Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
Archive - Pass The Parcel
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PtP - The Naughty Niners
I love Historical Romance but have only read a couple Western Romances. Something I would like to read more of. So, I need 2 Native American Romance books for a challenge. I have
and
earmarked. Has anyone read either of those? Or any suggestions?
I love western romance. I've read the first and that was quite good. I was a little hesitant on trying the author because I've heard so much about her and the book specifically. I found some parts a little long but overall I liked it a lot.The second book - I've not read it but have read the author. Another reliable western author for me. I'm from my mobile so I can't do links or authors but you can check out Maggi Osborne, Kaki Warner. Or you can go to my bookshelf/western. FYI, Lisa Kay also reads a lot of western. She recommended all 3 authors so you can check out her western shelf too.
Nichole wrote: "I love Historical Romance but have only read a couple Western Romances. Something I would like to read more of. So, I need 2 Native American Romance books for a challenge...Comanche Moon is on my TBR list and I'm eager to get to it. You might try: Dark Warrior: To Tame a Wild Hawk. Never a dull moment. I really enjoyed it. I believe the heroine is Lakota and the hero was raised Lakota.
If you decide to read Comanche Moon, let me know. I'll read it with you! I love historical westerns.
Thanks Ladies! I'm a shelf stalker so I will definitely do that :) I don't have them planned for this month (because that always works, ha!) but I would like to get to them fairly soon. I'll let you know if I decide to read it Becky.
Nichole wrote: "Thanks Ladies! I'm a shelf stalker so I will definitely do that :) I don't have them planned for this month (because that always works, ha!) but I would like to get to them fairly soon. I'll let yo..."That sounds great! Buddy reads are always more fun.
Have you read The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks? I have five people ahead of me at the library, but it sounds SOOOO good I'm having a hard time being patient! Argh! I'm over my monthly book allowance already and the month just started!
Haha! I start every month in the red with my book budget :) If my husband ever discovered how much my habit costs he would kick my butt! It's those dang audios I'm addicted to!Have you read The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks?
About that, you see, I love her historicals. They remind me of Julie Garwood and she's freaking awesome! BUT, I'm not a huge RS reader, so while I thought it was good (3 stars) I've never picked up the next one. It's a very popular series though.
I've been meaning to read The Darkest Hour for ages! I will buddy read it with you when your hold comes through!
Thanks, gals! Historical romance is my preferred genre, but I throw in a PNR and RS now and then for something different.
Veiled Eyes, the "Lake People" series by C.L. Bevill, is one of my favorite RS books. Her Bubba series mysteries can't be read while drinking soda or your book/eReader is at serious risk of spewage. Funny, funny characters and I loved the fainting goats in Bubba and the 12 Deadly Days of Christmas.
Logan, I'll look forward to reading The Darkest Hour with you!
week 1: read first book of a new series (Sacred Waters)date read: june 4
rating: 3 stars
review:
so many of my book reading buddies have read this and loved it, and i really, really wanted to like it, too. unfortunately, i can't quite see what all the fuss is about.
synopsis: samantha has almost graduated. she just needs a few more credits and before she starts taking summer courses that will allow her to finish her teaching degree, she agrees to go with her mostly-a-friend-and-not-really-a-boyfriend companion brayden to his family home for three weeks to recharge her batteries. brayden thinks that sam is his girlfriend, but he really doesn't treat her as such. he has a loud, boisterous family that overwhelms sam, while making her fall in love with them all. she is particularly enamoured with collin, brayden's older brother who happens to be a few months away from his final vows to become a catholic priest. sam and collin have immediate chemistry with each other, collin notices things about sam that no one else does, collin makes sam feel like no one else ever has. there's all the angst of him maybe betraying vows he made to himself when he was 12 (or so) years old, and some tough choices are made.
what i liked: collin's family; i liked how close they were and how they didn't sit in judgement of anyone.
