The Bad Boys of Romance 2017 Reading Challenge Goal Post

Bad boys…I do so love them. So when I discovered that the ladies over @ Delighted Reader are hosting The Bad Boys of Romance Reading Challenge, I had to join in.

Here’s the breakdown:

Ø The minimum goal is 5 books.

Ø The books have to feature a bad boy hero:

Ø Rock stars, MC members, streetfighters, assassins, mafia, loners, geeks, etc.

Ø Only romance series are accepted. Any sub-genre of romance accepted.

Ø Sign-ups are open Now— November 30, 2017.

Levels:

Ø Level One – 5-9 books – Capturing the Bad Boy

Ø Level Two – 10-15 books – Engaged to the Bad Boy

Ø Level Three – 15 books or more – Taking the Bad Boy to the Alter

My Goal: Level Two 10-15 books Engaged to the Bad Boy. I’m going to aim for ten books.

 

 

1- Hooked by Christina Phillips (Review)

2- Dare to Run by Jen McLaughlin (Review)

3- Dare to Stay by Jen McLaughlin (Review)

4- Dare to Lie by Jen McLaughlin (Review)

5- One Taste of Angel by Violetta Rand (Review)

6-

7-

8-

9-

10-

   

2017 Blogger Shame Challenge Goal Post

Blogger Shame…Yep, I still have it. It’s the curse of bloggers everywhere. lol Thankfully, Anna @ herding cats & burning soup is, once again, hosting her Blogger Shame Challenge. Any review book (any format, any length) over 4 months past due counts.

 

Have it too and what to join? Sign up HERE

Goal: I’m aiming for 12—one book per month. I feel as though my blog schedule can handle one overdue review book a month. If I manage more, yay! If not, I’m okay with carving 12 books of my TBR mountain.

 

 

1. Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason (Review)

2. Grant by Jennifer Ashley (Review)

3. The Cowboy and the Kid by Anne McAllister (Review)

4. The Spring at Moss Hill by Carla Neggers (Review)

5. Size Matters by Alison Bliss (Review)

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

   

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts

Ryder is the hardest Montgomery brother to figure out - with a tough-as-nails outside and possibly nothing too soft underneath. He’s surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a tool belt, no woman can resist his sexy swagger. Except, apparently, Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own Inn BoonsBoro....

 

As the former manager of a D.C. hotel, Hope is used to excitement and glamour, but that doesn’t mean she can’t appreciate the joys of small-town living. She’s where she wants to be - except for in her love life. Her only interaction with the opposite sex has been sparring with the infuriating Ryder, who always seems to get under her skin. Still, no one can deny the electricity that crackles between them…a spark that ignited with a New Year’s Eve kiss.

 

While the inn is running smoothly, thanks to Hope’s experience and unerring instincts, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome - and embarrassing - appearance. Seeing Hope vulnerable stirs up Ryder’s emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him…

 

Series:  Inn BoonsBoro #3| Publisher: Brilliance Audio | Narrator: MacLeod Andrews | Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins | Genre: | Source: Publisher | Ratings 4.5 Cups

Challenges Read For: Reading Through Nora Roberts

I’m a bit sad to bid Inns BoonsBoro adieu but this trilogy definitely ended on high note.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Hope has finally settled into the swing of small-town living and managing the inn when her ex-boyfriend shows. Deciding to put her ex in his place, Hope enlists Ryder to pretend he’s her boyfriend. Now realizing that there’s more than just a spark between them, Ryder is ready to claim Hope as his own.

 

So, Ryder is definitely my favorite of the Montgomery boys. He’s surly, broody, and ready to start a fight but he’s dependable, loyal, and there when someone needs him. He’s not this perfect hero, he’s realistically flawed and still has somethings to figure out but he was my kind of hero.  

 

I liked Hope as well. She has problems trusting because of her ex-boyfriend but little by little she lowered her guard around Ryder. I also like how easy she adapted to small-town living. She’s also not afraid to let her feelings be known.

 

The romance was so fun in this one. There’s so much chemistry between Ryder and Hope, I’m surprised my Kindle didn’t burst into flames. They also had this tension between them and I was never really sure if they were going to kill each other or tear their clothes off.

 

While I loved the interaction between Ryder, Hope, and the secondary characters, Lizzie, the ghost stole the show. Her story was finally revealed and I loved how she and the man she loved ended up being connected to Ryder and Hope.

