Last Call by Morgan Leigh

Overview
Bad Boys In Black Tie (Watson Brothers, #3) by Lori Foster

Title: Last Call
Author: Morgan Leigh
In: Bad Boys in Black Tie (Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy & Morgan Leigh)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Dates read: 4th October 2020
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Brava
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: Fletcher chose that moment to interject, “I was married once.”

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Last Call by Morgan Leigh
Tess Braeden is new in Justice, North Carolina, but there’s no justice when she learns that her inherited home is about to be foreclosed on. The mayor doesn’t even have the decency to give her an appointment to plead her case. Thank goodness for Fletcher Graham. Meeting the hard-bodied, hard-working cutie is the only bright spot in her insane life. With his sensual skills and soulful eyes – not to mention that air of mystery – he could become Mr. Right very quickly. But will he become Mr. Wrong when Tess discovers what his real day job is?

Thoughts

It was fairly easy to guess just from the name of this story that it had something to do with a bar. But I did like the fact that Last Call was not only the name of this novella, but also the bar in which the Meet Cute occurs. It was quite sweet and set up a great tone for the rest of the novella.

Assumptions are so damn easy to make, and I love that this novella highlights just how damaging making assumptions about people and their desires can be. After all, instead of a person or some random circumstance being the greatest obstacle in this romance… it’s the assumptions that the two make about each other and what people desire. Such a silly thing, but luckily, it gets solved pretty quickly…

Admittedly, I’m not normally a huge fan of the whole love at first sight schtick. Even though my own “love story” kind of has that… yet, Leigh manages to make this into a completely plausible and really sweet story. I actually didn’t find it to be tedious and a little naïve, like I normally do.

This was a fantastic novella with which to finish the Bad Boys in Black Tie collection. It was more graphic than the other stories in the sex scenes (which I loved), but it was just such a great note to finish on. Definitely a little bit cuter, and the sort of novella that leaves a secret smile on a girl’s face.

<- Miss Extreme CongenialityBad Boys in Black Tie ->

Image source: Goodreads

Give a Little

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2020
Number of books: 3
Hosted by: Bookworm Bitches

November 2020: Give a Little
Duration: 11/1/2020-11/30/2020

There are 3 tasks, you only need to read three books to finish this challenge. Or pick one task and read 3 books for that one task.

November – Charitable
1. Read a book where someone does a good deed for another – An Elephant in My Kitchen by Francoise Malby-Anthony
2. Read a book about a morally grey character – The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
3. Read a book involving a charity or non profit (i.e. character works for a non profit, character donates, character attends a charity event, etc.) – More Than Words: Volume 6 by Joan Johnston, Robyn Carr, Christina Skye, Rochelle Alers & Maureen Child

Rules
~Books must be read during the selected time period.
~Post the date you finished the book.
~All books read for challenges can be used for more than one challenge.
~Books can be either Fiction or Non Fiction. Your choice.
~At the end of the challenge, it will be closed for commenting and moved to the archives folder
~Use the add book/author tool to tag your book within your challenge.

Genevieve

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2020
Number of books: 21
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

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Ollie-and-Gen

Duration:
November 1st – November 30th

How it Works:
Ten books each month is a lot, so there will be 5 different levels. Pick which level you want to do and that’s how many items you will need to check off.

Levels:
Transitional – 2 books
Fledgling – 4 books
Vampire – 6 books
Master – 8 books
Vampire King or Queen – 10 books

1. November 1st- Every year on November 1, millions of people celebrate authors and the books that they write on National Author’s Day. Read a book by your favorite author.The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison

2. November 2nd-Cookie Monster is a blue, furry puppet on Sesame Street. His favorite treat is Cookies, especially chocolate chip. His day celebrates his birthday when he was created by Muppet creator Jim Henson. Read a book with a blue cover and/or a furry monster on the cover.Temptation in a Kilt by Victoria Roberts

3. November 8-Abraham “Bram” Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author, best known today for his 1897 Gothic horror novel DraculaRead Dracula or read another vampire book.

