firewhiskeyreader

I am so excited to be bringing seasonal bingo back! I have loved interacting with the community in the past and I’m really looking forward to doing so again. Aarya is unfortunately taking the Fall season off from bingo because of some incredible life moves and we’re excited for her and also we miss her being part of this! Nevertheless, Dani and I are so excited to unveil the #FallInLoveBingo board! Our illustrations are courtesy of Canva pro this time because my sister is busy with real life and also we didn’t quite decide we were going to bring back bingo until much too late to have her cute illustrations. I hope you still enjoy the board and play along with us!

If you are playing along, please remember to use Alt tex for any images you use, including the Bingo board. You are welcome to copy and paste the caption below the board here to use on Twitter or Instagram, wherever you prefer to participate! Additionally, when you hashtag #FallInLoveBingo, please remember to capitalize the first letter of each word to make it easier for screen readers. Thank you for helping make this reading challenge an accessible and fun group activity!

Row One

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Meddling Characters

So this is me, just taking a wild guess, based on the antics of the Bergman siblings in the other books I’ve read in the series, but I’m guessing that With You Forever by Chloe Liese is going to have meddling characters and I’m going to be here for it. Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras apparently involves meddling family members, per this Washington Post article, so that’s another option! And then my third option is going to be Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron, where meddling is literally in the blurb.

Dancer

I have been impatiently waiting for Diana Biller’s new book since I read and loved The Widow of Rose House on Dani’s recommendation and so it is past time that I finally read The Brightest Star in Paris! Although, there are a couple other books that have been waiting for me to pick them up for ages, Pas de Deux by Lynn Turner and On Pointe by Shelly Ellis. Also, apparently Mia from Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren might also be a former dancer? So I think that definitely counts too.

Series Continuation

Y’all. You know how at the beginning of the year I had all these goals and one of them was to complete series? I’ve been doing a terrible job. So here are the next book in three different series I desperately need to read: Free Fall by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner, Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (which, to be fair, I’m 100 ish pages into), and Making Up by Lucy Parker.

Sweater Weather

Something about Good Twin, Gone Country just really made me think there would be quality Fall vibes and sweaters so I opened it up and searched for sweater mentions (2) and Fall mentions (approximately 10) so I am so pleased to tell you, I’m finally reading my next Jessica Lemmon book and I’m delighted. Other options include finally reading Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon, which I am pretty confident I’m going to love. So why is it languishing on my TBR? Great question. Also, I’ve decided I’m counting Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao for this one because it starts at Thanksgiving and idk if that is really enough to get me there, but I started reading it while I was searching for words in various books on my kindle and I’m intrigued so… It’s on the list!

Latinx Main Character

I’ll definitely be reading A Lot Like Adiós by Alexis Daria for this one! First of all, it’s a shame I haven’t already read it considering I have an ARC and it comes out so soon, but I’ve been dragging my feet in general with that so… At least I’ll get to this one soon now? We’ll go with that. But it is Latinx Heritage Month and there are some readathons going on associated with that, which I would encourage you to check out! (See Latinx Book Bingo and Latinx Romance Reading Challenge) Alternatively, I really need to continue in Sabrina Sol’s Delicious Desire series, so I could read Delicious Complication… Or I could tackle a different series I need to read and pick up Flashed by Zoey Castille.

Row Two

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Astrology

Okay, so I’m so behind on ARCs that are already out and I get that, I do. BUT I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur and… I mean, I have to read it, you know? I have absolutely adored this series so far and I’m so excited to get to the next book in the series. Plus, Alexandria Bellefleur’s books inclusion of astrology is one of my favorite elements! Another option is Counting Down with You by Tashie Bhuiyan, which I know because Nick is fabulous at reviewing books! And for a third option, The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher, which conveniently would also work for sapphic representation!

Friend Rec

I had Dani send me several recommendations a few days ago because I made myself my own Summer bingo board just for me and included Dani rec as one of my prompts. I had a specific book in mind but haven’t once felt like picking it up so when it was down to the wire, I caved and asked for non-historical romances. Since she went above and beyond, I obviously decided she deserves two bingo squares from me. One of her recommendations was Binding Shadows by Jasmine Silvera, which I’ve been meaning to read for ages. I think it’s been on like three other TBRs at this point. Oops. Or if my brain will cooperate, I could finally read The Hidden Moon by Jeannie Lin (the book I had in mind this ENTIRE TIME) or His at Night by Sherry Thomas! Both of which will be fantastic I am positive. Or I could finally pick up the historical I’m supposed to be reading for our project, A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss… One day.

