Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
Archive - Pass The Parcel
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PtP - Snow Not-So-White (8)
Week 4 Completion PostOption 1 - Historical
A Scot's Surrender by Lily Maxton
pages: 261/GR
listed on main page as historical
4/3/18
5 stars
This is book 3 in the Townsends series, a series featuring siblings. Books 1 & 2 are both MF romance. I did not read them. I do not feel like I missed information by reading ahead in the series, however, I liked this book enough to consider reading the first 2 in the series. The mystery had a humorous twist. I liked both MC as well as the secondary characters. I would recommend this book highly, especially to fans of Cat Sebastian.
Jane (PS) wrote: "UnusualChild{beppy} wrote: "Selection Post: Week 4 Historical tagThe Ruin of a Rake
Pages: 336
How it qualifies: historical tag on main page"
Beppy - you are still reading the wee..."
Yes, Jane, I am. I'm hoping to have both my books done by tomorrow. Visiting family messed up my reading mojo this past weekend.
Week 4 Completion PostOption 1 - Historical
Hexslayer by Jordan L. Hawk
Pages: 344
Read: 4/2/18
Rating: ★★★★
So I'll admit I probably should have read these books in order but it's not my favorite genre and I needed a horse shifter so.....Anyways, even without reading the others, it was really, really great. A lot of action and drama and bickering, so fun. I seemed to stay in kind of a dark head space throughout but that may have helped with the vibe of the story. So glad I chose this one!
Completion Post: Week 4 - historicalThe Ruin of a Rake
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review:
Julian doesn't like Lord Courtenay at all. He thinks that he is a reprobate and his reputation is in tatters. He is concerned that Courtenay is spending too much time with Julian's sister, and that her proper reputation, as well as his, will be tarnished by Courtenay. Julian is concerned with propriety, because he's a merchant, and he doesn't want society to look down on him. When Courtenay is forbidden access to his nephew, Julian's sister devises a plan to get some standing back by having Julian help him.
Courtenay has enjoyed his life, ignoring society mores. He loves his nephew, and being denied access to him is very disheartening. He thinks that Julian is a prig, but is willing to do anything to get back in the better graces of his nephew's guardian. As Courtenay and Julian spend more time together in order for Julian's campaign to work, they get to know the person that they each hide from society.
What I liked: the natural progression of respect and feeling between Courtenay and Julian. There weren't any big misunderstandings between Courtenay and Julian, and they did communicate fairly well. The lack of communication was actually between Julian and his sister, and it was almost as annoying as it is between lovers. Julian does have his reasons for trying to appear cold and emotionless, and it has everything to do with his childhood and the malady that affects him. Julian and Courtenay are both flawed, and they both grow because of each other and what the other person brings out in them. Even though Julian doesn't really like Courtenay at first, he still doesn't like Courtenay being mistreated for no reason, and is completely on his side with regards to his family.
What I didn't like: how hard Julian found it to express himself and his feelings. And the fact that he had to hide how intelligent he was and not do any work for fear of being found to be beneath the ton, but his boredom made him do crazy things like try to arrange his sister's life to his liking.
Overall impression: I didn't really care about Julian and Courtenay when I met them in the previous book, and I found the first couple of chapters really slow. Once Julian and Courtenay were on the same page together, though, something happened. They were definitely better together than apart. Well written and engaging. I really came to identify with Julian, and appreciate Courtenay.
Looks good team - only two books outstanding :)
Week 5Option 1: Read a book with an MC as the housekeeper or similar from one of the lists provided in the original post:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Option 2
Key date: 6 Ocotber 2017
Susan A wrote: "So for Option 2 -- UnusualChild[beppy] read Road to the Sun on Oct 7 2017.I can read this?"
Yes squeeks in by a day so long as her rating is 3 stars or more. Include her rating in your post.
Selection Post:Week 5: Housekeeper
Summer at Mustang Ridge
Pages: 384
How it qualifies: 107 on Helping Hand Romance
I was going to pick something else, but cowboys!!
Week 5 SelectionOption 2
Road to the Sun by Keira Andrews
246 pg/GR
read by UnusualChild{bepppy} on October 7, 2017
rated 3 stars
Week 5 Completion PostOption 2
Road to the Sun by Keira Andrews
246 pg/GR
read by UnusualChild{bepppy} on October 7, 2017
rated 3 stars
my rating: 3 stars
4/6/18
While I enjoyed parts of this book, there was just way too much going on without enough time devoted to each of the plot lines. I have no idea when the MCs fell in love. I think they spent less than 2 hours together in total prior to the kidnapping. The back half of the book, the author just simply fixed all of the MCs worries and problems on the way to HEA. I don't think I'd recommend this book.
