Let's Talk Romance {a Romance Book Tag}

The other day I was watching a tag video that Heather from Bookables had posted. It's all about the romance genre, and since it's my favorite type of book to read I figured why not join in. 

First romance you remember reading

Montana Sky by Nora Roberts

Last romance you read

Balls to the Wall by April Canavan

Romance you are most like to recommend to a newbie

Modern Royals series by Aven Ellis

Romance you are most likely to recommend to another romance reader

All the Kings Men duet by Kennedy Ryan

An underrated romance you wish more people would read

Bloodmark Saga by Aurora Whittet

I binged this series, and absolutely loved it.

An overrated romance you wish people would stop talking about

Oh, well, let's do this then.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

No I haven't read it, but I have heard it's not really a romance, so yeah.

An auto-buy author

Because I cannot just pick one:
Aven Ellis
Natasha Madison
Helena Hunting
Kennedy Ryan

An author you use to love that you've since abandoned

Nicholas Sparks
I used to read EVERY book he would release. There are still some that I love to this day, but I won't pick up any more of his books. Heck the last book I read of his (Two by Two) was so bad I almost DNF'd it.

Favorite trope

Friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and second chance.

Best book with your favorite trope

Well now that's a bit subjective. Let's go with my most recent read which was Balls to the Wall by April Canavan. Parker and Remy used to be friends, after some words spoken by Remy they are now enemies, and it could very well be a second chance for them. So there you go.

A book you didn't like even though it has your favorite trope

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

It is enemies to lovers, and I DNF'd it.

Most hated trope

Maybe forced proximity

A book you liked even though it has the trope you hate

About a Boy by Stephanie Kay

Your problematic favorite

I honestly have no clue. And yes, I had to look up what this meant as I've never heard the term before.

A book everyone else loved that has you scratching your head

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

Now to be fair, it wasn't horrible, but it also wasn't this awesome book that so many people are making it out to be. 

Your favorite romancelandia person to follow on twitter

I don't really do twitter, so I'll skip this question.

A place or person you go for recommendations or reviews

Steph's Romance Book Talk, Bookables, Chelsea Palmer, In Love & Words, and Peace Love Books all on Youtube.

A book that has a character that reminds you of yourself

On Thin Ice by Aven Ellis

Holly Johannsen is me in fictional form. A bit of social anxiety, loves planners and books, and is from Minnesota. 

Romance cover you love

Is this where I admit I don't like the majority of romance book covers? That being said, many of Nora Roberts covers tend to draw me in. Especially the Cousin O'Dwyer trilogy and The Guardians trilogy covers..\

A book you've reread more than twice

I don't typically re-read unless it is pictures books with my kids.

Best romance audiobook

I don't listen to audio books.

Best romance or rom-com movie

You've Got Mail

Favorite heroine

I'm torn between Tenley from Clipped Wings and Lennix from All the King's Men duet.

Favorite hero

I don't have one.

Your all time favorite romance

HAHAHAAHA
That's cute.
You expect me to choose one.

• All the King's Men duet by Kennedy Ryan
• Modern Royals by Aven Ellis
• Bloodmark Saga by Aurora Whittet
• The Edge of Happiness by Kristen Turnage
• Sign of Seven trilogy by Nora Roberts
• The Guardian trilogy by Nora Roberts
• Folkestone Sins by Samantha Lovelock 

That was a lot more difficult than I was expecting! It was still enjoyable to complete though. 

Have you read any of the books I mentioned? Who are your auto-buy authors?

Happy Reading,

The Bookish A to Z book tag

It's been a while since my last book tag. I found the Bookish A to Z book tag through the FNM Book Blog (courtesy of Google), and it sounded interesting. After looking at the questions on Ann Marie Swaim's blog, I decided I would participate. No I wasn't tagged, but that doesn't stop me.  Plus these book tags allow you all to get to know me a bit better. 

