The AAR Seventeen in 17 Reading Challenge – February Update
It’s been great to see so many people joining with the Seventeen in 17 Reading Challenge and sharing their thoughts on the different prompts and about the books they’ve read so far.
However, confining comments to a single blog post that stays open throughout the year is likely to mean that it will quickly become unwieldy and difficult to navigate, so the intention is to open up a post on the first of each month as a kind of “continuation” of the previous one. The intention is to make it easier for people to comment and respond to each other; we hope you will find that to be the case.
Hopefully, participants will have found the link to the main Challenge page (which lists all the Challenges and prompts) in the “Connections” tab at the top of this page; we’ll put a link to each month’s post there, too, to make it easy to find.
So now it’s over to you Challengers. How many books are you going to knock off the TBR pile in February?
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge
All-Bran (1916) = This cereal is marketed as an aid to digestive health. Read a romance where the hero or heroine is involved with the health services industry, e.g. doctor, nurse, paramedic, physical therapist, etc.
What It Takes by Shannon Stacey – hero is a paramedic: The h/h were both starting over: the heroine after a divorce, the hero after moving back to town. She wanted to learn to be on her own so wasn’t interested in dating, whereas the hero was ready to settle down. The reunion stuff with many of the previous characters was fun and well-integrated into the story. One of the minor quibbles I had was with the subheadings for the sections from two secondary characters’ POV. The POV changes were obvious, so those were overkill. I liked how the author had the heroine joke about the need to make a list when the background information of who each of the Kowalskis was married to became a bit much. It didn’t bother me, but I could see where it might seem like info-dumping. As usual for this author, it was enjoyable to read about nice characters falling in love with a lot of humor. The conflict could possibly have been worked out earlier but it felt refreshing to read a romance with everyday people living everyday lives. Also as usual, the story did not shy away from the drawbacks and inconveniences of living in a small town. While not quite up to the level of my absolute favorites in this series the story came close. A very enjoyable read.
~
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge: 4 down, 13 to go…
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge: 7 down, 10 to go…
The Alphabet Challenge Variation: 8 down, 9 to go…
The Cocktail Challenge: 8 down, 9 to go…
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – Novellas: 2 down, 15 to go…
The 20th Century Challenge: completed!
17 Fun Facts
3) “Number Seventeen” is a movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Read a book where one of the main characters works in the entertainment industry. Or read a mystery or suspense book.
Cry No More by Linda Howard
Mills Edge’s son was kidnapped when he was just a baby, and she has spent the past ten years looking for him. She met several dead ends until she gets one tip that leads to a mysterious man called Diaz. Will she finally know what happened and find her son?
I knew from reviews, and also from AAR’s Hanky Reads lists, that this was a very emotional book. The author does a great job in getting us invested in the story: I cheered for Milla and her quest to find her son, I got tense at every dangerous moment, I loved Diaz and the development of his relationship with Milla, and I cried more than once, particularly in the final parts of the book. This was definitely an A read for me.
The Alphabet Challenge cont’d.
For the next book in this challenge, I decided to try an author who is new to me, Jennifer Blackwell – “B” for Blackwell — who wrote The Rule Book, published in 2016.
The Rule Book is a work place romance set in Seattle and focuses on a young woman in her first serious job as a public relations/marketing associate. The company Lainey joins manages the online social accounts of various celebrities and is run by the brilliant, young CEO Brogan Starr. As second assistant to the CEO, Lainey is mostly a gopher, but she gets to manage one media account despite the dislike of Brogan’s first assistant who’d like to see her gone. Brogan is a good boss but he also has a ton of rules in the employee handbook, which is referenced in the book’s title. These rules help Brogan to not only run the company but keep people at a distance. Lainey, however, is getting under his skin and can’t keep herself from pushing back a bit. Both Brogan and Lainey have family issues which make them reluctant to get involved, but despite themselves they do begin a flirtation that becomes serious, leading to equally serious consequences for their work life.