 

Once again, MacLeod Andrews brought the book to life. I really enjoyed the way he portrayed Ryder—it was so different from the other two. The same problems I had—the women and children sounding whiney—were still there.

 

Overall, this one was brilliant. I wanted to devour it but I also sort of wanted to stretch it out since it was the last book in the trilogy and I wasn’t ready for it to end.

  Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy

1-The Next Always

2-The Last Boyfriend

3-The Perfect Hope 

Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high-security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree, she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.

Using her trusting friend, Bale, as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid - her true home - with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything...including Snow's return to the world she once knew.

This breathtaking first volume begins the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a queen, and ultimately a hero.

Series: Stealing Snow  #1| Publisher: Audible Studios | Narrator: Bailey Carr  | Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins | Genre: Fantasy | Source: Publisher | Ratings: DNF

So, Stealing Snow, *shudders*. This became my first DNF of 2017. I tried, I really tried to finish this one but it just wasn’t going to happen.

 

I knew, going in, that this was a YA fantasy book, but I had heard so many reviewers raving about how it was more adult than YA, I have to say, it’s nowhere near adult. Snow is a whiney, woe-is-me teenager from the start and it only gets worse as the book progresses. I couldn’t find one thing that I liked about her and her obsession with Bale, the boy she supposedly fell in love with at the mental institution, became annoying. And, like a teen, Snow fell for every guy she came in contact with and soon threw herself into a love triangle.  *cue eye roll*

 

The world building sort of left me scratching my head. In the beginning, when Snow arrived in Algid, it was great and I really got an amazing picture of this fantasy world with its snow beast, river witches, and fantastical creatures then a new chapter started and the world building evaporated and never really returned.

 

It felt like this book went on forever but the plot went nowhere. I kept waiting for something to happen but nothing really did. It was the same thing over and over again just in a different location. Nothing evolved and I just couldn’t take Snow whining one more minute.

Okay, so the narrator was like nails down a chalkboard. Her narration of Snow was breathy and urgent while her narration of others was shrill.

 

Overall, I just couldn’t force myself to finish this one.

Something to Stitch About…Stitching Goals for 2017

I have so many embroidery and cross-stitch projects that I’ve bought then just stashed in my sewing boxes and bags that it’s starting to get ridiculous. So, I decided that one of my goals for 2017 would be to tackle some of my stitching projects and so Something to Stitch About was born.

 

I’m going to be realistic with my goal and aim for 5 finished stitching projects by the end of the year. If I manage more, that will be great but 5 seems reasonable.

Projects I want to finish

 

o   Wolf Mum and her pups--Finished on January 20th

o   Life is Sweet Apron--Finished on January 27th

o   Frosty Memories Lap Quilt

o   Beauty and the Beast Pillowcases

o   Magpie cross-stitch

 

My Projects and Progress

 

Here’s what I’m currently working on….A wolf mum and her pups. I’ve been working on this one for nearly 2 years…

 

 

I finished the Wolf Mum and her Pups on January 20th. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Now, I need to decide if I want to make it into a pillow or a wall hanging.

Do you embroider or cross-stitch?

Do you have projects you need to catch up on?  

 

Audiobook Review: The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts

Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family’s construction business with an iron fist - and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers give him grief for his compulsive list making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn’t plan for was Avery MacTavish....  

Avery’s popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a first-hand look at its amazing renovation - and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery’s thoughts. But the attraction she’s feeling for him now is far from innocent.  

As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of BoonsBoro a reason to celebrate. But Owen’s hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected - and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last…. 

Series: Inn BoonsBoro #2 | Publisher: Brilliance Audio | Narrator: MacLeod Andrews  | Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Ratings: 4 Cups

Challenges Read For: Reading Through Nora Roberts

So this is the second book in the Inn BoonsBoro trilogy and I was thrilled to be back in the world of the Montgomery brothers. While I enjoyed Avery and Owen, this book felt a little lackluster to me.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Owen and Avery have been friends since childhood, now they’ve finally stopped fighting their attraction and decided to see where things will lead. Although, due to things that happened in her past, Avery is hesitant to fully allow her feelings for Owen to surface and Owen will stop at nothing to convince her they’re meant to be together.

 

Owen and Avery was such a fun couple. He lives by schedules and lists and she’s more of a spur of the moment type so they had that opposites attract thing going on and I loved watching that play out.