Author you've read the most books from:

This is a tough one. Id say it is a toss up between Aven Ellis, Natasha Madison, and Nora Roberts.

Best sequel

I went back and forth on this one. Ultimately A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas won out.

Honorable mentions to: Wundersmith by Jessica Townsend and Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

Currently Reading

The Wedding Game by Meghan Quinn. It was my Amazon First Reads selection for February.

Drink of choice while reading

Diet Coke

E-reader or Physical Book

Prior to Christmas 2019, I would have said physical. Now though my answer is 100% e-reader. I love my paperwhite.

Fictional character you probably would have dated in high school

Oh gosh I have no clue. (and do you know how long ago high school was for me? egads!)

Glad you gave this book a chance

Fragile Things by Samantha Lovelock

Hidden Gem

On The Edge by Dani Collins

Important moment in your reading life

I really think it goes back to my introduction to books. It was all because of my paternal Grandpa, and those amazing pop-up books he gifted me.

Just finished

I received an ARC of Only One Touch by Natasha Madison, and it was amazing. (review coming soon)

Kind of books I wont read

Horror or anything that is extremely gory.

Longest book you've read

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Major book hangover because of

The Edge of Happiness by Kristin Turnage

Number of book cases you own

2 for me, and 3 half sized for my kids.

One book you've read multiple times

Everyones a aliebn when ur a aliebn too by Jomny Sun

It's amazing, and everyone should read it.

Preferred place to read

My couch in our downstairs living room

Quote that inspires you, or gives you all the feels, from a book you've read

Reading regret

I don't have any. 

I mean are there books I wish I wouldn't have given my time to? Yes, I'm looking specifically at you Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks.

Series you started and need to finish

I'll just mention one since most of the series I'm currently reading are works in progress. So with that, I'll say the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend. I still need to read Hollowpox. (and I really want to buy the series vs borrowing it from my library.)

Three of your all time favorite books

Excuse me? Choose favorites? How very dare you! Okay fine, I'll toss out a few titles.

• Everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too by Jomny Sun
• The Edge of Happiness by Kristin Turnage
• Bloodmark Saga by Aurora Whittet

Unapologetic fangirl for

Hockey romance novels. Especially those by Natasha Madison and Samantha Whiskey.

Very excited for this release (more than all the others)

At this very moment, I would say Restless Things by Samantha Lovelock. I need to know what happens after that bombshell at the end of Fractured Things.

Worst bookish habit

Reading too fast, and not cherishing the book. Maybe? 

X marks the spot: start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book

Vision in White by Nora Roberts. It's the first book in the Bride Quartet series.

Your latest book purchase

Oh just call me out why don't you. You know I've been buying books when I don't need to be.

I pre-ordered Only One Regret by Natasha Madison. It is the fifth book in the Only One series. Now I just need to wait until October. (unless I can get my hands on an ARC in September. Wishful thinking.) I'm so giddy that Natasha Madison decided to expand the series from 4 books to 8. 

ZZZ-snatcher book (aka the last book that kept you up way too late)

Geez, what did I do to you? I can't help it if I read late at night, and then get so absorbed into the book that I say up until 1 or 2 in the morning. 

There you have it, my bookish a to z.  Have you read any of the books I mentioned? How about the authors? Are you familiar with them? 

Happy Reading,

TBR Games

If you are like me, and watch videos on bookish videos on youtube (booktube), then chances are you've watched a video or two about TBR games. 

The first "game" I had watched was Codie's Wheel of TBR. I thought it was so unique, and such a fun way to select what you might read that month. Put some prompts on the wheel, give it a spin, and see where you land. Of course it also gave me major Wheel of Fortune vibes, but that's just me.

Shortly there after, I found the Irish Reader's TBR game. He was using a claw machine to select his prompts! So creative. Fill the containers with your prompts, use the claw to grab one, and then select the book. 

