Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
2011 Challenge Archive
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April - Pick It For Me Challenge
Jane (PS) wrote: "Yay! Sandy - I've finally finished The Hunger Games. I listened to it as an audiobook (I've been dying to hear the last CD all weekend!) and really enjoyed it. Great narrator. Ove..."I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I hope Hollywood doesn't mess it up too much. At this point I am thinking I won't get any of my recs read this month...first time in a year! I signed up for way too many challenges this month. Oh, well....
"D.G. ~The Hydra~ wrote: What are the two books you have left?"I finished my " Intense " rec before I saw your comment, and I read Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas for that category. Now I have to read my " New " rec, which is either Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh or Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione. I'm afraid I'm not going to like it, or it'll be a waste of time. I'm not sure why I think it's much out of my comfort zone, but I should have more faith. My picker, Autumn, gave me nothing but amazing recs.
You just have to read LK's historicals. They're amazing. Start with Secrets of a Summer Night which is the first of the 'Wallflowers' series. It's also my favorite of the series. Or maybe start with the 'Hathaways' series, which starts with Mine Till Midnight. I can't really pick a favorite, because they're all my favorites, but the one I least liked was Married By Morning. I don't know why...
As for JM, I've only read one of her books, A Kingdom of Dreams and I loved it! Her writing style is different, somehow, but I'll definitely be reading more from her.
As for TM, I wasn't all that impressed with The Devil Wears Plaid. I'm a bit picky about my Highlanders, and the book felt like it had too much, and too little, at the same time. I liked her enough to give her books another try, but I wouldn't buy another book by her at this point.
@Megan:I wound up reading Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh - It was great I finished 4/24/11 and give it a 4 star rating. I am definitely going on to read the rest. It was so different from other books.
Thank you for the great recommendation.
I finally finished my buddy read with miss - thanks for being patient with me! She picked One for the Money. It was the first time I've read any of the Stephanie Plum books. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I will continue on with the series though, as time and challenges allow. =)
Monica wrote: "Now I have to read my "New" rec, which is either Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh or Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione. I'm afraid I'm not going to like it, or it'll be a waste of time."Oh Autumn was your recommender! We read a lot of the same books so that's why I know them all!
I've read both of the ones you have left but my favorite of the two is Pleasure Unbound. I just LOVED the hero.
I've actually been a LK fan for the last 7 or 8 years so I've read most of her historicals as they were published but some of the old ones I've read out of order or can't remember if I read particular books (that was pre-GR when I could keep track of everything I read.)
Yz the Whyz wrote: "MissyI finally found time to sit down and work on your recommendations. I have not read a single book in your TBR, so this is a bit of a toughie, but here it goes.
FRIEND - The Book Thief..."</i>
Yz the Whyz, I finally finished one of your picks for me. I read [book:Cry No More and loved it!! It was a great read. Have you read anything else by Linda Howard? I'm definitely going to have to try something else by her.
I'm still planning on reading some of your other picks very soon. Thanks!
Okay, so I finished my challenges I had set out for this month. Both were Buddy reads (recommended to me, and that I recommended).With Brenda, I read The Blaze Collection: Her Sexy Valentine\Play with Me\The Charmer. Loved the last two stories. Hated the first one.
With Drq, I read The Chase. Loved it! Just as great as the others in the series. Can't wait for the fifth book.
Didn't get a chance to read more this month. We have an election going on in Canada, and I have been volunteering for a candidate like crazy! Looking forward to doing more reading in May.
Wow, wow, wow did you see that list ..... 69 out of 125 Participants are done
That is more than half of us that has read at least one our recommendations.
With 125 books read this month for this challenge.
Still have a few days till the end of the month, don't forget to post after you have read your recommendations and let us know what you thought.
Michelle,I read and enjoyed All Through the Night by Connie Brockway. Very dark and emotional, and a good read - thanks for pushing me to get it off my TBR!
D.G. ~The Hydra~ wrote: Oh Autumn was your recommender! We read a lot of the same books so that's why I know them all! "
LOL! yep, we have very similar tastes for books!!^_^
~ Debbie ~ wrote: "Wow, wow, wow did you see that list ..... 69 out of 125 Participants are done
That is more than half of us that has read at least one our recommendations.
With 125 books read this month for thi..."
That's so great!! Congrats to everyone! I can't believe April is already coming to a close!!
SheSwitches, The Perfect Play is very good! I recommend it to everyone I know!
![Macwolf01 [Elise] (macwolf01) | 1012 comments](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1277511172p1/2680059.jpg)
Finished Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon today ... really enjoyed it! Kenyon is definitely on my list to read. THX
BJ Rose wrote: "Michelle,I read and enjoyed All Through the Night by Connie Brockway. Very dark and emotional, and a good read - thanks for pushing me to get it off my TBR!"
