Tag: Monthly Recap

Monthly Recap: June 2018

Posted July 3, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 9 Comments

June was for Chach coming home from her mission, Bren and Ken being gone in Utah with Chloe and spending as much time as I could with Baby Caiden. Summer has begun in So Cal and the weather has been pretty great so I can’t complain. Above, you’ll see a picture from Bren and Ken’s trip to Utah. They’re huge High School Musical nerds so they made Chloe take them to the high school where the movies were filmed and this was one of the pictures they took from there. Pretty cool and cute baby alert!

On with the books and other stuff…

What I Read

1. Burn for You (Slow Burn #1) by J.T. Greissinger | 4 out of 5
2. I Flipping Love You (Shacking Up #3) by Helena Hunting | 4 out of 5
3. I Think I Love You (Oxford #5) by Lauren Layne | 4.5 out of 5
4. The One You Can’t Forget (The Ones that Got Away #2) by Roni Loren | 4 out of 5
5. Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley | 3.25 out of 5
6. Hot Single Dad (Book Boyfriend #3) by Claire Kingsley | 4 out of 5
7. Her Best Friend (Book Boyfriend #3.5) by Claire Kingsley | 4 out of 5
8. The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1) by Helen Hoang | 5 out of 5
9. Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews (re-read) | 5 out of 5
10. Ocean Light (Psy-Changeling Trinity #2) by Nalini Singh | 4 out of 5
11. More than Words by Mia Sheridan | DNF
12. Wicked and the Wallflower (Bareknuckle Bastards #1) by Sarah MacLean | 4.25 out of 5
13. One Small Thing by Erin Watt | 4.25 out of 5
14. The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young | 4.25 out of 5
15. Hard Sell (21 Wall Street #2) by Lauren Layne | 4.75 out of 5
16. The Accidentals by Sarina Bowen | 4.25 out of 5

My favorite read of the month goes to The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang because it was such a damn good story. I completely adored Stella and was obsessed with Michael. Together they were a fantastic couple and their romance blew me away. So, so good.

My least favorite read of the month goes to the book that I couldn’t bring myself to finish because it was boring. That book is More than Words by Mia Sheridan.

What I Reviewed

The One You Can’t Forget by Roni Loren | 4 out of 5
I Flipping Love You (Shacking Up #4) by Helena Hunting | 4 out of 5
Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G. | 4.5 out of 5
Burn for You (Slow Burn #1) by J.T. Geissinger | 4 out of 5
Making Up (London Celebrities #3) by Lucy Parker | 4 out of 5
Airports, Exes, and Other Things I’m Over by Shani Petroff | 3.5 out of 5

Coco (2018) | 5 out of 5
Set It Up (2018) | 4.25 out of 5
Incredibles 2 (2018) | 5 out of 5

What I Posted

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag (2018)
Week in Review (91)
Cover Reveal: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
Week in Review (90)
Week in Review (89)
Monthly Recap: May 2018
Week in Review (88)

What I Bought

Bro Code by Kendall Ryan
Mister Tonight by Kendall Ryan
Consolation (Salvation Series #3) by Corinne Michaels
Floored by Ainslie Paton
The Love Experiment (Stubborn Hearts #1) by Ainslie Paton
Save the Date by Morgan Matson
Hot Single Dad (Book Boyfriend #3) by Claire Kingsley
Her Best Friend (Book Boyfriend #3.5) by Claire Kingsley
Single Dad by River Laurent
Melt for You (Slow Burn #2) by J.T. Geissinger
Bittersweet Always (Gray Springs University #2) by Ella Fields

What I Got for Review


Hard Sell (21 Wall Street #2) by Lauren Layne
The Accidentals by Sarina Bowen
The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare
Under Control (Boston Fire #5) by Shannon Stacey
Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
I Think I Love You (Oxford #5) by Lauren Layne
The Breakup (The Jordan Brothers #2) by Erin McCarthy

What I Listened To

These are the four most played songs of mine in the month of June. As you can see, it was kind of a Dan + Shay month but that Shawn Mendes song is fire too.

What I Watched on TV

I’m kind of surprised that I didn’t watch ANY TV Shows in the month of June. Not one. I used this month to really try to get caught up on my review pile and thankfully that happened so sorry, tv shows…maybe next month.

What Movies I Watched


1. Set It Up (2018) | 4.25 out of 5
2. The Kissing Booth (2018) | 3.25 out of 5
3. Good Kids (2016) | 4 out of 5
4. Non-Transferrable (2017) | 2 out of 5
5. Incredibles 2 (2018) | 5 out of 5
6. Jurassic World (2015) | 3.75 out of 5
7. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

How was your month of June? Read any good books I should know about? Watch any movies that I should add to my watch list? I’d love to hear from you!

