The Challenge Factory discussion

Team 2

Captain:
Ela (Mouse333)
Melanie
MN Lisa



Bonus Points:
Earned: 3
Used: 2

Helpful Links:

Dice Roll: https://www.random.org/dice/ (1 die on Thursdays & Sundays, US Central Time)
R15 SSS Post Your Spot
R15 SSS Discussion Thread

Time Zone Converter: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...

ALTERNATE LIST:
**titles exclude leading articles (a, an, the)

1. Cover Item: Hands/Arms/Feet/Legs (no other body parts visible)
2. Title 'K'
3. Published before 1950
4. Cover: Red
5. Award Winner (must state which/when)
6. Published 2011-2015
7. Cover: Purple
8. Author uses a pseudonym
9. Author 'M'
10. Set on an island
11. Cover Item: Jewelry
12. Cover: White
13. MC has at least one child
14. Title 'H'
15. Re-read
16. Non-Fiction
17. Cover: Orange
18. Cover Item: One person
19. GR average rating >4.0
20. Published 2022
21. Cover: Blue
22. Title 'Y'
23. Number in the Title (Third Grave Dead Ahead or Every Fifteen Minutes)
24. Several authors
25. Set in space
26. Cover: Green
27. Author 'R'
28. South America
29. Young Adult/New Adult
30. Set in the 20th century
31. Title 'V'
32. Book to Movie/TV (must state how book qualifies: listopia, imdb, precis)
33. Four or More Words Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
34. LGBTQ+
35. Mystery/Thriller
36. Cover Item: Book
37. Published 2023
38. Seasonal Theme (i.e Christmas, Halloween etc)
39. Title 'F'
40. Set in the future
41. Cover Item: Mode of Transportation
42. Fantasy
43. Asia
44. Cover Item: Water
45. Debut Novel or Debut Author
46. Cover Item: Weapon MC
47. Published 2021
48. Title 'G'
49. Cover Item: Animal
50. North America
51. MC travels by airplane
52. Cover Item: Food/Drink
53. MC travels by train
54. Author 'G'
55. Cover Item: Sun/Moon
56. Author uses their middle name/initial (e.g. Robert J. Sawyer, Rita Mae Brown)
57. Book with a wedding in it
58. Cover Item: Money or other form of payment
59. Science Fiction
60. Author 'L'
61. Published 2016-2020
62. Cover Item: Umbrella/Parasol
63. Title 'E'
64. Cover Item: Furniture
65. Title 'L'
66. Published between 1950 and 1999
67. One Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) The Witness or Divergent
68. Cover Item: Hat/Helmet/Other Headwear
69. Title 'C'
70. Cover: Pink
71. Oceania
72. Romance
73. Author 'W'
74. Set in a place you've visited
75. Set anytime between 1600-1900
76. Title 'T'
77. Two Word Title (excluding articles like A, An, The) Deadly Silence, The Hunger Games
78. Originally published in a language other than English
79. Title has a subtitle
80. Cover Item: Lamp/Candle
81. Africa
82. Author 'S'
83. Cover: Black
84. Cover Item: Two or more people
85. Author 'B'
86. Europe
87. Title 'N'
88. Published the year you were born
89. MC is older than 60
90. Set in a Fictional Location/Universe
91. Less than 100 ratings
92. Set sometime before 1600
93. MC has a pet
94. School/College/University setting
95. Book with a funeral in it
96. Title 'J'
97. Cover: Yellow/Gold
98. Three Word Title (excludes articles like A, An, The) Behind Closed Doors or Etched in Bone
99. Book that a teammate rated 5 stars
100. Author 'I'
101. Cover: Brown
102. Cover Item: Building
103. Favorite Author
104. Title 'Z'
105. Author 'O'
106. MC is in their 20s
107. Published 2001-2010
108. Title 'P'
109. Author 'D'
110. New to You Author
111. Title 'B'

A couple of things to keep in mind:

✸ Communication is key. Please make sure to check in regularly with your team.

