TART Challenge - Round 3 - Rainbow Tarts (9)

[KellyJo]

Reading Nothing Ventured

[Truitt_T]

KellyJo wrote: "Reading Nothing Ventured"

Wow - that Notification popped up immediately! Maybe it's fixed....

[Fi]

KellyJo wrote: "Reading Nothing Ventured"

KellyJo, I'm so sorry but I don't think your book will work, the task is rating over 4 AND 250 reviews, and that one only has 131. :(

[Teresa]

Completion Post: Task 16 - 115. Read 8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.

Happy Endings by Alice Winters
190 pgs/GR
Qualifies; 4.26 Stars 328 reviews
⭐⭐⭐1/2
Omg some parts of that banter was over the top. I liked the world and I laughed a lot. Yet the relationship confused me. Havoc was just so...... out there.

[Teresa]

Going to read How to Elude a Vampire
Average rating 4.32 ·
272 reviews

[Truitt_T]

I'm listening to Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn (4.03 stars/823 reviews), which isn't M/M, of course, but it's an old friend I had a sudden desire to revisit and it fit the task, so why not? I'll finish it tomorrow.

I've also started Shiver (4.14 stars/599 reviews) which I think may work for Scavenger Hunt as well as TART. I'm starting to think it's going to have lousy points, though....

[Fi]

Completion Post

Task 16 - 115. Read 8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.


The Sugared Game by K.J. Charles
Pages: 288/ GR Kindle 1st edition
How it fits: 4.31 stars, 459 reviews
Read: 17/04/21
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review: I'm glad these two have managed to take a few steps forward in their relationship, as small as they were. I loved the mystery/action, definitely kept me on my toes, and it was great seeing Phoebe and Maisie again. Can't wait for the last one.

[Fi]

Reading Remember Me When next. (4.35 stars/417 reviews)

[Teresa]

Completion Post: Task 16 - 115. Read8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.


How to Elude a Vampire by Alice Winters
336 pgs/GR
Qualifies: Average rating 4.32 272 reviews
⭐⭐⭐1/2
I totally didn’t see who the bad guy was. I don’t want to knock the book but I don’t think I was in the right frame of mind to appreciate the banter as much. It became too much at times. But I liked the characters and there was a lot of action and danger mixed with the humour. I think on another day I would have loved it.

[Teresa]

going with
Average rating 4.18 · 604 reviews

for a third book.

I hope KellyJo saw your post Filipa.

[Fi]

Teresa wrote: "going with
Average rating 4.18 · 604 reviews

for a third book.

I hope KellyJo saw your post Filipa."

I really liked that one, Teresa. :)

I sent KellyJo a PM since GR is still a mess, hopefully those still work ok.

[KellyJo]

Completion Post

Task 16 - 115. Read 8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Pages 594
Rated 4.0 with 37,497 ratings

Read 4/17/21
Rating 3.6 stars
I have been meaning to read this book since I love the TV series so much. Not sure I enjoyed this as much due to shifting POV and overly drawn out storytelling.

[Truitt_T]

I’m finished with Summers at Castle Auburn, but I’m on my phone and can’t post properly. I’ll do it tonight.

[Fi]

Completion Post

Task 16 - 115. Read 8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.


Remember Me When by Brooke Blaine
Pages: 162/ GR Kindle 1st edition
How it fits: 4.35 stars, 417 reviews
Read: 17/04/21
⭐⭐⭐ (2.5)
Review: Even more than the first book, it requires a healthy suspension of disbelief and I'm just not very good at that. Too much fluff, not enough plot, and that wasn't great either. A few good moments, but overall not something I'll remember.

[Truitt_T]

Completion Post: Task 16 - 115. Read8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.
Book 6 of 8


Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
[*book:Summers at Castle Auburn|8707825]
372 pages per GR, see link above. 14 hours, 30
minutes per Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?keywor...
How it qualifies: 4.03 stars, 823 reviews
4/17
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
YA is always hit or miss for me, but for whatever reason, I love this book - every time I read it. Ths was my first time listening to it, and I enjoyed it just as much.

[Teresa]

Completion Post: Task 16 - 115. Read8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.