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Monthly Recap: May 2018

Posted June 5, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

Can you believe that I didn’t post one post in the entire month of May? I kept meaning to but work kept me busy from the time I got to the office to the time that I left for the day and I spent the rest of the day, relaxing from my taxing workload. I didn’t have the energy to keep up with this blog and that made me sad so I’m going to try harder this month. Wish me luck. 🙂

What I Did

For the most part, my month was taken up by work. I did take a week off to travel to Colorado for my nephew Kaleo’s high school graduation. That trip was a much-needed break from work and I ate up my time away from the office.

What I Read

Rumor Has It (Real Love #4) by Jessica Lemmon | 4 out of 5
Regrets Only by Erin Duffy | 3.5 out of 5
Airports, Exes, and Other Things I’m Over by Shani Petroff | 3.5 out of 5
Hooked on You (Chicago Rebels #4) by Kate Meader | 4.5 out of 5
Speakeasy (True North #5) by Sarina Bowen | 4.5 out of 5
Making Up (London Celebrities #3) by Lucy Parker | 4.25 out of 5

What I Reviewed

Speakeasy (True North #5) by Sarina Bowen | 4.5 out of 5
Rumor Has It (Real Love #4) by Jessica Lemmon | 4 out of 5
Hooked on You (Chicago Rebels #3) by Kate Meader | 4.5 out of 5
Fantasy Love (Dark Hunters #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon | 3.75 out of 5
Regrets Only by Erin Duffy | 3.5 out of 5
Hot Asset (21 Wall Street #1) by Lauren Layne | 4.5 out of 5
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke’s Heart (Love by Numbers #3) by Sarah MacLean | 4 out of 5
The Hookup (Jordan Brothers #1) by Erin McCarthy | 4 out of 5
The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo | 4 out of 5
Neaderthal Seeks Human (Knitting in the City #1) by Penny Reid | 2.75 out of 5

What I Bought


Cocktales: The Cocky Collective
The Thing about Love by Julie James
Restricted Fantasies by Kevin Kneupper
Getting Down by Helena Hunting
Bittersweet by Sarina Bowen
They Who Fell by Kevin Kneupper
The Cockiest Cowboy to Have Ever Cocked by Jamila Jasper

What I Got for Review

For the Duke’s Eyes Only (School for Dukes #1) by Lenora Bell
Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6) by Jill Shalvis
The Real Deal by Lauren Blakely
Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley
Down with Love (Love Wars #1) by Kate Meader
Speakeasy (True North #4) by Sarina Bowen

What I Listened To

These are the four songs that got the most play time in the entire month of May. I love each of these songs and can’t get enough of all of them. So good!

What I Watched on TV

I haven’t been reading a lot because I haven’t been in the mood to read so I’ve been binge-watching the heck out of all of the shows above. Lots and lots of great tv show watching though. Of all the shows that I’m watching, my favorites are The Resident, For the People and Splitting Up Together.

What Movies I Watched

The Avengers: Infinity War (2018) | 4.5 out of 5
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) | 3.75 out of 5

There you have it, a look back at my month of May. How was your month in books, tv shows and movies? Read or see anything good? Share with me!

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Monthly Recap: March 2018

Posted April 3, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

What I Did

Brenna turns 19. Brenna turned 19 last month and we celebrated first thing that morning with breakfast with the family before she headed to Mt. San Jacinto to take an L in the second round of playoffs.

Caiden turns 1. Baby Caiden comes to California by himself! Caiden’s parents rushed to Samoa to be with family after the death of one of their family members and Caiden came to stay with us. You guys, coming home to this little guy has been such a delight. His happy, smiling face and his cute baby voice shrieking has been such a treat and we were lucky enough to celebrate his first birthday. What a fun night that was, too. Chuck E. Cheeses, pizza, endless salad bar and cake! Best party!

Meghan went to Nationals, Brenna and Kenna advanced to Round 2. This is what I chose to picture this month. The girls work so hard during the season and try to do as little as possible in the off-season and their work paid off. They each had such great seasons and though it wasn’t easy, they worked through all of their issues and were proud of the seasons when all was said and done. Meghan’s team made it to the Elite Eight and Bren/Ken’s team made it to the second round so there is much to be proud of and I can’t wait for next season.

