The Challenge Factory discussion

Completion Post:
Camp & Peace Week:
My Letter: M
Book: MemoRandom
Read: 7/4/22
Rating: ★ ★ ★
Review: I really liked The Game Trilogy by this same author. The premise of the book sounded interesting. A police officer who lost his memory after a car accident. What has happened and why is everyone looking for a guy nicknamed Janus? There are a lot of characters and they all have their own private agendas. I think I've had enough of bad cops for a while. All in all this was a good read.

Bonus Items and Points:
Camp: "The packing crates over by the camp bed..." page 280
Peace: "Just tell me I got him, and I can die in peace." page 342

Total: M = 3; 3 + 1 + 1= 5 points

Words have been posted for the week:
WORD OF THE WEEK: QUIT
BONUS: PANCAKE

Week Five Rotation:
Ariel
Heli
Louise
Shelley

I choose the letter T. Heli, you may pick when you have a chance.

I choose letter I.

Sorry it took so long for me to get here. Thank you for the message Louise.

I’ll take q

Guess I'll take U☺️

Camp & Peace Week:
My Letter: P
Book: In The Hall With the Knife by Diana Peterfreund
Read: 7/4-5/22
Rating: ★ ★ ★
Review:
As soon as I saw a young adult book series based on Clue, I was already in and knew I'd love it. I wasn't all that disappointed. It had the nostalgia I was looking for, the references, but yeah, it was a bit cliche. I didn't hate it but the characterization was hard to get into and it was a little confusing with all the pov changes - even though I do understand the need for them with a whodunnit kind of book.

I think it was enjoyable enough to read the rest of the series and I am definitely looking forward to it. '


Bonus Items and Points:
Camp: "Two years ago during freshman boot camp..." (Page 46)
Peace: "Can't the man get a single moment of peace?" (Page 113)

Total: P = 3; 3 + 1 + 1= 5 points

The bonus word - does pancakes count?

I believe it does.

Words have been posted for the week:
WORD OF THE WEEK: NEST
BONUS: EXPLORE

Week Five Rotation:
Heli
Louise
Shelley
Ariel

Heli, you can pick when you have a chance.

I choose letter S.

I’ll take E

Completion Post
Quit & Pancake Week
My Letter: T
Book: Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Read: 7/6
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Review:
This book was absolutely amazing. I fell in love with it almost immediately into the first chapter. Rowan and Neil felt like perfection. It was a unique concept while also seemingly falling into that classic enemies to lovers (which has always been a guilty pleasure of mine). I found myself laughing out loud while reading but then in the same moment, I'd be tearing up at the moving words.

As someone who did not have that same high school experience, Rachel Lynn Solomon did a wonderful job at helping me as the reader put myself into their experiences. I also loved reading the end where she writes an explanation that this book was also a love letter to Seattle - which was beautiful obvious and well done.

Bonus Items and Points:
Quit: "Horrible? Should I quit? I'll quit." (Chapter 9)
Pancake: NOT FOUND
Total: 1+1 = 2 points

Completion Post
Quit & Pancake Week
My Letter: I
Book: Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
Read: 7/12/22
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Review:
This is the first book in the V.I. Warshawski series from 1982 and set in 1979. She's employed to find client's daughter, but finds her dead boyfriend instead. She sets out to investigate the death and soon has to deal with tough labor union gangsters. Vic is an interesting character, tough, stubborn, relentless and fair. This is not one of my favorite series starts as the story feels a little dated. I am giving the second book a chance, though.

Bonus Items and Points:
Quit: "...he was hoping I'd quit to stay home on the sidelines applauding him..." p. 211
Pancake: "Her shapeless face shook under the thick pancake." p. 48
Total: 1+1 +1 = 3 points

Completion Post
Quit & Pancake Week
My Letter: Q


Quantum by Patricia Cornwell
Date Read: 7/12
Rating: 3*

Review
I have read some books by this author this was a bit different to what I have come to expect of this author. It wasn’t a bad read I just found it difficult to get to grips with the futuristic elements of the story. If this had been my first experience of this author I wouldn’t revisit but I know the Kay Scarpetta novels are more to my taste.

