by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 18, 2022 | Book Reviews
Non-linear storytelling is fun, and I thought that was what was happening with Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye. The way the story began was a fumbling attempt at a flashback. As the story progressed, I had hoped to get more information about why Griffin, her ex who happened to be a werewolf and an Alpha, was hunting her down and killing anyone and everyone who protected her.
She shows us a glimpse of her past when Griffin singled her out from all the girls in school to go to the prom with him. After that nothing else was said except that he wanted her and would stop at nothing to get her back. For years she has been trying to hide from him and this last time is when she took a job as a nanny to the newborn child of Winston. Unbeknownst to her, he is an Alpha wolf, too.
Winston is drawn towards her but fights it. It is obvious that Charlotte knows a few things about wolves but not about mates. In this story a human-werewolf relationship is taboo and yet Griffin was still hellbent on having her despite her “rejection”. It is just too confusing!
The story feels incomplete and needs fleshing out and could be longer and better if the author takes the time to do it. You can read Alpha Wolf’s Secret Nanny by Anika Skye by downloading it from Amazon. You can buy it for 0.99 or read it with a Kindle Unlimited account.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 18, 2022 | Book Reviews
I downloaded Beauty and her Beasts by Lisa Cullen with Kindle Unlimited a couple of months ago more out of curiosity than anything else. First, I’ve never read anything from Lisa Cullen before, and second, I was curious if she would successfully execute the anticipated menage scene.
I don’t hate this story, but I don’t love it either. There are just too many inconsistencies that make my teeth hurt. The story tells us that Allana is a college graduate of a business course. She goes to a bar later for drinks with a couple of professors she had in college whom she became friends with. This tells me that the setting is the present day. However, she gets picked up by a CARRIAGE and their source of light is CANDLES. So this puts the setting in the past, pre-electricity.
Her three men are King, the one-armed lion shifter who owns the castle-turned-hotel, Gunnar the bear shifter who runs the kitchen, and Declan the half-wolf shifter who is the groundskeeper.
Upon meeting each one she gets instantly aroused and her first thought is to jump their bones. This is very forward-thinking and puts the timeline to the present … again. She was hired to be the hotel’s manager, which was considered a man’s job … present day, yet again.
Add to that all the incorrect word usage … surmised instead of summarized, flench instead flinch, smitten instead of smited … and those are just 3 words. Believe me, there are more.
And can I also say, how irresponsible for all three men to each just come inside her with no protection? Is pregnancy not something they have to worry about?
This could qualify as a reverse harem in that she finds herself involved with three men but never at the same time with more than one until the last chapter of the story where she finally gets to be with all three. A few seconds of foreplay is, apparently all they need before each man finds a hole and fills it to the sound of her moans and groans.
Beauty and her Beasts by Lisa Cullen is available on Amazon with KU but if you want to buy it, it costs 2.99. I’d recommend reading it on KU.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 17, 2022 | Education
The country’s pioneering live-streaming and digital bingo game operator BingoPlus through BingoPlus Foundation are set to invest in the vast potential of young Filipinos to help engineer a better future for the country.
BingoPlus Foundation officially inked a 3-year, FutureSmart Scholarship Program worth six million pesos with iACADEMY, one of the most innovative and sought-after technology, design, and business academic institutions in the country. The FutureSmart Scholarship program will provide scholarships in BCSC software engineering, BS in entertainment and multimedia computing game development, and BS in information technology with a specialization in web development to ten outstanding students from deserving families.
iACADEMY Raquel Wong Chief Operating Officer and AB Leisure Exponent, Inc. President and BingoPlus Foundation Trustee Jasper Vicencio
Jasper Vicencio, President of BingoPlus and Trustee of BingoPlus Foundation said, “The FutureSmart Scholarship is our way of investing in the country’s youth as the driver of progress in the future. And we want to give equal opportunities to deserving students with so much potential but who lack the necessary resources to continue their education in pursuit of their dreams and aspirations for themselves, their families, and the nation. Indeed, doing something good, especially for education is a plus.”
