September Reads (and yeah… how did this happen?)

This was a good reading month! I ended up reading 14 books and 9 novellas, and that’s mostly because I fell into a big trap…

Now, a few years ago, I remember a friend at work telling me about a great smut series to speed read through, and how addicting those books were. I took one look at the cover of the first one and said “yeah… no thank you”. Four years later, and it happened. After reading the ACOTAR series I needed some smut, something fast paced, romantic, with a lot of action. TikTok seemed to think so too, so I kept seeing videos with Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon on it. The first book was available on Scribd, and yeah, 12 books later and 9 novellas and I CANNOT STOP!

I don’t understand what it is… are the books brilliant? Nope. Is the world building fantastic? Meh. Is the romance super good? Depends on the books, but in general, average. Does it have a trope I absolutely hate? Yes it does. Am I still consuming them like they’re Ferrero Rocher’s? YYYYYEEEEEESSSSS!

You can find the info on the series here. I will drop a few spoilers for the whole series and below just a very quick thoughts on the books.

As an overall, all the books have this in common: human girls land on an Ice Planet, the planet has one humanoid tribe, the Sa-Khui, full of males, and only 4 females, girls need to assimilate a parasite to be able to survive on the planet, and this parasite has the function of making them healthy, and species propagation. So the cootie decides who is mate with whom, and from that point on the goal is: have sex until there’s a baby. Yeah, so, I’m not crazy at all about the whole breeding trope. The Sa-Khui males, from the moment they resonate, have one purpose only: make their mates happy, and I think all of them say the following in their books: “I’m the luckiest of males” :D. There are also ridges, everywhere… and a spur, which you only learn what is for on book 11… The writing is a bit repetitive to be honest, but also, I didn’t even care.

Ice Planet Barbarians (IPB #1): Vektal and Georgie story and major worldbuilding. Everything happens TOO fast, but somehow, very satisfying. I wasn’t a huge fan of the whole sex thing even prior to them speaking the same language, but again, this book was SPICY! – 3.5 / 5 Stars

Ice Planet Honeymoon: Vektal and Georgie (IPB #1.5): Cute short story, heavy on the emotion and cementing the bond between the couple – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian Alien (IPB #2): Raahosh & Liz book. Probably my favourite girl in all the series. Liz is a badass, and Raahosh is just as great. These two had great banter, and while I don’t condone how it started, I really liked how the story progressed and the connection these 2 had. – 4.0 / 5 Stars

Ice Planet Honeymoon: Raahosh & Liz (IPB #2.5): Short and unnecessary. But again, great couple. Raahosh has issues 😀 – 3.5 / 5 Stars

Barbarian Lover (IPB #3): I really liked Aehako & Kira. Kira was a bit negative at times, but had plenty of reason. Aehako was super funny. I liked the free will (to a degree), and that this one had a bit more plot. – 4.0 / 5 Stars

Ice Planet Honeymoon: Aehako & Kira (IPB #3.5): Funny and sweet!!!! – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian Mine (IPB #4): Rukh & Harlow’s story. This one is completely different, but Rukh gave me some Raahosh vibes (rightly so). The fact that most of the book is away from everyone else, allowed for a deeper connection between the couple. Good development, but a bit slow, and while I love Harlow, especially in books to come, she was too “go with the flow” in some parts here… – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Ice Planet Honeymoon: Rukh & Harlow (IPB #4.5): different than the other novella, as it takes place DURING the previous book. Sweet! – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Ice Planet Holiday (IPB #5): Long novella about holiday celebrations, a glimpse at past couples and some babies, and a new couple, Claire and Ereven. Could have done with a little less Georgie, she was not a happy camper. – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Prize (IPB #6): Tiffanny and Salukh’s story. Not my favourite, but I liked Salukh, thought the whole “she’s mine, she just doesn’t know it yet” and “let me pretend I’m only her friend” got a bit old. But the guy was sweet and he did his best. Somehow, I think from this book onwards the series changes a lot. I mean, it’s still smutty alien romance, but this was a slow burn, and from this point onwards, the sexy times get less and less, and while I do enjoy the character development, I really really liked the high amount of smut… – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Mate (IPB #7): Finally we get to Josie and Haeden!!! And this I was expecting to be a enemies to lovers romance, and though it was to some degree, I needed the following: Haeden to give a bit more fight (he went from “I hate you” to “You’re my heart” way too fast!), and for Josie to be a little less selfish for the first half of the book. Seriously, the second part for me was easily a 4.5, but the start, it was slow and painful and I just wanted to slap Josie for how much she was hurting her mate. – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Having the Barbarian’s Baby (IPB #7.1): It took me ages to pass the mid part of this book because Megan was so annoying… not worth it. – 2.0 / 5 Stars

