Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion

The Amazing Race Team Challenge - Round 12
October 1, 2025 through November 23, 2025
My Mascara Runs Faster than You Do!

Team:
Kat
Shandrea
Maritza
Renee

The Amazing Race Team Challenge - Round 12
October 1, 2025 through November 23, 2025
My Mascara Runs Faster than You Do!

Tracking:

Information required when posting your completion/s:

Task
Book/cover link
Page numbers with source
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary.
Date Completed.
Rating/Review.


**Remember to use the first edition Kindle page count only! If your page count comes from a Kindle edition published on the initial publication date on the editions page, it will count. If your page count comes from a Kindle edition labeled '1st edition', it will count. If your page count comes from the earliest dated English language Kindle edition, it will count. I am looking for one of those three things when confirming your books! As long the page count you list is correct, I will accept any link to the book. Ebook page count will be acceptable if no Kindle page count available. The acceptability of other page counts will be made on an individual basis.**

Please note that a rating is required in your completion posts! A small review is also welcome. 😊

Please limit your completion posts to one book each.

I think most of you know each other, at least a little, but feel free to introduce yourself again. Please give any relevant information, especially time zone as that helps know when it is best to communicate. 😊

Please select a team leader to help keep track of where your team is in any given task. And as necessary guide discussions for task decisions. Any teammate can report your completions though. I will use the team leader as a point of contact if needed.

Remember, it is the team's responsibility to notify the host (me) if a teammate fails to complete the task in a timely manner or otherwise goes missing! I am not checking all the team threads regularly to notice and may only check when notified a task is complete.

PS - If you want to be known as anything other than Team 6, you are free to come up with a team name. 😉

Hey everyone

I’m Kat. From Glasgow. I’m a sales assistant for a heart charity shop. I mainly reading contemporary and new adult romance. Other genres I like are thrillers and crime and some non fiction.

Favourite authors are Elle kennedy, Sophie Gravia, Alexandra potter, Kandi stenier, Kristen Bailey and Abby Jimenez

I’m unsure on teams. And I don’t want to be captain

Hi Kat, I'm Maritza from NYC. I read a lot of your same genres. My fave aurhors are Kristen Ashley, Steve Berry I like Elle Kennedy, Marie Force and others.
I don't want to lead group buf can help out as needed.

Maritza wrote: "Hi Kat, I'm Maritza from NYC. I read a lot of your same genres. My fave aurhors are Kristen Ashley, Steve Berry I like Elle Kennedy, Marie Force and others.
I don't want to lead group buf can help ..."

Pleased to meet you. Maybe Elle Kennedy can be one of our authors for this challenge

Hope the others join us soon

Any ideas for team names?

Stylish Readers
Books & Cosmetics
Lashes & Bookmarks
Bookmarks & Lashes (sounds better)

I like lashes and bookmarks

Hello team!!

My name is Shandrea, I am from Idaho, which is MST. I am so happy to be put in a group with people that read the same stuff as me! I read 1-3 books a week. I have 4 kids and right now I am running all of them to practices and games so I am a little short on reading time but I can captain our team. I think it will be my first time captaining this challenge so any help/advice would be appreciated.

There are a couple of authors in your comments that I am familiar with and a couple that I am not but I am always open to read new authors!

Some of my favorite writers are: Elle Kennedy, Lauren Asher, Abby Jimenez, Shantel Tessier, Ana Huang, Chloe Walsh, Mariana Zapata, Penny Reid, & Carley Fortune.

As for team name, I like Bookmarks & Lashes

Hi Shandrea (I like your name, never heard it before). I will be happy to help.

I have started a google sheet for the challenge and I will send it to everyone via message.

I had to add Rene and Maritza before I could send the google sheet.

Just going through all the teams making sure everyone has checked and I see Renee is still missing. I sent out a message to everyone yesterday as a reminder to check in. If she doesn't show by the start time tomorrow, you will go forward as a team of three. Tasks will be adjusted as necessary if that is the case.

Hi everyone, I apologize for the late response. I had not realized I was officially added to a team. I fear I may be a weak link as I am a slow mood reader, but I will try my hardest for you all to do my part.

I'm from California, so the PST zone. I'm usually up late. I primarily read romance, fantasy, horror, and some sci-fi. I work part time at the library so I'm in bookish spaces pretty often and have access to quite a few titles.

Team name: I like Bookmarks and lashes :)

I have not done a group challenge like this on GR so apologies ahead of time for any mess ups.

For team read, Elle Kennedy and Ana Huang work best for me.

I submitted team name to mods (can't sleep).

Just saw this posted - First Task - All Teams!

Task 1 - 0. Read a book celebrating October 1st.

This round begins on October 1st. In honor of the first game of the World series being played in 1903, read a book that is MPG Sports. This can be a specific sport or the generic ‘sports’, but either MUST be MPG.
OR In honor of the Walt Disney World opening in 1971, read a book that is MPG Magic or MPG Fantasy.

