Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
Archive - Pass The Parcel
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PtP - Our Couch Pulls Out, But We Don’t (6)
Week 2Selection Post – Option 1
Betrayal in Death (reread), J.D. Robb
Pages ➔ 365
How the Book Qualifies ➔ set in New York City, which is located on the Atlantic Ocean’s coast
Completion Post – Week 2
Betrayal in Death (reread), J.D. Robb – 3/14/20 – ✮✮✮✮✰
Review — This installment is a delicate dance as Eve and her team try to figure out—not who the killer is—but who hired him. There are quite a few players in this game, including Roarke’s boyhood friend, Mick. Such a fun story to piece together again; I remembered bits of the end result, but not all of it. I also loved seeing Eve try to be more engaging as Peabody navigated some personal issues...poor Eve was so out of her element, but handled it so well!
hope all are doing well this fine Monday morning...in the Chicago area, we are expecting snow today...yippee! *please note sarcasm*tracking is complete through this post...if you see an error, please let me know. have a great week team!
🎁PASS THE PARCEL - Round 16🎁THEME - COUCHSURFING
🎁COMPLETION POST WEEK 2 🎁
🎁Date - 03/13/2021🎁
🎁Option 1—12. So now I digress – It’s time to just surf!
* Read a book set in a beach town or on the coast.
* Cities that sit on the ocean will count.
* Qualification may be found in precis, main page, tag/shelf or list
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
🎁 Pages - 395
🎁 Qualifications- Precis: Chronic overachiever Prudence Daniels is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, during a night out with her friends, she slips on a spilled drink and hits her head, only to wake up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of ...more
🚝Date completed - 03/18/2021
🚝 Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars
🚝 Review - Enemies and Puppy Love
Prudence and Quint are great characters there're biology partners with two version of how they see each other and how different their version of each other are and how they take a journey of working together and learning about each other. Prudence also get the instant Karma psychic gift where she learns how to give and recieve and her perception of Karma causes a lot of chaos! A very well written young adult book that I would reccomend.
Selection Post: Week 2 - surfingFake It 'til You Make Out
Pages: 198
How it qualifies: Story is set in New York City, on the Atlantic Ocean. #138 on M/M Books set in New York.
[*bookcover:Fake It 'til You Make Out|51057368]
COMPLETION POST
Week #2 ~ Option #2
Book: Whiteout by Elyse Springer
Rating (1-5): 4 stars
Review: Noah wakes up in a cabin in Colorado with no memory of who he is or who the guy at the cabin with him could be. Despite Jason's care and affection, Noah feels something unsettling about him and knows that there is more to their story than Jason is willing to reveal.
I enjoyed this one. I figured out most of the twists and turns early and easily, but I think that may have actually increased my ability to just sit back and savor the story as it unfolded. There are a couple of times the story drags unnecessarily but overall it was a nice romantic mystery.
Week #2 ~ Option #2
Book: Whiteout by Elyse Springer
Rating (1-5): 4 stars
Review: Noah wakes up in a cabin in Colorado with no memory of who he is or who the guy at the cabin with him could be. Despite Jason's care and affection, Noah feels something unsettling about him and knows that there is more to their story than Jason is willing to reveal.
I enjoyed this one. I figured out most of the twists and turns early and easily, but I think that may have actually increased my ability to just sit back and savor the story as it unfolded. There are a couple of times the story drags unnecessarily but overall it was a nice romantic mystery.
Completion Post: Week 1Year One
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review:
A flu-like disease spreads rapidly and has an estimated 80% kill rate. Of the ones who aren't killed, a lot of them discover abilities that they never had before, or an augmentation of said abilities. This story focuses on several groups of people, leaving New York to try and find family and friends, or just a safe place to land, since the army/government is rounding up the "other", and there are, of course, fundamentalists who want to kill them because of course it was the ones with abilities fault.
I have to wonder if the author read Station Eleven and was influenced by it, because the idea and the narrative style are similar. This is not the usual 3 book formula that the author usually follows, with a single couple per book, you meet everyone in the first book, and they slowly pair off. There are several different POVs in this one, for starters, and while there might be romantic pairings, they are established couples, with potential for more, although we don't know who, in future books.
