Hello everyone! Today we are wrapping up the final week of our month-long Reading Challenge Month. I can’t believe it is almost over and it has been such a fabulous week! This week is Favorites List Week and we have been reading books that are either on one of our Favorite Books Lists, or else are inspired by one of those themes.
As always, you guys can play along with this event in two ways. First off, you can leave a comment on any of this week’s challenge week reviews. And second, if you read along with your own challenge book, you can tell us all about it here on this post and get mega contest entries.
This week’s prize is sponsored by Samhain Publishing and includes a great prize pack of books and swag! The books include:
- The World as he Sees it by A.M. Arthur
- The Shepherd and the Solicitor by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon
- Lonely Hearts by Heidi Cullinan
- Played! by J.L. Merrow
- The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by K.J. Charles
- Song of the Navigator by Astrid Amara
- Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins
- Deep Desire by Z.A. Maxfield
All entries also make you eligible for the big grand prize donated by Riptide Publishing.
Ok, before we get too far, some things you may need to know:
- All the contest details and rules are in this post or at least linked from here
- This week’s deadline to leave comments on our reviews, or your mini review of your own book here on this post, is Sunday night. All entries will be tallied at that time and the Week 3 winner announced. All entries will also carry over for the grand prize at the end of the month.
- If you read along your own challenge book this week, leave your mini review here on this wrap up post.
- And if you missed the chance to leave any comments, here is quick recap of the books we read this week:
- Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford (Rock Stars)
- Crossing Borders by Z.A. Maxfield (Coming Out Stories)
- Suit Yourself by Susan Mac Nicol (Cross Dressing Heroes)
- Inheritance by Lissa Kasey (Vampire/Shifter Pairings)
- First by K.C. Wells (Virgin Hero)
- Pricks and Pragmatism by J.L. Merrow (Virgin Hero)
- Bad Company by K.A. Mitchell (Enemies to Lovers)
- The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson (Virgin Hero)
- Candy G-Roots by C. Zampa (Bad Boys)
Thank you so much to everyone who has been participating all month! Things wrap up Sunday and I will pick our Week 4 winner as well as the grand prize winner. So don’t forgot to leave your comments and mini reviews for a chance to win!
This week I re read Clarity of Lines by N.R. Walker. Ms Walker had recently added to each book in the series. I love Cooper and “Just” Tom. In this book they have been together a few months and ready to come out to their family and friends as a couple. The reason they have been reluctant is that Tom is 44 and Coop is 22. They go to Tom’s sons birthday party and come out to Tom’s ex wife. (She didn’t take it to well). They flew to Chicago to come out as a couple to Coop’s family ( they didn’t take it well). The reaction of all parties are believable and you can feel the emotions. Through it all they are strong together. Things change when tragedy strikes in Tom’s family. Here is where everyone involved gets a glimpse of how in love the two are, how right together. As always a HEA. One final note-the books are told from Tom’s perspective but the additions that Ms Walker has added at the end are Coop’s perspective, really adds something to the stories IMO.
Oh sounds good! I am going to say this fits our Favorite Coming Out stories list? Or does it go with a different theme as well?
I liked this one too, though I’d definitely suggest reading ELEMENTS OF RETROFIT first…I found Tom and Cooper on a little more equal footing there for some reason, even though it was a boss/employee romance. Any word on how the third story is?
I think it goes with the coming out and the series is also a favorite reread of mine. I should have put in the review that this is the 2nd in the Thomas Elkin series.
Oops hit send before I was done. The series starts with Elements of Retrofit, then Clarity of Lines, then Sense of Place. NR Walker went back recently and added some words and at the end of each book is Cooper’s POV .
Trix, Sense of Place is a good read as well. Love the whole series
WITH THE BAND by LA Witt
Blurb: Hard rock band Schadenfreude is finally on the verge of the success that’s eluded them for the last several years. With Aaron McClure as their new lead singer, nothing’s going to stop them…except maybe a steamy, secret relationship between Aaron and bassist Bastian Koehler. Aaron knows all too well what can happen when band members get involved with each other. After all, his last band was a casualty of his last relationship, and Schadenfreude forbids band members from dating for that very reason. But Bastian is too hot to resist, and besides, it’s just sex, so what’s the harm?
Bastian has just gotten out of a long relationship with his volatile ex-fiancée when Aaron catches his eye. The sexy singer is irresistible, and in spite of the potential for strife within the band if this comes out, Bastian can’t help himself.
