Publisher: Macmillan

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 (130)

Posted June 3, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

So, Caiden went back home to Utah yesterday. My sister had to check on me this morning because I miss him something fierce. He’s such a joy to be around and even though he’ll be back in two weeks, we were all bummed when he left for the airport last night. We need help, obviously. So because he was leaving us yesterday, he wanted to hang out in my room and I let him do whatever he wanted so when he gave me a box of Snoopy bandaids and asked me to, “Help him”, I helped him stick bandaids all over his body, haha. Not too long after he was done with the bandaids, we snuggled and he fell asleep for his afternoon nap while I watched the Dodger game on my iPad.

My nephew RJ is down from Colorado because he’s got to have surgery to replace the titanium rod that his doctors inserted into his leg after they took the cancerous bone out of his leg. The titanium rod was supposed to be the best of the best but it broke when RJ was at school so he had to drop out of school for next semester to get his health under control. He was bummed about it because he’s going to be in school forever before he can graduate and become the dentist that he wants to be. He’s in L.A. so that we can spoil him some before he goes back home for his surgery. Poor kid.

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
The Weekly Recap (130)If It Makes You Happy
by Claire Kann
Published by Macmillan, Swoon Reads on June 4, 2019
Genres: LGBTQ, Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads
Reading Challenges:2019 GoodReads Challenge, 2019 New to Me Challenge

High school finally behind her, Winnie is all set to attend college in the fall. But first she's spending her summer days working at her granny’s diner and begins spending her midnights with Dallas—the boy she loves to hate and hates that she likes. Winnie lives in Misty Haven, a small town where secrets are impossible to keep—like when Winnie allegedly snaps on Dr. Skinner, which results in everyone feeling compelled to give her weight loss advice for her own good. Because they care that’s she’s “too fat.”

Winnie dreams of someday inheriting the diner—but it'll go away if they can't make money, and fast. Winnie has a solution—win a televised cooking competition and make bank. But Granny doesn't want her to enter—so Winnie has to find a way around her formidable grandmother. Can she come out on top?

While browsing NetGalley, this book caught my eye because I think the cover is gorgeous and I’m loving her braids and the attitude she exudes on the cover is something that I’m most curious about. Winnie looks like she’d be fun to read about so I’m picking this one up this afternoon. I’ll keep you guys posted on what I think.

Weekly Book Stats

Books Read: 1 | Books DNF’d: 0
Books Purchased: 0 | Books Received for Review: 0 | Reviews Posted: 3
Highest Grade: 4 out of 5

What I Read

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jaladdin | 4 out of 5

I only read one book this past week because I’ve been busy with work and family stuff so I didn’t have a lot of reading time. Hopefully this week, my reading will pick up. Wish me luck!

What I Reviewed

The Austen Playbook (London Celebrities #4) by Lucy Parker | 4 out of 5
Love, Chloe by Alessandra Torre | 4 out of 5
Hot to the Touch (Brotherhood by Fire #1) by Jaci Burton | 3.25 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (129)
The Wednesday Post (12)
My TBR Pile: June 2019

What I Got

Nothing this week.

What I Got for Review

Nothing this week.

What Made Me Laugh

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

4 Comments
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The Wednesday Post (11)

Posted April 17, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 6 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?

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews | 4.25 out of 5

I’m in a reading slump like no other. I’m hoping that this week is the week that I finally kick it to the curb for good but it’s Wednesday and I’ve only read one book. I enjoyed Magic Burns a lot more than I did the previous book but my reading slump is responsible for why it took me so long to read it. It was a fantastic book with magic, kick-ass heroines, charming side characters and a romance that just won’t quit. I’m so here for all of the Kate Daniels magic that I’ve been hearing so much about. I can see it and I can’t wait for more.

What are you currently reading?

Hook Shot (Hoops #3) by Kennedy Ryan

I started this book this morning and already, I’m hooked. Kenney Ryan writes fabulous contemporary romances that really pull at your heart strings. I can’t wait to dig more into Lotus and Kenan’s romance. I adored them in the other books and look forward to seeing them shine on their own.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) by Helen Hoang

I can’t wait any longer to get this book read. I need more Asian romances in my life. Kwan, here I come!

