PtP - Reading is Dreaming (1)

[Teresa]

Stefanie, I’m sorry you have to go! RL comes first though!

[Shannon]

Week 4 Completion Post
Option 1 - Animal on Cover


Bone to Pick by TA Moore
Pages: 240
Read: 4/1/19
Rating: ★★★★

Well this one was interesting. It definitely felt like more of a crime solving mystery than a romance. They do get together but there was nothing romantic about it seeing as they can't really stand each other. The mystery was really good though so I got more caught up in the aspect of the story. I'm hoping that in future books they might actually develop their relationship and maybe end up liking each other at least a little bit. Ha! Anyways, great start to a series and I'm looking forward to reading more about them and what makes them the way they are which is kind of messed up.

[Miriam]

Completion Post

Week #4
Bookcover/link The Vampire's Wolf
Rating (1-5): 3.5 stars
Review:
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

3.5 stars

I thought the story had a good flow. It does depend pretty heavily on the "insta-love, fated mate" trope to give a connection between the MCs, but I thought the pacing helped keep it from being too over the top. I wish there was some more background on why there is so much tension between the werewolves and the vampires, it ended up coming across more as a way to keep Sven and Claude apart.

I really was not a fan of Sven's family. I think some of them started to come around eventually, but they seemed so determined to force him into a role that clearly doesn't work for him. There didn't seem to be an interest in finding out what would actually make him happy (I really couldn't blame him for leaving to go to college). I wish we got to see more of the coven that Claude belonged to, something to give a bit more depth to his community. I think ultimately Claude and Sven made a cute couple, and Claude's willingness to try to win over Sven (and his family) was really sweet.

I have not read the 1st book in this series, but I thought this book read well as a standalone.

[Himanshi]

Selection Post
Week #4
Declaration of Courtship
Author: Nalini Singh
Pages: 119
Qualification: Wolf on cover

[Teresa]

Completion Post
Week 4
Option 1
Bookcover/link:

Fish Out of Water
Page numbers: 270 pgs
Rating: 4.5 stars

Amy Lane takes a different turn with this novel in that the mystery is far more engaging than the romance. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the romance that was there. It isn’t an all-consuming love but it is built on respect and attraction. However the mystery is the real draw.

There is plenty of tension, both in and out of the bedroom. People die and people are hurt. There is a lot of racial commentary as well as commentary on the “goodness” of the police. It is not easy to read.

I liked both Ellery and Jackson. Jackson has had a difficult life but he is doing his best. He surrounds himself with his adopted family to protect himself. Ellery’s life has been difficult in a different way, with demanding parents and climbing his way up the ladder. I felt they fit well together.

There is some action and danger that kept the pace fast. You don’t know who to trust or who all are involved in the setup.

Jackson is unapologetically BI so there is one MF scene right at the beginning but that is all.

In short, a good novel and start to the series

[Christina T]

Completion Post
Week 3
Option 1
Bookcover/link:
About That Night by Julie James
Page numbers: 284 pgs
How the book qualifies: Published in multiple languages
Rating: 3 Stars
Review: This was a disappointing addition to this series. The first two books in this series were romantic suspense and with this one James went plain old contemporary romance. I liked the first part with Rylann getting an abusive prison guard convicted for his contribution to an inmate's death. I also really liked Kyle and his attitude and pursuit of Rylann. What I didn't like was the middle when I became so bored with this book I never thought I'd finish it. There was a pointless flashback about 2/3rds into the book to show why Kyle chose to abandon his doctorate and work at his dad's company instead. It could have been explained earlier on and with only one paragraph not 4 pages. It created potential drama where there really was none.

The only thing that saved it for me personally to get a 3 Star rating was because I happen to enjoy contemporary romance quite a bit. I really hope Julie James goes back to romantic suspense next book though.

[Miriam]

Week 5

Option 1
4. Read a book with a bet in it (noted in the precis) or where the MC is very wealthy (tagged as such eg millionaire, wealthy etc).

Please quote the precis, or note the tag and the number of times it occurs.

Option 2
Book chosen from a team member's shelf that was read on the date below or more recently and rated at least 3 stars.
Key Date: October 5, 2018


Please ensure you follow the format shown in msg 3 of your team threads. when you post your selection and completion posts.

