Publisher: Berkley

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 Weekly Recap (152)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 I Posted

The Weekly Recap (151)
The Monthly Recap: August 2020
Eye Candy Friday: Noh Ji Wook

What I Got

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews
Yours to Keep (Man of the Year #2) by Lauren Layne

What’s On My Radar for Next Week

Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy #5) by Ilona Andrews
Forgotten
My Shy Boss

What Made Me Laugh

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

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The Weekly Recap (140)

Posted October 28, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

This week was for Friday Night Lights (we lost), Pee Wee Football (we lost), Lakers basketball (we’re finally winning again, yippy skippy!), and a trip to Santa Clarita to visit my cousin’s husband who is in the hospital. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for my cousin and her kids so it was nice to get to spend some time with them and lift their spirits for a little while. If you guys can spare any prayers for Ka Seiuli, that would be great. One of my coworkers lost his Dad to the battle of cancer as well and that makes me super sad for him. It’s been a sad week all around but it’s the start of a new week and hopefully, things turn around.

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (140)A Madness of Sunshine
by Nalini Singh
Published by Penguin, Berkley on December 3, 2019
Genres: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Point of View:Third Person
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh welcomes you to a remote town on the edge of the world where even the blinding brightness of the sun can’t mask the darkness that lies deep within a killer…

On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbors; the children, more than schoolmates.   That is until one fateful summer—and several vanished bodies—shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that’s left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement not to look back. But they can’t run from the past forever.   Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.   It’s not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light.

Next up on my review pile is A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh. I haven’t seen much about this book so far so I’m going into this one pretty blind. I’m only on Chapter 2 so we’ll see how this goes. This is completely new from Nalini Singh, so I’m mighty curious to see what she brings to the thriller and suspense world. Either way, I’m here for it.

What I Read

Blitzed (The Playbook #3) by Alexa Martin (eARC) | 3.25 out of 5
Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
Saving Grace by Julie Garwood (eBook) (Re-Read) | 5 out of 5

Getting Played (Getting Some #2) by Emma Chase (Audio) | 4.25 out of 5

I really enjoyed the books that I read this week. My favorite reads of the week go to Getting Played and Four Days of You and Me. Both books were fun and just what I was in the mood for so I adored them. My least favorite read of the week goes to Blitzed because it dragged a big for me. I wasn’t expecting the story to be so slow so it took me a lot longer to connect with the romance, the characters, and just everything.

Eye Candy Friday

Dean Walker
Getting Played (Getting Some #2) by Emma Chase

What I Reviewed

Moonlighter (The Company #1) by Sarina Bowen | 4.25 out of 5
The Play (Briar U #3) by Elle Kennedy | 4.25 out of 5
10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston | 4 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (139)
The Wednesday Post (20)
Eye Candy Friday: Dean Walker from Getting Played by Emma Chase

What I Got

Crush, Interrupted by Zaida Polanco
Never Got Over You by Whitney G.
Getting Schooled by Christine C. Jones
Don’t Break Me by Ash Ley
Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2) by P.C. Cast

What I Got for Review

Open House (Uptown #2) by Ruby Lang
The Earl Takes a Fancy (Sins for All Seasons #5) by Lorraine Heath

What Made Me Laugh

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

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The Wednesday Post (20)

Posted October 23, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 10 Comments

Can’t Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tessa over at Wishful Endings and it was based on Waiting on Wednesday that was hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

I decided that I’m going to do a mashup of the Can’t Wait Wednesday and WWW Wednesday posts here on my blog. I’m bringing them together and calling it The Wednesday Post. Here’s what I’m up to this week.

WWW Wednesday

What did you recently finish reading?

Blitzed (The Playbook #3) by Alexa Martin

It took me a lot longer to read this book than I thought it would take and I think it was because for a huge chunk of the book, it’s slow. Nothing really happens and the characters just weren’t that interesting for me. That bums me out because I was so looking forward to this book and while I did enjoy it, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed Fumbled. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Getting Played (Getting Schooled #1) by Emma Chase

I listened to this at work yesterday and from beginning to end, I was wrapped up in Dean and Lainie’s romance. I adored everything about this book from the romance, Lainie’s pregnancy, Dean trying to be there for Lainie any way that he can while at the same time, trying to forge a bond with Lainie’s son Jason. This book had me cheering for these characters to figure out how to be together so hard that when the book came to an end, I needed a cigarette. LOL, this book was good.

