Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

I have one finished. Do I need to start a second? Jessica are you or Dee reading 2?

Not I, I’m in the middle of my SH book today.

Diane wrote: "I have one finished. Do I need to start a second? Jessica are you or Dee reading 2?"

Sorry Diane, yes I was planning to read two but not that far into Fish Stick Fridays if you've done another one

Completion Post Task 22 - 88. Read 6 books with a boat, plane, car or motorcycle on the cover, teams decide which — MOTORCYCLE


Book: St. Nacho's
Author Z.A. Maxfield
Pages: 228
How it fits: motorcycle on the cover
Finished: Jun-9
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: This was one of the first MM books I ever read so I'm a bit sentimental about it. The romance between Cooper and Shawn is so sweet. I love that they spend a lot of time just sitting in silence together and how Shawn doesn't let his deafness hold him back at all. He sees Cooper and decides the man is his and makes it happen.

I think the storyline of the DUI and death of a teen was handled really well. I hated to see how Jordan was treated when he was released from prison. My view is he did his time and should be supported in rebuilding his life, not chased away. It was nice to relax into an old favourite.

I am only 25% into my second at this point, so if you are closer to finishing Jessica, go ahead. I likely won't get a chance to finish for a few hours.

Completion Post

Task 22 - 88. Read 6 books with a boat, plane, car or motorcycle on the cover, teams decide which — MOTORCYCLE


Book: Outlawed: Lords of Chaos MC
Author: Nicholas Bella
Finished: Jun 8
Pages: Either 215 (first ebook edition) or 212 (first kindle ed)
How it fits: motorcycle on cover
Rating: 2.5 stars
Review: Not really my thing tbh. It is very dark and there is non-consensual sex and torture and just the way they refer to having sex and nutting on people is not really to my taste. About a motorcycle club member who saves a man who was running away from having been tortured and chained up for over a year and how they get revenge. The poor kid who had been tortured, although traumatized, seemed to recover very quickly, so not all that realistic, which honestly made it easier to read.

Completion Post

Task 22 - 88. Read 6 books with a boat, plane, car or motorcycle on the cover, teams decide which — MOTORCYCLE


Book: Vengeance: Lords of Chaos Motorcycle Club
Author: Nicholas Bella
Finished: Jun 9
Pages: 215 (first kindle ed)
How it fits: motorcycle on cover
Rating: 2.5 stars
Review: I can't say that I liked this any more than the first book. Some of the turns of phrase, especially related to sex just seemed a little silly to me. I did get to see how one story arc was resolved however, so the poor young kid who had been confined and tortured for a year got his revenge. Other story arcs were advanced and introduced. Not sure if I will continue.

Completion Post Task 22 - 88. Read 6 books with a boat, plane, car or motorcycle on the cover, teams decide which — MOTORCYCLE


Book: Fish Stick Fridays
Author Rhys Ford
Pages: 204
How it fits: motorcycle on the cover
Finished: Jun-9
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: This book grew on me the longer in I read. At first I was put off by Deacon and Zig's brashness but as I learned more about their pasts, their attitude became understandable. Zane was the perfect part to fit into this little family. I loved how good they were for each other and how they helped each other heal.

Here is your next task!

Task 23 - 109. Read 6 books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Teams decide.

As a team decide whether you are reading books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Without facial hair would be clean shaven, with would include beards, mustaches or scruff. You can use any edition's cover to qualify for this task. Please include the team’s decision and the qualifying cover in your completion posts.

Originally I said I'm happy with either, but actually facial hair would be better. I can find something for both though.

Oh man, the only Hunt books that work with facial hair for me are Pandora Pine ones. Happy to give them a go!

Found a couple in Fortune Favors the Fae too that I can try.

I can do either with hunt and quest
with
hunt
quest

without
hunt
I think that would be without
quest

is my only SH
But I can hunt up something. If we go facial

DeeNeez wrote: " is my only SH
But I can hunt up something. If we go facial"

I'm looking forward to that one.