Their passion in the bedroom is rivaled only by their ambition as musicians, though, and pretty soon, it’s going to tear them, and Schadenfreude apart, if they can’t get back to playing with the band.
Review: Even though I enjoyed the book, a lot of the individual points of this review are going to sound fairly critical. Either way, I might as well dive in. I found it charming that Aaron sounded like a starry-eyed fan at times, even though he was a bandmate of Bastian’s. (It’s a welcome respite from stories about band members who kvetch and backbite.) Because everything’s told from Aaron’s POV, the initial part of the story was somewhat slow going for me, since Bastian is a bit of a cipher in the beginning. When the attraction kicks into high gear, things move along swiftly, and the urgency of the love scenes is compelling. On the other hand, aside from unusual touring-induced locales and the need for secrecy, the tone of the sex scenes felt really similar throughout. I also hoped for more variation in the performance scenes: the first anecdote about the power of the song “(Un)Fading” is very powerful, but every mention of it afterward feels nearly identical. This is where the story stalled for me. Even though I normally hate the idea of guys being outed publicly, [spoiler alert] I found myself wishing that the guys had been discovered during sex rather than outed to the band by Bastian’s ex-girlfriend Denise. (For that matter, why must there always be a harridan ex-girlfriend? Admittedly, anyone who’s watched BEHIND THE MUSIC or ROCK WIVES will find it easy to believe, but it just seemed like the easy way out here.) In spite of these problems, WITH THE BAND held my attention throughout, and those who love rock star romances will likely enjoy it too.
ooh rock stars! I read and enjoyed this one as well.
This week I read The Haunted Heart by Josh Lanyon, a paranormal romance. The story revolves around Flynn, a man grieving the death of his lover and best friend Alan. Alan’s death cause Flynn to have a breakdown and he’s still trying to recover. When the story opens, Flynn has taken residence in his late Uncle’s house, where he is trying to catalogue the many antiques that the house is filled with. The only other tenant in the house is Kirk, an ex-Ranger who lives downstairs. Flynn comes across a mirror that is haunted and seems to be possessed by a ghost. Very spooky things begin to happen. Flynn and Kirk try to discover who or what is inside the mirror while possibly falling in love. I don’t want to give away the whole plot because the mystery is so good. As usual, Lanyon writes an incredible tale. I’ve never been disappointed by a Josh Lanyon book, and this one is no exception. I highly recommend it!
Thanks Rod!
Crossing Borders by Z.A. Maxfield
What an engaging little story. It takes place in a relatively short time, no more than a couple of months, and it tells us about Tristan and Michael and what a spur they become for each other. When they meet, Tristan is just looking for a hookup, but they hit it off perfectly from the start and rush into a deeper relationship. This scares Tristan, who is far too young to face the long-time commitment Michael is offering. The age and social status difference (after all Tristan is still a student while Michael has got a position) is not the only issue Tristan has to face. Michael’s job puts his life in jeopardy, and that’s something that really scares Tristan. As for Michael, he is utterly and completely in love with his Sparky. He’s decided to keep him, no matter what it takes. But he must accept that it is Tristan’s decision, and that he cannot keep his lover against his will.
So the story is a quite simple one, what turns it into something exceptional is the characters. Both Tristan and Michael are likeable, especially Tristan: He’s clever, cute, sassy and mouthy. He enjoys life to the full, explores his sexuality shamelessly, while retaining some sort of sweet innocence. As for Michael, he is responsible and caring, and so in love with Tristan it hurts. They are really perfect together. The secondary characters help to create a unique universe for this novel. Michael’s eccentric mother, Emma, and his ex-lover Ron form an unconventional family… as interesting as Julia, Tristan’s loving mom, and his rebellious brothers Lily, Devon and Randy, who are willing to support Tristan in whatever decision he makes. They all create a charming mosaic where Tristan and Michael’s relationship blooms.
This is my first book by Z.A. Maxfield, but it won’t be the last. I know it as well as I know that this is not going to be the last time I read Crossing Borders. It has all its needed to become one of my comfort reads. So good!
One of my favoite type of stories is the Master/Slave. I chose Subjection (Demoted 1) by Alicia Cameron from Joyfully Jay’s list. It takes place in a world where students are given a test at the end of their schooling. Those who pass graduate and are free. Those who fail are demoted into slavery and sent to re-education centers where they are starved and beaten until they lose all sense of self. This system was created to control population and end WW4.
