Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
Archive - Pass The Parcel
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PtP - Caption Cooks (1)
Hi, sorry, I just have 4 chapters left to read in my book. I will post as soon as I get done. which will hopefully be soon :)
Week 4 ~ Selection ~ Option 1Call: Read a book with MCs at different ends of wealth or social status from one of the following lists
Book: The Trouble With Being a Duke By Sophie Barnes
Pages: Kindle ~ 389
How does it fit: #24 in Cinderella Romance list
Week 4 - Theme 8 – Option 1Book:
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare Page numbers: 389
How the book qualifies – Is #69 on this list:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
Week #3 Completion Post- Option 1Theme: Read a book tagged with magic
How did it fit: Has "Magic" tagged on the first page
Date Read: 9/29
Pages~ (Kindle) 352
Rated: 5 Stars
Review: This is the second book in the Relics of Merlin series. The story centers around Lady Jasmina, whose mother likes to pilfer items. In order to protect her mother, and her family reputation. Jasmina will do anything, including in said person home and returning their jewel to them. She cast a spell, making a double of herself in order to fool her parents who don't know about her activities. Her simple spell has gone horribly wrong, and now she has a twin running around the London social scene wreaking havoc on her reputation. When both she and her twin get intimately involved with gorgeous shape-shifting stallion Sir Sterling Thorn, Jasmina finds herself in the impossible position of being jealous of herself. I thought this story was really good. I loved the pairing of Sir Sterling and Jasmina. I wish they could have played up the twin factor in this a little bit more. We only see Jasmina's double (Jaz) at the beginning and at the end of the story. I thought that the pairing of Jasmina and Sterling really made this story. I thought this love for Jasmine was more real then his love for her twin. I think that he was mostly in lust with Jaz. Overall, good story. I might check out more of this series.
LaurLa wrote: "Sorry I've not been around this week. It's been a hard long week and the last 2 days have been especially busy as work. Hope everyone else is doing well this week.Looks like we mostly caught up -..."
Hope you have a better week Laurla. 😀
Week #4 - SELECTIONOption 2 (Key date: 28 March 2018)
Book:
by Jasinda WilderPages: 354
Teammate: Hazel
Rating: ★★★★★
Date Read: August 29, 2018
Completion Post - Week 4 - Theme 8 – Option 1Book:
The Duchess Deal by Tessa DareFinished: 04/10/18
Rating: 5★s
Review: I loved this take on Beauty and the Beast.
Not a retelling – but a beautiful innocent girl through a set of circumstances marries a Duke who is horribly scarred from war wounds and lives locked away from society. She is wonderfully friendly and smart; he is grumpy and loaded! They come up with a marriage of convenience that, as you would expect from a romance, turns into something more. Lots of humour - loved his 'assistant' and the staff all plotting to ensure the couple fall in love, and breeches the cat plays his part.
Loved it.
Hi, this past week has been very busy for me. I'm not done with my book, I'm going to attempt to do a power read today. But I probably won't get finish with until Saturday or Sunday.
That’s okay, Rachel. I’m not done either. It will likely be in the am for me too. With vacation the first part of the week and catching up at work, reading just didn’t happen as fast as I’d have liked.😢. I’ll get the new call posted shortly. At PT appt with my son right now. (He has knee surgery next week) but I’ll try and do it with my phone.
WEEK 5Link to post: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Option 1-
15. In honour of such a successful duo, read an anthology or a book written by two authors. Eg Ilona Andrews (Ilona and Andrew Gordon).
Guidance only:
Best MM books written by two authors
Sorry - no list found for the MF readers!
Option 2-
Key date: 4 April 2018
Please ensure you follow the format shown in msg 3 of your team threads. when you post your selection and completion posts.
I will hopefully finish in the next hour. Book has been hard going paired with a busy week also.
Quick question on latest theme~ does it have to be 2 authors?
Rachel wrote: "Quick question on latest theme~ does it have to be 2 authors?"No, anthology (by any number of authors as long as each story included is a separate story) OR a book written by two authors.
Week 5 - Selection Post -- Option 1Call: 15. In honour of such a successful duo, read an anthology or a book written by two authors
Book: Beautiful Bastard - Christina Lauren
How it fits: Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.