what i didn't like: the editing wasn't that great; there were lots of improper verb tenses, funky punctuation, weird usage of words (her flaccid confidence) and just plain wrong words (he aught to have done). also, sam didn't think she was there as brayden's girlfriend, but she realized he thought so and still didn't make any concerted efforts to correct his assumptions. even when she and collin were admitting that they loved each other, sam still hadn't actually sat brayden down and said "we are not dating, or anything remotely close to being girlfriend and boyfriend". oh, and collin was an amazingly skilled lover for being a virgin who had supposedly never even jacked off once.
regarding westerns, johanna lindsay wrote some good ones: A Heart So Wild, Savage Thunder (na),
,
. i know that Kathleen Eagle and Constance O'Banyon write a lot of na books. personally, my favourite westerns are
,
,
,
,
(na),
and
.
Lindy wrote: "week 1Lindy wrote: "Krentz, Jayne Ann Light and Shadow bk 1
Link to bookcover or title above
Page count: 543
How it fits the theme or option chosen bk 1 in a new series""
Thanks Lindy - for next week, can you please make sure all the elements are correct in one post? Your second post is missing the book link. I'm happy for you to edit your posts rather then reposting if that helps :)
beppy wrote: "regarding westerns, johanna lindsay wrote some good ones:..."Ohh...I just finished The Texan's Wager and loved it! I just wanted to give Carter a big ol' hug!
Anybody else excited for the next theme? I'm watching the clock!
Heehee. So is anyone hoping for a certain theme? I have one in mind but I learned last round that if I said anything it was a sure bet not to be called, lol. I'm hoping this week's team challenges line up. None of them did last week :(
I agree Nichole - I just want it to be something I can read that counts for one of my other challenges!
"Ditto!" I have several library books that I hope to fit into a theme. I have quite a few to read for three other challenges before the end of the month and one of them is almost 700 pages. Yikes. What was I thinking?
Week 2Theme: 18 - Book by an author whose first or last name starts with the letter 'J'
Option 2 key date: 4 December 2013 (must be rated at least 3 stars, and you can't go back further than this 'date read' if you select from a team-member's bookshelf)
Week 2: Option 2 key date: 4 December 2013
629 Pages
Read by teammate Nicole 1/23/14
beppy wrote: "regarding westerns, johanna lindsay wrote some good ones: A Heart So Wild, Savage Thunder (na), , . i know ..."I've read first 3 of your favourites - while I really liked Texas Destiny, The Texan's Wager was just ok for me. For some reason, the lead characters didn't work for me.
Have you read
?
Week 2: Author name starting with J
by Julie James - 304 pages
I think I have a soft spot for wounded beta-type guys. I wish Carter and Bailee had been given more time as a couple before things went nuts. The author did a better job with Sarah and Sam in
, although I hated the ending. I'll have to add Heart of the West to my TBR list. Sounds like there is a lot of action (I'm a real action junkie). I'm switching over to contemporary/romance for a few books and can't wait to start
. I've heard the third book,
, is off-the-charts-fantastic!
Vi wrote: "Week 2: Author name starting with J - 304 pages"Vi - can you just add Julie James' name in you selection post somewhere?
Thanks :)
Week 2: Book by an author whose first or last name starts with the letter 'J'
by J. LynnPages: 203 kindle edition
week # 2: author whose name begins with "j"Secrets
page count: 169 pgs
how the book fits this theme: author is jordan castillo price
I just finished this one:Krentz, Jayne Ann Light and Shadow
Lindy, in order to count your book as read, you have to post a review using this format:Week #
Bookcover/link
Rating (1-5)
Review
Lindy wrote: "I just finished this one:Krentz, Jayne Ann Light and Shadow
"Hi Lindy - Logan is right. I can't mark off your book as complete until you put all four elements (week #, book link, rating and review) into one post :)
Logan's format is exactly right in the post above, so just follow that and your post can be counted.
Week 2: Book by an author whose first or last name starts with the letter 'J'
313 pages
Fits theme: Author is John Green
Week # 2Bookcover/link HOw do you do links?
Rating (1-5) 4
Review This is one of those novels with lots of sex, which we didnt' think they did. It is about a decorator
who is psychic and feels bad vibes when she enters a roo. She hired a PI who she falls into bed with and then they get married to help her out.