I vote for Fantasy but can do sports

I can do either.

I'll second fantasy. what's MPG?

Main Page Genre, when you’re looking at the book on Goodreads, or genres it needs to be a main genre listed

I don’t really read fantasy but I’m confused it gives us two tasks mpg sports but then magic or fantasy

if y'all wanna do sports, I can do that. I've got Ana Huang's The Striker (soccer/football) sitting on my shelf to be read. I'm trying to catch up on her backlist.

Sports works for me too. I have chosen Elle Kennedy The Graham effect.

Sports is okay. I have to find a book. It can be any author.

It was either sports or fantasy.

Okay! I’ll get my sports book going! :)

Completion Post
Task 1 - 0. Read a book celebrating October 1st.


The P*ssy Next Door by Amy Award

Pages - 318
Qualification - MPG Sports Romance
Read - 10/3
Rating - 4 stars
Review - I have been enjoying this series. In the first two books you can tell that the author needs a bit more experience in writing but this book was better. I loved the MMC and I love the family that is created in this series.

I had meant to ask, how fast do you all want to be moving on this challenge? it's my first go at this and I'm not a really quick reader. Will start on Striker after work today and dedicate the weekend to completing it since it's like 600 pages--at least my copy is.

Task - Task # 1 - Read a book celebrating October 1st.

Book/cover link - Time Out by Jill Shalvis
Page numbers with source - 219 (1st Kindle edition)
How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary. - MPG Sports
Date Completed 10/03/2025
Rating/Review - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a feel good romance with an mc who was not afraid to show his vulnerability and a spunky female mc. I liked the addition of the teen girls and how they embraced the male mc.

I was kinda thinking like 1-2 books a week? But I’m not sure what ever my one is capable of

1-2/week works for me

Depends on book and time for me.

At least one, maybe 2 for me.

Task # 1
Book/cover link: The Striker

Page numbers with source: 594 - kindle copy

How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary.: mpg sports romance

Date Completed. Oct 6 2025

Rating/Review. 4/5 Did this need to be over 500 pages? No. Did it need to be over 400 pages? Also no. But I don't feel like it really dragged either.

Renee wrote: "Task # 1
Book/cover link: The Striker

Page numbers with source: 576 - physical copy

How book qualified, with links or cover as necessary.: mpg sports romance

Date Completed. Oc..."

Renee, even though you read the paperback, I think you need to use the 1st edition kindle page count. The group uses that way as kind of a universal way to make sure the page counts are accurate and fair.

To find this book's 1st edition kindle page count, you'd go to 'more editions', 'show all editions', filter them by format: clicking kindle edition, then you'd pick the earliest dated kindle edition but make sure it's in English. In this case, there are two, both on the same date but two different page counts, I think you can pick the larger one. So you'd need to correct the page count to 594.

oh, that's a weird rule but ok. I'll change it

Yea, and if I’m wrong then MKat will let us know lol

Shandrea wrote: "Yea, and if I’m wrong then MKat will let us know lol"

Haha, alrighty I fixed it. I'm just amazed I was able to finish that whole book in one day. We're just waiting on Kat to finish theirs now, right?

Well good job! Lol sometimes if I have a deadline I read slower lol. If that makes sense…
And yes we are. If the last completion is posted, anyone can go into the announcements and tracking page and say that our team is ready for a new task. Then just let us know here that you posted it for us :)

sounds good, I totally understand the read slower deadline.

I’ve had a busy week and ended up picking a book that was a bit chunkier than I’ve been reading I’ll finish asap and read shorter books after that as I’m not the fastest reader

kat, please dont feel pressure to rush. at least from me. i can't speak for the others. I picked a chunky book too.

No problem with me. Just here to have fun in a team.

Thanks ☺️

Kat asked about using her pass for the first task. Usually, I include that each player has to read the book and that no pass is allowed, but real life being what it is made me forget...

That said, because I didn't include that it can't be used - I will allow it. I am not sure that would be the smartest move knowing that there are still about 7 weeks left int he challenge and there is only one pass per teammate, but it would depend on where she is in her book I guess. I will wait for Kat to decide. Please post in the Q&A if she decides to use her pass or if she finishes her book - I will then come back here with your next task. 😊

MountainKat wrote: "Kat asked about using her pass for the first task. Usually, I include that each player has to read the book and that no pass is allowed, but real life being what it is made me forget...

That said,..."

I’m only about 27% through my book. So I’d like to use it. I still plan to read it just would take me far longer than I’d like.

are you positive you want to use it now Kat? specially since you're planning on finishing your read?

Here is your next task!

Task 2 - 5. Read 4 books first published within the last year.

To qualify for this task, the selected books need to have been initially published on or after October 7, 2024. 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 as the qualification. Please include the initial publication date of your selected book in your completion post.

GM, Perfect my current book fits the task.