Format: eBook

The Weekly Recap (154)

Posted September 21, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

Last week was for learning the BTS fan chant, watching a whole bunch of BTS videos on Youtube, taking a night drive along the coast with my friend and talking about the shows we’re watching and the new BTS songs that we’re listening to and loving. We were so wrapped up in our talking that we missed the earthquake. Oh well.

Now, let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…

What I’m Currently Watching

Record of Youth
Do You Like Brahms?
BTS: Burn the Stage (The Series)

What I Watched

My Shy Boss | DNF
Master’s Sun | 3.75 out of 5
BTS: Love Yourself Concert in New York | 5 out of 5

Record of Youth, Episodes 3-4: Another solid week of new episodes of this show. I’m really enjoying the chemistry between Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam. They look cute together, they’re a lot of fun to watch and I’m really liking the confidence that Sa Hye Jun is developing. I just know that his best friend is going to start liking Joeng Ha. Ehh, I’m not looking forward to that development but I am dying to see Grandpa modeling.

Do You Like Brahms?, Episodes 5-6: The drama is really picking up on this one and I’m here for it. I’m really enjoying the romance between Joon Young and Song a. I didn’t think I’d be into this show because I’m not a listener of classical music and the only music that I really listen to on the piano is Church music. But I can’t wait for this week’s episodes, I’m itching to find out how Joon Young is going to react to Song a’s confession. He better get it!!

What I’m Currently Reading

Never Have I Ever
by Lauren Blakely
Series: Always Satisfied #3
Published by Self-Published, Lauren Blakely on July 30, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 378
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge

Falling for the enemy has never been so deliciously complicated in this standalone romance where a sexy single dad meets his unexpected match! Get ready for all the feels!

Never have I ever been so infuriated by a man I wanted to kiss.They say opposites attract, but I beg to differ. Combust is more like it. Because every single time I talk to Zach Nolan, I see red.

The too-good-looking, too-smart, too-effortlessly charming single dad who works down the hall from me has turned getting under my skin into a sport. Call it the battle of wits between the wedding planner and the divorce attorney.

Trouble is, when we're forced into closer quarters planning an engagement party for our best friends, I start to see his other sides.

And I fear I'm falling for the enemy.

I'm not out to make friends. My goals are simple -- fight till the end for my clients, and my family.

The last thing I need is a vibrant, outgoing, snarky, and surprisingly big-hearted wedding planner to spend my precious free time with...except, watching Piper bond with my daughter just might break down the cinder block walls I've built around my heart these last few years.

Second chances don't come around for guys like me...or do they?

We had another book besties zoom call last week and it was decided that we would read another book together and this was the book that was chosen. It’s a re-read for me but I’m excited to read it again. I absolutely LOVED it when I read it earlier this year so I’m looking forward to jumping back in.

What I Read

Shine by Jessica Jung | 4 out of 5

I finished this book this morning. It took me a while to get it read but I got it done and I’m glad that I finished it. Now I just need to write my review for it.

Eye Candy Friday

Jung Joon Hyung
Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo

What I Reviewed

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (153)
Eye Candy Friday: Jung Joon Hyung

What’s On My Radar for Next Week

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
Forgotten
Encounter

Discovering BTS has really put a damper on everything else in my life. I am loving them too much to focus on anything else. I don’t see myself becoming a k pop fan because if I get as obsessed as I am for BTS for another group, I wouldn’t have any time for anything else and I really don’t want that to happen. I mention all of that because these were on my radar from last week’s recap post and they’re back on my radar for this week. I’m going to get to these this week, for realsies.

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

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Tags: Currently Reading, Currently Watching, The Weekly Recap, Week in Books, Week in TV Shows

The Weekly Recap (152)

Posted September 7, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

Utah is here in California and the house is noisy again. It’s been really quiet with everyone out of the house but Bren’s back from Colorado and the kids were home for the long weekend and are getting ready to head back to Utah but it’s been nice seeing everyone again. RJ and Kaleo came to town with the Utah crew (they’re from Colorado) and it was super funny to catch up with RJ. He is so full of life and so happy, you can’t help but be happy right along with him. I was able to get some reading done, along with some dramas and movies watched so I have stuff to report.

Let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…shall we?

What I’m Currently Reading

The Perfect Rake
by Anne Gracie
Series: The Merridew Sisters #1
Published by Penguin, Berkley on July 5, 2005
Genres: Historical, Romance
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 361
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 Goodreads Challenge

She ran from a brute...

