The Many Faces of Romance: Book Club Thursday: Reading Challenge, March 2017

Hi Reader's! Yes, It's time for this month's Book Club Thursday Reading Challenge. Below is the list of the challenges each BCT Blogger can pick from. How about you?

Tricky

Read a book published before 2010

Read a book with a wedding

Read a book published in the month (not year) you were born

Working Girls

Read a book set in your home state

Read a book that includes nature on the cover

Read a book with a cover that you really don’t like (ugly)

Read a book you once gave up on

Read a book with a clever title

Read a book that takes place in Winter

Read a book set during a Holiday

Read a book set in/around New Orleans

Read a book with a “Food” word in the title

Read a book that includes a food item on the cover

Read a book with a seasonal word in the title

Easy

Read a new author

Start a new series

Read an anthology

Read a hardcover

Read a trade

Read a “small town romance”

Re-Read a “suitcase” / desert island book

Read a book with a favorite romance trope

Read a book set in another country (any genre)

Read a book with a favorite historical time period

Read a paranormal with a favorite type of character

Read a book under 250 pages

Read a book over 300 pages

Read a book you keep meaning to read

Read a book set in the Future

Read or re-read a favorite authors debut book

Super Tricky

Read a book that taught you about a subject you are unfamiliar with

Read a book with a on the run or road trip theme

Trifecta Books (sounds, cover and title must all …be cute/sexy /etc)

Read a book with an “unconventional” heroine

Name that Tune

My Pick: Read A Book That You Keep Meaning To Read

SWEET LITTLE LIES

Jill Shalvis

July 2016 by AVON

Choose the one guy you can’t have . . .

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall for him—hard . . .

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.

And then tell him the truth.

Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story—because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. . .

The trouble with some of our favorite authors that are prolific is that you start to fall behind even when you are still loving their books. They start a new series, but, hey! I haven't finished the last series or two yet. And don't get me started when they go on to hardcover. I read almost 180 books a year. Can't afford that. Sigh.

I love Jill Shalvis books, but alas, fell behind. Again. So I plan to catch up with her a little this year. I am behind on Animal Magnetism, Lucky Harbor, etc. So where to start?

How about her newish Heartbreaker Bay series? I have been meaning to read book one-SWEET LITTLE LIES. Yes, I am out of order again. I Read book two THE TROUBLE WITH MISTLETOE, it was one of my favorites of 2016 ( I love Willa), there was a novella, too, and I picked up book three, ACCIDENTLY ON PURPOSE. So it seems logical to start with the first book, at last.

We romance readers love our heroes. Tall, hunky, etc. They are a large part of why we read romance. But I love when an author writes a strong heroine character. Gone are the days of the beautiful doormats. And Ms Shalvis writes fun, quirky heroines that can hold their own against the heroes. Pru is one of those characters. She is sweet, funny and has a heart of gold. Even when she tossed a coin into the fountain, it was to wish for someone else's happiness.

Finn O'Riley is the recipient of that wish. He is a strong and hard-working guy who has taken care of his younger brother Sean, since he was twenty-one. Now they are in business together as owners of a pub. Pru and Finn strike sparks with each other, but she has a secret that affects a lot of people including Finn.

I love the banter between Pru and Finn. They were so right for each other, but they had a big obstacle to overcome. This brought a few rough moments into the story. There was a hilarious group of secondary characters like Willa and Sean who get some of the best one-liners in the story. SWEET LITTLE LIES is a breezy story with lots of sassy moments and tons of laughs. So now, I am nearly caught up on the series. I have to be. Book #4 is a Christmas story which comes out at the end of September!