Ice Ice Babies (IPB #7.2): Nora struggling to take care of her babies and reconnect with her baby daddy (that is scared out of his mind about his family). Sweet, but they needed to communicate more. What ruins this book for me in hindsight, is the inconsistencies it has regarding some following books. – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Touch (IPB #8): Super slow burn between Rokan and a new member of the human family in Non-Hoth, Lila. Look, I understand that they had some communication barriers between them, but so did Vektal and Georgie, and the first time they see each other, sexy stuff happens. Rokan and Lila wait until the end of the book. They’re sweet, super strong development, I like that Lila wants to be independent and learn, finally, but yeah, no… – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Calm (IPB #8.5): Ended up reading this one after book 9, so the Calm before the storm was ruined for me 😀 – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Taming (IPB #9): I went into this one scared… Maddie was not nice on the previous book, and Hassan had tried to kidnap her sister to force resonance, so yeah, I was a bit scared. But WTF, this was fantastic! Good banter, great communication, Maddie learning how to be independent. In this series, assholes make the best characters! Super worth it, and at a moment I was in a rut with the slowness of the past books, this one picked it up again. Awesome. – 4.0 / 5 Stars

Aftershocks (IPB #9.5): This was an emotional read. No happy scenes here, just a few fav characters trying to deal with a world altering event… – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Heart (IPB #10): Stacy and Pashov get a second change romance… this is a bit sad, because for most of the book is Stacy dealing with the loss of her mate, while trying to take care of her child and moving, while Pashov is trying to understand the gaps in his memory and how his mate fits into his life. I was not crazy about these 2, but the story was sweet, and I likes how they learned that they were still enough and still loved each other. – 3.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Hope (IPB #11): This book changes completely the perspective of this series so far. This is a second chance romance for mated couple Asha and Hemalo – both Sa-Khui (no humans allowed on this coupling). I loved their story, how the events of losing their first child broke them as a couple, both misunderstanding what the other want needed or wanted. But they grow a lot and they communicate! I like Claire, but I did not think her POV was essential for this story. I think it was an attempt for us readers to connect, as neither of the main characters had any Earthly connections, but it just distracted a lot of the times. I loved her friendship with Asha though, and remember how in 7.2 I said there were a lot of inconsistencies with later books… this is mostly related to Asha. Timelines don’t match, Nora befriended her on 7.2 and then didn’t continue to get to know her? Weren’t Asha and Maylak cousins on 7.2? Now they were only ever enemies? This bugged me. But the story… I loved it! ❤ – 4.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Choice (IPB #12): Another fully blue couple! By now we’ve known Farli for years and watched her grow, and now she gets her mate on a foreigner Mardok. This book answers SOME questions related to the origin of the Sa-Khui, and gets them in contact with a very advanced civilization again. This was fun. This book was super sweet and funny, and I was a bit worried until the last chapter, but I was happy they made the right choices. Slow burn on the sexy times… – 4.0 / 5 Stars

