Bout of Books 9.0 ~ Day 4 Update & Challenge: Double Date Book Challenge

Before I get to today's Bout of Books challenge, I wanted to quickly mention a deal on Amazon today and update you on my reading progress (so far) for this read-a-thon:

Limited-Time Offer: $30 Off Kindle Fire Tablets. Enter promotional code MAYDAY30 at checkout. Link to page: Kindle Fire

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Reading Progress Update:

I haven't kept track of how many pages I've read, just the amount of books I've finished. So far, I've finished two books and am almost done with a third!

Finished:


The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen
The Random Acts of Cupid (Christian Romance) by Amanda Tru

Reading Today:

I only have 81 pages left to read in Luminary (Anomaly) by Krista McGee (loving this book!). Once I finish, I plan on reading a couple novellas next - probably these two:


A January Bride (A Year of Weddings Novella) by Deborah Raney
A Hero's Promise (Free Short Story) (Culper Ring Series) by Roseanna M. White

Now to today's challenge!

Hosted by Writing My Own Fairy Tale

It's a Double Date Book Challenge!

The Rules for the Challenge:

You must pick two books that you would recommend someone read together (like a double date!) and explain your reasons for the recommendation. You can recommend the books because they are in the same genre, one is a retelling of the other, they deal with the same issues, or maybe they're complete opposites, whatever you want as long as you can explain why they should be read together. Just one exception: they cannot be books from the same series. 

My picks:

Book One: My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade

Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When her grandmother asks her to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Upon her arrival in Redbud, Kate meets Matt Jarreau, the man hired to renovate the house. Kate can't help being attracted to him, drawn by both his good looks and something else she can't quite put her finger on. He's clearly wounded--hiding from people, from God, and from his past. Yet Kate sets her stubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light...whether he likes it or not.

When the stilted, uncomfortable interactions between Kate and Matt slowly shift into something more, is God finally answering the longing of her heart? Or will Kate be required to give up more than she ever dreamed?

Book Two: Made to Last by Melissa Tagg

Miranda Woodruff has it all. At least, that's how it looks when she's starring in her homebuilding television show, From the Ground Up. So when her network begins to talk about making cuts, she'll do anything to boost ratings and save her show--even if it means pretending to be married to a man who's definitely not the fiance who ran out on her three years ago.

When a handsome reporter starts shadowing Miranda's every move, all his digging into her personal life brings him a little too close to the truth--and to her. Can the girl whose entire identity is wrapped up in her on-screen persona finally find the nerve to set the record straight? And if she does, will the life she's built come crashing down just as she's found a love to last?

Why read these together?

Because they both have to deal with renovating/homebuilding and are great contemporary reads! I'm not even a huge fan of this genre, but these books were both very good (in fact, Made to Last made my top favorite books of 2013!).