The Character Fight to the Death Tag

The lovely Amy @ A Magical World of Words tagged me to take part in this one so let's see how it goes.

Here are the rules:
- Write down the names of 30 characters
- For every question randomly draw two names
- Answer the question using the two names drawn

Here are my characters:
Alexander Belov, Alina Starkov, America Singer, Amren, Bellatrix Lestrange, Cath, Connor Cobalt, Daemon Black, Dimple Shah, Feyre, Four, Hermione Granger, Jace Herondale, Jamie Fraser, Juliette Ferrars, Katniss Everdeen, Kenji Kishimoto, Lisbeth Salander, Magnus Bane, Meg Corbyn, Molly Peskin, Myrnin, Peeta Mellark, Prince Maxon, Rhysand, Rose Calloway, Simon Spier, Tessa Gray, The Darkling, Vladimir Sanguinati

And here we go...

You only have one more spot on your spelling bee team. 
Who gets it?

  

Rose Calloway (The Addicted Series) 

VS 

Jace Herondale (The Mortal Instruments)

Sorry Jace, but Rose wins this one hands down. Rose is brilliant, focused and competitive. 

She'd slay in a spelling bee.

Both characters want to kill you. 
Who would you kill first to have a better chance of survival?

    

Vladimir Sanguinati (The Others Series)

VS

Myrnin (The Morganville Vampires)

Seriously? I managed to pull two vampires? I am so screwed.

Well, assuming I could kill a vampire, I'd try to off Vlad first. 

Myrnin was often less scary and just... eccentric. On a good day.

You're on The Bachelor/Bachelorette and down to two characters. 
Who gets your rose?

   

Amren (A Court of Mist and Fury)

VS

Jamie Fraser (Outlander)

Having never seen a single episode of The Bachelor, I'm assuming giving a rose means you pick that person?

I like Amren, but frankly she scares me. LOL And Jamie is, well... it's Jamie Fraser people. Need I say more?

You've been chosen for the Hunger Games. 
Who's most likely to volunteer in your place?

    

Tessa Gray (The Infernal Devices)
VS

Alina Starkov (The Grisha Trilogy)

Oh wow, I could see either of these characters volunteering to take someone's place.

They are both strong, brave, headstrong and fearless. And they both have compassion.

It's really a toss-up but I'll go with Alina.

You're stranded on an island and must engage in cannibalism to survive. 
Who do you eat?

    

Lisbeth Salander (The Millennium Trilogy)

VS
Four (Divergent)

Bahahaha!! Do I even need to think about this one? Sorry, Lisbeth.

I know you've had a hard life, but you're about to be served up while I kick back island-style with Four. 

You're the next Marvel superhero (with your own TV show, of course). 
Who's your sidekick?

    

Bellatrix Lestrange (Harry Potter)

VS
Magnus Bane (The Mortal Instruments)

Another no-brainer. I'll take the wickedly cool Magnus Bane over Miss Crazy Pants any day.

You're a manager of an avocado company. 
Who would you fire for poor communication skills?

    

The Darkling (The Grisha Trilogy)

VS

Meg Corbyn (The Others Series)

An avocado company? WTH? But okay... 

I've only read the first book in the Grisha trilogy so far but already it seems that the Darkling is secretive and manipulative and not exactly forthcoming with the truth. Whereas Meg is open and honest and has managed to ingratiate herself with all different types of people (and species).

Darkling... you're fired.

You've just finished a book in which your favorite character dies. 
Which of these two characters is more likely to comfort you?

    

Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

VS
Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

Katniss has a good heart but isn't exactly warm and fuzzy. Hermione would be a lot more likely to hold my hand and give me a hug.

Ugh, it's high school. 
Who would most likely be part of the popular clique?

    

Rhysnad (A Court of Mist and Fury)

VS
Juliette Ferrars (The Shatter Me Trilogy)

I think it goes without saying that Rhys would rule the school. LOL

The day has arrived - you're finally a year older. 
Who would have the nerve to forget your birthday?

    

Prince Maxon (The Selection Series)
VS

Cath (Fangirl)

Maxon is a total sweetheart and would probably plan some super elaborate surprise for my birthday.

Cath, on the other hand, would be in the midst of writing Simon Snow fanfic and completely forget I existed.

You've just found an up and coming YouTube star. 
Who is it more likely to be?

    

Kenji Kishimoto (The Shatter Me Trilogy)

VS

Feyre (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

Kenji! I could totally see Kenji becoming a YouTube sensation. He make a name for himself doing stand-up comedy or hosting some cheesy dating show. LOL Feyre? Not so much.

Sleepover time! Unfortunately you can invite only one person. 
Who will it be?

    

Simon Spier (Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda)

VS
America Singer (The Selection Trilogy)

America Singer is NOT invited to my sleepover. She would work my last nerve and I'd end up booting her out before midnight. But Simon... we could totally hang. We'd stay up all night talking about boys and eating Oreos.

Bam, you're pregnant. Who's the father/mother?

    

Molly Peskin (The Upside of Unrequited)

VS
Connor Cobalt (The Addicted Series)

Bam, I'm pregnant? Did I at least get dinner first? Geez.

Sorry Molly. I like you, I relate to you, but we're talking Connor Cobalt.