✸ Let your team know if it looks like you won't get your review posted by Wednesday/Saturday, 11:59pm. You do have all of Thursday/Sunday to submit your review, but it can be intensely frustrating for your captain if they don't know when or if they can expect your review before the deadline.

✸ If you know beforehand that you won't be able to read and review a book during a certain period of time, you can request a pre-arranged absence from me, either by posting the request in the discussion thread or by sending me a pm. The request has to be submitted before the team rolls for the time period in question, can only be approved by me as the mod in charge of running the game, and has to state a reason for the absence. (Reasons for pre-arranged absences can include e.g. going on vacation or work trips, planned hospital stays, exam period, etc.)

✸ If you do not have a pre-arranged absence and won't be able to finish your book in time for an unforeseen reason, please let your team know as soon as possible. If the team has earned the free pass, it can be used to cover the missing review. Without a free pass, the team has to sit out the next roll.

✸ We all know that real life gets in the way sometimes, be it through family emergencies, work emergencies, natural disasters, technical problems making it impossible to get online, or in other ways. That being said, please do keep in mind that this is a team challenge and your team relies on you to do your part unless an emergency occurs.

✸ If you find that the pressure of keeping up with the pace of the game gets too much for you or you wish to stop playing for any other reason, you can drop out of the challenge at any time. In that case, please let your team captain and/or me know that you wish to drop out rather than just disappearing without a word so your team won't be penalized when you fail to turn in your review. Thank you!


Captain's Handbook

✸ The team's captain is its chief organizer. This includes rolling the dice, posting the team's new spot to the team thread and the Post Your Spot thread, collecting links to team members' review posts in a single post to be linked in the Post Your Spot thread, doublechecking that books and review posts comply with requirements, reminding team members to post their reviews in time if necessary, etc.

✸ The captain may delegate some tasks, such as rolling and posting the new spot to the team thread, to another team member if they so choose. (Either a designated roller who fulfills this role for every roll, or whichever team member is online first once rolling is possible.) Collecting reviews into a single post and posting to the Post Your Spot thread should always be handled by the captain.

✸ Instead of having everything handled by a single team captain, teams can also choose two co-captains to handle the workload.

✸ Selection posts are not strictly required by the game's rules and I won't be checking for them. It's up to the team captain to decide whether they want them.

✸ If the team captain requests a pre-arranged absence, it's their responsibility to arrange for another team member to step in as temporary captain.

✸ The team captain is my primary point of contact for the team and should allow receiving private messages.

Checking in!

Checking In. I've never played before so I have no idea what to do. :)

Checking in :)

I think this is my second time playing this game. Basically the number we land on should correspond to the book's position in a series. If you don't have a book that fits that, you read to fulfil the prompt from the alternative list in message 4

Anyone want to be the captain?

If no one else is up for it, I don't mind captaining.

I've never played before so I don't know what to do. Just knowing me I'd probably create a spreadsheet to help track the posts and stuff. LOL.

Melanie wrote: "If no one else is up for it, I don't mind captaining."

Great! So, are we just waiting for the game to start now?

Here's our first roll.

Week: 1 - Thursday
Previous Space: Start
Roll: 4
New Space: 4

You can read any of the following:
- 4th book in a series
- Alternate task 4. Cover: Red

Deadline: Sunday February 18, 2024

We have until Midnight Central Time to complete the book and make the post?

Correct. Ideally with at least a little bit of time left before midnight as I have to check us in and complete our next roll by then.

I'm out of town on sunday and might not be back until about 9pm. I've got my books i'm gonna read and will be able to get it done, but not until Sunday.

That's fine. I'm on EST, so an hour ahead of Central Time. I'm usually up until around midnight to 1 am my time so I should be able around late to check us in and roll.

The most important thing is that all reviews are in by midnight Central Time, if someone is cutting it really close the time stamp on the last review submitted is what I'll be looking at.
(I seem to recall we had a situation some years back where the last review came in just on time, but the captain had fallen asleep already and the team didn't know if they're still allowed to roll - this way it's a little easier on team captains, who need their sleep like everyone else.)