I'm glad you liked it :). She is a wonderful writter.
My last in this challenge
Stars - 5/5
My review - Before I started the book I read a few reviews and all said its a great book. A close friend said its her favourite Agatha Christie and then in the foreword Christie herself said its her favourite.
After finishing it, I can see why... I loved the book. Through it I kept wondering who-did-it and made my own guesses but I was so wrong and the after the last page it all fit and I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it.
This month I read Outlander. I had to sit with this one for awhile before I could decide how much I liked it. It was very heavy at the end. I did enjoy it and will be checking out the next in the series, but I will wait awhile. Then I read Full Moon Rising. I really liked this book alot. I'm just disappointed that Quinn is not in the next book. Then I read Crave. I liked this book o.k. The only negative comment I will make is that grownups don't talk like that. They don't even think that way. Why use one word when five will do? That being said I loved the story. Then I read The Host. Loved this book! I have been putting off reading it because of the alien body snatching thing. It's not really my thing but I loved this book!Thanks Kami for the great recs!
Cacophony wrote: "Hi Gigi I noticed you had a pick it for me tbr and a regular tbr. I looked at both of them, and I recommended a couple things that weren't on your list. I hope there is something here for you fo..."
Hi Cacophony! I'm a big Linda Howard fan so, I wound up reading Dying to Please and I really liked it! Thanks so much for the awesome rec!
taita wrote: "I finished The Black Lyon today. It was just OK for me. I had a hard time with the transitions and the whole misunderstanding/jealousy thing. I did like the historical detail howev..."Hi Taita! No, I haven't finished it yet ; (. Its starting off really slow for me. I'm expecting to be finished this weekend probably. However, you're right so far its ok. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on Lord Ian. He's completely dream-worthy! LOL
Hey Melissa I am still reading Water For Elephants. Will message you when I finish it. And Cassie, I finished Hidden Wives. It was pretty good. I found it a bit ironic that the girls fell in love after trying to get out of young marriages. Idk why, but it seemed a bit "off" I guess.
Hey Autumn!I just finished Angels' Blood! I liked her angels. I've heard a lot about Nalini Singh, but she was just so unknown to me, I was hesitant to try her out. I'm actually glad I did, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series. Thank you for introducing me to this!
Sandy: I finished City of Bones this evening (with 3.5 hours to spare). I really enjoyed it - great YA read. 4 stars. I'll definitely get the next book in the next couple of months. Thanks for the great recs. :)
D.G Hi there! Hope your well? Have just finished Charmed and Dangerous that you rec for me! Was brilliant and looking forward to reading more in that series! I wanna see if Her and Cam get back together!! Thanks again x x
Caroline wrote: " D.G Hi there! Hope your well? Have just finished Charmed and Dangerous that you rec for me! Was brilliant and looking forward to reading more in that series! I wanna see if Her and Cam get back ..."
Glad you enjoyed it Caroline!
Getting down to the end of the month. Everyone has made this such a fun challenge.Reminder * - Post what you read off your recommendations list *
I will post an update/final tally of the books we read for this challenge in just a few days, so don't forget to let us and especially the person that gave you recommendations know what you read and how you liked it.
I don't think the person I picked for liked my picks. As far as I've seen she hasn't read any of them and I feel like I ruined her monthly challenge. =/
Hey Dabney, just wanted to let you know I struggled to get any of the books this month but I have just started Darkfever. Sorry I won't finish it in time, I'll let you know what I think though :)
Monica wrote: "Hey Autumn!I just finished Angels' Blood! I liked her angels. I've heard a lot about Nalini Singh, but she was just so unknown to me, I was hesitant to try her out. ..."
;) U welcome sweetie! Its always good when we try new things, however out of the comfort zone they might be. I hope you like the rest of the series as well if u decide to pick them up!
ps: dont feel guilty about "ruining" a challenge. There is not such thing, unless you make no recs at all. If the person you picked for didnt liked the selection they can always ask for additional recs. In most cases, they just dont complete the challenge.
If it gives you perspective, mine didnt commented on them either (the one i had originally assigned), she didnt even made recs..so. its moot pt. But then i was assigned you, and it more than made up for the last disappointment! :)
Monica, don't feel bad! She could have always asked you for more picks if she didn't like them. Maybe she just ran out of time this month.
BJ Rose wrote: "Michelle,I read and enjoyed All Through the Night by Connie Brockway. Very dark and emotional, and a good read - thanks for pushing me to get it off my TBR!"
uhh!!! i just got that book last week! I will definitely bump it up on my TBR!
Monica wrote: "I don't think the person I picked for liked my picks. As far as I've seen she hasn't read any of them and I feel like I ruined her monthly challenge. =/"Don't feel bad, Monica! Some people sign up and forget to check back.