Looks like everyone is leaning towards Facial Hair. I’ll go hunt up some 😉

If we all want to go for let's do no facial hair....unless you've all already started 😅

@Skye originally I was thinking too but drawn covers won't count and most of my book quest books are drawn 😭

Can anyone off the top of their heads think of a good book where an MC is admitted to hospital more than once?

Do they have to be fully admitted, or is more than one ER visit work?

All Kinds of Tied Down
Not sure how many times he went to the hospital, but there were a few. Can't recall if ever overnight in a bed.
But he broke his wrist...and I think he was hit by car?
Think he was shot too
It's been a long time since I read it.

So for sure, with facial hair??

I rolled the dice and started one with facial hair, since it sounded like that's where it was leaning.

Ok, Skye started one with Facial hair…so let’s go for that

Task 23 - 109. Read 6 books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Teams decide.

The Enforcer and His Heart

300pg
Completed 06/9/25
how it qualifies: Has facial hair on cover model. Not a lot, but he has some
4 stars
I really liked this one.
Here I was looking forward to the Hunter book and thought it would have been my favorite. I liked it, but I think I liked this one a whole lot more.
It was an easy going read. The romance wasn't epic, but it was a nice slow burn, with a good flow. They had issues to get over. Keegan wasn't up front with Nico. There was some misunderstandings, and then trust to work out.
Once they got past that, the needed to get to know each other. Nico recognized they were fated mates, but Keegan never really let Nico get to know him in their dream walks. He was holding back hoping it wouldn't hurt as much.
I'm glad they took some time to get to know each other and build back their trust.

All the while things are moving into place for the overall arch. I felt like they learned more in this edition than they did the last.
I didn't know how to feel about Keegan's mother when she reappeared. At first I thoguht it was coming out of the blue.
I'm kinda glad they didn't have her get all mushy and declair her love for Keegan. I was afraid she was going to start spouting excuses for her behavior. I'm glad that didn't happen.

Sorry, had to get 200 words for another challenge.

Since I started the facial hair book and stuck us with it, I'll be one who reads 2 books. I have a filing and scanning day planned at work, so I'll have it done by lunch.

Crud.
I just realized I'm disqualifed from reading Dead in the Water
I'll have to chose a different book

Task 23 - 109. Read 6 books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Teams decide.

Dead of Night

301pg
Completed 06/10/25
how it qualifies: Cover model has facial hair
5 stars.

After book 7, I'm glad to get things back to normal. This felt more like the series I remembered. But there is a little change. This time it's Ronan who's in on the supernatural. He's dreaming of past lives. It was an interesting change up. And he had a hard time getting support. Even Tennyson wanted him to drop it.

Dee
Did you claim Fire for Skin After Skin?
I'm claiming fire.
and did you decide on cocktail?

Fire on the cover? I don't see it 🫤

Update--no, I guess not.
I can't find anything on the web. I thought at the top of the cresent was a flame. But it's described as a dot. I've always thought of it as a flame.

In the Aum symbol.

So I guess it's not a flame, it's a dot?

Ooo...found something.
Still not what I thought it was...but at least I wasn't crazy.

The five syllables of “Namah Shivaya” fuel the rest of the chant with the five energies of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. OM Namah Shivaya is a declaration of faith and a gesture of dependence on the universe’s natural order.

So I didn't pull it from thin air. But it's not gonna work.

I always thought of the dot at the top as a flame for fire.
and the B ish shape as a mouth, and the curly part as air or breath. But that's not really true.

Weird how something you know nothing about, and someone tells you something as a teenager, and it sticks in your head. Even though it's completely wrong.

I kept blowing up his arms looking for flames in his Tattoo… but no luck 🫤

Wende re-read that section …he bought the stuff for his cocktail, but we never see him making it. But he did drink it!