The choice of technology for the program is inspired by BingoPlus. “Economies depend on digital-savvy individuals who are ready to take the helm of their organization’s digital transformation. BingoPlus itself, like any modern company, runs on the wonders of technology and a solid IT infrastructure. Our mission is not only to provide support for education but also future employment for qualified individuals,” Vincencio added.
iAcademy Chief Operating Officer Raquel Wong meanwhile expressed her utmost gratitude to BingoPlus Foundation for extending its generosity to exemplary students who will not have to worry about finishing the program due to a lack of financial resources.
“What BingoPlus Foundation and iAcademy crafted for the program will definitely help students fulfill their dreams, as well as contribute positive change to our society. The career path in computing is very lucrative and iAcademy has been very consistent because our programs, especially the ones related to computing, delivered a 96% placement rate,” she says.
Apply for the scholarship today!
Stringent criteria, requirements, and screening processes have been set to ensure that only qualified and deserving students are accepted for the program. Students must have good moral character, a General Weighted Average (GWA) of not lower than 1.75 and no grade lower than 2.50, and must not have been subjected previously to any disciplinary action by their schools, either academically or administratively.
The application also requires a two-minute video pitch explaining why they deserve the scholarship, and how they intend to collaborate with BingoPlus Foundation after finishing the course.
Interested parties may submit their applications at sc*********@**********du.ph. The names of the selected 10 scholars will be announced in January 2023.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 16, 2022 | Book Reviews
Most romance novels start from the POV of the female. Two Sugar Daddies’ Virgin by Nicole Casey steps out of that box and instead starts from the POV of Matt who is in a committed relationship with Leandro. Matt and Leandro are in an exclusive relationship and yet from the start the author makes it clear that they are bisexual, not gay. I would suppose that this is to allow us to accept their later relationship with a woman.
Leandro is a self-made billionaire and often travels, leaving Matt at home. He is not out of the closet so he does not feel that he could bring Matt and introduce him to other people as his boyfriend without ruining his reputation. Matt loves Leandro very much but resents being hidden away like a guilty secret.
In his guilt, and perhaps as a way to ensure Matt isn’t lonely all the time, Leandro decided that Matt should get a sugar baby.
Jourdanne is a hardworking young woman who is trying to raise enough money to go to Yale. First, the many repairs to her father’s inn inadvertently meant she wasn’t going to receive a salary for a while then her second job was razed by a fire. Since her best friend showed her an app where she could apply as a sugar baby, she saw this as her only hope of making a lot of money quickly.
Luckily, the first sugar daddy she meets on the app and chats with is Matt and they click. She reveals to him that she is a virgin. If he still wanted a physical relationship that would increase her price but if not then they would just be companions. Unplanned, things heat up between the two later and Leandro walks in on them. While nothing much happened, this was even before the contract was signed so an amendment was made and this time she ended up with TWO sugar daddies!
With a reverse harem people mostly assume that it is all about steamy sex but while there are scenes here that would make you fan yourself, it is mostly about the developing relationship between Jourdanne, Matt, and Leandro together. This is a heartwarming story with very few lows and a guaranteed HEA.
You can find Two Sugar Daddies’ Virgin by Nicole Casey on Amazon for only 0.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited. Enjoy!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Dec 16, 2022 | Events
For many of Cebuana Lhuillier’s pawning clients, their jewelry is more than valued accessories. To many, these items were heirloom pieces, fruits of their hard work, or precious investments. During times of need, they also represent a quick solution, an opportunity for a better life, or a fresh restart.
For more than 35 years, Cebuana Lhuillier has known these stories from its clients as they go through its doors during their times of need. More than its high appraisal rates, they comfort its clients with the assistance of well-trained branch personnel and the assurance that its precious pieces are safely and securely taken care of. This eases the burden of parting with the jewelry for the clients, until the time that they come back to claim their pawned items.
Aware that the value of the items in their care goes beyond their weight in gold, Cebuana Lhuillier thought of a way to further give meaning to the Holiday Season for some of its most loyal clients.
Salamat, Ka-Cebuana
As part of its CSR initiatives, the company has made it its annual tradition to give back to those in need during the Holidays. Usually, these gift-giving activities were held every 6th of December in celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of pawnbrokers and the inspiration behind the legend of Santa Claus.
