MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - The 2024 Annual Reading Challenge List Thread

birdbrainbb · 01-16-2024, 12:57 PM

My reading has dropped way off in the last few years, so I'm making a big effort to increase my reading this year. I'd also like to read at least 100 books from my TBR.

Progress: 108/200 (including 6 short stories)
TBR challenge: 20/100

Mostly I read queer romances with the occasional travel memoir mixed in, fyi.

January (5)

Spoiler:

February (19)

Spoiler:

Letters from the Hippie Trail: Overland Travel from Europe through Asia 1977-1982 - Renee Rogers - 2/5 - Travel memoir; this one needed fleshed out more as there weren't enough letters to cover the entire trip and overall it fell flat.
Prince and Betrothed - Tavia Lark - 2/5 - Fantasy romance with dragon rider/mage-ish characters; not terrible but I'm not going to read the rest of the series.
The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer - SE Harmon - 4/5 - Fun action/adventure romance with shades of Indiana Jones.
Nelson & MacIlwraith: Moon Murder Mysteries I - K. Sterling - 3/5 - Paranormal romance mystery starring a FBI agent and university professor investigating a murderous druid cult. Overall fine read, but the ending fumbled the ball.
Cursed Cocktails - SL Rowland - 3/5 - Cozy fantasy with a bit of romance about an ex-soldier opening a tavern. Nothing much happens, but I suppose that was the point?
Dragon Falls - Davis Lavender - 2/5 - Fantasy romance where a guy falls through a portal and ends up in a fantasy TV show; writing is a bit rough but author has promise.
Earthly Pleasures - Sera Trevor - 3/5 - Fantasy romance between a prince and a priest, overall not bad but I liked her later books a bit more-- she gets better at writing.
Ghost - Joe Abernathy - 2/5 - Middling Mafia romance with BDSM elements, not terrible but neither the relationship nor the BDSM scenes were developed enough to be all that satisfying of a read. Recommend pickup up Alexis Hall's Spires series or Aleksandr Voinov's Dark Soul if you want actually interesting BDSM romances.
Fated Mates and How to Woo Them - AJ Sherwood - 2/5 - Paranormal romance (vampire) with little plot, really just an excuse for hurt-comfort smoopy stuff.
Fated Mates and Where to Find Them - AJ Sherwood - 2/5 - Same as the first book, of course.
How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager - D.N. Bryn - 3/5 - Paranormal romance (vampire) with cute characters, but an over-the-top antagonist who felt badly written.
By Desert Ways to Bagdad - Louise Jebb Wilkins - 4/5 - 1900s travel book of two British women who travel overland to Bagdad. Surprisingly as un-racist as a travel book in this era can be.
A Thief in the Night - KJ Charles - 4/5 - Novella connected to author's Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting book; gruff nobleman and wily thief come together and fall in love. Very cute and well written for a short book!
Treasure - Megan Derr - 3/5 - Reread; fantasy romance with gods and dragons. Not my favorite of her stories and was written early on in her career so it's a bit rough, but I'll continue the series eventually.
A Rose by Any Name - KJ Charles - 4/5 - Short story set in Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting world; characters from that book and Thief in the Night finally meet up.
Nightmare for Hire - Morgan Lysand - 2/5 - Paranormal romance with a cutesy nightmare monster and a human nurse; cute idea but slightly rough writing.
God of Fury - Rina Kent - 2/5 - Contemporary romance with a mafia scion and a British snob. One of those popcorn books where you know it's bad but you eat it anyway.
All I Want for Christmas is Revenge - K.A. Merican - 3/5 - Dark romance between a hitman/serial killer and a guy who wants revenge; actually well written for what it was!
Patience - Lark Taylor - 3/5 - Paranormal romance with a reincarnation angle. Not bad but not fantastic. Good characters, at least.
Justice - Lark Taylor - 3/5 - Paranormal romance starring the brother from the previous book and a vampire. Good emotional depth/development!
Mad Love - April Jade - 1.5/5 - Dark romance with a mafia/business man and a basically homeless younger guy. The mob boss business man was SUPER unsexy; kept throwing tantrums like a toddler.