How to Walk like a Man by Eli Easton
257pgs/GR
Qualifies: Average rating 4.18 · 604 reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved Roman to pieces. I loved seeing him discover life as a man. The descriptions of Mad Creek and its inhabitants were great. There’s danger and action but mostly self discovery and love.

[Teresa]

Completion Task 16 - 115. Read8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.

1. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
2. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
3. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
4. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
5. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
6. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
7. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
8.

[Teresa]

So we're just waiting on one more?

[Truitt_T]

It looks like it. I’ll have another finished in the next two hours.

[Truitt_T]

Completion Post: Task 16 - 115. Read 8 books with an average rating over 4.0 AND over 250 reviews.
Book 8 of 8


#Starstruck by Sariah Wilson
[*book:#Starstruck|36349801]
316 pages per GR, see link above.
How it qualifies: 4.01 stars, 1180 reviews
4/17
⭐⭐⭐
It's been a rough day and I wanted something lighter than what I was already reading, so I switched to this M/F romance - and lighter was what I got.
It was ok. Cute. Fluffy. Virginal - the celibacy of the female MC was a big deal. Maybe it was more like 2.5 stars.

There's a reason I read M/M romance these days....

[Teresa]

Yay!

[Truitt_T]

Our completion of Task 16 has been posted to the main thread!

[Truitt_T]

And we got through this one much faster than I expected. Thanks for reading three, Teresa!

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Here is your next task!

Task 17 - 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task.

There is no date limitation for this task, just select a teammate after you alphabetically read and rated 5 stars. Please include a link to the teammate's review in your completion post.

Filipa
KellyJo
Teresa
Truitt_T

[Truitt_T]

Teresa - I hope you can find something in my books that you want to read! On the negative side, I only have books from late 2019 forward listed on GR. On the plus side, I seem to have been rather generous with 5 star ratings. Hopefully something will suit you!

Filipa - I had fun looking at your 5 star books. I think I'll end up with either Tigers and Devils or The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting. I've got both downloaded, so I'll decide whenever I get some time to read.

[Teresa]

I’m going to go with Muscle and Bone by Mary Calmes. She’s hit or miss with me (I’m one of the few who hated Jory) but I have liked some of her stuff.

[Truitt_T]

Muscle and Bone may be one of my overly generous 5 star ratings, but it suited me perfectly at the time I read it.

Fair warning - one of the MCs is a bit Jory-ish.....

[Fi]

Truitt_T wrote: "Filipa - I had fun looking at your 5 star books. I think I'll end up with either Tigers and Devils or The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting. I've got both downloaded, so I'll decide whenever I get some time to read."

Haha that's my very first and last 5 star m/m. I hope you enjoy whatever you choose. 😊

[Fi]

I'm going to do a reread of By Fairy Means or Foul, so I can finally continue with the series.

[KellyJo]

Reading Earthly Pleasures
Hopefully be done with it early morning

[Teresa]

Completion Post: Task 17 - 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task. (Truitt_T)

Muscle and Bone by Mary Calmes
301pgs/GR
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
⭐⭐⭐1/2
Definitely a Mary Calmes story. While Avery was less TSTL than some of her previous characters, he was still perfectly adored by everyone. I enjoyed it for what it was even with the insta love and over described clothing.

[Truitt_T]

Teresa wrote: "Completion Post: Task 17 - 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task. (Truitt_T)

[book..."

Snort - yeah, I won't deny anything you said in your review.

[Truitt_T]

Completion Post: Task 17 - 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task. (Filipa)


Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy
[*book:Tigers and Devils|8715171]
376 pager per GR, see link above
Filipa's review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4/19
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tigers and Devils has been on my radar for a while, and I'm glad I had an excuse to finally pick it up. I need to look up Australian Football, though - my brain kept trying to make it an amalgam of rugby, soccer, and American football.

[Teresa]

Truitt_T wrote: "Teresa wrote: "Completion Post: Task 17 - 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task. (Truitt_T)
[bookcover:Muscle and Bone|..."

lol!