Our MC Sascha is above average intelligence. He was demoted because he tricked the system. His twin was below average and Sascha took his place. He thinks he can beat the system until he realizes his intelligence makes him appear to be uncontrollable and untrainable. He ends up as a brothel whore who is beaten for fun. He is bought by Cashiel who doesn’t want a slave but needs one to keep up appearances.
Cashiel is not a very likeable MC. He believes slavery is necessary and does not want it abolished. It wants fame and glory. He comes to care for Sascha in his own way; but, he’s still willingly to use him as a scapegoat. This was an unusual Master/Slave book for me. It was harsh to read; but, l couldn’t put it down. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Thanks Melissa! And it looks there is a new book coming out in this series. I just got a note about it…
I read Sinner’s Gin by Rhys Ford this week (new author for me)
????½
There’s a lot of drama in this book with a murder/mystery/suspense theme but not a lot of personal drama between Kane and Miki. Instead, the personal interactions between the couple are either Kane showing Miki how to feel or hot & sexy.
While not what I would consider a tearjerker I did have some eye leakage when Miki was describing the abuse he suffered by one of his foster fathers then the blatant disregard of people who were supposed to protect him turning a blind eye to his pleas for help. There’s some mild angst mixed in with humor. I love the scenes with Kane’s mom & Dude the dog has some funny moments as well. I definitely recommend reading the shorts written in his POV.
I’m not typically a fan of the cliffhanger ending, but I absolutely loved the twist in this one! Can’t wait to read further in this series.
What a great month this has been! Thanks for hosting this fun event.
This week I read Innocence by Suki Fleet off the the Virgin Heroes list. It was a 5 star read for me. Here is my review.
Innocence is wonderfully written; the prose lyrical and moving, just descriptive enough to give a strong sense of place without overwhelming the story. I fell hard for Christopher from whose first-person POV the book is narrated. (Also with his brother, Jay.) This made some of the events almost unbearable, but definitely worth reading.
All the characters were well done and interesting. None were flat or just plot devices. There were secrets and surprises, captivating my interest. There was a romance, but this was just as much, if not more, a coming of age story.
The ending was lovely; I was worried for a while about it. Luckily my worry was not justified. The epilogue was a sweet bonus, leaving a sliver (maybe, please) for a follow-up story.
This week I read Heidi Cullinan’s Fever Pitch which is on your list of Favorite Young Love Stories; it was a wonderful romance. The story begins with a post-high school graduation party at which the two leads, Aaron and Giles, meet. They have an encounter but part company since both have baggage that stops them from speaking their minds. Giles has been the target of gay bashing for years while Aaron (who is not out to his family) has a domineering father who is trying to dictate his life.
The young men reconnect at college; there are ups and downs but ultimately the characters have their happy ending. Music is huge for both characters and is a major part of the story. (I’m not at all musically inclined, but I found this aspect of the story appealing and not problematic.) Characters from the author’s prior book, Love Lessons, play a significant role in this book, but I think this one could still stand alone. I will happily re-read this book in the future.
Yah! I am so glad you tried this one b/c it is a HUGE favorite of mine. If you enjoyed it, I would so totally grab Love Lessons and Lonely Hearts. Both are equally excellent.
I read
Bowl Full of Cherries by Raine O’Tierney. After being told not to come home for Christmas by his mother because no one will pick him up. A dejected Crowley returns to his apartment which he shares with best friend and roommate, Tyler. Being able to tell a lie from Crowley, Tyler gets the whole story out of him and then force invites Crowley home with him. Having to take an earlier bus ride, Crowley arrives to Tyler’s home town where he’s picked up by Tyler’s twin, Averell (Rell). The two instantly hit it off and are like the best of friends.
I liked the characters and how mature they were. Rell was an easy character for me to relate to with his listless ways and easy take on life since he didn’t really have a calling. There were moments when I wish Taylor would mind his own business and let his twin and Crowley just live their life. The Lang family was really cool and it was nice that Crowley’s sister reached out to him. I really want to see Taylor and David’s story.
Oh, thank you for mentioning this book! I’ve been on the fence as to whether or not to read it. But you made it sound like it’s going to be a sweeter (but not boring) romance (the book’s blurb kinda doesn’t express this as well).
Anyhoo, I’m deffo going to add this to my wishlist for the next time I’m going book shopping. 🙂
For favourites list week I chose a reread and a new book. Whilst different stories both were gentle, easy reads – perfect for after heavy angsty books!
