Genre: Fantasy

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
The Weekly Recap (151)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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The Weekly Recap (137)

Posted August 5, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

Hey everyone! Sorry I disappeared for a couple of weeks. I don’t have an excuse, I was just being lazy and trying (unsuccessfully) to catch up on my review pile. I did read some but not much. Brenna started her first job and she hates it but is trying to stick it out. Me, on the other hand, got a promotion! Well, I was approached about the promotion and I accepted it. I haven’t transitioned into the position yet but that should be changing in the next week or so. I’m pretty stoked about it because the position isn’t something that I’m completely ignorant about, I know how to do the job and I know it’ll be more intense than what I do now but I’m ready for a change and a pay raise, lol.

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (137)The Kingpin of Camelot
by Cassandra Gannon
Series: A Kinda Fairytale #3
Published by Indie Published, Star Turtle Publishing on July 31, 2017
Genres: Romance, Fantasy
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 576
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2019 GoodReads Challenge, Summer Reading Challenge

The Queen: Guinevere must save Camelot. Ever since Arthur died, the evil Scarecrow has been trying to marry her and gain the crown. If she and her daughter are going to survive his mad schemes, Gwen needs to find Merlyn’s wand. Fast. Unfortunately, the only man strong enough to help her on her quest is Kingpin Midas, a flashy, uneducated mobster dealing with a curse. Gwen is a logical, rational woman, though, and she can draft one hell of a contract. She’s pretty sure she can come up with an offer not even the kingdom’s greatest villain can refuse.

The Kingpin: Anything Midas touches turns to gold. Literally. The curse has helped him to rule Camelot’s underworld with an iron fist. He has more money and more power than anyone else in the kingdom. He’s convinced there’s nothing he can’t buy. One look at Gwen and Midas knows that he’s about to make his most brilliant purchase, yet. He’s about to own the one woman in the world he would give anything to possess. All he has to do to claim her is somehow win a war against the smartest man in Camelot, hide his growing feelings from Gwen, deal with his overprotective bodyguard’s paranoia about the queen’s hidden motivations, and adjust to a five year old demanding bedtime stories from a gangster. Simple, right?

The Contract: Gwen’s deal is simple: If Midas marries her, she’ll make him King of Camelot. It’s a fair bargain. Midas will keep her enemies away and she’ll give him the respectability that money can’t buy. She never expects Midas to agree so quickly. Or for their practical business arrangement to feel so
 complicated. Midas isn’t the tawdry, feral animal that Arthur railed against. He’s a kind and gentle man, who clearly needs Gwen’s help just as much as she needs his. In fact, the longer she’s around Midas the more Gwen realizes that their “fake marriage” might be more real than she ever imagined.

I’m making my way through my summer reading challenge and this is the book that is next up on that list. I’ve only read the first chapter so I’m not sure if I like it or not but we’ll see. Wish me luck!

What I Read

Daisy’s Back in Town by Rachel Gibson (eBook) | 3.75 out of 5
Count to Ten (Romantic Suspense #6) by Karen Rose (eBook) | 4 out of 5
Like the Wind by J. Bengtsson (Audiobook) | 2.75 out of 5
How to Date Your Dragon (Mystic Bayou #1) by Molly Harper (Audiobook) | 4 out of 5
Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean (eARC) | 4.5 out of 5
Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop (Audiobook) | 4 out of 5
The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3) by Tessa Dare (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
Never Have I Ever by Lauren Blakely (Audiobook) | 4.25 out of 5

What I Reviewed


Superfan (Brooklyn Bruisers #6) by Sarina Bowen | 4.25 out of 5
Wolf Rain (Psy-Changelings Trinity #3) by Nalini Singh | 4.25 out of 5
Call it What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer | 3.75 out of 5
Daisy’s Back in Town by Rachel Gibson | 3.75 out of 5
Night Broken (Mercy Thompson #8) by Patricia Briggs | 3.75 out of 5
Like the Wind by J. Bengtsson | 2.75 out of 5
Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson #9) by Patricia Briggs | 4 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (136)

What I Got

Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop
Brazen and the Beast (Bareknuckle Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean
Kill the Queen (Crown of Shards #1) by Jennifer Estep

What I Got for Review

Blitzed (Playbook #3) by Alexa Martin
A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh

What Made Me Laugh

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

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Week in Review (82)

Posted March 19, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

First and foremost, happiest of birthdays to my nephew Luke. This little boy is such a joy to have in our family and I love him oh so much. Happy Birthday, Lukey!!

