Tag: Wena Says

Retro Post: Books I Have No Desire To Read

Posted October 18, 2017 by Rowena in Discussions | 12 Comments

*****As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, we’ll be re-posting old reviews and posts that make us cringe, laugh or sigh all over again.

This post was originally published December 5, 2013.

booksI saw the post over at The Book Vixen where they listed the books that they had no desire to read and realized that I have a whole lot of books that I don’t care to read either.  Popular books that a lot of people seem to love that I just have no desire to read.

Here’s my list:

  1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Holly is probably going to kill me for daring to list this book but it’s true. I have no desire to read this book. I can’t even be arsed to be ashamed…I just don’t wanna.
  2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I know a lot of people from work that read and loved this book. But me? Meh. Not going to touch it.
  3. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. I know that this book features the children of Noah and Allie from The Notebook, but meh…I can’t drum up any kind of excitement to want to read it…so I know I never will.
  4. All of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. My friend Izzy tried to get me to read these books a long time ago and just as then, I still have no desire to read them. Don’t tell Izzy but even when I told her I was going to read them, I knew I wasn’t going to…they were just meh to me. I only watched the first movie too. Oh well.
  5. Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Back when I was really into this series, I wanted Styxx’s story but now that it’s out? Not interested. Not even a little interested either.
  6. Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James. Never wanted to read it and I don’t care how many people loved it, I’m never going to read these.

What are you some books that you have no desire to read?


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Retro Post: Does Size Really Matter?

Posted February 15, 2017 by Holly in Discussions | 15 Comments

This week I’m bringing it back around to the good stuff…because this is still a relevant question today.

This was originally posted May 4, 2007.
A few years ago I read a book by Susan Andersen called Hot & Bothered. The hero of H&B is none other than John “the Rocket” Miglionni. He’s a former Marine turned P.I. and his claim to fame is the size of his Johnson. No, I mean it. You see, The Rocket had a pretty hard childhood, and he kind of figured he wasn’t as good as all the other guys out there. Until the first time he had to take a shower in the locker room, that is. Then, much to his surprise (and mine, if I’m being honest here) the other men started going on about how well hung he was. Now, it’s been awhile, so I can’t remember for sure if SA actually told us just how big The Rocket was, but I do know his nickname stemmed from his rather..ehem…large size (If you know what I mean and I think you do).

Now, SA certainly isn’t the first romance author to talk about her darling hero’s size, and I know she most certainly won’t be the last. And if we’re being honest here, ladies, we can admit (if only to ourselves and each other) that size does matter. Now, now, don’t look at me like that. We all know it’s true. Men, if your lady is telling you it’s not an issue, she’s lying.

Side Note: Regardless of the size, however (whether it be large or small), knowing what to do with it does make a difference. Right ladies? :End Side Note

But I think it’s important for women everywhere to qualify the statement “Size Matters!”. Why? Well, while it’s true that size is important to us, there has to be a cut off point there. Because, I have to tell you, there have been times when reading about a particularly large member and my only thought is, “Ouch! That’s gotta hurt.”

That’s right, I think it’s time we draw the line. Sure, size matters, but that statement goes both ways. Because I have to tell you, the thought of a full foot of manroot anywhere near my love well just makes me queasy. Come on, that shit would hurt! As Jaine Bright from LH’s Mr. Perfect once said, “Anything over 8 inches is strictly for show and tell.”

Rowena here and I’ve got to totally agree with Holly there, and I’ll tell you why just as soon as I can stop laughing from her mention of man roots and love wells.

LMAO LMAO LMAO!

I’ve been reading romance novels for a few years now and I’ve read my fair share of descriptions on just how well endowed most of the heroes are and lately, it’s been making me roll my eyes down the street at how absurd it’s getting. And not even just in books that I’m reading but also in reviews of books that other people are reading.

Like Karen S for example. She just read a book called Ben’s Wildflower by Carol Lynne and the hero, Ben has an overgrown cock. His overgrown manroot is giving him problems and he’s ashamed of it because it’s the total bane of his existence.

Are you frickin’ kidding me?

Yeah the eff right. If you’ve got a 10 inch boinker, you’re not ashamed of it, you’re not being a whiny baby about it, you’re screaming from the rooftops like you’re Dirk Diggler.

You’re screaming, “I am a star. I’m a star, I’m a star, I’m a big bright shiny star. Yeah, thats right!”

Really.

