Drama of the Week - The Master's Sun

»The Master's Sun | 주군의 태양«

In Korean dramas, directors and writers fall into trends. Historical, time travel, body switching medical... and ghosts. When I first read about this one, it didn't appeal to me until I saw the cast. Seo In Guk. Gong Hyo Jin. Those two were the deciding factors for me and funny enough, they're not even the reason I continued to watch.
I love the way this drama is put together! It is adorable, funny, dramatic and a bit thrilling (or scary to others... but I don't get scared so I just kind of feel a thrill when some of the very well acted ghosts show up), as well as visually stimulating. The cinematography of this one is just beautiful to look at. Including the ghosts. The chemistry between Gong Hyo Jin's character, Tae Gong Sil and So Ji Sub's character, Joo Joong Won is palpable. Tae Gong Sil can see ghosts and it actually frightens her until she meets Joo Joong Won. I love that the only reason she really wants to stay beside him is because his physical touch makes the ghosts disappear. So her romantic focus is on Seo In Guk's character Kang Woo. But with any drama, something sketchy is going on with him and 6 episodes in, I'm still unsure what/who he is.
[l-r in the pic: Tae Yi Ryung, Tae Gong Sil, Joo Joong Won, Kang Woo.]
Tae Yi Ryung's character is kind of witchy, but I can't help but like her. Even if the only reason she's around is to bring down Tae Gong Sil for a few reasons I won't spoil.
This drama is currently airing (every Wednesday and Thursday) and we are up to episode 6. I am watching another ghost drama, Who Are You, but between the two... this one is my favourite! Start this drama now!

Summary of the drama:

The Hong Sisters, famed romantic-comedy screenwriters, flirt with horror in this unique take on opposites. Joo Joong Won (So Ji Sub) is a rapacious CEO who is only concerned about money. His secretary, Tae Gong Sil (Gong Hyo Jin), is a dark and reticent insomniac who is burdened with the ability to see ghosts. Joong Won and Gong Sil are an unlikely duo in every regard, but they share one thing in common: they are both intensely crippled personalities that need a lot of help. Can the money hungry Joong Won recognize priorities beyond the dollar sign, and can the lonely Gong Sil ever live a life without fear? Together, strange as it may be, it’s possible in this unique dance between yin and yang.

If you'd like to watch too, and get totally hooked, check out these sites with English subtitles: Viki | Dramafever | Hulu

If you're enjoying this drama as well; please tell me what you think!! ^_^"

Cover Reveal: Pulling Me Under by Rebecca Berto

Title: Pulling Me Under

Author: Rebecca Berto

Series: Pulling Me Under #1

Age group: Adult

Genre: Women’s Fiction with crossover with Suspense

Publication date: October 2013

Paul was Katie’s rock for thirteen years, but then she watched him die.

By day, she is left with her daughter Ella’s questions about where Daddy went, and at night she's consumed with nightmares of the moment he died. It isn’t long before Katie’s mother hints that her volatile lifestyle and developing drinking habits are no way to raise a little girl.

Through it all, her and Paul’s best friend, Liam is there. Grieving the death of both husband and friend, the time they spend together seems more intimate these days, and Katie soon stumbles into taboo territory: Liam might be in love with her.

Torn between Liam’s feelings and losing Ella, one night Katie runs.

Air. Space. Thinking time. That's what she thinks she's getting when she stumbles upon that party. In the morning, in a strange bed, she can’t remember the night before.

Pulling Me Under is raw in its brutality of love and pain, with slow-building suspense to a heart-stopping conclusion.

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Teasers

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About the Author

Rebecca Berto is an Amazon bestselling author. She is also a freelance editor.
She writes stories that are full of heart. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her stories, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She’s strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction.
Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy.

You can find Rebecca at:

Her website/blog, Novel Girl | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

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Cover Reveal: Confined by Jennifer Snyder!

Confined by Jennifer Snyder

Book 3 in the Tethered series

(New Adult/Mature Young Adult: Contains sexual situations, language, underage drinking, and violence.)

