Romance Bingo

I am always looking for fun ways to diversify my reading habits. This summer I was dealing with a lot of health issues and needed some lighter reads than usual. So I participated in Ripped Bodice's Romance Bingo! I found some surprises as I tried to challenge myself to read some authors that I wouldn't normally read.

 Recently on my blog I shared how Jasmine Guillory's By The Book made me fall in love with an author whose earlier books just werent for me. I am not crazy about Jane Austen but was enchanted by a new retelling of Emma, Emma of 83rd Street. Asexuality is something I've wanted to understand better and Romantic Agenda was shockingly highly educational. 

 Of course there were books I didn't care for. Since supernatural horror is one of my absolute favorite genres, I was surpised that some of my least favorite books I read for the romance challenge had supernatural themes. Well, I did really like a gothic lesbian romance novel, A Long Time Dead. While there were points of Bitter Spirits that I really enjoyed, it didnt make my list of favorites. I did I found Ghost in Shining Armor disappointing and Wings Once Cursed and Bound hard to get into. 

 Then there were the books that I would have read without this challenge. Skye Warren is an insta-buy author for me and her dark romance, Red Flags released while I participated in this challenge. I loved it so much that I was up past my bedtime reading. I had met Dylan Crush when I volunteered at Word Play earlier this summer and her book Cowboy Charming was in fact very charming.

 Overall, this was a fun challenge to participate in. I appreciated the diversity of writers and topics explored. Also, it gave my brain a much needed breather. I definitely need to read romance more often!