Top Ten Tuesday: Sports Romances

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Genre freebie (Pick any genre you’d like and build a list around it. You can even narrow the topic if you’d like, such as: thrillers with unreliable narrators, fantasy romance with fae characters, or historical romance with suspense elements.)

This week I thought I would focus on sports romances. Now, I wouldn't say I read a lot of these any more, but back in the day I read a lot of Jaci Burton's books which all featured men with bare chests on their covers. Part of the reason for doing this topic is also because I have read a couple of books recently which have more unusual sports than just ice hockey or American football. This is a mix of old and new books. 

Head Over Wheels by Leonie Mack - I really enjoyed this book which features two professional cyclists who fall in love. Can't wait for the next book set in this world. (my review)

Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy - I read this one years ago now. This is a m/m romance where one of the main love interests is a professional Australian Rules Footballer. (my review)

Wicket Maiden by Chrissie Harrison - The main female character in this book is a professional cricketer. (my review)

Breaking the Ice by Amy Andrews - The main male character in this book is an injured ice hockey player who is working in his late grandmother's bookstore while he is recovering. (my review)

A New Dawn at Owl's Lodge by Jessica Redland - The main male character in this book is a former Olympic gymnast (my review)

Clean Point by Meg Jones - This is a tennis romance. It's on my kindle but haven't read it yet

Red Dust Running by Anita Heiss - One of the main characters in this book is a rodeo rider! I heard Anita Heiss speak about this book at Melbourne Writers Festival and it sounds like so much fun.

The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton - Given I mentioned Jacy in my intro I couldn't imagine not including one of her books in my post.

It Had to be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - SEP was writing hockey romances when they were hot the first time round. I have to say though....can you imagine a book getting published with this cover now?

Double Play by Jill Shalvis - I used to love Jill Shalvis' books a lot but I haven't read one for years now and I have no idea why. 

Do you know of any sports romances which feature unusual sports?

Top Ten Tuesday: April reads

 

 

  

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is April Showers — Pick your own title for this one to reflect the direction you choose to go with this prompt (books with rain on the cover/in the title, that have rainstorms in the story, or that have anything to do with rain)


I expected to find quite a few titles on my list of books I have read with the word rain or showers or something like that but I was wrong. Therefore, my twist is that instead of focusing on the word Showers, I am going to share 10 books I have read in April over the years.

April 2023 - The Lost Daughters of Ukraine by Erin Littekin

April 2022 - Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran

April 2021 - The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

April 2020 - Chocolate Cake for Breakfast by Danielle Hawkins

April 2019 - Lacey by Fiona McArthur

April 2018 - Year One by Nora Roberts

March 2017 - Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms by Anita Heiss

April 2016 - Quarterback Draw by Jaci Burton

April 2015 - Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

April 2014 - Sylvester by Georgette Heyer 

It is interesting to see how my reading has changed over the years.

Top Ten Tuesday: Series that I just sort of stopped reading

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This 

week the theme is Completed Series I Wish Had More Books. I have decided to twist it a little bit and talk about the series that I kind of, sort of, just stopped reading. It wasn't a conscious decision to stop, but just haven't picked up the next book in the series.... yet. In some cases it has been 10 years or more since I stopped.There's still time right?

The last book I read in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series was The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection which is book no. 13 in the series by Alexander McCall Smith. Book number 23 is due to be released this year. Just a little bit behind then.

The last book I read in the Play by Play series by Jaci Burton was Quarterback Draw which is book no. 9 in the series. It does look as though the series has ended at book no. 14. This is especially strange given that this was one of the few contemporary series I was reading a few years ago. Now I am reading lots! Just not sports ones!

I used to wait with great excitement for the next Diana Gabaldon book to come out. I would buy it as soon as I saw it in the shops. I still haven't bought the latest book in the Outlander series let alone read it!

I listened to the first two books in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy on audio. Goodness knows when I will get to the third one.

This is another trilogy where I have read the first two books in the trilogy and meant to read the third one, Ambulance Girls At War by Deborah Burrows. I did borrow this book from the library at least twice but still didn't read it.