Coming October 1, 2013

Sometimes the things in life that seem to confine us most are often the ones that save us…

To Addison Harmon becoming initiated appeared to hold the answers to her every problem—all except what she would do after, when the tether was finally broken. But when the after Addison imagined isn’t the one unfolding before her, she finds herself tangled even further in a web of secrets, lies, and betrayal.

It’s not until Addison is captured by the last person she ever suspected would betray her that she’s forced to rely on herself for survival.

Questions will be answered. Trust will be misplaced. And hearts will be broken.

Books 1 & 2 in the Tethered series:

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About the Author

Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most of her time writing New Adult and Young Adult Fiction, reading, and struggling to stay on top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it notes and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

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Blog Tour: Marigny Street

Do you believe in the power of dreams?
Way down south on Marigny Street in the heart of New Orleans, the land of Catholic intersessions, purgatory, and supernatural superstitions, young Evangeline Chenier dreams of a radiant boy who saves her from a storm. She takes the dream seriously – in her family, dreams are sometimes more than dreams. Sometimes they foretell the future. Sometimes they create it.
Years later, Eva is no longer the same wistful girl but a hardened woman who no longer believes in dreams. Losing faith in her gift, she becomes lost in a nightmare of emotion, mourning her son, separating from her husband, and stewing in a dead-end job. And then fate brings her an unlikely surprise: one of the most famous movie stars in the world, Gabriel Roberts.
Caught by something in his eyes, Eva agrees to show him the real Big Easy on his last night in New Orleans—an evening that turns into four dreamy days spent recapturing lost faith and discovering a love neither expected. Realizing Gabriel is the boy from her childhood dream, Eva must leave everything behind—her husband, her family, her history, and the beautiful city she calls home—and gamble it all for the dream that has saved her on MARIGNY STREET.

Amazon |  B&N 

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Excerpt

With sweaty palms I opened the door.
Gabriel stood under the awning, head down with his hands together. The French lantern that hung from the porch burned softly, flickering like a candle in the wind, and the delicate light barely lit his face. He looked up.
 “Hello,” I breathed. We stood there for a moment, staring blankly at each other. I noticed how tall and slender he was, with broad shoulders. His hair was jet black, like a moonless night, and it seemed like it had been caught in a cyclone. It twisted and turned, falling in wild abandon around his head. A real scissorhands catastrophe.  You had to have an attractive face to wear that hair, or bold confidence. I didn’t know if he had the later, but he sure had the first. He was dreamy, but in a real way.
A smile stretched across his face. “I’m happy to report that I made it here without getting lost. Well, let me rephrase, my driver made it here without getting lost. But I’m the one who spotted the statue. No birds, though.” He laughed. His laughter was beautiful music. Something inside me yearned.
“Glad to see it.” I motioned for him to come inside. “Sorry, I lost track of time and need to get a few of my things together. Nouvelle’s is right down the street. It’ll only take a few minutes to walk there.”
“No rush. We have all night. I hear the bars around here never close.” He walked in before me and I closed the door behind him. He took in the room.
“Wow, this is a beautiful place. Very—” He stopped, apparently searching for the right words. “New Orleans. The style is so unique.” He pointed to the café-au-lait-colored brick fireplace that separated the living room from the kitchen. “Do you ever get to use it? I can’t imagine that you do given the unwavering heat you all seem to have.”
“No, we’ve never used it.” I caressed the bricks with my hands. “This house has been in my family for generations, and it stopped working way back when my grandmother had it. When we renovated, the contractor wanted to take it down, but I loved it so much, I couldn’t bear to part with it. So we restored the outside and cleaned the inside. Shotgun houses are not big on space, and it separates the two rooms.”
“And who does this belong to?” He walked across the room and admired the old Gibson guitar sitting in the corner, collecting dust.
“It belonged to my grandfather. He never used it much. Let’s just say God didn’t bless him with the talent of carrying a tune.”
“I have one just like it. It’s not a Gibson, but it looks just the same.” He sounded dazed. “He’s my best friend. My lifelong companion. Whatever I give to him, he gives back to me in fair measure.”
“He?”
“Yes, he. His name is Mirror.” He smiled.
“Where is Mirror tonight?”
He gently touched the instrument and turned to me. Our eyes met and we both became quiet. There it was again, the pull. His brown eyes lulling like the tide.
I shook my head. “Make yourself at home, Gabriel. I’ll only be a minute.” 

