Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
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TART Challenge - Round 5 - Reading on Empty (11)
Kirsten wrote: "I think this cover is blue-- do you?One Under
It's next on my list for another challenge. But I can also read The Intimacy Experiment"
Sorry! Had a sports injury issue last night.
The Intimacy Experiment will definitely work.
One Under is hard one as it's darker shades of blue. What we typically do is either use Tineye to see what the break down is and/or ask MKat for a final ruling on the Q&A thread for TART. You all can always pop your books and questions out there, you don't need me for that.
As for Tineye, it's free site to use.
The link is https://tineye.com/
You'll want the Color Search engine. You'll need a copy of the book cover saved down to your desk top, you can drag the cover over to the cover search and it will give you a break down of what the engine thinks it is.
For One Under with the cover you posted I received the following break down:
51.4% #606971 Grey
34.5% #1e1f20 Black
6.1% #c2c7cb Grey
3.2% #bda29a Grey
2.7% #976f64 Brown
2.2% #59433d Violet
Maggie wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "I think this cover is blue-- do you?One Under
It's next on my list for another challenge. But I can also read The Intimacy Experiment"
Sorry! Had..."
Thanks for all of this information! I've actually chosen a different book from my TBR for this task, and it's totally blue!
Kirsten wrote: "Maggie wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "I think this cover is blue-- do you?One Under
It's next on my list for another challenge. But I can also read [book:The Intimacy Experiment|5461456..."
Awesome!
Selection PostTASK 1 - 0. Read a book with either blue or yellow on the cover, teams decide which. No pass for this task. Team choose blue
Love Next Door by Helena Hunting
Qualifies 49.8% on TinEye - MKat gave the okay
Page Count 299
Completion PostTASK 1: Read a book with blue on the cover
Scrambling by Lex Valentine
190 pages
13 Apr 2022
2 stars
Rotten writing and
silent pining, plus phone sex.
There's nothing else here.
COMPLETION POSTTASK 1 - 0. Read a book with either blue or yellow on the cover, teams decide which. No pass for this task. Team choose blue
Love Next Door by Helena Hunting
𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬: 49.8% on TinEye - MKat gave the okay
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: Kindle Edition, 299 pages
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝: 4/13/22
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 3.5 stars
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Pearl Lake is the town where everyone knows your business and it's hard to leave once you've got roots in the town. Some were able to get out - but they are both back home for different reasons.
This was a quick, heartfelt read. These two knew how to rile the other one up. It didn't make the loathing any easier being neighbors and always seeing each other. Their chemistry was something else though. I would totally be Dillion's friend. She was so down to earth, but still wouldn't take crap from anyone.
The story was a little predictable, but it kept me engaged for the most part. Looking forward to giving book 2 a go.
COMPLETION POSTTask 1: 0) Read a book that's primarily blue or yellow. (Team Chose Blue)
Book/cover link: A Brush with Love
Page numbers: 331 (See above link)
How book qualified:
Date Completed: 4/14/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: This was good. I liked the dental school setting, the anxiety rep, and the giant cat. But it wasn't super memorable and did feel like it dragged a bit at times.
COMPLETION POSTTASK 1 - 0. Read a book with either blue or yellow on the cover, teams decide which. No pass for this task. Team choose blue
The Matchmaker's Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken
𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬: Listed on Uno Blue Shelf; MKat approved
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: Kindle Edition, 306 pages
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝: 4/14/22
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4 stars
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Cotton Candy read. Decent writing. I like the idea of a broken NFL draftee whose career was cut short moving on to finishing his college degree while working a love coach business and pretending he isn't effected by losing everyone who has every been important to him in his life. It reads like a late 90s Ryan Reynolds Rom Com and Blake Lively would fit the FMC role to a T as well. Fun. Decent read. No real issues with plot or holes or gaps. I like the premise and I'll keep the second/final book in the series on my vacation reads list. It's a day read.
Task 1 - COMPLETIONTASK 1 - 0. Either blue or yellow cover; Team choose Blue
Kirsten: msg 56
M: msg 57
Kira: msg 58
Maggie: msg 59
Kirsten wrote: "TASK 1: Read a book with blue on the coverScrambling by Lex Valentine
190 pages
13 Apr 2022
2 stars
Rotten writing and
silent pini..."
Kirsten - I think we are all set with your post, but just in case, could you update your post with a "Completion Post" so MKat knows it's a Completion?
We typically aren't supposed to edit or delete comments in threads, but we're just getting going so this once should be okay.