What a week, what a week. It’s been a pretty busy week for my family but it was a fun week so I wasn’t too whiny about it. The week started off with my niece Meghan turning 21 so plans for a weekend getaway to Vegas are in the talks. I can’t wait. Meghan’s been busy at Nationals, playing game after game after game. Their season ended in the Elite Eight as they lost to some team, I forget their name. *shrugs*

Friday night, I went to my niece’s Maleah and Makaela’s Multicultural Week show where they showcased their culture by performing Polynesian dance numbers for the following islands: Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand. The dances were great and I really enjoyed the whole show. Our high school is very diverse and we saw dance performances for cultures from all over the globe. Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, India, Africa, Philippines, Mexico, Cuba, and a whole lot of other countries were represented and overall, it was a really good show. After the Multicultural show, I went next door to the small gym where Brenna was on a cousin date with my niece Brooke. Brooke is in elementary school and her school held their Spring Jam Dance for the students and their families and the kids had a great time at that.

I went to a wedding on Saturday for my co-worker and that was a lot of fun. The food was great, the dessert table was bomb as hell and my friend was a gorgeous bride.

Sunday was for my book friends. I drove out to Victora Gardens (about an hour from where I live) to hang with my book friends Lori, Tracy, Rosie, Nikki, Wendy and Holly. Lots of book discussions were had and book recommendations and rants and just all over great book talk. We had great food as well. It’s always nice getting together with old friends and catching up. I love my book friends!

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading

Week in Review (82)Bayou Moon
by Ilona Andrews
Series: The Edge #2
Published by Penguin, Berkley, Ace on October 1st 2010
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 447
Format: eBook
Source: Gifted
Add It: Goodreads

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Walmart and magic is a fairytale–and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny


Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life . William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.

When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed
and survive.

My reading to start off the week has been slow going but I do plan on jumping into this book tonight since Brenna and the rest of my family is celebrating Luke’s birthday. I’m a little salty at that, too. 🙁

What I Read

On the Edge by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5
On Hart’s Boardwalk by Samantha Young | 4 out of 5

It was a slow reading week for me because I chose to spend more time with baby Caiden since our time with him is coming to a close, faster and faster. Still, the books that I did read were good ones and I’m looking forward to digging into the next Edge book by Ilona Andrews.

What I Reviewed

Hurts to Love You by Alisha Rai | 4 out of 5
Love between Enemies by Molly E. Lee | 2.5 out of 5
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux | 4 out of 5 for story, 1 out of 5 for ending
Irresistible You by Kate Meader | 4 out of 5
Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5 and 5 out of 5

What I Posted

Week in Review (80)
Bookish Thoughts: Santino Hassell, Sarah Lyons & Riptide Publishing, Crimson Romance and RWA Awards
A Statement on Santino Hassell

What I Got

Switch Hitter by Sara Ney
Bad Bachelor by Stephanie London

What I Got for Review

Hooked on You by Kate Meader
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

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

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Week in Review (81)

Posted March 12, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

It was a pretty quiet week for me on the homefront. Basketball is pretty much done, with the exception of Meghan who is playing at Nationals right now so I’ve had plenty of time to do things, only it’s been cold and rainy so I’ve stayed close to home and hung out with this little one…

Baby Caiden is here in California with us for the next three weeks while his parents are in Samoa for his Daddy’s family business (a funeral and a birthday party). It’s been such a good time coming home to his sweet face and his even sweeter baby voice. I’m going to enjoy every minute that he’s here because I’ll be so sad when he leaves. 🙁

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading

Week in Review (81)On the Edge
by Ilona Andrews
Series: The Edge #1
Published by Penguin, Ace on October 29th 2009
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 309
Format: eBook
Source: Gifted
Buy It: Amazon|Barnes & Noble
Add It: Goodreads

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them—or they’ll devour the Edge and everyone in it.

My friends and I are obsessed with all things Ilona Andrews right now. I’m reading books on my TBReviewed list but as soon as I get a chance, I’m jumping right back into Ilona Andrews’ books. My goal for this year is to have every single book by her read before the end of the year. Wish me luck.

What I Read

Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews | 4.75 out of 5
Over Us, Over You by Whitney G | DNF
Hello Stranger (Ravenels #4) by Lisa Kleypas | 4.5 out of 5

My favorite read of the week goes to Wildfire by Ilona Andrews because that book was just flat out good. I love me some Mad Rogan and Nevada and everyone they love because they’re just the bomb like that and I’m still super sad that I’m all done with those books (for now, fingers crossed).

My least favorite read is the one that I couldn’t even finish because both the hero and the heroine was freaking brats. Ugh. I might have to give up Whitney G. because the last few books that I read were not on par with the book that I absolutely loved by her. Gah.

What I Reviewed

The Truth about Love and Dukes by Laura Lee Guhrke | 3.75 out of 5
The Trouble with True Love by Laura Lee Guhrke | 4.25 out of 5
Throwback Thursday: Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase | 4.75 out of 5

What I Posted

Week in Review (80)
Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Quotes
Throwback Thursday (33)
Book Boyfriend of the Week: Connor “Mad” Rogan

What I Got

Then There was You by Claire Contreras

What I Got for Review

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say by Leila Sales

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

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