Completion Post: Week 4 - historical
Finished 6/4
Rating 3/5
A sweet and safe book that was just meh for me
Week 5Option 2
262 pages
Read by susan 27th march
Rated 4 stars
Week 5 Selection PostOption 2
Damaged Like Us by Krista Richie
Pages: 400
Qualifies: Elizabeth read on 4/2/18 and rated 3 stars
Week 5 Completion PostOption 2
Damaged Like Us by Krista Richie
Read: 4/10/18
Rating: ★★★★
More of a 3.5 stars for me but I tend to give new to me authors more leeway. As others have stated, this book has a cast of characters that is way over the top. I think I kind of kept track of everyone but who knows. It was enough to really enjoy most parts of this book. Maximoff and Farrow, I really did enjoy. At first they had kind of an antagonistic yet sexually charged relationship which was fun to see. What I was hoping for was some really hot sex (it was just okay) and a verse relationship. Ah well, we can't win them all. The lives these families read drove me insane the entire book so I can't even imagine what those who actually live like that feel. Insanity! So can it be read as a standalone? I guess, but I wouldn't say it'll be easy.
Week 5: Option 2
Hexmaker
3.5 stars
I enjoyed the narration and the story overall. I found the mystery interesting and I loved Mal, but not so much Owen. His presistence to put duty to his family over Mal frustrated me.
Susan A wrote: "Week 5 Completion PostOption 2
Road to the Sun by Keira Andrews
246 pg/GR
read by UnusualChild{bepppy} on October 7, 2017
rated 3 stars
my rating: 3 stars
4/6/18..."
That's pretty much how I felt about it, Susan A. I thought it had potential, but seemed to kind of lose the plot when they were separated.
If I use Option 2 again, I think I should make it my own rule to look for 4 or 5 star ratings.Personally, the 3 star rating is HUGE. It means so many different things to me.
1 means it is truly awful
2 means it is not good
4 means very good
5 means great
which leaves 3 to mean everything else like;
good
good enough
decent, but needs work
could have been 4 stars but too many editing issues
well written but boring plot, or crazy plot (like this one)
can't point to anything explicitly wrong, I just don't have that "I really liked this" feeling"
I really don't feel the need for 4.5 stars, or 1.5 stars, but I would like 2.5 and 3.5 stars.
Same Susan! I use 3 stars for everything that doesn't completely piss me off or squick me out that I could actually finish. lol
Man, I have been so scattered this week. I read the book on the weekend, but haven't had enough time to write a review. Sorry, team.
Week 5: Completion PostSummer at Mustang Ridge
My rating: 4.5 stars
My review:
Synopsis: Shelby takes a hiatus from her advertising job to accept a cook job at a ranch far, far away from Boston. She takes the job in the hopes that her daughter, who suffers from selective mutism, will get better. Lizzie is crazy about horses, and the hopes are that experiencing horses will help her come out of her head.
Foster is the head wrangler at the ranch. He takes out trail rides, looks after horses, etc, etc. The ranch used to be a working ranch, but has now mostly become a family run dude ranch. Foster was burned in the past, but he is attracted to Shelby, and interested in trying to help her daughter. They both know that this is only a short time thing, as Foster has plans for his life that do not include a woman, and Shelby has to return home after the summer is finished.
What I liked: It is a very rare thing that I read a book and think that I would like one of those for me, as myself. I might identify with the h, or be the h for the duration of the book, and think that the H is perfect for her, but there is only one other H that I can recall thinking that I needed one of those. Foster was amazing. He was kind and interested in helping Lizzie, and he liked Shelby the way that she was. He was hard working and knowledgeable. Shelby was no slouch; she had to be really match up to Foster, and she did. Shelby loved her daughter, and would do anything to try and help her. She was kind and considerate of others, and didn't bemoan things that had happened to her.
The writing was really good, leading me to believe that the author knows her stuff about horses and ranches in general. The story was well told. It felt as though the characters were real people, and actually did exist somewhere in the world.
What I didn't like: why not 5 stars? Well, I felt that Foster held on to his feelings about the past, and let it colour everything that he did, and every interaction he had with everyone. Shelby seemed to be a little over-protective of her daughter, although being a single parent in charge of all of her child's welfare could have been a factor in that.
Overall impression: very excited to read a well written book with characters who deserved their happy ever after. They worked toward it and nothing felt pat or easy.
Week 6Option 1
10. Read a book set in the woods or featuring a home/cottage from one of the following lists:
Nature Lover-Romances With Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Backpacking, Mountain Climbing And More
Cabin Romance
Gay Romance that Takes Place in the Woods
Gay Romance Featuring Sex in the Great Outdoors
So You're a Homeowner
Renovation Romance
If you use Option 1 your book MUST be chosen from one of the above lists.
