TART Challenge - Round 3 - Fast like Molasses (11)

[Chan]

Courtney wrote: "Chan wrote: "#3 | Task 3: Each player reads a book by a new to you author.
Book: A Hero to Come Home To
Pages: 400
Rating: 🎖️🎖️🎖️🎖️
Completed: March 21, 2021
Qualifies: My first sto..."

Not sure, but I updated it...just in case

[Courtney]

Thanks! Posting in the main thread now!

[Chan]

i just reread Kat's instructions. Good catch, Courtney. You were right. the book had to be rated and dated.

[Courtney]

👍

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Good thing you couldn't get a task until this morning anyway - you must have posted right after I went to bed last night.

Here is your next task!

Task 4 - 27. Read a minimum of 750 pages in books published in any one year prior to 2018, team picks the year.

As a team, select a year earlier than 2018 and read a minimum of 750 pages in books initially published in that year. Make sure you use the initial publication date for this task! If there is a date listed on the editions page - use it. Otherwise I will be looking for the earliest dated English language edition regardless of format. Remember to use the first edition Kindle page count!

[Chan]

For this task we picked

27. Read a minimum of 750 pages in books published in any one year prior to 2018, team picks the year.
2017

[Chan]

So, i'm going to browse my shelves...maybe some of your shelves too :o)

[Chan]

I'm rereading Tempt the Boss.
I had been thinking about the Let it Snow scene when the boss was in the van and laughed myself silly.

[Courtney]

Ooh I was just looking through 2017 lists last night. I'll go check what I marked. I think there was a Vi Keeland that I wanted to read.

[Courtney]

looks good, too. We're allowed to double up, right?

This is the one I was thinking of before. Not Vi Keeland .

They both sound good. 🤣

[Chan]

that does sound good, but I've already started mine or I would def join you in reading that. I'm adding personal delivery to my list though.

"grab my package" 🤣🤣🤣

[Courtney]

🤣🤣

The other one I had was . I must be in a rom com mood lately or something. I've been going for all the silly precis. Sometimes Pippa Grant goes a bit too far with it, though. I haven't read an Ainsely Booth before, so I might just do Personal Delivery.

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

Chan wrote: "that does sound good, but I've already started mine or I would def join you in reading that. I'm adding personal delivery to my list though.

"grab my package" 🤣🤣🤣"

Now I need to add both of those to my wishlist...you guys are killing me! 🤣🤣

I've already started since it was the first one that jumped out at me from my TBR, or I might read one of those for this task too!

[Chan]

Courtney wrote: "🤣🤣

The other one I had was . I must be in a rom com mood lately or something. I've been going for all the silly precis. Sometimes Pippa Grant goes a bit too far..."

Courtney, you are singlehandedly swelling my tbr. i just added that one too. 🤣

[Chan]

I wonder what Liz is going to read. I hope it's something awful LOL

[Courtney]

Chan wrote: "Courtney, you are singlehandedly swelling my tbr. i just added that one too. 🤣"

[Courtney]

OK, so
= 230 Kindle edition
= 411 Kindle edition
And whichever one I end up with is at least 170 (I'll pick over lunch 🤣)

We're already over the 750 pages, so Liz, you can pick anything as long as it's over the 150 page minimum for the challenge 👍

[Elizabeth]

It might be. I’m reading Greekerella lol. It’s a YA book. I’m a sucker for any Cinderella book.

[Courtney]

Completion Post - Task 4

27. Read a minimum of 750 pages in books published in any one year prior to 2018, team picks the year.

Team picked 2017


Personal Delivery

Pages: 176
How it qualifies: First published May 23rd, 2017
Completed: 3/23

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review:



This was a sweet, little read. No complications or conflict, just two people who crush on each other and then fall in love. I do wish the whole "working undercover as a delivery driver" had lasted a little longer to add a bit more drama to the story, but I enjoyed it overall. The couple was adorable, and the the whole thing was just super cute.

[Courtney]

My son actually napped today, so I had two hours of uninterrupted reading time this afternoon. Glorious!!!!!