Can’t Wait Wednesday

The Wednesday Post (11)If It Makes You Happy
by Claire Kann
Published by Macmillan, Swoon Reads on June 4, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Point of View:First Person
Pages: 288
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads

High school finally behind her, Winnie is all set to attend college in the fall. But first she's spending her summer days working at her granny’s diner and begins spending her midnights with Dallas—the boy she loves to hate and hates that she likes. Winnie lives in Misty Haven, a small town where secrets are impossible to keep—like when Winnie allegedly snaps on Dr. Skinner, which results in everyone feeling compelled to give her weight loss advice for her own good. Because they care that’s she’s “too fat.”

Winnie dreams of someday inheriting the diner—but it'll go away if they can't make money, and fast. Winnie has a solution—win a televised cooking competition and make bank. But Granny doesn't want her to enter—so Winnie has to find a way around her formidable grandmother. Can she come out on top?

My friend Holly put this book on my radar. First of all, that cover is gorgeous. I love the colors and the cover model is too freaking adorable. Her outfit is super cute and that blurb had me requesting this for review with a quickness. I need to read more diverse stories and this fits the bill well so I’m all about it. This book comes out on June 4th so mark calendars, lovely readers, this one promises to be good one. I just know it!

So, what are you reading this week? Anything good? Anything that you want to rant about?
Are you looking forward to If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann? What other books are you looking forward to releasing this year?

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The Wednesday Post (2)

Posted January 9, 2019 by Rowena in Features | 8 Comments

So I’ve been playing around with things that I want to do on this blog and I’ve been wanting to do a mid-week check in so that I can chat about the books that I’m reading that week. What’s working for me and what’s not but I also want to keep a running list of books that I cannot wait to get my greedy little hands on. I decided that I’m going to do a mashup of the Can’t Wait Wednesday and WWW Wednesday posts here on my blog.

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.

Here are the books from my reading week so far.

WWW Wednesday

What did you recently finish reading?

Governess Gone Rogue (Dear Lady Truelove #3) by Laura Lee Guhrke

With my binge watch of Game of Thrones, my reading has slowed way down but I did manage to finish Governess Gone Rogue and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed getting to know both Jamie and Amanda, I loved seeing Amanda win Jamie’s sons over and I really loved seeing Jamie and Amanda fall in love. All of it was fabulous.

What are you currently reading?

Holiday Hoops (Hoops #2.5) by Kennedy Ryan

I anticipate being finished with this book by the end of the day since I’m sneak reading this at work. Haha. This is my first read for the TBR Challenge and I can’t wait to dive back in.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Right Where I Want You by Jessica Hawkins

My first buddy review book of the year with Ames is this book and I need to get it read so that we can work on our review. So yeah, this is what I plan to read next.

Can’t Wait Wednesday
The Wednesday Post (2)Somewhere Only We Know
by Maurene Goo
Published by Macmillan, Farrar Straus and Giroux on May 7, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Add It: Goodreads

10 00 p.m.: Lucky is the biggest K-pop star on the scene, and she's just performed her hit song "Heartbeat" in Hong Kong to thousands of adoring fans. She's about to debut on The Tonight Show in America, hopefully a breakout performance for her career. But right now? She's in her fancy hotel, trying to fall asleep but dying for a hamburger.

11 00 p.m.: Jack is sneaking into a fancy hotel, on assignment for his tabloid job that he keeps secret from his parents. On his way out of the hotel, he runs into a girl wearing slippers, a girl who is single-mindedly determined to find a hamburger. She looks kind of familiar. She's very cute. He's maybe curious.

12:00 a.m.: Nothing will ever be the same.

I enjoyed Maurene Goo’s last release, The Way You Make Me Feel so I’m really looking forward to more of the great writing and colorful settings that Goo brings to this book. This one sounds like another cute contemporary YA and I’m so here for it.