It's kind of a last-minute trip out of town. I wasn't planning on going, but a chaperone dropped out at the last minute so I have to go. I'm usually available on Sundays

Week 1: Roll 1
Spot: 4

Book: The Viper's Nest by Tate James
Qualification: Kit Davenport #4
Finished: 17 Feb 2024
Rating: 1 star
Review:
(view spoiler)[I found most of this book annoying and boring.

This book was mostly about Kit bonding with some of the other guys and trying to learn magic.

I don’t think I liked any scene in this book apart from a scene near the end with the familiar, but even that was spoiled with how dramatic a character acted after the initial shock.

As with the previous books, not much actually happens/they don’t really do anything until the last maybe 25% (I didn’t look at the actual percentage, but that’s what it felt like). Kit was supposed to be learning magic with Austin, but at the beginning it says that it’s not going well so Austin tattoos a spell on her to make her be able to learn everything on the first go – which skips all the interesting parts about the magic.

When it comes to the characters, I don’t really like any of them anymore. I’m mostly indifferent when it comes to them, but I really don’t like Caleb and the almost instant forgiveness was too much for me. There is also the situation with Bridget, who everyone keeps saying not to trust and while it says that they don’t, they still listen to her and accept things from her. Also, at the end of the book a character appears out of nowhere and I didn’t like it.

This book isn’t for me and I’m not going to continue with the series because while the idea was interesting at the beginning, I really don’t like how things are happening. For that reason, I don’t think I’m going to try other books by this author. (hide spoiler)]

Just wanted to update, I will have my book finished around dinner time tomorrow.

Completion Post: Week 1 Thursday - Spot 4



Book: Innocent Hostage by Juno Rushdan
How it fits?: #4 in Hard Core Justice series
Date finished: 2/18/2024
Rating: 4 Stars

Review:
Innocent Hostage was an action-packed, thrilling read featuring a marriage in trouble romance.

Deputy US Marshal Allison Chen-Boyd and FBI hostage negotiator Henry Boyd have known their marriage was over for a while. But when Allison and Henry meet to finalize their divorce, they receive a call that their eight-year-old son Ben has been kidnapped. Up against a dangerous cartel whose leader wants vengeance, Allison and Henry will have to work together if they want to get their son back alive. With danger at every turn, saving their family will mean learning to trust each other again before it's too late.

The plot in Innocent Hostage is incredibly fast-paced with the story taking place over the course of a few days. The book opens with Ben's kidnapping and quickly spirals from there. With the nature of Allison and Henry's jobs, there's no shortage of law enforcement to help with the Marshals, the FBI, and the local police becoming involved in the search for Ben. Initially the search stalls as the kidnappers have covered their tracks too well but eventually the group gets a few leads. I liked the direction the search went and that it wasn't completely straightforward due to the cartel being involved. The ending where the FBI goes to rescue Ben was incredibly well done with the perfect amount of tension to keep you guessing on how everything would turn out.

Marriage in trouble romance is a trope that has always been hit or miss for me but I was still looking forward to Allison and Henry's story after meeting their characters previously in the series. Their relationship has had issues for some time and the two have been separated for six months prior to Innocent Hostage. Due to Henry's tendency to shut down his emotions and a breakdown in their communication, Allison feels there isn't anything left to save in their marriage. It's clear the two still care for each other but their issues have made them lose sight of that. Ben's kidnapping really brings them together as they're forced to spend a lot of time together while they work to get Ben back. In the downtime while they're waiting for updates, the two finally have the time to talk which lets them work out the majority of their issues. I was happy with how they resolved everything and I liked where their relationship was by the end of the book.

Overall Innocent Hostage was a fantastic read and I'm looking forward to picking up the final book in the series, Unsuspecting Target, soon.