Barbarian’s Redemption (IPB #13): Once again, the hero of this book is an asshole on previous books, and for part of this one as well… Bek. In a nutshell, he manages to “buy” 5 human slaves, with the intent that they would resonate to the last 5 single members of his tribe. and it takes him a LONG time understanding what is wrong in this scenario. Ellie has been a slave for half of her life, so it takes awhile for her to come out of her shell. We end up getting a lot of character growth and a super sweet relationship. This one I enjoyed a lot, though of course, has issues. – 3.5 / 5 Stars

Now, I did end up finishing a couple more books during the month that were not blue alien p**n, eheh. First I read Sapiens, A Brief History of Human Kind by Yuval Noah Harari. My boss decided to form a book club at work, and sent his team a copy of this one to start with. I ended up listening to it instead of getting to the physical copy, but this brought me back. When I was younger these were the types of books I strived for, and it was such an informative read, and gives a great integration of a series of historical/prehistorical events into how they play into current society. Loved it! This one was a hit for me, but as the “book club” does not have a defined theme yet, I’m a bit scared of what the next book will be about :D.

Finally I went back to one of my favs. With the The Legacy by Elle Kennedy coming out this month, I decided I wanted to reread the Off-Campus series prior to reading the nee book, so I was able to finish The Deal.

Garrett and Hannah’s story still made me smile like crazy on this 3rd time reading this one. ❤ I’m now re-reading The Mistake, and I plan to finish the full series within the next few days. I also still have pending the last book from Briar U, so I might get to it as well.

So, now you tell me. Have you read any of these books? If you also fell into the IPB world, pls let me know :D.

What I’ve read (or listened to) this year, so far…

This is still a bit weird for me, after being away for so long, so bear with me for a little while…

2021 has been a weird year. While 2020 started “normal” and then it all went to sh*t around March, 2021 started already in this weird state. In Portugal, we were in confinement, that went even stricter after the start of the year (a lot because we had a free-ish Christmas, which lead to a huge increase in number of cases).

At the end of 2020 I also moved and am now living by myself, which has been great, but also lead to a lot of movie/series watching on Netflix and Disney Plus. So I haven’t read a lot this year, I have, though, listened to a few audiobooks. I believe I mentioned this on the last post, but I’ve been listening to audios on my way to and from Lisbon, but because I’m lucky enough to still be working from home, I usually don’t wonder into the big city more than 1 or 2 times a week.

Single Dad Seeks Juliette (Max Monroe) was the first book of the year (and the only one I actually “read”). This was an extremely cute read, to be fair, Max Monroe rarely disappoints, and their books are always extremely fun and swoony.

I really enjoyed the 2 main characters. Jake especially, and it was great to see a single dad of a teenager not completely losing it :D. Holley was hilarious, but there were a couple of times where I wanted to share her.

Overall, super enjoyable, and I already have the follow up book lined up on my kindle.

Then, like most of the world, I watched Bridgerton on Netflix. Of course I liked it, of course, and as soon as I understood it was an adaptation from a series from Julia Quinn, I queued the audiobooks on Scribd and started the series. As much as I enjoyed the series, the books are a lot better. I scored them all between 4 and 5 (with the extended epilogues sometimes getting a 3 when I felt they didn’t add anything to the story). I’m super excited to see the series continue, as I’m super curious as to how they’re going to adapt Anthony and Kate’s story. I think book 3 (Benedict’s) and book 6 (Francesca’s) were my favourites, I especially liked Fracesca’s story, I think because it was a second chance romance… it just warmed my heart. Gregory’s final story was also super enjoyable and sweet :D.

When I was done with the Bridgertons, I started with the Rokesbys, a set of stories set a few decades before the Bridgertons’, and I liked this one even better than the first set of stories. Again, the rating of the books was all between 4 and 5, but the characters, especially the female ones, were AMAZEBALLS.

After all the historical romances, I was in a bit of a slump. So I decided to re-listen The Legal Briefs series by Emma Chase – FYI, this was my third read of the series. Sustained is and will be always one of my favourite books ever.