From the Crossing Dressing list I reread Splinters by Thorny Sterling.
I just get a lovely warm, wrapped up in a fluffy blanket feeling from this one. There is little angst and despite the under lying threat, everything just seems to go right for Al. It is not a complex read but perfect when you need not to think too deeply.
From the Road Trip list I read Thirty Things by Cate Ashwood
A lovely love story. Finn and Nate have been Friends for forever, now roommates but it takes Nate springing a surprise pre-30th birthday road trip for things to move forward. The story is narrated by Finn.
I loved the premise of the road trip and the 30 tasks that Nate has set up, and the fact that Finn’s old injury makes some of them a big challenge. The story is a pure love story as there is no angst or intrigue beyond what they are doing. The fact that they are moving on all the time makes the book read quickly as we didn’t miss a day in the narrative, which is unusual in this type of book. Though if I was on this trip I’d want a rest day every now and then, the pace was exhausting! And I want to go to the tree house hotel!
Generally I prefer a bit more umph to my stories but this gentle, compelling story is good for when you need a decompress read. It did grow on me. I would rate somewhere 3.5/4*
Glad you had two good ones and thanks for reading along with us!
For this week, I read something that wasn’t on the Nontraditional Shifters list, but I think fits.
I reading Finding Release by Silvia Violet, which features a wolf shifter and a horse shifter. I gave it 3 stars.
I appreciate non-traditional shifter stories, so love, love, love that Jonah is a horse. However, I didn’t really like the constant back and forth between Cole and Jonah. The abuse Jonah suffers might also be a trigger for some. I do like that Cole was able to make a stand for what he believed in and that now his farm will be a safe place for him and Jonah to live.
Oh, I’m so glad someone picked a book with this theme. It is one of my favorites b/c i love shifters but it is nice to get out of the wolf/cat box. Sorry you didn’t love it but thanks for giving it a shot.
I read the Irregulars anthology. Four books joined by the theme of a common world.
Cherries Worth Getting, by N. Kimberling: An interesting world with two solid leads and a well thought out investigation. Would have loved a longer investigation to stretch out the romance. 4*
No Life But This, by A. Amara. A much longer story than the previous two. Loved the couple (although the romance most definitely played second fiddle to the plot) and the plot kept me interested and invested. 4.5*
Things Unseen and Deadly, by G. Hale. This took me an age to get into and I honestly thought about putting it down several times in the first chapter or so. I’m glad I carried on reading. The leads were engaging once you worked out what their story was, not true, Jason was engaging from the get-go but Henry took some warming to. and we got an extra helping of Gunther. I ended up really liking this one. 4*
I have heard excellent things about this anthology. I actually just read another anthology that pick up on the characters from Kimberlings story in this book. It definitely made me intrigued enough to think about going back and reading this one. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Charmed and Dangerous. I read that last week. That is what prompted me to pick this up. I agree an excellent read.
I loved this reading challenge month 🙂 For this last challenge i choose a book that i think almost everyone already read but me 😉 and because the sequel came out last week i thought i better read it, and i’m glad i did. I read All Kinds of Tied Down (Marshals 1) by Mary Calmes (Men in Uniform, one of my favorite to read). All Kinds Of Tied down tells us the story of two Marshals Miro Jones and his (work)partner Ian Doyle. Miro is secretly in love with Ian for years but Ian is straight and dating women however it never comes to anything serious and later in the story you get to see why (i won’t tell because of spoilers). This story has it all. Action (they are Marshals after all), The loyal friendship between Miro and Ian, Love, from the beginning you can tell that these men love each other and last but certanly not least the Hot sex . I really liked this book and i’m so glad i read it. I already bought the sequel Fit to be Tied and look forward in reading itl. I highly recommend this book and i rate it 4 stars.
Oh good choice! I have heard such good things about this one!
I was so excited to see one of my TBR’s on the Favorite Virgin Stories. – I read Ethan in Gold by Amy Lane. It was the only Johnnies story I hadn’t read yet. Once again I was blown away by this series. How you come to care for these guys and they way they can forge a new path for themselves and those they have come to love.
Oh yes, good story and excellent series!
I just finished L.A. Witt’s Static; this is not on your list of Nontraditional Shifters, but it should be.
The story is about Damon and Alex who live in a world of men, women, and shifters. Shifters are fully human, but sometimes they prefer/need to be in their male body and other times in their female body. Shifters face a lot of societal and religious discrimination, but slowly things appear to be improving for them and their rights are (usually) upheld.
