Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
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TART Challenge - Round 5 - Spicy Sprinters (6)
message 451:
by
Heather
(new)
Jun 04, 2022 09:59PM
Naomi - I can imagine that you're exhausted! I already finished the book so I'll post it now and check us in.
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COMPLETION POSTTask 27 - 120. Read 8 books in series that have names that are 3 words long.
Sinister Magic, Lindsay Buroker
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 250 pages (Tordotcom version)
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Death Before Dragons series
Date completed: 5 June
Rating/Review: 2.5 stars
Val is sort of a grown up Buffy, but without the humor or the Scooby gang. The book started out fine, but when I hit about 60% I started getting really tired of the plot-to-action ratio. The storyline was minimal and book seemed to consist of Val running from one thing to another, encountering danger wherever she goes. Over and over she thwarts the foes and immediately moves on to the next ones. And the tasks she has to accomplish - not possible! Except that it's Val, and apparently she can do anything.
Here is your next task!Task 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate.
Select one teammate and read 8 books initially published in the month of their birth, this is a team decision. Make sure to use the initial publication date for this task. If there is a date listed at the top of the editions page use it, otherwise I will be looking for the earliest dated English language edition regardless of format for the qualification. Please include the selected teammate and their birth month in your completion posts.
I thought February was harder to find, so I think we should do March or September. Unless we have already decided on one.
On this we first said September so let's go with that. At first that's what we thought it meant haha.
Great! I'll start looking for books....(Yes, we all misread it originally. But we ended up answering this task too!)
COMPLETION POSTTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September.
Her Big City Neighbor, Jackie Lau
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 248 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Published September 8, 2020
Date completed: 5 June
Rating/Review: 3 stars
The best thing about Her Big City Neighbor is the foodie tour of Toronto that occurs through the book. Everything sounded delicious.
It's a bit of a comfort read - easy, and except for the silly Bleak Moment, without excess drama. However it was also missing a plot. Hence the 3 star review.
Also, a number of other reviews have commented on Amy's ability to eat her way through Toronto without any discernable income, and I completely agree with that point. But also, she inherited a $2M house - how can she pay for the property taxes and insurance???
The narration was by Emily Woo Zeller. She is always fantastic.
COMPLETION POSTTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September.
Down Low by Parker St. John
Read: 6/5
Rating: 5 stars
Pages: 249
How fits: First published September 28th 2020
Completion PostTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September. Naomi and Heather's birthday month
Read: 6-5-2022
Pages: 262
Rating: 4
How it Fits: Published September 13th 2019 teams choice
COMPLETION POSTTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September.
When Sparks Fly, Helena Hunting
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 288 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Published September 21, 2021
Date completed: 6 June
Rating/Review: 1.5 stars
Helena Hunting's rom-coms can be a hit or miss for me, and sadly this is a miss. I'm not always a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope because often the relationship is missing a romantic spark and that's the case here. However, the first half of the book was okay (3 stars, probably), but it degenerated in the 2nd half and ended up not working for me at all.
Completion PostTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September. Naomi and Heather's birthday month
Book/Author: Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
Read date: June 6
Pages: 401
Rating: 4.5 stars
How it fits: first published September 21, 2021
Completion PostTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September. Naomi and Heather's birthday month
Book/Author: Fable by Adrienne Young
Read date: June 6
Pages: 361
Rating: 5 stars
How it fits: first published September 1, 2020
I couldn't find any Septembers in my immediate TBRs, so I just re-read a couple of favorites that I read last year and really enjoyed myself with both :)
I'll finish my current book in a couple of hours.I've got another book queued up but it looks like we won't need it.
COMPLETION POSTTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September.
Anything but Easy, Susie Tate
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 284 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Published September 13, 2020
Date completed: 6 June
Rating/Review: 3 stars
Hmmmm. Kira was fun but a little too much sometimes and Barclay was a little too conventional. But it was a good opposites attract storyline.
COMPLETION POSTTask 28 - 107. Read 8 books published in the month (not year) of a teammate's birth. Team selects teammate. We chose September.
Pros & Cons of Vengeance by A.E. Wasp
Read: 6/6
Rating: 3.5
How fits: First published September 8th 2018
pages: 294
Here is your last task! Last Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Since this is Round 5 of The Amazing Race Team Challenge, books selected for this last task need to have a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. Remember if there are multiple English language editions with the initial publication date or earliest Kindle publication date, you are free to use any of those edition’s page count.
Remember completion posts with errors or missing elements will not count towards your team total or the completion of this task. The task will be considered ‘completed’ when each team member has completed one book for this task, additional books will count towards a tie breaker if necessary. Help each other out by double checking posts are complete with the first edition Kindle page count!
There is no need to post a team completion in the Q&A thread, I will be checking all team threads at the conclusion of the challenge. 😊
Ok so it looks like the tie breaker will be the # of books read, so we should aim for shorter books and lots of them!
COMPLETION POSTLast Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Book 1:
Beneath the Sugar Sky, Seanan McGuire
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 157 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 157 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 7 June
Rating/Review: 4.5 stars
Magical, fantastical, and dream-like, I'm almost as baffled by this series as I am charmed by it. And I love that.