Pages: 321
Completion post - Week 4 - theme 8Book:
Read: 5 October 2018
Rating: 2⭐️
Review: This book lived up to its title! It was hard going. Layla is a student in NY originally from Washington. She is part Brazilian and comes from a wealthy background. She takes an internship at a law firm and falls for the sexy fed ex guy. Nico is from NY but Puerto Rican he wants to leave to go to LA but 5 mins after meeting Layla he changes his mind. It is repetitive throughout the book about class differences and how nico feels he isn’t good enough for Layla and the relationship isn’t going to work. Layla realised that nico deserves the chance to go to LA and tells him so. They wait until the end of the semester when Layla heads home for summer and Nico heads to LA no promises are made to each other.
Week 5 Selection post - option 1Call 15. Read a book or anthology by 2 authors
Book:
Pages: 370
How it fits: written by Erin Watt - pseudonym for Elle Kennedy and Jen Frederick
Week 5 - Theme 15 – Option 1Book:
Season of Magic: Holiday Box Set by Merry Holly et alPage numbers: 272
How the book qualifies – Is an anthology
Week 4 - Completion Post -- Option 1Call: 8. Read a book with MCs at different ends of wealth or social status from one of the following lists
Book: His Wicked Heart - Darcy Burke
How it fits: #89 on Class Differences in Historical Romance listopia
Pages: 324
Date Read: 10.07
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
It took me a long while to really like this one. It was very frustrating to read about the lack of choices for women not born of 'quality' in the early 1800s. Or at least as portrayed by this particular book/series. The heroine is a destitute seamstress trying to make an honorable living but unfortunately as a the daughter of an actress/courtesan, everyone just assumes she will pick up her mother's trade. This is not what she wants but the harder she tries to find other work, the more she is pushed into making the only choice she feels available to her. Our hero isn't any better - he sees her and decides he must have her. And 'likes' her enough to want to 'protect' her as his mistress. He does not see that he is forcing her to make a choice she doesn't really want to make just as his father has done to him - he doesn't see this because he just assumes a women of her station wouldn't really care. Although fate intervened and changed her circumstances, it still put the two of them together and they still had to work out how to be together as equals. Him learning to stand up for want he really wants at the same time allowing her to make choices that are hers to make and not dictated by him or society. It's a romance so it all works out but it did start out rather frustrating for me.
Good Morning!Unless I have missed it somewhere, we still need completion posts from Rachel, Raine and Amanda for week 4. Please let me know if I missed it!!
We also are looking for selections from Raine and Amanda for week 5.
It's been a long week for me and probably not going to get better with work and my son's surgery, so I'll wish you all Happy Reading now and will hopefully get a chance to check back in later today.
Week 4 Completion
Date Read: 10/5
Rating: ★★★½
I loved that this book tackled intriguing issues that are not the norm for romance novels. I liked the characters as individuals, but not necessarily together as a couple. The chemistry just seemed to be lacking between them. I enjoy Courtney Milan's books, especially her historicals, and I will give the next book in the series a try.
LaurLa wrote: "Good Morning!Unless I have missed it somewhere, we still need completion posts from Rachel, Raine and Amanda for week 4. Please let me know if I missed it!!
We also are looking for selections fr..."
Hope your sons surgery goes ok Laurla! Xx
Week 5 Selection Post - Option 1
273 pages
How the book qualifies - Co-authors Sara Ney and Meghan Quinn
Hazel wrote: "Hope your sons surgery goes ok Laurla! Xx"Thank-you! It's a pretty common procedure for ACL tears in the knee but there's always risk and I'm the mom, so I will worry... that said, it's a common procedure, so I won't worry QUITE as much ;-)
Week 5 completion post Book:
Read: 7 October
Rating: 5⭐️
Review: The 2nd instalment of the series following the royal family. This book had so much going on. I love these characters, even the bad sides to them. Book one ended on a cliff hanger with Ella catching her boyfriend Reed Royal with his dads naked girlfriend and she runs. In book 2 we pick up with Reed falling to pieces, some infighting within the Royal family and the school in disarray. Ella returns and Reed tries to win her back, sort out his family and fix the school. Only negative is a rather large 2 part cliffhanger.
Option 1 (15. In honour of such a successful duo, read an anthology or a book written by two authors.)