Bonus Items and Points:

Quit: pg89 "…I should be quiet and quit while I’m ahead…"
Pancake: N/a
Total: 10 + 1 = 11

I'll take N

I just realized today is Wednesday. Is it too late to post?

Ariel hasn’t checked us in yet

Completion Post
Quit & Pancake Week

My Letter: U


Book: Under Color of Law
Author: Aaron Philip Clark
Date Read: 7/12
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Review: Trevor Finnegan, "Finn", is a detective in the Robbery-Homicide Division with the Los Angeles Police Department. He is not well liked by fellow officers who see him as someone who "hustled" his way to become a detective. He is assigned to investigate the murder of a young rookie cop whose body is found in the Angeles National Park. Finn is cynical and not open to any kind of relationship. The book focuses not only on Finn solving the crime but also what in Finn's past has made him the way he is. For some reason I had a hard time reading and finishing this book.

Bonus Items and Points:

Quit: "he soon quit teaching at Pershing" - pg 73
Pancake: ""pancakes, biscuits, sausage, bacon" - pg 285
Total: 1+1+1 =3

I'm posting the completion in the next couple of minutes. It's been a long morning so it took a little longer than normal.

Weekly Update

Week 5 Total Points: 20

Week 6:
Word of the Week: NEST
Bonus Word of the Week: EXPLORE

N (1 point): Shelley
E (1 point): Louise
S (1 point): Heli
T (1 point): Ariel

Week Seven's words are: WofW - Flag, BWofW - Smart

Flag landed on a Triple Letter Score. The "G" is worth 6 points this week.

Ariel wrote: "Words have been posted for the week:
WORD OF THE WEEK: QUIT
BONUS: PANCAKE

Week Five Rotation:
Ariel
Heli
Louise
Shelley

I choose the letter T. Heli, you may pick when you have a chance."

Noticed this in the announcements

Quit landed on a Double Letter Score. The "I" is worth 2 points this week.

I did notice that Louise. If you look at my completion post in the tracking thread, the I is normally worth 1 point but I counted it as two.

"Team Yokohama
Quit & Pancake - Week 5

Q (10): Louise: Quantum; WotW: Y (1); BWotW: N(0) = 11
U (1): Shelley: Under Color of Law; WotW: Y(1); BWotW: Y(1) = 3
I (2): Heli: Indemnity Only - WotW: Y(1); BWotW: Y(1) = 4
T (1): Ariel: Today Tonight Tomorrow - WotW: Y (1); BWotW: N (0) = 2

Weekly Total: 20 points"

Picking order for FLAG:

Louise
Shelley
Ariel
Heli

I’ll take the G

Completion Post
Nest & Explore week.

Edge of the Rain by Beverley Harper
Date Read: 7/18
Rating: 4*

Review
This was an enjoyable read fast paced with lots of twists and turns and emotional turmoil and angst. The author's narrative and description made it seem that I was actually in Botswana, will definitely visit this author again.

Bonus Item and Points:
Nest - "...a family of scorpions had been using the thick trunk of the tree as a nest..."
Explore - "We can explore a number of areas..."

Total: 1+1+1+1 =3

I'll take f

I'll take L.

Completion Post:
Nest & Explore Week:
My Letter: S
Book: Sandstorm
Read: 7/19/22
Rating: ★ ★
Review:
I guess this book convinced me that I do not like this type of a book with Indiana Jones-like characters and ancient secrets to solve. The story itself was fast paced and dealt with interesting topics that the author has researched thoroughly. The characters were interesting, but felt like caricatures likely because this is the first book in the series. I did not care for the love triangle at all since the two characters had like two seconds together before one of them started having 'feelings' for the other. This book was not for me, but I know there are plenty of readers who will love this.

Bonus Items and Points:
Nest: "We're to secure him in the nest until the police arrive" p. 143
Explore: "Something he wanted to explore in more depth." p. 251

Total: S = 1; 1 + 1 +1 = 3 points

Completion Post:
NEST & EXPLORE
My Letter: T
Book: Hooked by Love by Toni Aleo
Read: 7/19/2022
Rating: 5 Stars
Review:
I was expecting a lighthearted college romance with hockey mixed in but holy heck, what I got was not just full of lighthearted romantic moments but emotional deep moments as well. I absolutely fell in love with Avery and Jace's story and their love. I am happy that they got their happily ever after. Toni Aleo books have proven time and time again to be pull of characters that I love and storylines that draw me in.