I seldom can read more than 1 rec but I always save the ones that interest me for later. Just a few days ago I read a rec from a few months back and I loved it.
Lindsey, well it's the last day and I finally read one of your picks, Evernight. I ended up giving it 3 stars. I thought it could have been much better if the action had picked up before the book was half over. (view spoiler)The last section of the book was really fast-paced and exciting. It did leave me wanting to read more. Have you read the next book and if so what did you think??
Hi Cynthia! Thanks for the wonderful recommendations. I read "Dead Until Dark" and "The Hunger Games".I enjoyed both of them ! :) I will continue reading both series.
Monica - don't feel bad...my person never checked back in as far as I can tell, or added me as a friend, so I had to do her picks blind...lol! and I don't think my second pickee ever showed back up either...wow...haha! double strike
Jennifer E.: I finished reading two books from the PIFM listing you posted for me. I counted the first one listed below for the challenge and the second one for another challenge.✔
, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips ★★★½ – audiobook 4/30✔
(Midnight Breed #1), by Lara Adrian ★★★½ – both audio & paperback 4/30Thanks again for the recs!
~ Debbie ~ Thank you again for taking on this big challenge!
Here is a link to my review of:
My Review of CMI.Here is a link to my short review of:
Ah Monica, same here. My pickee didn't respond either. I don't think she read any of the books I rec'd. And this was my first PIFM too. :( Sad.
Ditto, Monica and Ritu; I can commiserate. While mine eventually responded, it was only once and
well after
the deadline; I don't know if she read any of my picks. Neither my picker or pickee offered/responded to do/doing a "buddy read".However, I was asked to do several "buddy reads" with quite a few people posting for others here and became GR friends with them - which was nice! Two of whom I am going to do "buddy reads" with again this month! :-)
Well, it is May 1st here now, so I will post our list of books read and who read them in April. **(I will happily add to it if someone posts their update within the next couple of days)**Check out this List
AlbertaJenn - The Blaze Collection(4/24),The Chase(4/27)
Alexis - Lip Service(4/5),Halfway to the Grave(4/16)
Amanda - Secrets of a Summer Night(4/11)
Amy - Darkfever(4/16),City of Fallen Angels(4/20)
Anja - A Little Bit Wild(4/4)
Annabell - Would-Be Withch(4/30)
Ari - Hidden Wives(4/29)
AshleyAlexis - Mouth To Mouth(4/11)
Autumn - Remembrance(4/14)
BJ Rose - All Through the Night(4/27)
Brenda - Hush, Hush(4/24),The Blaze Collection(2/24)
Cacophony (Jennifer) - The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie(4/4)
Camille - City of Fallen Angels(4/20)
Caroline - The Gargoyle(4/8),Bridge to Terabithia(4/11),Charmed and Dangerous(4/30)
Cathy C - Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble(4/15),Virgin River(4/15)
Cathy S - Frostfire(4/7)
ChristineS. - The Gargoyle(4/5)
D.G. ~Toil and Trouble~ - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo(4/15)
Debbie - The Darkest Secret(4/6),Pleasure Unbound(4/8)
Delicious Dee - Lover Unleashed(4/14)
Diane~Firefly~ - Witch Heart(4/6)
Drq - The Chase(4/14)
Elke - Welcome to Temptation(4/4)
ErinReadsTooMuch - Happy Ever After(4/23),Beyond the Highland Mist(4/23)
Fran - Diary of a Mad Fat Girl(4/6), Raising the Stakes(4/7),Lover Unleashed(4/25)
Freya - The Host(4/20),The Hunger Games(4/26),A Bend in the Road(4/26),Crooked House(4/29)
Gigi - Dying to Please(4/29)
Inga - Pride Mates(4/9)
Isabella - Hunger Games (4/5),The Short Second Life of Bree Tannner(4/25),The Notebook(4/25),Hush, Hush(4/25),The Lovely Bones(4/25)
Jane (PS) - Hunger Games(4/25),City of Bones(4/30)
Joyce - Slave to Sensation(4/26)
Kami - Catching Fire(4/9)
KarenH - Hunger Games(4/5),16 Lighthouse Road(4/7)
Kate C - Catching Fire(4/16),Hard and Fast(4/17)
Katie - Contact Point(4/25)
Kerste - Something About You(4/11),Some Girls Bite(4/23)
Lacy - City of Fallen Angels(4/10)
Laura - Just the Sexiest Man Alive(4/8),The Book Theif(4/21)
Layla - Eternal Rider(4/22)
Leah*Silk Desire* - The Things They Carried(4/2)
Lili - Dreams of a Dark Warrior(4/11),Archangel's Consort(4/18)
Lindsey - Slave to Sensation(4/3), The Darkest Passion(4/5)
Lisa Kay - Call Me Irresistible(4/30),Kiss of Midnight(4/30)