Precis = blurb on book page

[Teresa]

Week #5
Option 2
Protector Dragon by Liv Rider
228 pgs
Miriam, 4.5 stars Mar 20, 2019

[Christina T]

Week 5
Selection Post

Mine to Take by Cynthia Eden
Pages: 169
Shelved: Billionaire

[Miriam]

Selection Post

Week #5
Bookcover/link: Rogue Sign
Page numbers: 234
How the book qualifies: From blurb "a charming, rich playboy like Kovor"

[Teresa]

Completion post
Week #5
Option 2
Protector Dragon by Liv Rider
228 pgs
4 stars:
This was an easy read with a different premise than most shifter novels. In this Joel is the odd man out as a non-shifting member of a shifter town. The town actually sounds awful and his family was delusional but I liked Joel and Thomas together.

[Miriam]

Teresa wrote: "Completion post
Week #5
Option 2
Protector Dragon by Liv Rider
228 pgs
4 stars:
This was an easy read with a different premise than most shifter novels. In this Jo..."

Liv is supposed to be writing stories for Thomas' friends, so there should be more books coming.

[Shannon]

Week 5 Selection Post
Option 1: MC is very wealthy


How to Bang a Billionaire by Alexis Hall
Pages: 384
Qualification: Title and Precis

[Himanshi]

Selection Post
Week #5
Trailer Park Heart
Author: Rachel Higginson
Pages: 362
How the book qualifies: From blurb "Born on the right side of the tracks with family money to spare,"

[Himanshi]

Completon Post
Week #4
Declaration of Courtship
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: This was an anthology which is a part of Nalini Singh's Psy Changeling series. But despite being part of a series, it'd also be read as standalone. It was short, sweet and romantic with some wolf action on side. If you want to read something nice and quick then you can definitely go for this.

[Samantha]

Selection Post Option 1
Week #5

Book Cover:
Pages: 274
Qualification: Bet: Book Blurb: So when his best friend, Thomas, bets Donald that his skills aren't enough to nab the school valedictorian, Alaina Pizzo, Donald is up for the challenge.

[Shannon]

Week 5 Completion Post
Option 1: MC is very wealthy


How to Bang a Billionaire by Alexis Hall
Pages: 384
Qualification: Title and Precis
Read: 4/9/19
Rating: ★★★★

I can see where some people aren't going to enjoy this one but I was not one of them. I loved the start to Arden and Caspian's story. That said this is just the beginning of their journey together so we don't get an HEA yet. This is told in Caspian's voice and he is absolutely hilarious. I loved everything about this book, even Caspian's aloofness. Can't wait to finish this series but am going to wait until the last book releases.

[Samantha]

Week #4
Bookcover/link:
Rating (1-5) 3
Review:

I felt this book spoke to a lot about life and experiences. In the story the man felt that no matter all the big fishes he caught no one respect him. The only person who even listen and respect him was a young child. Which to me says a lot about family life where the kids don't respect their parents and take them for granted. How the only one that respect the parents of those kids are their kid's children.

[Samantha]

Week #5
Bookcover/link:
Rating (1-5) 4
Review:

I felt this was quite a sugary sweet story about childhood sweethearts. Whom had to think the other one hate them not knowing deep down inside there was a great love for each other. Only did the bet help them to both realize that they felt for each other. So a bad broken heart boy meets good girl story. I really how the author was able to keep the flow of the story so there was no fall out of weird twist.

[Christina T]

Completion Post

Week #4
Option #1

Justice Mission by Lynette Eason
Page Numbers: 288
How the book qualifies: Has an animal on the cover--Dog

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review: Full disclosure...I've never read a Love Inspired book because I dislike religion in books. I don't subscribe to organized religion and I find more than a couple god references to be way too many for my personal taste. With that in mind when I noticed this book on NetGalley I almost passed it up but then noticed it was about K9 cops and their handlers. Yeah, I requested it to review despite my hesitation on a book series with a heavy hand in religious faith.

So, my opinion is it didn't suck. I actually expected more "dear god" prayers than there were. There were some emotional roller coasters as well and there was one specific scene that had me tearing up. I might have rated this one higher if it weren't for the romance feeling a bit flat. The reason the characters never got together apparently, was because she was so much younger then Luke. There was quite a lot of smoldering looks and thoughts and eventually a couple kisses. Although the romance wasn't quite enough for me the suspense was so good. I wish there would have been a closure in the mystery though. I'm on the lookout for the next book even with an average rating for this one.

[Miriam]

Completion Post

Week #5
Bookcover/link: Rogue Sign
Rating (1-5): 3 stars
Review:
I received an ARC edition of this book from the author.

You need to read the previous books of the series to understand the plot for this story.

