Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

Week 8
Option 1
Book: Seventh Grave and No Body
Page Numbers: 356
How Fits: #76 on Death Gods and Reaper Protagonists



[*bookcover:Seventh Grave and No Body|19286674]

Week 8 - Darwin Awards
Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones


Date Read: 10/30

Rating: ★★★★★

Wow Charley's powers are really growing. She's starting to get more of a handle on what she's capable of though she still throws herself into danger without a thought. I love her relationship with Reyes in this book. For all he's the alpha male, you really get to see his vulnerability in this one in his fear for what could happen to Charley with Rocket putting her name on his wall.

The team is coming together and the world is getting more dangerous for Charley, especially now that she's got Beep to think about too. There's so much unknown out there, and that is truly a danger cropping up. Oh wow that ending shocked me. I'm not surprised at what Charley's dad was up to, but the end result was shocking. All the little mysteries in this one are more of a backdrop to the bigger picture of who and what Charley is becoming and the forces out to stop her.

I just love this series and I can't wait to see what the next step in the journey is.

Week 4: Archibald Prize Where Death Meets the Devil

Rating: ★★★★

Review:
Really good read. I thought the back and forth time jumping would irk me, but it actually works well. The past reveals really inform the present situations. There are a lot of twists that keep you guessing. I liked the characters...Jack is a pretty standard character imo. He's great but...what you'd expect. Blade is the unique one. The Sugar Baby thing I wish had gotten more focus and how it played into him specifically but it was just thrown out. Hopefully it comes into play in later books. I'm really interested in more with these characters.

Week 7 completion

Finished 31/10
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved this story of two guys needing a break from their Lifes as celebrities and How they found love with eachother so i say hats off to Andrew Grey for yet another Great book

Week 8 selection
Option 1

[*book:You're Welcome. Love, Your Cat|40148554]
201 pages
Place 201 on this list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...

Week 8 completion

Finished 30/10
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved this altough the story was a little sad i loved The way they meet and I loved The matchmaking cats they were adorable

Week 9

Option 1
7. UNESCO Peace Prize
The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize is intended to honour living individuals and active public or private bodies or institutions that have made a significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining peace.
* Read a book with one of the following words in the precis/blurb on the book's main page: 'peace', 'happy', 'cooperation', 'good' or 'tranquil' OR words that have the same root word.
Eg 'peaceful', 'unhappily', 'cooperate', 'goodness', 'tanquility'.
Edit - no hyphens.


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: May 3, 2019


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

Remember: in the blurb...not the title.

Don't be like me and spend ten minutes scanning titles. =P

Calila wrote: "Remember: in the blurb...not the title.

Don't be like me and spend ten minutes scanning titles. =P"

LOL!!

Week 9 (UNESCO Peace Prize): American Love Story
Pages: 368
Qualifies: "For the first time, Patrice is tempted to open up and embrace the happiness he’s always denied himself." in blurb.

Calila wrote: "Remember: in the blurb...not the title.

Don't be like me and spend ten minutes scanning titles. =P"

Too late! LOL. I had several books all picked out, then read the instructions again-oops. LOL

Selection Post: Week 9: UNESCO Peace Prize
Option 1



Book: Savior
Author: Alison Hendricks
Pages: 214/GR
How it Fits: "Losing the man I loved in Afghanistan pretty much destroyed any hope I had of finding my happily ever after."

[*book:Savior|40205646]

Shannon.....it happened again. Wrong thread. =)

Oh. My. God!!

Week 9 Selection Post
Option 1


Digging Deep by Jay Hogan
Pages: 354
Qualification: Good & Happy in Precis ..he likes his job and is good at it. He works hard and plays hard, happy to enjoy..

Week 9 UNESCO Peace Prize
selection post, option 1

Forever Moore by Riley Hart
length: 288 pages

How it Qualifies: Happy is a root word in precis:
Will the young lord and his huntsman ever have the chance to experience the happily ever after they’ve found in each other’s arms?


[*book:Forever Moore|44416064]

Week 9 Completion Post
Option 1


Digging Deep by Jay Hogan
Pages: 354
Read: 11/3/19
Rating: ★★★★★

Really loved this book!! Can't say I've ever read a book that had so much poo talk. Of course with Crohn's it's unavoidable but still it felt like we spent a lot of time in the potty with Drake. I have two cousins with Crohn's so I'm familiar with it and it really is as awful as portrayed. Of course, I didn't like Caleb during the whole public bathroom and police station scenes but afterward, I absolutely loved him. What a trooper even though he never had the staying power previously. Both boy drove me crazy at one point or another but overall a fantastic read.

Week 8 (Darwin Awards): Kiss Me Again

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:
Loved this so much. Very emotional and sweet. I liked both characters and I love that neither man's pain and trauma are diminished to make the other one's "worse" or "more important". I also love how Ludo's mental illness is treated. It's not magically healed because he falls in love, nor is it dramatically the only issue in their relationship. It's more respectful and realistic.