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About the Author

Born and raised in New Orleans, Annie has a habit of shortening her words and telling long stories. She speaks with a southern flair and cooks with it too. At the tender age of twenty- one, she hitched up her wagons (took her first plane ride) and moved out west to the big shake (California). Her writing career began one sleepless night when she imagined a gorgeous woman and a man with maniacal hair floating above her like lightening bugs falling from the sky. Curious about them, their story, and why they were floating around in her head, she sat down and penned (typed) her first novel, Marigny Street. A dream come true for her, she hasn’t stopped writing since. She loves a damn good love story, always has, no matter what the genre. She is particularly moved by imperfect love that in its own unique way is perfect, the notion of love at first sight, soul mates, and things that are generally out of the norm.
When she’s not writing she enjoys dabbling in photography and finding new, inspirational music to add to her collection. She currently (still) resides in the big shake (although her southern roots are calling her home) with her husband, daughter, and their two peculiar dogs, Boudreaux and Tabasco (who, call her crazy, bark with an accent). 

For lagniappe (a little extra), a virtual cup of café au lait and beignets, please visit Annie’s website.
She can also be found on Facebook & Twitter.

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Giveaway

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Cover Reveal: Strangers by A.L. Parks!

Strangers by A.L. Parks

Bereaved bride Abby Clark is tortured by visions of the fatal crash that took her fiancée on their wedding day.  She succumbs to a dark existence where loneliness, sadness and nightmares dwell; until handsome, brooding Bryce Holden walks through the door of her favorite coffee shop, wearing the same cloak of despair and grief.  Abby discovers in Bryce someone who understands love and loss, and soon their close friendship grows into a deep love.  But ghosts make strange bedfellows, and Abby is forced to battle the tormenting images that continue to haunt her, and confront the ethereal presence of a beloved wife to protect her future with Bryce.  

Good Choice Reading is currently organizing a blog tour for Strangers, and could use some more bloggers willing to review for the tour! The tour will run from September 6th - 19th. Time is running out, so if you're interested in participating, please sign up HERE, as soon as possible.

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Cover Reveal: The Devil's Tattoo by Nicole R Taylor

The Devil’s Tattoo

Contemporary Romance

(18+ due to adult themes, sex scenes and coarse language)

Release date: 1st September 2013

Zoe Granger picked up her first guitar the day her heart was smashed into a billion pieces. It was a way to keep her mind off her inevitable downward spiral, but music soon became her escape. She's been burned too many times to tell and is just happy to coast through life, never putting herself out there. That's until her best friend Dee suggests they start a band and suddenly she finds herself not just a part of it, but fronting the whole outfit.

They call themselves The Devil's Tattoo and when they release their debut EP, it rockets to the top of the charts and it's like an overnight fairytale. Contracts, photo shoots, royalties and interviews are heaped onto the shy Zoe and it's like she's finally found her place. Then comes the phone call that changes everything. They've been asked to co-headline a tour with one of the hottest bands of the moment, The Stabs and Zoe will never be the same again.

Will Strickland is one fourth of the hottest indie rock band to ever grace the airwaves. He's the bass player in The Stabs, hot as hell and could have his pick of any girl that flings herself at him. But he's only got eyes for Zoe and she has no idea why he'd bother. She's got one hell of a trust issue and an attitude to boot and Will seems to be the one who wants to tame her, but is he game enough?

The Devil's Tattoo and The Stabs go on the road and it's either going to be a highway to hell or a stairway to heaven. Only time will tell who will come out on top and Zoe's determined to do it without getting her heart broken… again.