Fleeing violent tyranny, Prudence Merridew escapes with her beautiful younger sisters to London. One of them must marry—and fast. To act as her sisters' chaperone, Prudence invents a secret engagement to a reclusive duke...But when the duke arrives unexpectedly in London, she needs his help to avert disaster.

...into the arms of a rake

Aristocratic Gideon, handsome, rakish and with a strong frivolous streak, casually hijacks Prudence's game, awarding himself a stolen kiss or three along the way. Used to managing sisters and elderly men, Prudence is completely out of her depth with a charming, devious and utterly irresistible rake. And her plot goes terribly—if deliciously—awry...

In preparation for another friend’s zoom call this coming weekend, I need to get this book read. I started it yesterday and I haven’t gotten very far into it but I’ve heard really good things about it so I’m going to power through.

What I Read

Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant #1) by Ilona Andrews | 4 out of 5
Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5

I’m finally reading again and that makes me happy. I finished two books and I caught up on the serial that Ilona Andrews is writing on their blog. The Aurelia Ryder story, which I think is going to be Blood Heir that will release in January. DEERRRREEEEKKKKKK!!! That’s all I’m going to say about that one. Well, that, and I LOVE IT!

What I’m Currently Watching

Prison Playbook

Starring: Park Hae Soo, Jung Kyung Ho, Lee Kyu Hyung, Ktystal Jung, Jung Hae In, Kim Kyung Nam
Year Released: 2017
Genres: Drama

With only days before his major league baseball debut, pitcher Kim Je-hyeok unexpectedly lands himself behind bars. He must learn to navigate his new world with its own rules if he wants to survive.

I’ve been very curious about this show ever since I found out that my boy Jung Hae In is in it. I love that guy so when I found out about this one, I looked it up and it sounds like a good one so I started it. So far, so good. I’m enjoying what I’m watching so far and I’m hopeful that it’ll keep my interest throughout the rest of the episodes as well. Fingers crossed, anyway.

What I Watched

Train | 4.25 out of 5
One Spring Night | 3.5 out of 5
Mulan | 4 out of 5
The Table | 2 out of 5

Eye Candy Friday

Noh Ji Wook
Suspicious Partner

What I Reviewed

The Suspect (2013) | 4.5 out of 5
She Was Pretty (2015) | 4.25 out of 5

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

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Tags: Currently Reading, Currently Watching, The Weekly Recap, Week in Books, Week in Movies, Week in Review, Week in TV Shows

The Weekly Recap (151)

Posted August 31, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

It’s been a quiet week for me. Work kicked my ass because I was covering an additional 4 offices for my work best friend who was out on vacation all week. I’m so glad that she’s back to work today because gah…my region alone is a lot of work but her region was extremely busy this past week so she can have her region back. 🙂 I did manage to get out and hang with my friends for a little bit before our bestie, Mulu, went back to Utah. And then I hung out with my friend B Nice and we took a trip to Fountain Valley to try the brown sugar milk tea from The Alley, that I saw in my Korean drama, The King: Eternal Monarch. It was super tasty even though I hate boba. I can’t wait to try something new next week with B Nice. Our weekly night drives are always full of adventures.

Now, let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…

What I’m Currently Reading

Iron and Magic
by Ilona Andrews
Series: The Iron Covenant #1
Published by NYLA on June 18, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 394
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 A-Z Challenge, 2020 Goodreads Challenge

No day is ordinary in a world where Technology and Magic compete for supremacy…But no matter which force is winning, in the apocalypse, a sword will always work.

Hugh d’Ambray, Preceptor of the Iron Dogs, Warlord of the Builder of Towers, served only one man. Now his immortal, nearly omnipotent master has cast him aside. Hugh is a shadow of the warrior he was, but when he learns that the Iron Dogs, soldiers who would follow him anywhere, are being hunted down and murdered, he must make a choice: to fade away or to be the leader he was born to be. Hugh knows he must carve a new place for himself and his people, but they have no money, no shelter, and no food, and the necromancers are coming. Fast.

Elara Harper is a creature who should not exist. Her enemies call her Abomination; her people call her White Lady. Tasked with their protection, she's trapped between the magical heavyweights about to collide and plunge the state of Kentucky into a war that humans have no power to stop. Desperate to shield her people and their simple way of life, she would accept help from the devil himself—and Hugh d’Ambray might qualify.