Book:
Winter Games by Marisa Oldham
All I Want for Christmas by Emma Payne
Alone for the Holidays by S.M. Rose
Deck My Halls by Noah Wilde
Pages: 104
How the book qualifies: Anthology written by two or more authors
Week # 4 Completion
The Trouble With Being a Duke By Sophie Barnes
Completed: 10/8
Rating: Four stars
Review: This is the first book in the Kingsborough series. This book kind of reminded me of a deconstructed version of Cinderella. But I wouldn't say that it was exactly like Cinderella, but it has certain elements that are like it. I thought the characters were well written. Though I have to admit that MC (Isabella) was slightly annoying through the majority of the book. I admired her dedication to her parents. But I felt like she was playing the martyr a bit much- especially when she could have easily gotten out the predicament that she was in. Plus, I felt that some elements were bit contrived. I doubt any parents, especially during that time, would disapprove of a Duke courting their daughter, especially if that said daughter was of lower stature. overall, I generally like the book. I think I might continue with this series.
LaurLa ~ I was just wondering if I could switch books for recent challenge? the book I chose is too long and I'm afraid I wont get done in time?
I forgot that I had pre-ordered this book a while ago and it just popped up on my Kindle the other day. I'm going to switch my Week 5 selection to:Week #5 - SELECTION UPDATE
Option 1 (15. In honour of such a successful duo, read an anthology or a book written by two authors.)
Book:
by Sara Ney & Meghan QuinnPages: 273
How the book qualifies: Anthology written by two or more authors
Week #5 ` - Selection Update~ option 1Theme: Read an anthology or a book written by two authors.
State Secrets & Tall, Dark ... Westmoreland! by Linda Lael Miller & Brenda Jackson
Pages: 395
How does it fit: Has more then one author.
Completion Post - Week 5 - Theme 15 – Option 1Book:
Season of Magic: Holiday Box Set by Merry Holly et alFinished: 10/10/18
Rating: 3★s
Review: Like nearly all anthologies - you get a mixed bunch - enjoyed all bar one (Holiday Disaster) - and another one (Matchmaker, Matchmaker) had the MC saying Jeez Louise every couple of pages which really irritated me after a while – but loved that story so it counterbalanced the irritation. The other three (Noel, Noel, Noel; A Cinderella Christmas [yes, shoes were involved] and a lovely historical story Yuletide Bride) were all good. Getting to the time of year when I’ll be reading a lot of Christmas themed books :)
Week 5 - Completion Post -- Option 1Call: 15. In honour of such a successful duo, read an anthology or a book written by two authors
Book: Beautiful Bastard - Christina Lauren
How it fits: Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.
Pages: 321
Date Read: 10.09
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
It's taken me a long time for some reason to jump on the bandwagon of this series. I'm glad I finally did. The male MC certainly came across as a beautiful bastard, often without provocation. Even though it was mentioned several times by both MCs that she gave as good as she got, I missed that we didn't get to see that at the beginning of their work relationship. She did indeed give it back to him during the time in the book, but I would have liked to see how they got to the point they were in the book because we only got to see how she reacted to him after their sexual relationship started... and nothing that pointed to the 'shrew' he always called her. Nevertheless, this was really fun to read and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Rachel wrote: "LaurLa ~ I was just wondering if I could switch books for recent challenge? the book I chose is too long and I'm afraid I wont get done in time?"Yes, you can as long as it is still within the week of the call. I think you already found that out though and have made your change :-)
Thanks for the well wishes for my son. He got through the surgery fine and is on the mend (quickly we hope!)
LaurLa wrote: "Thanks for the well wishes for my son. He got through the surgery fine and is on the mend (quickly we hope!)"Yaaay!
Week #5 - COMPLETIONOption 1 (15. In honour of such a successful duo, read an anthology or a book written by two authors.)
Book:
by Sara Ney & Meghan QuinnPages: 273
How the book qualifies: Anthology written by two or more authors
Rating: ★★★
Review:
*****
Update about formatting:
It looks like there was an update available on Kindle and downloaded that. It seemed to fix most of the formatting issues like Chapter separation and indents for paragraphs. I just wish this was downloaded initially to my Kindle (I pre-ordered and just read what was downloaded to me first) so it would've made reading this book so much easier for me. Unfortunately, it doesn't change the star rating for me :-(
*****
The storyline was just ok once I tried to put all the editing and formatting issues to the back of my mind. I thought it was a strong start, but then it just got BORING. I did some skimming through the middle parts of the book, including all the tedious snapping back and forth between the main characters and even the sex scenes! The dirty talk wasn't dirty, but actually a bit awkward and frankly somewhat cringe-worthy. We didn't even find out who was the leak. Maybe that will be the focus on the next book.
