Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

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

Genre
nerd/geek/genuis
dragons
BDSM
vampire
fae

Members
AnniLuvs
Daffodil
Grace
Hina
Janeka
Jennifer ♔Princess Penguin
Lauren
Marybeth
Netanella
Nikita
Shelley
Shirene
Sunshine

My Tentative List:
Complete: 5/5

✔ 1. nerd/geek/genuis: What Happens in London by Julia Quinn (August 5th), 3★'s
✔ 2. dragons: Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara (August 20th), 3★'s
✔ 3. BDSM: Letting Go by Maya Banks (August 1st), 1★'s
✔ 4. vampire: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost (August 6th), 3.5★'s
✔ 5. fae: Wild Cat by Jennifer Ashley (August 30th), 3★'s

Final ranking:

1. vampire: One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost
2. dragons: Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara
3. nerd/geek/genuis: What Happens in London
4. fae: Wild Cat by Jennifer Ashley
5. BDSM: Letting Go by Maya Banks

1. Nerd/geek/genius: Making Faces - finished 8/6
2. Dragons: Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace - finished 8/11
3. BDSM: Knight - finished 8/10
4. Vampire:Immortal Ever After - finished 8/12
5. Fae: Iced - finished 8/8


My final ranking:

1. BDSM: Knight by Kristen Ashley
2. Fae: Iced by Karen Marie Moning
3. Nerd/geek/genius: Making Faces by Amy Harmon
4. Vampire: Immortal Ever After by Lynsay Sands
5. Dragons: Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by MaryJanice Davidson

nerd/geek/genuis The Nerd Who Loved Me, Vicki Lewis Thompson, 8-30-14, 2 stars
dragons Nightwalker, Allyson James, 8-24-14, 5 stars
BDSM Knight, Kristen Ashley, 8-7-14 -- loved this, 5 stars
vampire Frostbound, Sharon Ashwood, 8-4-14 -- 4 stars
fae Bloodfire, Helen Harper, 8-20-14, 4 stars



Final Ranking
1. BDSM - Knight, Kristen Ashley
2. Dragons - Nightwalker, Allison Jaymes
3. Vampire - Frostbound, Sharon Ashwood
4. Fae - Bloodfire, Helen Harper
5. Nerd/Geek/Genius - The Nerd Who Loved Me, Vicki Lewis Thompson

1. nerd/geek/genius: Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox ★★
2. dragons: Fire & Ice by Alice Brown ★★★
3. BDSM: Dark Citadel by Cherise Sinclair ★★★1/2
4. Vampire: One Bite With A Stranger by Christine Warren ★★★
5. Fae: Eternity and a Day by Aline Hunter ★★★★

Final Rankings:
1. Fae
2. BDSM
3. Dragons
4. Nerd/Geek/Genius
5. Vampire

For Fae suggestion:
The Iron King

Not really a fan of BDSM but I'll look around for something.

AnniLuvs Tracking Post

✔ nerd/geek/genuis----At Any Price390p. 4.5 stars
✔ dragons --------- The Ice Dragon 4 Stars
✔ BDSM--------- Club Shadowlands155pg. 3.5 stars
✔ vampire------ Raphael 248p. 4 stars
✔ Fae.---------------- A Touch of Fae-214 p. 3.5 stars

----------My-RANKING-after-reading----------
1. Nerd/Geek/Genius
2. Vampire
3. Dragons
4. BDSM
5. Fae

For M/F - Cherise Sinclair has some good BDSM and for M/M - K.C Wells has some.

World Cup of Romance Reading - Phase 1
Group D

Genre

nerd/geek/genuis
dragons
BDSM
vampire
fae

My Final Ranking
1. vampire Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
2. BDSM Cowboy Casanova by Lorelei James
3. nerd/geek/genuis - Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas
4. Dragon - The Barbarian Prince by Michelle M. Pillow
5. Fae - Storm's Heart by Thea Harrison

Reserved

For BDSM, Cherise Sinclair's Club Shadowlands is free on amazon. I don't usually like BDSM, but I liked this one.

