Meet & Greet Challenge Round 9 (Apr/May): READING

[Penney]

Catherine, I'm pretty much having a year like that so I totally understand. Hang in there girlfriend!

I'm missing picks from Karla as well but I'll never get to all the picks I have now anyway. If I get them, great, if not, I'll survive :)

[Catherine]

thanks for all the good thoughts :) here's hoping that next week will be better!

[Karla]

Sorry, everyone, I'm finishing up my picks right now. I got behind because of work.

[Breann]

I'm still missing picks from Lily :)

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Breann wrote: "I'm still missing picks from Lily :)"

I'd say that is just an oversight as I think everyone else has her picks. I'll PM her :)

[Breann]

I think so, too. Between this & GB... :D

[Ezi]

I am missing a pick from Joyce.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Ezinwanyi~the Impish Angel wrote: "I am missing a pick from Joyce."

Ok - I'll see where Joyce is at.

[Karla]

I think I have finished all of my bonus group picks. If I missed you, or if you need repicks, please let me know.

[Anita Reads]

Yay I'm so ready to get started with these books. I started listening to Dragonfly in Amber, and it's already promising.

[Becca]

I'm listening to that right now too and it's fantastic!

[Anita Reads]

I love the narrator it just makes the whole experience that much better. I already feel like it's better than the first book (not that it was bad at all - just a little drawn out at times).
I thought it was a good book to start out with since I think it's the longest on my list.

[Katherine]

Hi Everyone! I just finished my first book!!!
This book was picked by Sunshine ★★★★★

I loved this book! A lot. The story was fun.
I think that this all series been fantastic.

[Aarati]

Finished one regular pick and one bonus pick.

was a the desired conclusion to Romeo and Rimmel's story. Eagerly awaiting Braeden's book now.

Re-read and enjoyed it as much as the first time.

Both book get 4 stars.

[Sunshine]

Katherine wrote: "Hi Everyone! I just finished my first book!!!
This book was picked by Sunshine ★★★★★

I loved this book! A lot. The story was fun.
I think that this all series been fantastic.."

Hey Katherine, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I can't wait to read Deep. I love this series.

[Dee]

finished Married by Monday recommended by Sallie/Sunshine/Breann - super cute marriage of convenience themed romance; i remember both the couples from the previous book and wanted to see them get their HEA, so it hit all my happy buttons

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Group 3

I've finished two awesome books. What a great start to this challenge.

from Mkat -
from ~Melissa~ -

Thanks for the amazing recommendations!

[Aarati]

Finished another book - I really enjoyed it and the characters were pretty strong. 3.5 stars

[Katherine]

Hi everyone! I just finished my first bonus read!

This book was picked by Gle ★★★★★

I loved a lot. I couldn't put it down. And to me this book has similar places like a movie "How to lose a guy in 10 days"

[Stacie]

So far I've read Tracy's pick for me and Ezi's pick,

I liked Obsidian more than Arouse. I couldn't get what the hype was about Arouse and it ended up annoying me more than anything. Currently working on which is hard hard hard.

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Diane ~Firefly~ wrote: "Group 3

I've finished two awesome books. What a great start to this challenge.

from Mkat - "

Glad you enjoyed!

[UnusualChild{beppy}]

i've finished a couple! and i'm remembering to post!

ezinwanyi: A Better Man - 4 stars. i liked this. i liked the slow build in relationship. i also liked that they were there for each other through thick and thin.

debbie -Just For You - 2 stars. i guess that i'm a little sick of insta-love, which is what this one was about. it was really short and i just never really connected with the characters.

[☘KathyD☘]

Sadie wrote: "I finally finished my first book!


KathyD: Lick - ★★★★ (Group 1)
I'm kicking myself in the ass, yet again, for waiting to start this series. I'm not one to hop on the bandwagon wh..."

so glad you liked it!!! it's a great series! i just love stage dive!!! :) :)

[Kristy]

I finished reading A Reason To Believe yesterday. I have mixed feelings about this book. The plot was okay but a bit predictable. I believe in the paranormal, yet thought Sally was a bit out there. For a 6-year-old child, she spoke like a grownup. That bugged me. Also, this was my first gay romance themed book, and I was a bit uncomfortable. I'm just going to give this one 2 stars.