This was not my favorite of the series so far. I didn't really like either of the MCs very much. Aryn ended up coming across as self-centered to me. She was focused on what she wanted and even as she started to trust Kovor towards the end, I still never warmed up to her. Kovor was a bit more likable, but I didn't think he had the depth of character that the authors were trying to show. I also didn't really see the romance between them.

There was some development in the plot arc, but I don't feel like it moved enough to give more than a few hints of how the mystery of the Dominion, slavers, and bounty hunter is pulling together.

[Himanshi]

Completion Post
Week #5
Trailer Park Heart
Rating: 3 stars
Review: I was kind of really excited to start this book because I loved the previous and only book I'd of this author, i.e, The Opposite of You, which ended up really well unlike this one. One thing that disappointed me the most was that I simply couldn't see any difference between the heroine's teenage self and her adult self. It was like the years hadn't changed her the slightest bit, like seven years had taught her nothing, like she didn't grew up at all. She was acting so immaturely at times that even I felt embarrassed. And by the end of the book, the constant push and pull between H and h made me so freaking frustrated that I didn't even cared if they ended up together or not.

[Teresa]

Week 6

Option 1
8. Read a book with an MC that is not caucasian from one of the following lists:
Non-caucasian protagonists_SciFi Fantasy & PNR
Love story (BW/WM)
New interracial BW_WM romance
Romance with asian love interest
Interracial historical romance
Best Interracial MM romances
African American gay romance
Gay romance feat native American MCs

lists can be found here

Please quote the list and page number where the title is found. A link would be even better!


Option 2
Book chosen from a team member's shelf that was read on the date below or more recently and rated at least 3 stars.
Key Date: October 12, 2018

[Teresa]

Week #6
Option 2
Within the Mind by Alice Winters
272 pgs
Shannon, 4 stars Feb 8, 2019

[Samantha]

Week #6
Bookcover/link
Page numbers 635
How the book qualifies - On the Non-Caucasian Protagonists in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Paranormal Romance list #3 on page 1

[Miriam]

Teresa,
Thanks for posting the call this week!

TEAM:
Don't forget to post the page number & number on the list where you found the book OR post a link to the book on the list. It helps when Jane and I check to make sure the books qualify.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Samantha wrote: "Week #6
Bookcover/link
Page numbers 635
How the book qualifies - On the Non-Caucasian Protagonists in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Paranormal Romance list"

Hi Samantha - could you please add the page that this book is found on the list? Thanks.

[Miriam]

Selection Post

Week #6
Bookcover/link: Point of No Return
Page numbers: 200
How the book qualifies: #7 on Best Interracial and Multicultural M/M Romances list

[Shannon]

Week 6 Selection Post
Option 1


Believe by Garrett Leigh
Pages: 229
Qualification: #306 on Best Interracial and Multicultural M/M Romances List.

[Christina T]

Week #6
Selection Post


Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Pages:260
Option #1
Non-caucasian protagonists_SciFi Fantasy & PNR #155

[Himanshi]

Selection Post
Week #6
The V Girl
Author: Mya Robarts
Pages: 341
Qualification: #56 on https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Miriam]

Completion Post

Week #6
Bookcover/link: Point of No Return
Rating (1-5): 4 stars
Review:
I absolutely adored Kira. Granted the story is told from Matthew's POV, so our perspective of Kira is tempered by his personal views, but Kira still really manages to shine in this story. The romance is a bit fast paced (okay, really fast paced for a contemporary story), but I think that the MCs are aware of the issue so it works in the story.

[Christina T]

Week 5
Completion Post

Mine to Take by Cynthia Eden
Pages: 169
Shelved: Billionaire
Rating: 4 Stars

Review: I really connect with Cynthia Eden's writing. I get sucked into her Rom/Susp books immediately and love the intrigue she writes. This book was rather short...more of a novella and I normally don't like those because plot and character development often suffer from the lack of pages. However, Eden did an excellent job of making a short book feel complete. It's nice the H/h are back in the next installment as a continuation of their reunited love too. The main downfall of this book is the Alpha hero. He is so Alpha he comes across stalkerish and obsessed. At one point the point of view switches to the villain and I thought it was Trace's words I was reading for a whole two paragraphs because the wording was similar to what Trace was saying throughout the book like "She's Mine" and stuff like it. I think there is a fine line between swoon worthy Alpha-males and just Alpha-holes. Overall a good exciting suspenseful book. I'm looking forward to the next.

[Shannon]

Went to post my review and realized I haven't read the f'ing book yet. WTH!!! I'm going, I'm going!!

