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.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 15, 2022 | Book Reviews
10 years really isn’t that big of an age gap when you are both of age.
I have mixed feelings about Fireman’s Secret Baby by Kate Lovelace because the character growth felt a little slow for me. Also, Bree’s childish behavior in chapter one made me want to bend her over my knee and spank her. I know it isn’t fair that her mom seems to favor her sister more than her, which she felt growing up and I agree that the way her mom talked to her and treated her was not nice. Maybe it’s cultural, but here, you can’t get away with throwing a tantrum like that and you can’t just commandeer the living room for painting just because it isn’t being used. At the very least, she should have asked her mom for permission first, not just started using it.
Michael seems like a straight-up guy from the get-go but he has issues of his own to deal with which takes him 10 chapters to face. Despite that, he is actually sweet and caring, and extremely easy to fall for.
As the story progresses it gets better and, thankfully, they finally connect. This is a light, sweet romance, with some drama thrown in just to spice things up. Light reading you could enjoy.
You can get a copy of Fireman’s Secret Baby by Kate Lovelace on Amazon currently priced at $0.99!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 14, 2022 | Book Reviews
Have you heard about Gay Sugar Daddy by HotTraunasaurus? I came across this on Goodnovel and three things stood out about it … gay, sugar daddy, and the main character is a woman named Estelle.
Estelle is 22 and a sugar baby. This means that she joined an agency that handles all the legalities of her becoming a temporary girlfriend for hire – this entails anything and everything girlfriend related, including sex.
The book actually opens with her having sex with her college professor who happens to be her sugar daddy. Their relationship is a secret and only lasts as long as the contract dictates. To date, she has never allowed an extension to the contract, no matter how much the sugar daddy asked for one.
Her professor was her last sugar daddy before the agency matches her with Owen.
Owen is a chef. He is handsome and charming, and everyone knows he is gay … which is why she didn’t understand what was expected of her. Owen goes on to tell her that while he was happy as a gay man, he wanted to know if he was gay because he was never physically involved with women and was surrounded by men his entire life or if he just really preferred being with men.
Estelle found this challenge intriguing and the fact that he was willing to pay triple, and have her stay at his mansion the entire time, while still allowing her a regular life (aka a job) made the decision easy.
Reading their relationship and love unfold was fun and interesting and the direction the story took halfway through was surprising and disturbing. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep reading or not as the story got darker. I’m ok with some angst in a story, but it got to be too much for me.
As the story progressed it just got heavier and heavier and I again found myself questioning my decision to keep reading. But the thing is … at that point, I was already very invested in the story and just HAD to know how it would end. I’m a fan of happily ever after but I know that it doesn’t always happen in real life. Gay Sugar Daddy by HotTraunasaurus is an interesting story. You should check it out on the Goodnovel app.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 13, 2022 | Book Reviews
I started reading Alpha Killian by Jane Doe almost a year ago while I was in the middle of reading Alpha Asher. In the book, there was a mention of Alpha Killian being his dad. It also mentions how the start of Killian’s relationship with his mate, Asher’s mom, was turbulent, at best.
This got me curious. At the time, Alpha Asher was probably only 70+ chapters in and I was already catching up with the author. Since I hate having to wait for chapters to get written I checked out Alpha Killian and, lo and behold, it was a completed story with 40+ chapters only!
To say I was excited to start reading was an understatement. It gave me a reason to put down Alpha Asher and pick up a new book still in the same “world”. In my mind, I thought of it as a prequel.
In the story, Alpha Killian Desmond is supposed to be this big bad wolf that everyone feared and no one wanted to meet. So you can just imagine Claire Miller’s fear upon learning that Killian is her mate! And yet, with her he is gentle. It goes counter to everything she has heard about him and Killian is desperate to show her what a great mate he could be. Sigh, the power of the mate bond.
Claire’s fear of Killian is based purely on reputation and at the beginning, she was not convinced that she was safe with him, to the point of attempting to run away.
I enjoyed this story because:
- It was only 44 chapters long, which meant that Jane Doe tried to tell the entire story quickly without compromising the quality of the story.
- While it is established early on how strong and powerful Killian is, with Claire he starts to change … it reads like a Beauty and the Beast story, actually.
- Even though the story begins with Claire’s personality not appearing as strong as I would have wanted her to be, over time she became the Luna she was meant to be.
It’s not my favorite, but I don’t hate it. It made me appreciate Alpha Asher more. Alpha Killian by Jane Doe is available for reading on Goodnovel and other reading apps.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 13, 2022 | Bon Appetit
Doughnuts have been a popular sweet indulgence of Pinoys since these were introduced about 4 decades ago. And from then on, doughnuts have evolved, even trended, into exciting formats and flavors.