I read and loved Dear Banjo by Sasha Wasley, the first book in the Daughters of the Outback trilogy, a few years ago. Still haven't read the other two books in the series. I have bought other books by Wasley since then too!

I have read the first 18 books in the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr at least twice. So why haven't I read the last book that was released a couple of years ago yet.

I have read a lot of books by Lisa Kleypas over the years. The last book I read in The Ravenels series was the third book, Devil in Spring. There are now seven books in the series. One of the issues is that I just don't read a lot of historical romance any more.

I have read the first 3 books in the Study series by Maria VSnyder twice, including a couple of years ago when I read them in anticapation of moving onto the next book in the series. Still haven't  read the next book which is sometimes referred to as the first book in the Glass trilogy or as part of the bigger overall series, Chronicals of Ixia.

A series that I really can't understand why I stopped reading is the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. I loved them so much. I read up to The Golden One, book 14, and then just stopped. I feel like I would have to reread a lot of them before I could pick up the next next book in the series. The series ended up being 20 books long.

Do you ever just stop reading a series without meaning to?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed But Have Never Mentioned on the Blog

 

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the topic is Books I Enjoyed But Have Never Mentioned. In theory this is a topic that I should be able to do quite easily especially as I had a couple of years where I didn't post much about books, but it has taken a while to compile because of the word "never". I ended up going back as far as 2014 to find books I couldn't find mentioned at all. Here's what I came up with.

City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin - The third book in the The Twelve trilogy

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne - I had forgotten that I had read this. As recently as a few weeks ago I was asked if I had read it and I was like...no, not yet. Wrong!!

Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen - This the first book in the series of the same name. I liked this but I never read any further.

Templar Silks by Elizabeth Chadwick - I really need to read some more Chadwick and soon!

A Kiss in Lavender by Laura Florand - Laura Florand is one of the authors that I still read during my massive reading slump.

Quarterback Rush by Jaci Burton - I read 9 books in the Play by Play series but not sure I mentioned many of them.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - I am not sure why I never read any more of this series after this book.

Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - This is the second book in the Cromwell series. I was very excited about the third book when it came out last year in 2020 but still haven't actually read it.

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - I've mentioned lots of other SAA books on the blog but not this one. This was her last book and was published 6 years. That means 6 years of anticipation for her next book which is out later this year.

Evergreen Falls by Kimberly Freeman - I really enjoy Kimberly Freeman's books. I still have a couple to read.

If we do this topic again I might have to go back into the 2000s to find another 10

Forbidden Fantasies anthology

Step inside Ellora's Cave, where passions run wild and the sexiest fantasies come true....

I must confess that I was very surprised when I went to the library the other week and found this book in one of the shelf end displays. I think I had just naturally assumed that there would be no erotic romance in my library. Or, maybe, because I haven't previously read any erotic romance, I just haven't looked for it!

The only thing that was a little disappointing was that the vast majority of these stories/novellas/whatever you want to call them are part of ongoing series, and you know that I can't stand reading series out of order. Oh well, when I started reading them I wasn't aware of that, and so I guess it didn't really affect the reading experience. All of these authors are new to me and there are a couple of them at least that I will be reading more from in the future.

Bossy & Clyde by Jaid Black

Psychic artist Kandrea Kane hires Damon Clyde to design her cozy new apartment, but she doesn't predict the erotic energy his masculine touch ignites in her voluptuous body.

One of the shorter entries in the book, at first I was thinking that this was one of the better stories in the novel. Instant conflict masks overwhelming attraction between Zandra and Damon. I did find the whole story very rushed, but I guess that's what happens when you have to get from conflict to happily ever after in just a few pages.

Legend's Passion by Jaci Burton

A night of anonymous ecstasy in the park with a gorgeous werewolf is a red-hot sexual release for Chantal Devlin — until a case of mistaken identity leads to a dangerous surprise.

Chantal Devlin has avoided getting involved too much with the pack werewolves as there is no way that she is ready to get tied down with a mate. When she arranges a hot date with an out of town werewolf, she gets amazing sex, but also big trouble when it turns out that he is now who she thought he was.

