Book: Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

★★★/★★★★★

“You fall in and out of love, but when you really love someone...it's forever.”

 Can You Keep A Secret? was my first book of Sophie Kinsella and I fell so in love with it. I adored the story so much that it took me weeks to get over it. Then a few months later I picked up I've Got Your Number and the same thing happened. By then I was sure that I'll love everything Kinsella will write. A couple of months ago I picked up my third Sophie Kinsella book, Wedding Night, and with my past experiences with her books I thought I'll enjoy this one too. Don't get me wrong, Wedding Night was fun and fluffy but unlike CYKAS and IGYN, it wasn't everything I expected. 

Lottie has been waiting for her boyfriend Richard to propose to her ever since and when Richard finally starts dropping hints, Lottie can't contain her excitement anymore. The night the proposal is supposed to happen, Lottie is very nervous and happy at the same time. But to her surprise, no proposal happened and Richard actually has no plans for them whatsoever. Now, Lottie is known to make rash decisions every time she's upset or things don't go the way she wants them to, so when the proposal didn't happen, her sister Fliss is so sure she'll do something stupid or something she'll regret in the future. True enough, after Richard broke her heart, Lottie decides to meet with her ex boyfriend Ben after she gets a call from him. They have dinner and right then and there decided they want to get married. Then it's Fliss' time to make Lottie see clear, to make her realize that marrying her ex boyfriend from 15 years ago won't make her forget about Richard.

“Men who want to get married propose. You don’t need to read the signs. They propose and that’s the sign.”

I loved Lottie and Fliss! They were adorable and the two of them together was hilarious. It's just that sometimes I didn't understand the decisions/choices Lottie made. And I get why Fliss did those disastrous things but I don't know, it's out of character. The other characters were fine but I didn't like Ben for some reasons. The whole story was fine, I was laughing most of the time and sometimes can't help but pity Lottie and Ben for how unlucky they were. 

Overall I did enjoy the book though there were instances it felt flat for me. It's hilarious, fluffy and it's a little different from the other Sophie Kinsella books I've read but it's still good.

Book: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

 ★★★★/★★★★★
 
you've touched me
without even
touching me

 

I wasn't prepared to read this book. I didn't expect it to be this powerful, to be overflowing with emotions. Now I'm not sure what to feel because I'm so overwhelmed. This book has touched me and it's very beautiful. The words, the messages, the illustrations, everything. It's meant to be read.

The book is divided into four chapters; the hurting, the loving, the breaking and the healing, and each page will surely make you feel something, if not tug at your heart.

you might not have been my first love
but you were the love that made
all the other loves
irrelevant

***

i don't want to have you
to fill the empty parts of me
i want to be full on my own
i want to be so complete
i could light a whole city
and then
i want to have you
cause the two of us combined
could set it on fire

***

nothing is safer
than the sound of you
reading out loud to me
- the perfect date

Book: Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

★★★★★/★★★★★

“Captain?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think it was destiny that brought us together?”

He squinted and, after a thoughtful moment, shook his head. “No. I'm pretty sure it was Cinder.”

 I managed to finish this book early this year but wasn't able to write a proper review until now. Actually, I was planning on finishing Winter first before writing a review for both but I don't think I'll get around Winter anytime soon since I'm still stuck with my other books. Anyhow, I'm writing a review for this now and I can say that I loved it but not as much as Scarlet which is my favorite in the series so far.

Continuing where Scarlet left off, the third book finally introduces Cress, the brilliant hacker girl who contacted and informed Cinder about Queen Levana's plan on killing Prince Kai even after they get married. After the attack on Earth by a Lunar army of wolf-like creatures, Scarlet and Wolf have also joined Cinder and Thorne on their ship and they are forced to go into hiding in space. While forming a plan on how to stop Prince Kai from Marrying Queen Levana, Cinder and the others are able to contact Cress again and since she can be useful to them and she's willing to help anyway, they decided to rescue her in the satellite where Sibyl Mira has been keeping her hostage. Of course Thorne willingly agrees to help save a damsel in distress so they execute a rescue mission and everything seems to be going right until something happens which causes them to lose Scarlet, Thorne and Cress. Now Cinder is left with a wounded Wolf and a Lunar guard named Jacin. 

“Captain,” she murmured. “I think I’m in love with you.”
An eyebrow shot up. She counted six beats of his heart before, suddenly, he laughed.
“Don’t tell me it took you two whole days to realize that. I must be losing my touch.”