Black Love

I feel like this whole TBR is just me saying, “Look at all these books I’m desperate to read, but have dragged my feet on!” And Reel by Kennedy Ryan absolutely falls into that description. I always have several Black Love options to choose from, but Reel is at the top of my list and I need to read it. Some other options I have been eyeing for quite some time are Love in the Red Zone by Love Belvin, which would be my first book by her, and To Be Alone with You by Jodie Slaughter because I’ve heard such good things about it. OH! Or my ARC that I should have already read, Foolish Hearts by Synithia Williams, which is the fourth book in a series I love because the soapy element is so delicious. Why am I dragging my feet on reading these books I really want to read? I need an intervention…

Character Description You Love

I specifically bought Charish Reid’s (Trust) Falling for You because in a promo tweet she mentioned that Yolanda is a hot mess, I think, and there’s little I love more in literature than relatable women. … I mean, there is, but also, hot messes finding love and usually getting their lives together in some way is probably my favorite trope. Most likely. So I am leaning toward this book for that reason! I’m also always here for anxious women so I’m going to include A Brush with Love by Maizey Eddings, which features anxious Harper. The book isn’t out for ages but I have an ARC and Nick loved it so, obviously I’m keen to read it. And finally, I am going to include The Dating Playbook by Farah Rochon here because the premise of this book features Taylor going after her professional dreams and that’s yet another thing I love.

Witches

There are several new releases coming out with witches and while I could do a deep dive for something older, I find myself really intrigued by The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling’s premise and think I’ll do my best to get my hands on it when it releases on September 28th. I’m also looking forward to Witch Please by Ann Aguirre! It sounds fun, so hopefully my library will get a copy. Or I could finally finish the Sea Haven series by Christine Feehan and read Bound Together, which would be a very good idea. Truly. I need to finish some series!

Row Three

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Hyped

There are several squares I could put Archangel’s Light by Nalini Singh, but the one that feels most true for me is hyped. Is it hyped widely? Sure, kind of, but mostly Y’ALL. I have this book so hyped in my head, I’m really nervous it won’t be able to live up to it. But fortunately, in Nalini I trust so I’m not that nervous about it. I mostly just cannot wait. If I’m feeling super motivated to knock out this prompt before Archangel’s Light releases, I could try to finally read From Blood and Ash, which seems like it was incredibly hyped to me. Or I could go with the more recent obsession and find out what all the fuss is about with Morning Glory Milking Farm by C. M. Nascosta.

New Release

Given how much I’ve mentioned my overwhelming ARC backlog because I am really struggling to read ARCs right now, this category is basically made for me. The trouble is choosing which new release to get to. I’m leaning toward slotting Bombshell by Sarah MacLean here because it’s a release from August 24th I still need to get to, but I also feel like it makes sense to pick a book that releases from September to November and that makes me want to say All the Feels by Olivia Dade. Or Well Matched by Jen DeLuca because I am really excited about Mitch and April! So definitely one of those!

HEA

There are truly so many options! I’m just going to list three other ARCs I have and need to read because clearly that needs to be my priority! Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas, which I really should have read by now. I love LK’s writing style so it shouldn’t even take me a terribly long time! Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond sounds like a ton of fun honestly. And Suzanne said it’s actually funny! Also, I’ve seen a couple of rave reviews about All the Best Nights by Hanna Earnest lately and my intrigue level is way up.

Reread

I’m just going to be honest. The likelihood of me not rereading something from either Psy-Changeling, Guild Hunter, or Hidden Legacy in the next three months is slim to none. Rereads are basically everything for me right now. If I don’t reread one of those, I recently read Fix Her Up for the first time, by Tessa Bailey, and it has me wanting to reread the other two books in the series! OH. And The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath comes out so soon and I should reread it so I can actually write a review. I adored the book, but didn’t write my review when I read it months ago. Oops.

Library Book

First of all, you can interpret this prompt in two ways. First, any book that you borrow from the library, but also, you could use a book where a character borrows a library book or reads a library book or probably is a librarian and talks about library books for whatever reason. Anyway, for me, I tend to use my library for audiobooks and I’m counting Hoopla as part of my library since that’s how I have Hoopla. I have several options I’m considering borrowing, mostly to help tackle the ARC backlog. Those include Sandcastle Beach by Jenny Holiday, Serving Sin by Angelina M. Lopez, and Wreckless by Katie Golding.

Row Four

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Pumpkin

The Belle and the Beard by Kate Canterbury actually has several mentions of pumpkins and would also work for HGTV Vibes, which means I could read multiple books with HGTV Vibes, which is exactly what I need in my life. Two other options include Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau and Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane.

