2-3-4 Challenge discussion

1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month?
2. Did you start any new series? If so, what were they? Will you continue?
3. Did you move forward in any series (that you didn’t complete or finish)? How many?
4. Any standout or 5 star books read? Why did you love it/them?
5. Overall summary of your reading month?

1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month?
No

2. Did you start any new series? If so, what were they? Will you continue?
I started 2 new series:
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I will be continuing both.

3. Did you move forward in any series (that you didn’t complete or finish)? How many?
I moved forward in 2 series;
Lucy Kincaid by Allison Brennan (#13)
Midnight, Texas by Charlaine Harris (#2 of the trilogy)

4. Any standout or 5 star books read? Why did you love it/them?
The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner was amazing. The mystery and suspense had me hooked. I look forward to reading more by Lisa Gardner.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas was as I expected from this author. I fell in love with her Throne of Glass series and this one is just as good. A bit slow at first, but the characters are great.

5. Overall summary of your reading month?
So far, so good. I'm trying to get ahead on my goals for the year because I have family coming out in July and will not be reading much.

Congrats Melissa on a good month! That’s a great idea to try and get ahead early.

1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month?
None

2. Did you start any new series? If so, what were they? Will you continue?
I'm trying to catch up on many series that I've started years ago; but I keep starting new series (5 in one month) and will be continuing all of them:
Tracy Crosswhite ​- Robert Dugoni (loved it)
Troubleshooters - Suzanne Brockmann (loved it)
Concannon Sisters - Nora Roberts (great series)
Night Sky - Suzanne & Melanie Brockmann (fun series)
Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris (loved it)

3. Did you move forward in any series (that you didn’t complete or finish)? How many?
I moved forward in four series:
Gilded Newport Mysteries - Alyssa Maxwell (#7)
Smythe-Smith Quartet - Julia Quinn (#2)
D.D. Warren - Lisa Gardner (#5)
Lucy Kincaid - Allison Brennan (#13)

4. Any standout or 5 star books read? Why did you love it/them?
My only 5-Star read was The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann.

5. Overall summary of your reading month?
I finished 14 books in January which was great for me. I did not rate anything below 3.5 Stars, so I consider it a very good month.

Melissa wrote: "1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month?."

Sounds like you had a great month, Melissa!
I loved the first two ACOTAR books. I am actually waiting for the series to end before continuing as I hate waiting so long between installments.

Robin wrote: "1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month?."

Congrats on having such a great month, Robin!
It was fun re-reading Born in Fire. It had been so long since I first read it and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month? Yes, I finished 2 and caught up with a third.


2. Did you start any new series? If so, what were they? Will you continue?
Yes, 3. - I will continue all
(this last one was a re-read before continuing the series).

3. Did you move forward in any series? How many?
Yes, 6
(Also finished this series)

4. Any standout or 5 star books read? Why did you love it/them?
Yes - . I adored this one just as much as the first time.
I also had two 4.5 star reads - . They were both very satisfying conclusions to ongoing series.

5. Overall summary of your reading month? I read 15 books, which is great because I also got Omicron and was not really able to focus too much on reading. I binge watched Manifest instead :)

1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month?
Caught up with 1 series by reading the latest in the Sunshine Vicram series by Darynda Jones but technically I'm caught up in 2 as I read the 1 book in the new JR Ward series Lair of the Wolven but not sure if it really counts LOL