Best Friends Don’t Kiss by Max Monroe was actually a bit of a disappointment (up until now, it was my lowest rating of the year – a 3 stars). The story started out well, but soon I was getting frustrated by the lack of communication of these 2 supposed best friends. The end was super cute though…

Tamed by Emma Chase I couldn’t tell you why I didn’t read it back when I read all the other books of the series, but I enjoyed this one, super fun!

Beautiful Bastard I did a full post on, so yeah, read it, but warning: I did not like it.

Now, these 2… WOW. I had almost forgotten how much I love Jenn and Cletus, but also, everyone else in this town and on these series. Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries is a spin of Winston Brothers and these books are a perfect combination of fun, sweet and a great mystery. Now I severely need book 3 of the series, that will only be out next year 😦 . So… I’ll go into another re-read binge, and this time, I’m re-reading the Winston Brothers. Also, the narration on these books is AMAZING. It made it that more enjoyable for me. 5 stars for both of these!

So, these are the books I’ve mostly listened to this year. What did you think of them? Did you read them? Also, any suggestions (of books that I HAVE TO read?)? 🙂

Cover Reveal: Want You by Jen Frederick

WANT YOU By New York Times Bestselling Author Jen Frederick

This will be exclusive to Kindle Unlimited – On Sale July 1^st

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BLURB:

Bitsy

I might be only nineteen, but I know what I want. It’s Leka Moore. I don’t care that he took me in when he was barely more than a kid himself. I don’t care that he raised me. I don’t care everyone thinks being with him is wrong. I know we belong together, and the only person I need to convince is him.

Leka

I found her in the corner of a dark alley. If I hadn’t taken her with me, she would’ve died that night — or maybe worse. Before I knew it, she became the light in my dark life, the haven from the madness. I watched her grow up. I tried to teach her right from wrong. Now that she’s an adult, I’m feeling things that no good man should ever feel. But then…I’ve never been a good man. I have a chance at redemption by saving her from the greatest danger of all — me.

Add to Goodreads

Jen’s links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon

Cover reveal: The Smallest Part by Amy Harmon

Guys, Amy Harmon has a new book coming out on February 13, 2018, It’s called The Smallest Part, and take a look at the cover.

Add to Goodreads

Pre-order links:

Special pre-order price of $3.99. Price will go up to $5.95 upon release.

Kindle | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

Cover design: By Hang Le – http://www.byhangle.com/

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Blurb:

“In the end, only three things matter. How much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.” – Unknown

It was a big lie. The biggest lie she’d ever told. It reverberated through her head as she said it, ringing eerily, and the girl behind her eyes — the girl who knew the truth — screamed, and her scream echoed along with the lie.

“Are you in love with Noah, Mercedes?” Cora asked. “I mean . . . I know you love him. You’ve been friends forever. We all have. But are you in love with him?”

If it had been anyone else — anyone — Mercedes would have stuck out her chest, folded her skinny arms, and let her feelings be known. She would have claimed him. But it was Cora. Brave, beautiful, broken Cora, and Cora loved Noah too.

So Mercedes lied.

And with that lie, she lost him. With that lie, she sealed her fate.

She was the best friend, the bridesmaid, the godmother, the glue. She was there for the good times and the bad, the ups and downs, the biggest moments and the smallest parts. And she was there when it all came crashing down.

This is the tale of the girl who didn’t get the guy.

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About the author:

Amy Harmon is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now being published in eighteen different languages, truly a dream come true for a little country girl from Levan, Utah.

Amy Harmon has written eleven novels — the USA Today Bestsellers, The Bird and The Sword, Making Faces and Running Barefoot, as well as The Queen and The Cure, From Sand and Ash, The Law of Moses, The Song of David, Infinity + One, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, and the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue. Her next novel, The Smallest Part, will be released February 13, 2018.

Website | Facebook | Facebook fan group | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | BookBub | Newsletter | Pinterest

Excerpt Blitz: The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan

First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…

What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her.

No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun.

I want to know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea.

Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.

Trick is… Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give this player a true shot at forever?

