm on the right track!"

I've read a few from this series and loved all of them. They are typically pretty steamy reads with good characters. After all, who doesn't love a hot athlete?

[Holli]

More Group 3 picks done:

; rec by Lily
2 stars; not as good as the first one and I didn't like either main character all that much. Sorry. I still appreciate you picking it for me.

; rec by Stephanie
4 stars; original pick ended up being a DNF book for many issues; this was a re-read and I quite liked re-visiting it. Thanks!

; rec by Aarati
5 stars; listened to Stephen Fry's version of the audio while reading and loved it. Thanks!

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Halfway through the challenge - time for another update! Surprisingly, I managed to finish half of my picks in this first half - YAY!

Group 1 Picks:

❀~Amy~❀ - Hard to Let Go by Laura Kaye 8.21.15 - So not happy this series is coming to an end, but I loved every one of the books! This one was wonderful!

KathyD - If Only by Cherise Sinclair 8.25.15 - This was great as all the books in this series have been!

Diane~Firefly~ - Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb 8.26.15 - I loved seeing a vulnerable side to Roarke and loved even more Eve's response! This series is always good and a great listen!

Grace - Prelude by Shira Anthony 8.29.15 - This was a complete feel good read for me, I have no idea why I put it off so long!

Dee - Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh 8.30.15 - I wasn't intending to read this one in August, but it was the only M&G audio I had on my phone when I unexpectedly finished the one I was listening to while running errands one day. I am so glad I did though, not only did this allow me to finish my word hunt (yay!), but the story was fabulous! I had no idea where it would lead, so I just enjoyed the ride. What a ride!

Thanks for all the great picks - I can only hope September is as good!

[Dee]

Hands on Research - recommended by Ty- very short hot read - i really would have liked it to be a bit longer because i liked the authors writing style - she managed to pack a lot into an 80pg story - i may check out more of her writing in the future - 3.5 stars

Holiday Bound - recommended by Jody - i should have liked this one - the whole isolated during snow storm theme, but it just felt a bit rushed/empty in a few places - which is weird since it was actually longer than the book above that I read, but that one was much better written (IMHO). but I have read/enjoyed this authors writing in the past, and pretty sure i still have more on the pile - 3 stars

[Nadine Bookaholic]

Group 2 I have completed 6 books so far

Becca - Marine With Benefits by Heather Long finished 8/21 ★★★★

Christina - The Reunion: Emma & Noah #1, a VIP College Side Story by Athena Wright finished 8/4 ★★★★

Donna - Royalty, Rockstars & Billionaires: VIP College #2 by Athena Wright finished 8/4 ★★★★

Jennifer - To Defy a Russian Billionaire by Nic Saint finished 8/24 ★★★

Jojo - Keeping Allie by Meli Raine finished 8/21 ★★★

R~wka - Russian Enforcer's Resistant Rescue by Nic Saint finished 8/24 ★★★★

Thank you for the great picks, you can see my reviews here: My meet greet challenge round 11 Bookshelf

[Dee]

also finished up Kiss Me Again last night (recommended by MountainKat)- i'm a sucker for second chance romances, but this one felt a bit empty at times - mostly because i didn't really understand why they had broken up in the first place...and then there was her weird friend, who disliked him, but no real explanation why (I think jealousy maybe) - i gave it 3 stars though

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Dee wrote: "also finished up Kiss Me Again last night (recommended by MountainKat)- i'm a sucker for second chance romances, but this one felt a bit empty at times - mostly because i didn't real..."

That's too bad, I usually like this author and have this book on the short(er) list. Three stars isn't bad, but I had higher hopes.

[Dee]

i think i'm just in a bit of a reading funk...i read 3 of my picks over the weekend (all had been on Mt TBR for a while) and they were all 3-3.5 star reads...which is my avg

[Ezi]

I got some of the best books I read this month.

@Grace: ★★★★½
Rock Solid redeemed Riley Hart (who outted herself as Nyrae Dawn last week). The last three books I read by her was so bad that I decided that I would have to put her on my "no thanks" list. But this book took me back to Collide, my favorite book by her. It wasn't as good as Collide, but it was definitely up there.