--------------------------------------------
Book 2:
Storming the Castle, Eloisa James
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 158 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 158 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 7 June
Rating/Review: 3.5 stars
It's difficult to write fully-formed characters in the space of a novella, but James does a decent job of bringing out the characteristics that make us like Phillipa and Wick, and want them to be together.
--------------------------------------------------
Book 3:
Out of Bounds, Lauren Blakely
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 150 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 150 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 8 June
Rating/Review: 3 stars
A sweet, sexy novella from Lauren Blakely. And, as with her other books, everyone is pretty much perfect: perfect bodies, smart & well spoken, no bad habits, and they all spend time with charities. Her books are enjoyable but pretty superficial. I enjoy them, but only in small doses.
-----------------------------------
Book 4:
Rogue Protocol, Martha Wells
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 150 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 150 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 8 June
Rating/Review: 3.75 stars
I found this a bit less compelling than the first two books, but that might just be because I'm tired today and easily distracted. As always I thoroughly enjoyed Murderbot's encounters with unknown humans and especially with a bot that's the equivalent of a Golden Retriever.
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Book 5:
Special Delivery, Lauren Blakely
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 150 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 150 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 8 June
Rating/Review: 2 stars
I enjoy Audible's cast recordings and the narrators for Special Delivery did a terrific job. But sadly, it felt like Blakely phoned in the story. The plot was predictable and a little too sweet, and there was nothing special about the dialog. Meh.
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Book 6:
The Governess Affair, Courtney Milan
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 152 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 152 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 8 June
Rating/Review: 5 stars
After reading several novellas in the past few days, I have even more respect for Courtney Milan. This is tightly written and layered in a way that you don't often see in such a short book. The MCs are wonderful and it was a pleasure to watch them dance around each other and eventually become partners.
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Book 7:
Home for the Holidays, Jeaniene Frost
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 150 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 150 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 8 June
Rating/Review: 5 stars
Frost packs what feels to be a full-length novel into a small package. It was fun to re-visit Cat, Bones, and the crew!
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Book 8:
Forever Wild, KA Tucker
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 156 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 156 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 8 June
Rating/Review: 3.5 stars
A sweet look at Calla, Jonah, and the family during the holidays.
-------------------------------
Book 9:
Visions of Sugar Plums, Janet Evanovich
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition: 155 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 155 pages (includes a '5' in the page count)
Date completed: 8 June
Rating/Review: 2.5 stars
Cute, but low on plot and direction.
Heather it’s like you are in my brain! That’s the book I’m reading right this second lol
COMPLETION POSTLast Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Book 1:
Book/Author: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition 157 pages
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle edition is 157 pages
Date completed: June 7
Rating/Review: 4.5 stars
Book 2:
Book/Author: To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
Page numbers with source: Kindle edition 154
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary:
Kindle first edition is 154 pages
Date read: June 7
Rating: 4 stars
COMPLETION POSTLast Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Perfect Imperfections by Cardeno C.
Read: 6/7
Rating: 5 stars
Pages: 205
I went into Ann Arbor to get my 2nd COVID booster this morning and timed my current novella perfectly! I started listening to it as I left the house and it finished up as I was pulling into my driveway to come home. Magic!
Yay for second booster! And yay for perfect audiobook timing - that's kinda amazing.
I have to say that after today I'm going to be ready to read a loooong book! ;)
Completion PostLast Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Book 1
Read: 6-7-2022
Pages: 252
Rating: 4
How it Fits: 5 in page count
Book 2
Read: 6-7-2022
Pages: 325
Rating: 4
How it Fits: 5 in page count
Book 3
Read: 6-8-2022
Pages: 458
Rating: 3
How it Fits: 5 in page count
Lynne wrote: "COMPLETION POSTLast Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Book 1:
Book/Author: [book:Beneath the Sug..."
Your second book doesn't count.
https://www.goodreads.com/work/editio...
1st Kindle was August
Heather wrote: "COMPLETION POSTLast Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Book 1:
Beneath the Sugar Sky, Seanan McGuire
[bookcover:Beneath the ..."
Your 4th book doesn't work.
https://www.goodreads.com/work/editio...
Heather I am not sure about your 2nd book. This is what I foundIt was first published 2008 with 148 pages.
https://www.goodreads.com/work/editio...
April wrote: "Heather wrote: "COMPLETION POSTLast Task. Read books with a 5 in the first edition Kindle page count. No pass for this task.
Book 1:
Beneath the Sugar Sky, Seanan McGuire
[bookco..."
Ack! You're right. I'm not sure where I saw the other page count. :(
April wrote: "Heather I am not sure about your 2nd book. This is what I foundIt was first published 2008 with 148 pages.
https://www.goodreads.com/work/editio......"
I only found the editions from 2012. Thanks for digging deeper to find the correct date.
14 more minutes! And I'm off to bed....
I’m so sorry y’all - I misunderstood when it ended and thought it was sometime today. I didn’t update with my other three books 😩
Great job everyone! This was such an awesome team :)
No worries, Lynne! It was all for fun. <3
Romance Readers Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Visions of Sugar Plums (other topics)Forever Wild (other topics)
Home for the Holidays (other topics)
The Governess Affair (other topics)
Beneath the Sugar Sky (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Cardeno C. (other topics)Seanan McGuire (other topics)
Becky Chambers (other topics)
A.E. Wasp (other topics)
Adrienne Young (other topics)
More...