[Miriam]

Shannon wrote: "Went to post my review and realized I haven't read the f'ing book yet. WTH!!! I'm going, I'm going!!"

LOL

[Miriam]

Week 7

Option 1
5. Read a book added to your TBR shelf in the last 80 days.
Hint from before the game started: the challenge lasts 11 weeks, roughly 77 days depending on when I make the first call (Wednesday or Friday in the first week). A book added the day before the challenge starts will qualify for this category throughout the full length of the game.

To show how it qualifies, you must note the date that the book was added to your TBR list and how many days it has been on your list from today (19 April 2019).

Option 2
Book chosen from a team member's shelf that was read on the date below or more recently and rated at least 3 stars.
Key Date: October 19, 2018


Please ensure you follow the format shown in msg 3 of your team threads. when you post your selection and completion posts.

[Miriam]

Selection Post

Week #7
Bookcover/link: Maelstrom
Page numbers: 204
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book: Series Rule - Teresa (read Balefire, #10 in the series), Rated 5 stars, Oct. 30, 2018

[Samantha]

Week #7
Bookcover/link
Page numbers: 320
Team Member: Himanshi
Rating: 4 stars
Date Read: Dec.03/2018

[Shannon]

Week 7 Selection Post
Option 1


IRL: In Real Life
Pages: 312
Qualification: Added to TBR 2/10/19

[Christina T]

Week 7 Selection Posts
Option 1

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Ryan
Pages: 384
Qualification: Added to TBR 2/28/19

[Teresa]

I’m out of town ATM but will post last weeks completion post and this weeks selection post on Monday :)

[Shannon]

Week 6 Completion Post
Option 1


Believe by Garrett Leigh
Pages: 229
Read: 4/19/19
Rating: ★★★1/2

I'd say more of a 3.5 star read for me. I did enjoy Rhy's and Javon's story but I didn't get all the feels for them when I should have. It felt like their connection was just a bit too fast IMO and that kind of skewed their whole relationship for me. I skipped the second in the series so that might also play a big role in my lack of love for this one. Sounds like I didn't like it at all but I really did just not as much as some of her other books.

[Shannon]

Week 7 Completion Post
Option 1


IRL: In Real Life
Pages: 312
Read: 4/20/19
Rating: ★★★★

I really enjoyed this one. The beginning more than the ending but still had a good time reading. Of course, I love the billionaire trope so that probably had a huge impact. Didn't love the misunderstanding portion, loved the dominance part, adored their sexy times and loved both MCs. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Himanshi]

Completion Post
Week #6
The V Girl
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review: God, this was such an exhilarating book read, full of surprises. I've read a few books where the authors had tried to romanticize a terrible and awful thing as rape, but not this author nuh-uh. I loved how the MC of this book, Lila, dealt with the consequences of war. Even when she was scared, she tried to be brave, she tried to protect her family as much as she could, always putting them first. And I loved how well written this book was.

“ You usually can’t recall all the people you’ve shared laughs with. But you rarely forget the people you’ve shared your tears with. ”

[Himanshi]

Selection Post
Week #7
Lair of the Lion
Author: Christine Feehan
Pages: 366
Qualification: Added to TBR on Nov 16, 2018

[Teresa]

Week #6 Completion post
Option 2
Within the Mind by Alice Winters
272 pgs
Review 4 stars

This was just on the edge of horror. I could definitely see it turned into a thriller/horror movie. I wasn’t sure about the relationship at first, but Seneca grew on me. The plot was intriguing and I enjoyed how it played out.

[Teresa]

Selection Post

Week #7
Bookcover/link: Omega Society Auction: Book One
Page numbers: 113
Added to TBR Mar 27, 2019

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Himanshi wrote: "Selection Post
Week #7
Lair of the Lion
Author: Christine Feehan
Pages: 366
Qualification: Added to TBR on Nov 16, 2018"

Hi Himanshi - this book won't work for this week. It needs to have been added in the last 80 days, so the earliest it can be on your shelves is Wednesday 30 January 2019.

You'll need to pick again.

[Teresa]

Completion Post

Week #7
Bookcover/link: Omega Society Auction: Book One
Page numbers: 113
Review:
4 stars
I knew this was a serial going in, so wasn’t upset by the abrupt end. I liked the setup and what we’ve seen so far and am looking forward to the next instalment

[Himanshi]

Selection Post Option 2:
Week #7
Mine to Take
Pages: 169
Team-member: Christina T
Rating: 4 stars
Date Read: April 14, 2019