Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

Team members

Weather Bureau Chief
★ Louise

Reporters
✔Becky (becks)
✔Sally906
✔Karen (kmk)
✔Camille
✔Allie

1. Introduce yourself to your team. Let your team members know where you are from. This is a great to know when themes are announced and when team-mates can expect other members to post their book choices.

2. Chief - reserve a couple of posts in this thread tracking your team's book selection and completion. (Alternatively they could convert a chat comment to the tracking post/s.)

3. Name your team. Using this round's theme of the Weather, come up with a team name. We are an open/public group with no age limit, so please make sure any chosen name is smart, not smutty ;)

Please PM your name to Jane(PS) by early Thursday 27 February.

4. If you have a private profile, please 'friend' your team-mates. This is really important, because without this, your team-mates can't see your shelves to select a books under option 2.

5. Please post your book selections/completions in the format provided below. (This format is also posted in both the Q&A and Sign-Up threads.) We need to know the week that each book corresponds to, the page numbers, and how the book qualifies including names to lists/shelves (where applicable), etc. I can't stress this enough. When in doubt - link it*!

* don't link to your review in your completion post - reviews in your completion posts should be included in full within that post.

You don't want to start reading a book and then find it doesn't meet the requirements because some information (eg page count or theme link) was missing from your original post.

I will be monitoring this and your book will not be considered complete until I am satisfied that your selection and completion posts comply with the format rules of the challenge.

Remember - you can ONLY change your book selection in the week that the theme is called.

6. You MUST check in with your team each week, ideally once the theme is announced. Please let your team know if you expect to have spotty communication or are on holidays or having an operation.

7. When you post the completion of your book, you must post a review; enough for us to know you have actually read the book. Please don't link to a review. You must post the review in this thread.

8. Re-reads are allowed but you can't read the same book twice within this challenge.

9. There is no prize for the winning team - bragging rights only :)

10. Each week, the theme will be announced in the Q&A Annoucement thread. The full list of themes announced during this round will be maintained in msg 1 of that thread.


The Rule on the Pass Option
* Each team can only have ONE member using their pass each week.
* Each member can only use that pass once each 5 weeks.
* This means that one or two team members (dependent upon the size of your team) will miss using a pass in each 5 week block.
* No-one can use the pass option in the last week of the challenge.
* In the final week if Option 2 is used, members must select their book from another team. This will be advised in the week 11 announcement.

Key selection and completion post information. You must have ALL elements in your book posts.


The format for selection posts Option 1:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
How the book qualifies - please link or name the qualifying bookshelf/list where applicable (link if possible).
If the theme is based off the bookcover or a letter in the title etc, please just repeat the theme.

The format for selection posts Option 2:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Page numbers
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book.


Format for completion posts:
Week #
Bookcover/link
Rating (1-5)
Review


Please DO NOT CHAT in these selection/completion posts. It needs to be super clear.

If you 'waffle' about your decided book - please REPOST your selection once you decide. DO NOT go back and edit your waffling post.

I'll track each team's progress separately, using the Captain's summary in each team's thread to check for accuracy.

Theme - Weather
called on Fridays between 3–6 pm EST

✔️1. Drought – read a book with no people or animals on the cover

✔️2. Fires – read a book with a red or black cover (more than 50%)

3. Floods – read a book that has more than 1,000 ratings

✔️4. Snow Storm – read a book set in autumn or winter from one of the following lists: (view spoiler)[
Romances Set In Autumn
Best Seasonal Romance Christmas Winter
view spoiler) (hide spoiler)]

✔️5. Cyclone/Hurricane – read a book from the following list: (view spoiler)

6. Beautiful Day – read a book set in spring/summer or a book recommended for reading in summer, from the following lists: (view spoiler)

7. Humid – read a book with all the letters H-U-M-I-D in the title, series, and/or author’s, main character’s, or narrator’s name

8. Cold Snap – read a book with less than 300 pages (below 30 Fahrenheit)

✔️9. Heat Wave – read a book with 300 pages or more (30 Celsius or more)