But does the size of a man’s johnson really factor into how well we like our heroes? Say Derek Craven had a little willy, would we all still love him as much as we do? I mean, that’s not what we’re all gushing about when we discuss his book, right? It’s not what we most remember about Derek, so is it really necessary to go on and on about the size of the hero’s ding-a-ling? I’m not saying that Lisa Kleypas did that or anything I’m just well, saying…yeah we know the hero is a big mothereffer down there, we expect it…but would it matter what size the hero is in order for him to be macho and lovable?

I don’t think so. We love them for who they are, not what they have in their pants…don’t we?


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Retro Post: So Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want

Posted January 26, 2017 by Rowena in Discussions | 24 Comments

This week, I’m posting an old post that Holly, Casee and I wrote back in 2009 together. I’m sad to say that we still don’t have answers for some of these. Still, it was a fun post to write and for me, still completely relevant today, Ha.

This post was originally posted on July 22, 2009

Rowena: A long time ago, I came across a review for All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann over at Jill D.’s blog, Romance Rookie, and I commented on her review about something that I really want Suz Brockmann to write about. That was where my thoughts about starting this post came from. So because of course I had to blog about my comment on Jill’s blog, I emailed my blogging buddies and we started laughing, throwing thoughts out there and then we got to work.

Yeah, we obviously stopped working on this post but because I want to post this up, I resurrected it and finished it off because it’s still something that I’m mighty curious about and would like to discuss with each of you readers out there.

So, we all have read many books and wondered what happened with certain characters, wished for other characters to get their happy endings and wanted the authors to write certain things to satisfy you. This post will be all about what we want, what we really, really want from our romance authors, books and whatever else we can think of.

I really wish that Suz Brockmann would write a book where Team 10 had to team up with Team 16 to save the world. I’d like to see Joe Cat and Blue kickin’ their feet up with Stan and Cosmo and the rest of Team 16, while Crash and Wildcard make a beer run and Christian, Harvard beat up Gillman and Lopez and Zanella trade football stats with Frisco and you know, I’d like to see something like that…bringin’ everyone together. That would be so frickin’ cool to have both teams working together to fight the bad guys and then afterward, shootin’ the breeze with each other.

I also want to know what the heck Judith McNaught’s hero Noah Maitland from Night Whispers does for a living.

I want to know if Faith ever wandered off Church grounds and if Quinlan ever caught her in Julie Garwood’s The Wedding?

It’d be cool to find out whatever happened to Thurston and little Ulric. Did Justin ever get to tell Thurston off for abandoning him on the battlefield? Whatever became of baby Ulric? Did Nicholaa ever get to see them again? This is all from Julie Garwood’s The Prize.

Holly’s Turn:

I think Julie Garwood left us with a lot of unanswered questions.

I also want to know:

Whatever happened to Maggie Shayne’s romantic suspense series? The last book came out in 2005 and I’ve heard nothing about it continuing. She really left us hanging though and I want her to finish it out.

Casee:

I am totally w/ Rowena about Julie Garwood. I want to know what happened to Faith. Did she get her happily ever after w/ Quinlain? I also wouldn’t mind finding out what happened with Crispin. To me, those are the two most memorable secondary characters Julie Garwood has written.

Way back in 2003, Katherine Sutcliffe wrote a romantic suspense titled Bad Moon Rising. J.D. and Holly were some hellsa tortured characters. The way the book was written, it seemed as if Sutcliffe was planning to continue there story. Then she dropped off the face of the earth.

Suzanne Brockmann–I want her to write Jazz’s story. I’ve read she intends to do it in the future, but I really wish she would bump it up.

Judith McNaught–I really want that time travel story. You know, the excerpt in the back of Remember When?

Those are just a few I can think of off the top of my head. I’m sure there are more, but we’ll leave it at that for now.

So what about you? If given the chance, what would you ask your favorite authors to write? What are you curious about in any of your favorite authors worlds? Anything at all, sound off!


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Reading #November9 (+ a Giveaway!) by Colleen Hoover

Posted November 9, 2015 by Holly in Reviews | 2 Comments

Reading #November9 (+ a Giveaway!) by Colleen HooverReviewer: Holly and Rowena
November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Publication Date: November 10th 2015
Genres: Fiction, New Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 320
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
five-stars

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.
Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Rowena and I agreed to read November 9 by Colleen Hoover so we could review it together. She started it in the morning. I started it in the afternoon of the same day. The Premise:

inigo montoya

Girl is having awkward and painful breakfast with her father when boy in the next booth over comes to her rescue and pretends to be her boyfriend. They spend the day together and agree to meet up every year for 5 years on November 9th. The story is only told during their November 9th meetups, so everything we learn about the characters we learn from their meetings one day a year.

We kept messaging each other as we read. Things like:

giphy

Me: OMG! This book is adorable!
Her: I KNOW! I’m loving this.