What I Read

10 new reads | 1 re-reads | 1 DNF | 3,907 pages read
Read by source: 6 gifted | 3 bought | 3 review copies
Read by format: 8 eBooks | 4 eARCs

1. Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews | 5 out of 5
2. White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews | 4.25 out of 5
3. Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews | 4.75 out of 5
4. Over Us, Over You by Whitney G | DNF
5. Hello Stranger (Ravenels #4) by Lisa Kleypas | 4.5 out of 5
6. On the Edge (The Edge #1) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5
7. On Hart’s Boardwalk (On Dublin Street #6.7) by Samantha Young | 4 out of 5
8. Bayou Moon (The Edge #2) by Ilona Andrews | 4.25 out of 5
9. Jock Blocked (Gridiron #2) by Jen Frederick | 4.75 out of 5
10. Hot Response (Boston Fire #4) by Shannon Stacey | 4 out of 5
11. Suddenly Forbidden (Gray Springs University #1) by Ella Fields | 4 out of 5
12. The Love Coupon (Stubborn Hearts #2) by Ainslie Paton | 4 out of 5

What I Reviewed

On Hart’s Boardwalk (On Dublin Street #6.7) by Samantha Young | 4 out of 5
Wildfire (Hidden Legacy #3) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5
White Hot (Hidden Legacy #2) by Ilona Andrews | 4.25 out of 5
Burn for Me (Hidden Legacy #1) by Ilona Andrews | 5 out of 5
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory | 2 out of 5
So Over You (Chicago Rebels #2) by Kate Meader | 4.25 out of 5
Irresistible You (Chicago Rebels #1) by Kate Meader | 4 out of 5
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux | 4 out of 5 for story, 1 out of 5 for ending
Love Between Enemies by Molly E. Lee | 2 out of 5
Hurts to Love You (Forbidden Hearts #3) by Alisha Rai | 4 out of 5
Silk is for Seduction (The Dressmakers #1) by Loretta Chase | 4.75 out of 5
The Trouble with True Love (Dear Lady Truelove #2) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 4.25 out of 5
The Truth about Love and Dukes (Dear Lady Truelove #1) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 3.75 out of 5
Burn for You by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 and 5 out of 5

What I Got

What I Got for Review

What I Listened To

March was for old-school slow jams that I used to love. I listened to a lot of Mariah Carey, Brian McKnight, New Edition, Justin Timberlake & NSYNC, Pebbles, Eric Benet, Tamia, etc… Baby making music, haha. I blame all of that on my friend Theresa, who sent me the Mariah Carey March Madness thing. You’ll read all about that below.

What I Watched on TV

My favorite TV shows right now are The Resident, 9-1-1, and For the People. I’m still watching Jane the Virgin, Chicago PD and Grown-ish but it’s more out of loyalty than anything.

What Movies I Watched

Iron Man (2008) | 4 out of 5
The Secret Scripture (2016) | 4 out of 5
Not Cinderella’s Type (2018) | 3 out of 5
Home Again (2017) | 4 out of 5
Thor (2011) | 4.5 out of 5

What I Loved

My bestie Therese and I used to be obsessed with Mariah Carey songs from a really early age. I’m talking elementary school, middle school, high school, after high school, we loved us some Mariah Carey songs. So when Therese sent this March Madness bracket to us (she sent it to me and her two sisters), we tackled this and it was hard. We shared our results with each other and I laughed a lot, comparing, arguing and just having an absolute blast with old friends. I loved it and it was my favoritest thing of the month.

There it is, the month of March in my life. How was your month? What were your favorite books, movies and TV shows? Did you do anything fun with your family? Share in the comments.

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Monthly Recap: February 2018

Posted March 22, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

This post is coming all hella late but it couldn’t be helped. I was lazy. Haha. Better late than never, right?

What I Did

February was for basketball.

Meghan’s team went to Conference finals and lost to Westmont. =( Brenna and Ken’s team went to the second round of Playoffs before they were ousted. =( Still, both teams had great seasons and we still got next year so I’ve got my fingers crossed that they’ll come back and do great things next season. We also got to catch one of my cousin’s daughter’s games in Santa Monica and that was fun.

We celebrated Delene, Jarred and my brother Mel’s birthday near the end of the month. I also got to spend some time with my bestie, Therese and that’s always a good time. February was not too shabby on the activities front.

What I Read

12 new reads | 0 re-reads | 1 DNF | 3,705 pages read
Read by source: 2 bought | 10 review copies
Read by format: 2 eBooks | 10 eARCs

1. Irresistible You (Chicago Rebels #1) by Kate Meader | 4 out of 5
2. So Over You (Chicago Rebels #2) by Kate Meader | 4.25 out of 5
3. Undone by You (Chicago Rebels #3) by Kate Meader | 4 out of 5
4. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory | 4 out of 5
5. Runaway Groom (I Do, I Don’t #2) by Lauren Layne | 5 out of 5
6. Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5
7. Living Out Loud (Austen #3) by Staci Hart | 3 out of 5
8. One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #3) by Ilona Andrews | 4.75 out of 5
9. What a Difference a Duke Makes (School for Dukes #1) by Lenora Bell | 4 out of 5
10. Hurts to Love You (Forbidden Hearts #3) by Alisha Rai | 4 out of 5

What I Reviewed

Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross | 5 out of 5
Beyond Scandal and Desire (Sins for All Season #1) by Lorraine Heath | 4.25 out of 5
Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4) by Sarina Bowen | 4.75 out of 5
Shot on Gold (Play by Play #14) by Jaci Burton | 3.25 out of 5
Sweep in Peace (Innkeeper Chronicles #2) by Ilona Andrews | 4.5 out of 5

What I Got

What I Got for Review

What I Listened To

I’ve been in a Samoan music mood so I’ve been listening to a lot of Samoan music. I’ve been enjoying these Poly Songbook videos on YouTube, too. These are two of my favorites.

