by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 19, 2022 | Book Reviews
I posted a quick recommendation for Mated to the Alpha Twins by Jane Doe on 12 May 2022 on my Facebook and Instagram accounts but I feel like I wasn’t really able to give enough information for a decent review.
Aurora St. Claire is, to all intents and purposes, an orphan. Her dad is still alive but she has never met him. Her mom, who she is now living with after her grandmother passed away, is married to an alcoholic bum and both of them treat her like a waste of space. When her mom is at work her stepfather would hit her and would make sexual advances. Therefore, at an early age, Aurora started working part-time jobs to get out of the house, while at the same time, supporting herself and saving money for college.
Alec and Kane are twins and the kings of campus. The boys wanted to be them and the girls wanted to be with them. From the moment they bumped into Aurora there was something about her that drew them.
Since Alec and Kane are wolves they knew it was the mate bond. The thing is, while they shared most things, as twins are wont to do, they have never shared a woman in the past. But the mate bond tells them that both of them are her mates.
Aurora finds herself strangely attracted to both despite their playing with her and seemingly bullying her. As the story progresses so many things are revealed about Aurora’s true nature, her connection with the boys, and later, the realities of the shifter world. While the story is set in high school for the beginning part of the story, I hesitate to categorize this as YA/Teen as the steamy scenes are just way too steamy! This story needs an 18+ rating.
Jane Doe tells a great story but really needs a good editor. If you can forgive the many grammatical and spelling errors then you will surely enjoy Mated to the Alpha Twins by Jane Doe. You can find it on Goodnovel and on Wattpad, I believe.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 18, 2022 | Book Reviews
I started reading Alpha Bully by Sam Crescent because I was curious to see how Marshall, an Alpha wolf, who bullied Scarlett, a human, intended to win her over. After all, he bullied her terribly for the last 5 years.
Marshall was just one of many people who bullied Scarlett, mostly because of her body shape. She wore loose, baggy clothes, and no matter how much dieting she did, she just couldn’t seem to lose weight. “Chunky girl” and “Piggy” were just two of the horrible nicknames other students in her school called her.
Rather than fight, as usual, our bullying victim just suffered quietly and in tears. Pffft!
After Marshall discovers that Scarlett is his mate he suffers pangs of regret and worries that he won’t be able to win her over. After talking with his dad and his best friend Jack he decided to just do his best.
As the story progresses it is interesting to see how much effort he is really putting in to try to get Scarlett. What I didn’t quite comprehend was how quickly it seemed for her to start accepting him. She expressed her doubts internally, but she still let him get away with doing things like holding her hand and putting his arm around her shoulder … on day 2 of school!
In my culture that is moving too fast, but the setting is not here, so I can only assume that in the U.S. kids just move and accept that fast. Here, he would be lucky if she even made eye contact.
That aside, the story is actually enjoyable. So much so that I bought the next book when I discovered it was about his best friend Jack and his mate. Marshall’s being a werewolf is almost incidental for most of the story.
Alpha Bully by Sam Crescent is book 5 of the Alpha Shifter Collection. It is available on Amazon in Kindle format for $3.99.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 17, 2022 | Book Reviews
Sinful Temptation by Kathleen Hayat is a forbidden romance. Emma Belle Richardson is a smart human 18-year-old student who is treated as an outcast in her school. Xander Colt is her Math teacher who is secretly an Alpha werewolf.
Emma is mocked for her body shape, her brains, and her quiet demeanor. She prefers solitude and often finds an empty classroom to have lunch in rather than go to the cafeteria. Despite being “a nerd” she and math don’t get along, which I find weird. After all, the stereotype often is a high proficiency in most, if not all, academic subjects, where math and science are usually where they excel.
Xander is undercover as a math teacher in Emma’s school. In reality, he is a werewolf and an Alpha of a powerful pack and his enemies think he is dead. As math teachers go he really knows his stuff but looking at him “math teacher” is the last thing you would think. He is tall, good-looking, muscled, and looks like he should be walking the runway. As the girls would say … he is a god!
Their worlds collide when Xander actively seeks out Emma in school, seemingly bullying her. I’ve heard of students bullying other students, but teachers?
Xander can’t help himself. While he isn’t the nicest person, he is inexplicably drawn to Emma … especially since discovering that she is his mate. Since Emma is human, she feels a strong attraction to him but does not recognize the mate bond. All she knows is, she is his student and what Xander is doing is wrong and taboo.
Their relationship starts off rocky and continues to be so until the truth is revealed and acceptance happens.