 

I really liked Owen. He’s was a solid, dependable guy who loves his family and will do anything he can for them. Plus, I’m a total sucker for organized guys. I struggled with Avery. I completely understood where she was coming from but the way she handled things didn’t gel with me and I ended up not liking her at times. I also found her to act a bit immature and annoying, especially when she was with Hope

 

There was still quite a bit of information thrown in about the inn. While it wasn’t as annoying or distracting as it was in book one—I guess I knew what was coming with inn descriptions this time—I still felt that it could have been carved down so more time could have been given to the characters.

 

Okay, so this is probably going to sound a little silly, but my favorite thing about this book was Lizzie, the ghost. More of her story was revealed and I found her to be interesting.

 

This was my second time listening to MacLeod Andrews narrate. While I knew what to expect with his narration style, I still found that his female and child narrations came off as whiney. I do enjoy his male narrations although I would have liked to have seen more of a distinction between Owen and Beckett. Out of his narrations for all three Montgomery brothers, Ryder is the only one that had a different narration style.

 

 

Overall, this one wasn’t a bad book, I thoroughly enjoyed Owen and Avery, but it was lackluster and left me wanting more.

   Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy

1-The Next Always

2-The Last Boyfriend

3-The Perfect Hope

Sign Up: 2017 Outlander Series Reading Challenge

 

Are you addicted to the television series but haven’t read the books? Or have you had the books sitting on your shelf but haven’t picked them up yet? Maybe you want a chance to re-read the series. Well, here’s your chance! Dust off those copies and join the 2017 Outlander Series Reading Challenge.

 

Here’s what you need to know. 

Timeframe: January 9^th, 2017—December 31^st, 2017

 

Goal—To read through the Outlander Series and the shorts.

 

What Counts

Ø Books must be read in 2017

Ø Re-reads count

Ø All formats (print, digital, or audio) count

 

Who can join? Anyone.

Ø Bloggers, set up a challenge post and link it below.

Ø Not a blogger? It’s okay, just set up an Outlander Series Reading Challenge shelf on GoodReads.

Ø Make sure you join the Facebook group, because fun mini-challenges and giveaways will be posted there. You’ll also have the chance to meet and interact with other Outlander fans who are participating in the challenge.  

 

Check In Posts: Will be the last Friday of each month with the exception of November.

January 27 | February 24 | March 31 | April 28 | May 26 | June 30 | July 28 | August 25 | September 29 | October 27 | November  30 (Thursday)| December  29 (Final Check In Post)

Check In Giveaways will be random, so please check the blog every month.

Bloggers, grab the button to let others know you’re joining in

 

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Nonbloggers, please leave a comment letting me know you’re joining in.

Add your link
 

My Favorite Books of 2016

 

I have to say, I’m not too upset about bidding 2016 adieu. It was one of those years I gladly pushed out the door. Although, even with the lows of the year, there were still some pretty neat thing about 2016. Like getting out an exploring my area—I didn’t check out as many places as I would have liked, but it was a start—and wearing a corset—seriously I applaud the women through history who wore these things and survived! 

 

 

2016 was a weird reading year. I had a lot of DNF’s this year and some were from authors whose work I normally love. I also expanded my genres adding in some thrillers, contemporary literature, and getting back into non-fiction, gothic romance, and cozy mysteries.  Out of all the books I read and reviewed, only one earned a 5-Cup rating.

 

Here are my favorites from 2016

 

Non-fiction

Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart 5 Cups Audiobook

Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson

 

Thriller

Edge by Tiffinie Helmer 

 

Cozy Mystery

Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman

Death and the Redheaded Woman by Loretta Ross

All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris

Teetotaled by Maia Chance

A Scone to Die for by H.Y. Hanna

 

Contemporary Literature

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

Finding Fraser by KC Dyer

 

Contemporary Romance

Happy Ever After in Christmas by Debbie Mason

Waking up with A Billionaire by Katie Lane

Run to You by Rachel Lacey

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

I Only Have Eyes For You by Bella Andre

A Christmas Bride by Hope Ramsay

A Texas Cowboy's Christmas by Cathy Gillen Thacker

 

Gothic Romance

House of Glass by Jen Christie

 

Paranormal Romance

Where the Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper

White Tiger by Jennifer Ashley

 

What books topped your 2016 list?