10. El Nino (an ocean temperature weather pattern): In American Spanish, the capitalized term El Niño means “the boy” – read a book told from the male main character’s point of view or a gay romance
💧 list that may assist: Romance Books Male POV (please show HOW this qualifies)
💧 you may use a list (e.g., above), shelf, sole (or dual) male narration and, of course, MM romance

11. La Nina (the opposite ocean temperature weather pattern to El Nino) – read a book from the following lists: (view spoiler)

✔️12. Greta Thunberg (Climate Activist) – read a book set in Europe

✔️13. Clexit Coalition (International Climate Denial group) – read a book with an “X” in the title, series, and/or author’s, main character’s or narrator’s name

✔️14. Whirly Wind – read a book with Insta love from one of the following lists: (view spoiler)

✔️15. Dust/Sand Storm – read a book that has been on your TBR for more than 1 year or read a book written before 1 January 2010

✔️Week 1 - Theme: Fires
Allie - Fired Up Selection Completion Post
Becky - American Prince Selection Completion Post
Camille - Making Faces Selection Post Completion Post
Karen - Buttons and Pain Selection Completion Post
Louise - Immortal in Death Selection Post Completion
Sally - You're the Cream in My Coffee Selection Completion Post

✔️Week 2 - Theme: Cyclone/Hurricane
Allie - The Highwayman Selection Completion
Becky - Crashed Out Selection Completion
Camille Violence Begets... Selection Completion
Karen - Vicious Selection Completion
Louise - Sticks & Stones Selection Completion
Sally - Ramona Blue Selection Completion Post

✔️Week 3 Theme: Heat Wave
Allie - Starry Eyes Selection Completion
Becky - Wicked and the Wallflower Selection Completion
Camille - Reservations Selection Completion
Karen - The Scot Beds His Wife Selection Completion
Louise - Acting Up Selection Completion Post
Sally - Something to Talk About Selection Completion

✔️ Week 4 Theme: Whirly Wind
Allie - Dark Lover Selection Completion
Becky - Dark Lover Selection Completion
Camille - The Hurricane Selection Completion
Karen - Twist Me Selection Completion
Louise - Fifty Shades Freed Selection Completion
Sally - Claimed Selection Completion

✔️ Week 5 Theme: Drought
Allie - From Blood and Ash Selection Completion
Becky - Kings Rising Selection
Camille - Fast Lane Selection Completion
Karen - The Perfect Hope Selection Completion
Louise - When Girlfriends Break Hearts Selection Completion
Sally - All Who Wander Selection Completion

✔️Week 6 - Theme: Clexit Coalition
Allie - Lover Eternal Selection Completion Post
Becky - Pass
Camille - Alexandr's Cherished Submissive Selection Completion
Karen - Sapiosexual Selection Completion
Louise - 19th Christmas Selection Completion
Sally - Stone Cold Fox Selection Completion

✔️ Week 7 - Theme: Greta Thunberg (Climate Activist).
Allie - Get a Life, Chloe Brown Selection Completion
Becky -
Camille - Dominic Selection Completion
Karen - Scandal in Spring Selection Completion
Louise - Cheesecake and Confusion Selection Completion
Sally - There Are Plenty More Dukes in the Sea Selection Completion

✔️ Week 8 - Theme: Snow Storm
Allie - Once Upon a Winter's Eve Selection Completion
Becky -
Camille - The Stocking was Hung Selection Completion
Karen - A Wallflower Christmas Selection Completion
Louise - Where Winter Finds You Selection Completion
Sally - Baby, It's Cold Outside Selection Completion

✔️ Week 9 - Theme: Dust/Sand Storm
Allie - Lover Revealed Selection Completion
Camille - Tumble Into Love Selection Completion
Karen - Not a Hero Selection Completion
Louise - Complicated Selection Completion
Sally - Summer at the Lake Selection Completion

Week 10 - Theme: Beautiful Day
Allie - Pass
Camille - Loving Jay Selection Completion
Karen - Nuts Selection The Fairy Tale Bride Selection
Sally - Happy Pants Cafe Selection Completion