AMAZON | iBooks | B&N | KOBO | Paperback

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EXCERPT:

CHESS

Grumbling, I toss on some black lounge pants and my oversized Tulane t-shirt and head to the drugstore.

My head throbs by the time I get there, and my insides are writhing. I rest my hand against my lower stomach and grab a basket before calling James to complain.“I swear,” I tell him as I grab a bottle of painkillers. “It’s like this entire day has been cursed.”

He snickers. “Curse. Get it? Curse?”

I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. “Laugh it up. Meanwhile, it feels as if someone is playing Battleship in my uterus.”

“Poor Chessie bear. At least we know why you were in such a foul mood.”

A flush washes over my cheeks. “Yeah.” Lie. Lie. Lie. A tub of salted caramel gelato makes its way into the basket.

“Tell me you’re getting some gelato,” James says.

I smile. “Just grabbed it.”

“Salted caramel?”

“You know it.”

I find the feminine products aisle and search for my brand. “I’m going to go home, take a long bath with my gelato, and forget this fucking day.” Forget Finn. “And then I’m going to go on Amazon and buying a freaking year’s supply of tampons so I don’t have to make these kinds of emergency runs anymore.”

A low, deep chuckle rumbles from behind me, and all the tiny hairs lift on my arms.

“But you’ll still need your gelato,” a familiar—fuck me, seriously?—voice points out.

My insides swoop even as my cheeks burn.

“Who is that?” James asks in my ear.

I slowly turn on one heel. “The plague,” I say, glaring up at Finn Mannus’s smiling face.

“From asshat to plague.” Finn scrunches up his brow. “I’m not sure if that’s a step down or a tie.”

“Who is that?” James nearly yells now.

I don’t take my eyes off Finn. “I’ll call you back.”

James’s squawks of protest cut off as I hit the end button.

“Are you stalking me, Mannus?”

Finn a rests his hands low on his lean hips. “Having a healthy amount of conceit myself, I have to admire yours, but no, buttercup. My buddy Woodson lives a few blocks away. It’s poker night. I’m stocking up on beer.”

It’s only then I notice a twelve pack tucked under his other arm.

“And tampons?” I ask, with a pointed look around the aisle we’re standing in.

“Not tonight,” he says easily. “Though we used to keep a pack of them back in college. Light flows were perfect for stopping up bloody noses.”

A snort escapes me. “Now there’s a visual.” Somehow, I’ve taken a step closer to him. He’s freshly showered, the golden brown strands of his hair still damp at his temples. And I wonder if he’s just come from the gym or practice. “So back in college you went and bought these tampons?”

“Nah,” he says with a cheeky smile. “I’d ask one of the girls hanging around to get me some.”

“Of course you did.” My nose wrinkles with annoyance.

“Give me a little credit, Chess. I’d buy them now if I had to.”

“Hmm…” I eye him, trying not to return his smile. If only because it’s more fun when he teases. “So why are you in this aisle now, if not for potential nosebleed needs?”

“That’s easy.” He steps closer, a warm wall of muscle and clean scent. “I heard your voice.”

For a second I just blink. “You recognized my voice?”

His gaze darts over my face as if he’s trying to get a read on why I’m gaping at him. “Not to be…ah…rude, but you’re loud when you talk on the phone.”

“Yeah, but… You recognized it.” We’d only just met. It occurs to me that I’d recognized his both times he’d snuck up on me. Then again, his voice is distinctive, flowing like hot honey when he’s relaxed or hammering down like iron to rock when he’s taking command of a situation.

A soft flush of pink tints the tips of his ears. If I wasn’t staring at him, I might have missed it. He shifts his weight. “Was I not supposed to?”

“No. Yes.” I shake my head and laugh. “I don’t know.”

He grins then. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

“I’m not flustered.” I am.

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About the Author:

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards.

Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal , best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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Release Launch: The Player by K.Bromberg

Baseball has never been sexier in an all-new novel by New York Times Bestselling Author, K. Bromberg.