HGTV Vibes

I mean, in my re-read list, I did mention wanting to re-read Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey, but if we’re sticking with a new to me book, I have a few others on my list. Renovation of Love by Meka James, The Home They Built by Shannon Stacey, and The Belle and the Beard by Kate Canterbury are three I could think of off the top of my head. Ruby Lang’s Uptown series would work as well and if I would finish the other two novellas in the series, I could check off another series! Or an ARC I need to get to is The Shaadi Set Up by Lillie Vale, which sounds adorably right up my alley!

Sapphic Representation

I’ve been wanting to read Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi for ages, mostly because I’m obsessed with the cover, tbh, so that’s toward the top of my list. But also Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers and You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson are up there too! There are so many good choices I’ve been dragging my feet on. It’s also Sapphic September, hosted by Landice!

Sub-genre You Rarely Read

I think you can make the argument for me that the only subgenre I do read a lot is contemporary romance. Anymore anyway. The other one you could argue is paranormal romance, but I posit that since I really only read Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews on repeat, I’m not actually a reader of the subgenre the way I should be… So here are just a few of my options: Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik (this book doesn’t come out for ages, but I am excited about it and was fortunate enough to receive an ARC), Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep (an overdue ARC), Crux by H. E. Trent (the second book in a series that I really loved the first book in), Shadow’s Seduction by Kresley Cole (will I ever catch up on Immortals After Dark???), or Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann (I’m so close to completing the Troubleshooters series, but I stalled out).

Woman in Tech

Can we go with a former tech consultant counts? I think yes, because that means I can slot in my advanced copy of A Thorn in the Saddle by Rebekah Weatherspoon, which I would be thoroughly delighted by. Another Rebekah Weatherspoon book I’ve been meaning to read for a while and was a specific Dani rec is Treasure and it would slot in so perfectly here! Or I could finally read The Dating Plan by Sara Desai, which I got from Book of the Month several months ago…

Row Five

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Book by a Favorite Author

This was the other obvious place to include Archangel’s Light, but I decided to be contrary and go with a recent favorite author, Susanna Kearsley, so I could include The Vanished Days! I’m so excited for this one. And if I don’t want to include that one, sticking with the theme of recent favorite authors, I could pick up another Laura Florand book because I still have several to go before I run out and am sad forever. I think next up is The Chocolate Temptation. Or I could continue with my Ilona Andrews obsession and read Magic Stars or Fate’s Edge or… You get the point.

Sick Bed Scene

According to Sil, two books on my TBR have sick bed scenes and the good news is, I’m keen to read them both. The first is Battle Royal by Lucy Parker and the second is Sweethand by N. G. Peltier. Another TBR book I’ve mentioned here already is House Rules by Ruby Lang, which I know because someone recommended it for this reason on Twitter. So, several options!

RED

So, obviously, you could choose a red book for this prompt, but if you, like me, are LIVING for November 19th right now, you could also pick up a book that gives you Red (taylor’s version) vibes and I would FULLY support you. For me, I’m obviously planning to use the second interpretation and I found this Buzzfeed article pairing books with lines from my favorite, “All Too Well.” So now I have a couple of options that I can tell you about now. I could use The Shaadi Set Up by Lillie Vale for this one if I don’t use it for HGTV Vibes apparently or I could read the new Jasmine Guillory While We Were Dating. Or I could read a new release during the next three months, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, which I’ve heard so many good things about.

Forehead Kiss

I love forehead kisses. I think it’s such a quiet intimacy and I love when characters interact in this way. I recently read Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey and I’m pretty sure there were several forehead kisses or kisses to Georgie’s hair. Anyway, blame Tessa Bailey for this prompt. Or thank her. You know, whichever you feel. So obviously, in planning my TBR, that led me to search Thrown Down by Tessa Bailey to see if there were forehead kisses in it. There are, so… It’s on my list! (If I don’t just hope for the best and try out Hook, Line, and Sink Her instead…) I’m also dying to read Exposed by Kristen Callihan so I figured it was worth a shot searching for forehead and lo and behold there’s a forehead kiss! So now it’s definitely on this short list. And then I checked The Cowgirl’s Surprise Match by Nina Crespo and there’s one in there too!

Jewish Main Character

I have three books that I think have been languishing on my TBR for entirely too long that are perfect for this prompt! Matzah Ball Surprise by Laura Brown was an impulse buy I then never got around to actually picking up, but I think the cover is so cute. And I’ve heard nothing but good things about Appetites and Vices and Dalliances and Devotion by Felicia Grossman, historical romances I’ve truly been meaning to read for… years? Wow.

And there you have my TBR! Well, there you have a tentative TBR where despite having more than 75 books in it, my final board is almost guaranteed to include books outside of it. But I hope it helps you if you’re stuck on a prompt! Are you going to participate? Let me know!

xx