4.November 10 is World Science Day for Peace and Development. It was celebrated for the first time in 2002. Read a science fiction book or a book with a scientist. You could also eat a vanilla cupcake…Westward Weird edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Kerrie Hughes

5. November 11-Veteran’s Day honors those who have served in the military. It is observed on November 11th. Read a book with a MC/love interest who is a soldier, spy, diplomat.

6. November 13 is a Friday. Friggatriskaidekaphobia is a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th. Read a horror or thriller book. Make sure to read it at night, hopefully during a thunder storm…or listening to storm or horror music.

7. November 18 is National Princess Day. Pamper yourself today. Take a nice bubble bath, curl up in soft blankets on the couch, sip a delicious glass of apple cider. Read a book where the MC is a princess/prince.

8. November 20 is Beautiful Day. Celebrate the day by reading a book with a beautiful cover or relationship.Begin, End, Begin edited by Danielle Binks

9. November 23 is National Adoption Day. The first one was held in 2000. Read a book with a character who has been adopted or with a character that adopts a child.The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

10. November 24 is celebrate your unique talent day. Read a book where the MC has a unique talent that you would like to have.Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (Poirot’s skills of deduction)

Bonus-It is National Candle month & National Fragrance month-Read any book you want, preferable with a nice, scented candle…If you find any sentences going on about how a man smells like cinnamon etc, you can post them here for fun!More Than Words: Volume 6 by Joan Johnston, Robyn Carr, Christina Skye, Rochelle Alers & Maureen Child

This year I am grateful for…
Books & Hobbies-Read a book with a dragon in it.
Family-Read a book with a close family relationship.
Food-Read a book with a letter in the title from the words Thanksgiving Feast.
Friendship-Read a book with a friend or with a side character you’d like to be your friend.
Health-Read a book with a vampire or other immortal character.
Job, Career, Vocation-Read a book with an interesting task, work environment and/or a great boss.An Elephant in My Kitchen by Francoise Malby-Anthony
Money-Read a book with a rich character or buy a book and read it.The Mammoth Book of Westerns edited by Jon E. Lewis
Pets-Read a cat/dog mystery or a book where an animal is important to the story.Marley and Me by John Grogan
Significant Other-Read a book with a book boyfriend/girlfriend you have or want…
Success-Read a book where the good guys/gals triumph or with a great reward at the end.

Wizard Wars

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2020
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

description
Wizard Wars

Duration
November 1st – 30th

Rules
Complete at least two tasks to get the vampire heart
All genres welcome
Rereads welcome
No minimum page count

description

– Read a book with a magic user
– Read a book with a battle or fight – The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
– Read a book tagged fantasy – Death’s Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner
– Read a book where a character dies – Marley and Me by John Grogan
– Read a book where the bad guy wins – The Good, the Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison (Trent)
– Read a book with a weapon on the cover – Temptation in a Kilt by Victoria Roberts

Dracula’s Beauties – November 2020

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2020
Number of books: 6
Hosted by: My Vampire Book Obsession

Collect a Dracula Beauty each month by completing at least 2 tasks out of a set of 6.
A new set of tasks with a new doll will be posted each month.

The dolls you collect will be in your Vampire Heart thread. Don’t have a thread? You can still do the challenge if you want 🙂

Rules
One book per task.
No minimum page count.
Complete at least two tasks to get the doll.

1. Read a book with a moon on the cover.
2. Read a book where the characters share a meal. – The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
3. Read a book where vampires and werewolves are enemies.
4. Read a book with a black or red cover. – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
5. Read a book where the author’s initials can be found in NOVEMBER. – Temptation in a Kilt by Victoria Roberts
6. Read a book that you are thankful to have received. – Begin, End, Begin edited by Danielle Binks

Remembrance Day Spell Challenge

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2020
Number of books: 5
Hosted by: Crazy Challenge Connection

November 2020 SPELL – Remembrance Day
Timeframe: 11/1/20 to 11/30/20

PProm Nights from Hell by Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe & Lauren Myracle
EAn Elephant in My Kitchen by Francoise Malby-Anthony
A
CThe Cruel Prince by Holly Black
E

To go along with Suzanne’s Remembrance Day challenge, choose one or more of these words to spell out in November. You may use the first letter of the first word in the book’s title (excluding A, An and The) OR the author’s first or last initial (middle names or initials can NOT be used).