If MKat checks and has any other corrections she needs she'll leave us notes with a "Repost or Corrections Needed" notice. We'll just need to create a new post with ***Repost/Correction** heading and then make the changes to the posting.
Other than that one thing - we looked good ladies! Thank you all for checking your kindle editions and page counts!
I'm not as strict with the deleting or editing in this challenge as I don't check the threads until you post your completion. I have to be strict in Bachelor because everything finishes and starts at the same time and if I tried to check everything at the end of a date and not throughout I would be swamped!That said, reposting isn't a problem either though. Whatever works - this challenge is more laid back. 😊
Here is your next task!6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
Books qualifying for this task need to have fewer than 500 reviews (not ratings). You can find this information on the main book page under the title. Please include the number of reviews in your completion posts. If your selected book might have over 500 reviews before the task is completed, i.e. it is a newer book or has over 490 reviews already, a screen shot might be advisable.
Selection PostTask 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
All the Little Lies by S.J. Sylvis
Qualifies Has 369 reviews
Page Count 360
M wrote: "Selection PostTask 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
All the Little Lies by S.J. Sylvis
Qualifies Has 369..."
Do we each read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews, or does the team do it together? And, if it's a team total, can a person read more than one? Sorry-- I'm still figuring this out.
Kirsten wrote: "M wrote: "Selection PostTask 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
All the Little Lies by S.J. Sylvis
Qualifi..."
Ask away!
For this one we each read a book that has under 500 reviews on GR.
So the book you have selected and the book MKat have selected are 2 of the four. I'll go looking for one now and then Kira will need to find one as well.
MountainKat wrote: "I'm not as strict with the deleting or editing in this challenge as I don't check the threads until you post your completion. I have to be strict in Bachelor because everything finishes and starts ..."Thanks! I wanted to make sure that we weren't making too much work or missing anything.
Do we need to make selection posts? Or is just a completion okay? I'll choose something soon.
We really only need completion posts. Selections posts do help for a couple of the tasks to make sure we aren’t reading the same books. Such as when we have to read in a series or different books by the same author.I need to check the rules again but I think we can be reading the same book, the reader just can’t use the same book twice in a challenge. So - I can’t use The Match Maker’s Playbook again for this challenge.
I had to add a selection post for this one. I’m currently reading three books and I need to keep track of which book is for which challenge/task 😬
Completion Post
Swoon by Lauren Rowe
Qualifies: 319 Reviews
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: Kindle Edition, 337 pages
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝: 4/15/22
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4 stars
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: I was excited to get back into the world of the 22 Goats. Fish (Matthew) in Smitten has been one of my all time favorite characters in a long time. I was looking forward to Colin's story. This one....it was enh. Writing wise it had stuff that was good. It had some closure that was needed that came in ways that held true to the world and the characters. It wasn't great though. I'm not a fan of the ongoing, knowingly obtuse character. I hate it in a main character. If someone has been told multiple times by the closest people in their lives, the ones they are their truest selves with that they DON'T do something well and that this flaw is hurting someone they claim to care about deeply or possibly deeply. Own it. And if it really matters - at least make an effort to acknowledge it is a core character issue that has impact. The way Colin is written he is repeatedly told, bluntl, that his style of communication is created of lies, half truths, and what he things are clear intentions and actions are NOT. With Matthew and Ally there was at the very least growth on both of their parts. Heck there was growth on COLIN'S part in Matthew's story! in his own I was 87% of the way through the book before the light shown down on the idiot drummer's brain cells. Amy is another one that I'm not thrilled with and I think it's because her character was so freaking washed out. This is a chick who was pre law, bucked her family regarding finishing law school and a career they pushed her into, has been hearing for the last 2 years how her dreams aren't great unless she gets that JD - yet she's strong enough to turn her back on all that noise to seek out what she wants - AWESOME! Yet the biggest thing the author gave her is this "shameful" wish to be a mom at some point in her life AND have a career. BRAKES. wait. what? Dude. It is 100% fine to want with a large portion of your soul to be a parent and to know that this is what you want to devote a large chunk of time to for those years. Even now - it's NOT shameful. But a woman who was strong enough to get through a grueling undergrad, pull the grades to get into law school, then have the kuptz to say " Yeah. hold on! I need a gap year. This is MY life people" isn't going to go all "inner goddess" on the reader. The author cheapened Amy's character and took what should have been a kick butt amazingly self aware driven yet at a cross roads plot and instead we get dishwater. This book gets the 4 stars ONLY because - Amy does repeatedly hold to her line and says what she means. She doesn't waver. She bends, but then she snaps back before she becomes a true doormat.. She takes the hard road. She is given some amazing skills that are softly yet impactfully written into the story and then freaking DOWNPLAYED!! She has to be the best therapist and/or life coach I've seen written in ages. As a human. She sees the people around her as they are, adjusts to what she KNOWS are their flaws and faults, accepts that they are there and then works with it. She doesn't forgive true transgressions, but gets motive. Yeah. I'm pissy with this book because while Colin was a grade A uncommunicative dcanoe who has a ton of therapy he needs to go through, the author completely threw her female under the bus ran her over for almost 400 pages and then gave her an epic loving wedding. Throw me some rose petals and hand me some hard liquor. Can I steal Amy and give her a better version of how this should have gone?