Easton Wylder is baseball royalty. The game is his life. His passion. His everything.

So, when an injury threatens to end Easton’s season early, the team calls in renowned physical therapist, Doc Dalton, to oversee his recovery. Except it’s not Doc who greets Easton for his first session, but rather, his daughter, Scout. She may be feisty, athletic, defiant, and gorgeous, but Easton is left questioning whether she has what it takes to help him.

Scout Dalton’s out to prove a female can handle the pressure of running the physical therapy regimen of an MLB club. And that proof comes in the form of getting phenom Easton Wylder back on the field. But getting him healthy means being hands-on.

And with a man as irresistible as Easton, being hands-on can only lead to one thing, trouble. Because the more she touches him, the more she wants him, and she can’t want him. Not when it’s her job to maintain the club’s best interest, in regards to whether he’s ready to play.

But when sparks fly and fine lines are crossed, can they withstand the heat, or is one of them bound to get burned?

iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Paperback

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About the Author:

New York Times Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy, and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines, and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.

A mom of three, she plots her novels in between school runs and soccer practices, more often than not with her laptop in tow.

Since publishing her first book in 2013, K. has sold over one million copies of her books and has landed on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists over twenty-five times.

In April, she’ll release The Player, the first in a two-book sports romance series (The Catch, book 2, will be released late June), with many more already outlined and ready to be written.

She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media or sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date on all her latest releases and sales HERE

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon Author | Driven Group

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2017 Reading Challenges

Hey guys! This year I’m gonna keep my 2017 Reading Challenges quite simple, and I’m doing the Goodreads one, because obviously I am, and I’ve set my goal to 150 books. Last year I started setting it at 75 and ended up with the goal of 175 (and ended up reading 218), so I think 150 is a good number. And look at that… I’m already ahead of schedule, eheh.

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My REAL challenge however is gonna be the 2017 New Adult Reading Challenge, created by Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much.

This is perfect for me, because I’ve been reading loads of NA books lately, so I’m excited for this one :D.

The challenge has two different directions and I plan to tackle both. The first one is by the number of NA books read and there are a few categories:

• NA Newbie – 6 books
• NA Initiate – 12 books
• NA Intermediate – 24 books
• NA Advanced – 36 books
• NA Expert – 50 books
• NA Queen/King (special category) – 100 books

Obviously I’m aiming for the NA Queen category (or at least the NA Expert).

The second thing within this challenge is a Reading Bingo and I’m so excited for this one!

1. Book set in college
2. Hyped Book
3. Debut Novel
4. 2017 Release
5. New Adult best seller
6. Book about friendship
7. Book with music or art
8. Book out of your comfort zone
9. Book based on its cover
10. Diverse novel
11. A LGBT novel or with a LGBT characters
12. New to you author
13. Book you can finish in one day
14. Start a series
15. Book that makes you laugh
16. Book set in the summer
17. Book you knew nothing about
18. A re-read
19. Book about a road trip
20. Book recommendation
21. One word title
22. Book about sports
23. Book on the bottom of your TBR
24. Book with only male POV

I have a few suggestions for books for the bingo, and I’ll be doing a post soon with those suggestion… would that be something you would be interested in?

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So, these will be my 2017 Reading Challenges.
What are you guys participating in?

The Martian (Andy Weir)

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive — & even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — & a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

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Kat @Life and Other Disasters had loved The Martian a long while ago, and she had been telling me to read it since then. I got the ebook (don’t remember when to be honest), but I just wasn’t in the mood, and I kept putting it off… maybe I thought that because it was Sci-Fi, it would take me a long time to get through it? I don’t know! But then I got the audiobook, because I thought that this one would be amazing as audio, and I started it on my first day off of work, and I listened to nothing else for a whole day! I was cooking and listening. At the gym? Listening! Riding in a car with the family? Listening… to my sister’s dismay. Long story short: I’M IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!

