Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
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TART Challenge - Round 4 - Have Book...Can Travel (3)

It’s enemies to lovers we decided 😂

Was single fathers another task?"
Think it might be 😂






Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Pages: 376
How it fits: Enemies to Lovers List The last book on the first page.
Date completed: October 27, 2021
Rating: 3 ⭐
Review: First of all, I want to put trigger warnings for sexual abuse, mental health, drug abuse, and parental neglect. I also want to write this book cover deceive you; I thought it was a new-adult romance, but only the last chapter and epilogue are in that age range. The entire book takes place. Our main characters are juniors and seniors in high school (17 - 18 years old.)
I liked Dear Ava that it starts on a dark note, the fallout that drives the whole book. So we are gifted with a whodunnit thread alongside a ringside view of Knox and Ava’s will they-won’t they fiery relationship. Ava, what can I say? I loved her strength and determination; I loved the enigma that was Knox, so many layers there; I loved watching their romance unfold.
Yes, this contemporary romance deals with many heavy and accurate themes relevant in the days that we live, but the truth is I had some trouble with the age the author picked for the characters. The plot of Dear Ava is reflective, and I believe it is not for the eyes of every reader.

Book:

Pages: 382
Read: 27 October
Rating: 3.5⭐️
How it qualifies: From précis ‘A bad boy, enemies-to-lovers, office, roommate romance.’
Review: Carly just moved to a new city and found out that instead of sharing a corporate apartment with one of the other new girls Ally, she is sharing with Aiden who is her boss, the son of the owner and a complete Ahole! She vows to avoid him at all costs after getting out of a bad relationship but cocky arrogant Aiden has set his sights on her.
There is some good banter and a bit of back and forth with the sexual tension but I quite enjoyed the story line. I liked Carly and her good intentions and Aiden at times didn’t seem like too much of a douchebag!

Well, I picked hard books; both my leading female characters were victims of sexual harassment.
Maybe on the following tasks, I will read happier subjects.


That’s rubbish! Hope you’re feeling better soon. I remember feeling like that after my first one.
I have about 2 hours left in my book. Decided on a different one as the group read one would take too long!

I hat my booster (3rd dose) in August, this time I had only a sore arm. Sass, I hope it will pass smoothly soon.

Behind the Lyrics by Melissa Riddell

Pages: 226 (Based Amazon site)
How it fits: Behind the Lyrics: An Enemies-to-Lovers Rockstar Romance (Title at Amazon site)
Date completed: October 28, 2021
Rating: 3.5 ⭐
Review:I am giving Behind the Lyrics 3.5-stars. The meet-cute between Angela and Victor is an interesting one. Somewhat predictable but has good characters and a storyline with good flow. Both main characters had good character growth as well and dealt with challenging, real-world problems.
While I enjoyed this, Angela’s constant comparing Viktor with her abusive ex-husband brought the story to a repetitive slow-moving halt. Most of the musings are internal, and when Angela accuses Viktor of reverting to his old ways, AFTER friend-zoning him, I lost interest but finished, even though it took me days.
Trigger warning for sexual, drug, and alcohol abuse.


Pages: 370/GR
How it fits: tagged "enemies to lovers" x 435
Date completed: 10/28/21
Rating: *4 STARS*
I enjoyed this one. I just didn't understand why Dusty was so secretive about her losses. She was an odd duck. I also felt like Stone needed to do a little more explaining, especially when it came to the relationship between him and Dusty's mom that Dusty didn't even know about for all those years.
But I liked the story and the characters. The narration was good too. The epilogue after the epilogue was adorable. I could have listened to that story go on for several more hours at least. It would have been nice to see more of Stone and Dusty together without all the pretenses. But, I guess it would have to end at some point.


Book:

Pages: 394
Read: 28 October
Rating: 3.5⭐️
How it qualifies: tagged enemies to lovers by 231 people on page 1 column 1 https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
Review: I enjoyed this even though Hunter is a bit of what we would call a mad shagger! Such a man whore at the beginning and not in the least bit apologetic or remorseful. I liked how the relationship with Hunter and Sailor built. She tried to be strong but sober Hunter was just too much of a nice (still cocky) guy. I liked how he stood up for Sailor and helped when she was hurt. I liked Sailors friends and Hunters sister as well.