Week 11 - Theme: Cold Snap
Allie - To Love a Highland Laird Selection
Camille - Yes, Professor Selection Completion
Karen - Tempt: A Wicked Sanctuary Novel Selection Completion
Louise - Christmas Light Selection Completion
Sally - The Hacker Pushes Her Luck Selection Completion

Hi Everyone, I’m Louise from a very wet South Wales. Looking forward to guiding you through this challenge. I’m a bit of a challenge addict and read most genres trying to get a book to fit as many current challenges as possible. Looking forward to meeting you all 😊

Hello Louise! Thank you for offering to be captain for us!

I am Allie from Texas. I will read a bit of everything, though I'm fairly new to challenges. This is my first ptp. I'm excited and nervous. I'm a bit of a mood reader, so it will be interesting to see how that fits with reading a certain book or style of book in a short time. Hopefully, the excitement of the challenge will help to keep me in line.

Hi all

Checking in from Australia - sunny with blue skies this morning.

I’ve been in Pass the Parcel before. I am a solid one book a week reader and very eclectic with my romance genres - though my favourite is paranormal romance.

I have books picked for all the potential tasks already - but can be mood driven with my reading so may change my mind at the last minute 😂😂

Hi everyone!

I’m from Chicago, Illinois. I’m retired and love most types of romance. Not crazy about PNR...I am a challenge addict but have never played Pass The Parcel before.

I think we are supposed to come up with a team name?

I was just playing around and thought of the song 'It's Raining Men' It doesn't even need to be changed. I'm not great at this I know.

Name suggestions - using song titles

Ain’t no sunshine
It’s raining men
Here comes the sun
Riders on the storm

I like “It’s Raining Men”

Greetings, everyone! Thanks, Louise, for offering to captain us! I've been reading about your floods in Wales -- Yikes! Hope you're not as waterlogged as the pictures I've seen. I'm from the USA Midwest -- the great state of Iowa. I read between 250-300 books a year and have played PtP several times. Always enjoy it! Looking forward to another great challenge. I'm with Louise on the name...love "It's Raining Men."

I like It’s Raining Men too

When does the challenge actually start? And, have we decided on a name or maybe there's no hurry?

This starts today. Theme will be called between 3-6. Our team name is It’s Raining Men

Selection Post

Week: #1
Bookcover/link:

Fired Up by Riley Hart
Page numbers: 232 pages
How the book qualifies - cover is 68.2% black

Week 1

▪️ Option 1:
2. Fires - read a book with a red or black cover.
The cover. must have more than 50% of the color 'black' or 'red' on it. If you aren't sure, post the cover here for approval.

▪️ Option 2:
Key date - 6 September 2019
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

▪️ Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week.

Week 1 (Option 1) - selection post

2. Fires - read a book with a red or black cover. More than 50%

Book: You're the Cream in My Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo
Pages: 292
How it qualifies: cover is more than 50% red

Week 1 (Option 1) - selection post

2. Fires - read a book with a red or black cover. More than 50%


Buttons and Pain by Penelope Sky
Pages: 244
How It Qualifies: cover is more than 50% black

Just checking date I need to read it by is Friday 13th?

If you can get it finished by then that would be great

Louise wrote: "If you can get it finished by then that would be great"

Will be before then - I have 3 challenges this week and ended up needing 3 different books - so lining them up in date order.

Just pacing myself so I let no one down 😀

I’ve got the same problem and typical that I can’t use the one I’m reading now 😄

Completion post

Week #1
Bookcover/link

Fired Up by Riley Hart
Rating (1-5): 4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)
Review: I started this one on a whim and I was not let down. I didn't want to put it down last night, and then couldn't wait to pick it up and finish it today. This is a super cute second chance mm romance. The two heros, Beau and Ashton, were highschool frienemies that both loved to play football. After a small encounter with each other right after graduation, Ashton left to play football professionally and Beau was left discovering his sexuality. The story takes place ten years later when Ash returns home and the boys come to terms with their past and their feelings towards each other. I really enjoyed the speed of their relationship development. It felt realistic. Beau was sick a great patient guy. So often you have the 'you're in the cart and I don't want to his or relationship' trope. But Beau really strive to be patient with Ashton all around. I did feel like the conflict at the end was a bit forced, but I've all I asked this book and look forward to reading the second one.