Are we still on week 2, would be so nice if there were dates for the week with the week number
Week #2 Finished: June 9, 2014Rating: ☆☆☆☆ Stars
Review:
I enjoyed this (although I thought it was too long), but I can't wait to catch up on the series. Nina arrives at her rented Rocky Mountain Cabin, expecting to take a two week "time out" from her fiance, who has neglected her so badly he doesn't even know how she takes her coffee. A booking error has been made and the owner, Max, is home, making the cabin unavailable. He doesn't see this as a problem and invites her to stay...with him. Nina doesn't like this idea, but fate steps in every time she tries to get away from Max. Eight days, one murder, and lots of drama later, she's needing a time-out from her two-week time out.
As Nina is introduced to the town of Gnaw Bone, we are treated to many laugh-out-loud and tear-jerking/heart-wrenching moments. I teared up several times as we learned about the characters past heartaches and trials. I thought the way Nina addressed Mindy's crisis was very touching and loved the quick bond that formed between the women. Grab your box of kleenex, especially for that last chapter!
Max was definitely hot, a bit overbearing, but super-gallant and fought for "his" woman. I liked Nina, but her behavior seemed inconsistent to me, especially in the beginning. For an attorney to act like such a doormat in some situations, but turn into a she-wolf in others didn't always sit right with me, but I got over it. The big story here was Nina's emotional/mental transformation and how she let go of her old way of thinking, not so much the whodunit murder mystery.
There were many section of writing that I felt should've been edited out to shorten the length. I don't need to know the play by play of how Nina makes coffee, or everything she ate for breakfast, or how Max helped her into her coat. It adds nothing to the plot and just came out wordy. I took away a star for this reason. Otherwise, it was a very good book.
Great review Becky. I totally agree about it being way too long and full of useless details (seems to be her thing). That's what always puts me off on reading more of her novels even though I have about 12 sitting on my Nook & Kindle. Luckily, more and more of them are coming out on audio, Yay!
Thanks, Nicole! After the first chapter or two, I was pretty sure I would hate it. Then she made me laugh. Then I cried and that was it. I was hooked. Loved the ending. I was hoping all that boring detail was a case of 1st-in-seriesitus. There's so much of it that scanning isn't really an option. *sigh*
Maybe her editor/beta reader was hungry and preoccupied with meal planning...? ; )
Lindy wrote: "Week # 2Bookcover/link HOw do you do links?
Rating (1-5) 4
Review This is one of those novels with lots of sex, which we didnt' think they did. It is about a decorator
who is psychic and feels ..."
Lindy, you can add a link the same way you added the bookcover. You don't have to do both, we just need either the cover or the link so we know which exact book you read.
Each new week starts on Fridays. Week 1 we started early on a Wednesday, which was May 28th. Week 2 started this past Friday, June 6th.
Each week you need to make two separate posts - a selection post and a review post. For week one I have your selection post, but I need your review post with all of the required info:
Week #
Bookcover or link
Rating (1-5)
Review
You also need to pick the book you want to read for Week 2 and post your selection post, which needs to have this information:
Week #
Bookcover or link
Number of pages
A description of how it fits the theme
Does that help? Let me know if you have other questions.
Becky wrote: "Week #2 Finished: June 9, 2014Rating: ☆☆☆☆ Stars
Review:
I enjoyed this (although I thought it was too long), but I can't wait to catch up on the series. Nina..."
That was the exact same thing i felt! I have over 6 of her books with me but because of the fact that they are very long, when i think about reading them i'd much rather read something else or just veg away.
Week # 2Bookcover or link Reliquary
Number of pages audio book
A description of how it fits the theme: If was your choice of book
Review
Preston, Douglas Reliquary
This is one of those woo woo books I don't like, but it was audio and I was going in the car. The Relic, authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have once again teamed up. This time they have give us Reliquary bk 2, a sequel to The Relic bk 1. The premise is intriguing enough: a series of brutal murders lead to a terrifying encounter deep beneath the streets of New York City. Just the thought of nasty critters crawling around the subway system was enough to make me very thankful that I live in CT.
