Tag: Rowena’s Reads

Monthly Reads: November 2018

Posted December 3, 2018 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 7 Comments

Casee: I didn’t read many books in November. I only read five (most of them audio) and one of those was a reread (on audio). I just wasn’t into it. Add in the holidays and that wasn’t a good recipe for reading. I’m hoping December will be a better month.

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven (audiobook) | 4 out of 5
Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen (audiobook) | 2 out of 5
Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh (reread on audio) | 4.75 out of 5
Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas | 2 out of 5
Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh (audiobook) | 4.25 out of 5

My favorite book in November was Archangel’s Heart and I don’t even care that it was a reread. I adore that book. Love it. I would marry it if I could. My least favorite, hands down, was Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen. Holy hell, the heroine of that book was horrific. I loved the hero which honestly made the whole thing worse.

Holly: I managed to read 25 books in November, but that’s mostly thanks to audiobooks. The amount of reading time I had was limited, but thankfully I was able to listen to a lot of books.

One More Time by Laurelin Page (Audiobook) | 3.25 out of 5
Goddess with a Blade (audiobook) (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Royally Hung by Anne Marsh | DNF
Coming Undone by Lauren Dane (Audiobook) (re-read) | 4.25 out of 5
Ache for You by J.T. Geissinger (Audiobook) | 1.5 out of 5
Sin and Chocolate by K.F. Breene (Audiobook) | 3.5 out of 5
Ain’t She a Peach by Molly Harper (Audiobook) | 3.75 out of 5
Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck by Molly Harper (Audiobook) | 4 out of 5
Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper (Audiobook) | 3.75 out of 5
The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase (Audiobook) | 1 out of 5
Taking Chase by Lauren Dane (Audiobook) (reread) | 3.75 out of 5
Making Chase by Lauren Dane (Audiobook) (reread) | 3.5 out of 5
Chased by Lauren Dane (Audiobook) (Re-read) | 3.25 out of 5
The Restorer by Amanda Stevens (Audiobook) | DNF
Sleepover by Serena Bell | 3.5 out of 5
Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs (Audiobook) (Re-Read) | 4.25 out of 5
Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs (Audiobook) (Re-read) | 4.5 out of 5
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs (Audiobook) (Re-read) | 3.75 out of 5
Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs (Audiobook) (Re-read) | 4 out of 5
Raven’s Shadow by Patricia Briggs (Audiobook) | DNF
Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas | 3 out of 5
A Little Night Magic by Lucy March (Audiobook) | DNF
Complicated by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley (Reread) | 4 out of 5
The Gamble by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.5 out of 5

My favorite new read of the month was probably Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck. I actually really enjoyed the entire Southern Eclectic series by Molly Harper, but that was my favorite of them. My least favorite read was Ache for You by J.T. Geissinger. I haven’t hated a heroine that much in..maybe ever. You know things are bad when the idea of her falling down the stairs and breaking all her bones makes you giddy inside.

Rowena: November was a busy month for me. We have hella birthdays in my family (mine included) so we’re always singing happy birthday and eating cake with everyone and their Mom at my house. Then there was the Thanksgiving madness and my niece leaving for her mission madness because whenever my family gets together to celebrate something, it’s always madness. I only managed to get 12 books read and some of them drove me right up the wall.

Here’s what I read last month.