[Chan]

#4 | Task 27: Read a minimum of 750 pages in books published in any one year prior to 2018, team picks the year.author ~ 2017
Book: Tempt The Boss
Pages: 230
Rating: 📝📝📝📝
Completed: March 23, 2021
Qualifies: Initially published March 1, 2017

[Chan]

Courtney wrote: I do wish the whole "working undercover as a delivery driver" had lasted a little longer to add a bit more drama to the story,"

That's my issue with short stories or stories less than 275 pages. I normally walk away wanting more or feeling like a lot of the story was underdeveloped with a lot of gaps.

[Elizabeth]

Task #4 Task 27: Read a minimum of 750 pages in books published in any one year prior to 2018, team picks the year.author ~ 2017
Book: Geekerella
Pages: 337
Rating: 👌👌👌
Completed: March 23, 2021
Qualifies: Initially published: April 4, 2017
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Chan]

Liz, i was waiting on your review. I was iffy about the story after I read the blurb, so I said I'll wait to see what you thought.

I think i'll pass :o)

[Elizabeth]

Lol yeah the cover and story really awesome.... the actual story not so much. It was in the plus category on audible otherwise I would have DNR it. It literally took me about 100 pages to actually start enjoying the book. I don’t know maybe I’m finally out growing YA romance books... but I doubt it.

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

Task 4 - 27. Read a minimum of 750 pages in books published in any one year prior to 2018, team picks the year.
Team chose 2017

The Scot Beds His Wife
Pages: 411 (Kindle version)
Rating: 4 stars
Completed: 3/23/21
How the book qualifies: Original publication date October 3, 2017

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

I posted out completion in the Q&A thread 😃

[MountainKat, Moderator]

I have you on my list to get your task tomorrow. 😊

[MountainKat, Moderator]

Here is your next task!

Task 5 - 9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide. No pass for this task.

As a team select a series listed on GR and everyone reads a book in that series. You can read the same or different books for this task. Please include the selected series in your completion posts. Series such as 1001 Dark Nights are not acceptable for this task.

[Courtney]

Ok, so Chan's choice!

9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide. No pass for this task.
Fox and O'hare

I'll be reading book one since I haven't read any before.

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

Courtney wrote: "Ok, so Chan's choice!

9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide. No pass for this task.
Fox and O'hare

I'll be reading book one since I haven't read any before."

I'll be reading The Heist also.

[Chan]

Courtney wrote: "Ok, so Chan's choice!

9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide. No pass for this task.
Fox and O'hare

I'll be reading book one since I haven't read any before."

Courtney, not sure if you are into audiobooks, but this one has a great narrator.

[Elizabeth]

I’m reading book 2.

[Courtney]

Chan wrote: "Courtney, not sure if you are into audiobooks, but this one has a great narrator. "

Audio books are usually hard for me to follow, but my library actually has this one, so I'll try a bit and see how it goes.

[Chan]

Courtney wrote: "Chan wrote: "Courtney, not sure if you are into audiobooks, but this one has a great narrator. "

Audio books are usually hard for me to follow, but my library actually has this one, so I'll try a ..."

Yay! let me know what you think. I like Scott Bricks voice. I hope you like it too.

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

Task 5 - 9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide. No pass for this task.
Team chose Fox and O'Hare series

The Heist
Pages: 320 (Kindle version)
Rating: 4 stars
Completed: 3/24/21
How the book qualifies: Book 1 of Fox and O'Hare series

[Chan]

#5 | Task 27: 9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide ~ Fox and O'Hare series
Book: The Job
Pages: 320
Rating: 🍫🍫🍫🍫
Completed: March 25, 2021
Qualifies: Book 3 in the Fox and O'Hare series

[Courtney]

Yeah, the audiobook thing is a bit too weird for me. The pacing feels odd - like it's too slow on 1 or 1.25, but weird chipmunk fast on 1.5, so I can't get into a groove. And I think hearing a man read female lines is throwing me off. I can't connect with the characters at all, and O'Hare is feeling like an over-the-top caricature of what a middle aged man would think a tough female cop would be like.

I'm going to switch to regular reading to finish up because I'm worried my bad feelings about the book are due to me just having problems trying an audiobook in general.