Alan Neil
Armistice
Battlefield
Ceremony
Commemorate
Conflict
Eleventh
Flanders
Honor
Last Post
November
Peace
Poppy
Remembrance
Reveille
Rouse
Sacrifice
Silence
Veterans
World War One

CHALLENGE RULES:
♦ Please sign up by posting at least a partial list of the challenge requirements. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses.

♦ Unless otherwise noted, books must be at least 150 pages long. (See the link here for rules regarding graphic novels.) Books may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged 🙂 Re-reads are allowed, as long as you read the entire book and not simply skim through it.

♦ For each book you read, please post a link to the title, and indicate the author and the date you finished reading it.
* If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title, cover or author, see the instructions here:
Add a link to the book title, book cover and/or author

♦ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you’ve read 🙂 If you don’t repost your list, your name will not be added to the list of those who have completed the challenge.

Remembrance Day Scavenger Challenge

Duration: 1st November – 30th November 2020
Number of books: 7
Hosted by: Crazy Challenge Connection

November 2020 Scavenger Challenge : Remembrance Day
November 1 – 30, 2020

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields. John McCrae ~ “In Flanders Fields”

2/7 Complete

1. Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth. Inaugurated by King George V, it was originally called “Armistice Day” to commemorate the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.— on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
✠ Read a book that was originally published in a year ending in “11;” tell us the year OR read a book that takes place in Britain or is written by a British author.

2. From 1921 to 1930, Armistice Day was held on the Monday of the week in which November 11th fell. In 1931, Alan Neill, Member of Parliament for Comox–Alberni, introduced a bill to observe Armistice Day only on November 11th. Passed by the House of Commons, the bill also changed the name to “Remembrance Day.”
✠ Read a book with “MONDAY” in its title (exact matches only) OR read a book that takes place during the 1920’s; tell us when.

3. The United States used to commemorate Armistice Day on November 11th. However, in 1954 at the end of the Korean War, the name was changed to Veterans Day so that all war veterans would be honored.
✠ Read a book whose title has changed since its original publication; tell us the original title OR read a book in which a main character served in, or is currently serving in, any military branch (for any country); tell us who and in which branch they serve(d).

4. Many countries observe Remembrance Day every year on November 11th. Wreath-laying ceremonies, usually organized by branches of the Royal British Legion, are performed at war memorials across the UK. Canada has a huge parade of veterans and current military forces led by a Color Guard.
✠ Read a book in which some type of formal ceremony takes place; tell us what OR read a book with a gravestone, cemetery, or memorial structure on its cover; post the cover.The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (coronation)

5. At 11 am on the 11th of November, many countries of the British Commonwealth observe two minutes of silence. The sounding of the “Last Post” (video) announces the period of silence, and is then followed by the sounding of “Reveille” (video) or sometimes just “The Rouse” (video).
Read a book whose cover shows a sunrise or a sunset; post the cover OR read a book with a “2” in its total page count; tell us how many pages. – An Elephant in My Kitchen by Francoise Malby-Anthony (320 pp.)

6. The “two minute period of silence” tradition had lapsed before being revived by a campaign in the early 1990s. The silence is now broadcast as a special program on BBC with a voice over stating, “This is BBC One. Now on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month. The traditional two minute silence for Armistice Day.” The program starts with a close up of the Big Ben clock chiming 11:00 and then shows different parts of the world observing the silence. Many employers and businesses invite their staff and customers to observe the two minutes’ silence at 11:00 a.m.
✠ Read a book with any timepiece on its cover; post the cover OR read a book whose title contains the word “SILENCE” or any word synonymous with silence – i.e. silent, quiet, whisper.

7. Poppies are worn on Remembrance Day to remember and honor those who have given their lives in battle. The flowers grew on the battlefields after World War I ended. The flower-covered battlefields are immortalized in the famous World War I poem In Flanders Fields.
✠ Read a book whose cover is primarily poppy-red OR read a book in which a character dies in battle; tell us who OR read a book of poetry (must be 150+ pages).