Option 2
Key date: 13 Ocotber 2017
Please ensure you follow the format shown in msg 3 of your team threads when you post your selection and completion posts.
Week 6 SelectionOption 2:
Week # 6
Felix and the Prince
316 pgs
Shannon rated this 4 stars on Jan 7, 2018.
Week 5Option 1
Re-read of
Frog
178 pages/GR
Qualifies: #5 on Manny MM List
Read 4/11/18
5 stars
This is one of my favorite comfort reads. Both characters are great, but Weber is particularly well-written. I love how he interacts with the kids.
Week 5 completion Option 2
262 pages
Read by susan 27th march
Rated 4 stars
Finished 12/4
5/5
Being a Big fan of fairytales
I loved this and the hea Made it just perfect
Week 6 Selection PostOption 1
King of Snowflakes by Michele Fogal
Pages: 200
Qualifies: #1 on Gay Romance in Woods
Week 6Option 1
Mind Magic
200 pages/GR
Qualifies: #9 on the Gay Romance that Takes Place in the Woods list
Week 6 Completion PostOption 1
King of Snowflakes by Michele Fogal
Read: 4/16/18
Rating: ★★★
Cute story but it read kind of...childish? I know we're reading about teenagers here but something about it was "Jane ran fast. See Jane run." Hard to explain just not the smoothest storytelling. Most of the angst in the story was just the boys and their thoughts. The parents were perfect, weirdly so and no one had any problems with "the gay". A little bit of sexy times but mostly just teenagers rubbing off on each other which I imagine would be the norm. It was okay. That's the best I can do.
Week 6/Option 1
Good Bones
Finished 15/4/2018
3 stars
Enjoyable audio and good story, although I made the misitake to read book#2 earlier in the year. However, still found entertaining this slighly different take on werewolves.
Week 6Option 1
Mind Magic
200 pages/GR
Qualifies: #9 on the Gay Romance that Takes Place in the Woods list
Read: 4/18/18
Rating: 5 stars
Though the world-building could have been more detailed since it is pretty complicated (there are mages with mind magic, wolf shifters with body magic, and demons and vampires with soul magic), I still really liked this story. Simon is an apprentice mage who hears shifter cubs in trouble and though it's against mage rules to interact with shifters, he does so in order to save their lives. It's through this act that he meets Gray, the alpha of the High Moon Pack. The struggle to save the shifter cubs from demonic influence and to figure out the mystery of Simon's mage powers is very compelling.
Week 6 CompletionOption 2:
Felix and the Prince
316 pgs
Shannon rated this 4 stars on Jan 7, 2018.
5 stars
4/18/18
The plot was fairly simple, but I love royalty stories, so this book was going to have to work hard to make me dislike it. I enjoy author Lucy Lennox's outrageous characters and the outrageous things they say. Like most of her books, this was a fast, funny and easy read. Book 1 in this series was my least favorite book of hers. I'm glad I didn't let that get in the way of enjoying this one. I'm looking forward to the next in this series.
Susan A wrote: "Week 6 CompletionOption 2:
Felix and the Prince
316 pgs
Shannon rated this 4 stars on Jan 7, 2018.
5 stars
4/18/18
The plot was fairly simple, but I love royalty stories, so this..."
Is this book a standalone, Susan?
Beppy, you should pick a book before the next theme is called tonight!
Elizabeth wrote: "Beppy, you should pick a book before the next theme is called tonight!"And I need to review one, too. On it. I should actually have the one I am having problems reading done by Monday.
Completion Post: Week 6Catch of the Day
My rating: 4 stars
My Review:
Synopsis: Maggie is a 30-something single lady with a yen for a mate. Ever since her high school boyfriend came back to a town celebration with a fiancee that she didn't know about, Maggie has had bad luck with men. Her run of bad luck continues, even with her priest setting her up on dates.
One man that Maggie does not want to date, however, is Malone. Malone is a fisherman, and pretty much keeps to himself. Even though he's lived there since he was in high school, not many people know a lot about him, and Maggie finds him scary. (More on that later.)
Events conspire to keep Maggie and Malone running in to each other, though, and with dealing with family troubles, and disastrous dates, Maggie actually gets to know Malone a little, and sees the man beneath the gruff exterior.
What I liked: That even though Malone and Maggie seemed to be complete opposites, they complemented each other quite well. The secondary characters, as well as the entire town, were well drawn and quirky. Maggie's relationship with her family had ups and downs, but the fact that she came to understand her parents better, and not just look at them through the lens of childhood was a nice touch. Malone just let Maggie be when he was with her, and didn't want her to treat him like she treated every other person she came in contact with while running her diner. Maggie came to know and appreciate Malone as she got to know him, even though he wasn't her ideal man, and didn't talk that much.
