Teaser Tuesday: Tortured by Kate Givans

Tortured by Kate Givans

goodreads | author website

About the time I started backing away again, determined to get as far away from her as possible, she glanced over her shoulder. A pair of sparkling blue eyes ensnared me, rooting me, once again, to the ground beneath my feet.
“How will you ever learn to fly if you don’t take time to spread your wings?” she asked with wide-eyed conviction.

Expect a review of this book to be up on the 29th of July.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Yay, it's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by One Persons Journey through a world of Books. Each week we spotlight the books we are reading, planning on reading or just finished reading.

Currently Reading:
» Tortured by Kate Givans

Recently Finished:
» Upside Down by Lia Riley [review here]
» Summer's Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis [review here]
» How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski [review here]

Up Next:
» Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid
» The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

After I finish Tortured, I have to read any other genre EXCEPT new adult. My brain is going to implode if I read another book with the same base story line, just spun a different way.
So I'll go back to young adult for awhile and then any other genre that I have previously enjoyed. Seriously... I feel like the stories are all starting to blur together!!!

REVIEW: Summer's Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis

Summer's Temptation by Ashley Lynn Willis
Series: #1 Vandeveer University
Published: 07 July 2014
Genre: NA Contemporary
Format: kindle | for review
Finished: 14 July 2014

Overall: ½

goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble

Summary:      If there are only three truths in life, they are these. Women will always try to change a man. Men will always say anything to get a girl in bed. Tyler Mason will always have a long line of girls trying to domesticate him, and none will succeed. If one of these ceases to be true, the world will cease to exist.
      These are the rules as college student Cassie Faye knows them, so when she gives up on dating in favor of a man who can satisfy her without tempting her heart, her next-door neighbor Tyler tops the list. Tyler isn’t the type of boy Cassie would fall for, but he’s the perfect guy to teach her how to claim her sexual independence without losing her heart in the process. Too late, Cassie finds out that under his womanizing exterior is an attentive, considerate lover who brings out passions in her that she'd barely glimpsed before.
      What if she’s wrong about the third truth? What if the world as she knows it is about to cease to exist?

      Jumping into this book, I didn't know what to expect because there aren't many reviews up on goodreads yet. But the bestie warned me I may not like it as much as her. She's said that about a lot of books that end up going either way for me... this one was the kind that went south.
When I first started this book, about every character that's in this book is in the first 5% and I developed a headache. I wasn't sure who was who and was completely lost. But after awhile, around 20% I was able to decipher each character and their relationship to Cassie.
Cassie... I was completely over hearing how pretty, hot, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous, etcetera this girl is--and she just doesn't know it. I get it. I got it the first 25 times.
Throughout I found myself more or less skimming than reading the complete paragraphs; though I made sure to read all of the dialogue. It just started to drag for me after awhile.
I wanted to like Tyler or the relationship they had, but I didn't feel like there actually was one. At the end it makes sense how he fell for her, but I never felt like we were shown what made Cassie fall. The only times they were really together were when they were getting it on. . . and we only read two maybe three times about that. So any conversations or connections that happened had to have happened when we weren't there to witness them. So I personally didn't care for Tyler. I didn't care for the lead or any one else in the book. I had little to no connection to any one.
What I did like was the setting, the age range of all the characters and how care-free they all seemed, the houses they lived in, the fact that they went to a real college, the location of the book. Things I'm completely envious of. But it just wasn't enough for me if I didn't feel any connection to the characters or the story as a whole.
There will be a sequel to this book, and I'm not sure why. The ending was not a cliff hanger like intended. In fact it felt more complete than a lot of books I've read lately. I'm kind of tempted to read the next one after reading the excerpt, but I'm not sure if I want to risk another book that brings out little to no emotion from me.

There aren't many reviews up on Goodreads yet, so don't let me be your deciding factor. Wait a bit, or just read it now!

Plot:
Characters: ½
Ending:
Writing:
Cover:

K-Drama Review: A Witch's Romance

A Witch's Romance
Korean Title: 마녀의 연애
Genre: Romance, comedy, drama.
Number of Episodes: 16
Watch on: Viki
Starring: Uhm Jung Hwa, Park Seo Joon, Han Jae Suk, Jung Yun Joo, Yoon Hyun Min
Rating: ½

Synopsis:It’s understandable to lose your faith in love after being stood up on your wedding day. Ban Ji Yeon (Uhm Jung Hwa) was devastated and then believed that marriage wasn’t for her. The 39-year-old has focused on her career as a reporter, so seriously that her colleagues refer her to as a witch, and put her romantic life on the back burner. But when Ji Yeon meets Yoon Dong Ha (Park Seo Joon), the 25-year-old owner of a small errand center, she finds herself in an unexpected December-June relationship that could thaw her hardened heart. But will her life become further complicated by the return of her former fiancé, No Shi Hoon (Han Jae Suk)? “A Witch’s Romance,” also known as "A Witch's Love" and “My Queen,” is a 2014 South Korean drama series directed by Lee Jeong Hyo. It is a remake of the hit Taiwanese drama “My Queen.”

Thoughts:
I remember scrolling through Viki, and saw this and clicked on it and--five episodes later--I wasn't sure where I was or how it happened. I quickly learned that this is a remake of the Taiwanese drama, My Queen, that I have yet to see and am not sure if I want to watch now. Even though I love the lead, Ethan Ruan.

This is one of those dramas that doesn't have too much depth and I like that about it. Sometimes I'd rather not see any of the characters crying, whining, or complaining every other episode. Or pushing away the person they want most for stupid reasons. Now there was a few times there was some resistance, mainly from Ban Ji Yeon, but it wasn't with lack of comedy.

I loved how lovey-dovey (T-Ara anyone?) the characters were with each other and other people in their personal lives. There is so much great chemistry in this casting. Though this is my first time seeing Uhm Jung Hwa in a drama, I have seen her in the Korean movie, Seducing Mr. Perfect with Daniel Henney. And the lead male, Park Seo Joon, I've seen in Dream High 2 but he's always played a second lead and I hope after this he'll only play the lead in dramas!

The relationship between Yong Soo Chul and Yoon Dong Ha is how I feel I would want all of my friendships to be. Ridiculous, over the top, and purely adorable. I found myself doing the "fangirl" squeal and flailing about when they were together. No... there's no OTP here. Just adoration for how perfect these BFFs are!

When Dong Ha and Ji Yeon were together, there was chemistry, but like most typical Korean dramas there just wasn't enough. It felt like they were not aloud to get closer or something. As if their relationship and need to do simple touching wasn't allowed. Which, I guess in Ji Yeon's mind it wasn't. But when Dong Ha would do his sneaky kisses, their hugs, the time they spent together alone, the dates, it was all adorable and kind of made up for the lack of "skinship."

Overall, this was a drama I tripped over and didn't allow myself to be picked up. I loved being pulled under. I wanted more and more. I laughed. I squealed. I loved. I hated. I just completely adored this drama!!
I may still watch the original Taiwanese version, My Queen, eventually, but right now I'm still getting over this gem.

Have you watched this drama yet? Or even the original? Anything you felt I should have talked about?

Let me know, below!