On to the review now. The writing is genius! I loved how funny it was, even though the majority of the book is written in logs – and monologues can be boring sometimes – this one is anything but. Mark Watney is a funny SOB. The humour is on point! I also loved how different the narration is, depending on the POV we’re on. Mark’s POV is mostly told by logs, or emails, messages, but when the book focus on other characters, the narration changes to the third person. It’s a very smart way to write a book. I approve :D.

Mark is amazing! Seriously, he’s amazing! I love how he doesn’t panic at all. EVER! He gets a problem, he thinks about it – in a very funny way – and then he solves it. He’s awesome! 😀

I really liked the supporting characters and the various interactions between the different characters, as well as how representative this team was. The collaboration between the various teams and members was great, and it was a pleasure to read about. I might have teared up a bit when the chinese get involved, to be honest.

The plot flows supper nicely, and it didn’t feel nearly as long as the book actually is. I didn’t find this book predictable at all, and mind you, the movie has been out for awhile, I hadn’t seen it yet, but I still didn’t know where this was all going. I was just really hoping that he would be able to get out of Mars somehow, because come on… that was logical, right? I loved all the science stuff, loved it. The scientist in me was like: YES! (even though I’m not that kind of scientist, and astrophysics is not my thing at all).

Overall, I really really loved this book, so I HAVE TO recommend it to you guys. You need to read The Martian. NOW! If you don’t want to pick up the book, listen to the audiobook, because you won’t be sorry!

Cocky Roomie (Faleena Hopkins)

DREW: This ‘roommate wanted’ ad is wildly rude and unbelievable. At least it’s honest, unlike my soon-to-be ex-husband Edward, the bastard.

When Jake Cocker introduces himself wearin’ only a towel and a smirk (8 years younger than me and hotter than hell in August) I decide having him as my roommate is a VERY bad idea.

He thought I was a boy from my name, so now that I’m here he won’t rent to me. I know I should go, but my search for a home has me begging him to give me a shot. I can’t stay where I am. Secrets are there I’m not even aware of. And all I want is a fresh start.

What other choice do I have….leave Atlanta, my dreams, and give up?

JAKE: With our dad being a congressman, and us coming from old-money, women throw themselves at me and my brothers.

But Drew Charles is from a small Georgia town and doesn’t know about us. I only rented to her out of pity, because I hate to see a woman cry. Then I braced myself for a nightmare… but she just hides in her room, studying. No matter how carefully I try to coax any information out of her, she’s a closed book. She wants nothing to do with me.

I knew I shouldn’t have rented to a woman. I told her we’d be f*cking soon and she just got pissed. Told me she wouldn’t if I begged her to. I’ve never had to beg any woman for anything. It’s the other way around. Except with Drew.

Why has that given her the starring role in all of my fantasies? And how can I convince her to make them real?

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I got this book as a kindle deal for free, because I do love a good “roommates romance”, so I just went ahead and got it. Then I messed up a little, and while copying the link to send it, I accidentally touched the 1-click audible button, and ended up adding the audio to my account. Luckily it wasn’t expensive. So, I went ahead and heard the audiobook instead of simply reading it. AWESOME DECISION!

This book is told in dual POV, and while it’s read by the same person throughout – the author – she does give different tones, intonations and accents to both main characters, which was pretty convenient and fun. Apart from that, Drew and Jake have pretty distinct voices, even written. The type of language and manner of speech it totally different, and I really liked that.

The characters were ok, though nothing completely new. Drew is a 33 year old divorcee, who never worked, because she was a homemaker, until finding out that her husband was cheating on her. When she decides to start her life, she realizes she doesn’t have that many skills, but she’s willing to fight. I did like her strength, though the fact that she endured 14 years with her despicable husband didn’t sit well with me, though I did understand it.

Jake was also pretty stereotypical in a way… he was the manwhore, until he falls for Drew and his man whoring ways cease. I did like his relationship with his family and his bond with his siblings. I actually LOVED that. Their relationships were awesome.