Still it was good for points… it was a new read for me.
63 +100 ..not bad!

Okay, then we should match up.
After I took off fire, I went to 62 points. It's a re-read for me.
So that must mean we match up.

Hey...we need 6 books right?
Idk if anyone else was reading 2.
But I'm almost done with a 3rd.

Since I realized I read Dead in the water back in April and I'll have to pick another book, I read 8 and almost done with 9.

Unless Jessica was reading 2, I’d say for the third.

I'm gonna finish it, and not use either for SH.
I was avoiding going backwards in the series, but I'm going back to book 4 for SH.

Task 23 - 109. Read 6 books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Teams decide.

Dead Man Walking
245pg
Completed 06/10/25
how it qualifies. Model has facial hair.
4 stars.
review
Poor Ronan, that's messed up.
Is there gonna be a baby next book?

Cool. Finished the 3rd.
I think I'll take a break from the series, before I go backwards for SH.

Completion Post
Task 23 - 109. Read 6 books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Teams decide— FACIAL HAIR


Book Obey
Author Piper Scott
Pages 180 GR Kindle first edition
How it fits: cover model has facial hair
Finished Jun 10
Rate ⭐️⭐️⭐️
On okay read, just okay. Omega-Alphas, mpreg, and kink. Yet, it was really slow going at first, and I never felt a strong connection between the two till way late in the book. Hoping the rest of the series moves at a better pace.

Almost finished one. Skye you're a lifesaver!

Completion Post Task 23 - 109. Read 6 books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Teams decide— FACIAL HAIR


Book: Dead Reckoning
Author: Pandora Pine
Pages 260 GR Kindle first edition
How it fits: cover model has facial hair
Finished: 11-June
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review: This is now a new favourite in the suspense/crime genre. I even liked this better than book 1. It's high intensity and high stakes which I love.

Tennyson is again visited by the ghost who wants him to solve their murder. This time it's a teen boy who was turning tricks after his parents kicked him out. We find out this ghost was actually victim 11 and so starts the hunt for a serial killer.

At the start of the book Ronan and Tennyson haven't spoken for 15 days due to a fight and an ultimatum given by Tennyson. This case bring them back together again and leaves them stronger.

Completion Post

Task 23 - 109. Read 6 books with or without facial hair on a male cover model. Teams decide— FACIAL HAIR


Book: Grave Misfortune
Author: Nazri Noor
Pages: 218 Kindle ed GR
How it fits: See facial hair on cover model
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This one was fun. Set in a world I didn't know, with a disenchanted soldier protecting his town from ghouls with a shovel. A travelling fae comes to town and sparks fly between them. Not too complicated, but sweet.

Posted for our next task

Here is your next task!

Task 24 - 121. Pick another team in this challenge and each member reads two books read by members of that team in the last 6 months and rated a minimum of 4 stars. No pass for this task.

As a team, select another team in this challenge. Then each teammate reads two books read by different members of the selected team on or after December 11, 2024 and rated a minimum of 4 stars. Teammates may read books read by the same team members, but each of you needs to read books from different team members. So on your team Jessica can read books read by players 1 and 3 of the selected team, and Diane can read books read by players 1 and 2, and so on. Please include a link to the selected team member’s review (preferred) or read shelf in your completion posts. Also include the selected team in your completion posts. No pass for this task.

Do we go with Frosting and Fiction this time?

Or stick with Chase the Rainbow? One of the ones from F&F you can't see their list unless you are friends.

Chase the Rainbow

If anyone wants a short one (Amanda)

I am deciding between

EDIT: Amanda hasn't rated Zephyr. I'm going to ask her to do it and will let you know if its 4+ or no

Finally some fantasy! Exiled Heir also works for another challenge but I said I wouldn't read it again until I could binge the trilogy. I left it too long between book 1 and 2 that I need to start again. Book 1 was so impressive

Do you think we can read the same book?

I am happy to read Zephyr.