Sleepover by Serena Bell (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Highlander Most Wanted (Montgomery’s & Armstrongs #2) by Maya Banks (Audiobook) | 4.25 out of 5
Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson #5) by Patricia Briggs (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
Wait for It by Mariana Zapata (eBook) | 4.5 out of 5
Archangel’s Blade (Guild Hunter #4) by Nalini Singh (Audiobook) | 3.25 out of 5
Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas (eBook) | 3 out of 5
Fall (VIP #3) by Kristen Callihan (eBook) | 4.25 out of 5
My Best Friend’s Ex (Beta Brothers #1) by Hazel Kelly (eBook) | 3.5 out of 5
Friends with Benefits (Beta Brothers #2) by Hazel Kelly (eBook) | 4 out of 5
Save the Date by Carrie Aarons (eBook) | 2 out of 5
My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren (eARC) | 4 out of 5
Ache for You (Slow Burn #3) by J.T. Geissinger (Audiobook) | 1 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Wait for It by Mariana Zapata. I thought that book was well written and so much fun. I loved seeing Dallas fall in love with Diana and I adored Diana and her nephews. It was good to see all of the other characters from Zapata’s other books, especially Kulti. swoon

My least favorite read of the month goes to my last read, Ache for You by J.T. Geissinger. Holy cow, I wanted to throat punch the shit out of the heroine from beginning to end. She found every wrong conclusion to jump to and jumped. She jumped to so many conclusions that I was surprised she didn’t just jump right off a cliff. She completely ruined the book for me. I need a long break before I ever jump into another Geissinger book.

Giveaway Alert

Three lucky winners will choose their prize (one book) from any of the books we logged this month. If you want to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite – and least favorite – reads of the month were.

So…what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite? Use the Gleam Widget to enter! Good luck!

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Monthly Reads: October 2018

Posted November 2, 2018 by Rowena in Features, Giveaways | 12 Comments

Casee: October has been such a great month. The Dodgers lost the World Series in a pretty spectacular way. I really enjoyed giving Rowena hell about that. When it comes to sports, she’s surprisingly easy to rile. Then there was the fact that I read/listened to a lot of books. As of Friday, I was leading this pack. Then something happened. I’m not quite sure what, but everything started going downhill. Everything basically went to crap on Monday. I think it was karma for giving Rowena such a hard time. It was worth it, though. I read/listened to 14 (!!!) books this month.

Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter | 3.5 out of 5
Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh | 4.5 out of 5
Rock Hard by Nalini Singh | 3 out of 5
Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh | 4.25 out of 5
Rock Wedding by Nalini Singh | 3.5 out of 5
Steadfast by Sarina Bowen (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Keepsake by Sarina Bowen (audio) | 4 out of 5
Scandal Never Sleeps by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake | 4.25 out of 5
Seduction in Session by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake | 4.5 out of 5
Bountiful by Sarina Bowen (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Big Easy Temptation by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake | 4 out of 5
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (audio) | 4 out of 5
Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Smoke and Sin by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake | 3.5 out of 5

My very, very, very favorite book of the month was Seduction in Session by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake. Wow. This writing team is dynamite. Surprisingly, one of my least favorite books was Bountiful by Sarina Bowen. I was really looking forward to reading Zara’s book, but it just didn’t do it for me. I was highly disappointed by Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter because I’ve come to expect only the very best from her.

Holly: I had a pretty slow reading month. I listened more than I read, and I didn’t have nearly the time to focus as I’d have liked. I listened to and/or read 18 books.

Fantastical by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3 out of 5
Broken Dove by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 3.25 out of 5
Midnight Soul by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 2.75 out of 5
Soaring by Kristen Ashley (reread) | 4 out of 5
How to Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper (audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Love and Other Wild Things by Molly Harper (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
Lionheart by Thea Harrison | 4.25 out of 5
The Scribe by Elizabeth Hunter (audio) | 3 out of 5
The Singer by Elizabeth Hunter | DNF
Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh (reread/audio) | 4.25 out of 5
Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh | 4.5 out of 5
Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter | 3 out of 5
Speakeasy by Sarina Bowen (audio) | 3.25 out of 5
If He’s Daring by Hannah Howell (audio) | 3 out of 5
Steadfast by Sarina Bowen (reread/audio) | 4.5 out of 5
Once Upon a Sure Thing by Lauren Blakely (audio) | 3.75 out of 5
On the Surface by Kate Willoughby (audio) | 3 out of 5
Red Wolf by Jennifer Ashley (audio) | 3.5 out of 5
Natural Dual-Mage by K.F. Breene (audio) | 4 out of 5

My favorite reads of the month were Lionheart by Thea Harrison and Archangel’s Prophecy by Nalini Singh. I’m still not recovered from AP. I need the next book SO BAD! My least favorite reads were The Scribe and The Singer (which I DNF’d) by Elizabeth Hunter. The premise was really interesting, but I’m annoyed The Scribe ended in a cliffhanger and The Singer was basically just a recap of The Scribe for the 35% I read.