Narcissist. Genius. Smartass. And apparently the father of my non-existent child.

You've just sent a super important text. 
Who would see it and not reply?

    

Daemon Black (The Lux Series )
VS

Alexander Belov (The Bronze Horseman)

Oh, this is a good one. It could go either way. Daemon would totally blow off a text if he wasn't in the mood to deal with it. And if asked about it he'd even say, "Yeah, I saw it." Alexander would ignore the text because the technology would confound him, seeing as how he's in Russia in the 1940's. But I'm going with Daemon because it's likely he would not reply just to be a jerk. LOL

You've just woken up and it's time for breakfast. 
Your mom has been replaced by... ?

    

Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)
VS
Dimple Shah (When Dimple Met Rishi

Wow, my mom probably hasn't made me breakfast in 25 years but okay, that's cool. :)

Dimple may seem like the obvious choice, just based on gender, but I'm going with Peeta.

He's an absolute sweetheart and could bake me all sorts of yummy breakfast breads.

So there you have it. Did any answers surprise you? :)

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you feel like playing along

then consider yourself tagged!

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Angsty Romances

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at GingerReadsLainey.

Click HERE for a complete list of participants and future topics.

I was so excited when I saw that this week's T5W theme was favorite angsty romances. Because I am ALL ABOUT the angsty romance. Bring. It. On. I think for some people, angst has a kind of negative connotation but not so for me. Give me a book where the main characters are tortured souls with tragic backgrounds. Give me a story where there's every obstacle imaginable keeping the lovers apart. Give me heartbreak and heartache. Does that make me a glutton for punishment? Maybe, but I'm also one happy reader. So here are some of my favorite angtsy romances/couples. 

THE BRONZE HORSEMAN

Paullina Simons

The Bronze Horseman takes the gold medal in angst. I mean, come on, when the story starts Alexander is dating Tatiana's sister. How's that for some angst? Then there's that pesky war keeping them apart. Much angst ensues.

MAYBE SOMEDAY

Colleen Hoover

When I started this list, four of the five picks were from Colleen Hoover. I practically had to flip a coin to choose just one. I ended up going with the first CoHo book I ever read. The angst-filled relationship between Sydney and Ridge in Maybe Someday had me in pieces, desperate for some kind of happy ending. Many tears were shed.

ADDICTED TO YOU

Krista & Becca Ritchie

I don't consider the Addicted series as a whole to be particularly angsty. But that first book, when Lily and Lo were deep into their addictions and struggling daily - yeah, that was pretty angsty. They were each other's crutch but also one another's salvation. The ending of this one tore me up. 

FALL TOO FAR

Abbi Glines

I'm a sucker for the Rosemary Beach series. Seriously, it's my book crack. And it all started with Blaire and Rush. He's the son of the woman her father has just married. She's a simple girl from Alabama. He's a rock star's son. Angst and drama, drama and angst. I ate it up like candy.  

WAIT FOR YOU

Jennifer L. Armentrout

Cam and Avery's relationship was a rocky one with plenty of obstacles. Cam's past, Avery's past, misunderstandings. Their road to happiness was hard fought and no two people deserved it more. I loved this angsty love story.

How do you feel about angsty romance?
Love it or hate it?

That's What He Said Thursday #20

That's What He Said Thursday is a weekly meme created 

and hosted by Chapter Break. It's a fun way to share a quote 

from a favorite book boyfriend (aka male protagonist) to his girl.

For more info, visit Chapter Break here.

The lovely Kei (The Lovely Pages Reviews) and I were just talking about The Bronze Horseman and wondering why we don't fangirl about it more. Good question! Why don't we? So this week's That's What He Said Thursday quote is from my all-time favorite, The Bronze Horseman, and the swoony Alexander.

Have you read The Bronze Horseman?

I know some of you have it on your TBR... what are you waiting for? :)

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books Every Hopeless Romantic Should Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme 

created by The Broke and the Bookish.

I'm a sucker for romance. And I kind of demand it in my books. Hopefully it's in the forefront but if not it needs to be in there somewhere. If there's no swoon factor... seriously, why bother? *wink* So if you're in the mood for a big heaping dose of l'amour, here are my Top Ten picks.

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons - I think the term 'epic love story' was created for this tale of Tatiana and Alexander.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - Not strictly a romance novel, but James Malcom Mackenzie Fraser is seriously swoon-worthy.

Leo by Mia Sheridan - The love these two characters shared started in childhood and never waned.

Easy by Tammara Webber - Watching Lucas and Jacqueline fall in love brought on all the feels.

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover - The evolution of Ridge and Sydney's relationship wasn't easy but it was GOOD.

Wait For You by Jennifer L. Armentrout - One word: CAM. Looking for your next boyfriend? CAM.

Kiro's Emily by Abbi Glines - This one packs more of an emotional punch when read as part of the Rosemary Beach series, but even on its own there is no denying the love Kiro has for his beloved Emily.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell - The lighter side of romance but it completely charmed me.

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves - Anna and T.J. I thought about them long after I read their story. I was captivated.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover - It has as much heartbreak as it does romance, but it's worth every tear. 

So there are my top picks for some romance that's sure to make your heart beat a little faster and totally overuse the heart eyes emoji in your reviews. 

Do you read romance? What's the best love story you've ever read?