Group D

Hello! Looking for suggestions for BDSM and fae - I'll check out Club Shadowlands for the bondage book. Not so sure I like the whole whips and chains scene...

Here are my selections so far:

nerd/geek/genius: Nerd in Shining Armor by Vicki Lewis Thompson
dragons: What a Dragon Should Know by G.A. Aiken
BDSM:
vampire: This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter
fae:

Hello lucky people would have loved to be in this Group!

Hey Rog - the grass is always greener - you're "C" group has some of my favorite themes in romance - dystopia, scifi, zombies...go figure!

I found one for BDSM -

One of my favorite fae series is Dark Magick by Anya Bast. The first book is

Netanella wrote: "Hey Rog - the grass is always greener - you're "C" group has some of my favorite themes in romance - dystopia, scifi, zombies...go figure!"

wish we could change groups. because the genre you mentioned I hate I actually rejoiced when I found a book in the category I had read and liked and It had 504 pages. sci fi is ok and that and erotica are the saving graces!

Lauren Dane's first book in the Brown Siblings would work for BDSM: .

Maya Banks' Sweet series also:

Shayla Black's

Jaid Black's

Kindle deals for BDSM

for .99
for FREE
for 3.99

Thanks for the suggestions, all! I think I'll go with Shayla Black for the bdsm and perhaps the Anya Bast for the fae book.

My Tentative List:

1. Nerd/Geek/Genuis: The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
2. Dragons: Fire & Ice by Alice Brown
3. BDSM: Embracing My Submission by Jenna Jacob
4. Vampire: Dark Lover by JR Ward
5. Fae: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

These are all books/series and authors that are new to me. Can't wait to start.

Final Ranking
Group D
1. BDSM: Embracing My Submission by Jenna Jacob
2. Vampire: Dark Lover by JR Ward
3. Nerd/Geek/Genuis: The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
4. Dragons: Fire & Ice by Alice Brown
5. Fae: Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Shirene wrote: "My Tentative List:

1. Nerd/Geek/Genuis: The Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden
2. Dragons: Fire & Ice by Alice Brown
3. BDSM: [book:Embracing My Submission|161..."

Hi Shirene, fyi~ The Theory of Attraction (Great book, BTW!) does not meet the 150 pg. requirement, unfortunately! I wish I could use that trilogy for the bdsm but they don't allow multiple books, it has to be one book (I posted that Q)...

AnniLuvs wrote: "Shirene wrote: "My Tentative List:

1. Nerd/Geek/Genuis: The Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden
2. Dragons: Fire & Ice by Alice Brown
3. BDSM: [book:Embracing M..."

Thanks AnniLuvs. I was prepping my initial list on my iphone and couldn't see page counts. At least this means I finally get to read Kresley Cole. :)

AnniLuvs wrote: "Shirene wrote: "My Tentative List:

1. Nerd/Geek/Genuis: The Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden
2. Dragons: Fire & Ice by Alice Brown
3. BDSM: [book:Embracing M..."

actually while the page count doesn't match, the word count (47k words) does - that is why I included both since I know page counts widely vary

Thanks Dee! That is such a great trilogy for our group b/c it could be used for geek or BDSM!

Too bad the second one The Seduction Hypothesis probably doesn't meet the word requirement, it has 97 pages, it is the only one I haven't read yet. the The Theory of Attraction had 136 pgs = 47,000 words.

Decided to get the problematic genre out of the way first and finished by Maya Banks. Read August 1st and rated 1 Star. It wasn't even the BDSM elements that turned me off the book. It was the tepid characters and poor writing.

Lauren wrote: "Decided to get the problematic genre out of the way first and finished by Maya Banks. Read August 1st and rated 1 Star. It wasn't even the BDSM elements that turned ..."

oh thats too bad! I bought this book but havent read it yet. i think this author writes really fast. not sure it is working in terms of quality of product. the last couple books by her that i had checked out from the library i did not finish.

i am not a huge fan of most BDSM, especially the pain bdsm. but bondage is pretty cool, especially shibari. was amazing and the only bdsm book i loved!

i finished a pretty short bdsm book yesterday called that was free from AMZ when i got it and it was okay, i gave it 3.5 stars rounded up.