Word of the Week:
Nest: "...my special love nest." (Chapter 45)
Bonus Word of the Week:
Explore: "...so I'm gonna explore it." (Chapter 15)

Total: T = 1; 1+1+1 = 3

Completion Post:
Nest & Explore Week

My Letter: N



Book: Never Tell
Author: Stacy Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery
Read: 7/15/2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Review: This is supposed to be "romantic suspense". The main character, Erin, was a victim of horrendous domestic violence. She has escaped, changed her name, and buried her past. She thinks. She starts to receive letters from an undetected serial killer with clues that relate to her past. Enter the romantic interest, Gabriel, who fights to protect her and find who is sending her the letters. Reading it, I felt like the romance and sex were thrown in to lengthen the story. It didn't add anything. As a romance novel, it was disappointing.

Bonus Items and Points:
Explore: "the second he wanted to explore"

Total: 1 + 1 = 2
(Sorry, thought I had nested, but it was nestled. 😕
However, if by some chance nestled is acceptable: "His townhome nestled in the Lower Garden District" - pg 52)

Week Eight (and last)'s words are: WofW - Home, BWofW - Machine

To earn more points, there is an Extra Bonus of the Week (EBofW) - Tower

Completion Post:
Flag & Smart Week:
My Letter: A
Book: Any Means Necessary
Read: 7/25/22
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Review:
Second book in the Leona series. Just as good as the first one. Leona is a detective who operates on the both sides of the law. Her son's death and the subsequent divorce have left her mentally fragile. In this book she is asked to investigate a suicide bomber who will only talk to her. She also owes large sums to a criminal loan shark who wants to get his money back and makes threats that are hard to ignore. So Leona has to start planning for a new heist. This book is a wild roller coaster ride. The only thing I didn't like was the cliffhanger ending.

Bonus Items and Points:
Flag: "...but I knew it was a red flag so I shoved it into the pocket of my jeans instead." p. 71
Smart: "They were smart enough to catch my drift." p. 257

Total: A = 1; 1 + 1 + 1= 3 points

Completion Post
Flag & Smart Week
My Letter: G

See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson
Date Read: 7/20
Rating: 3*
How It Fits: Author LN begins with G
Review:
This was an enjoyable light read, I'm not a great lover of sports romances nut this has a different spin. Jane is a reporter for the Chinooks hockey team who unbeknown to the team also writes a erotic series called "Honey Pie". Luc is the team's goalie and has a bit of a reputation and does everything he can to be rid of the nosy reporter. Needless to say things don't go as planned. Will definitely continue with this series.

Bonus Items and Points:
Flag: pg137 "...Tommy sweater with a flag on the chest..."
Smart: pg49 "...she was too damn smart for her own good..."

Total: 6 + 1 + 1 = 8 points

Picking Order for the Word HOME:

Shelley
Ariel
Heli
Louise

I'll take H

I am going to pick the letter M.

Completion Post:
FLAG & SMART
My Letter: L
Book: Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score
Read: 7/25-26/2022
Rating: 4 Stars
Review:
I struggled through the first couple chapters but my anxiety about not finishing books paid off because I ended up really enjoying the novel. It was hilarious and sassy and I loved the romance. I'm only just getting into paranormal novels and this was the perfectly lighthearted entrance into that world. I highly enjoyed it.

Word of the Week:
Flag: "...Riley couldn't ignore the red flags anymore." (page 17)
Bonus Word of the Week:
Smart: "He was observant, street smart..." (Page 33)

Total: T = 1; 1+1+1 = 3

Completion Post:
Flag & Smart Week



Letter F (4)
Book: Fumbled
Author: Alexa Martin
Read: 7/22/22
Rating: ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Review: I read this for another challenge, "sports romance". I was pleasantly surprised considering "romance" is not my genre of choice, and "sports" isn't in my top ten. At first I thought this was going to read like a reality show, think Football Wives of Colorado. You have the football superstar, the high school sweetheart he hasn't seen in over nine years, and of course, the nine year-old son he didn't know existed.