Week 1 - Roll 1 - Spot 4

Pages: 269 Pages
How it fits: Confessions #4
Date completed: 2/18/2024
Rating: *****
Review:
I loved the conclusion of these three men. Seeing Priest be able to relax was humourous and eye-opening. The love they have for each other is awesome. The party, the proposal and the wedding were all so awesome.

Week 1 Thursday Reviews: Spot 4

Ela (Mouse333): Kit Davenport #4
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Melanie: Hard Core Justice #4
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

MN Lisa: Confessions #4
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Here's our roll.

Week: 1 - Sunday
Previous Space: 4
Roll: 4
New Space: 8

You can read any of the following:
- 8th book in a series
- Alternate task 8. Author uses a pseudonym

Deadline: Thursday February 22, 2024

Got my next one selected

Week 1 - Roll 2 - Spot 8

Pages:
How it fits: Vale Valley, Season 3 #8
Date completed: 2/18/2024
Rating: ****
Review:
Pierce needs a mate. Finn wants to move out so his Alpha mom and sister leave him alone. They both end up on a dating app. They both schedule dates and end up at the same restaurant, but they are not each other's dates. They end up together, briefly, and then Finn leaves. They try to find each other and through a series of unfortunate events, it finally works, and Finn is pregnant. Then comes the mating, the moving in and meeting the parents. It's all so wonderful and what I have come to expect from Vale Valley.

I think that one should be ok, the minimum according to the How to Play section is 140 pages and that one is 154 pages.

Grr. My spreadsheet had it wrong. I'll fix it. (Again).

Lol I get it. All these challenges, it can sometimes be hard to keep track of the requirements for each one.

I will have my book done tomorrow afternoon.

Week 1: Roll 2
Spot: 8

Book: Giving It All: Saxon & Jenny by Kati Wilde
Qualification: Hellfire Riders MC #8
Finished: 22 Feb 2024
Rating: 2 star
Review:
(view spoiler)[This book was fine, but nothing exciting.

Jenny is grieving her father, Saxon isn’t sure how to help her, and a different club calls in a favour, which ends up being them babysitting someone.

Jenny and Saxon were fine, but not much really happens.

The person the club has to babysit was Saxon’s father and it felt like a lazy additional conflict, especially with the idiot coming back several times to try to convince Jenny, which had absolutely no effect. I wanted to see him being dealt with in a more concrete way.

There were some side characters mentioned, but not enough to really see their personalities. (hide spoiler)]

Completion Post: Week 1 Sunday - Spot 8



Book: 'Twas the Night Before Scandal by Merry Farmer
How it fits?: #8 in The May Flowers series
Date finished: 2/22/2024
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Review:
'Twas the Night Before Scandal was a cute read featuring a romance between long-time friends set at Christmastime.

Lady Beatrice Lichfield has been in love with Lord Harrison Manfred, Marquess of Landsbury, for years and she thought he felt the same way. But if he does, then why hasn't he proposed yet? With the encouragement of her friends, Bea decides to take matters into her own hands and move their relationship to the next level. Harrison has been in love with Bea since the moment he first saw her and now he has the perfect proposal planned for Christmas Eve. But when he loses the ring he means to propose with, Harrison is in a race to find it before time runs out.

'Twas the Night Before Scandal is the eighth book in The May Flowers series and the first one I've read in the series. The book works well as a standalone despite being so far into the series which I appreciated. There are obviously references to characters and events that were in the previous books but the author manages to introduce that information in a way that still makes the book work well on its' own.

I've been interested in picking up one of Merry Farmer's books for a while and the premise of this one sounded cute soo I was excited to read it. The connection between Bea and Harrison is well done and it was clear the two were completely besotted with one another. Bea's hope for a proposal is at the forefront of her sections and I did find myself becoming a bit annoyed with her at times as it felt like it was the only thing she ever thought or talked about. Harrison was definitely my favorite person in the couple and his desire to create the perfect proposal was adorable. The whole lost ring plot was a fun one and I enjoyed watching that play out. The book was less steamy than I was expecting based on the premise with there being only one scene at the end of the book but I still enjoyed that aspect of the book.