March (80-- I got a Kindle Unlimited subscription and I USED IT)

Spoiler:

Not All Himbos Wear Capes - C. Rochelle - 3/5
Gentlemen Prefer Villains - C. Rochelle - 3/5
Putting Out for a Hero - C. Rochelle - 4/5
Enter the Multi-Vers - C. Rochelle - 2/5
Excellent scifi romance series with heroes and villains. The first book has a comedic angle but the last book is more regular (and is my least favorite, actually).
The Kidnapping of Roan Sinclair - Ashlyn Drewek - 2/5 - Dark romance with a more realistic mafia than in most other ones I've read. It was competently written but I think I just don't like realistic dark romances.
Soul Eater - Lily Mayne - 4/5 - Scifi romance set in a dystopian America with monsters; really sweet actually for that kind of setting!
Wyn - Lily Mayne - 4/5 - Novella with the same characters from Soul Eater getting married in the monster world. Super sweet!
Let Sleeping Foxes Lie - Sam Burns
Where Foxes Say Goodnight - Sam Burns
Malum Discordiae - Ashlyn Drewek
Echo - Chani Lynn Feener
Blackmailer's Delight - David Lawrence
Bro & the Beast 1 - L.C. Davis
Bro & the Beast 2 - L.C. Davis
Bro & the Beast 3 - L.C. Davis
Bro & the Beast 4 - L.C. Davis
Bro & the Beast 5 - L.C. Davis
Villain and the Geek 1 - L.C. Davis
Villain and the Geek 2 - L.C. Davis
Broken Out (By the Human) - L.E. Eldridge
Kraken Me Apart - Alex Silver
No Good Deed - MJ May
Aliens Abducted My Heart - Hawke Oakley
Aliens Hijacked My Heart - Hawke Oakley
Prince of the Sorrows - Kellen Graves
Bite Me! (You Know I Like It) - Fae Quinn
Gilded Lies - Julie Mannino
Not Like Other Boys - KA Merikan
Dirty Love - Bethany Winters
Himbo - Emmy Sanders
Himbro - Honey London
Lightbearer - L.C. Davis
Beyond Time - Lee McCormick
Must Love Demons - Meghan Maslow
Octopi My Heart - Amanda Meuwissen
Semantic Error, Vol.1 - Soori Jeo
The Demon's Mate - Delaney Rain
The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires - AJ Sherwood & Devon Vesper
The Demon's Dealbreaker - Delaney Rain
Idiots in Love [SS] - C. Rochelle -
In the Name of the King - GreyWayfarer
Paved with Good Intentions - aladyinbooks
Yes Sir Sorry Sir [SS] - C. Rochelle
Mighty Quill - Emmaline Strange
The Sumage Solution - GL Carriger
Marine Biology [SS] - GL Carriger
The Omega Objection - GL Carriger
How Not to Marry a Prince - Megan Derr
The Enforcer Enigma - GL Carriger
Mortal Skin - Lily Mayne
Forgotten Vows - Lily Mayne
King of Death - Lily Mayne
Godfrey and the Detective - Megan Derr
The Luxury of Vengeance - Isabella Carter
A Dandelion for Tulip - R. Cooper
Itadakimasu, wa Koi no Aji - Matsumoto Ayaka
Blackbird in the Reeds - Sam Burns
Wolf and the Holly - Sam Burns
Fox and Birch - Sam Burns
Hawk in the Rowen - Sam Burns
Stag and the Ash - Sam Burns
Rueberry Orchard - Michele Notaro
Only Good Boys Get to Top Their Xaddys [SS] - C. Rochelle
Willowhope Manor - Sammi Cee
Chasing Fate - Jacki James
Marcellus - Michelle Frost
Here There Be Dragons - theundiagnosable
Stolen Hearts & Broken Dishes - SirLurksALot
The Alien's Kidnapped Omega - Sienna Sway
The Alien's Runaway Omega - Sienna Sway
The Alien's Pregnant Omega - Sienna Sway
The Alien's Defiant Omega - Sienna Sway
Adder and Willow - Sam Burns
Eagle in the Hawthorn - Sam Burns
Salmon and the Hazel - Sam Burns
Wren and Oak - Sam Burns
The Aliens' Mate - Delaney Rain
Omega's Gamble - Claire Cullen
Alpha's Oath - Claire Cullen
Omega's Fight - Claire Cullen
Gary of a Hundred Days - Isabel Murray
Gary the Once and Former King - Isabel Murray