There's nothing wrong with the narrator or anything, the experience is just a bit odd for me.

[Chan]

Aww okay. Sorry the audio didn't work out for you.

[Courtney]

Completion Post - Task 5
9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide. No pass for this task.
Team chose Fox and O'Hare series


The Heist

Pages: 320
How it qualifies: Book 1 in Fox and O'Hare series
Completed: 3/25

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Review:

I just had the hardest time connecting with this book. It feels so ridiculous and over-the-top, but I can't tell if the authors actually intended this to be a spoof or not. The beginning, with the fake hospital across the street, and then Nick dressing up in the fat suit to steal that diamond or whatever with the way over-explained green screen stuff...It all just felt super goofy. Like a cartoon.

And then when Nick pairs up with O'Hare and they have to get their team together? Um, seriously, it's just a boring version of Ocean's 11.



The characters were all kind of bland and uninteresting, just nothing to them except a bunch of silly dialogue and ridiculous situations they go through back to back. I never felt like this story was actually about people; it was just a list of cons one after the other. Each scene could have had a completely different cast of characters, and nothing would have felt very different. There was no connection or anything holding this together. Honestly, the whole thing felt like Danny Ocean fanfic.

[Courtney]

Chan wrote: "Aww okay. Sorry the audio didn't work out for you."

Yeah, it's ok. It's just not something I'm used to, I think. Maybe if there were two people reading, it might have worked better for me. I also don't really read like most people do, so that might have something to do with it. I don't hear voices in my head when I'm reading, so maybe having a voice playing parts with no person to look at was messing with my head or something 🤣.

[Elizabeth]

#5 | Task 27: 9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide ~ Fox and O'Hare series

Book: The Chase
Pages: 320
Rating: 😊😊😊
Completed: March 25, 2021
Qualifies: Book 2 in the Fox and O'Hare series
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Elizabeth]

I posted the completion for us on the Q & A tread.

[MountainKat, Moderator]

OK, speed readers - you are on my list to get your task tomorrow. 😊

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

Courtney wrote: "Completion Post - Task 5
9. Each player reads a book in the same series, teams decide. No pass for this task.
Team chose Fox and O'Hare series

"

I'm sure a big part of it is just Janet Evanovich's style. Her early romances bordered on slapstick, and while her Stephanie Plum series doesn't go that far, it still tends to be a bit over the top at times and can't be taken too seriously. I usually enjoy her stuff, but kind of have to be in the right mood for it and most definitely know what to expect!

[Courtney]

~KarenH~ wrote: "I'm sure a big part of it is just Janet Evanovich's style. Her early romances bordered on slapstick, and while her Stephanie Plum series doesn't go that far, it still tends to be a bit over the top at times and can't be taken too seriously. I usually enjoy her stuff, but kind of have to be in the right mood for it and most definitely know what to expect!"

Yeah, I think that was part of it. I wasn't really expecting it to be silly like that. I think the author may be a bit like Eve Langlais, good if you're in the mood for it, but a bit too much if you're not.

When I was reading The Heist I kept telling my husband that I wasn't sure if it was supposed to feel like an old Get Smart episode because sometimes that's what it reminded me of.

[Elizabeth]

Yeah I can only read Janet Evanovich occasionally. I don’t really have a problem with her writing style. I just think all of her books are so similar if I read them back to back I get bored. She is one of those authors I read when I want to laugh and not really think.

[Courtney]

Elizabeth wrote: "Yeah I can only read Janet Evanovich occasionally. I don’t really have a problem with her writing style. I just think all of her books are so similar if I read them back to back I get bored. She is one of those authors I read when I want to laugh and not really think."

Yeah, I'd never heard of her before, and I don't usually read reviews because I don't want my stories spoiled, so I just wasn't prepared for it.

[Elizabeth]

I loved your comparison to Get Smart the tv show. I think that is definitely along the lines with Janet Evanovich writing style. I could see how her books would come across if you’re not prepared for it. Lol.

[Courtney]

Hey, guys. I'm off to bed, so if it's a call we need to make any kind of decision on, don't worry about waiting for me. 👍