2. Did you start any new series? If so, what were they? Will you continue?
Yes. I read one book in so many new to me series...
The Wolven Secret by Saranna DeWylde (view spoiler)[only a 3 star read but if I'm doing a reading challenge where I need a book to fit a specific prompt I'll read book 2 overused tropes like fated mate/insta-love but the world building was pretty good (hide spoiler)]
Love series by Abigail Strom (view spoiler)[This contemporary romance was a great surprise. I loved the heroine (nerd-girls rule) and the various nerdy references. 4 stars. I'll definitely read more. (hide spoiler)]
Suddenly Smitten series by Tracy March (view spoiler)[Didn't like this book. I hated the characters. Fade to black sex. Full of baseball talk that bored me. 2 Stars and I will not read anymore in the series. (hide spoiler)]
The Spider's Mate series by Tiffany Roberts (view spoiler)[Another surprise read. A book with sex with a spider looking alien won't be for everyone but the world building was really interesting. 4 stars and I'll definitely read book 2 (hide spoiler)]
A Lion's Pride series by Eve Langlais (view spoiler)[I enjoy Eve Langlais' books a lot even though many of them are right around 3 star reads, this one included. With When an Alpha Purrs there were typical tropes including the fated mate trope and insta-love but I still liked it. (hide spoiler)]
Cambric Creek series by CM Nascosta (view spoiler)[Morning Glory Milking Farm I had no idea this book was all over TikTok when I picked it up. Underneath all the Minotaur sex there was a really sweet romance. I'm really looking forward to the next book. 4 Stars (hide spoiler)]
Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes series by Susan Stoker (view spoiler)[This is my first book by this author and it's book 8 in the series...yes I read them out of order LOL...I thought overall this book was slightly less than an average read. 2.5 stars The characters were unreasonably perfect except the author made the heroine have a stutter (because no one is perfect of course) and then proceeded to have an epic ton of dialogue where the h could stutter to remind us she had a stutter. Don't even get me started with the H being Native American with a nickname Chief. He was a firefighter but to my knowledge it wasn't as if he was the Fire Chief or anything...at least I didn't think so. I will read more even with a lowered rating for this book because I think my issue was the characters and those will change from book to book. (hide spoiler)]
Cape Charade series by Christina Dodd (view spoiler)[I thought this was a good introduction to the series but not out of the park fantastic. No romance whatsoever but an interesting story nonetheless. I wasn't sure why the heroine was the perfect person for the job she was hired for though. I'm definitely moving on with the series. 3.5 stars (hide spoiler)]
Soldier Bear series by Terry Bolryder (view spoiler)[an average read with the same tropes in the DeWylde and Langlais books (fated mate with a dose of insta-love) but I did like the hero was a werebear. It was just different enough to want me to read Ares' and Hades' books...did I mention this book's hero's name was Zeus? They are ex-military hotties too...so hells yeah I'll read the next. (hide spoiler)]

3. Did you move forward in any series (that you didn’t complete or finish)? How many?
Yes 3. I read 2 books in the Lynsay Sands' Argeneau series, 3 books in Dianne Duvall's Immortal Guardian series, and 1 book in Jill Shalvis' Heartbreaker Bay series

4. Any standout or 5 star books read? Why did you love it/them?
Nope not even a 4.5 this last month

5. Overall summary of your reading month?
I read 16 books in January. I purchased 0 books. Utilized my library for a couple, KU for 1/3 of them and the rest were books I already owned. I'm happy with making that dent.

*** *** *** ***
(this was a kindle freebie at one time) *** ***
***on Kindle Unlimited

1. Did you complete and/or get up to date in any series this month?
I read Queen of Storms so I’m up to date until July :).

2. Did you start any new series? If so, what were they? Will you continue?
I read De betovering van Kerst which is part of a series but they seem only connected in subject so I don’t count it as a series.

3. Did you move forward in any series (that you didn’t complete or finish)? How many?
I listened to Wintereiland, but the library doesn’t have the next audiobook. Hopefully they will get it soon.

4. Any standout or 5 star books read? Why did you love it/them?
My favorite was Queen of Storms, this is my favorite fantasy author. I’m looking forward to the next book.

5. Overall summary of your reading month?
It was a good month I listened to 4 audiobooks and read a paper book the first in a long time. Hoping to keep that up (but not doing very well the last few weeks).

Christina T wrote: "I read 16 books in January. I purchased 0 books. Utilized my library for a couple, KU for 1/3 of them and the rest were books I already owned. I'm happy with making that dent..."

Well done on reading so many owned books.

I enjoyed the first Cape Charade book too although the two that followed were only so-so.

Lieke wrote: "It was a good month I listened to 4 audiobooks and read a paper book the first in a long time. Hoping to keep that up (but not doing very well the last few weeks)."

Good job, Lieke!
I've also had a slow down in my reading recently. Hoping it will pick back up.