Completion PostTask 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
One Under
J.L. Merrow
252 pages
51 reviews
4 stars
No-one writes class like
Merrow. Awkward men
find joy in Cornwall.
COMPLETION POSTTASK 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
All the Little Lies by S.J. Sylvis
𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬: 371 reviews https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: Kindle Edition, 360 pages https://www.amazon.com/All-Little-Lie...
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝: 4/15/22
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 3.5 stars
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: This was a quick enemies to lovers read. It wasn't as dark as I was looking for, but the characters and storyline kept me engaged.
Past and future collide when Haley is awarded a scholarship to English Prep. The school for the rich kids. Where one Christian Powell resides as KING. Finally, one good thing in her life.... expect he doesn't welcome her with open arms. He loathes her, wants her to leave his school and she can't understand why.
If you're in the mood for a read where the hero hates and then a switch is flipped to lust when he finds out more information... when he goes from wanting her to leave to trying to shelter her from the pain and hurts of the world, well then this is your book.
Do you want me to try to read another book to finish up the task?
M wrote: "Do you want me to try to read another book to finish up the task?"I actually have one I need to start today as well. I say - YES. Whomever finishes first we'll take and I'll post on the Q&A thread.
In the meantime, me being me and wired for "worst case ANYTHING" I also sent Kira a "Hi. I miss you. Please tell me you're still alive and breathing" message. LOL
So, just to warn you and Kirsten - due to my family's lives over the last two years I have an immediate panic switch and my anxiety is super super high. If you happen to go silent, even though I logically KNOW you are fine - you'll get a "Hi!! Please tell you aren't in a ditch somewhere and yes I'm THAT level of weird" message from me. Sorry? But you are all now in my circle so you are stuck with this. 🤷 Just for a little while at least.
Maggie wrote: "M wrote: "Do you want me to try to read another book to finish up the task?"I actually have one I need to start today as well. I say - YES. Whomever finishes first we'll take and I'll post on the..."
Hi, M and Maggie -- my TA worries about me like this, so I'm good with your extra care.
I actually read another book yesterday, so I'll post it now so that we've got the task taken care of.
Completion PostTask 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
Mad Man
Onley James
296 pages
329 reviews
3 stars
It's not logical,
original, or real life.
But it's sexy fun.
Also, all my reviews are haikus. Just for fun.
Kirsten wrote: "Also, all my reviews are haikus. Just for fun."I've noticed that!
I'm hugely jealous
I've never been able to master haikus.
Maggie wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Also, all my reviews are haikus. Just for fun."I've noticed that!
I'm hugely jealous
I've never been able to master haikus."
😆😆😆
🥰
Awesome! Thanks, Kirsten! Your reviews make my day!
Sorry team! My boyfriend is here visiting for easter and we've been hanging out and going out to eat. Obviously I really like him and stuff, but he's really hurting my reading time 😂.I will be done my book I the next couple hours, but maybe we don't need now that Kristen has read 2?
Sorry for slowing things down!
Kira wrote: "Sorry team! My boyfriend is here visiting for easter and we've been hanging out and going out to eat. Obviously I really like him and stuff, but he's really hurting my reading time 😂.I will be do..."
As far as I'm concerned, you should enjoy your boyfriend. I don't celebrate Easter, so this is like any other weekend to me. And I inhaled Mad Man.
M wrote: "Awesome! Thanks, Kirsten! Your reviews make my day!"Thank you! I'm seriously grouchy that the mod for the scavenger hunt is making me do "real" reviews for that challenge.
It's fun, and they're not real haikus (not nature, not profound), but I love them. I had no idea I could write 300+ haikus a year.