The man she had such hot sex with was actually a federal agent who was investigating a series of murders and now Chantal is drawn into assisting him with his enquiries.

Apparently this is part of the Devlin Dynasty series. This story felt quite complete, and I do like the world that this was set in, so if I can, I will be trying to read more.

Eternal Triangle by Ann Jacobs

When mortal master Chad Lalanne and his sensuous vampire submissive Katie invite Philippe d'Argent on an erotic trip into a Cajun paradise, the lovers unlock wild, forbidden desires on the bayou.

Chad is master of Katie, who also happens to be a vampire. He knows that he can not meet all her needs and so they invite Philippe on a trip with them. Philippe is a vampire, but he is also a submissive who has recently lost his master. Before long Chad is rethinking his strategy and deciding that he may want more than just a short time with his immortal bed partners.

Lady Elizabeth's Choice by Sahara Kelly

After a raw, passionate encounter that claimed Lady Elizabeth Wentworth's innocence months ago, Lord Spencer Marchwood decides the only way to win her love is to seduce her with sexual pleasures she can't refuse.

The first time I read this through I was a little disappointed. Yes, it was a historical but there didn't seem to be much recognition of the fact that Elizabeth would have been ruined by such a "raw, passionate" encounter. I read it again, and the second time around this didn't bother me quite so much, and I just enjoyed it for what it was.

When Spencer returns from his duties in Europe he finds that the woman he was planning to claim as his own has become engaged to another man. He decides that drastic measures are necessary, and so abducts her on the night that her engagement is to be announced to the ton, and sets about changing her mind.

Selfless by Sherri L King

While researchers try to determine who — and what — beautiful Eva really is, she relinquishes her darkest fantasies to the primal call of confident, golden-haired Dante, who rescued her from an evil scientist.

Compared to many of the other stories, this one took a long time to get going, as there was a lot of explanation to the be done of who Eve was and how she came to be at the centre where she was. Another story that felt quite complete, and had quite an interesting premise. This is part of a series, but I couldn't really figure out what other books were in the series.

Wild Ride by Cheyenne McCray

DEA agent Santiago towers over Tess with a Stetson on his head and smooth bronze skin she longs to caress, putting her on her naughtiest
bedroom behavior — and exposing her to a risky game of hot pursuit.

I think that this was one of my favourites in the whole book. Sexy DEA agent Santiago takes one look at Tess when in a bar at night and wonders where the quiet woman he kind of knows has gone. What follows is a passionate interlude, until his job interrupts in a most unexpected way. Again, this is appears to be part of a series, and I think I will be going out of my way to find out more. If this short is anything to go by, then I will definitely enjoy her other work.

Wicked by Lorie O'Clare

Tight-bodied lunewulf Jaynie Rousseau loves her freedom too much to mate...until strong, aggressive Cariboo lunewulf Perry Roth tempts her animal senses and arouses her lustful appetite.

When a description starts with 'tight-bodied', it's a bit of a worry, but in the end I quite locked this short. Jaynie finds herself in trouble with her adopted pack, and may find herself bought into submission unless she can get away, but will Perry Roth expect submission too, or something more.

First Sharing by Jory Strong

In order to save their people, handsome, feather-winged Laith and his muscle-bound, bat-winged friend Rykken must convince delicate Cyan to abandon her earthly art for a life of carnal indulgence in a land far away.

For a couple of days, I have been trying to remember where I have heard the name Jory Strong, and today at lunch time I remembered. Not long ago this book was mentioned at Dear Author, and again in the last few days at Katiebabs there was a post about Jory's next book, Ghostland, which has a gorgeous, gorgeous cover. This was an interesting read, and like the Sherri L King entry in the collection was very different to read.



Over all this felt like a good introduction to erotic romance, and I have found another couple of authors that I will be trying to read more of! I am still surprised that I found this book at the library, and may just find myself checking the shelves in the romance section to see what other surprises I can find there.

Rating: 4/5