Tag: The 99’s

Monthly Recap: October & November 2017

Posted December 1, 2017 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

This month’s recap will be for the last two months since I disappeared and this blog was left abandoned. I’ve been busy but I’ve also been lazy. Story of my life.

What I Did

Emme’s baptism: One of best friends from when I was a kid has a kid that just got baptized and Bren, Ken and I were on hand to help Hanah (my friend) make sure that everything was perfect for little Emme. It was good to see everyone come out to support little Emme and we had fun, so all in all, it was a great day.

Meghan met Kobe Bryant: So last month, Meghan met our family’s favorite NBA player of all time…Kobe Bryant. You should have seen us when she texted us her picture with him (the one above) and told us all about how he came to her practice to spit some basketball knowledge and help them with the offense that they’re running since it’s the same one he ran with the Lakers. We were so excited and stoked for ourselves like we met him and not Meghan. What a trip that Meghan chooses to go to a small school and she met Kobe Bryant, her all time favorite player. Never thought that would happen and even though it didn’t happen to me…it kind of did because I’m really close with Meghan..right? LOL.

Those are the highlights of the last couple of months and I’m leaving that Kobe Bryant picture right there, big as hell, because…it’s KOBE!!

Now, on to the books…

What I Read


On a Tuesday (One Week #1) by Whitney G. | 3.75 out of 5
Played (Gridiron #4) by Jen Frederick | 4.25 out of 5
Lady Sophia’s Lover (Bow Street Runners #2) by Lisa Kleypas | 4 out of 5
Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas (Re-Read) | 4 out of 5
Sustained (Legal Briefs #2) by Emma Chase (Re-Read) | 5 out of 5
An Ex for Christmas (Love Unexpectedly #5) by Lauren Layne | 4 out of 5
Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay #4.5) by Jill Shalvis | 4 out of 5
A Duke in Shining Armor (Disgraceful Dukes #1) by Loretta Chase | 4.25 out of 5
Changing the Game (Play by Play #2) by Jaci Burton | 4 out of 5
Hate to Want You (Forbidden Hearts #1) by Alisha Rai | 4 out of 5
Wrong to Need You (Forbidden Hearts #2) by Alisha Rai | 4 out of 5
Hard Cherish (Hard Play #1) by Nalini Singh | 4 out of 5
Bountiful (True North #4) by Sarina Bowen | 4.75 out of 5
Hooking Up (Shacking Up #2) by Helena Hunting | 4.25 out of 5
The Ones that Got Away (The Ones that Got Away #1) by Roni Loren | 4 out of 5
Roomies by Christina Lauren | 3.75 out of 5

What I Reviewed

A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai
Changing the Game by Jaci Burton
Table Manners by Mia King
Head Coach by Lia Riley
Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai
An Ex for Christmas by Lauren Layne
Holiday Wishes by Jill Shalvis
Ready for Wild by Liora Blake
Made for You by Lauren Layne
Hollywood Dirt (Movie)
Only with You by Lauren Layne
A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

What I Bought

What I Got for Review


What I Listened To

I’m still listening to a lot of country music. Mostly, I’m listening to these two country cuties. Brett Young and Walker Hayes.

That’s all that I’ve got for this post so how was your October and November? Read or see anything good?

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Throwback Thursday (22)

Posted March 2, 2017 by Rowena in Features | 4 Comments

TBT

Tomorrow is Brenna’s birthday and she turns 18 so I’m feeling hella nostalgic. I’m remembering a lot of things from when she was a baby to when she started Kindergarten, went to middle school and right now she’s preparing for life after high school. It all seems so surreal. There are a lot of things in my life that I don’t remember, memories that are blurry in my mind but everything about Brenna, her life and who she was then versus who she is now is clear as day. I remember her life vividly.

Today’s Throwback Thursday is a picture of Brenna and her best friend, Makenna on my brother Pete’s wedding day. This picture was taken 7 years ago and I remember everything about that day. I remember arguing with her because she was determined to straighten her hair for the wedding and I wasn’t having it. Her hair is naturally curly and just like some girls hair can’t hold a curl from a curling iron for long, Brenna’s hair doesn’t stay straight for long. It frizzes up and gets all tangly. So we argued about her hair and she got her way because there isn’t a thing that her Aunty Helen won’t do for her so while we were all getting dressed for the wedding, Helen took the time to straighten Brenna’s hair because that’s what she wanted.