Alex, who is a shifter, has a fraught relationship with his mother and step-father who feel (for religious reasons) that he ought to get an implant which will cause him to stop shifting, to be static. Alex disagrees. He and Damon have been in a relationship for a couple of years; unfortunately, Alex has never told Damon that he is a shifter and Damon knows him only as a woman. When the story begins, Damon comes to Alex’s home to find him as a man. Alex’s parents drugged him and surgically placed a black market implant in his spine. Now Alex is unable to shift. As events unfold, Alex and Damon deal with Alex’s new static gender. It was a story well worth reading.
Oh I absolutely loved this story. One of Witt’s best and such a fascinating and well done book. I guess I never thought of it for the list b/c it is all unusual animal shifters and this is kind of a different concept. But yes, it probably does fit the theme so maybe I’ll add it with a little note to clarify. So glad you enjoyed this one!
I want to start with saying thank you for an wonderful even and reading month. This has been so much fun, and I love seeing what everyone else is reading too – there’s so much to chose from, and so much I have not even heard of yet, so that’s been great.
This week’s been bit hectic for me (who ever said home renovations are fun, were lying), but I managed to start and finish this week’s challenge, a book from the favorites list. I picked “Dance with me” by Heidi Cullinan. Former footballplayer Ed Maurer meets former ballet dancer Laurie Parker. They dislike one another from the beginning, but then a sort of truce is accomplished and due to it Ed agrees to help Laurie with his ballroom dance class once a week.
Ever since I started reading m/m romance “Dance with me” has been one of those novels that I’ve read about in blog posts or seen mentioned/discussed in reading forums in nothing but positive words. II never got round to reading back then, though I read other stories by Cullinan, most of which I have liked a lot. So when I learned that it was being re-released I knew I had to have it. It’s on the favorites lists (from enemies to lovers – though that is just a brief thing at the very start of the novel – and jock stories – though that too is just a little bit what this book is really about) so I finally had the perfect reason to read it.
Maybe it is a case of too high expectations, maybe it’s a case of ‘it’s me, not you’, maybe it’s just not the right time for that particular story. Whatever the reason it didn’t quite live up to the anticipation I had built up over the years.I had a difficult time connecting with the story and the characters in the beginning. I picked it up, put it down and picked it up again, just to realize my mind was wandering, again. It took me the better part of the first third of the story to really get into it enough to feel truly focused. Then there was all the dancing, nothing that you wouldn’t expect from a novel with the title “Dance with me” and one of the main characters being a former ballet dancer, but there was so much dancing, and I know absolutely nothing about dancing, and couldn’t learn the most basic steps even if my life depended on it. Cullinan has succeeded before to hook me on something I’ve known absolutely nothing about, like poker, before, but this time it didn’t work out so well. Then there’s the fact that this is a sad story of sorts. Ed Maurer is suffering from a severe football injury which has permanently changed his life and he is struggling to come to terms with that. Laurie has his own demons to fight. At more times that I was comfortable with this became a too heavy, emotion-wise story for me to handle, and it reminded me of things I try hard to not think about .
Despite that the story didn’t turn out to be the fabulous read I had expected it was many of those things I had read about. For one it has a very realistic feel to it, not the least when it comes to the description of sex. Contrary to how it is depicted in many romance novels, it does not happen without problems here. I love the fact that Laurie does not too readily jump into hard core anal sex with Ed, In fact Laurie is quite reluctant, for quite some time, and even when it happens he reflect not only on its benefits. Laurie’s inner monologue about the squeaky disadvantages with anal sex is perhaps one of the more well-known in the genre. And I have to say I love how honest Cullinan is about this less attractive side, and how well it fits Laurie, who is a bit uptight and controlled, to stress about the excess of air in his bowels after sex.
Another thing I love about Cullinan’s writing and this novel is the way Ed’s parents are described and the role they play in Ed’s life. It’s blessing to have supportive parents and the scene where Ed is taken to the hospital with severe pains with his mother by his side, holding his hand in support and strength touched my heart deeply. It’s not only children who needs their parents and Cullinan shows this here.
I am happy I finally got to read this story, despite the issues I had reading it. The story has a lot to like about it, or even love, and it’s very well-written, but it’s not a light hearted story.
Thanks for this great event! I participated every week and found some great new authors.