I really enjoyed this; so much so that I immediately read the other two books, which is not something that I do normally.
Selection PostWeek # 3 - Option 1
No Holding Back
352 pages
Qualification: Borrowed book from Hoopla (free book)
Completion week 2Option 1
Finished 17/3
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a lovely romance and i adored jimothy
And i really liked the opposites attract theme
Week 3Option 1—2. For a small fee each month, you access a global database of couches.
*Read a book you bought on sale, at no charge, or accessed for free (Kindle Unlimited, gifts, presents count)
*Please state why it was cheap or free in your selection post.
Option 2—Key date – 18 September 2020
A book on your teammates ‘read’ list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.
Option 3—Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one teammate can use this option each week.
Completion Week # 3 - Option 1
More to Love
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finished 20/3
This is comfortreading for me and i love jayda marx she always make me smile and laugh with her books and this was no exeption i adored matty he was adorable so all in all hats off to jayda marx for yet Another fantastic book
🎁PASS THE PARCEL - Round 16🎁THEME - COUCHSURFING
🎁SELECTION POST WEEK 3 🎁
🎁Date - 03/20/2021🎁
🎁 Option 1—2. For a small fee each month, you access a global database of couches.
*Read a book you bought on sale, at no charge, or accessed for free (Kindle Unlimited, gifts, presents count)
The Billionaire's Surprise Quadruplets by J.A. Fielding
🎁 Pages - 237
🎁 Qualifications- Kindle unlimited subscription
🎁PASS THE PARCEL - Round 16🎁THEME - COUCHSURFING
🎁COMPLETION POST WEEK 3 🎁
🎁Date - 03/20/2021🎁
🎁 Option 1—2. For a small fee each month, you access a global database of couches.
*Read a book you bought on sale, at no charge, or accessed for free (Kindle Unlimited, gifts, presents count)
The Billionaire's Surprise Quadruplets by J.A. Fielding
🎁 Pages - 237
🎁 Qualifications- Kindle unlimited subscription
🎁 Date Completed - 03/21/2021
🎁Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟 1/2 Stars
🎁 Review - Very well written!
This was a journey for two highly profile couple struggling with infertility and the emotional ups and down the strain had on them. When finally going through the storm their having multiple births which in itself could be dangerous and scary. This was a very well written and enjoyable storyline . I definitely would recommend!
Selection Post
Week 3 ~ Option 1
Three is a War by Pam Godwin
Pages: 298
Qualification: Free from my library via overdrive
Week 3 ~ Option 1
Three is a War by Pam Godwin
Pages: 298
Qualification: Free from my library via overdrive
Completion PostWeek # 3
No Holding Back
Rating 3 ⭐️
Review This was an okay start to a new series. There was plenty of heat between Sterling and Cade. Cade was a typical alpha hero. And Sterling was able to hold her ground. So I enjoyed their banter and bickering. Fortunately, the bickering wasn’t annoying! LOL Cade’s family - brother, sister and father were also introduced in book 1. So there was a definite family vibe in the book. I didn’t rate this higher mostly because it did feel very paint by numbers. It was a good book, but not great.
COMPLETION POST
Week #3 ~ Option #1
Book: Three is a War by Pam Godwin
Rating (1-5): 3½, maybe 4 stars
Review: This is going to be vague because it is difficult to review this book without spoilers. So, this is the last book in a trilogy that should have been a duo. THIS is what the second book should have been, but with a little less of the repetitive back and forth.
Week #3 ~ Option #1
Book: Three is a War by Pam Godwin
Rating (1-5): 3½, maybe 4 stars
Review: This is going to be vague because it is difficult to review this book without spoilers. So, this is the last book in a trilogy that should have been a duo. THIS is what the second book should have been, but with a little less of the repetitive back and forth.
Week 3Selection Post – Option 1
Anton, Brenda Rothert
Pages ➔ 252
How the Book Qualifies ➔ “bought” for free
hey team! tracking should be correct up to this message....please let me know if I missed anything! =)hope everyone’s week is going well!