I actually expected this story to have more sexual content and was glad it didn’t. To me, it was much more believable for things to go a bit more slowly and build rather than instantly jumping into bed. It’s refreshing in comparison to some other books I’ve read. Also it wasn’t explicit but it was still sexy. Books that include every sexual detail for no good reason other than to titillate were getting kind of boring for me. I’d much rather have that type of detail when it serves the plot. So, hurrah for Ms. Blackwell! The Rule Book had a nice amount of humor as you might expect but also some pretty serious notes, as Lainey’s mother is fighting an illness through much of it (which was a believable reason for her not to risk her job). I also kind of guessed who was the villain of the piece, although I was surprised it wasn’t the obvious person. In fact, there were multiple villains. Finally, I thought the story ended on a very romantic note.
All in all, an enjoyable, quick read. I’d give it a “B” and will look forward to other books by Ms. Blackwell.
******
Alphabet Challenge – 4 down, 6 to go. (B, G, H, & J)
The Alphabet Challenge Variation
A = Silken Threats by Addison Fox: The mystery plot was intriguing, but the start-and-stop nature of the characters getting information was frustrating. A lot of page time was spent setting up the future romances in this limited series so it will be interesting to see if this couple gets POV scenes in future books the way those characters did in this one. The heroine and others discussed how they needed to involve the police, so it was annoying when they did not and made them appear TSTL just to have conflict. But despite these issues I enjoyed the book. I liked the hero and heroine both individually and as a couple. Their personal baggage was evenly explored and they meshed well so their romance felt believable despite the rushed timeline. Add in the hero’s dog and overall a fun read.
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge
Cap’n Crunch (1963) = Read a romance where the hero or heroine is in the Coast Guard, Navy, or another branch of the military. Or a police officer, sheriff, deputy, etc.
Tempting Target by Addison Fox – hero is a police detective: There were too many coincidences, so many that the characters actually discussed the fact at one point. The major twist was one I considered but then dismissed for being too obvious. This book had a much tighter focus on the individual romance than the one above. I liked that when faced with a challenge in their relationship the h/h talked to each other and vowed to work it out. I didn’t like that the particular conversation took place mainly off page. This book answered several major questions for the overarching plot and opened others. There was plenty of humor. I enjoyed the romance, but it felt rushed.
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge
Family Circle – Read a romance from a series of books which features a member from one family, group of friends, or colleagues in each book.
The Professional by Addison Fox – third book (of four) in series featuring heroines who are friends: Unlike with the first two books, this h/h had known each another for over a year, though they’d never gotten along. When the heroine was kidnapped, the hero decided he needed to go after her alone despite what they’d all learned about teamwork in the previous two books. I liked the h/h, but both did things that made little sense other than to put themselves in danger solely for the sake of the plot. It was nice to see some of the previous characters, but like book two there was a tighter focus on the romance than there was with book one. The book improved in the second half. The book ended on a major cliffhanger, but I plan to read some other stuff before finishing this limited series.
~
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge: 3 down, 14 to go…
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge: 7 down, 10 to go…
The Alphabet Challenge Variation: 8 down, 9 to go…
The Cocktail Challenge: 8 down, 9 to go…
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – Novellas: 2 down, 15 to go…
The 20th Century Challenge: completed!
17 Fun Facts
6) In the Nordic countries, the seventeenth day of the year is considered the heart and/or the back of winter.
Read a book set in winter, or at a cold place, or set in the Nordic countries. Or a book with the words “heart”, “winter”, “day” or “year” in the title.
Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh
#9 in the Guild Hunter series.
Elena and Raphael uncover the secrets of the Luminata, a very old order of angels that live in isolation in a mountainous region of Morocco. They also end up uncovering a secret from Elena’s past.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Unfortunately, it was basically a side story that did not help move the series forward. And to make things worse, there was too much repetition of the following things: description of the many weapons Elena has or was carrying with her; comments about how Elena loves Raphael, about how she changed him, and how he can’t live without her; remarks about how great is Raphael’s relationship with his Seven; compliments about Elena’s “mortality”. It felt like the author had to fill the pages with these repetitive scenes and descriptions because the story was too thin… The previous book in this series was not great, but this one was even worse in my opinion. I love Nalini Singh, but this series has lost a lot of its shine for me.