 There are a lot of reasons why I enjoyed this book but I think the main reason is Captain Thorne. I mean, how can you not love him with all that sense of humor and charm? He's really adorable and I liked how nice and sweet he is to Cress. Cress, on the other hand, is a genius when it comes to computers and somehow a romantic. She's sure that Captain Thorne is who she was waiting for all her life to save and sweep her off her feet. She's a dreamer and her imagination gets the best of her. I actually love that she's not your typical heroine and she's so cute she complements Captain Thorne's personality so well. Then there's also Cinder and Kai, of course! With the wedding preparations and everything, Kai is all stressed out and frustrated especially when Queen Levana keeps on threatening the Earth with her Lunar army. My heart is still aching for Cinder for she's trying her best to stop the wedding and save the Earth at the same time. It's a lot for her but she shew she has to do something. And between trying to find her friends and Dr. Erland, she also worries about Prince Kai who also worries about her. Scarlet and Wolf don't have a lot of appearance in this one but I love them the same. I think Wolf grows a lot in this book and his relationship with Cinder might've gone down hill in the first part but towards the end they learn to understand each other. Another awesome character is Iko and she actually has a big role in this book. She's funny and I liked it everytime she and Jacin, who I will discuss later, bickers.

 Aside from all the endearing characters, it's well plotted, action packed and very exciting. The turn of events will surprise you and you wouldn't help but get engrossed with every page you turn. Meyer surely did a good job with this series and every book is special in their own way.

By the end of the book almost every character is already introduced. Cinder and Kai, Scarlet and Wolf, Cress and Thorne, and Jacin is introduced at the beginning as a Lunar guard who along the way changes allegiance and decided to help Cinder and her friends instead. We also see a little of Winter who is Queen Levana's step daughter. She's a little creepy to be honest and I'm yet to read her story in the next book. It also turns out that she's keeping Scarlet with her and I can't wait to know what happens next.

“You serve the queen,” she said. “How can I trust you?”

His lips twitched, like she's make a joke, but his eyes were quick to harden again. “I serve my princess. No one else.”

The floor dropped out from beneath her. The princess. His princes.

He knew.

If you haven't read the series, you better start now because it's amazing! Highly recommended for those who love good re-tellings with well developed characters, good world building and interesting plot lines. 

Read my full review of Cinder here and Scarlet here.

Book: Lullabies by Lang Leav

★★¹⁄₂/★★★★★

 I don't write to you anymore. Nor do I write for you. But I do write—and every word still aches for you.

 Continuing with Ms. Leav's sequel to Love & Misadventure, I was hoping to love this book even more but just like the first, it let me down. I really wanted to like it, to love it like others did, but I just didn't feel any connection with the words. Okay, maybe I did with some but most I didn't care. Maybe I felt something at times but more than a little tug, there was nothing more. But hey, it's just me. 

Love's Inception
I did not know
   that it was love
   until I knew.

There was never
   another to compare
   with you.

But since you left
   each boy I met
   will always have you
   to compete.

Forewarned
If a boy ever says, you remind me of someone—don't fall in love with him. You will never be anything more than second best.

Almost
Do you see
   how I love him true—
   it could've been you.

As for you
   and your love for she—
   it could've been me.

But we were a maybe
   and never a must—
   when it should've been us.

KDrama: You're All Surrounded 2014

Main characters:

Lee Seung gi as Eun Dae gu/ Kim Ji yong

Cha Seung won as Seo Pan seok

Go Ara as Young Soo sun

Ahn Jae hyun as Park Tae il

Park Jung min as Ji gook

Oh Yoon ah as Kim Sa kyung

Sung Ji ru as Lee Eung do

I didn't expect much from this drama but surprisingly I loved and enjoyed it. I'm a fan of Lee Seung gi and Ahn Jae hyun and I wasn't used to seeing them both in the same drama. I've seen Blood prior to this so I was used to seeing Ahn Jae hyun as the male lead but in this drama, Lee Seung gi was the male lead. But anyway, it was good seeing them both in the same drama. 

So the story is about four 20+ year-old rookie detectives that are assigned to Seo Pan seok, the captain of Team 3 of Violent Crimes Unit. All four, Dae gu, Soo sun, Tae il and Ji gook, never dreamed of becoming detectives but as they do their job together, solving crimes and catching criminals, they slowly begin to love what they do. And while Soo sun, Tae il and Ji gook have different reasons why they decided to become a detective, Dae gu has his own reason. It is to catch whoever killed his mother 11 years ago. Knowing that Seo Pan seok was the one who handled his mother's murder case and believing that Seo Pan seok was associated with the killer, he decided to work under him to find out what really happened and why his mother was killed. Back then, Pan seok reached out to Dae gu but Dae gu was just a child and he thought Pan seok was also trying to kill him so he ran away.