Overall 'Twas the Night Before Scandal was an enjoyable historical romance and I will definitely be checking out more books in the series in the future.

Week 1 Sunday Reviews: Spot 8

Ela (Mouse333): Hellfire Riders MC #8
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Melanie: The May Flowers #8
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

MN Lisa: Vale Valley, Season 3 #8
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Here's our new roll.

Week: 2 - Thursday
Previous Space: 8
Roll: 2
New Space: 10

You can read any of the following:
- 1st book in a series
- 10th book in a series
- Standalone
- Alternate task 10. Set on an island

Deadline: Sunday February 25, 2024

Selection: Luke's Surprise

Week 2 - Roll 1 - Spot 10

Pages: 154 Pages
How it fits: Shifters' Haven #1
Date completed: 2/23/2024
Rating: ***
Review: Grey Wolf Shifter Luke lives with his Alpha Brother. They go to help out a neighbor and Luke meets his mate. Through a series of unfortunate events Mark is attacked, and Luke is kidnapped, twice.

I like this intro to this friendly Texas town and their occupants. I can't wait to read Cody and Kelan's stories as well.

Week 2: Roll 1
Spot: 10

Book: Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett
Qualification: Rime Chronicles #1
Finished: 24 Feb 2024
Rating: 2 stars
Review:
(view spoiler)[This world was really interesting, but the book was a bit slow and drawn out.

Kate is working as a Relay rider despite the poor treatment she receives because she loves horses. Corwin is doing a peacekeeping tour on the demands of his brother as a kind of punishment for going away for two years. Corwin and Kate used to know each other as they lived in the palace, Corwin being the prince and Kate being the daughter of the king’s master of horses, until Kate’s father tries to kill the king. Their lives get entangled when Kate comes upon a massacred caravan and gets help for Corwin, who is gravely injured. Kate is able to kill four daydrakes using a revolver that her friend, Bonner, has made using wilder magic. Corwin remembers the revolver and convinces Bonner to make them at the palace, not knowing that wilder magic was used. Signe goes too because she makes the gun powder for the revolvers, and Kate decides to go too because there’s nothing left for her where she was living. I can’t really think of what happens at the palace – Corwin and Kate interact a bit, the uror comes, and eventually Kate joins other wilders and is discovered.

I liked Kate and I liked Corwin even though he let others tell him what to do and how to act, but I liked seeing how his thinking slowly changed and how he started questioning things.

The thing is that this book was kind of slow and didn’t have as many interactions as I would have liked. There are a lot of scenes where they are travelling and not much is happening. Also, there are some time jumps which I didn’t like because they skipped over some things. For example, the uror has finally appeared so it says that Corwin prepares for it, but how? I didn’t understand how he trained for it because it’s never shown – did he train with a sword? Did he go riding? Was it just him reading his grandfather’s journal? Also, I wanted to see more of the wilders and how they practiced magic.

There were a few other characters, but they weren’t really shown. After the beginning, Bonner and Signe disappear, and Dal isn’t shown often either. The characters Kate meets later in the book are only really introduced and then stop being shown.

This book could have been really interesting, but I thought that it could have been quicker and have more interactions. (hide spoiler)]

Completion Post: Week 2 Thursday - Spot 10



Book: Decoy Training by Caridad Piñeiro
How it fits?: K-9s on Patrol #1
Date finished: 2/24/2024
Rating: 4 Stars

Review:
Decoy Training was an excellent read featuring a great romance between a dog trainer and an army veteran.

Former Army sharpshooter Shane Adler is looking for a change after an injury forced him to retire from the Army. He finds it in the Idaho mountains while working with dog trainer Piper Lambert to train up his dog, Decoy, for search and rescue. When Shane discovers someone has been casing Piper's house, he's determined to protect her from harm. But while Shane tries to keep Piper safe, the attraction building between them threatens them both.