Sorry I disappeared for the last few days - I started
then stopped and read
before continuing with SoW. Then I read Dear Author's joint review and the discussion. DA has a good critical review of the series (especially HoO) and a lively discussion in the comments which are really interesting to read through. It is a time-suck honestly. And which has left me itching to re-read a few books in the series. Trying to control the urge..
Becky, I agree about Kristen Ashley too. As Nichole said, it's just her thing. I read
which I really liked but it was too long and the ending felt rather rushed. I read another 5-6 books of hers when mood struck but I've had so many issues with half of them that I decided after the last book to give up on her. It didn't help that I wasn't a big fan of her like a loooot of people seem to be. {Just look at the GR reviews}. Even her most-loved book
didn't wow me unfortunately. But I have to accept that there is an addictive quality in her writing. You do want to read them in one sitting.Being in the minority is not fun.
Thanks, Vi. I tend to fall in the minority, too. I can't count the times I've read reviews that quote a phrase from a book, saying, "This was LOL funny" and do a facepalm. Crude humor is a big turnoff for me and it tends to be abundant these days. Playing For Keeps by R.L. Mathewson put me in a big minority, but I just didn't get it and was shocked at the poor writing quality. It could be an age thing, I'm just not sure. Maybe I picked up a first draft...LOL!One of the problems I had about The Gamble was the excessive foul language. I'm not a prude, but when the F word is so overused, or part of a daily vocabulary (I.e., "Pass the $%-ing potatoes.") I start to cringe. It made Max seem a bit...I don't know...I want to say unintelligent, but that doesn't fit. Maybe I'm looking for the word "crass."
What frustrates me is that this author can make me cry. Her story line was that good, but I had to wade through pages of gunk to get there. I keep thinking "Wow! This could be off-the-chain amazing if she would just make a few edits."
I'll probably jump to Lady Luck, #3 in the series. I hear its more of the same foul mouth hero stuff, but the plot has me intriqued and I'm a sucker for tortured souls. It's the highest rated in the series, too.
I hope that's a good thing...?
Week 2
Finished: 6/9/14
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I stayed up late last night to finish this one, because I knew it was going to make me ugly cry, and who wants to do that on the train to work? I resisted this book for so long because it has inspired some major praise and criticism. I thought the kids-with-cancer angle seemed designed to make teenagers and parents weep, and it bothers me when authors feel manipulative like that.
It was a very sweet story, and gripped me only because I loved Hazel so much. Augustus tried too hard for me, but I could see why Hazel would like him, even in all of his manic pixie dream boy grand gestures of affection. The plot around their favorite book was a nice break from it being all about illness and death, but it ultimately didn't pay off for me as successfully as I think Green feels it did. The interactions with Van Houten felt improbable and cartoonish juxtaposed against the harsh realities of their daily lives. I think the lessons on expectations and maturity could have been realized without this tropey old oaf of a secluded, depressed writer.
As an adult reader, I could appreciate the first love elements of this story that would have made me gaga for this book as a young person. I also liked that it didn't play dumb for the reader - it had a high standard that pulls you along - which makes it nice for older readers as well. Green deals with very mature themes here, and what ultimately got me in the feels at the end of this book was the reminder that each person matters to someone, and we all leave lasting marks on the people who flow through our lives, no matter how briefly or influentially.
Lindy wrote: "Week # 2Bookcover or link Reliquary
Number of pages audio book
A description of how it fits the theme: If was your choice of book
Review
Preston, Douglas R..."
Lindy, the theme for week 2 is an author with a name starting with "J". You may have posted this to the wrong challenge.
You need to review the Jayne Ann Krentz book for week 1, and choose a book for week 2.
Let me know if I can help!