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

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Week in Review (93)

Posted July 9, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

This past week was a really busy one for me so I didn’t get as much reading done as I thought I would. We had our family pictures this past Saturday and with 8 siblings and a crapload of children, it was an ordeal that took hours in the middle of a heat wave that practically melted the whole lot of us. We survived though and that was great. As soon as I have pictures to share, I’ll share.

This week was also for finally celebrating Chach’s return from her mission. She spoke in Church on Sunday and gave a really great speech, which she ended in Portuguese. She’s so grown now and it’s great to see. We celebrated with a huge to’ona’i (Sunday dinner) at the house and there was a good turn out and loads of food, too. I’m glad to have everyone here but I’m also looking forward to getting back to normal.

My mind is still blown away by the fact that Lebron James is going to be a Laker. As a lifelong Laker fan, the last few seasons have been pretty hard because we haven’t made the playoffs in a while. Seeing that it might be possible again and that we have the star power to really contend again is exciting. I can’t wait to see how this pans out for us. Seriously, GO LAKERS!

Now, onto the books…

What I’m Currently Reading
Week in Review (93)The Real Deal
by Lauren Blakely
Published by Macmillan, St. Martin's Griffin on July 10, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Add It: Goodreads

Get ready for your next favorite romantic comedy, THE REAL DEAL! April Hamilton wants you to know she hasn't been on Craigslist since that time she sold her futon after college. She doesn't even spend that much time online. And even if she did, she would not be looking up personal ads. But going home alone for her family's summer reunion is an invitation for every single relative to butt into her personal life. She simply can't handle another blind date with the butcher, the baker or the candlestick maker from her hometown. So when she finds the Craigslist ad for a boyfriend-for-hire, she's ready to pay to play.


Heading Home and Need a Buffer? I'm the REAL DEAL.


Theo Banks has been running from the past for years. He's this close to finally settling all his debts, and one more job as a boyfriend-for-hire will do the trick. He's no gigolo. Please. He's something of an actor, and he knows how to slip into any role, including pretending to be April's new beau -- the bad boy with the heart of gold.

Even if it means sleeping in close quarters in that tiny little bed in her parents' inn. Even if it means spinning tales of a romance that starts to feel all too true. What neither one of them counts on is that amid the egg toss, the arm wrestling, and a fierce game of Lawn Twister that has them tangled up together, they might be feeling the real deal.

She only wanted to show her family once and for all that she had no need to settle down.

He didn't expect to have the time of his life at her parent's home.

They didn't plan on loving every single second of the game.

But can a masterful game of pretend result in true love?

I’ve been mighty intrigued about this book since I first heard about it and I started it last night. So far, so good. Already I’m digging both April and Theo’s character and the whole fake dating thing is working for me so I’m hoping that stays the same throughout the rest of my reading. Wish me luck!

What I Read

Coming Undone (Brown Family #2) by Lauren Dane | 4.25 out of 5

Coming Undone was the only book that I read last week and it was also the first book that I read for my Summer Reading Challenge over at Book Binge. I chose my first read of the challenge from Holly’s list and it was a fantastic read. I adored Brody, Rennie and Elise. Such a great story.

My Book Boyfriend of the Week

Michael Phan
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

What I Reviewed

Good Kids (2016) | 3.75 out of 5
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang | 5 out of 5

What I Posted

Week in Review (92)
Monthly Recap: June 2018
Can’t Wait Wednesday: When a Duke Loves a Woman by Lorraine Heath

What I Got


Book Boyfriend (Book Boyfriends #1) by Claire Kingsley
Cocky Roommate (Book Boyfriends #2) by Claire Kingsley
The Soldier Prince by Aarti V. Raman
Coming Undone (Brown Family #2) by Lauren Dane
Cocky Client (Steamy Coffee Reads #3) by Whitney G.
Beginner’s Luck (Chance of a Lifetime #1) by Kate Clayborn
Luck of the Draw (Chance of a Lifetime #2) by Kate Clayborn

What I Got for Review

No new review books this week. Mostly because I haven’t been keeping track of what’s out for review but I’ll catch up soon, I’m sure.

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

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