The romance in Decoy Training is initially on the slower side as Piper is still grieving her husband who passed four years ago and Shane isn't sure what he wants from life. The attraction between them is obvious but they both spend a lot of time fighting it. I actually liked that their romance took time to develop as I felt it gave them more time to get to know each other. The two form a nice friendship during their work training Decoy which I enjoyed. Once their relationship does progress it's well done and I was happy with how things work out for these two.

The mystery was an interesting one and like the romance, it takes time to develop. Initially Piper is alerted to someone's presence near her home which she believes to be nothing of importance. Eventually it becomes clear that someone is trying to get into her house which intrigued me. What could Piper possibly have that someone would be that desperate to get back? The story goes in a direction I wasn't expecting and I liked how everything played out. The suspense elements are well done and I liked the scene where the bad guy was confronted.

Overall Decoy Training was a great start to the series and I'm looking forward to continuing the series in the future.

Week 2 Thursday Reviews: Spot 10

Ela (Mouse333): Rime Chronicles #1
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Melanie: K-9s on Patrol #1
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

MN Lisa: Shifters' Haven #1
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

We're all done prior to the deadline so we've earned our free pass.

The new roll can be done in just over an hour so I will roll then and post the details.

Here's our new roll.

Week: 2 - Sunday
Previous Space: 10
Roll: 6
New Space: 16

You can read any of the following:
- 1st book in a series
- 6th book in a series
- 16th book in a series
- Standalone
- Alternate task 16. Non-Fiction

Deadline: Thursday February 29, 2024

Week 2: Roll 2
Spot: 16

Book: King of Wall Street by Louise Bay
Qualification: The Royals #1
Finished: 26 Feb 2024
Rating: 2 stars
Review:
(view spoiler)[I liked the idea of this book, but I really didn’t like Harper so I couldn’t get into the story.

Max is Harper’s boss, and the book starts with him going through a report that Harper prepared. When he doesn’t immediately say that she’s perfect and instead gives her improvements to make, she says that she’s done with him (she always idolised him) and complains to everyone around her. She doesn’t quit her job though, and goes on hating him, while he’s trying to stop being attracted to her, and eventually when they see each other in a non-office setting, they just can’t control themselves and sleep together.

I liked Max, but Harper was so immature and annoying because whatever Max does, she twists it into a bad thing or that he’s an awful person, just because he didn’t praise her for her first report (she’s only just started working there).

There were some side characters, which I liked. Max is shown with Amber (his daughter) as well as some short scenes with his sisters. Despite not liking Harper, I liked her conversations with Grace because she was the voice of reason and showed Harper that she was acting like an idiot.

I didn’t like how when Harper and Max see each other outside of work, they can never keep their hands off of each other and then talk about how it’s Vegas. I got used to it after the beginning, but it still felt a bit out of place.

I might try other books by this author because the story wasn’t bad, I just really didn’t like Harper. (hide spoiler)]

Week 2 - Roll 6 - Spot 16

Pages: 284 Pages
How it fits: Sinister in Savannah #1
Date completed: 2/26/2024
Rating: ***
Review: Jonah has had a hard life. He's a computer analyst for the GBI and his intern Avery, is a ray of sunshine in his life. When his neighbor asks him to look into an old solved case because she felt it was wrong and she's dying. When he does this, all hell breaks loose. Through being cited at work, suspended, tires slashed, and attacked, he works with his friends and gives into his attraction to Avery.

It's great to see this wounded man, fix his heart and learn to love again. Avery is super sweet and the things he does to get Jonah to give in was fantastic, but when Johan jumps in, he jumped in with everything he had.

Just wanted to update. My book is done but I won't get to the review until the morning as I'm not feeling well. So I will write it first thing tomorrow and roll as soon as I'm done.

Completion Post: Week 2 Sunday- Spot 16



Book: Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas by Sarah Robinson
How it fits?: Heart Lake #1
Date finished: 2/26/2024
Rating: 3 Stars

Review:
Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas was a cute holiday read featuring a romance between a woman and her best friend's older brother.