Sources:
Veteran Affairs Canada
Wikipedia

CHALLENGE RULES

See this thread for more detailed rules for all CCC challenges.

♣ If you want to participate in this challenge, please sign up by posting at least a partial list of the challenge requirements. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses.

♣ For each book you read, please indicate the title, the author and the date you finished reading it. If a challenge task gives several options, please make it clear which option you’ve chosen. If the task calls for an item on the cover, include a link to the book cover.* If it’s not obvious from the book title or cover, be sure to explain how your book fits the task. If you don’t, you won’t get credit for completing that task.

♣ Unless otherwise noted, books must be at least 150 pages long. (See the link above for rules regarding graphic novels.) Books may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged 🙂 Re-reads are allowed, as long as you read the entire book. You must read at least half of the book AFTER the challenge begins in order to count it for this challenge.

♣ Books may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged!

♣ If you want the challenge moderator to check your progress as you make updates, please copy/paste your update into a new message . We don’t have time to scroll back through the entire thread looking for “message #15,” or to follow links back to an original post.

♣ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you’ve read. If you don’t repost your list, you won’t be included in the list of those who have completed the challenge.

*If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title or cover, see the instructions here: Link Instructions

September 2020

Boost Engagement in September with this Simple Religious Calendar

September was a fun month. I started my second job and also started learning Jiu Jitsu. It also meant that I didn’t read as much, and I was constantly in a little pain…

Series

Standalones – Novels

Standalones – Novellas

Standalones – Short stories

Image source: Thrive Meetings and Events

River Polak by Mari Sandoz

Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of westerns book cover

Title: River Polak
Author: Mari Sandoz
In: The Mammoth Book of Westerns (Jon E. Lewis)
Rating Out of 5: 2.5 (Readable, but not worth reading again)
My Bookshelves: Westerns
Dates read: 30th September 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1959
5th sentence, 74th page: He rambled on, but Yonak did not hear.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

A story of life on the Frontier for Poles and all of the intricacies that go along with it.

Thoughts

This was a very calm and relaxing story. I actually quite enjoyed it, but gave it a lower rating because, as I sit here trying to write a review, I really don’t remember much. And the notes that I wrote while reading it? Less than useless…

  • A very calm and relaxing story.
  • Felt like daily life on the frontier
  • Little bit sad, but felt kind of hopeful for Yorvak

That’s it. That is apparently what I thought while reading this relaxing story. And I’m not even sure if I spelt the last word properly… oh well, it was still apparently a pleasant way to pass the time.

<- Emmet DutrowBlood on the Sun ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

Emmet Dutrow by Jack Schaefer

Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of westerns book cover

Title: Emmet Dutrow
Author: Jack Schaefer
In: The Mammoth Book of Westerns (Jon E. Lewis)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Westerns
Dates read: 29th September 2020
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1951
5th sentence, 74th page: His voice rolled at its deepest.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Emmet Dutrow was an odd man. If you want to know just how odd, you’ll have to read the words of his neighbour in this kind of unsettling Western short story.

Thoughts

This, for me, highlighted just what it is about Christianity that I tend to find so disturbing – the belief that we are all sinners and somehow unforgiveable. Don’t get me wrong, I know that’s not how everyone follows their faith. But it’s the part that scares me the most. And to find it in a western short story. Well, it was somewhat surprising. But also helped to expand on my general discomfort.

I love that one of the messages in this short story is the idea that letting someone have their own experiences and make their own mistakes can actually save them from a far worst mistake. That, and, ultimately, everyone is responsible for the decisions that they choose to make in their lives. Even if there is a bit of a difficult situation that drove Jess to his actions – he was still ultimately responsible for them. And most definitely had to pay the price in the end.

Even though I quite enjoyed this story, it was really tragic. Just a reminder that when you have children, you can quite easily mess them up. And sometimes it’s done with the best of intentions (which, although the father in this freaked me out big time, he also tried). Just a truly tragic and somewhat uncomfortable short story that I’ve now experienced.

<- Great MedicineRiver Polak ->

Image source: Hachette Australia