01-16-2024, 12:57 PM	#26
birdbrainbb Addict Posts: 287 Karma: 2191035 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Anaheim, CA Device: Kindle Oasis, Kindle Paperwhite 5	Goal: read 200 books My reading has dropped way off in the last few years, so I'm making a big effort to increase my reading this year. I'd also like to read at least 100 books from my TBR. Progress: 108/200 (including 6 short stories) TBR challenge: 20/100 Mostly I read queer romances with the occasional travel memoir mixed in, fyi. January (5) Spoiler: Band Sinister - K.J. Charles - reread - 4/5 - One of my favorites, gives the same feeling as a Georgette Heyer book but queer. A Lady for a Duke - Alexis Hall - 4/5 - Quite liked this one, though the pacing is a bit off. The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen - K.J. Charles - 5/5 - Enjoyable historical romance set in Kent between a smuggler and a nobleman. Loved the setting and the characters (primary and secondary) were great! A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel - K.J. Charles - 4/5 - Sequel set 13 years after Secret Lives; quite good and ties in things from the first book. The Queer Principles of Kit Webb - Cat Sebastian - 4/5 - Historical romance between a noblemen and an ex-highwayman, very enjoyable overall. February (19) Spoiler: Letters from the Hippie Trail: Overland Travel from Europe through Asia 1977-1982 - Renee Rogers - 2/5 - Travel memoir; this one needed fleshed out more as there weren't enough letters to cover the entire trip and overall it fell flat. Prince and Betrothed - Tavia Lark - 2/5 - Fantasy romance with dragon rider/mage-ish characters; not terrible but I'm not going to read the rest of the series. The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer - SE Harmon - 4/5 - Fun action/adventure romance with shades of Indiana Jones. Nelson & MacIlwraith: Moon Murder Mysteries I - K. Sterling - 3/5 - Paranormal romance mystery starring a FBI agent and university professor investigating a murderous druid cult. Overall fine read, but the ending fumbled the ball. Cursed Cocktails - SL Rowland - 3/5 - Cozy fantasy with a bit of romance about an ex-soldier opening a tavern. Nothing much happens, but I suppose that was the point? Dragon Falls - Davis Lavender - 2/5 - Fantasy romance where a guy falls through a portal and ends up in a fantasy TV show; writing is a bit rough but author has promise. Earthly Pleasures - Sera Trevor - 3/5 - Fantasy romance between a prince and a priest, overall not bad but I liked her later books a bit more-- she gets better at writing. Ghost - Joe Abernathy - 2/5 - Middling Mafia romance with BDSM elements, not terrible but neither the relationship nor the BDSM scenes were developed enough to be all that satisfying of a read. Recommend pickup up Alexis Hall's Spires series or Aleksandr Voinov's Dark Soul if you want actually interesting BDSM romances. Fated Mates and How to Woo Them - AJ Sherwood - 2/5 - Paranormal romance (vampire) with little plot, really just an excuse for hurt-comfort smoopy stuff. Fated Mates and Where to Find Them - AJ Sherwood - 2/5 - Same as the first book, of course. How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager - D.N. Bryn - 3/5 - Paranormal romance (vampire) with cute characters, but an over-the-top antagonist who felt badly written. By Desert Ways to Bagdad - Louise Jebb Wilkins - 4/5 - 1900s travel book of two British women who travel overland to Bagdad. Surprisingly as un-racist as a travel book in this era can be. A Thief in the Night - KJ Charles - 4/5 - Novella connected to author's Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting book; gruff nobleman and wily thief come together and fall in love. Very cute and well written for a short book! Treasure - Megan Derr - 3/5 - Reread; fantasy romance with gods and dragons. Not my favorite of her stories and was written early on in her career so it's a bit rough, but I'll continue the series eventually. A Rose by Any Name - KJ Charles - 4/5 - Short story set in Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting world; characters from that book and Thief in the Night finally meet up. Nightmare for Hire - Morgan Lysand - 2/5 - Paranormal romance with a cutesy nightmare monster and a human nurse; cute idea but slightly rough writing. God of