My picks...


Group D
nerd/geek/genuis- The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Highland Pleasures #1)
dragons- Dragon Bound (Elder Races #1)
BDSM - Comfort Food
vampire - Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress #1)
fae - Faerie

Whew... Let me know if I need to make an alternate pick

AnniLuvs wrote: "oh thats too bad! I bought this book but havent read it yet. i think this author writes really fast. not sure it is working in terms of quality of product."

Agreed. I loved her McCabe Trilogy and early KGI books but lately she just has too many pokers in the fire and her writing is suffering as a result.

The Lorelei James book looks good - I don't mind some mild bondage but the pain is definitely too much for me.

totally agree with you there Lauren. When whips and floggers and even paddles come out I'm just thinking OW OW run!

AnniLuvs wrote: "totally agree with you there Lauren. When whips and floggers and even paddles come out I'm just thinking OW OW run!"

Lol! I guess we just have a low pain threshold ;0)

AnniLuvs wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Decided to get the problematic genre out of the way first and finished by Maya Banks. Read August 1st and rated 1 Star. It wasn't even the BDSM elemen..."

I'm glad to here is good. I want to read it, but not sure if I'd like it.

I found my fae: Michelle M. Pillow's King of the Unblessed, the first in her Realm Immortal series.

King of the Unblessed

Netanella wrote: "I found my fae: Michelle M. Pillow's King of the Unblessed, the first in her Realm Immortal series.

King of the Unblessed"

This thread is NOT going to be good for reducing my TBR.

Grace wrote: "I'm glad to here Bound (Mastered, #1) by Lorelei James is good. I want to read it, but not sure if I'd like it."

It is very different from her other series of books! And for a bdsm book it doesn't have the pain-masochism. it has shibari (an artistic ropework/knot tying) bondage.

Finished for the nerd/genius hero category. The scholarly hero aspects of the story were enjoyable albeit underdeveloped. Harry would have been far more interesting if he were a little less John Watson and a little more Jack Ryan.

Also finished for the vampires category. I don't know what happened to Cat in this one but she got her ass handed to her several times. Also felt that the story was left unfinished. At least there is one more book in the series so perhaps there will be some closure.

World Cup of Romance Reading - Phase 1 - Round Robin
Aug 1 to Aug 31 2014

Group D

Genre

Nerd/geek/genuis - Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox.
Dragons - The Perfect Prince by Michelle M. Pillow.
BDSM - Creed by Kristen Ashley.
Vampire - Highland Vampire by Hannah Howell.
Fae - Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue.


Ranking:
1. BDSM - Creed by Kristen Ashley. 8/24/14 ★★★★★
2. Vampire - Highland Vampire by Hannah Howell. 8/23/14 ★★★★
3. Fae - Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue. 8/28/14 ★★★★
4. Nerd/geek/genuis - Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox. 8/26/14 ★★★★
5. Dragons - The Perfect Prince by Michelle M. Pillow. 8/22/14 ★★★★

World Cup of Romance Reading - Phase 1

Group D:

Nerd/geek/genius: How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae - 24 August - ★
Dragons: Firewalker by Allyson James - 16 August - ★★★★
BDSM: Dare to Love by Carly Phillips - 24 August - ★★★
Vampire: The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole - 21 August - ★★
Fae: The Winter King by C.L. Wilson - 20 August - ★★★

Reviews:
Nerd/geek/genius: How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae - ★: Ugh. This was one of the most frustrating books I've read recently. The female lead, Zoe drove me nuts. Her constant indecision and wavering - I know this is wrong, I should not do this, do the same course, I'm a evil person. Sigh. The teenage drama usually doesn't bother me but just didn't work in this book. The nerdy parts were done well but sadly, the female lead eclipsed everything else. Even the male lead, Zack.

BDSM: Dare to Love by Carly Phillips - ★★★: An ok contemporary romance. It's very light on the BDSM.

Vampire: The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole - ★★: Another disappointing read. I didn't like both of the MC - Nikolai was an alpha-hole, Myst came across as a ditzy heroine. I'm thinking that the author style just will not work for me.