You guys, I’m serious. This book was freaking adorable. The banter. The wit! The romance! The humor!

giphy (1)

She was busy during the day and didn’t get much reading time in. I had the same problem. We were both frustrated because we just wanted to get back to the book.

Picard

Finally, around 8pm I had a chance to really sit down and dig into the story. It was freaking adorable!

giphy love

So there I was, cruising right along, loving this adorable story when BAM, I got to the Fourth November 9. I was like, WTF JUST HAPPENED RIGHT NOW!?!?

giphy Brave

I couldn’t read fast enough. I had to see what was going to happen. AND THEN IT GOT WORSE, YOU GUYS. IT FUCKING GOT WORSE.  MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!

I finished the book and texted Rowena:

2015-10-20 15.58.17

 

I was so overcome I took to Twitter:

Nov 9

Nov 2nd 9

I waited for Rowena to finish the damn book. Finally she messaged me around 11pm.

2015-10-21 10.20.03

Then I sat back and waited, because I knew what was coming. I knew.

2015-10-20 15.57.10

I know, Rowena. I know.


Finally I texted her around 12:30am to ask if she’d finished the book. She called me at quarter to 1.

 

Her: Holly! What was that?  I can’t even right now.
Me: I don’t even know. I…it..I just…
Her …
Me: …
Her: I fucking hated that book.
Me: Same.
giphy no

The next morning I sent her a message.

Me: I’m still thinking about the book.
Her: Me too.
Me: …
Her: …
Me: I fucking loved that book.
Her: Same.

giphy happy

 

Okay, so for all that, the truth is we loved this book. It was a wild roller coaster ride neither of us wanted to end. We laughed, we cried, we got so angry we wanted to smash something…

It was perfect.

 

Holly’s Grade: 5 out of 5
Rowena’s Grade: 5 out of 5

 

Giveaway: Win 1 of 5 prize bundles of one signed copy of NOVEMBER 9 and a pair of #November9 sunglasses! Contest is open until November 30th. Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter or click here*.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Please Note: This is not a Book Binge sponsored giveaway. Winners will be contacted direct via the publisher.

Gifs via GIPHY

five-stars


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What Are You Reading? (241)

Posted May 1, 2015 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

wpid-wayr-big.jpg

Rowena: It’s been a good reading week for me. I started Elle Kennedy’s Killer Instincts series by Elle Kennedy because it was recommended to me and I’m really enjoying it. I read Midnight Rescue and thought was a great start to a series that I could really get into then I read Midnight Alias and liked that one even more. I’m really liking Morgan and his team though Morgan remains a bit of a mystery to me. I loved Luke and Kane but for me, it was all about Trevor and Isabel’s story. They’re story started off with a bang (seriously!) and it never really stopped. I loved it. The Mistake by Elle Kennedy came out this week and I had to read that one so I did and it was another winner by Kennedy.

I absolutely adored John Logan and Grace Ivers. I thought their story was so freaking cute. I don’t think I loved it as much as I loved The Deal but it was still pretty freaking good.

I’m on an Elle Kennedy high right now because I haven’t moved on from her yet. Right now, I’m re-reading Midnight Games (Trevor and Isabel’s book) and then I’m going to move on to Midnight Pursuits (yay Ethan!). After that? Probably finish out the rest of the series.

Holly: I had grand plans to read while I was on vacation. I even loaded up my reader and set a special shelf for the books I wanted to read. Sadly, I didn’t get much reading done. Part of the problem is I get carsick, so I couldn’t read on the buses or small boats we took. That eliminated a lot of reading time. The other problem was, I was in Europe. There was so much to see and do I was too busy gawking to focus on reading.

I did read a couple books on the plane. Beastly by Alex Flynn. I downloaded it a few weeks ago when it was free. It wasn’t bad, but I did have to set aside disbelief to enjoy it. I also read Two of Hearts by Christina Lee. I liked the romance, but the heroine frustrated me and the plot didn’t really hold my interest. I DNF’d Carry Me Home by Lia Riley. The premise was good but I wanted to drop kick the wishy-washy heroine off a very tall building and watch her bounce. She drove me insane!

Since I got back I’ve read a couple books. The Mistake by Elle Kennedy was super cute. I loved Logan and Grace, but more I loved the humor. I laughed out loud several times. Ride Steady by Kristen Ashley, the latest Chaos MC book, was really good, too. I really liked both Carissa and Joker.

Right now I’m reading Earth Bound by Christine Feehan. I’m so exited for a new Sea Haven book.

What are you reading this week? Anything good? Bad?


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