Fury - Rina Kent - 2/5 - Contemporary romance with a mafia scion and a British snob. One of those popcorn books where you know it's bad but you eat it anyway. All I Want for Christmas is Revenge - K.A. Merican - 3/5 - Dark romance between a hitman/serial killer and a guy who wants revenge; actually well written for what it was! Patience - Lark Taylor - 3/5 - Paranormal romance with a reincarnation angle. Not bad but not fantastic. Good characters, at least. Justice - Lark Taylor - 3/5 - Paranormal romance starring the brother from the previous book and a vampire. Good emotional depth/development! Mad Love - April Jade - 1.5/5 - Dark romance with a mafia/business man and a basically homeless younger guy. The mob boss business man was SUPER unsexy; kept throwing tantrums like a toddler. March (80-- I got a Kindle Unlimited subscription and I USED IT) Spoiler: Not All Himbos Wear Capes - C. Rochelle - 3/5 Gentlemen Prefer Villains - C. Rochelle - 3/5 Putting Out for a Hero - C. Rochelle - 4/5 Enter the Multi-Vers - C. Rochelle - 2/5 Excellent scifi romance series with heroes and villains. The first book has a comedic angle but the last book is more regular (and is my least favorite, actually). The Kidnapping of Roan Sinclair - Ashlyn Drewek - 2/5 - Dark romance with a more realistic mafia than in most other ones I've read. It was competently written but I think I just don't like realistic dark romances. Soul Eater - Lily Mayne - 4/5 - Scifi romance set in a dystopian America with monsters; really sweet actually for that kind of setting! Wyn - Lily Mayne - 4/5 - Novella with the same characters from Soul Eater getting married in the monster world. Super sweet! Let Sleeping Foxes Lie - Sam Burns Where Foxes Say Goodnight - Sam Burns Malum Discordiae - Ashlyn Drewek Echo - Chani Lynn Feener Blackmailer's Delight - David Lawrence Bro & the Beast 1 - L.C. Davis Bro & the Beast 2 - L.C. Davis Bro & the Beast 3 - L.C. Davis Bro & the Beast 4 - L.C. Davis Bro & the Beast 5 - L.C. Davis Villain and the Geek 1 - L.C. Davis Villain and the Geek 2 - L.C. Davis Broken Out (By the Human) - L.E. Eldridge Kraken Me Apart - Alex Silver No Good Deed - MJ May Aliens Abducted My Heart - Hawke Oakley Aliens Hijacked My Heart - Hawke Oakley Prince of the Sorrows - Kellen Graves Bite Me! (You Know I Like It) - Fae Quinn Gilded Lies - Julie Mannino Not Like Other Boys - KA Merikan Dirty Love - Bethany Winters Himbo - Emmy Sanders Himbro - Honey London Lightbearer - L.C. Davis Beyond Time - Lee McCormick Must Love Demons - Meghan Maslow Octopi My Heart - Amanda Meuwissen Semantic Error, Vol.1 - Soori Jeo The Demon's Mate - Delaney Rain The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires - AJ Sherwood & Devon Vesper The Demon's Dealbreaker - Delaney Rain Idiots in Love [SS] - C. Rochelle - In the Name of the King - GreyWayfarer Paved with Good Intentions - aladyinbooks Yes Sir Sorry Sir [SS] - C. Rochelle Mighty Quill - Emmaline Strange The Sumage Solution - GL Carriger Marine Biology [SS] - GL Carriger The Omega Objection - GL Carriger How Not to Marry a Prince - Megan Derr The Enforcer Enigma - GL Carriger Mortal Skin - Lily Mayne Forgotten Vows - Lily Mayne King of Death - Lily Mayne Godfrey and the Detective - Megan Derr The Luxury of Vengeance - Isabella Carter A Dandelion for Tulip - R. Cooper Itadakimasu, wa Koi no Aji - Matsumoto Ayaka Blackbird in the Reeds - Sam Burns Wolf and the Holly - Sam Burns Fox and Birch - Sam Burns Hawk in the Rowen - Sam Burns Stag and the Ash - Sam Burns Rueberry Orchard - Michele Notaro Only Good Boys Get to Top Their Xaddys [SS] - C. Rochelle Willowhope Manor - Sammi Cee Chasing Fate - Jacki James Marcellus - Michelle Frost Here There Be Dragons - theundiagnosable Stolen Hearts & Broken Dishes - SirLurksALot The Alien's Kidnapped Omega - Sienna Sway The Alien's Runaway Omega - Sienna Sway The Alien's Pregnant Omega - Sienna Sway The Alien's Defiant Omega - Sienna Sway Adder and Willow - Sam Burns Eagle in the Hawthorn - Sam Burns Salmon and the Hazel - Sam Burns Wren and Oak - Sam Burns The Aliens' Mate - Delaney Rain Omega's Gamble - Claire Cullen Alpha's Oath - Claire Cullen Omega's Fight - Claire Cullen Gary of a Hundred Days - Isabel Murray Gary the Once and Former King - Isabel Murray Last edited by birdbrainbb; 03-26-2024 at 09:40 PM.