She’s one of the good ones and this picture is one of my favorite pictures. Her and Kenna have always been close and I’m glad that all these years later, they’re still taking pictures like this together.

They were 11 and 10 years old in this picture. So sweet and so innocent. Now? Not so much. Haha.

Tomorrow, Brenna will be old enough to vote and I’ll always miss the girl she used to be but I’m super proud of the woman she’s growing up to be.

Until next week…enjoy!

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Week in Books (51)

Posted February 27, 2017 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

Week in Books v2

Happy Monday to everyone! I’ve been in a funk this past week and a lot of that had to do with the way that our basketball seasons have ended. Brenna was not supposed to go out in the first round, Meghan was supposed to make the playoffs and Kenna was supposed to beat St. Anthony’s to advance to the semi-finals. None of that happened and I’ve been struggling to move on from all that madness.

In happier news, Meghan got Player of the Year for her conference. I’m super happy for her because she’s worked so hard and sadly, it’s not enough. I’m not sure if she’s going to get to play at the next level but seriously colleges? You don’t get Player of the Year two years in a row on a fluke! Let the girl play!

My nephews, Luke and Brody (the next generation of basketball players in our family) had their last games of the season as well and we celebrated with burgers at Burger City Grill. The kids all had fun playing and eating together and the adults were able to unwind from the long week and the even longer basketball seasons.

Of all the last games, it was Kenna’s game that hurt me the most. I think it hurt her the most, too because she hasn’t been herself ever since. She’s quiet, withdrawn and just angry at the world. She worked hard and she’s frustrated with the ending to her game. Lots of miscommunication on her coaching staff during the game that ultimately led to their loss and the whole thing doesn’t sit right with her. She’s never been emotional about games but this one was hard to take and my heart hurts for my Kenna. It was hard for all of the kids but Brenna didn’t have much faith in her coach (neither did I) so she knew that it could have been her last game but Kenna’s team should have won. It should have been an easy win so it’s understandable that she’s still emotional about it. On the upside, she’s decided that she’s not done with basketball and that her and Brenna will be playing at our local college next year so I’m happy about that.

I’ve been plenty busy during my first official free week, post basketball. I rearranged my room, I cleaned out my closet, did all of our laundry and have gotten together a pile of clothes that we will be donating to the Goodwill. Very productive weekend because I even caught up on my shows while I was folding laundry and putting everything away. Woot!

Now if I could just get my reading under way, I would be set.

Currently Reading


Archangel’s Kiss (Guild Hunters #2) by Nalini Singh.

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of angelic rulers, vampiric servants, and the woman thrust into their darkly seductive world…

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel, Raphael, is used to being in control—especially when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority.

They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel, Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena.

After I finished Silver Silence, I had every intention of digging into this book so that I can get it read for my buddy review with Holly. Basketball messed me up so I didn’t read anything but Silver Silence. I thought I’d get some reading done this weekend but nope, I lied to myself again. It didn’t happen. Hopefully after book club tonight, I can dig into this one and get back to my review pile. I’m sure it’s good, I just have to actually read it to enjoy it. Wish me luck.

Read

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh | 4.25 out of 5

I really adored this book and am looking forward to more from this spin off of a dear to my heart world. I need the next book like…now. Right now. Ugh, trying to be patient for that will probably be the death of me. Gah.

Reviewed

The Bastard Billionaire by Jessica Lemmon | 4 out of 5
Buddy Review of Good Boy by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy | 4 out of 5
Pretty Face by Lucy Parker | 4.25 out of 5

Posts You May Have Missed

2/20: Week in Books (50)
2/23: Throwback Thursday (21)

New to My Bookshelves

Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas
Royally Matched by Emma Chase

New to My Review Shelf

None. I haven’t even looked at any new eARCs to request.

There you have it, my week in books. How did your week go?

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Throwback Thursday (21)

Posted February 23, 2017 by Rowena in Features | 6 Comments

TBT

As usual, this week’s Throwback Thursday features my girls. Bren, Ken and Cher. This was in sixth grade, we drove into L.A. County after winning state with our club basketball team in San Diego. They wanted to go straight to the cemetery to share their gold medals with my Mom. Mom died in April and this picture was taken in June or July after her funeral so there’s no headstone yet.