I'm hoping this not-so-stellar story is just the growing pains of these two writers getting to know each other's styles. I will give the next book a second chance, but I'm hoping the collaboration on that one will be better than this one.
I read my Week 5 before my Week 4 because I was so excited. Bummer that I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.I will start my Week 4 book soon.
The format of Love, Sincerely, Yours is irritating to me, so I am going to wait until an update is issued to fix it before I continue. I will post a new selection shortly.
Week 5 Selection Change - Option 1
352 pages
How the book qualifies - Co-authors Claire Kingsley & Lucy Score
I know I'm not going to get done with week 5 by tomorrow. I have two books that I'm reading at the same time. This one, and the one I'm reading for my book club at the library that needs to be read by Monday. Hopefully, I will have this week 5 book read this week.
Week #4 - COMPLETIONOption 2 (Key date: 28 March 2018)
Book:
by Jasinda WilderPages: 354
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
Love this first book of the series about eight super-sexy brothers. This book is about the oldest brother, Sebastian. Dru is the female main character and she is getting married, but then comes upon her fiance who she's been with for four years, having sex with one of the bridesmaids. She ends up catching the first cargo plane out from Seattle which is headed to Ketchikan, Alaska. When she lands, still wearing her wedding dress and slightly drunk, the first place she stumbles onto is the bar that Sebastian's family owns. Instant-lust/love ensues. Loved this book...very sexy and a goo story to boot.
WEEK 6Link to post: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Option 1-
5. On your full TBR ~ your 'want to read'/'to read' list, not a cut down list ~ do the following steps:
* sort your books by 'date added' with the oldest showing at the top of the page
* at the bottom of the screen set the list to 100 books per page
* select a book in the first 100 results
* note the date when the book was added to your TBR
Option 2-
Key date: ?
Please ensure you follow the format shown in msg 3 of your team threads. when you post your selection and completion posts.
Yeah, not sure about this one. I totally don't ever go by my full TBR... there could be some really old, forgotten obscure things on there!
Week 6 - selection - option 1Theme 6 Sort full TBR list and pick from the first 100 books added
Book:
Pages: 227
Date added to TBR list: 12 October 2014
Position on list: 84
LaurLa wrote: "Yeah, not sure about this one. I totally don't ever go by my full TBR... there could be some really old, forgotten obscure things on there!"I went through mine and saw which ones i actually owned on my kindle. Lots of forgotten about books on there 😀
Week 6 selection- option 1
Lucianna By Bertrice Small
Pages: 432
Date added to TBR: 14 October 2013
Postion on list: 15
Week 6 - Theme 5 – Option 1Book:
A Touch of Greek by Tina FolsomPage numbers: 228
Date added: 22/01/12
How the book qualifies: Is in position number 12
Hazel wrote: "LaurLa wrote: "Yeah, not sure about this one. I totally don't ever go by my full TBR... there could be some really old, forgotten obscure things on there!"I went through mine and saw which ones i..."
I kind of lucked out. I'd sort of forgotten that for some of the longer year-long challenges I do (like Stacking the Series and RRRC Countdown) I purposely looked for books that were some of my oldest ones. So I actually have options in that first page pf a hundred I'd already planned to read. Shew! Although I did also come across some interesting things I HAD forgotten about....
Week 6 - Selection -- Option 1Call: 5. On your full TBR ~ your 'want to read'/'to read' list, not a cut down list ~ read a book on first page of oldest 100
Book: Irresistible Forces - Brenda Jackson
How it fits: position 30; added Feb 9, 2013
Pages: 249
Week 6 - completion - option 1Theme 6 Sort full TBR list and pick from the first 100 books added
Book:
Pages: 227
Read: 13 October 2018
Rating: 5⭐️
Review: why this book was on my TBR list for so long I do not know! I devoured this book. Mia is returning to the town she left when she was 14 to spend the summer with her best friend Tessa. Tessa is a man eater so Mia decides to lose her virginity before going back. A one night stand with what she thought was the perfect man turns out to be the boy she hated growing up - Tessas brother Ben. When he finds out Mia is the one he hasnt been able to stop thinking about he sets out to make her his. She doesn’t know if she can forgive him for the boy he used to be though. Book 2 hopefully won’t be on my TBR list for long.
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Looks like we mostly caught up - just Rachel has her week 3 book to post for. No pressure... I know you'll get it up soon :-)
I will be out of town most of next week but I'll be back in time to post my completion for this week.
Happy reading to you all!