*BOOK CHANGE*

Week 9 (UNESCO Peace Prize): Graveyard Shift
Pages: 220
Qualifies: "Wes and Hudson have never been busier…or happier." in blurb.

Week 8 Darwin Awards Chlorinating the Gene Pool
completion post


Fish Out of Water by Amy Lane
270 pages
4 Stars, Read 5 November
Compelling couple, and it's a good mystery...
Nicely performed by Greg Boudreaux.

Week 9: UNESCO Peace Prize - Graveyard Shift

Rating: ★★★★

Review:
*Received A Copy To Review From The Author*

I just love this series. This is a great installment!! Emotional and weighty. There's a few moment that made me tear up. The couple is still great, there's drama but nothing ever threatens the solidity of the relationship. New characters are introduced that make fun additions. Hudson's past comes back to haunt him (ha) in more ways than one. It was interesting. I'm curious to see where it goes from here, after some of the events. I really hope there's a book 4.

Y'all!!! Jane!!! I'm only 60% of a book behind now! I'm so close to FINALLY being caught up!

Calila wrote: "Y'all!!! Jane!!! I'm only 60% of a book behind now! I'm so close to FINALLY being caught up!"

OMG!! You are almost up to date!! LOL.

Emeli and Shelby - I know I'm a bit early, but don't forget to post your selection for this week :)

Completion Post: Week 9: UNESCO Peace Prize
Option 1



Book: Savior
Author: Alison Hendricks
Pages: 214/GR
How it Fits: "Losing the man I loved in Afghanistan pretty much destroyed any hope I had of finding my happily ever after."
Date Read: 11/2
Rating: 4 stars

Review: I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one as much as the first one, but Noah and Cam ended up stealing my heart. I loved how even though Cam was majorly protective of Noah, he was still willing to step back and give Noah room to be himself. I thought the suspense part was pretty run of the mill, but the intensity of the connection between the two MCs more than made up for it. This one left me hoping for another book in this series. I'd love to see what happens next for these two.

Week 9 selection
Option 1

176 pages
[*book:Love You So Sweetly|45891332]
The youngest son of one of America’s richest families, Remy Merced is so busy trying to save his family company from collapse, he’s never taken time to figure out if he’s gay, much less if he’s happy

I'm good right Jane? since I only have one book outstanding?

Week 10

Option 1
2. Booker prize
The Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel written in the English language and published in the United Kingdom.
* Read a book written by a UK author.
No foreign language editions to be used when showing how your book qualifies.
You may use a novel written by two authors, only one of which is from the UK. If you wish to use an anthology, at least 50% of the authors must be from the UK.
To qualify - please insert a link to the GR author's page or some other reference point that proves that they live in or are from the UK.


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: May 10, 2019


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

Clarification inserted for this theme:

To qualify - please insert a link to the GR author's page or some other reference point that proves that they live in or are from the UK.

If the GR author's page doesn't specify location, and to insert a link from an outside source (hint: wikipedia is a good option), please copy the URL at the top of your web browser (ctrl c), and past the link into your post (ctrl v).

Calila wrote: "I'm good right Jane? since I only have one book outstanding?"

LOL - yes - you are looking fine indeed! Only week 3 outstanding :D

Week 10 (Booker Prize): In this Bed of Snowflakes we Lie
Pages: 217
Qualifies: "Sophia Soames is a Scandinavian, UK based..." in bio on GR author page. - Sophia Soames

Week 10 Selection Post
Author from UK


An Unlocked Mind by KC Wells & Parker Williams
Pages: 330
Qualification: KC Wells' Bio on Dreamspinner Press states she was born and raised in England.

[*book:An Unlocked Mind|36630522]

Week 9 UNESCO Peace Prize
completion post, option 1

Forever Moore by Riley Hart
length: 288 pages

Read: 8 November, 4 Stars
Very clever story! I love all the nods to Snow White, and the way the authors spin the story is incredibly well done. If you're in the mood for a fairy tale, this one's a winner!

Shannon wrote: "Week 10 Selection Post
Author from UK


An Unlocked Mind by KC Wells..."

oh I loved this one!
okay, I'm taking a page from Shannon's book and I'm going for a book in this series as well :)

Week 10 - Author from the UK
selection post


On the Same Page by K.C. Wells and Parker Williams
244 pages

How it Qualifies: KC Wells' Bio on Dreamspinner Press states she was born and raised in England.


[*book:On the Same Page|48357086]

Ok apparently I'm an idiot - I thought I'd posted this ages ago... JANE PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!! I've had the longest week and really have no excuse other than that I just haven't been home.

Week 9
Option 1
Book: Redeeming Rafe
Page Numbers: 214
How Fits: "Former mercenary Cade Gamble’s only job is to take down the hacker stealing sensitive, private information from Barretti Security Group and Cade is damn GOOD at his job."