Fae: The Winter King by C.L. Wilson - ★★★: A really good fantasy romance with equal coverage for both. The fae portion had a good mix of known and new stuff which made the world interesting. I'd definitely look forward to more books by Wilson.

Dragons: Firewalker by Allyson James - ★★★★: Loved this installment. Really liked the twists the author took with Janet. Mick and the dragons were done well. I'm looking forward to reading more about them.

Ranking:
Dragons: Firewalker by Allyson James - 16 August - ★★★★
Fae: The Winter King by C.L. Wilson - 20 August - ★★★
BDSM: Dare to Love by Carly Phillips - 24 August - ★★★
Nerd/geek/genius: How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae - 24 August - ★
Vampire: The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole - 21 August - ★★

Group D


Themes:
✔ nerd/geek/genius: Nerd in Shining Armor by Vicki Lewis Thompson - 08.09.2014 (★★★★)
✔ dragons: The Ice Dragon by Bianca D'Arc - 08.16.2014 (★★★)
✔ BDSM: Chaining Cheyenne by Reese Gabriel - 08.30.2014 (★★★)
✔ vampire: This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter - 08.18.2014 (★★★★★)
✔ fae: King of the Unblessed by Michelle M. Pillow - 08.07.2014 (★★)


Final Rankings:
1. vampire: This Same Earth by Elizabeth Hunter - 08.18.2014 (★★★★★)
2. nerd/geek/genius: Nerd in Shining Armor by Vicki Lewis Thompson - 08.09.2014 (★★★★)
3. dragons: The Ice Dragon by Bianca D'Arc - 08.16.2014 (★★★)
4. BDSM: Chaining Cheyenne by Reese Gabriel - 08.30.2014 (★★★)
5. fae: King of the Unblessed by Michelle M. Pillow - 08.07.2014 (★★)

Group D
My Final Rankings

1. Fae: A Shiver of Light by Laurell K Hamilton 8/7-5♥
2. Dragon: You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister 8/10-4♥
3. Vampire: A Girl's Guide to Vampires by Katie MacAlister 8/6-4♥
4. Nerd/Geek/Genius: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 8/11-4♥
5. BDSM: Their Virgin Princess by Shayla Black 8/11-1♥

My Books
nerd/geek/genuis The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie 5 stars
dragons Dragon Bound 3.5 stars
BDSM Show Me, Baby: 1001 Dark Nights 5 stars
vampire Dark Lover 5 stars
fae Primal Bonds 4 stars

My Rankings
1. BDSM
2. Vampire
3. Nerd/geek/genious
4. Fae
5. Dragons

Finished - it took me a while to finish this book even though the plot is brilliant and the characters are very engaging because the language is very dense and I struggled with the writing style.

The dragon elements are very well rendered. It is interesting that they seem to have three forms - their human forms (in which only their eyes give away their natures), the full dragon forms and a human form with dragon scales as armor (very cool).

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

This is my second group and My first ranking as well:

1. VAMPIRE: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

2.DRAGONS: Playing With Fire by Katie MacAlister

3. FAE: Bloodfever|344262] by Karen Marie Moning

4. NERD/GEEK/GENIUS: No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

5. BDSM: Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione

Final Ranking:

1.Vampire
2.BDSM
3.FAE
4.Dragon
5.Nerd/Geek/Genius

hey guys, as a reminder, this round finishes on Sunday at midnight - so you need to get your books done and ranked by then. I'll leave the threads open until Monday morning (Sept 1) - but then I'll be locking them so I can finalize the books to through to the next round

If you don't finish all your books, rank the ones that you have - the rest will just get a zero in the ranking scheme

from group D, I need rankings from:

Daffodil
Grace
Hina
Janeka
Lauren
MaryBeth
Netanella
Nikita
Shirlene
Sunshine
Vi

I'll be finished my last book by Sunday and will post my rankings then.

I am going to start my last book tonight hopefully and I will put the ranking up tomorrow or later in the week.

Reading my last book now, should finish it soon.