Hugh needs a base, Elara needs soldiers. Both are infamous for betraying their allies, so how can they create a believable alliance to meet the challenge of their enemies?
As the prophet says: “It is better to marry than to burn.”

Hugh and Elara may do both.

So far, this one is pretty good so I’m hoping Hugh and Elara keep the party going. I’m pretty anxious to see the link between the beginning of this new series and the Kate Daniels series. I haven’t gotten to that part yet, it’s still early days but I’m definitely interested in where this book is going.

What I Read

Magic Binds (Kate Daniels #9) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5

I read a book, yall!

I heard that Julie is going to get a book and that Derek is in it so I’ve got some catching up to do because I WANT THAT BOOK! So I dug back into the Kate Daniels series so that I can wrap that one up and be ready for Julie and Derek. Kate Daniels is such a bomb ass character and even though she scared me from time to time in this book, I still completely adored her and already jumped into the next book in the series, or actually, I started Hugh’s book because that’s what I was told to do.

What I’m Currently Watching

Train

Starring: Yoon Si Yoon, Kyung Soo Jin, Shin So Yul
Year Released: 2020
Genres: Sci-Fi, Drama

A hard-hitting detective who fearlessly dives into his work, Seo Do Won (Yoon Shi Yoon) is relentless when it comes to bringing criminals to justice. Willing to take on any case, no matter how hard, Do Won has made a name for himself as a man who gets the job done. But when the woman he loves becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, his world completely changes. Literally.

Mysteriously able to move between parallel universes, Do Won now lives in both worlds as a man who must pay for the sins of his father in one, and as a man forced to live a precarious life because of those sins in the other. As if the duality of his life wasn’t hard enough to deal with, he soon learns that his deceased love may be gone in one world, but she’s very much alive in the other. Vowing to track down her killer in one universe, while simultaneously trying to protect her in the other, Do Won is quick to acknowledge this is not something he can do alone.

Seeking the help of his colleagues in both universes, Do Won asks Han Seo Kyung (Kyung Soo Jin), an honest, yet reserved prosecutor with a big heart in one world, and a cold and emotionless detective in the other, to help him out. Together with Lee Jung Min (Shin So Yul), a tenacious member of the scientific investigation unit, they’ll do whatever it takes to track down the killer in one world and protect his love in the other. But will their efforts in either universe really be enough?

A suspenseful thriller with a sci-fi twist, “Train” is a 2020 mystery romance drama directed by Ryu Seung Jin.

This show came across my radar while browsing the selection on Viki. It looked interesting so I started it and I’m two episodes in and already I’m hooked. There’s so much going on and I’m so ready for the story to come together.

What I Watched

Thirty, but Seventeen | 4.25 out of 5
The Hospital Playlist | 4 out of 5
A Company Man | 4 out of 5

Eye Candy Friday

Ko Dong Man
Fight for My Way

What I Reviewed

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil | 2 out of 5
Love Alarm | 3.75 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (150)
The Monthly Plan: September 2020
Eye Candy Friday: Ko Dong Man

What’s On My Radar for This Week

Prison Playbook
One Spring Night
The Table
Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

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Tags: Currently Reading, Currently Watching, The Weekly Recap, Week in Books, Week in Movies, Week in TV Shows

The Weekly Recap (146)

Posted July 13, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 13 Comments

Hey everyone! Long time, no chat. I’m sorry I up and disappeared and that I seem to keep doing that on the regular. You’d think that since I ain’t going nowhere thanks to this ‘Rona that I’d have all the time in the world to blog and to read and to do all of the things but I’ve sunk into the hole of Korean Dramas and that’s about all I’ve been doing. I’m watching a lot more than I’m reading right now but I’m working on trying to find a balance so that I can, you know, do all of the things.

Things might look a little different around here but I thought a little makeover was long overdue. I also thought that changing the look up might motivate me to start writing again and…it worked! With this new look and a little change of direction, I’m pumped to start blogging again. Now, I know that you guys are here for the book content but I’m thinking of going back to a more personal blog so that I can write about more than just what I’m reading.

So, Welcome Back! Pull up a seat, grab a beer, and let’s catch up, shall we? I missed y’all!

What I’m Currently Reading

Magic Binds
by Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #9
Published by Penguin, Ace on September 20, 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 333
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads

The new, “heart-stopping”* novel in the New York Times bestselling series that “defines urban fantasy.”