[*bookcover:Redeeming Rafe|26147722]

Week 9 - UNESCO Peace Prize
Redeeming Rafe by Sloane Kennedy


Date Read: 11/8

Rating: ★★★★½

This series always manages to at some point smack me in the feels. While I do feel like Rafe and Cade's relationship did come out of nowhere the emotional moments still got to me. It was like I jumped over the why are the interested in each other, straight into the "yep they're supposed to be together." And well I just didn't care.

There's heavy dramatics in this series, but I've enjoyed every one of them. I liked how devoted Cade was to Rafe. His gentle care really brought Rafe slowly back into the fold after how hellish his life has been. Can't wait to get to see Ren finally find his way home now too.

Trio wrote: "oh I loved this one!
okay, I'm taking a page from Shannon's book and I'm going for a book in this series as well :)"

I can't believe I completely forgot about this series. See, this is why I do challenges!! :)

Shelby wrote: "Week 8 - UNESCO Peace Prize
Redeeming Rafe by Sloane Kennedy


Date Read: 11/8

Rating: ★★★★½

This series always manages to at ..."

Shelby, can you change it to week 9? thanks!

Selection Post: Week 10: Author from the UK
Option 1



Book: Coast to Coast
Author: R.J. Scott
Pages: 199/GR
How it Fits: "She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside,"
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

[*book:Coast to Coast|48252672]

Calila wrote: "Shelby wrote: "Week 8 - UNESCO Peace Prize
Redeeming Rafe by Sloane Kennedy


Date Read: 11/8

Rating: ★★★★½

This series always..."

Done

Completion Post: Week 10: Author from the UK
Option 1



Book: Coast to Coast
Author: R.J. Scott
Pages: 199/GR
How it Fits: "She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside,"
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Date Read: 11/10
Rating: 2 stars

Review: This was not nearly up to the level of the Railers series. I was highly disappointed in the lack of character development, the non-existent plot, and lackluster sex. The whole book felt like it was phoned in. I was glad to see the bad guy finally get some kind of consequences, but it was basically brushed over, so I couldn't even get really excited about that. I'm not sure what happened here, but I'm probably not going to bother with the rest of this spin-off series if this is the example of the quality of the stories.

[*book:Coast to Coast|48252672]

Week 10 Completion Post
Author from UK


An Unlocked Mind by KC Wells & Parker Williams
Pages: 330
Read: 11/11/19
Rating: ★★★★

It's been a while since I read Alex's story so I didn't hate Rob as much as I probably should have when I started this one. But oh boy, what a handful of cocky anger this boy was. Good thing Vic could see right through him. And can I just say that I LOVED Vic, like inappropriate feelings for a not-real person loved. He was just the perfect person for Rob to run into and insult. Rob broke my heart with his self loathing and hatred. Poor guy. If your looking for tons of sexy times right away, this is not the book for you. Great build up with this one and not BDSM heavy at all. Loved it!!

Shannon wrote: "Week 8 Selection Post
Option 1: Darwin Awards


Shattered Pieces by KM Nuehold
Pages: 181
Read: 10/30/19
Rating: ★★★★

This book may have had me..."

I went looking for your week 8 completion post, thinking I'd skipped over it.

I HAD, but probably because it was showing as a selection post :) Could you please update this post Shannon?

msg 197. Thanks.

Outstanding before the final week:

Selections
Week 10 - Emeli and Shelby

Completions
Week 10 - Calila, Emeli, Trio & Shelby

Week 3: Palme d'Or Cannes Film Festival Arctic Heat

Rating: ★★★

Review:
Received an ARC via Netgalley

I have to admit this isn't my favorite of the series. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and rooting for them. Particularly Quill. I just...his angst felt so ridiculous to me. I mean I get it, but like...meh. And I also didn't connect much with Owen much, though more than with Quill. Because I didn't connect much with them, the plot was kind of meh. I really think all of this is a me thing, and others won't have the issue I had. There's nothing really wrong. I just didn't click. That's why I'm marking it 3 stars. It was just...fine. I didn't hate anything. I just also didn't love anything. Also explained why it took me so long to finish it.

Week 10: Booker Prize In This Bed of Snowflakes We Lie

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:
*A copy was provided by the author for free in exchange for an honest review*

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS. This is just an adorable, sweet, funny, cute romance about two guys really falling in love for the first time. Oskar is a massive introvert who comes out of his shell, and Erik is insecure fake (though not in a bad way) who grows into his truth. I honestly loved their relationship so much. It was just happy and adorable (yes, I'm using that word again). I love the trip they take to Erik's home for Christmas. Families are always hit or miss for me, they can end up to nosy and controlling/manipulative even from "love", but Erik's family was fun and supportive and irreverent. Their traditions were hilarious. Honestly, I recommend this wholeheartedly if you just want a happy holiday book that will make me smile and feel good.

I'm caught up with a whole day to spare!!!!

Update of Outstanding Posts Before Final Call:

Emeli:
Week 9 - Completion
Week 10 - Selection

Shelby:
Week 10 - Selection

Trio:
Week 10 - Completion

Calila wrote: "I'm caught up with a whole day to spare!!!!"

Yay!!! 😉