The Cocktail Challenge
London Fog – Read a book about a weather person or where the weather plays a significant part of the plot or read a book set wholly or partly in London.
Boom by Stacy Gail – the weather plays a significant part of the plot: The heroine was stranded on Montana after an emergency landing of her flight. We’re meant to find the hero’s lack of boundaries humorous, but it was also problematic. This was addressed toward the end, but it threw me out of the story more than once. Also problematic was the treatment of the hero’s ex. I didn’t care that she was presented as shallow and a gold digger. But the fact the hero, his father, and others all called her terrible names and lamented her behavior without acknowledging the hypocrisy of not only the hero’s actions but several of his relatives was ridiculous. While I understood his motivation, the father’s excuse for having cut his son out of his life for two years was lame. I wish the family interactions had been given more page time as there was more telling than showing on that front. I enjoyed the setting and parts of the plot despite having major issues with other parts. Overall an uneven read with mostly likeable main characters.
The Alphabet Challenge Variation
M = Midnight Quest by Lisa Marie Rice: This book featured the h/h from an earlier book in the series. The hero didn’t react well to news they were having a baby. While I had sympathy for his need to finally deal with his past, I could have done without his graphic nightmare imagining their child as a monster. The focus was on the hero while the heroine remained in the background and acted perfectly understanding. The hero’s backstory had some interesting twists. The book greatly improved in the last third, but overall one of the weaker entries in the series.
~
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge: 2 down, 15 to go…
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge: 6 down, 11 to go…
The Alphabet Challenge Variation: 7 down, 10 to go…
The Cocktail Challenge: 8 down, 9 to go…
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – Novellas: 2 down, 15 to go…
The 20th Century Challenge: completed!
The Alphabet Challenge Variation
H = Keep Me, Cowboy by Nicole Helm: The hero was estranged from his family. The same family the heroine had worked for the past decade to make her own. I understood in part why she was loyal to them, but the hero’s father came off as such a selfish jerk that it was difficult to believe. Thankfully this was addressed in the book. The main conflict between the h/h was the fact he’d left town ten years prior without saying goodbye. There was a lot of build-up and arguing between them and then a rushed and too pat resolution. The subplot regarding the hero’s brother’s marriage was one I wanted to see more of and I was totally vexed that the book ended with zero resolution. Their wedding was featured in an earlier book by this author and she has written a not-in-this-series book for the hero’s sister, so hopefully that book will give some sort of update since the brother and his wife don’t appear to have a book of their own. The entire family’s lack of communication was somewhat addressed, but they all could have benefited from professional counseling. I liked parts, but overall a very uneven and frustrating read.
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge
Popular Science – Read a romance in which the hero and/or heroine work in the science field, including medicine. Or read a futuristic romance
The Baby Bump by Jennifer Greene – hero is a doctor: This author has been an autobuy for me since I discovered her back in 1991. She hasn’t published anything new for years, so I’ve put off reading her last two “new” full-length books as didn’t want to be “done” reading her, but I made it one of my goals to get caught up this year. The heroine was pregnant when she returned home to care for her grandfather and his rundown tea farm. She was determined to tackle the numerous problems she had on her own. The hero was the town doctor. She felt he was always seeing her at her worst and was reluctant to get involved. The romance was fast, but didn’t feel rushed. The book was filled with real-life problems and as such not everything was tied in a neat bow at the end. The book also contained a lot of humor. I absolutely adored the hero’s dog. I had a few issues with the plot, but overall a fun read.
~
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge: 2 down, 15 to go…
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge: 6 down, 11 to go…
The Alphabet Challenge Variation: 6 down, 11 to go…
The Cocktail Challenge: 7 down, 10 to go…
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – Novellas: 2 down, 15 to go…
The 20th Century Challenge: completed!