Next came Book-opoly on Becca's channel. I had heard about this, but hadn't watched until yesterday. I was immediately intrigued. This is a spin on the classic board game that many of us grew up playing. Obviously instead of purchasing property, you're reading books that relate to the what you've filled your board with.

After watching Becca's Book-opoly game, Youtube was obviously recommending others for me. Fellow readers, there are some really creative people out there, and I'm loving it. Here are a few other TBR games that I stumbled upon

• TBR Pursuit by Jadeyraereads (If you're thinking of Trivial Pursuit, you'd be correct)
  
  
• A Game of Bookish Life by AStar Reads (Life anyone?)

• TBR Bingo with Kaylani SimplyMe
  
  
• M&M's TBR with Current Chapter

• Skittles TBR with KaylaReads
  
  
• A homemade board game by A Novel Curiousity

After watching those videos, I wondered if anyone had made a game for those who predominantly read romance. That is when I found Romance-opoly! This is a bit similar to Book-opoly, but obviously created for romance readers. It looks as though it's been offered for two years (2019, 2020), but the creators were not able to build a board for this year. I like what they had created, but it wasn't specifically what I was looking for.

So I decided to just build my own utilizing Canva. I decided that the majority of the board would be common tropes, with a few sub-genres added in. 

My plan is to start the game in February. Since I am typically a mood reader, my plan is to roll 4 times. If I roll doubles, then I will add a roll which then adds a book to my pile. So my book-opoly game will provide me with a minimum of 4 reads each month. 

Oh, and for that pesky go to jail portion of the board, in order for me to be released I have to listen to an audio book. Those who know me, know I am not a fan. At all. But I also know that one of the reading challenge prompts from Creating & Co is to read in a different format. So it's a way to fulfill that prompt should I happen to land on that space.

Here is what my board looks like:

After I printed it, I realized that I should have spread out my sports romances. 🤣 Oh well, such is life, I can always adjust and print a new version in 2022. My printout is already glued into my reading journal, so I'm not going to reprint, and waste the ink.

The spaces I figure most people might have questions about are what would typically be the "railroad" spaces. Here are my thoughts:

Train: My original thought was that the characters might meet on one of these modes of transportation. If I can't find that, then perhaps there will be a train or subway on the cover. (see the new Casey McQuiston book releasing later this year)

Plane: The couple either go on vacation, meet on an airplane, or meet while they are on separate vacations. (or again, a plane on the cover)

Ship: This is for fanfic. Yep, I'm going there. I'm going to select a few of my favorite fandom ships, and headover to AO3 to read a story.

Bus: Read a book set in (or around) London.

I cannot wait to start playing, and see what books come my way for February. I'll be sure to update what my picks are!

And I noticed I didn't put anything on the "go" spot. So IF I land there, it will be to read one of my Amazon First Reads selections that I've yet to read.

Tell me what you think! Also, if you choose a TBR each month, how do you select your books? Have you tried a TBR game like the youtubers I mentioned? I wonder if anyone has made a Plinko version?

Happy Reading,

The Rapid Fire Book Tag

Today is a busy day in my home. My kids return to school next week, and well that means a lot of stuff needs to get accomplished today. Between meeting the teachers, picking up chrome books, and having a quick IEP meeting, it's going to be a day. Thankfully my husband is still home (thanks pandemic), so he can keep the preschooler with him while I manage school stuff with our two elementary kids. Then he is also going to handle the pick up of materials for our middle schooler. Four kids + 3 schools = busy.

So I figured that on this busy (slightly chaotic) day a book tag would be perfect. Plus it allows you all to know me a bit better. Thanks to a Pinterest search, I discovered the Rapid Fire book tag. Over on the blog This Splendid Shambles, I learned the GirlReading was the originator of this tag. 

If you're curious about my answers, then keep on reading.

TBR Book Tag

I don't know about you, but I love a good book tag. These tags give a good opportunity to share more about yourself. 

 
Recently I watched Heather from Bookables complete this TBR tag, and well I wanted to participate. So here we go.