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…
Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

After taking almost two months off from reading, I’m back at it again and I’m about a third of the way into this book. I need to finish this series before I jump into any other new to me books because I tried to read a few contemporaries before this one and I couldn’t finish any of them. You know its bad when I tried reading a Lauren Layne book and my attention was all over the place. I couldn’t buckle down long enough to finish the book so I gave up not too far into the story. I blame Kate Daniels. I just need to see where my friends end up after the last book and hopefully, it’s somewhere nice and tidy. So far, this one is good so I’m glad to be back with all of my homies…especially Curran and Kate. So I’m looking forward to finishing this one.

What I Read

Blind Date with a Book Boyfriend by Lucy Eden | 4 out of 5

I finally read a book, y’all! I haven’t read anything since the end of May and though I’ve been trying, nothing has been holding my attention but after chatting on Zoom with my book girlfriends, I picked this one up (at their recommendation) and I’m super glad that I did. It was too cute and super short so just what I needed to kick my ass in gear and start reading again. Thanks Ames and Holly!

What I Got

Blind Date with a Book Boyfriend by Lucy Eden
The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom #1) by Danielle L. Jensen
My Truth by Don Benjamin
The One by John Marrs

What I’m Currently Watching

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016)

I debated with myself on if I wanted to start Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth right now because I’m running out of Park Seo Joon shows and movies to watch. He is my number one boo thang right now and I want to savor everything of his that I still have left.

What I Watched

My favorite watch of the week is a tie between Strong Woman, Do Bong Soon and Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo. Both dramas were kind of similar in the sense that both heroines were physically strong and the love triangle is different in Weightlifting Fairy but I hella loved both of these shows. I enjoyed the romance, the stories, and just everything about both of them. I’ve already made a list of shows and movies that my favorite actors/actresses from both shows are in because I want to see more of them.

My least favorite show from this week goes to The K2. I was looking for a different speed than the other shows I watched and I’ve been hearing such great things about this show so I started it up. It’s on Netflix, the main male lead is FOINE so I thought, why not? While it was interesting and I did like it overall, the beginning was a bit slow and I struggled to connect with both of the main leads for a bit. Still, not bad just not my favorite.

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

13 Comments
Tags: Currently Reading, Currently Watching, The Weekly Recap, Week in Books, Week in Movies, Week in TV Shows

The Weekly Recap (144)

Posted January 13, 2020 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

Happy Monday, everyone!

I hope you guys had a good week last week and that this week treats you well. My week was pretty busy at work and then I had some social things that I needed to attend over the weekend so I didn’t get to read as much as I wanted. I still got some reading done so it wasn’t too bad. I went to a baby shower over the weekend and was able to see one of my best friend’s younger sisters who came down to L.A. from Arizona and it was so good to see and catch up with her that it made my entire weekend.

But you know what made my entire week? CAIDEN’S A BIG BROTHER NOW!!

Chloe (Caiden’s Mom) gave birth to Baby Lasi two weeks early and Baby Lasi doesn’t even look like a premie. She’s a big baby already but oh man is she adorable. Everyone has said that Baby Lasi looks like Markus (her Daddy), Caiden but to me, she looks dead on like her Mama did when Chloe was a baby. Baby Lasi is just a little darker than Chloe was and Lasi doesn’t have a strawberry on her forehead the way that Chloe did either. She’s super cute and everyone has already met her except for us California folks. Grandma Blanche and Aunty Blue drove out to meet Baby Lasi yesterday but us folks that couldn’t take the time off have to wait until the end of February to meet her when they come to California for Baby Lasi’s first trip to her California home. I can’t wait!

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading

The Witness
by Nora Roberts
Published by Penguin on April 17, 2012
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 492
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2020 A-Z Challenge, 2020 Goodreads Challenge

Daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever.

Twelve years later, the woman known as Abigail Lowery lives on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she designs sophisticated security systems -- and supplements her own security with a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. But Abigail's reserve only intrigues police chief Brooks Gleason. Her logical mind, her secretive nature, and her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection from something -- and that her elaborate defenses hide a story that must be revealed.

With a quirky, unforgettable heroine and a pulse-pounding plotline, Nora Roberts presents a riveting new read that cements her place as today's most reliably entertaining thriller -- and will leave people hungering for more.

I’m about halfway through The Witness by Nora Roberts and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve got to read it for book club next week and it was my choice so I’m glad that so far, it’s good. Even Therese is enjoying the book and she doesn’t enjoy very many of our book club books.