Thursday, December 31, 2015

Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Wrap-up, Challenge & Giveaway

It's amazing how quickly 2015 came and went!! Waves of Fiction has had a great reading year, and we'd like to take a moment to spotlight a few of our favorites.

Several of us on The Waves of Fiction Team decided to get together to share our favorite and not so favorite books of 2015, as well as share a final update on our Waves of Fiction Reading Challenge
But that’s not all!! One lucky winner will get the chance to win a bundle of paperback books to get 2016 started off on the right page. :)

Enjoy!!

Reading Challenge Recap
I had a fun time putting this challenge together and completing it from beginning to end. The thing I think I enjoyed the most was how it challenged me to try stories I normally wouldn't pick up or ones that I've put off for so long. My favorites were Outlander and a few of the historical romances I picked up to knock out a few of the categories. Overall, this was a fun way to kick of 2015!

Top 3 Favorites (All Genres)

The Bourbon Kings by JR Ward
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
After You by Jojo Moyes
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (I can’t exclude this one.)

Favorite Series Installment

Crash and Burn by Abigail Roux

Greatest Disappointment - Because of High Expectations

Grey by E.L. James

Favorite Debut
The Devil’s Playground by Eliza Freed

Favorite Female Main Character
Louisa Clark from After You

Favorite Male Main Character
James Fraser from Outlander

Favorite Book Cover
Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid – The Top Bun is just my style…

Most Interesting Book Title
Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum

Most Anticipated
After You by Jojo Moyes
Top 3 Favorites (All Genres)
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
The Raven by Sylvain Reynard
Honorable Mention - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Favorite Series Installment
Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren

Greatest Disappointment - Because of High Expectations
The Stranger by Harlan Coben

Favorite Debut
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Favorite Female Main Character
Margo - Marrow by Tarryn Fisher

Favorite Male Main Character
Ben - November 9

Favorite Book Cover
November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Most Interesting Book Title
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave (also loved this one!)

Most Anticipated
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
  
Reading Challenge Recap
I can't believe I actually completed the challenge because I had the hardest time fulfilling my last box: "A book most of your GR flist has read".  I finally did it with Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward.  Most of my flist read it and if they didn't they shelved it to be read.

Top 3 Favorites (All Genres)
Vision in Silver (The Others #3) by Anne Bishop
Once Upon a Rose by Laura Florand
Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7) by Ilona Andrews

Favorite Series Installment
Vision in Silver (The Others #3) by Anne Bishop
Fair Game (Alpha & Omega #3) by Patricia Briggs

Greatest Disappointment - Because of High Expectations
This was hard because I wasn't disappointed by any books that I was highly anticipating. I think this one was a disappointment because I usually love Samantha Young's writing:
One Kings Way (On Dublin Street #6.5) by Samantha Young

Favorite Debut 
I looked through my "read" books from 2015 and I only came up with one debut author! The story was really good though:
Untouchable by Ava Marsh

Favorite Female Main Character
Oh so tough to choose!
Meg from Vision in Silver (The Others) by Anne Bishop
Kate Daniels from Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Favorite Male Main Character
Matt from Once Upon a Rose by Laura Florand
Lon Butler from Arcadia Bell by Jenn Bennett

Favorite Book Cover
A Dark Lure by Loreth Anne White

Most Interesting Book Title
Wrapped and Strapped by Lorelei James

Most Anticipated
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop


Reading Challenge Recap
This challenged started out super fun and easy! I completed quite a few categories early on and just knew I would have this finished within a few months. Well I was wrong lol. It was still super fun, but the more categories I crossed off the more finding books got harder and harder. I ended up not completing the last few categories which I am very sad about. I have a goal to finish these next year because I really want to seek out new and different books that I wouldn't ordinarily read. Arlene did a great job with this challenge and I am very thankful that she created it! My favorite book that I read for the challenge was Storm Front. I had been meaning to pick up this series and this gave me the push to finally read it. The hardest category for me was a book with a military theme. Every time I see a military book I always feel like I am going to end up crying so I tend to avoid them like the plague. I have one picked out for this category and I think it will be a non crying one!

Top 3 Favorites (All Genres)
Falling Kingdoms & Rebel Spring by Morgan Rhodes
Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward

Favorite Series Installment

Crash & Burn by Abigail Roux

Greatest Disappointment - Because of High Expectations

The Shadows by J.R. Ward--interesting that she holds both Top Favorite and Greatest Disappointment...

Favorite Debut

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Favorite Female Main Character

Rose Drayton from On the Edge by Ilona Andrews

Favorite Male Main Character

Ty Grady from Crash & Burn by Abigail Roux

Favorite Book Cover

The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman

Most Interesting Book Title

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Most Anticipated

The Angels' Share by J.R. Ward
We hope you've enjoyed our 2015 Reading Wrap-up and Challenge. And now for the fun stuff!! We are giving away the chance to win the following bundle of paperback books. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Be sure to fill out the rafflecopter for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 comments:

  1. My favorite book of 2015 was Anarchy Found by JA Huss.

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  2. Unlike Any Other by Claudia Burgoa was my favorite book of 2015! Happy New Year! =D

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  3. Loved Vision in Silver and Marrow (Margo cannot be forgotten!)

    I'm so happy I completed the challenge this year too! Great year in books!!

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    1. Yes, Vision in Silver! Congratulations on completing the challenge Eva! :)

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  4. I read 457 books this year and am working on 458! The first book that comes to mind is The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar, there are many more though that I loved equally!

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  5. I read a bunch but I really liked Confess by Colleen Hoover!

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  6. My favorite from 2015 is Where One Goes by BN Toler

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  7. Waves of Fiction 2015 Reading Challenge was actually my first reading challenge. I can’t believe I completed it. Thank you so much, ladies, this challenge pushed me to read really good books.

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  8. My favorite book of the year was An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir and After You by Jojo Moyes

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  9. Hmmm... My favorite were Blood Kiss by JR Ward Snow Globe by Jenna Nelson (I think that is her name).

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  10. I loved Lia Habel's Dearly, Departed. I unique twist on zombie story. I hadn't even heard of her before and now I am addicted.

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