What are you currently reading?

Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally

I’m getting ready to start this book today. I can’t wait because Miranda Kenneally finally has another book coming out and I love her stuff so I’m all the way in on this one. Fingers crossed that it’s another winner.

What do you think you’ll read next?

A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh
The One for You (The Ones that Got Away #4) by Roni Loren

I’m plugging away on my review pile right now so these two books are up. I’ve heard good things about the Nalini Singh and I’m super looking forward to reading Kincaid’s book so I’m pretty stoked for my reading pile for the rest of the week.

Can’t Wait Wednesday
The Wednesday Post (20)Undercover Bromance
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Series: The Bromance Book Club #2
Published by Penguin, Berkley on March 10, 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:Alternating Third Person
Pages: 320
Add It: Goodreads

Braden Mack thinks reading romance novels makes him an expert in love, but he’ll soon discover that real life is better than fiction.

Liv Papandreas has a dream job as a sous chef at Nashville’s hottest restaurant. Too bad the celebrity chef owner is less than charming behind kitchen doors. After she catches him harassing a young hostess, she confronts him and gets fired. Liv vows revenge, but she’ll need assistance to take on the powerful chef.

Unfortunately, that means turning to Braden Mack. When Liv’s blackballed from the restaurant scene, the charismatic nightclub entrepreneur offers to help expose her ex-boss, but she is suspicious of his motives. He’ll need to call in reinforcements: the Bromance Book Club.

Inspired by the romantic suspense novel they’re reading, the book club assist Liv in setting up a sting operation to take down the chef. But they’re just as eager to help Mack figure out the way to Liv’s heart… even while she’s determined to squelch the sparks between them before she gets burned.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I’m all kinds of excited for Mack and Liv’s book. Adams has a great writing style that’s easy to fall in with so I’m really looking forward to what she’s got in store for Liv and Mack. I can just see their chemistry sizzling and their romance steaming up my kindle. I can’t wait! This book comes out on March 10, 2020 so mark your calendars, I’m sure this book is not to be missed!

So, what are you reading this week? Anything good? Anything that you want to rant about?
Are you looking forward to Undercover Bromance? What other books are you looking forward to releasing this year?

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The Weekly Recap (139)

Posted October 21, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

This week was a pretty eventful week for me, personally. Chase’s football game, a bunch of family fundraisers and yesterday, James the Mormon (who is not going to be going by that name anymore) came to our house for lunch before he spoke at a fireside for the kids. I was able to steal away for a couple of hours to have a proper catch up with my two besties and that was a lot of fun. On top of that, I got some books read and that also makes me happy.

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (139)Blitzed
by Alexa Martin
Series: The Playbook #3
Published by Penguin, Berkley on December 3, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2019 GoodReads Challenge

Maxwell has finally met an opponent that he can't best in this new football romance from the author of Fumbled.

According to Brynn Larson, Maxwell Lewis is more trouble than he's worth. She doesn't care if he's a football god with a rock-hard body that brings most women to their knees. After an encounter that ends poorly, she's not interested in giving him a second chance. The last thing Brynn expects is for him to turn up at her bar months later, hat in hand. It doesn't matter if he brings more customers to her business--she's still not going on a date with him.

Maxwell knows he made a mistake. He'd been waiting to make his move on Brynn since the day he laid eyes on her and he was finally ready to go for it until he screwed up. He wishes he could tell her the truth about what happened that night, but he just can't. He can't tell anyone, so he'll make amends and hope she'll forgive him.

Brynn's not like other women, though. Playing for the Mustangs doesn't impress her and gifts make her scoff. Max will have to bring his A game if he hopes to win her over.

I thought I would have had time to finish this book over the weekend but I spent the time with my family instead of reading so I’m going to finish this one up today. Not much is happening right now so I’m hoping things pick up and that something happens other than Brynn being mad at Maxwell. Fingers crossed.

