Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

use this thread to discuss books - each member in group, please reserve a post for reporting status of books

Genres
Romantic Suspense
Cop/Mil/Firefighter
Steampunk
Medieval
Reunited/Second Chance

Members
Angel
AnniLuvs
Calila
KarenH
Lioness7
Lisa
Lynne
Melissa
Nadine
Nan* doesn't have enough time to read*
Ramneek
Sofia
Tayajay

from Nan:
This is a great idea for discussions and I am also going to keep my list of books and progress here.

5/5 Completed

✓ 1. Three Day Passes 8/9. 4 stars
✓ 2. The Elegant Corpse 8/3. 5 stars
✓ 3. Mongrel 8/16. 4 stars
✓ 4. The Next Generation 8/20 4 stars
✓ 5. Starfish and Coffee. 8/3. 5 stars

Final Rankings
1. Romance / Suspense
2. Reunited / Second Chance
3. Cop / Mil / Firefighter
4. Medieval
5. Steampunk

Dear Lord, 2 cats I would never ever choose to read. How difficult is it to find a MM medieval book. I've gone with a Roman one as the Empire finally died out in 476, so it just makes it in.
** Off to have a large JD and coke. **

Group A

Romantic Suspense Tempting the Bodyguard by J. Lynn finished 8/6

Cop/Mil/Firefighter Hard as You Can by Laura Kaye finished 8/22

Steampunk Noble Metals by L.A. Witt finished 8/9

Medieval In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks finished 8/24

Reunited/Second Chance Final Call by Emma Hart finished 8/1
Reed's Reckoning by Ahren Sanders finished 8/10

my rating of genres
1. Reunited/Second Chance
2. Romantic Suspense
3. Cop/Mil/Firefighter
4. Medieval
5. Steampunk

my ratings and reviews

Group A - DONE
Round 1

Genres
Romantic Suspense - Tequila Mockingbird
Cop/Mil/Firefighter - A Rookie Move - 8/04/14 - 4 stars
Steampunk - Firebug or The Inventor's Companion
Medieval - Brute - 8/05/14 - 3.5-4 stars
Reunited/Second Chance - Spark - 8/03/14 - 4 stars

Final Results

1. Cop/Military - A Rookie Move - 8/04/14 - 4 stars
2.Romantic Suspense - Tequila Mockingbird - 3.5 but like thisgenre better than second chance
3. reunited/Second chance - Spark - 8/01 14 - 4 stars
4. Medieval - Brute - 3.5- 4 stars
5. Steampunk - The Inventor's Companion -

Total: 5/5
Romantic Suspense: Mystery Man 4th Aug, ****
Cop/Mil/Firefighter: Rock Chick 20th Aug, **
Steampunk: Lady of Devices 25th Aug, *
Medieval: In Bed with a Highlander 19th Aug, **
Reunited/Second Chance: Silver Shadows 2nd Aug, ****

Final Ratings:
1. Romantic Suspense
2. Reunited/Second Chance
3. Cop/Mil/Firefighter
4. Medieval
5. Steampunk

Group A

1. Complete - Medieval - The Bride by Julie Garwood - 5 Stars
2. Complete - Romantic Suspense - But For You by Mary Calmes - 5 Stars
3. Complete - Cop/Mil/Firefighter - A Matter of Time Book 4 by Mary Calmes - 5 Stars
4. Complete - Reunited/Second Chance - A Matter of Time Book 3 by Mary Calmes - 5 Stars
5. Complete - Steampunk - Iron Dominance by Cari Silverwood - 3 Stars

Final Ranking
1. Medieval
2. Romantic Suspense
3. Cop/Mil/Firefighter
4. Reunited/Second Chance
5. Steampunk

Nadine - Love your picture of the rocks off of Capri!

AnniLuvs Tracking Post

Hey all- I am also in Grp D and will finish reading that list first!

☑ 1. Romantic Suspense--Running With the Devil235 orHot Secrets200p, 8/16. 4-4.5 stars.
☑ Cop/Mil/Firefighter---Perfect Alignment 266p, 3.5 Stars!
☑ Steampunk----------Gilded Lily304 p or Clockwork Angel500p, Iron Dominance 8/12. 3.5 stars.
☑ Medieval.----------Minstrel's Serenade257p -or-Fires of Winter404p, 3 Stars.
☑ 2. Reunited/Second Chances---You Make Me289p -or- Unforgiven304p or On the Rocks260p,8/16,3.5 Stars.
-----Final Ranking-----------------------------
1. Romantic Suspense
2. Reunited/Second Chances
3. Cop/Military/Firefighter
4. Steampunk
5. Medieval

