The Challenge Factory discussion

LaurLa & Nichole - If You Only Knew

Checking in!

HI again ;-) Any ideas on start time? I think I'm pretty open...

Let's see...

I'm doing one BR right now, and another starts on the 5th. I also have 2 new Team Challenges starting this week. Dangit, We could have used this for PtP this week, lol. Oh well! Maybe we can use it for the next call? If you want/need to start before me, go ahead and I'll jump in as soon as I catch up! I'm not sure how the new Team Challenges are going to work out for me yet. You're in AMMP, right? Doing the Race and the Slay Ride?

Yes, I am in AMMP and in both of those challenges... so it will be nice if this (and/or) Reapers works out for any of the team calls. Shall we wait and see if they do? They won't work for the first leg of the Race, that we know. So if either ends up working for Slay Ride for you, let me know. Or we can both wait to see if one works for PtP this week.

That sounds perfect!

Well, none of the challenges worked for either of our BRs this week... bummer. I'm sort of in a waiting pattern. I finished everything for this week's challenges so am free until we get the next Iditarod location and tasks. I'll read something else until them and we'll see what options we have for BRs.

Yeah, that was a Bummer. However, I've had the longest week at work (10-11 hour days) that I've been pretty out of it. Hopefully, one of these fits the bill for us this week! If not, depending on work, I can still probably start at least one of them over the weekend. I really hope! I have 2 team challenges getting new stuff tomorrow and 2 on Friday and I'm trying to make books fit in as many spots as possible until things settle back down, lol. If you want to start before me, I'll catch up!

Before Wednesdays I feel like I'm just waiting... which is weird because every book on my list for November fits a challenge somewhere, so it's not like just picking one and reading it will be a waste of challenge material. But I also am waiting for 2 challenge calls on Friday and one on Saturday, so I guess I'm afraid if I pick something and it ends up working for one of those, I've wasted an opportunity. Silly challenges!! Sometimes I forget this is all just supposed to be fun and that reading is supposed to be fun and pleasurable... not a task!

Having said all that, at least the Iditarod leg started yesterday and I could at least choose a book for that!

We should know our Slay Ride call in the AM but PtP won't come until the evening (at least in my time zone) but I'll post again if I think either book will work.

I know! We can't waste those books, lol. Even if we aren't technically wasting them :P One of my Team Challenges ended so that helps me out a bit- until the next one!

I was actually excited to see an option for the Race for a #4 book and was thinking Reaper's Stand but someone had already claimed that task by the time got home. I'm hoping for PtP or the Murder Mystery to work with one of these, if not, I'm going to have to break at some point, lol.

Hey - this works for the blue option for the Iditarod leg this week. Can you choose blue with your team? If not, we can wait another week. Just let me know :-)

Well, apparently I can't read blue this week. It created a bit of a uproar for another team member. But no worries. If it works for you, let's still read. I need this book for several other challenges and really can read it anytime.

Wow, okay. No Blue for you this week. I've had a hard time getting my planned reading to fit these dang challenges! Plus, work has been crazy. We haven't gotten our Race info yet, so I have no idea what's coming up. I'm finishing up a book right now but we can start one of these either way. It's almost the end of the month!

So she let me read a blue book after all... so I'm ready whenever you are. Hopefully it'll work for the race for you too. Just let me know :-)

I can start tomorrow but I won't get much reading in until Friday, most likely. I can at least start it though! If only work wouldn't get in the way, lol.

Okay, so I haven't started yet. I worked 10 hours today without a break and I'm pooped. And I have to be at work at 3am, so yeah... I want to start tomorrow, but as you know, we have 2 team challenge calls. Blah, blah, blah, Lol! I feel like I sound that way >.<

I would like to start this tomorrow but it will most likely be in the evening or even Saturday morning. We are not in the running for winning PtP so that's really not an issue for me. We have someone 3 weeks behind and another couple of people to finish the last call.

I'm using this for the race so I definitely need to read it in the next couple of days.

No worries! I started the first 2 chapters a little while ago before dinner. Just getting warmed up with the characters - nothing earth shattering yet. I get so caught up in so many of the alpha books out there that sometimes I forget a straight contemp or womens fic can take a bit to warm up... But so far so good. Take your time. I won't get much farther tonight - I'm pretty pooped too!

I'm so sorry, LaurLa. This month has just been one kick in the nads! I hope to start this tonight or tomorrow. I see you've already finished so I'll just come back and post things as I go along. Is that okay?

Works for me. I'm terrible about putting books down once I start them. Unless I have some RL thing that makes me put one down, I can hardly ever make myself stop once I start - even if that means I only get a couple hours of sleep. Well, that's with good books, of course and apparently, this one was good since I couldn't put it down once I started again ;-)

I do have some mixed feelings on it which is why I rated it 4 instead of 5 stars so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you get into it.