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Excerpt

Dee pulled out another notebook from his bag and tossed it to me. "Write the lyrics."
I look at the empty notebook and Dee's tattered one that's full of ideas and marks and don't know where to start. I try not to think about it too much as I grab a pen and write out the music best I can. It's already there, I just have to translate it into something coherent. But, when it comes to the words, I see what Dee's written and it could be a song for me. No wonder he wants me to change it. He wants the song to be from me, instead. My side of the story.
The couch dipped next to me and Dee stuck his head over my shoulder to see what I'm writing. I pressed the notebook into my chest and he tried to snatch it away.
"Hey," I cried. "I like you and all Dee, but stop trying to feel me up."
His lips curved into a sly smile and he knew that I was onto him and for once I don't argue.
"What are we gunna call ourselves?" Frank asked. Before Chris could open his mouth he added, "No ideas accepted form Chris."
"Why not?” he grumbled.
"We're not into Morrissey," Dee laughed.
"I think Empty Hands is a good name for an indie band," I said kindly.
"Thanks, Zoe," Chris smiled and tapped his bottle against mine.
"We're not a pansy mopey indie band," Frank said and beat on his chest. "I want to beat the shit outta those skins, for one. I'm too manly to get in touch with my feminine side."
Dee's watching me with a frown and I realize I've been running a finger along the scar on my arm.
"Tattoo," he said, his eyes meeting mine.
"What?" I jumped and tucked my hands under my legs.
"Tattoo," he said again and I could almost see the light bulb over his head. "The Devil's Tattoo."
As soon as he says it, I knew he wanted to name the band after me. I can't help but wonder who the devil is meant to be. The devil scarred my arm and I covered it with a tattoo.
"Dee," I began to scold him.
"Bloody LOVE IT," Frank shouted, on his feet.
"It's not like that, Zoe," Dee whispered in my ear. "You're my phoenix from the ashes. You're my version of the devil, babe."
It sounded like he was declaring his love for me and in a way he was, but not like that. Dee's my brother. Dee's my family.
I smiled at him. "The Devil's Tattoo."
"All in favor?" Dee asked, but it's already been decided.
"Hell yeah!" everyone shouted, and it's done.

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Teasers 

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About the Author

Nicole R. Taylor is a paranormal, urban fantasy and contemporary fiction author from Ballarat, in Victoria, Australia.

Nicole is a graduate of the University of Ballarat Professional Writing and Editing program and is a former music memorabilia sales person and grocery merchandiser. Previously, she has written for Fasterlouder.com.au and various small street press music and entertainment publications as a gig and album reviewer before publishing her first Urban Fantasy novel in early 2013.

When she isn't writing, Nicole likes to spend time curled up with a good book and her 3-year-old rescue cat, Burger. She gets itchy feet more often than not and has lived in three countries and travelled to three times as many.

Her new paranormal fantasy series, The Witch Hunter Saga is available in print and eBook (from March 2013). 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads | Amazon

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The Vampire's Hourglass by Shayne Leighton-Cover Reveal!

The Vampire's Hourglass by Shayne Leighton

Book 3 in the Of Light and Darkness series

New Adult Paranormal Romance

       After narrowly surviving a near-death experience in an effort to save Valek from yet another showdown with Aiden, Charlotte awakens inside the forsaken, crumbling walls of the Regime Palace. Though she finds herself surrounded by her closest friends, she is conflicted over her feelings of the sudden absence of her Vampire guardian from her life.
       With Nikolai there to console her, Charlotte cannot shake the undeniable chemistry she feels for this familiar stranger. But they are running out of time. Charlotte’s peculiar ailment will return and Sarah, the witch, will sacrifice her youth and beauty in order to save her best friend, unless they find the secret, Dark City.
       Charlotte, Nikolai, Sarah, and several other favored characters travel down to the underbellies of Prague to find Valek. But what the end up discovering are the dark and nasty secrets the elder Vampires have been hiding for centuries. Charlotte must overcome her mortal limitations to win back the heart of the one she truly loves and escape the gates of Abelim with her throat intact in this enthralling, highly-anticipated third installment of the Of Light and Darkness Series.

Other books in the Of Light and Darkness series:
The Vampire's Daughter
The Vampire's Reflection