Week 1 (Option 1) - selection post

Task: 2. Fires - read a book with a red or black cover. More than 50%

Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb
Pages: 345
How It Fits: Mostly blackcover

Selection Post
Week #1, Option #1
, Making Faces by Amy Harmon
Pages: 405
How it Qualifies: The cover I have is all black with a pale outline of a man's body. The cover above is all that Goodreads would let me pull up. You can check it out by visiting my "Currently Reading" list on my page.

Completion Post
Week #1, Option #1
, Making Faces by Amy Harmon
Rating: 5 stars
Review: What a surprisingly wonderful find! Here I was, assuming that I was starting to read a rather common romance story only to discover that I'd found a rare gem! The romance is only part of the story, and not necessarily even the main event. I like to think that this is a story of the friendship between Bailey, who suffers from MD, and Fern, his rather homely-looking cousin. Eventually, Ambrose makes an appearance and certainly becomes a main character, but the relationship between Bailey and Fern over shadow all the other story lines. The story really has everything -- romance, human suffering, death, redemption and, at the end of it all, hope. I'm very impressed. It's a 400 plus page book, but I devoured it in a day. Couldn't help myself! :) A very subtle retelling of Beauty & the Beast, I suppose.

Week 1 (Option 1) - Completion post

2. Fires - read a book with a red or black cover. More than 50%


Buttons and Pain by Penelope Sky
Pages: 244
How It Qualifies: cover is more than 50% black
Finished: March 12
Rating: 5 stars
Review: This is the 3rd book in the series. This book starts with Pearl escaping from Italy and returning home to New York. She wants to take her life back and the first order of business is confronting Jacob and what he did to her. She believes that Crow will not follow her since time has passed and he hasn't shown up. Of course, he does and this is a wild ride from that point on. I was really happy with the way this story progressed and loved the ending. It had a great epilogue. Can't wait to get to the rest of the series.

Tracking updated. I won’t have mine finished until next week. Sally how are you getting on with your book?

Week 2

▪️Option 1:
5. Cyclone/Hurricane - read a book from the following list:
Gay Romance with Crazy Jealous Partner/s
MM romance with Crazy Person
Crazy Love
Villains Need Love Too
Craziest Harlequins
Heroines Who Dye Their Hair Crazy Colors
The book MUST come from one of these lists. Please provide the list in your selection post (link preferred) and the number that the book shows as on that list.

▪️ Option 2:
Key date - 13 September 2019
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

▪️ Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week.

Week 2 (Option 1) - selection post

Villians Need Love Too - #1 on list - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...


Vicious L.J. Shen
Pages: 339

Gosh finished this the other day and forgot to post it! Silly me!

Week 1 - Completion Post

Fires - read a book with a red or black cover. More than 50%

Book: You're the Cream in My Coffee by Jennifer Lamont Leo
Date read: 10/03/20
Rating: 5★s
Pages: 292
How it qualifies: The cover is more than 50% red

Review: I really enjoyed this Historical Christian Romance. Set after the end of WWI Majorie is getting ready for her upcoming wedding to Richard. Deep down she knows she does really live Richard - her heart belongs to Jack who died in the trenches in Europe. She heads off to Chicago for a medical check up and her heart nearly stops when she sees Jack at the train station. What follows is a lovely story as Marjorie questions her love, her faith and her way of life before all is revealed. Some very funny moments such as when she escapes from a speakeasy through a bathroom window - drunk as a lord and not realising it.

Week 2 (Option 1) - selection post

5. Cyclone/Hurricane - read a book from the following list: Heroines Who Dye Their Hair Crazy Colours list
Book: Ramona Blue Julie Murphy
Pages: 408
How it qualifies: #28 on Heroines Who Dye Their Hair Crazy Colors list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Selection Post

Week #2
Bookcover/link:

The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne
Page numbers: 356 pages
Name of the team-member, their star rating, the date they read the book.: Karen read book 4 in the series, The Duke on March 2, 2020 and rated 4 stars.