This year, Cebuana Lhuillier chose the best recipients—its valued clients, many of whom have stayed with the company for years, entrusting some of their most precious items in their times of need. The event, dubbed “Pasasalamat,” gathered more than 200 clients across eight regional locations nationwide in a simultaneous celebration of thanks and love from Cebuana Lhuillier. The gathering proved to be more than a celebration as attendees were feted to a day of fun and prizes, but the end of the program proved to be the most poignant of all when Cebuana Lhuillier, through its operations team, returned all the pawned items of its attendees as a special surprise.
Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO, shared, “Pasasalamat 2022 is our way of giving thanks to our clients for the trust and partnership we have established in the last 35 years. We’ve known their stories—and were blessed to be with them as they chased their dreams and provided better lives for their loved ones. With “Pasasalamat,” we are returning this trust by gifting them the items they pawned with us. We hope that through this small gesture, Cebuana Lhuillier is able to give further meaning to this season.”
A Season of Joy, Hope, and Giving Thanks
For many of the attendees of the Pasasalamat celebration, the unexpected blessings were more than expressions of gratitude coming from a long-time ally—it brought hope and joy as precious pieces, family heirlooms, and cherished investments found their way back to them.
Pasasalamat gathered more than 200 of its most loyal clients in 8 events happening simultaneously in one day
For Grecilda Torres, a small business owner and client of Cebuana Lhuilier for 26 years, the unexpected return of her pawned items—all rings—brought to tears. “Nakaka-touch isipin na gumawa ng time si Cebuana Lhuillier na ipakita sa amin na importante kami. I am very much grateful and thankful na—yung 26 years naming magkasama, it keeps going lang. My business and the business of Cebuana Lhuillier, magkasama pa din kami. Nagka-doctor na akong anak, pero still, nandito pa din ako with Cebuana. And for that, I am very thankful,” she shares.
Meanwhile, Remigia Mejia, a 79-year-old cancer survivor and loyal client of Cebuana Lhuillier for 30 years, cannot believe that a pendant that her late husband gifted her before they were married has found its way back to her.
She shares, “Hindi ko akalain na babalik yung mga alahas ko since pinag-iipunan ko din na matubos sila. Karamihan sa kanila, matatagal na sa akin, including yung pendant na bigay ng asawa ko and yung singsing ng anak ko which I gave her nung nag-debut siya. As much as possible, ayaw ko silang maremata kasi they are very valuable and sentimental pieces para sa akin. Kaya nagpapasalamat ako sa Cebuana Lhuillier for this event and for the many years na hindi nya din ako pinabayaan. Nagtra-trabaho pa lang ako, kasama ko na ang Cebuana Lhuillier and even till now, kami pa din ang magkasama.”
Ana Marie Mendoza Rapido (center), a public school teacher was overcome with emotion while opening her special surprise gift from Cebuana Lhuillier
For Ana Marie Mendoza Rapido, a teacher from Cavite and a Ka-Cebuana since 2012, Cebuana Lhuillier has been a trusted ally during times of emergencies. Through their jewelry, Ana Marie and her siblings were able to sustain the hospitalization and medication of their mother who has been in and out of hospitals in the last ten years.
“Ang Cebuana po, trusted na namin at lagi naming taga-sagip sa oras ng kagipitan, lalo na nung panahon ng pandemic,” shared Ana Marie who was in tears when she opened the box and saw her pawned item inside.
Grecilda, Remigia, and Ana Marie were just three of the many loyal clients whose continued trust and loyalty to Cebuana Lhuillier proved to be instrumental in the company’s continued reign as the country’s number one pawnshop. With Pasasalamat, the decades-old financial institution was able to express and extend its thanks to the many whose continued patronage remains the reason for its longevity and its continuous desire to serve as an ally and a friend to millions of Filipinos and their journey towards a better future.
I downloaded Beauty and her Beasts by Lisa Cullen with Kindle Unlimited a couple of months ago more out of curiosity than anything else. First, I’ve never read anything from Lisa Cullen before, and second, I was curious if she would successfully execute the anticipated menage scene.
Most romance novels start from the POV of the female. Two Sugar Daddies’ Virgin by Nicole Casey steps out of that box and instead starts from the POV of Matt who is in a committed relationship with Leandro. Matt and Leandro are in an exclusive relationship and yet from the start the author makes it clear that they are bisexual, not gay. I would suppose that this is to allow us to accept their later relationship with a woman.
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