Completion Post - Week 2Fake It 'til You Make Out
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
Heath and Declan have been best friends since they met in college. One day, Heath runs in to his ex-girlfriend, the one who broke his heart, and she is wearing an engagement ring. Heath tells her that he is very happy with his new love, Declan. Then his ex outs him all over social media, and Declan and Heath decide to fake a relationship.
I enjoyed this. It was pretty fluffy, with rainbows and sprinkles and a rosy hue all over the place. I just felt as though there was something missing for me. And I didn't really appreciate that the misunderstanding was just there to create drama, not because it was actually germane to the story, or advanced the plot. That being said, I have since read three other books in the series, and enjoyed them even more than this one.
Selection Post: Week 3 - small feeHow to Catch a Prince
Pages: 196
How it qualifies:I purchased it when the price dropped to free on Mar 11, 2021.
[*bookcover:How to Catch a Prince|48610779]
Completion Post – Week 3
Anton, Brenda Rothert – 3/24/21 – ✮✮✮✮✰
Review — This book packed a big punch for being on the shorter side. I really enjoyed the characters and the relationships built in this book. The author did a great job with Mia. She could have been a very boring character, but she’s a fighter and it comes through the story. Anton is a little too perfect, but if that’s my biggest complaint...then I don’t really have one. My biggest disappointment was how quickly the tension was resolved. It was quite a let down. This is my first book by Ms. Rothert, but not my last! I can’t wait to read Luca’s story.
Completion Post: Week 3
Rating: 2 stars
Review:
Charlie comes back to his home town for his sister's wedding. He is dreading it because his closeted ex, who is his brother's best friend, and is therefore part of the family, will be there. Charlie doesn't want anything to do with him, since the guy cheated on him. Instead, one of his friends sets him up with a half finished apartment/hotel complex.(?) (It was never really clear what it was.) Kris is the prince on Lydovia, and has received some bad press lately, courtesy of his ex/best friend. His sister encourages him to go to America and stay on the down low in a small town. After a mishap at his first location, Kris is also set up in the only other finished room in the complex. He and Charlie meet, and through some misunderstandings, Kris agrees to be Charlie's fake date for the wedding, to help with Charlie's ex, with Kris keeping his identity a secret.
Oh, boy. Well, there were editing issues. And everything happened so fast. And the story was told in 1st person present tense. And it felt kind of like...breathless story telling. Like a teenager talking about falling in love and how big everything is. There wasn't any manufactured drama, though. It grew out of the secret keeping. That was nice.
☘KathyD☘ wrote: "you had a busy week UC! =)"I did, yes, Kathy. :D
Selection PostWeek # 4 - Option 1
Whiteout
352 pages
Qualification: MPG Adventure and Adventure>Survival
Selection Post
Week 4 ~ Option 1
Enemy of My Enemy by Tal Bauer
Pages: 444 (Kindle 1st edition)
Qualification: Tagged 'action-adventure' by 9 people on 1st page of tags
Week 4 ~ Option 1
Enemy of My Enemy by Tal Bauer
Pages: 444 (Kindle 1st edition)
Qualification: Tagged 'action-adventure' by 9 people on 1st page of tags
🎁PASS THE PARCEL - Round 16🎁THEME - COUCHSURFING
🎁SELECTION POST WEEK 4 🎁
🎁Date - 03/26/2021🎁
🎁 Option 1:
10. This is an adventure!
* Read a book tagged 'adventure'.
Qualification may be found in precis, main page, tag/shelf or list.
Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston
🎁 Pages - 416
🎁 Qualifications- Page 1 Tagged Action and Adventure by 4 people
https://www.goodreads.com/book/shelve...
Week 4 selection post Option 1
172 pages tagged adventure by 1 person
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
🎁PASS THE PARCEL - Round 16🎁THEME - COUCHSURFING
🎁COMPLETION POST WEEK 4 🎁
🎁Date - 03/26/2021🎁
🎁 Option 1:
10. This is an adventure!
* Read a book tagged 'adventure'.
Qualification may be found in precis, main page, tag/shelf or list.