Round Robin - Group A

✔Romantic Suspense - Breaking Danger 8/9/14 ★★★★
✔Cop/Mil/Firefighter - Hope Flames 8/8/14 ★★★★
✔Steampunk - Kiss of Steel 8/5/14 ★★★
✔Medieval - Untamed 8/12/14 ★★★★
✔Reunited/Second Chance - Line of Scrimmage 8/6/14 ★★★★

3/5 READ


Romantic Suspense:Memories and Marco--8/6 ★★★★
Cop/Mil/Firefighter:Embracing His Syn--8/5 ★★★
Steampunk:Stitch-DNF
Medieval:Dragon Slayer
Reunited/Second Chance:Savage Love--8/15★★★★

Rankings
1. Cop/Mil/Firefighter
2. Reunited second chance
3. Romantic suspense

If anyone knows of any M/M books that would fit the medieval category, please let me know.

Guarded by Kim Fielding -- LL story
Brute
The Lion and the Crow

ETA: I completely forgot about the page limit.

Okay so Hi everyone! *waves* So many familiar "faces"!

Just an FYI I asked about Vikings = Medieval, and was told as long as it set in the 5th-15th century it counts so....the more you know *shooting star*.

Romantic Suspense - Whiskey and Wry
Cop/Mil/Firefighter - Sinner's Gin
Steampunk - Mongrel
Medieval - Knightly Love
Reunited/Second Chance - The Art of Breathing

(Three SH books worked out!!! Woohoo)

Just a friendly reminder, don't forget about the page count requirement. 150+ pages or 45K+ words.

Romantic Suspense Insanity 2 stars
Cop/Mil/Firefighter Just Remember to Breathe 3 stars
Steampunk - Mongrel Masque of the Red Death 1 star
Medieval Never Seduce a Scot5 stars
Reunited/Second Chance The Reluctant Wife 4 stars

My rankings
1. Reunited/Second Chance
2. Medieval
3. Cop/Mil/Firefighter
4. Romantic Suspense
5. Steampunk

World Cup of Romance (19)
GROUP A
Round 1 – August 1 thru 31st, 2014
2 of 5 Completed!

Book Choices:

√ Romantic Suspense: The Gamble by Kristen Ashley – 8/6
Rating: ★★★★ how I liked the story -- ★★ for World Cup Rating

√ Cop/Mil/Firefighter: Officer Off Limits by Tess Bailey – 8/3
Rating: ★★★★ how I liked the story -- ★★★ for World Cup Rating

√ Steampunk: Timeless by Gail Carringer – 8/9
Rating: ★★★★★ how I liked the story -- ★★★ for World Cup Rating

√ Medieval: Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks – 8/15
Rating: ★★★★ how I lived the story -- ★★★★ for World Cup Rating

√ Reunited/Second Chance: The Return of Brody McBride by Jennifer Ryan – 8/20
Rating: ★★★★ how I lived the story -- ★★★★ for World Cup Rating

Rankings:

1. Reunited/Second Chance -- The Return of Brody McBride by Jennifer Ryan – 8/20
2. Medieval -- Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks – 8/15
3. Steampunk -- Timeless by Gail Carringer – 8/9
4. Cop/Mil/Firefighter -- Officer Off Limits by Tess Bailey – 8/3
5. Romantic Suspense: The Gamble by Kristen Ashley – 8/6



It was harder to rank them than I thought it would be. I actually really liked all of the books, giving them a 4 or 5 ★, but Dee posted that we were to rank them by how well they fit their genre and that was tougher to do. So here they are. I completely missed on my predictions.

Predictions:
Group A – 1 – Cop/Mil/Firefighter
Group A – 2 – Steampunk

I finally found an M/M Medieval that isn't "fantasy" and meets the page requirement!!!!! *happy dance*

Do tell Calila.

Lisa - President of Challengeaholics Anon and Challenge Enabler wrote: "Do tell Calila."

Knightly Love

Here's some more options I came across as I was searching...

Lancelot And The Wolf
Greenwode
White Rose of Night
Dragon Slayer

Hi everyone! Here are my picks:)
Romantic Suspense Chill Factorby Sandra Brown
Cop/Mil/Firefighter Naked in Deathby J.D. Robb
Steampunk Tarnished by Karina Cooper
Medieval Highland Heartsby Hannah Howell
Reunited/Second Chance The Welcome Home Garden Clubby Lori Wilde


My rankings
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Nan* doesn't have enough time to read* wrote: "Nadine - Love your picture of the rocks off of Capri!"

Thanks Nan, it's actually Cabo San Lucas Mexico. I'll be there in a few weeks and I can't wait its beautiful there. :)

Well it looks beautiful and it is amazing how much it looks like Capri :)

Nan* doesn't have enough time to read* wrote: "Well it looks beautiful and it is amazing how much it looks like Capri :)"

I need to get to Capri, Italy. I have heard many wonderful things about it. My next trip is actually to Venice and Bari Italy.