Running away and letting everyone believed he was dead, Dae gu came to an orphanage and changed his identity. His real name was Ji yong but changed it to Dae gu so no one will recognize him. In the orphanage, someone had sponsored him and helped him with his studies and to become a detective. This benefactor also works in the police force and is someone Dae gu respects with all his life.

[Ji gook, Dae gu, Pan seok, Soo sun, Tae il]

Another reason why I loved this drama was because it's a mixture of action, comedy, drama, thriller and romance. Most of the times we were laughing but there were also times when we were tearing up. Some of the scenes had touched our hearts and some had cracked us up so hard. Each story also warmed our hearts because we can somehow relate to it. Nonetheless, the characters were all good and I give them all a round of applause! :)

***

 And of course, what's a drama without a little romance? 

I loved that despite being tough and cold at first, Dae gu eventually learned how to soften and open up to his co-detectives especially to Soo sun. I know it was hard for him to get attached but still, he trusted these people and sure enough, they can be trusted because they treated him like a family. And to think of it, the moment they decided to work together, they've already became a family. 

Dae gu's relationship with Pan seok was also a highlight in the drama. From the beginning we all wondered what Seo Pan seok's relationship with the killer was. We didn't find it out until the latter part of the drama but when we did, we all felt relieved because Seo Pan seok just can't be the bad guy!

Aside from being the captain of his team, Pan seok was also once a husband and a father. But unfortunately he lost his child 11 years ago, the same time Dae gu lost his mother. Kim Sa kyung, the head detective of Missing Persons Unit, was his ex-wife. After losing their child, Sa kyung divorced Pan seok and since then their relationship was tainted. But now that they were working together again, they found time to talk again after a long time.

Now let's go back to Dae gu and Soo sun. Dae gu actually knew Soo sun from before but Soo sun hadn't realized it until the latter part of the drama. They went to the same middle school and they didn't actually get along well.

Soo sun also happened to possess the necklace that could help Dae gu identify the killer of his mother but Soo sun didn't know about it. 

At first I didn't like Soo sun but eventually I started to like her. Especially when she didn't ask Dae gu about his past when he told her not to. It was thoughtful of her and it was kinda cute when they talk about Ji yong like he wasn't Dae gu at all.

This scene was when Soo sun first realized the Dae gu actually looked like Ji yong with his eye glasses on. She just can't stop talking about Ji yong and of all the moments, Pan seok has chosen that moment to show up. Dae gu sees him first and not wanting to reveal his real identity, he has no choice but to shut Soo sun up by kissing her. Smooth, Dae gu, smooth. Tsk!
Their relationship eventually grows and they're actually cute! :)

THE END.

 ♥

TV Series: Scorpion (2014)

★★★★/★★★★★

Main Characters:

Elyes Gabel as Walter O'Brien

 Katharine McPhee as Paige Dineen

Robert Patrick as Agent Cabe Gallo

Eddie Kay Thomas as Tobias "Toby" M. Curtis

Jadyn Wong as Happy Quinn

Ari Stidhan as Sylvester Dodd 

Riley B. Smith as Ralph Dineen

Synopsis from Wikipedia:

Walter O'Brien and his team of outcasts are recruited by federal agent Cabe Gallo of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to form Scorpion, said to be the last line of defense against complex, high-tech threats around the globe. The team includes O'Brien, one of the most intelligent people in the world with an IQ of 197, and his friends Sylvester Dodd, a "human calculator" dealing in statistics; Happy Quinn, a "mechanical prodigy"; and Toby Curtis, a "world-class shrink" (a Harvard-trained behaviorist). Paige Dineen is a former waitress whose intuitive interaction with people translates the real world to the team, and they, in exchange, translate her young mentally gifted son, Ralph, to her.

 I especially love this series for a lot of reasons and one of which is because of how hilarious and entertaining the characters are. And I'm not a math or science genius but I like it when they talk about technical stuff. Tsk. I also love Paige and Ralph and though a lot of people say Katharine McPhee can't act, well, I still like her. Lol. I just think that Paige's character really suits her. :P

 Ralph Dineen

Paige Dineen

[Toby, Walter, Sylvester, Agent Gallo, Happy]

So the series revolves around these genius people, Walter, Toby, Happy and Sylvester as they try to help Agent Gallo of Homeland Security on defending the country from  high-tech threats of our modern world.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. :)