Week 2 - Completion Post

5. Cyclone/Hurricane - read a book from the following list: Heroines Who Dye Their Hair Crazy Colours list

Book: Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
Date read: 15/03/20
Rating: 3★s
Pages: 408
How it qualifies: #28 on Heroines Who Dye Their Hair Crazy Colours list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Review: Ramona Blue follows a young girl who is questioning her sexuality. This in itself has made the book a target for controversy, but personally I think the way Ramona’s journey is portrayed is healthy - because it shows the angst that teens go through as they work out their own sexual place in life. Most teens know where they stand sexually - and many teens know but also wonder what what it would be like to have a same sex relationship - a few even try it. Then there are teens who think they are one way, and discover they lean the other, or they discover they like both, or follow a different sexual path altogether. There is not a lot of plot other than Ramona’s journey to romantic self discovery, there is a very good side thread on racism - but when Ramona loves, she loves deeply, she loves a girl and then she loves a boy, is it possible she can love both?

Week 2 - Selection Post
Option 1
Task: 5 - Cyclone/Hurricane - read a book from the following list:Gay Romance With Crazy Jealous Partner/s

Sticks & Stones by Abigail Roux
Pages: 322
How It Fits: #37 on Gay Romance With Crazy Jealous Partner/s

Selection Post
Week #2, Option #1
, Violence Begets... by P.T. Denys
Pages: 293
How it Qualifies: Gay Romance with Crazy, Jealous Partner/s, #108

Completion Post
Week #2, Option #1
, Violence Begets... by P.T. Denys
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: If you're faint of heart, don't go anywhere near this book! I knew from the blurb that I was getting into a dark book, but I had no idea that even the stars went out and left the world completely black. It's essentially the story of a friendship between Rick and Kevin, which grows into an intimate relationship. What those two young teenagers have to survive their during their childhood is the stuff of nightmares. But, they find each other, and after much struggle learn to trust one another. The book ekes out a happy ending at the very end, but by that time I was so shell shocked, it hardly registered.

I'm sorry I'm so behind this week everyone. I'm going to try to read more today. I am having a really hard time concentrating on books right now.

Week 2 (Option 1) - Completion Post

Villians Need Love Too - #1 on list - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...


Vicious L.J. Shen
Pages: 339
Finished: Mar 19
Rating: 4 stars
Review: I really loved this book. We get both the past and present in this story. Vicious and Emilia are both in their senior year of high school. He is a bully to Emilia and forces her to leave her home because he believes she knows his secret. The present takes us to ten years later where they meet again. So much happens in this book that kept me riveted to the story.

I’m actually able to read more because all my social activities have been stopped and as I am retired I don’t have to worry about working from home or managing children being home.

Of course that means I am in the at risk zone - but in my early 60s so looking at it from the point of view that I am at the lower end of that zone.

So playing my games, chatting to friends through Facebook and on goodreads, and reading. Hubby and I get in the car and go for a drive each day (not in official lockdown) and walk in a park keeping our distance from people and being careful not to touch tables, chairs gates ect.

Selection Post
Week #3, Option #1
, Fast Lane by Kristen Ashley
Pages: 343
How it Qualifies: Page count is over 300

Selection Post - Week 3 - Option 1


The Scot Beds His Wife by Kerrigan Byrne
Pages: 411
How It Qualifies: Page Count is over 300

Week 3

Option 1:
9. Heat wave - read a book with 300pp or more (30 Celcius or more)
pp = pages

Option 2:
Key date - 20 September 2019
A book on your team mates 'read' list AND rated at least 3 stars and read on or after the key date.

Option 3:
Pass
This can only be used once each 5 weeks. Only one team mate can use this option each week.

Karen ♐ wrote: "Week 2 (Option 1) - selection post

Villians Need Love Too - #1 on list - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...


Vicious [a..."

Can you amend to say Completion 😊