From the way the author writes, I can tell that English is not her first language but I can forgive the faulty grammar and incorrect idiomatic expressions when the story development is engaging … I still wish she would get a good proofreader or editor, just to make the book even better.
Sinful Temptation by Kathleen Hayat is book one of the Alpha’s Lethal Desire series which you can read on Goodnovel. And also on Booknet for $2.99. Enjoy!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 16, 2022 | Book Reviews
I don’t always understand why stories are cut up into several books but I would assume it has to do with how long the story is. But in the case of Seduced by the Alpha Wolf by Kaycee Kline, I feel that it could have just been one book. The first book is made up of 177 pages while the 2nd book (which continues the story) has 82 pages. It makes sense in that the second book is a different chapter in the lives of Marie and Adrian.
Marie is in college and was looking for a job she could do while on break. She applies for a job as a live-in companion to a reclusive billionaire and, at the first interview, was immediately hired.
Adrian is the said reclusive billionaire. Unbeknownst to Marie, he turns into a werewolf (more like a lycan, actually) every night. When his parents died he was raised by his aunt who later decided she wanted him as her lover. When he refused she cursed him so that he was a man in the day and a werewolf at night … 2 separate personalities as well.
Kaycee Kline’s werewolf is a man with wolf-like features and bigger. Think of this story as a take on Jekyll and Hyde meets Beauty and the Beast, except in the daytime, he is the prince. As the story progresses Marie falls in love with both the man and the beast and … I will let you read the rest.
One thing that bothered me about the story is that Adrian had no pack. Wolves, by nature, are social creatures so he must’ve been very lonely.
Reading both books is important if you want to complete the story but book 1 can stand on its own.
Seduced by the Alpha Wolf by Kaycee Kline books 1 and 2 are available on Amazon. Book 1 is free! And Book 2 is $2.99. Or you can get the complete set for $2.99. If you have a Kindle Unlimited account, you could read them for free with your subscription.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 15, 2022 | Entertainment
Tony Mabesa, 27 JAN 1935 – 04 OCT 2019
I count myself as one of the lucky ones who had the privilege to attend Pagtutuloy, Pagtutulay: A Tribute to Tony Mabesa. The name Antonio “Tony” Mabesa is a name that brings love, happiness, respect, and admiration to every person he has ever encountered. His career in theater, film, television, and the academe span about 70 years.
While he has done so much for the entertainment industry, his biggest contribution, in my opinion, has been as an educator and founder of the Dulaang UP and other theater groups. His passion infected the people around him and made all his students and mentees strive to be better than they thought they could be.
Watching testimonial after testimonial from former students and individuals (some of whom are renowned personalities in theater, TV, and film) he has worked with was very heartwarming and tear-inducing. It made me regret that I never had the opportunity to work with him.
Joel Lamangan – director, mentee, and friend
Joel Lamangan shares his experiences with Tony Mabesa
The most memorable part of the evening for me was when Dir. Joel Lamangan came onstage to share stories and anecdotes about learning and working with Tony Mabesa. I smiled and laughed with everyone in the crowd when he talked about how Tony could not act like a poor man, which is why as an actor, he was always cast as the businessman, the priest, and the don.
As Joel relates more of his anecdotes he segues into how Tony Mabesa is the reason why Philippine university theater exists. It is because of him that Dulaang UP exists.
Balikwas by Dulaang UP
This media event kicks off the new season of Dulaang UP called “Balikwas” which begins with a one-act play by Floy Quintos under the direction Dexter Santos called The Reconciliation Dinner. It will be performed live from November 18 to 20 at the UP Theater Main Hall.
You can get your tickets at Ticket2Me. For ticket inquiries and sponsorship we can reach out to Dulaang UP at du***********@****du.ph or we can send them a message on their Facebook Page: Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (DUP Official Page).
Congratulations, Dulaang UP! I look forward to watching your plays again soon.
Marshall was just one of many people who bullied Scarlett, mostly because of her body shape. She wore loose, baggy clothes, and no matter how much dieting she did, she just couldn’t seem to lose weight. “Chunky girl” and “Piggy” were just two of the horrible nicknames other students in her school called her.
Emma is mocked for her body shape, her brains, and her quiet demeanor. She prefers solitude and often finds an empty classroom to have lunch in rather than go to the cafeteria. Despite being “a nerd” she and math don’t get along, which I find weird. After all, the stereotype often is a high proficiency in most, if not all, academic subjects, where math and science are usually where they excel.
Marie is in college and was looking for a job she could do while on break. She applies for a job as a live-in companion to a reclusive billionaire and, at the first interview, was immediately hired.
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