Badger to the Bone by Shelly Laurenston
🎁 Pages - 416
🎁 Qualifications- Page 1 Tagged Action and Adventure by 4 people
https://www.goodreads.com/book/shelve.
🎁Date Completed - 03/27/2021
🎁Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars Audio Book
🎁 Review -Absolutely hilarious!
This whole series has gotten better with each book! I never laughed so hard until I cried until I started reading this book. Max is amazing crazy a makes no bones about it! Zeze is a cat shifter who has no idea what he is! Between the two of them then add Max's sisters and the whole family you have a recipe for a hilarious and extremely well written book. I highly recommend this series!
COMPLETION POST
Week #4 ~ Option #1
Book: Enemy of My Enemy by Tal Bauer
Rating (1-5): 5 stars
Review: WOW! I love this series. Ethan and Jack are one of my favorite romance book couples of all time but their relationship is just a very small part of this action-packed story. I can usually see a plot twist coming but this had a couple that caught me off guard. I don't usually advocate for books to be made into movies, but I feel like this series would make a great movie series as well. I can't wait to for the chance to get to the next book so I'm hoping it fits some challenges soon. :D
Week #4 ~ Option #1
Book: Enemy of My Enemy by Tal Bauer
Rating (1-5): 5 stars
Review: WOW! I love this series. Ethan and Jack are one of my favorite romance book couples of all time but their relationship is just a very small part of this action-packed story. I can usually see a plot twist coming but this had a couple that caught me off guard. I don't usually advocate for books to be made into movies, but I feel like this series would make a great movie series as well. I can't wait to for the chance to get to the next book so I'm hoping it fits some challenges soon. :D
Completion PostWeek # 4
Whiteout
Rating 2.5 ⭐️
Review This book is MPG Romantic Suspense. It was definitely a romance but very light on suspense. The storyline dealt with a virus and vaccine. Too much like reality these days rather than fiction! LOL But I think that part of the book could have been done better. The romance between Angel and Ford was the main focus of this book. Angel thought Ford didn’t like her. But Ford was just gruff, and uncomfortable with emotion and social interaction. I did laugh a few times at their dialogue. But that wasn’t enough for me to rate the book higher.
Week 4Selection Post – Option 1
Lethal Balance, Cherise Sinclair
Pages ➔ 394
How the Book Qualifies ➔ tagged action-adventure x2
Completion Post – Week 4
Lethal Balance, Cherise Sinclair – 3/30/21 – ✮✮✮✮✮
Review — Another amazing story to follow the first in this series! In this second book, we get to know Cazador better and meet a new officer, J.J. These two are both strong characters, which makes them work really well as a couple, but also adds challenges to their relationship...especially for Cazador who wants to protect the women in his life he cares for. Another fun layer that worked really well in this story was getting to know Regan, Cazador’s daughter that he didn’t know he had. The story is told from multiple points of view, but I love that Regan was often one of those viewpoints. I am ready for Bull’s story...as soon as it drops in audio!
Selection Post: Week 4 - AdventureAll Fixed Up
Pages: 336
How it qualifies: from the precis "The hilarious adventures of Ciel..."
[*bookcover:All Fixed Up|26114494]
Week 5Option 1:
9. Rediscover your own city.
* Read a book set on your continent.
Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand can combine to allow a greater book selection.
Please state your region in your post.
Option 2:
Key date - 2 October 2020
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.
Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week.
Selection PostWeek # 5 - Option 1
Sunshine and Bullets
410 pages
Qualification: My continent: North America - Book is set on North America (United States)
🎁PASS THE PARCEL - Round 16🎁🎁THEME - COUCHSURFING
🎁SELECTION POST WEEK 5🎁
🎁Date - 04/03/2021🎁
🎁 Option 1:
9. Rediscover your own city.
* Read a book set on your continent.
Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand can combine to allow a greater book selection.
Please state your region in your post.
The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan
🎁 Pages - 308
🎁 Qualifications - Setting: Sea Haven, California (United States)
North America
Selection Post
Week 5 ~ Option 1
The Rivals by Vi Keeland
Pages: 353
Qualification: My continent is North America, book set in New York USA
Week 5 ~ Option 1
The Rivals by Vi Keeland
Pages: 353
Qualification: My continent is North America, book set in New York USA
🎁 PASS THE PARCEL - Round 16🎁🎁THEME - COUCHSURFING
🎁COMPLETION POST WEEK 5🎁
🎁Date - 04/03/2021🎁
🎁 Option 1:
9. Rediscover your own city.
* Read a book set on your continent.
Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand can combine to allow a greater book selection.
Please state your region in your post.
The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan
🎁 Pages - 308
🎁 Qualifications - Setting: Sea Haven, California (United States)
North America
🎁Date Completed - 04/05/2021
🎁Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars Audio Book
🎁 Review -Great story line!
The Drake sisters series is really amazing and original! Kate and Matt's chemistry is explosive! The supernatural elements were great with action packed drama and intriguing suspense! Definitely a recommendation for this series!
Completion PostWeek # 5
Sunshine and Bullets
Rating: 4 ⭐️
Review : I really enjoyed this reverse harem romance. It was definitely dark, and very erotic. Sunshine’s guys were sexy as sin. The mystery over why Sunshine ran was a little too crazy. I did roll my eyes. LOL But I am intrigued and want to see where the story goes.
Sexyladi wrote: "Week 5Option 1:
9. Rediscover your own city.
* Read a book set on your continent.
Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand can combine to allow a greater book selection.
Please state your region ..."
thanks for posting the Week 5 task Sexyladi!
Week 4 completion post Option 1
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finished 31/3
This was a good combination of adventure and romance and i adored seti
Week 5 selection 
200 pages
My continent is europe book is set in London
COMPLETION POST
Week #5 ~ Option #1
Book: The Rivals by Vi Keeland
Rating (1-5): 4 stars
Review: Typical enemies-to-lovers, nothing too original, but still an enjoyable read. I wasn't crazy about Sophie, she got on my nerves more often than not, but liked Weston.
Week #5 ~ Option #1
Book: The Rivals by Vi Keeland
Rating (1-5): 4 stars
Review: Typical enemies-to-lovers, nothing too original, but still an enjoyable read. I wasn't crazy about Sophie, she got on my nerves more often than not, but liked Weston.
Week 5Selection Post – Option 1
Carpe Demon, Julie Kenner
Pages ➔ 368
How the Book Qualifies ➔ set in California in the United States
Completion Post – Week 5
Carpe Demon, Julie Kenner – 4/4/20 – ✮✮✮✮✰
Review — Such a fun start to a new series! This isn’t a romance per se, which is what I normally read, but it has a hit of love in the air at times. Kate is a retired demon hunter who is happily married with two kids in the ‘burbs of California. After about 15 years, though, she is kicked out of retirement and the fun begins! I really loved Kate’s story and incredible sarcasm. There is a lot of potential in this new series and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.
Selection Post: Week 5 - rediscovering your cityHis Saint
Pages: 296
How it qualifies: I live in Canada, and this takes place on the North American continent (Texas)
[*book:His Saint|42597625]
Completion Post: Week 5His Saint
My rating: 3 stars
Review:
Augie escapes a home invasion and becomes really scared, so his sister convinces him to take self defense. Saint messed up on his last body guard job, so his boss asks him to take a one on one training situation in his home town until the furor dies down a little. Augie is insecure and closeted, and thinks that if he admits to any fears, he will be considered weak. He also thinks that Saint is basically a puppy who couldn't hurt a fly. Saint knows that something else is going on with Augie, and is kind of enjoying being close to his family.
I enjoyed Saint and Augie together, although I did get tired of Augie trying to be tough without seeming to understand what tough actually means. I thought his view of Saint was amusing, with how Saint didn't intimidate him at all.
My rating on this suffered from me not writing it as soon as I read it. I was thinking 4 stars after I was done, but with a little distance, I realized that the story was all over the place, and while I enjoyed Augie and Saint together, I didn't really like the side stories.
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Lessons from a One-Night Stand, Piper Rayne – 3/10/20 – ✮✮✮✮✰
Review — What a fun book with a ton of great possibilities as the series progresses! This is my first book by Piper Rayne, but I look forward to meeting and getting to know all of the Bailey children.