CONTEST CLOSED!

WINNER:  Christie

My Favorite Reply:  Rene, with the combo of weekly gossip magazines as her answer…LOL!

Thanks for playing!

Up for grabs:  A $15 gift card (Amazon or Kindle, winner’s choice), which should get you one or two new books to read!

I thought about offering a book recommendation in this post, but then decided to list the ten most recent romance books I’ve read (April/May) along with my Goodreads ratings.  I wish Goodreads offered the ability to post half-star ratings.  I often find I want to give a book 3.5 stars, but can’t.  So, when I approach a rating, here is what I’m thinking:

5 Stars:  LOVED it.  Will remember it for a long time and probably re-read it.

4 Stars:  Really enjoyed the writing, enjoyed the read (read it very quickly), would recommend it to a friend.  In this group, there may be plot issues I noticed, but the writing or characters were engaging enough that I didn’t mind.

3 Stars:  Liked certain elements and felt it was worth the time and money, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to a friend.  Usually this means there were plot or character issues that jumped out/overshadowed the better elements of the writing (of course, this is only in my opinion…doesn’t make me right!).

2 Stars:  Just don’t get it (either disliked a character, writing voice, or some other element of the story).  If I give two stars, I try to write a short review so people can determine whether they agree/have similar taste or might like what I hate about it.

1 Star:  I’ve never given 1 star.  I don’t finish a book if it is this bad, but Goodreads doesn’t offer a DNF option.

With that all in mind, here’s my list (starting with the most recent):

It Had To Be You, by Jill Shalvis                   4 stars

The Temporary Wife, by Jeannie Moon     3 stars

A Study In Seduction, by Nina Rowan        4 stars

It Must Be Love, by Rachel Gibson              4 stars*

Bride by Mistake, by Anne Gracie               4 stars

Too Dangerous to Desire, by Cara Elliot     4 stars

The Best Man, by Kristan Higgins               4 stars

Lady Be Good, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips 4 stars*

Animal Attraction, by Jill Shalvis                  3 stars

The Devil in Disguise, by Stephanie Sloane 4 stars

* Looking back at this list, I probably have to admit that I’m a huge Rachel Gibson and Susan Elizabeth Phillips fan, and the ratings of those two books may be a bit inflated by my bias for their strong writing voices.  Both have a sense of humor I appreciate, and create very vivid characters (whom you may love or hate).  If it had been available, I might’ve given these two books 3.5 stars (but then again, that lower rating might only be relative to a few of their books that blew my socks off).  If you look over my Goodreads library on that site, you’ll find 5 star books I adored from both authors.

Also, if you are unfamiliar with Kristan Higgins or Jill Shalvis, both are very popular writers who write small town stories with a big cast of quirky characters.  I’ve read some reviewer complaints about their tendency to go over-the-top with character traits or plot contrivances, but I find their writing to be fun, engaging, and perfect for traveling or a rainy day.  If you like somewhat gruff heroes, then you will like Luke (from It Had To Be You) and Levi (from The Best Man).  If you don’t like those types of heroes, then take a pass, but check out some of their other (MANY) books.

Now for the CONTEST RULES:

Please reply to this post (here on the blog, not via email or Facebook) naming the favorite book you’ve read during the past six months (mine was You Before Me, by Jojo Moynes).  To leave a reply, click on the “Leave a Reply” link at the top of this post.  If someone has already left a reply, the link will then say “# Replies.” I’ll close the contest at 5 PM on Friday, June 7th, and the contest widget will select the winner from the replies.  I will hold off on responding to anyone’s posted reply so that my name doesn’t not get ‘counted’ by the widget, but I’ll be reading them and looking into the books you recommend.

Replying will not sign you up as a subscriber, or result in being spammed, so go ahead and try to win!

Good luck!

xo-Jamie