Nola Bennett has always dreamed of opening her own business and now with the inheritance her grandmother left her, she'll finally have the means to do it. Unfortunately it means selling "The Castle", her grandmother's historic home in Heart Lake. As Nola works to clear out the home, she runs into opposition from some of the locals. All Tanner Dean wants for Christmas is some peace and quiet but with Nola back in town that's the last thing he'll get. Now he needs to find a way to persuade her not to sell The Castle to a greedy developer. But the more time he spends with Nola, the more he wants to convince her to stay in Heart Lake permanently.

I read the second book in the series, The Little Bookstore on Heart Lake Lane, first so I was excited to go back and read this one for Nola and Tanner's story. Nola and Tanner were quite sweet with each other in that book so I was looking forward to seeing how their relationship developed. At the start of this book, Nola and Tanner were quite adversarial with each other and it seemed like she genuinely disliked him so I wondered how we would go from that to love in the book. Their relationship does progress at an odd pace as it goes from nothing to fully involved in no time at all. I struggled a bit with their relationship as I felt they had no chemistry which was odd as I really enjoyed their interactions in book two.

The plot regarding Nola selling her grandmother's house was well done and plays out pretty much how I expected it to. It was fun watching her go through the house and finding some interesting items her grandmother owned. The dress up scene with Rosie's kids and Tanner was a ton of fun. I also really liked the small town aspect of the book as the town was well developed and seemed like a great place to grow up.

Overall Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it if you're looking for a cute holiday romance.

Week 2 Sunday Reviews: Spot 16

Ela (Mouse333): The Royals #1
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Melanie: Heart Lake #1
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

MN Lisa: Sinister in Savannah #1
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Here's our new roll.

Week: 3 - Thursday
Previous Space: 16
Roll: 2
New Space: 18

You can read any of the following:
- 1st book in a series
- 8th book in a series
- 18th book in a series
- Standalone
- Alternate task 18. Cover Item: One person

Deadline: Sunday March 3, 2024

Week 3: Roll 1
Spot: 18

Book: A Change in Tide by Freya Barker
Qualification: Northern Lights #1
Finished: 02 Mar 2024
Rating: 2 stars
Review:
(view spoiler)[I liked this book, but it got boring towards the end.

Mia’s quiet life is disrupted when a new neighbour moves in. She becomes involved in her neighbours’ lives and she gets to know them better. Jared is the one who bought the house and he’s focused on helping his family.

Jared and Mia are fine, but I was a bit bored of them by the end. After their initial impressions, circumstances mean that they get to know each other better, and most of this book was their quiet dating (although they don’t call it that) and Mia trying to go out of her comfort zone. They are slightly older characters because Mia is 42 and Jared is 39.

There were some side characters, like Jordy and John, but they weren’t shown enough, especially since they don’t get their own book.

I liked this book, but not much happens – the side characters are mostly in the background, Mia and Jared don’t really do anything, and even the conflict didn’t cause much tension. While the other books in the series sound interesting, I don’t think I’m going to continue because of how bored I ended up being with this book. (hide spoiler)]

Week 3 - Roll 1 - Spot 18

Pages: 406 Pages
How it fits: Johnson Family Rules #1
Date completed: 3/3/2024
Rating: *****
Review: I love a good Daddy story and prefer not age play and that is what I got in this book. Zander is the club with is brother (who is a little) and sees a man in the room, while drawn to him, he does not approach or make contact. Noah, wanting to relax before starting his new job on Monday, goes to the club and sees a Daddy and his boy. Attracted to the daddy, he leaves the room without saying anything.

Next week arrives and low and behold, Noah, new deputy, meets Zander, chief deputy, his boss and the Daddy from the club. He gets nervous and through a series of accidents, he embarrasses himself. At the club to try and forget, one final accident sets this romance on high and this ends up being a super sweet Daddy/boy, without age play.

I loved these characters and the secondary characters so much. This is on my re-read list and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.