The Gentlemen's Gamble

You know I like when authors convince me (they don't have to try that hard) to read their books (if it's the type of book I would read). See my post from September 14, 2024.

I found out about a new series that came out this year written by multiple authors called The Gentlemen's Gamble series. The idea is that this group of friends make a wager when they're younger that whoever is the last to marry has to pay each of the others in the group 100 pounds. They kind of forget about it and then years later one friend writes to all the others that he has gotten married and reminds them all about the wager so it's a scramble for them all to get married.

A couple fun things about this series are: 1) the authors kept the release order of the books secret so we didn't know who was going to lose the wager. 2) each of the books have the same prologue but written from the hero of that book's point of view.

I haven't finished the series yet (I'm still two books away- I've listened to four on audiobook) but I do know the order of the books at this point. The series introduced me to a new author (and the last two books are from authors I have not previously read so I'm still waiting) and I got to read books from three authors who I have read books from before. One of them is Anneka R. Walker, who is one of my favorites, as you know.

In April, the authors held a Gentlemen's Gamble virtual event where they talked about the books and answered questions. It was pretty fun. Before the event they emailed BINGO cards so we could have fun catching little things that were mentioned throughout the event. 

They also did some giveaways and I won a tshirt. It says, "Team Gentlemen. Honor Intact. Hearts Compromised." 

I am enjoying this book series and I'm glad I found out about it.

 

 

I Love Reading Challenges

You know I love reading challenges. I participated in the 2025 Adult Reading Challenge with Orem Library and got a notebook and pen. I love what they both say. The notebook says, "Just one more chapter." You know I love that. The pen says, "My weekend is all booked." So fun.

Nichole and I both signed up for the Winter Reading Program at Provo Library. That one runs December and January. I was thrilled when I picked up my main prize from reading enough minutes. It's a tote that says, "The book was better." Ha Ha Ha Ha. I love things that have sayings related to books and reading.

Nichole and I took some bonding time one day to finish up the activities for the Winter Reading Program. We went on a scavenger hunt, we wrote poems, we texted each other, we colored bookmarks at the library. Then we picked up the prizes that still needed to be picked up (hot cocoa mix, candy, chips, etc.). 

On Peculiar People Day, January 10, Nichole and I had more bonding time. We went to the kickoff event for the 2026 Adult Reading Challenge at Orem Library. This year's challenge centers around The Hobbit. We got to be with other book lovers for "second breakfast," while listening to Lord of the Rings music. We got to learn about this year's challenge. We got a copy of The Hobbit to keep. We made junk journals to keep track of things during the challenge this year. We got pins that say, "Make reading a hobbit." We got to interpret some Elvish. It was nice.

As soon as we got home, I told people everyone was welcome to read The Hobbit. Jet immediately asked me to start reading it to him. So cute.

I keep the book and junk journal in my reading tote now so I can take it all with me while waiting for kids after school or after play practice.

I love reading challenges.

 
P.S. One of the book categories for the challenge is a book published in 2025. This is me going for a walk while listening to the audiobook of The Rules of Matrimony by Anneka R. Walker. I loved reading it last year and heard that the audiobook had good narrators so I listened and laughed out loud and loved it just like I love the physical book. Narrators really can make a difference for me wanting to listen to audiobooks.

I'd say Anneka R. Walker is one of my favorite authors. I can happily reread her books and get excited about reading those I haven't read before.

 

Summer Reading part 2

I said I planned to use Summer Reading Programs as an excuse to read and reread books by Anneka R. Walker.

Provo Library had an activity where you checked out a book with a cover that matched your eye color. The first book I looked at to see if it would match was The Masked Baron by Anneka R. Walker. I really wanted to read it again. Guess what. It matched. My eyes have both green and brown in them which work with the trees on the cover.

The picture my husband took to show the match has greenery behind me which also matches greenery on the cover and you can see a little bit of my shirt which again unintentionally matches the character's clothing and my hair is brown. Ha Ha Ha Ha. Matching all around. 

 

After this I read a few more books by the same author. I read the other books in this series (the second I read again, the third I read for the first time) and a stand alone book I read again... or listened to the audiobook. I've listened to a lot of audiobooks this Summer while working on other things.

Reading Challenges

If you know me, you know I love reading challenges. You should see our whole family in the Summertime with our local library reading programs.

This photo represents three reading challenges. In March, I finished a read-along with author Anneka R. Walker reading a book a month of her Matchmaking Mamas series. The fourth book, The Rules of Matrimony, comes out today, May 6. These books are sweet clean romances, and I love the humor in them. Having read the first two books before this read-along, I was looking forward to certain scenes I knew would make me laugh again.

The mug in my picture says, "Just one more chapter..." This is very appropriate for this series. I had a hard time stopping in order to stretch each book out for a month. The mug I earned from the Winter Reading Program with Provo City Library.

The last challenge that goes with this picture is the Adult Reading Challenge with Orem Public Library where I had to pick one of two categories to use The Gentleman's Confession since it fit both.

I'm sure when Summer Reading comes along again, I'll use that as an excuse to read and reread more of Anneka R. Walker's books. 

It turned out I didn't have to wait until May to read the last book in the Matchmaking Mamas series.

I won an advanced copy of The Rules of Matrimony from the read-along. I was so excited to read it in April.

It wasn't intentional but I happened to be wearing a shirt that matched the cover in this picture. Fun!

When the book arrived in the mail, Jet was very happy to help me open it. He's so cute.

Anneka R. Walker posted a quote from the book on Instagram and I just so happened to have read the scene with that quote early in the morning... because I was reading the book in the middle of the night. I mentioned it on Instagram saying:

How could you do this to me, authorannekawalker?

I woke in the middle of the night and thought I'll just read a little bit more of this book I started yesterday. The next thing I knew it was time to get up for the day. Now I have to teach my children there are consequences for my actions because I am so so tired.

And I want to do it again.

 

This was her response:

 

 

Remember the mug? "Just one more chapter..."

I knew it would be like that for The Rules of Matrimony because it was the same for the rest of the Matchmaking Mamas series. It was true. It didn't take me long to read the whole book because it was so hard to put down.

There was something I realized about myself, though. That attitude of "just one more chapter..." is great for reading sweet clean fiction books but I should really be feeling it when I sit down to read my scriptures. It's a personal goal I want to do better with and if I'm being honest, when I am doing those things that bring me closer to my Savior, I can enjoy other wholesome things in my life (like books with "humor and heart") even more.