The Alphabet Challenge cont’d.
For the next book in this challenge, I decided to pick up one of Eloisa James’ latest, My American Duchess.
I read James many years ago and didn’t take to that story. I think it was one of her novels which featured multiple couples, and I didn’t feel very connected to what turned out to be the main couple. This later book is more traditional in focusing on Merry, our heroine, and the Duke of Trent, her hero. The story is pretty straightforward. Young Merry, an American heiress visiting England, becomes engaged to a nobleman. This engagement is her third one, having broken two previous ones in America and gaining a reputation for being fickle. Not too far into the story, Merry meets her young man’s slightly older brother (they’re twins) without knowing who he is. She feels an instant connection — much stronger than to her fiancé — but she feels compelled to remain in her engagement not only because she is certain a Duke would never choose an American to be his duchess, but because of her fickle reputation. It’s not only Merry’s engagement which may stand between her and her happiness, but the fact that she’s a fish out of water in English society — outspoken, demonstrative, and ignorant of many of the ways of the ton.
I enjoyed this story. I especially liked Merry and her open, intelligent mind. Her clashes with polite society and sincere desire to get things right were endearing. The second part of the story is also entertaining as Merry tries to be a duchess. However, I did get impatient with the Duke whose upbringing made him unwilling to open himself to expressing his love.
I’d give this book a “B” and I now look forward to reading other James’ books that are in the same vein.
******
Alphabet Challenge – 3 down, 7 to go. (G, H, & M)
The Cocktail Challenge
Fuzzy Naval – Read a book where a character has amnesia or mental illness (PTSD, depression etc.) or where the past is a significant factor.
Star Cruise: Outbreak by Veronica Scott – heroine suffers from PTSD: The heroine was a retired military doctor. Her father had volunteered for her for a temporary tour as the ship’s doctor on a new luxury cruise ship. The hero was the ship’s security officer. It was fun to see the hero and heroine from the previous book in the series as secondary characters. Things took a turn for the worse when a mysterious disease broke out aboard the ship. The heroine started out on the verge of a breakdown as she blamed herself for the many lives she’d been unable to save in battle. I liked that she was unapologetic. The book included a good dose of humor, particularly with the heroine’s prickly relationship with the ship’s Artificial Intelligence. There were scenes from the hero’s POV, but this was very much the heroine’s story. The ending of the medical mystery felt lackluster, but overall an enjoyable read.
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – novellas
Clockwork Gold by Jenny Schwartz: The heroine was a dirigible pilot, the hero a Special Agent to the Crown. This was a fun steampunk story, but the romance took too much of a backseat to the suspense plot. I liked the hero and heroine, but the reader barely got to know them. It felt like there were parts missing. The story really needed to be longer.
The Alphabet Challenge Variation
E = Echoes in Death by JD Robb: This was very much a case-focused entry in the long-running series. Nothing major happened on the personal front and most of the extended cast did not appear. I suspected the villain from their first appearance and the twist was telegraphed very early on as well. But even having guessed, it was still fun to watch Eve and co piece everything together. I enjoyed the book and would put it firmly in the top half of the series as a whole, but it was not one of my instant favorites. So glad the series is continuing with her new publisher.
~
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge: 2 down, 15 to go…
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge: 5 down, 12 to go…
The Alphabet Challenge Variation: 5 down, 12 to go…
The Cocktail Challenge: 7 down, 10 to go…
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – Novellas: 2 down, 15 to go…
The 20th Century Challenge: completed!
The Cocktail Challenge
Arnold Palmer – Read a book where the h/h is a golfer or works in a profession typically associated with golf, such as lawyer, accountant, real estate agent or read a book set in Scotland or about Scottish characters.