Finally! I've finally started! Only on Ch. 3 though, lol.

Wow, how hard would it be to be friends with your ex-husband and his new wife under the circumstances? They get a divorce because he doesn't love her anymore, he didn't want kids and yet he's head over heels in love with his new wife and about to have a baby. Harsh! And then you can't even hate either of them because they're good people and he didn't cheat or anything. It would definitely be a kick to the heart if there were any kind of feelings left. And it seems like there might be, a little anyways.

And poor Rachel. She hasn't figured out what's going on yet. Another kick in the heart coming!

Jenny just met the Super. He straight up asks her if she is eye fucking him, LOL!

What's up with her living in her head though? She keeps making up happy ever afters. I hope she gets out of her head at some point.

Ugh! Adam! Ugh! Really? He just has to tell her that the sex is amazing? That he "tried" to say no but he couldn't help himself? Ugh, I'm just disgusted with him right now.

Just finished Ch. 10- I can't tell if I'm just being emotional or what. I am pretty exhausted, so maybe, but this doesn't have the KH feel to it. It's more serious. Both sisters are going through something that I think would be incredibly hard to deal with, especially Rachel. Gah, that whole thing is just tearing me up. And then Jenny staying friends with Owen and Anna Sophia with their new baby girl, yeah..I'm being emotional, lol.

Nichole wrote: "Finally! I've finally started! Only on Ch. 3 though, lol.

Wow, how hard would it be to be friends with your ex-husband and his new wife under the circumstances? They get a divorce because he does..."

At this point I was thinking that if she stays this wimpy or whatever, I'm gonna have to throw my book! I'm glad she got past that, mostly...

And don't get me started on Rachel!!!

Nichole wrote: "Ugh! Adam! Ugh! Really? He just has to tell her that the sex is amazing? That he "tried" to say no but he couldn't help himself? Ugh, I'm just disgusted with him right now."

I was totally disgusted with him too. What a tool. At this point in the story, I wasn't sure how I felt about them working it out or not. For awhile he seemed sincere-ish *eyeroll

Nichole wrote: "Just finished Ch. 10- I can't tell if I'm just being emotional or what. I am pretty exhausted, so maybe, but this doesn't have the KH feel to it. It's more serious. Both sisters are going through s..."

I agree, this is more womens fic than romance than I'm used to from her.

Rachel's struggles to come to terms with her anger and betrayal was hard to read. I did get emotional with it. But I really liked Jenny's story. She lives in her head a lot but her head is kind of funny, so I liked being in there. I like her relationship with Leo even though you know trouble is coming. They are good for each other, he just hasn't figured it out yet.

I'm up to Ch 22. and Rachel just got from her get little get away. She got mad at Jenny for poking Adam and went back to him. *sigh* Adam is such a sleazeball. I mean, I know it would be hard to walk away even after what he did. She has 3 babies, she's made herself a perfect little life but he's not going to stop. It will happen again because he's not really sorry, only sorry to have been caught.

Jenny and Leo are cute together. I really like their banter. I just want to know what happened to Leo to make him so gun shy. I'm guessing it has something to do with a wreck because he won't drive and it's connected to the reason he won't play the piano too. I'm thinking his wife was killed and he doesn't want to go through that kind of pain again. And now Owen is up to something. He's missing Jenny and wanting to meet and I hope she doesn't do something stupid.

I agree, this is definitely more Women's Fiction than Romantic Comedy. I'm enjoying it but I miss the humor. It's here but in smaller doses. My favorite book of hers is .

I finished! I gave it 4 stars. I liked it but it wasn't one of my favorites. I'm glad things worked out the way they did in the end. I mean, I was pretty sure that's how it would play all play out but I'm still satisfied.

Sorry it took me so long! I'm hoping that Reaper's Stand works for one of these Team challenges because I need it for The Holiday Shows, lol. I just wish I had more time right now! If not, I can probably start it on Sunday/Monday if you're still interested.

Yeah, not one of my favorites. I didn't like Rachel's story. I was in turns frustrated with her or felt sorry for her. Her story ended the way it had to based on how Adam was written but I'm a romance schmuck and wanted Adam to redeem himself and them to work things out. But since Adam never recovered from douche-dom, it was right that Rachel finally made the decision to get out.

I think what disappointed me most about Rachel's story was that there was real discovery for her about herself and her marriage. The fact that Adam didn't also get that growth arc was disappointing. If they could have successfully navigated the counseling, it could have been a powerful second chance story. But, alas, that's not the story that was written :-(

Thanks for buddy reading with me! I am still interested in Reaper's Stand, whenever you are. I'm reading it for the Holidays Shows challenge in AMMP Winter Wonderland, so it can bleed it into December if needed. Just let me know!