What I Read

The Bromance Book Club (The Bromance Book Club #1) by Lyssa Kay Adams | 4.25 out of 5
Marriage on Madison Avenue (The Central Park Pact #3) by Lauren Layne | 3.75 out of 5

Huge Deal (21 Wall Street #3) by Lauren Layne | 4.75 out of 5

Eye Candy Friday

Eric Bayer
Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen

What I Reviewed

Heiress Gone Wild (Dear Lady Truelove #4) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 4 out of 5
No Judgments (Little Bridge Island #1) by Meg Cabot | 3.25 out of 5
The Wedding (Laird’s Fiancees #2) by Julie Garwood | 5 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (138)
Getting to Know the Romance Reader Tag
The Wednesday Post (19)
The Dilemmas of a Book Nerd
Eye Candy Friday: Eric Bayer from Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen
Sunday Spotlight: Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen

What I Got

Lady Derring Takes a Lover (The Palace of Rogues #1) by Julie Anne Long

Instant Attraction by Lauren Blakely
Getting Played (Getting Schooled #2) by Emma Chase

What I Got for Review

Yours in Scandal (Man of the Year #1) by Lauren Layne
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed

What Made Me Laugh

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

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The Weekly Recap (138)

Posted October 14, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

Hey guys!

I’m sorry I keep disappearing from this blog but the last couple of months have taken a lot out of mentally and physically. My Dad’s been in and out of the hospital and then he’s been recuperating at home and it’s slow going. He’s a good patient though so I do whatever I can to make him comfortable and I’m spending a lot of time with him too. On top of that, my nephew’s a senior in high school and my brother in law is the Booster Club President so we’ve been going to a lot of football games, Booster Club tailgates and everything else under the sun. I’m also still really busy at work. I’m starting to get comfortable in my new role and I’m a lot more confident in what I’m doing so I’m happy with my new place at work and I’m always busy so I’m never bored which means that I don’t have any time to blog. But I’m starting to figure out how to make time for all of my stuff so here’s hoping that you’ll finally see me around more often. Fingers crossed.

I’m also extremely sad that my Dodgers choked big time in the NLDS. I’m still not over last Wednesday’s loss but I hope my Lakers have better luck this season to wash away all these tears. LOL. I’ve looked like this for the last few days:

With how busy I’ve been in my personal life, my reading has really taken a nosedive. I’m not reading as much as I hoped I would, I’m 8 books behind in my Goodreads Reading Challenge. It’s just a whole lotta, whole lotta. But I did manage to get some books read this week.

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (138)The Bromance Book Club
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Series: The Bromance Book Club #1
Published by Penguin, Berkley on November 5, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Point of View:Alternating Third Person
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2019 GoodReads Challenge

The first rule of this book club:You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

Now that I’m reading again, I’m trying to make some headway on my review pile. This book doesn’t come out until next month but it’s up on my review queue and so far, I’m enjoying it. I’m enjoying the second chance romance between a married couple and seeing the hero fumble his way to getting his love life back on track with his …book club. It’s an interesting story with characters that I like so I’m hopeful that the rest of the book will be just as great as the beginning and then my first order of business will be putting the second book in this series on my wishlist. Good stuff.

What I Read

Moonlighter (The Company #1) by Sarina Bowen (eARC) | 4.25 out of 5
The Bride (Laird’s Fiancees #1) by Julie Garwood (eBook) | 4 out of 5
Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren (eARC) | 4 out of 5

What I Reviewed

Coming Up for Air by Staci Hart | 2.5 out of 5
Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane | 4.5 out of 5

What I Got

The Play by Elle Kennedy

What I Got for Review

Moonlighter (The Company #1) by Sarina Bowen
Marriage on Madison Avenue (The Central Park Pact #3) by Lauren Layne
Four Days of You and Me by Miranda Kenneally
The Kissing Game by Marie Harte

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week? How have you guys been? Have you guys read anything good that I should add to my TBR pile? Catch me up in the comments, will you?

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