What I didn't like: I understand wanting a family and children, wanting that connection with another person, to be someone who at least one other person in the world loves best. I do. I live it. However, I do not understand it being her end all and be all. Maggie had so much going on in her life; friends, family, work that she loved, and she just never saw that she was blessed, in spite of having one tiny little thing not go the way that she thought it should. I do understand that her mother's attitude had a little to do with it, but the fact that Maggie was so desperate to find anyone really put me off her character. And she was so shallow with it, too. She based a lot of her requirements for "the one" on looks. It wasn't until after she stood up to her mother and father that I actually had any real respect for her, and she started to be a real person. (I know, I know: she's not real, but she became focused on other things that made her happy and wasn't quite so looks based in her men.)
I was also under the impression that Maggie found Malone scary because he was the only person that she couldn't charm by smiling, acting cute, and feeding him, which didn't endear her to me.
Overall impression: if Maggie hadn't been so dominated by the need to have someone, anyone, as her mate, for the first half of the book, I would have rated this 5 stars. This was told in first person POV present tense, from Maggie's POV.
I love Kristan Higgins, although this one wasn't among my favorites.
Elizabeth wrote: "I love Kristan Higgins, although this one wasn't among my favorites."My first response was "yes, I've only read one book by her that I intensely disliked; the rest I've really enjoyed." But then I went and checked my books shelves, and it turns out that I have read 5, and only one was rated 5 stars, then this one. The rest were 3 star reads for me. She might be one of those authors who are good writers, but I just don't fully connect with them.
Most of her books seem to have women who are completely obsessed with being married, almost to the point of it being for the sake of being married, not actually being in love. And I really didn't like the one where the h was basically using the H for sex after her husband died. I never fully bought the fact that she loved him in the end.
Week 7Option 1
Read a book with something from the list below found on your bookcover:
*a mirror
*a shiny/reflective surface (eg glass, sheet metal, body of water)
*an item that would shine if the sun or a light was directed on to it (eg knife blade, spurs, watch, jewellry).
Please show the bookcover and note the item in your selection and completion post
Option 2
Key date: 20 Ocotber 2017
Week 7/Option 2Lovers Like Us
440 pgs/GR
Shannon read book #1 Damaged Like Us at 10/4 and rated it 4 stars
Elizabeth wrote: "Susan A wrote: "Week 6 CompletionOption 2:
Felix and the Prince
316 pgs
Shannon rated this 4 stars on Jan 7, 2018.
5 stars
4/18/18
The plot was fairly simple, but I love royalty ..."
Felix and the Prince is book 2 in the Forever Wilde series but the books are meant to be able to read in any order. I do think the author achieved that. It is completely unnecessary to read book 1 first or even ever. Furthermore, if you haven't read any of Lucy Lennox's books, I would strongly urge you not to read Book 1 Facing West first as it is my least favorite of her books.
If you are looking for an MM book featuring royalty, His Royal Secret and its sequel His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace are my favorites
I'm just noting that I have seen the new category. I haven't picked anything yet. I'll probably go with option 2 again.
Susan, I've read both His Royal Secret and His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace and enjoyed very much! I've read the Marian series by Lucy Lennox, which I mostly found just ok.
Romance Readers Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Cowboys Don't Ride Unicorns (other topics)Cowboys Don't Ride Unicorns (other topics)
Timing (other topics)
The Bone Orchard (other topics)
Painting the Cowboy (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Abigail Roux (other topics)Jordan L. Hawk (other topics)
Jordan L. Hawk (other topics)
Annabeth Albert (other topics)
Annabeth Albert (other topics)
More...
Option 1 - Historical
Hexslayer by Jordan L. Hawk
Pages: 344/GR
Qualifies: Listed on Main page as Historical
Date read: April 1 2018
Rating: 4 stars
This book should not be read as a standalone as there are many concepts and people that are introduced in prior books.
Hexslayer is another great installment in the Hexworld series. I absolutely loved seeing more of gruff Nick. He had already been introduced in previous books as Rook's brother, but in this story we get more of his background. It all explains why he acts the way he does and why he does the things he does. We also get another great MC in Jamie, who is a veteran of the Spanish American war in Cuba. He was one of the Rough Riders, the Volunteer Calvary under Roosevelt's command. He did not make it out of the war unscathed - he is missing part of his leg and he lost his lover, an avian familiar. (If you don't know what that is, you definitely need to read the rest of the series first.)