Very insightful review, Logan. I have this on my TBR list and I'm number 200 something on the library hold. *snorts* I'll probably just break down and buy it.Your review beats the pants off the one I heard a few months back: "This is the most awesome book, like EVER, and I don't even like books or reading, but you just HAVE to read it and tell me how it ends, because I started crying and I don't like that." Quote courtesy of my son's non-book reading girlfriend. *smacks forehead*
Becky wrote: "Very insightful review, Logan. I have this on my TBR list and I'm number 200 something on the library hold. *snorts* I'll probably just break down and buy it."It was only $4.99 on Amazon a few weeks ago, so I broke down and bought it. And yes, I've seen LOTS of those types of reviews. :)
I'll check on it. Thanks! $5 is a great deal. When prices start to climb into the ten dollar and up range for an ebook, I start falsifying my check ledger so it looks like I bought groceries. It appeases my conscience and lessons the shock.
It would help so much if in additon to the week number you put the date as well.
Light In ShadowWeek 1
Bookcover/link: Krentz, Jayne Ann Light and Shadow bk 1
Number of Pages: 543
Rating (1-5): 4
Review: this is book 1 in the Whispering Springs series. Zoe Luce has recently moved to Whispering Springs, Arizona to follow her love of decorating opening Enhanced Interiors. If any strong emotion happened in a room, such as lust or fear, it would sink into the walls. So when Zoe went into a client's bedroom and the walls "screamed", Zoe could not leave fast enough! Whatever horrible thing happened in that room was recent. The client said he was going through a divorce. Zoe believed he murdered his wife in that bedroom.
Lindy wrote: "It would help so much if in additon to the week number you put the date as well."I'll do that Lindy. It'll probably help all of us!
So Week 2: June 6-13.
Week 3 will start June 13 at around 5pm CDT.
Becky wrote: "Thanks, Vi. I tend to fall in the minority, too. I can't count the times I've read reviews that quote a phrase from a book, saying, "This was LOL funny" and do a facepalm. Crude humor is a big t..."I sort of fell out of R.L. Matthewson love. I read the first two books, liked it but the third was horrible and I just couldn't pick up another book of hers.
Most of KA books use the same language. I think it's because she writes alpha-heroes and somewhere a motorcycle is also involved. Anyway the end result is the language stays the same. Sometimes, it works well but other times it doesn't so well.
I agree - this author has that cracktastic feel that tempts to pick just another book of hers.. And now that you mention tortured souls, I want to read Lady Luck too. When are you planning to start?
Vi wrote: "I want to read Lady Luck too. When are you planning to start?"I have four books to read for my monthly challenge, plus one per week for this one, but I'll probably fit it in between now and the middle of July. I'd love to do a BR with you. It's always more fun when there is someone to discuss a book with! I won't start it without giving you a shout.
After checking KA's series page last night, I decided to read the books in order. She says the characters (the men) are all connected. I'm wondering "how" connected and I'm still super curious about Lady Luck, so...
I better get after Sweet Dreams! Cracktastic...that's for sure. Apparently I'm a addicted to the weirdness of it. LOL! Any book that makes me cry must be doing something right.
Romance Readers Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
The Teacher's Billionaire (other topics)Fair Game (other topics)
If I Stay (other topics)
Don't Look Down (other topics)
Rescue Me (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Gayle Forman (other topics)Gayle Forman (other topics)
Jayne Ann Krentz (other topics)
Elizabeth Hunter (other topics)
Elizabeth Hunter (other topics)
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Date Read: 30 May
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
I picked this book as I wanted a western and it was recommended highly. There are a lot of things in this book that was done well.
Ace Keegan's father was swindled (and subsequently killed) by a group of 4 people from No Name. After years of hardship, Ace is now a wealthy man settled in No Name planning to get revenge.
Caitlin is the daughter of one of the 4 people. She was abused emotionally and physically by her father. And now with her brother following the steps of her father, she is left alone to run the family ranch.
Catherine Anderson has written two very good leads. Caitlin is very strong yet has the scars of being abused for such a long time. Ace's patience once he recognizes this and Caitlin trying to overcome her past form the bulk of the book. Ultimately, it felt realistic to read.
The major negative point was the ending scenes which felt a little dramatic. And the book was missing that something for me. But, I'd recommend this book for other western fans or for those wishing to read one.