I definitely recommend this if romance is your genre. If it isn't, read it for the main character's sense of humor.

Bonus Items and Points:
Flag: "I think flag football is super fun" - pg 30
Smart: "I know the smart thing to do is to run" - pg 242

Total: 4 + 1 + 1 = 6

I'll take letter E.

Leaves me with O

Weekly Update:

Team Yokohama
Week 7

WotW: FLAG

F(4): Shelley: Fumbled by Alexa Martin: WotW (Y -1) BWotW: (Y - 1) Review
L(1): Ariel: Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score: WotW (Y - 1) BWotW (Y-1). Review
A(1): Heli: Any Means Necessary by Jenny Rogneby: WotW: (Y - 1) BWotW: (Y - 1). Review
G(6): Louise: See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson. WotW: (Y - 1). BWotW: (Y - 1) Review

Total Points: 20


Week 8 Words:
HOME - Word of the Week
MACHINE - Bonus Word of the Week
TOWER - Bonus BONUS Word of the Week

H - Shelley
O - Louise
M - Ariel
E - Heli

Completion Post:
Home & Machine Week:
Bonus word of the week: Tower
My Letter: E
Book: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Read: 7/29/22
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Review:
For me this book is better than Beach Read from the same author. I did not like this one in the beginning, but it grew on me. Poppy and Alex are best friends from college and have spent numerous vacations together. The story is told by Poppy both in present and going back to vacations before. I did not like Poppy much, we have nothing in common, but Alex was a sweetheart. The story is very wordy and could have been shorter. Anyways this is a perfect book to take with you to the beach or by the pool.

Bonus Items and Points:
Home: "Do you want to come home?" p. 158
Machine: "...except for the gigantic trivia machine set up in the corner." p. 173
Tower: "Um, the Eiffel Tower? I say." p. 37

Total: E = 1; 1 + 1 + 1 + 1= 4 points

In case of a tie score, the team that posts their team's Completion Post on the reporting thread first, wins.

Completion Post
Home & Machine Week:
Bonus word of the week: Tower
My Letter: O


The Obsession by Nora Roberts
Date Read: 8/2
Rating: 5*

Review
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read although a romance it was a thriller first. Spanning several years we follow Naomi as she rebuilds her life after discovering a victim of her father’s and putting him in prison. It is only after starting to settle that she learns that another monster is on the loose and has her in their sights.

Points and Bonus words:
Home: "…for the second time in her life the police came to her home…”
Machine: “…she went behind the bar, studied the hot beverage machine..”
Tower: N/A

Total: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3

Completion Post:
Home and Machine Week
Bonus Word: Tower



Letter H (4)
Book: The Housekeeper
Author: Natalie Barelli
Read: 8/1/22
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Review: I enjoyed this book. The main character, Claire, is not exactly likeable. No good stalking goes as unpunished.

Claire has hated Hannah since she was a teenager for ruining her life, past and future. When she sees Hannah unexpectedly, she stalks her and begins fantasizing about ruining Hannah's perfect life. Claire gets her chance. She lies her way into becoming Hannah's housekeeper. (Makes you wonder how, right?) However, things do not go according to Claire's perfect plan.

Bonus Items and Points:
Home: "I'll see you at home" - pg 15
Machine: "There's a sewing machine there" - pg 93
Tower: "on a terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower" - pg 25

Total: 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 7

Completion
Home & Machine Week
Bonus Bonus: Tower
My Letter: M

Running on Diesel by Melissa Foster
Date Read: 8/2
Rating: 4 stars

Review:
This is my first dive into The Whiskeys series and Melissa Foster definitely doesn't disappoint. I love her other books so this is really no different. Reading the story of how Diesel and Tracy learned to trust each other was heartbreaking but warm and you could feel the love of family in the words as the story was told. I was looking for something lighthearted but found something that was surprisingly deep with lightheartedness weaved throughout.

I definitely plan on going back and reading the first seven books to get to know more of the side characters in this family.

Points and Bonus Words:
Home: "...she was more than ready to go home." (Page 28)
Machine: "The man was like a machine..." (Page 71)
Tower: "...from behind a tower..." (Page 255)

Total: 3+1+1+1= 6 points