Kira wrote: "Sorry team! My boyfriend is here visiting for easter and we've been hanging out and going out to eat. Obviously I really like him and stuff, but he's really hurting my reading time 😂.I will be do..."
Those boyfriends. Always making you like them and silly stuff. 🤣
No worries on reading.
We do need a book from each of us - but real life and important people come first all the time.
COMPLETION POSTTask 2: 6) Read a book with less than 500 reviews
Gas or Ass by Eden Connor
Page numbers: 202 (See above links)
How book qualified: 380 Reviews (See above links)
Date Completed: 4/16/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: In the author's note at the beginning, Connor states that she started this book as satire. Which I can totally see. The book is pretty much what you would expect from the title and summary. I would not recommend this to just anyone. However, if you think you might be enjoy step-brother erotica with an illegal drag racing background, it's a pretty fun read. It was relatively steamy. Just enough plot. And the characters were just redneck enough to be super interesting? Who am I kidding, I ate this up 😂
I went ahead and posted in the Q&A as well. So we should have another task coming soon!Boyfriend leaves early tomorrow morning, so reading will be top priority once again.
Kira wrote: "I went ahead and posted in the Q&A as well. So we should have another task coming soon!Boyfriend leaves early tomorrow morning, so reading will be top priority once again."
Awww.
Thank you! And do NOT worry about Boyfriend. For real - real people, real life and time spent in real world - those ALWAYS come first.
I really just get worried when people are silent. I'm trying to get better. I know why I feel the way I do. It is something that is "me". It is never a guilt thing towards you.
Complete Task PostTask #2
Completion Posts for Task #2 Task 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
Maggie - Msg 73
Kirsten - Msg 74
M - Msg 75
Kira - Msg 88
Kirsten wrote: "Completion PostTask 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
One Under
J.L. Merrow
281 pages
51 reviews
4 stars
No-one writes class like
Merrow. Awkward me..."
Please correct to the first edition Kindle page count (252) and repost. Thanks.
MountainKat wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "Completion PostTask 2 - 6. Read 4 books with fewer than 500 reviews.
One Under
J.L. Merrow
281 pages
51 reviews
4 stars
No-one writes class like
Me..."
I just edited the original completion post. Let me know if you want me to do something different. And I'll check this going forward--I tend not to pay attention to this.
Again, just to clear things up...If the task is to read 4 books, I don't care if everyone reads a book or if one person reads all 4. BUT, if everyone doesn't participate in a task then those who don't need to take a pass and you can only do that once per round.
So in this instance, if you had claimed to be complete after Kirsten's second book, Kira would have needed to use her pass for this round.
As you get a little deeper into the challenge, you will have tasks where you need to read 6 or even 8 books. I don't care if one person reads the extra books or if you split them up. If everyone reads one, it doesn't matter who reads the extra to make up the 6 or 8. (Though some tasks do require 2 each, it is spelled out in the task description.)
Hope that helps and I didn't just make it more confusing.
And Maggie, I feel your pain! I would be so worried when people disappeared when I was doing the team challenges especially when we were in a bug surge of COVID. As I've gotten busier, it is has become a little easier to let go... But I know your life has been extra difficult the last few years, we were never hit as a family until everyone was vaccinated.
Since I am not waiting for corrections now, though I will be later in the challenge... (And Kirsten had two books anyway...)Here is your next task!
Task 3 - 10. Read 4 books by authors who write under more than one name (Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb).
Books selected for this task need to be written by authors who write under more than one name. Authors such as Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb or Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle would work for this task. Please include a link to the author’s profile or website showing both names in your completion posts.
You are good Kirsten. 😊
MountainKat wrote: "Again, just to clear things up...If the task is to read 4 books, I don't care if everyone reads a book or if one person reads all 4. BUT, if everyone doesn't participate in a task then those who ..."
Thanks Kat! For everything ❤️
List of known Pen Names for Authors if you needed some help or were looking for new readsPen Name List
SELECTION POST
Pages: 182
Qualifies: Pippa Grant also writes as Jamie Farrell. See author website below.
https://pippagrant.com/books/
I'm starting this one! Should double up for my "well dressed person" on cover needed for PTP this week.
Selection PostTask 3 - 10. Read 4 books by authors who write under more than one name (Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb)
Wild Highway by Devney Perry
Qualifies Devney Perry also writes as Willa Nash
https://devneyperry.com/books/
Page Count 268
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Intimacy Experiment would definitely work. That's on my TBR too. I read the Roommate and really liked it!