[Teresa]

Trying to find something to read in the meantime but either nothing is appealing or I don’t want to read it yet because it might fit a challenge... ugh

[KellyJo]

Completion Post: Task 17 - 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task. (Teresa)

Earthly Pleasures by Sera Trevor
Pages 270
Rating 4 stars
Read 4/19/21
Very unique story with this one. Really enjoyed the self absorbed prince and the religious ugly duckling, and the story behind them. Liked see little bits of Celtic traditions and Anglo-Celtic history throughout the story, it made it far more interesting for me. Very easy to read story and recommend if you like the forced marriage trope.

[Fi]

Completion Post

Task 17 - 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task. (KellyJo).


By Fairy Means or Foul by Meghan Maslow
Pages: 252/ GR Kindle 1st edition
How it fits: KellyJo's review
Read: 19/04/21
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review: This was a reread and held up pretty well. Lots of action and humor and a romance that I hope will be developed more in the next books. Can't wait to see what's next for Twig and Quinn.

[Fi]

Task 17
◾ 77. Each teammate reads a book that the teammate after them alphabetically has rated 5 stars. No pass for this task.

✔ Filipa: By Fairy Means or Foul | Completion Post
✔ KellyJo: Earthly Pleasures | Completion Post
✔ Teresa: Muscle and Bone | Completion Post
✔ Truitt: Tigers and Devils | Completion Post

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Here is your next task!

Task 18 - 92. Read over 1500 pages in books set in the future or the past - teams decide.

As a team decide whether your books will be set in the past or in the future, then read at least 1500 books set in that time frame. 'Historical' or 'Futuristic' tags will qualify depending on the selected time frame. If looking for years, it would need to be 25 years to the future or the past. Remember to use the first edition Kindle page count.

[Teresa]

I'm going with Zercy shelved 2 times as futuristic and on Best M/M Sci-Fi|Futuristic|Post-Apocalyptic|Steampunk Books of 2017 list and is 506 pgs

[Fi]

So we decided on future, yes?

I'll probably be reading Day of Wrath.

[Fi]

With mine and Teresa's books that's already 946 pages (370+576), so Tru and KellyJo, you guys only need to read 555 between the two of you.

[KellyJo]

Reading The Experiment
Pages 275

[Truitt_T]

You tempted my with Zercy, Teresa, so I read Kríe Captivity last night (only 138 pages, so it doesn't count). Unfortunately, I've found that most M/M SF (and romance SF in general) is a little weak on the SF part, and I'm too picky about that!

Instead, I'm going with In the Shadows, the third Metahumans book, which comes in at 368 pages. I've got some reading time today, so I should get it finished tonight - or tomorrow morning, worst case scenario.

[Teresa]

A good SF mm romance is the Chaos station series by Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen. Lots of tech, spacefaring and aliens that are alien.

[Truitt_T]

Teresa wrote: "A good SF mm romance is the Chaos station series by Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen. Lots of tech, spacefaring and aliens that are alien."

That's one I've been thinking I should try - thanks for the recommendation.

[Fi]

Loved Chaos Station too. But I have to say, when it comes to SF, the best mm series I've read so far is Taking Shield, and the last book is not disappointing (second book aside though, that one was rough).

[Truitt_T]

Filipa wrote: "Loved Chaos Station too. But I have to say, when it comes to SF, the best mm series I've read so far is Taking Shield, and the last book is not disappointing (second book aside though, that one was..."

I have the first of that series - Gyrfalcon - but haven't read it yet. So I need to be prepared to immediately read book three to feel better about book two?

[Fi]

Truitt_T wrote: "Filipa wrote: "Loved Chaos Station too. But I have to say, when it comes to SF, the best mm series I've read so far is Taking Shield, and the last book is not disappointing (second book aside thoug..."

That would be my advice, yes. Book two is important for the plot, but in terms of romance I almost gave up on the series then. Just ignore the two idiots on that one lol and move along to the rest, which are much better. However, this series is much heavier on the SF than the romance, (view spoiler)[and it's very much a starcrossed lovers story. (hide spoiler)]

[Fi]

Just in case someone hasn't read it and is interested, The Capital is free on amazon today and it's sooo good.