[Zara's Retreat]

I've finished two books. One bonus and one from my group.

They are: A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Hi everyone - I've just had a question on DNF books and how they should be managed... So that everyone is aware, here is my answer:

If you have a book that you can't finish (DNF), you are welcome to go back to the original picks from that member and select another book. You cannot ask for new picks. You may count as 'finished' a DNF book that you have read at least 50% but that book must then be marked as a 'DNF' in either your review or appropriately shelved as such on your GR bookshelf.

[Tracy]

I finished the selection!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Tracy wrote: "I finished the selection!"

You've read all your books? Congratulations! Great work.

[Tracy]

No Jane just The Selection, lol

[LaurLa]

Update for this week... 3 of 17 and 1 of 21. Yikes. I always think I'm doing so well, then I actually count them and not so much!

These were all excellent reads this week - thanks so much for the nudges to get them read!

Picks from Group 1: 3 of 17
✔Amanda D: - Joanna Wylde - 04.07 ★★★★
I was surprised at how much I liked this - never really read MC before so wasn't sure how I'd do. I think this was middle of the road as far as the rougher side of MC goes. I didn't think the author sugar-coated the lifestyle but she made sure the heroine was basically untouched by the uglier parts of it. Yes, she was basically blackmailed into being a sex toy for the hero and there was some drama at the end where her life was in danger, but for the most part, the uglier things about the lifestyle went on around her and she had to come to terms if she could accept it and the hero. Thanks, Amanda for the introduction... I might be hooked!
✔Nichole: - Jessica Clare - 04.07 ★★★★
Really loved this one - it's been awhile since I read the first one but I remember it taking awhile for me to warm up to the characters in it - not so here. I liked them both right away and I loved the whole race concept, the descriptions, everything. Well, except for the brother. Can't wait to dig into the next one!
✔Sherri: - Susan Mallery - 04.06 ★★★
I liked this one well enough, but I felt like the author skimmed over the relationship development. They had a good vibe but the chemistry they were supposed to share was absent - we were told they had it, but I didn't experience it. I know the author is backing away from writing more explicit smexy times, but her descriptions of the single sex scene were not only vague but lacked the emotion or sensuality that still could have been evoked without explicitness. I just felt she missed the boat on properly developing the emotional connection between the MCs. Despite that, it was still a good story and I did enjoy it, just didn't love it.

Picks from Bonus Group: 1 of 21
✔Becky: - Georgette Heyer - 04.03 ★★★
So after I wrote my review and read some of the others, I felt maybe I hadn't committed a sin by not liking this one very much. Apparently not one of Ms Heyer's best efforts. It was good but I thought the hereoine was too flighty and ineffectual and I didn't KNOW the hero - he was basically absent for most of the book. Not sure how they ever fell in love. Anyway, I appreciated the writing but wasn't enamored of the story. I have a few more by her, so I'll give her a try again and for better luck next time.

[Anita Reads]

I finished 2 books - both bonus reads.

Katie - The 5th Wave | Rick Yancey 04/05/15 ★★★★
I usually don't read a lot of sci-fi, but this type of Sci-fi I always find interesting and hard to put away. It reminded me a bit about Divergent and Uglies (not that it was about the same things, but more like the writing). I'm definitely going to read further in the series. Thanks for recommending it to me.

Shelby - The Lost Hero | Rick Riordan 04/10/15 ★★★★
It's not more than a couple of weeks ago that I finished the Percy Jackson series. I really enjoy the writing of Rick - I love Greek Mythology, and although I sometimes miss Percy and Grover - I really enjoyed these new characters. I also thought it was nice that we saw things from more than one character's POV. I often had a difficult time with Annabeth during Percy Jackson, but I really love Piper already - maybe that's because I've seen things from her perspective as well. I'm not sure. Anyways. Thanks for recommending it to me - it was a great read.