What I Watched on TV

I’ve cut way back on the TV shows that I’m watching. Not because I’m trying to spend less time watching TV, but because these are the only shows that I’m still interested in watching at the moment.

What Movies I Watched

1. Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) | 3.75 out of 5
2. Forever My Girl (2018) | 4 out of 5
3. Black Panther (2018) | 5 out of 5

What I Loved

On + On Kitchen in Gardena, CA

How was your month in books, movies and TV? Did you do anything fun? Share in the comments!

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Monthly Recap: January 2018

Posted February 14, 2018 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

First off…

This post is hella late but…well…I’ve been lazy as hell to put it together but I finally did it!

What I Did

Besides basketball, I tried a new trendy foodie spot and book club was off the hook. Churroholic in Carson, CA was fun and the food was great and for book club, we discussed The Truth about Love and Dukes by Laura Lee Guhrke. We got a new trivia winner this month since it’s normally my sister Blanche so that was funny. This month, we’re discussing Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath and I’m hopeful that March’s book discussion book won’t be another historical because we’ve been reading historicals for the last like five meetings and I need something new.

What I Read

I started strong with my reading for the year and that makes me happy. I read some really good books that I got for review and my book club read was a book that was in my own TBR pile so I knocked one off that giant mountain so all in all, in terms of reading, I won the month of January. Go me.

Here’s a quick re-cap of everything that I read.

12 new reads | 0 re-reads | 1 DNF | 3,705 pages read
Read by source: 2 bought | 10 review copies
Read by format: 2 eBooks | 10 eARCs

1. Man Candy (Real Love #3) by Jessica Lemmon | 4 out of 5
2. Beyond Scandal & Desire (Sins for All Seasons #1) by Lorraine Heath | 4.25 out of 5
3. About that Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay #5) by Jill Shalvis | 4 out of 5
4. The Truth about Love & Dukes (Dear Lady Truelove #1) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 3.25 out of 5
5. Breaking the Ice (Juniper Falls #2) by Julie Cross | 4.75 out of 5
6. West Coast Love (Journey to the Heart #3) by Tif Marcelo | 3.5 out of 5
7. Love Between Enemies (Grad Night #2) by Molly E. Lee | 2 out of 5
8. The Trouble with True Love (Dear Lady Truelove #2) by Laura Lee Guhrke | 4.25 out of 5
9. Man Hands (Man Hands #1) by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby | DNF
10. Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4) by Sarina Bowen | 4.75 out of 5
11. Shot on Gold (Play by Play #14) by Jaci Burton | 3 out of 5
12. In Skates Trouble (Chicago Rebels #0.5) by Kate Meader | 3 out of 5

What I Reviewed

I actually wrote 12 reviews in the month of January but only 6 of them were posted online. The others are pending at the moment. I’m hoping that February will bring about my productive spirit. Fingers crossed.

The Ones that Got Away (The Ones that Got Away #1) by Roni Loren | 4 out of 5
Man Candy (Real Love #3) by Jessica Lemmon | 4 out of 5
Complicated by Kristen Ashley | 4.25 out of 5
An English Bride in Scotland (Highlanders #1) by Lynsay Sands | 4 out of 5
North to You (Journey to the Heart #1) by Tif Marcelo | 4 out of 5
About that Kiss (Heartbreaker Bay #5) by Jill Shalvis | 4 out of 5

Kingsmen: The Secret Service (2015) | 4.5 out of 5

What I Posted

Happy New Year
Week in Review (74)
Throwback Thursday (24)
Book Boyfriend: Luc Savage from Pretty Face by Lucy Parker
Week in Review (75)
Throwback Thursday (25)
Book Boyfriend: Dax Vaughn from Man Candy by Jessica Lemmon
Throwback Thursday (26)
Book Boyfriend: Jackson Kane from Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai
Week in Review (76)
Throwback Thursday (27)
Book Boyfriend: Mick Trewlove from Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath
Week in Review (77)

What I Got for Review


What I Listened To

What I Watched on TV


What Movies I Watched

1. A Moving Romance (2017) | 3.5 out of 5
2. Coco (2017) | 4.5 out of 5
3. The Greatest Showman (2017) | 5 out of 5

So there was my January. How was your month?

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