Medieval actually covers a wide period in time. also known as The Middle Ages, 5th to 15th centuries, sometimes a book won't state what the time period it was but you can usually figure it out. Knights, King William, Vikings, etc. That being said, its hard to find good books set in this time period! I think I'll start my "A" list with this category since it will probably be my most difficult to pick.

I lucked out with Medieval - I've been wanting to read Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell for years, and this finally gave me that last push. Steampunk is the category I had issues with. I didn't want YA, so that limited things a lot. I finally picked one (Kiss of Steel). I'm about 2/3 through it, and not seeing the appeal....

I think I should have started with Steampunk. There are a ton of good medieval romances out there. Just added a bunch to my TBR list.

Im starting with my other challenge books. Leaving the 2 I dont really want to read to last.

Karen - Meljean Brooks has a pretty good Steampunk series, as does Gail Carriger (both adult and YA); I also like Kate Cross

Thanks, Dee - I've read Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series and liked it, but really didn't want to go YA so passed on her newer series. I looked at some of the others you mentioned too, but I was able to pick up the Bec McMaster book in audio for almost nothing (checked the ebook out from the library and got the whispersync price at Audible) so went with that since I wanted something available in audio. I'm done with it now, and it was just barely ok, the narrator wasn't very good, and in addition to that I just never connected with the characters or plot.

Oh well, I was pretty sure going in that Steampunk would be at the bottom of my list, not because I have anything against it, but more because most of the other categories are among my favorites!

I've read 3 of the 5 and working on the 4th, I only saved Steampunk for last, because it took awhile to get a loan from someone.

Okay so here's my final standings after completing reading of all categories.

1st - Reunited/Second Chance - The Art of Breathing - 08/05-07/14 ★★★★★
2nd - Cop/Mil/Firefighter - Sinner's Gin - 08/01/14 ★★★★
3rd - Romantic Suspense - Whiskey and Wry - 08/02/14 ★★★★
4th - Steampunk - Mongrel - 08/08-09/14 ★★★★
5th - Medieval - Knightly Love - 08/04-05/14 ★★★

I've finished my books, and here are my final rankings:

1. Romantic Suspense - Breaking Danger 8/9/14 ★★★★
2. Cop/Mil/Firefighter - Hope Flames 8/8/14 ★★★★
3. Reunited/Second Chance - Line of Scrimmage 8/6/14 ★★★★
4. Medieval - Untamed 8/12/14 ★★★★
5. Steampunk - Kiss of Steel 8/5/14 ★★★

My list in final ranked order:


1. Romantic suspense - Sinner's Gin 8/22 ★★★★
2. Steampunk - Noble Metals - 8/26 ★★★★
3. Cop/Mil/Firefighter - No Flag - 8/21 ★★★
4. Medieval - Wolf's Castle - 8/26 ★★★
5. Reunited/Second Chance - Pulse - 8/24 ★★★

Brooklyn wrote: "Hello Folks. I finished my Group H books, So I'm jumping in here. I'll do my best to finish as many as I can before the end of the month.

My list:

1. Romantic suspense - [book:Dirty Secret|158533..."

2 groups? Wow, I haven't even finished my first one!
Good luck :)

Done and dusted.

1) Romantic Suspense - Naked in Death 3,5 Stars
2) Reunited/Second Chance - Wait for Me 3 Stars
3) Steampunk - The Iron Duke 3 Stars
4) Cop/Mil/Firefighter - Something About You 2 Stars
5) Medieval - Never Seduce a Scot 1,5 Stars

I've got three of five of mine finished. I'm going on vacation, so I probably won't finish the last two until next week as I'll be busy driving and running.

Ramneek wrote: "2 groups? Wow, I haven't even finished my first one!
Good luck :) "

Thanks. I'm not sure how many I'll get done, but I figured why not give it a try anyway and just do my best. At least two of them are on the short side in pages. One is exactly 150 pages according to its GR page. lol!

Darn that page limit. I found a free steampunk on amazon but it's 146 pages.

Brooklyn wrote: "Darn that page limit. I found a free steampunk on amazon but it's 146 pages."

Oh no! That's so unlucky. I'm trying to find a short steampunk novel too!

check the word count - it could be in the allowable range (45+ k words)

when it comes to ranking your final books - consider 2 things - 1) your enjoyment of the book and 2) how well the theme was presented/reflected through-out - so you could have a book that you enjoyed more, be lower ranked than one with the theme being a stronger role - if you have any questions, let me know

Not sure if a word count is provided but I'll definitely check on that.

Bummer! 37k words. Doesn't work either way.

oh well - worth a try

Question...would Sinner's Gin be considered Romantic Suspense?

brooklyn - i'd say yes from the description