Thursday, December 22, 2011

100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!

So you know I am addicted to challenges right? Well, if you are new to my reading blog then you may not know that but trust me I am. While reading some of my favorite book blogs I came across a pretty awesome 100+ book challenge going on. It's hosted by Book Chick City and basically its super easy. All you need to do is read 100 books or more. The only restrictions are that they have to be fiction and cannot be audio books. The button for the challenge is in my right sidebar....clickity click to join. The more the merrier! You can join at any time and start participating on January 1st.


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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas

 Synopsis: ONE LITTLE GIRL NEEDS A FAMILY One rain-slicked night, six-year-old Holly lost the only parent she knew, her beloved mother, Victoria. And since that night, she has never again spoken a word. — ONE SINGLE MAN NEEDS A WIFE The last thing Mark Nolan needs is a six-year-old girl in his life. But he soon realizes that he will do everything he can to make her life whole again. His sister’s will gives him the instructions: There’s no other choice but you. Just start by loving her. The rest will follow.

SOMETIMES IT TAKES A LITTLE MAGIC . . .

Maggie Collins doesn’t dare believe in love again, after losing her husband of one year. But she does believe in the magic of imagination. As the owner of a toy shop, she lives what she loves. And when she meets Holly Nolan, she sees a little girl in desperate need of a little magic.

. . . TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE Three lonely people. Three lives at the crossroads. Three people who are about to discover that Christmas is the time of year when anything is possible, and when wishes have a way of finding the path home. . . .


My Thoughts: Finished Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas and loved it. It was heart warming and just a sweet type of romance. Despite the shortness of the book the story felt full and complete. I didn't find it ended abruptly as some people did but it kind of ended, to me, as a 'this is just the beginning for us' feeling. I very much enjoyed that even though this book was short the story took place over months and months time. So no 'instantaneous love' in this book...which is a huge bonus in my mind.

I really connected with Maggie who is a young widow and she is very much scared of moving forward in her love life. I loved that Mark is a 'we don't encourage whimsical imagination of faeries living in little houses' kind of guy who ended up making his niece a bowl of rainbow when she was sick. I loved that he went from an OMG I'm not a parent type of guy to knowing he is a father despite not being biologically correct. Lisa Kleypas creates excellent characters. I cannot wait for Sam and Alex's books. Seriously when are they coming out????

I was torn between 4.5 stars and 5....I ended up giving it 5 because my overall thoughts of "I wish it were longer" had nothing to do with making the book better. It was my own selfish reasoning in wishing it was longer. The story is excellent as is. I just wanted it to be a bigger book so I could continue with my enjoyment longer.

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Harlequin/Silhouette Reading Challenge 2012


 For the past couple years I have joined in on the Harlequin/Silhouette Reading Challenge which was hosted by Yvonne over at Socrates' Book Reviews in the past. This year she has passed the torch to Evy over at Islandgirl Read Romance. The rules are pretty much the same except the Mr Linky is used to link our reviews for the books we read. Here are the general rules...

Rules:1 This Challenge is from Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2012.
2) All of the books must be from the Harlequin family of imprints (includes Mira books as well)
3) Read one book for each of the following requirements:


  • The name of a place in the title (whether a country or small city or town)
  • A weather condition in the title (snow, rain, storm etc.)
  • A Title must be in the title of the book (Prince, Countess, etc)
  • The author's first or last name beginning with the letter M
  • A Holiday/Season in the title (Valentine, Christmas, Summer, etc)
  • A color must be in the title (red, blue, green etc)
Other information:
1) Please join the challenge by signing up with Mr. Linky. The link must be the one announcing
     your participation on your blog - not just the link to your blog in general.
2) You can grab the button above and post it on your site.
3) A list ahead of time is not necessary and may be changed at any time
4) Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebook
5) Books may be used for other challenges
6) Go to eHarlequin for book information, anything you can purchase there counts for the challenge.
Just remember to use the little bitty Mr Linky to join and the larger one to post your reviews. 
This challenge goes for an entire year and there are only 6 books to read. Easy Peazy right? Oh and Evy's Islandgirl link will take you directly to the challenge post. Come on...Join the fun!



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