[Katherine]

I just finished another book.
This one was picked by Diane ~Firefly ★★★★★

The books like these is another example why I love fantasy.
They fun, full of action and some supernatural drama. And it's not always about sex. :D

[Jojo]

I've read 9 so far (with a long weekend and a couple of quiet weeks). All good picks so thank you so much for recommending.

Poongothai - Mischief in Mudbug - 03/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It's been quite a while since I read the first in the series and I don't read many cosy mysteries anymore but this reminded me how much fun they can be and I definitely intend to read a few more again.

Amie - Guilty as Sin - 04/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★
Second chance romances aren't always my favourite (the reasons for the initial breakup sometimes niggle at me all through the book)but this one was better. I could understand why there was a split and why a bit of time and distance would help. On the other hand how the heroine's family reacted was totally unforgivable but this was only a small issue and I really enjoyed the book.

Sadie - Axel - 05/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★
Another second chance book and another I could move past the reasons for. That said and even tho I gave it 4 stars (maybe it should be 3) I did have a few issues with it. It reminded me a lot of Kristen Ashley and while I actually like the main characters and the secondary ones neither they or the plot stuck with me much after.

Tracy - Deadly Fall - 06/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★
Just a really good romantic suspense. A cop falls for the soon to be ex-wife a murdered man who is the main suspect. Standard set up and story but really enjoyable to read.

Stacie D-struction - Under My Skin- 07/04/15 ★ ★ ★
I expected so much more from this - I loved the first book and the whole love triangle/menage was set up so well but then just kind of deflated. Brandon seemed to walk away from the relationship that I never really understood why the whole situation could have worked as well as they all said it was.

KathyD - Siren's Song - 08/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★
Continues with a great series. This was Oberon's story, which I though might be difficult to relate to but although it wasn't as compelling as the first 3 books (this is the 5th) still worked, especially in the overall arc. Raven's story next and that shoud be great.

AndaM - Time Thief - 09/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★
Not quite as good as I hoped but still a 4 star read because of the interaction of the 2 main characters. I loved the way they were together and even though I didn't quite get how stealing time worked for the thief I will keep going with the next book.

Skandia - Riptide - 10/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★
So much better than the first in the series so I'm glad I stuck with it. I love the whole treasure salvage idea and throw in a displaced princess, diamond smuggling and long lost brothers what more could anyone want.

Gle - Clear Water - 11/04/15 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This was so much better than I originally expected. I loved Patrick even with all his quirks - how could anyone make him feel he wasn't worthy!! Whiskey was fantastic with him such a calm and cool influence but always showing him that he could achiev anything. My first with this author but I'm sure there will be more.

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Katherine wrote: "I just finished another book.
This one was picked by Diane ~Firefly ★★★★★

The books like tease is another example why I love fantasy.
They fun, full of action a..."

Glad you enjoyed it Katherine

[Rebecca]

I've read two of my picks, Overheated and On Sunset Beach. Thanks for the picks Jane(PS) and Katherine.

[Aarati]

So I finished a few more books.

Sadie: I finished . I was surprised by the book. I don't usually like love-triangles, but I could stand it in this book. And that's saying a lot. I was totally rooting for Mer and Maxon. I gave it 4 stars

Also finished a couple of bonus picks.

Nicole Finished - Interesting book. But I got tired of the heroine checking out the hero's profile. I gave it 3 stars.

Laurla Finished I liked it, though I wanted more interaction between Chloe and Chase's family. She only ever interacted with his elder brother Marcus. Also it was a case of insta-love, but thankfully it was believable. 3.5 stars

[Nadine Bookaholic]

Group 3
Completed 6/18

Anita ★ ★ ★ ★
This was a great quick read. Sweet, sad, steamy, second chance at love...this quick read had all of them in spades.

Sallie (GeorgiaGirl) ★ ★ ★ ★
This was a very HOT read. Jasmine is on a two week leave from the marines and decides to enlist the help of 1night stand dating agency to grant her fantasy of being with two men.

Jane (PS) ★ ★ ★ ★
Spicy, sexy, read. When James meets Lauren his date for the evening sparks fly.