Doughnut you know that you can now whip up consistent, #Madalicious, premium quality yet affordable doughnuts to satisfy you and your family’s cravings or start up a sweet profitable business venture? San Miguel Mills Inc (SMMI) added recently to its line of baking premixes
Mix ‘n Fry Yeast Raised Doughnut Mix. You doughnut need to make doughnuts from scratch, which will incur a lot of your precious time. Instead, just add yeast, water, and oil to the premix and be ready to churn out 2 dozen delicious, soft doughnuts! Get glazy with these doughnuts.
#BakingMadeEasy #UnleashThatMasterbakerInYou
Glazy donuts
Course: Snack
Keyword: pastry
Servings: 2 dozen
Cost: 2,187 pesos
Doughnut
- 7 cups Mix 'n Fry Yeast Raised Donut Mix (1 kg)
- 4 tsps. Emperor's Best Instant Yeast (11 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups water plus 1/2 tbsp. (350 grams)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil plus 2 tsps. (55 grams_
Sugar glaze
- 4 1/4 cups powdered sugar plus 1/2 tbsp. (600 grams)
- 2 tsps. gelatin powder (6 grams)
- 1/2 cup hot water plus 1/2 tbsp. (120 grams)
- 2 tbsps. corn syrup plus 1 tsp. (45 grams)
Doughnut
Combine all ingredients and mix at low speed for 1 minute. Scrape sides.
Shift to high speed and mix until the dough is fully developed. Rest the dough for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough (‘’sheet’’) to about 10mm thickness and rest for 30 minutes.
Cut out using a doughnut cutter and arrange on cheesecloth-lined trays. Proof for about an hour or until it doubles in size.
Preheat the fryer to 180°C. Fry for 40 seconds on each side. Drain excess oil on paper towels and cool.
Coat with sugar or apply sugar glaze.
Enjoy these tasty donuts dusted with sugar or glazed to perfection!
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 11, 2022 | Book Reviews
When I read Begin Again by Val Sims it was initially a palette cleanser. While I enjoy reading about werewolves and reverse harems, sometimes, it is good to change things up and read something different.
Begin Again popped up in the list of books that give bonus coins for reading 3 chapters. I looked at the preview and said, “Sure, why not.” Eden is jilted a month before her wedding has a one-night stand with a billionaire then leaves him before he wakes. Later she finds herself pregnant but hesitates in contacting him because she thinks he is getting married.
Liam Anderson has a reputation for only being with a woman for 3-months. After his one-night stand with Eden, something surprising happened … he couldn’t get it up! Somehow, she broke him! He desperately searches for her but since they didn’t even exchange names, he had no idea where to find her.
Eden returns two years later clueless about Liam’s dilemma and with a secret of her own to protect. The story gets more interesting as it progresses and I found myself buying coins and wishing for sudden discounts just so I could finish the story.
Eden is a stubborn angel, but then she is a protective mother so I get that. Liam is arrogant and scared so his mishaps, while funny, were predictable. It helped Liam that at his first sighting of Eden, he felt a response in his pants.
Their love for each other is so obvious to everyone else but each other that it is almost painful to read … but I couldn’t stop! I had to know how they would resolve things. Look for Begin Again by Val Sims on Goodnovel. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 9, 2022 | Book Reviews
When I started reading Beyond Beta’s Rejection by Aisling Elizabeth I already knew there would be a rejection. After all, it is right there in the title. But when it happens (and very early in the story) I was angry and appalled and shocked and … there were just so many emotions going through me, none of them good, that if I could, I would have climbed into the story and whooped Beta heir Colton’s ass.
When he later, at the prodding of the Alpha and Beta of the pack, decides to take back the rejection I was like, “Oh, hell no! We are NOT letting that jerk anywhere near us!” Fyi, in this book, I cast myself as Harper’s wolf.
I was glad when a plan was set in motion to allow her to escape and many years later she comes back a warrior woman … stronger, not easy to intimidate. When she finally meets her second chance mate, Alpha Ezra, it was complicated, to say the least. This is complicated by the fact that Colton, now the Beta, still wants her back.
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” – Sir Walter Scott
Such an appropriate line to be used on all three of them. This story is exciting and action-packed. While the romance aspect is there, it isn’t really the main focus. If at all, it is, perhaps the motivation tool of the characters. This reads like a spy story, I loved it! I couldn’t put the book down and I finished reading it in a day. I swear you have to read it, too! You won’t regret it.