@Sunshine: ★★★★½.
Prince of Shadow was an excellent addition to the Moonlight serie. Wow I really enjoyed Cale Theriot after reading what a monster he was for 3 books. A definite reminder that there are 2 sides to every story when it comes to who the "villian" is.

Thanks ladies.

[Penney]

My tally for August...

Group 2 Picks
7/17 Read

4. Christina: Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery 8/6 ✯✯✯
5. Debbie: Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren 8/7 ✯✯✯✯
10. KarenH: The Shadows by J.R. Ward 8/26 ✯✯✯✯✯
11. KellyJo: Wicked Cravings by Suzanne Wright 8/4 ✯✯✯½
12. Larissa: Grim by M.K. Eidem 8/3 ✯✯✯
13. Mai: Magic Shifts by Ilona Andrews 8/11 ✯✯✯✯✯
17. Shelby: Evenfall: Volume 2: Director's Cut by Santino Hassell 8/12 ✯✯✯✯½



Bonus Picks
7/24 Read

3. Catherine: Alice Clayton, The Unidentified Redhead 8/17 ✯✯✯½
4. Dana: Fool Moon by Jim Butcher 8/20 ✯✯✯✯
10. Jennifer: Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier 8/28 ✯✯✯✯
13. KellyJo: Ral's Woman by Laurann Dohner 8/27 ✯✯
18. Raine: Worth the Fall by Claudia Connor 8/16 ✯✯✯✯✯
20. Stacie Mass D-struction: Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis 8/14 ✯✯✯½
23. UnusualChild{beppy}: Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb 8/31 ✯✯✯✯✯

[~Melissa~]

My tally for August reads for Group 1:

Thank you all for the picks - I had a couple that I didn't really like but this helped get them off my tbr. Some were on there for another challenge - found out I really don't like fairy tale re-tellings except for a select few,lol. Darynda Jones series was probably my faves this month.

Group 1
7/ 17 read
Anita Mai (BONUS PICK)- Before Midnight 8/21/15 3♥
Diane ~Firefly~ - Sixth Grave on the Edge 8/7/15 4.5♥
Elke & Gle (BONUS PICK)- Resurrection Man 8/7/15 2♥ feels like the first chapter of a book - not complete
Grace - Unblocked - Episode Two 8/1/15 3.5♥
MountainKat - Darkness Unknown 8/9/15 4♥
Sallie(GeorgiaGirl)/ Jody & Mai (BONUS PICK) - Insanity (Mad in Wonderland) 8/25/15 2♥

Elke/Sallie(GeorgiaGirl)/ Ty & Katie(BONUS PICK) Seventh Grave and No Body 8/18/15 4♥

Bonus
9/24 read

*Amy & - Dark Soul Vol. 4 8/3/15 3♥
*Armi - Down and Dirty 8/3/15 3.75♥
*Ezinwanyi - Guns n' Boys: Book 1, Part 1 8/21/15 2.5-2.75♥
Gea - The Mane Squeeze 8/16/15 4♥
*Grace & Nichole- Phantom Shadows 8/29/15 3.5-3.75 ♥
*Nichole & Dana - Redemption by Fire 8/21/15 3♥/
*Raine - Reasonable Doubt: Volume 1 8/31/15 3♥
*Shelby - Dark Soul Vol. 5 8/31/15 4♥
*UnusualChild{beppy} - Blasphemer, Sinner, Saint 8/10/15 2♥

[Dee]

Ended up with an unintentional reread - when i was shelving kindle archives i came across books i couln't remember if i had read or not - Nice and Naughty (recommended by elke) was one of them but when i started reading i remembered it - but i had it slotted into another challenge so i reread it - hot like expected but wish it had been longer

[Nadine Bookaholic]

Group 2, I finished my 7th book


Preethi - Beautiful Entourage by E.L. Todd finished 9/1 ★★★★

Girl gets dumped by her fiance that is cheating on her with her cousin, they are now engaged, and her father will not give her control of the company until she lands herself a rich guy that he approves of, so she hires an escort. A very, very HOT escort! This was a very sweet read, once you overlooked the idiots around her.

[Dee]

finished Yield to Me - recommended by Amy - holy hotness - i was def. waving my hand in front of my face a bit to cool down - i do wish it had been a bit longer, but she managed to cram a lot into 200pgs - i'll def. be reading more by her in the future. 4 stars