Slade (reread), Victoria Ashley – 10/27/21 – ✮✮✮✰✰
Kindle first-edition ➔ 160 pages
How the Book Qualifies ➔ tagged enemies to lovers x10
Review — So I took a star away because I liked the story, but didn’t love it. It remains a super hot book, but Aspen just bugged me and Slade seemed almost too self-destructive. I still want to read Hemy’s and Cale’s story, but not sure I’ll be interested in the next group of men.

Task 20 - 61. Read 4 books rated over 4.5 on GR.
Books selected for this task need to have an average rating of 4.5 or higher on GR. You can find this information on the main book page under the title or add it to the settings on your shelves. Please include the average rating in your completion posts. If the average rating may drop below 4.5 during this task, for example if it is a new book with very few ratings, a screen shot might be advisable.



A Sheriff's Star by Makenna Lee

Pages: 224
How it fits: The rating of this book in GR is 4.55
Date completed: October 30, 2021
Rating: 5 ⭐
Review:Hallmark needs to adapt the story into a movie. A Sheriff's Star by Makenna Lee was so precious, and I loved it so much. A Sheriff's Star is full of so many ridiculously heartwarming moments between little Hannah and Anson, along with sweet/tender moments between Tess & Anson. I love how Nan plays the matchmaker to her grandson.
Children with Down Syndrome are unique, and Hannah can connect with people.
The author is a parent of a child with Down Syndrome, so the health issues and how the outside world sees these children are close to home, and it is informative.
Even though A Sheriff's Staris a romance, while the family is the main focus, the relationship between Tess and Anson fits cohesively with the story. It was a little angsty in the beginning while they fought their attraction, but when they give in, it's sweet and steady as
Tess & Anson's first-time focus' on feelings and emotions of the act rather than a detailed play by play and the rest of the time its off-page encounters. I feel like anything more wouldn't have felt right with the story.
Looking forward to reading more books from Makenna Lee


Take your time. Health is the most important.

Anyway, posting now...


Pages: 400/GR
How it fits: Avg Rating: 4.54
Date completed: 10/30/21
Rating: *4 STARS*
Wow, this was a good one. I've haven't read the series in a while, but coming back was certainly an experience. This case was twisted and convoluted but when everything came out, it was wowza!!
Anyway, it was nice to see Sam, Nick, Scotty and the rest of the family doing well. There were some other issues going on: Gonzo having trouble with the loss of his partner and almost losing his woman in the process, Sam's partner getting hurt again, Nick and Scotty getting the flu, and oh yeah, Sam getting suspended (again). LOL. So yeah, there was a ton going on even with the case that they couldn't even wrap their heads around.
So as usual this was entertaining and engaging and left me wanting to see much more!! Especially when they ended with their time in Bora Bora...yummy!

Book:

Pages 626
Read: 30 October
Rating: 5⭐️
How it qualifies: Rated 4.58
Review: Loved loved loved this! 2nd book in the court of thorn and Roses series and I can’t wait for the next one. Loads more detail after the world building in the first. Feyre is trying to find herself after being turned into a High Fae and use her new powers and trying to help prevent another war with the king of Hybern. Love Rhys - I want one! 😂


Justice For Hope, Susan Stoker – 10/30/21 – ✮✮✮✮✮
Kindle first-edition ➔ 380 pages
How the Book Qualifies ➔ 4.51 pages rating
Review — I really loved Calder’s and Hope’s story! Calder is the medical examiner in this group of friends. He also seems to be one of the older heroes. I love how he keeps kicking himself when he first confronts Hope and Billy. Try as he may, he consistently stuck his foot in his mouth...but he was trying so hard to make a good, solid impression. While we have heard about Hope and Billy in the past two books, this is the first time we meet the single mom and her seven-year-old son. It’s nice to see that between Milena’s and Blythe’s stories she was able to secure a job and a place to live. These two had a sweet and slow build to their relationship. Added in the mix is Billy. Calder is so amazing with both mom and son. As their relationship grows and unexpected events change Hope’s life completely, she struggles to play catch up. I appreciated how gunshy Hope was considering her abusive ex boyfriend and being homeless for a year or more. Calder’s patience helped create the solid foundation that helped bring out more of Hope’s true character. I think my only complaint is I wish it were a bit longer because I loved getting to know these amazing characters.
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Task 19 - 79. Read 6 books that have the same romance trope, teams decide which trope.
As a team select a common romance trope, fake boyfriend, secret baby etc., then read 6 books that use that trope. Please include the selected trope in your completion posts. Remember to let me know how you know your book qualifies, be it precis, tags or lists - I need to know where to look to confirm your books. Include any necessary links or info in your completion posts.