This week, I read Ruin Porn by SDJ Peterson and SA Macauley. I give it 4 stars. I really enjoyed this rocker story and look forward to the sequel. You get to know each of the four characters in the band, though this book focuses most on two of the members – Finn and Evin (the next will focus on the other two, I assume). I liked both Finn and Evin, but what prevented me from giving it 5 stars was that there really weren’t that many scenes with just the two of them. I liked that I got to know all four band members, but it also left less time for Finn and Evin, so it was a bit of a double-edged sword. Still, I definitely recommend it if you are in the mood for a story with hot rockers 🙂
Big thanks to everyone who’s been part of making this event so much fun. From everyone at Joyfully Jay, to readers, to the publishers, and of course the authors whose books have gotten us all talking, it’s been fantastic. It made me feel part of the reading community in such a big way.
As my final book of the Reading Challenge, I chose Ethan Day’s A Token of Time from the time travel favorites list, definitely one of my favorite kinds of stories. Zachary Hamilton has a gift, the ability to see scenes from people’s lives when he touches objects. On the run from his family (mainly a twin sister who believes his powers were stolen from her and wants them back), he and his boyfriend Nick have opened an antique shop to help them live securely, with the side business of reading objects. Zachary is twenty, but he’s been through a lot in his time, since running away at the age 16 and hasn’t had an easy time of things. The story opens after the death of Nick, while he is still deep in the depression from all that he’s lost. He finds out he has a connection to a movie star from the ’50s and this sends him on an unforgettable adventure.
This was a really enjoyable story. The time travel aspect definitely hooked me in, but it was the characters’ romance that kept me reading. Sometimes the aspect with his sister and his family felt a little too forced and there’s an extra murder mystery aspect that was a bit heavy, but my fondness for the main characters and the side characters really kept me enjoying this one a lot. The love story here is just super strong and definitely had all the emotion I was looking for. I would definitely recommend this one, especially for readers like me who enjoy that touch of paranormal powers and time travel. This is my first time reading Ethan Day, and now I’m looking forward to my next!
So glad you are enjoying the event Carolyn! And glad you liked this book. I think it is one of the more serious of Ethan’s books. If you want to try humor, I loved the Sno ho series. So much fun.
I chose to read Shatter Glass by Dani Alexander. I had started reading it a long time ago but couldn’t really get into it. I saw it on the list for “Coming Out” stories and decided to try it again. It turns out that I really enjoyed reading this.
It starts with 26 yeard old police detective, Austin, only weeks away from his wedding when he runs into Peter while working a case. Austin is drawn to Peter (and his bunny slippers), but doesn’t know why since he isn’t gay. He pursues Peter even knowing that this could ruin the career plans to work for the FBI since Peter is a witness/suspect in the case that he’s working on.
Austin really had no filter and his inner dialogue kept cracking me up.
There were tons of twists and turns in the mystery and it kept me guessing up until the end.
I’m bad with the star ratings, but this book was a lot of fun so I’d give it 4 or 5 stars.
I’m really glad it was on the “coming out” list because otherwise it might still be sitting in my TBR. 🙂
Oh I am so glad you read this one as I LOVED it! One of my favorites so I’m glad you liked it too!
I also decided to read Crossing Borders again! I read it when it originally came out & have reread it a few times in the past few years but I love the new cover so I said time for the rerelease!
It’s funny that ZAM mentioned not updating things to fit what is happening now and how that leaves things a little dated and this totally drew my attention to all the things that don’t work today!
Even though I have read this book multiple times I am still connecting to new things, when Tristan dresses up Kenshin for Halloween it seemed cool but it wasn’t til this year that my younger brother showed me a couple episodes of the anime version of Kenshin. During this reread I had a visual in mind of the character and I loved that.
Some things may not hold up 100% but it is still a great book! Still a reread!
I was able to read 2 1/2 books from this week’s challenge. The 1/2 book wasn’t planned for the challenge but just so happens to be on a friends/enemies list. I started the week reading Anne Tenino’s Frat Boy and Toppy,a sweet story that I really enjoyed. I ended the week reading Damon Suede’s Hot Head. Hot damn! I sat down to read and I just devoured the story. I got absolutely nothing done that day. Why I waited so long to read this story, I’ll never know, but I’m so glad you had this reading challenge so that I could. Thank you, I’ve had a blast this past month.
Oh, the 1/2 book I’m currently reading is Keira Andrews’ Kick at the Darkness. It’s a great read so far.