Rowena: My reading took a hit this month and I blamed all of my reading from September on that. I went through a couple of weeks of not being in the mood to read so I didn’t pick anything up. I also blame baseball. My team made it all the way to the World Series, played in the longest post-season baseball game in the entire history of the MLB, we won that game (it went 18 innings!) and then came back the next day and stunk it up. We lost the following two games at home and the Boston Red Sox won the World Series. Gah. Freaking Dodgers.

I did manage to read 10 books though and here’s a list of what I read:

Rebel Hard (Hard Play #2) by Nalini Singh | 4 out of 5
Fight or Flight by Samantha Young | 4 out of 5
Archangel’s Consort (Guild Hunter #3) by Nalini Singh | 4 out of 5
Shadow and Ice (Gods of War #1) by Gena Showalter | 2.5 out of 5
Phoenix Unbound (Fallen Empire #1) by Grace Draven | 4 out of 5
Fireworks (True North #6) by Sarina Bowen | 4.25 out of5
Never Seduce a Scot (The Montgomery’s & Armstrongs #1) by Maya Banks | 4.75 out of 5
The Other Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #3) by Julia Quinn | 4.25 out of 5
Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson #3) by Patricia Briggs | 4.5 out of 5
Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #4) by Patricia Briggs | 4.25 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks. I read this book for my book club and I ugly cried my way through it. The heroine turns out to be such a strong woman that I couldn’t help but root for throughout the entire book. She went through so much and when the hero comes along to become her champion, grows to love her more than he hates his enemies? Gah, it hit me all up in my feels and I just adored it to pieces. My book club and I enjoyed it so much that our book discussion book for next month, is the next book in the series. I can’t wait to jump back into that world.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Shadow and Ice by Gena Showalter. I’ve never read anything by Showalter and I don’t think that this was the best book for me to begin my reading adventure through her books. I just wasn’t invested in what was going on and it took me a long time to connect with the hero because he was so cold and deadly and the heroine drove me batty with how crazy she was.

Giveaway Alert

So…what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite? Use the Gleam Widget to enter! Good luck!

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Tagged: Casee's Reads, Holly's Reads, Monthly Reads, Rowena's Reads

Summer Reading Challenge Recap

Posted September 19, 2018 by Holly in Discussions | 9 Comments

Casee: I went about this challenge all wrong. Holly explains it perfectly below. Considering the fact that I loved (almost) every book I read in this challenge, I (almost) feel awful for the books that I chose for Holly. I overcame my aversion to first person in the last couple of months and I am so proud of myself, I could pat my own back. I actually have time or two. I was incredibly happy with all the books, but one on my list. Here are the links to my reviews.

The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen
Sustained by Emma Chase
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

All but two of these books were in first person. Go me! So my least favorite read was The Year We Hid Away. It was too melodramatic for me. I just didn’t see in it what Holly and Rowena saw. I wish I did because I know that they adored that book. My favorite book is a tie between The Deal by Elle Kennedy and Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews. They were both such amazing books. I don’t usually do comedy in my books, but omg, The Deal was so funny and I loved every word. In Burn for Me, you have such a strong heroine, it’s impossible not to love the book. Overall, this challenge was a huge success on my part because I was introduced to two new authors and a series by Elle Kennedy that I would never have tried because it was first person.