The romance was ok (and hot). It was a lot of insta-attraction, but I did appreciate that they get to know each other a bit before getting involved. Some things did happen a little quick for my liking, but hey, the book itself wasn’t big, so…

The conflict was mostly brought on from a third party, and while it was well thought of, I didn’t like it, because it could have been so easily solved if Drew just TALKED to Jake. I also wished there had been some kind of confrontation or something…

I enjoyed this one, I think I enjoyed it even more because I heard the audiobook, and I laughed my ass off while doing it. So yeah, if you like a slightly cheesy romance, with some fun very hot scenes, give this one a chance.

Also, I have to say that I appreciated that for one I had an heroine slightly older than the hero. Well done!

Because I Love You (Tori Rigby)

Eight weeks after sixteen-year-old Andie Hamilton gives her virginity to her best friend, “the stick” says she’s pregnant.

Her friends treat her like she’s carrying the plague, her classmates torture and ridicule her, and the boy she thought loved her doesn’t even care. Afraid to experience the next seven months alone, she turns to her ex-boyfriend, Neil Donaghue, a dark-haired, blue-eyed player. With him, she finds comfort and the support she desperately needs to make the hardest decision of her life: whether or not to keep the baby.

Then a tragic accident leads Andie to discover Neil’s keeping a secret that could dramatically alter their lives, and she’s forced to make a choice. But after hearing her son’s heartbeat for the first time, she doesn’t know how she’ll ever be able to let go.

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HEY!!! I read this book as a buddy read with  Cátia @The Girl Who Read Too Much and Kat @Life and Other Disasters. You can check out  Kat’s review of this book here, while go to Cátia’s blog on the next few days to read her thoughts on it.

Every once in awhile, I read a contemporary that really sticks with me and surprises me in the most amazing way. This was one of those books. I have to admit that I was a little reticent at first, because I thought that moral values and church would have a more prominent role in the storyline that they ended up having, and that was a damn good thing. This book also ended up being about a lot more than a teen pregnancy and what should she do about the baby. The book emcompasses her intire journey, with everything in her live coming into play. It deals with adoption, teen pregnancy, how to have a relationship in the condition, the role of friends and family. The most important thing is that blood does not mean family, and that is showcased several times during this book. In a way, this book reminded me a bit of Anything You Want, but the characters are utterly different.

The book is told from Andie’s POV, and it’s narrated almost like a movie voice over at times… I liked it! I will definitly want to check more books by Tori Rigby, because I really enjoyed the style of writing. The pacing was also very well balanced. It’s kind of natural for books about pregnancy to focus a lot on the first half of it and skim the second half, but Because I Love You maintained a very good balance.

The characters are a bit tricky… with that said, I really liked Andie, even though she sometimes was a crybaby and all, but hey, she’s 16 and carrying a baby, so she has every right to cry as much as she likes. She grows a lot during the book, and learns to trust the right people and her own emotions. You know from the blurb that Andie’s two best friends will abandon her as soon as she finds out she’s pregnant, but not only do they do that, but they also turn against her, and one of them is the baby’s dad… that got me super mad! But she does find two amazing people who more than make up for her sorry excuse of friends. Neil and Jill become her support system, with Neil becoming way more than that. And Jill is just awesome!

I loved the romance between Neil and Andie, it was perfect! Neil is an amazing guy, and the more he lets Andie into his life and heart, the more we get to see how perfect he is for her. He deals with her pregnancy like a true friend ought to. He’s supportive and he loves her unconditionally. I loved how patient she was with her, and how he always gave her time and space to decide things for herself, while still being there to support her.

Some people really surprised me in a good way in this book, and I was shocked by some twists and turns that Because I Love You took. I DID NOT SEE IT COMING!

This book turned out to be an emotional ride, and it got me laughing and crying and screaming at my phone, while loving every second of it. While some things could be predicted, I liked how they were handled, and that not everything was a huge deal. I loved how the end of the book is not their end, if that makes any sense. Well done!