Macwolf01 [Elise] - Acheron(4/28)
Megan - A Discovery of Witches(4/8)
Melanie - Perfect Chemistry(4/20)
Melinda - Stolen(4/23),Something About You(4/23]
Melissa ** - One Day(4/9),Pride and Prejudice(4/11),The Secret(4/21)
Michelle - At Grave's End(4/28)
Michelle K - Hero at Large(4/6)
Michelle M - Dead Unitl Dark(4/30)
Miss - Desire Unchained(4/20),One for the Money(4/23)
Missy - Cry No More(4/27)
Monica - A Kingdom of Dreams(4/5), The Hunger Games(4/5)The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie(4/7),The Devil Wears Plaid(4/14),Talk Me Down(4/14),Then Came You(4/14),Blue-Eyed Devil(4/25),Angels' Blood(4/29)
moulin - Wicked Lovely(4/5),Dark Lover(4/11),A Knight in Shining Armor(4/21)
MountainKat - A Lot Like Love(4/3), No Place to Run(4/4), Shoulda Been a Cowboy(4/9),Wild, Wicked, & Wanton(4/16),One for the Money(4/26)
Pam - Vampire Academy(4/3), Undead and Unwed(4/9),Darkfever(4/22),Desire Untamed(4/24)
Penney - Babysitting the Baumgartners(4/6),Pride Mates(4/23)
Photojim - Succubus on Top(4/23)
Polina - Slave to Sensation(4/22)
Rachel (Boise) - The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance(4/26)
Rebecca (bexsi) -
Rena - Games of Command(4/4)
Ritu - Poison Study(4/19),Kushiel's Dart(4/25)
Ruby Rose - Mactched(4/22)
Sandy - private - Evernight(4/30)
Sara~ - The Storyteller's Daughter"
Sarah - Pleasure Unbound(4/4)
She Switches - Abraham Lincold: Vampire Hunter(4/22),Cinderella Unmasked(4/22),Dreams of a Dark Warrior(4/22)
Shea - The Hunger Games(4/16)
Shellbelle - Moon Called(4/19)
Shelley - Outlander(4/29),Full Moon Rising(4/29),Crave(4/29),The Host
Sue - The Darkest Lie(4/9)
taita - Beyond the Highland Mist(4/15),The Black Lyon(4/22)
Tania - Morrigan's Cross(4/4),What Happens in London(4/7),Darkfever(4/17),Cutting Loose(4/18),Desire Untamed(4/19),Moon Called(4/19)
TeresaJo - Fanta C(4/10)
Tugce Nida - Hunger Games (4/20),Tuesdays with Morrie(4/20),THe Secret(4/20)
Valerie - Kiss of Midnight(4/11)
Valerie ~ Varuca1 - Raising the Stakes(4/7),A Discovery of Witches(4/13),Master of the Mountain(4/14),Unraveled(4/25)
Please let me know if I have missed anyone - with a large group it is possible - if I did, I am sorry !!
Now, Check out these covers 
Wow, we ended up with 79 participants that have completed at least one of their recommendations. 144 books read (so far).
That was fun, seeing what everyone is recommending, reading and liking the most. Thanks to everyone that made it so easy this month.
Unfortunately there is always a few that don't follow through with reading their recommendations. The challenge is personal, as long as you have made recommendations and received them, it is always your choice if you want to read them. I am just glad that everyone that wanted recommendations got them and that you all found something to read out of them.
~ Debbie ~ Oha! Ahhh! The covers are soooo pretty! **As when she’s in a bookstore, Lisa Kay becomes similarly mesmerized.**
Thanks for debbie for arranging Aprils PIFM challenge:-) This was my first one and I loved it! So much so I've signed up for Mays!! x x
man. I wanted to read more than one of the books I was suggested but i just didnt have enough time w/ the other challenges im in = (
Debbie loved the synopsis of April PIFM. Cool.
i love to see the collection of books read!!! looks so pretty!!!!!
Romance Readers Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (other topics)The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (other topics)
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (other topics)
The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (other topics)
The Black Lyon (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Lara Adrian (other topics)Susan Elizabeth Phillips (other topics)
Nalini Singh (other topics)
Nalini Singh (other topics)
Larissa Ione (other topics)
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I found it too hard choosing for you, not a single writer or a single book in common (except now 5 new books I added yesterday on my TBR :) ).
I spent all yesterday checking y..."
I finished The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance. The stories in this one were consistently better than the previous couple of "mammoth" books I've read (The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance andLove Bites: The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2).