Holly: Our Summer Reading Challenge has come to an end. It seems there was some confusion about how exactly the challenge books should be chosen. While Rowena and I chose books we thought our blogging partners would love, Casee chose books she thought we wouldn’t have read otherwise, whether she thought we’d love them or not. While I didn’t end up loving the books she chose for me, I can’t deny she pushed me to read outside my comfort zone. Below are links to my reviews.

Raphael by D.B. Reynolds
The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne
Satisfaction by Lexi Blake

My favorite read of the challenge was The Kiss Quotient. It was such a sweet, fun, often angsty read. I just fell right into it. My least favorite was probably Satisfaction by Lexi Blake, though I’d give a dishonorable mention to Raphael. The heroines in both books were awful. I couldn’t finish The Bourbon Kings, but I really did enjoy the writing, which isn’t something I ever thought I’d say about JRW.

Rowena: I’ll be honest and let everyone know that I’m surprised that I actually finished this challenge. I was not at all interested in reading several of the books on my list but I’m happy to report that both Casee and Holly chose well for me because I enjoyed every single book that I was assigned to read. Whether they chose books they thought I’d love or books I never would have read if not for this challenge, I’m happy with all the books on my list.

Untamed by Pamela Clare
Beyond the Night by Colleen Gleason (Joss Ware)
Coming Undone by Lauren Dane
In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks
Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard

My favorite read of the challenge made me laugh because I dragged my feet the longest to read this book. I just wasn’t in the mood nor was I even interested in reading a book set in this time period and quite frankly, I forced myself to read this book and I ended up really liking it. That book was Untamed by Pamela Clare. It had a Last of the Mohican feel to it and that’s not something I thought I was interested in reading. Boy was I wrong.

My least favorite read of the challenge goes to Beyond the Night by Colleen Gleason/Joss Ware. I actually enjoyed the book but I enjoyed all of the other books on my list just a smidge more.

Did you participate in any summer reading challenges? How did you do? Have you read any of the books on our challenge? What are your thoughts on them?

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Tagged: Casee's Reads, Holly's Reads, Reader Discussion, Rowena's Reads, Summer Reading Challenge

Monthly Reads: January 2018

Posted February 2, 2018 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 15 Comments

Casee: I read two books in January and oh my gosh am I eager to share.

Year One by Nora Roberts | 3.5 out of 5
Judgement Road by Christine Feehan | 4 out of 5

I was really excited to read Year One by Nora Roberts, but I was also disappointed. My favorite book of the two was Judgement Road by Christine Feehan. I loved the characters and although it had a few things I didn’t care for, overall I really enjoyed it.

Holly: I had a pretty good reading month. I listened to quite a few audiobooks, which is new for me.

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet | 4 out of 5
Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet | 2.75 out of 5
Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet | 2 out of 5
Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant (audio) | 4 out of 5
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor | 3.25 out of 5
Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor | 3 out of 5
Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor | 3.25 out of 5
Happiness for Humans by P.Z. Reizin | 3 out of 5
Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath | 4.25 out of 5
Honor’s Splendour by Julie Garwood (audio) | 5 out of 5
The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen (reread) | 5 out of 5
The Gamble by Kristen Ashley (audio) | 3.25 out of 5
The Wedding by Julie Garwood (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
The Secret by Julie Garwood (audio) | 4.5 out of 5
The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan (reread) | 4.5 out of 5
Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood (audio) | 4 out of 5
Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen | 4.25 out of 5

My favorite read of the month was probably Pretty Girls Dancing by Kylie Brant. It wasn’t a romance, but I enjoyed the ebb and flow of the story. I also really enjoyed Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen, A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet and the Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor. My least favorite read was Heart on Fire by Amanda Bouchet. That book was a hot mess.

Rowena: January was a pretty strong start on the reading front for me so I’m pretty happy with myself right now. I read some pretty awesome books and some, not so awesome books but still, overall, January was good to me.