Suddenly One Summer by Julie James – heroine is a lawyer: The heroine jumped to several incorrect conclusions about the hero when she moved in temporarily next door. So when they actually met they had a rocky start. Things improved once they got to know each other. I liked the fact the heroine went to therapy and this was shown to be a good thing. The hero and heroine were well-matched. Other than the h/h’s backstories, the book was low on angst and filled with humor. The plot was predictable, but a good addition to the series nonetheless.
The Alphabet Challenge Variation
K = Soft Target by Mia Kay: The wounded FBI agent hero was “undercover” as a business manager as a favor to his bff. The heroine was the bff’s twin sister. The twins were heirs to a gravel empire but had always been expected to work for a living. The heroine was looking forward to her brother marrying so she could pass on many of her familial obligations, and upset to learn her future sister-in-law had no interest in them. I liked that though the heroine loved living in their small town, she also felt trapped there and by her numerous responsibilities. The villains were obvious but that didn’t detract much from the story as there were other surprises. I loved the h/h—both individually and as a couple—and thoroughly enjoyed their story. Looking forward to more in this series.
~
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge: 2 down, 15 to go…
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge: 5 down, 12 to go…
The Alphabet Challenge Variation: 4 down, 13 to go…
The Cocktail Challenge: 6 down, 11 to go…
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – Novellas: 1 down, 16 to go…
The 20th Century Challenge: completed!
February is a super, super busy month for me at work, but I’ll be doing a bit of traveling so I hope that gives me more reading time.
In January, I read 3/17 for Genre Challenge and 4/17 for Letter Q Challenge. I’ll track my February reads under this comment.
My February reads:
Genre Challenge (4/17 total)
Holiday romance (Christmas): A Match Made in Mistletoe by Anna Campbell. This was a cute romance with two of my favorite tropes, sibling’s best friend (although the brother never appears on page here, so we only know this in passing) and unrequited love (on the hero’s part–even better!) I wanted a short book to read while I eagerly await a couple of books coming out on 2/28, and this did the trick. 3/5 stars.
Letter Q Challenge (7/17 total)
Quiz (gambling theme): Between the Devil and the Duke by Kelly Bowen. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one as much as the first two in this series, but still a solid 3/5 stars. Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1735711877
Quartet (4th book in a series): Worth the Wait by AJ Pine. I’d give this 3.5/5 stars. This has been a solid C/B- average for me (although the 3rd book was a 4/5 for me, so more like B/B+). I’ve enjoyed the Kingston Ale House/brewpub setting. The premise of this one is a bit out there–the heroine goes on a “man cleanse” for 6 months, following a self-help book, and this gets turned into a regular news feature thanks to the hero’s interfering ex-girlfriend who is a newscaster/meteorologist looking for a story that will promote her to the “big times” (or at least an anchor). There’s some great sexual tension between Grace and Jeremy. I cringed a bit that he was described as Michael Fassbender’s doppelganger because as attractive as a I find him, 1) this will date the book eventually, and 2) he is apparently a sleaze in real life. Anyway, there was a bit too much drama at the end, but I still enjoyed this overall.
Queen (fictional nobility): Royally Matched by Emma Chase. I’m in agreement with Janet’s AAR review on this one, but I liked it even less than she did. This was almost 1/5 stars for me but I felt generous so I rounded up to 2/5 for some nice scenes between the two protagonists when they weren’t acting like children. But this was a major miss for me. Brief review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1794500026
The Alphabet Challenge Variation
F = Cavanaugh in the Rough by Marie Ferrarella: For such a small town with a supposedly very low crime rate this fictional town certainly has a huge police department and too many serial killers. The hero was a homicide detective, the heroine was a CSI technician with a big secret. The plot was unrealistic in a no-way-would-that-be-admissible-in-court kind of way with a one-dimensional villain. The h/h both had several TSTL moments solely to advance the plot. This sadly included the final “twist” which was so painfully obvious I was actually surprised when they both fell for it. A very disappointing read.
The Cocktail Challenge
Shirley Temple – Read a book about a teacher or someone who works with kids or a book where the h/h is a single parent or where a pregnancy is important to the plot.