They look like babies. Gah, they’re so grown now. 🙁

From L-R: Cheridan, Brenna, Makenna

I love these girls!

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Week in Books (50)

Posted February 20, 2017 by Rowena in Features | 16 Comments

Week in Books v2

Happy President’s Day to all of my American friends. I hope you guys are enjoying your day off if you’ve got it off (like me). This week was the first round of Playoffs for my girls. Kenna had a bye this week so she automatically advanced to the second round. Brenna, on the other hand went up against Vista Murrieta on Thursday and her team lost so they’re out of the running for a CIF ring.

Kenna faced off against Corona Centennial on Saturday and her team put in swift work on that team. It wasn’t even a contest. Corona Centennial didn’t have an answer for anything Redondo (Kenna’s team) put to them and Kenna’s team came out victorious. They advanced to the third round and will face off against St. Anthony’s out of Long Beach on Wednesday. Should be a good game so I’ll be there to cheer my girl on.

My other niece Meghan’s team won the championships for their conference but they might have to share the title with the team that owns their one and only loss even though their team have two losses under their belt. The other team they lost to is rumored to have been playing with some illegal players so that loss will probably go away and they’ll have only one loss. They beat Meg’s team by 2 points on the second round of play but Meg’s team beat them by way more than 2 points in the first round so if you ask me, they shouldn’t be sharing shit. Still, Meg’s team deserved the win after all the hard work they’ve put in this season. Go Warriors!

I finally had a girls lunch with my friends. Last year, we didn’t get together for the last half of the year. We kept in touch strictly through text messages or a couple of us would get together but the others wouldn’t. we’re trying to do better this year and so far, we’ve gotten together in both January and February. I love hanging with my gals. I tried Popbar (a trendy popsicle place) and that was good but not something that I’d be dying to try out on a weekly basis or anything. All in all, it was a good week in life for me but not really a good week in books.

So let’s get on with the books, shall we?

Currently Reading


Silver Silence (Psy-Changelings Trinity #1) by Nalini Singh.

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh introduces a bold new chapter in her extraordinary paranormal romance saga with the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. Wild passion will encounter the darkest of betrayal…

Control. Precision. Family. These are the principles that drive Silver Mercant. At a time when the fledgling Trinity Accord seeks to unite a divided world, with Silver playing a crucial role as director of a worldwide emergency response network, wildness and chaos are the last things she needs in her life. But that’s exactly what Valentin Nikolaev, alpha of the StoneWater Bears, brings with him.

Valentin has never met a more fascinating woman. Though Silver is ruled by Silence—her mind clear of all emotion—Valentin senses a whisper of fire around her. That’s what keeps him climbing apartment buildings to be near her. But when a shadow assassin almost succeeds in poisoning Silver, the stakes become deadly serious…and Silver finds herself in the heart of a powerful bear clan.

Her would-be assassin has no idea what their poison has unleashed…

I’m supposed to be reading Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh for a buddy review with my friend Holly but I got this book for review. How in the world am I supposed to concentrate on Archangel’s Kiss when Silver’s story is calling my name? I couldn’t so I put it down and have dug into Silver Silence. This freaking book.

Read

Good Boy by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy | 4 out of 5
Faking It by Jennifer Crusie | DNF

I adored Good Boy by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy but was bored with Faking It by Jennifer Crusie so I put that down, only to start a book that I put down too because well…Silver Silence. I tried to finish Archangel’s Kiss before jumping into Silver Silence but I couldn’t do it. I just…couldn’t.

Reviewed

By Your Side by Kasie West | 3 out of 5
Nine Rules to Break when Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean | 4.5 out of 5
Act Like It by Lucy Parker | 4 out of 5
#famous by Jilly Gagnon | 3 out of 5

On the Blog

2/13: Week in Books (49)
2/15: Top 5 Wednesday: Book Trends I’m Tired Of
2/16: Throwback Thursday (20)
2/17: Eye Candy Friday: Ben Lewis

New to My Bookshelves

Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh
Truly by Ruthie Knox

New to My Review Shelf

Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen
When the Marquess Falls by Lorraine Heath

There you have it, my week in books. How did your week go?

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