Here’s what I read.

Man Candy (Real Love #3) by Jessica Lemmon | 4 out of 5
Beyond Scandal & Desire (Sins for All Seasons #1) by Lorraine Heath | 4.25 out of 5
About that Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay #5) by Jill Shalvis | 4 out of 5
The Truth about Love & Dukes (Dear Lady Truelove #1) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 3.25 out of 5
Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross | 4.75 out of 5
West Coast Love (Journey to the Heart #3) by Tif Marcelo | 3.5 out of 5
Love Between Enemies (Grad Night #2) by Molly E. Lee | 2 out of 5
The Trouble with True Love (Dear Lady Truelove #2) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 4.25 out of 5
Man Hands (Man Hands #1) by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby | DNF
Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4) by Sarina Bowen | 4.75 out of 5
Shot on Gold (Play by Play #14) by Jaci Burton | 3 out of 5
In Skates Trouble (Chicago Rebels #0.5) by Kate Meader | 3 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen because holy cow, Nate and Becca’s story rocked my socks. I adored pretty much everything about it and cannot wait for more…we’re getting more, right? I love that series.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Love Between Enemies by Molly E. Lee. That book just wasn’t for me. The heroine got on my hot damn nerves at every turn, even in the end when all is well again, I still didn’t like her but what saved that book from being a complete bust was the hero. What a fantastic kid Gordon was. Love, love, loved him. Another book that I couldn’t get into was Man Hands by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby. I gave up at about a little more than a third through the book because I wasn’t connecting with anything, the characters, the humor so I quit it. That’s the very first book by Bowen that I’ve ever quit. That makes me sad.

Giveaway Alert

This month, we’re picking three winners and each of those winners will be allowed to choose one book from any of our reading lists. If you want to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite – and least favorite – reads of the month were.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So…what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite? Use the Rafflcopter Widget to enter! Good luck!

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Tagged: Casee's Reads, Holly's Reads, Monthly Reads, Rowena's Reads

Monthly Reads: December 2017

Posted January 8, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 12 Comments

Casee: December kicked my butt. The only words I read were out of a cookbook. The beginning of 2017 was a great reading time for me, so here’s hoping that 2018 is the same.

Holly: I logged 24 reads in December. I cheated a bit because a lot of those were short stories. I don’t care. I’m counting them anyway.

My favorite read of the month was Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs. I love Charles and Anna. My least favorite was Judgment Road by Christine Feehan. I’m still deciding if my feelings for the book were marred by my expectations for Feehan as an author.

Rowena: December was such a busy month for me. I had a family emergency that kept me up nights and full of nerves that my reading suffered because of it. Things are a lot better now but I only managed to read 6 books in the entire month. Here’s what I read.

Love, Life and the List by Kasie West | 4.5 out of 5
Taking a Chance (Whisper Creek #6) by Maggie McGinnis | 3.75 out of 5
North to You (Journey to the Heart #1) by Tif Marcelo | 4 out of 5
An English Bride in Scotland (Highlanders #1) by Lynsay Sands | 3.75 out of 5
The Matchmaker’s Playbook (Wingmen Inc #1) by Rachel van Dyken | 3.5 out of 5
Complicated by Kristen Ashley | 4 out of 5

My favorite read of the month is Love, Life and the List by Kasie West. It’s a contemporary young adult novel and I thought it was a cute and sweet romance.

My least favorite read of the month goes to The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel van Dyken. The hero in that book was shallow and he was conceited and not at all appealing (outside of his gorgeous face and body) and I didn’t feel there was any real growth to his character so that was disappointing. I’m curious to see how it’s portrayed by Passionflix once the movie comes out.

Giveaway Alert

This month, we’re giving away books to three lucky winners. The winners will have their pick of any one book on any of our reading lists. Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite – and least favorite – reads of the month were.

So…what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite? Use the Rafflcopter Widget to enter! Good luck!