Katherine ★ ★ ★ ★
Who knew having dinner could be such a turn on. Damon and Helena share the sexiest dinner ever!

Diane ~Firefly~ ★ ★ ★ ★
Another great addition to the series, Shannon is an artist that had a traumatic event change her adult life, Brody is home on a 10 day leave from the Marines. This story was sweet and sexy. Brody gets props for being a true Gentleman.

Amy ★ ★ ★ ★
This is an emotional story with on very HOT game of Truth or Dare!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Katherine wrote: "I just finished another book.
This one was picked by Diane ~Firefly ★★★★★

The books like tease is another example why I love fantasy.
They fun, full of action a..."

I need to move on with this series (or start again) - I loved this book when I read it a few years ago!

[Katherine]

Jane (PS) wrote: "Katherine wrote: "I just finished another book.
This one was picked by Diane ~Firefly ★★★★★

The books like tease is another example why I love fantasy.
They fun..."

I started this author this year and so far I finished 2 books with Anna and 1 with Mercy and so far I like Anna more. But I will read and see.

[Katherine]

I finished my forth book!!! WooHoo!!!
This one was picked by Nichole ★★★★★
And I couldn't make myself to start this until now. Because it's the last book of Tristan & Danika. But I loved this book a lot. And I really glad that they bout after so long get back together at last. And had their happy ever after.

[Nichole]

I'm glad you loved it :) I'm listening to right now and I have Lovely Trigger ready to go.

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Katherine wrote: "Jane (PS) wrote: "Katherine wrote: "I just finished another book.
This one was picked by Diane ~Firefly ★★★★★

The books like tease is another example why I love ..."

I did too :)

[Diane ~Firefly~]

@Katherine and Jane (PS) I prefer Mercy to Anna, but it might be because I read those first.

[Larissa]

Group 3

Amy- I finished and enjoyed it!
Kristy-I loved !
Rebecca-I loved !

Thank you for the great picks!

[Jane (PS), Moderator]

Diane ~Firefly~ wrote: "@Katherine and Jane (PS) I prefer Mercy to Anna, but it might be because I read those first."

You know, I may have actually read Anna first but I can't quite recall... I think I liked that Anna's story has less of all the other supernaturals. Mercy's is chok-full of them.

[Katherine]

Jane (PS) wrote: "Diane ~Firefly~ wrote: "@Katherine and Jane (PS) I prefer Mercy to Anna, but it might be because I read those first."

You know, I may have actually read Anna first but I can't quite recall... I t..."

I actually read Anna second. And I like her more.

[UnusualChild{beppy}]

yep. i read anna second and i liked her better, although the second book with mercy definitely moved her closer to anna in my estimation.

[Anita Reads]

I finished a couple of books

Breann - Ceremony in Death | J.D. Robb 04/13/15 ★★★★★
It's always a pleasure to read a book about Eve and Roarke. This was no difference. I really liked the take on witchcraft in this one, and I absolutely adore Peabody.

Jane(PS) - Living Dead in Dallas | Charlaine Harris 04/14/15 ★★★★★
I like that these books are such fast reads. A lot of stuff happens over a small span of time. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Thanks for picking it.

Bonus Picks
Amy - Storm Born | Richelle Mead 04/11/15 ★★★★★
I always enjoy Richelle Mead's writing. This was no difference. I liked Eugenie and the whole world created here. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Thanks for the pick.

Grace - The Billionaire Wins the Game | Melody Anne 04/12/15 ★★★
Overall I liked this story, what I didn't like was the whole - oh no you're pregnant, then we have to get married right away without the girls opinion taken in consideration. Of course I know that they probably would end up like that, but why can't they just see how it goes in stead. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series yet, as I checked the summary of book 2 - and it was basically the same. Thanks for the pick anyway.

[Katherine]

Finished another book. This one was picked by Dee★★★★★

As always I loved this book. I love Kate and Curran. Story was interesting. Kate kicked some ass .:DD

[Dee]

i feel like i'm slacking...only just now reading bk 2...yikes!