Bride by Mistake by Nicole Helm – pregnancy is important to the plot: The heroine was supposedly in love with a guy who was marrying her sister. They’d never dated or really talked, she’d just made up her mind when she’d been ten that they were destined for one another. Thankfully after a lot of wallowing she let that go. The hero was her older brother’s bff and business partner, but had been the town’s bad boy. He’d always been attracted to the heroine. After a one-night stand, she gave him the cold shoulder and due to other issues he’d planned to leave town. I liked that the heroine told the hero she was pregnant as soon as she knew for sure. This was part of a multi-author series, but I have not read all of the other books. The brother was a complete rotter in this book so I have no desire to ever read his story. The heroine was wishy-washy at times, but I liked that she owned up to her behavior in the end. Still, it was the hero that made this book for me. He was supportive even when everyone treated him awfully.
~
The Breakfast Cereal Challenge: 2 down, 15 to go…
Seventeen Magazine(s)! Challenge: 5 down, 12 to go…
The Alphabet Challenge Variation: 3 down, 14 to go…
The Cocktail Challenge: 5 down, 12 to go…
Simply Seventeen Challenge (The Whittler) – Novellas: 1 down, 16 to go…
The 20th Century Challenge: completed!
17 Fun Facts
4) In the Harry Potter universe, 17 is the coming of age for wizards. It is equivalent to the usual coming of age at 18.
Read young adult book. Or read a fantasy book.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
I had this audiobook for a while, so this was definitely a case of taking advantage of the challenge to go through my TBR. This is a story about Celia Bowen and Marco Alisdar. They were trained since they were children to compete against each other in a magical contest set up by two powerful men. At the same time, this was a story about the Night Circus itself, and the people whose lives were connected to the circus. The book is beautifully written, and I liked the way the mysteries were gradually revealed. The first part of the story is a bit slow, but the book gets more and more compelling at each chapter. Overall, I liked it very much.
I didn’t realize there was a GR group! I just joined.. there are no threads for specific challenges and that would be a good idea, I think. Maybe for next year!
We are running the challenges on site! https://allaboutromance.com/the-aar-seventeen-in-17-reading-challenge-february-update/
Found the verification email in my spam … in my webmail. Webmail spam, not spam in my mailbox??? But now when I click on the “verify email” button in the message, it won’t work. Just doesn’t go anywhere. Like it’s disabled. I forwarded the message to my office email and it said *they’ve* disabled the link for my security. Why is this so hard? Is there something about Goodreads that is not secure?
Goodreads says you’re a member of the group. You were approved within an hour of you asking to join. I don’t know what to tell you.
It wasn’t the group’s approval I was having problems with, it was the verification email Goodreads was supposed to send so I could actually post and participate. I couldn’t find it and finally came across it in my Webmail spam account. (I don’t use my Webmail very much so didn’t think to look there..) Then, the “button” I was to click on within the email wouldn’t do anything. So, then I figured out I had to mark the email “not spam” in order to get it out of spam. Sorry I brought this up here, but I was trying to reach out to those of you who were also posting at GR since I wasn’t verified there yet, thinking that some of you may have had the same issue and could advise me. You know, “two” heads are better than one.
Apparently, neither my office email/webmail, my home email program, or even my home webmail likes Goodreads very much but I’ve got it sorted out now. Thank you.
I think you just had bad luck. I have two GoodReads accounts (one I’ve had for years, the other I just started last August & use for romance novels specifically) and I haven’t had any issues. Might be your spam/junk filter settings. Glad you seem to have gotten it sorted, though. It’s a great website/resource.
I don’t know where else to put this. I have tried to join the Goodreads group for this board but I can’t seem to get a verification email after I fill in all the info. I’ve asked for the email twice and checked my spam mail, but it never comes. Is it that I just want to join the group and don’t want to jump through all their hoops and rate books?
By the way, I can see all the conversations, but I can’t comment because they say I haven’t been verified. Well, DUH! Where’s the email?