Beyond Beta’s Rejection by Aisling Elizabeth is the first book in the Divine Order series. You can read this on reading apps like Goodnovel or you can purchase it from Amazon in either Kindle or paperback.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 7, 2022 | Book Reviews
When I first saw The Alpha’s Guardian by Miri Googag it was on the list of recommended books for bonus coins and I stopped because I was intrigued. Even though the Alpha is supposed to be the strongest wolf, I’m sure he still has guards but a guardian implies one or two people whose specific job is to guard him and only that … sort of like a personal bodyguard.
Which begs the question … why would any Alpha need such protection? This was the same thought that entered Alpha Wade’s head, apparently.
In comes our guardian, Ali (short for Aliauna) who encounters our Alpha when he is attacked by rogues. Ali is the best of the best amongst all the guardians, despite being an Omega, and therefore, wolfless. Alpha Wade is her last assignment before she will be able to find her fated mate.
Lucy Lawless as Xena, Warrior Princess
Ali’s description reminds me of Xena, Warrior Princess, but not as tall and imposing as Lucy Lawless. I confess, when it comes to warrior women, Xena is who I measure every single one to.
Ali is strong, commanding, and takes crap from no one, not even the Alpha she is sent to protect. Why she is sent to protect him is a mystery even to her but she does her job anyway.
Both Ali and Wade have very strong personalities and both have had to overcome so many trials in life to get to where they are now. As the story progresses we see Alpha Wade’s resistance to being guarded and Ali’s determination to do so. In the meantime, both of them are fighting their natural attraction to each other.
On the road to discovering answers to their questions plus protecting his pack, several key players come into play that wreak havoc with their emotions and their developing relationship.
The story gets better and better the further you get into it then slows down considerably toward the end. I don’t really mind this because I could only take so much action, lol! I am definitely putting this in my book recommendations
You can read and enjoy The Alpha’s Guardian by Miri Googag on GoodNovel. It is the first book of the Guardian series. I am hoping that this and her other books will soon be available on sites like Apple Books, Google Books, and Amazon.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Oct 7, 2022 | Lifestyle
Midea (pronounced mai-dee-ya), the world-renowned provider of intelligent home solutions, changed and revolutionized the existing paradigm in conventional window-type air conditioners with the introduction of the world’s first U-Shaped Inverter Window Air Conditioner with design-driven features and functions that offer a refined and contemporary look to meet the needs of every Filipino family.
Over the years, Midea has always been at the forefront of innovative, efficient, and surprisingly friendly intelligent home solutions to make homemade happiness and tiny moments at home possible for every family. Keeping this vision front and center, the brand was recognized by Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Limited in Consumer Appliances as the world’s no.1 in air coolers, air treatment, cooling fans, small cooking appliances, and rice cookers brand.
In recognition of the many trailblazing home solutions it recently introduced, the Midea Group also ranked 245th on the new 2022 Fortune Global 500 List. It is the 7th consecutive year for Midea Group to rank on this List, up 43 spots from last year.
Midea U is the world’s first U-shaped inverter window air conditioner, with design-driven features and functions that reshape the idea of cooling.
Midea U is the first of its kind in the Philippines and is one of those groundbreaking solutions that reshape the idea of cooling. Its breakthrough U-shaped design cleverly divides the unit into two parts – locating the compressor in a separate compartment, allowing ultra-quiet operations as low as 42 decibels, to give the user the quietness of a split-type air conditioner, and the convenience of its U-shaped compact design where users can easily open and close the window to get fresh air whenever they need it.
Truly embodying the notion of everyday homemade happiness through its smart cooling solution designed just for “U”, this smart home appliance gives Filipino families the best of both worlds. Midea U’s patented full inverter technology delivers substantial energy savings compared to traditional AC units. It’s the first window aircon to be awarded the coveted US’ Energy Star’s Most Efficient 2021 certification. It also features a strong airflow so users can feel the cold air from up to 20 feet away, and a full DC inverter technology to rapidly cool the room to make families even more comfortable whether they’re bonding with family, working from home, or enjoying a good night’s sleep.
Installation is quick and easy too – users can simply fit and secure the unit into the previously prepared AC opening hole, and set it in place, as directed in the installation manual.
Midea U also takes cooling up a notch as it can effortlessly be controlled via Midea’s SmartHome app which is available for free on iOS and Android devices. This app brings cloud-based control to any smartphone or tablet in and out of the home or business. Users can also remotely check and change the temperature, select modes, and fan speeds, and even program a cooling schedule via the Midea SmartHome app. It will also respond to voice commands through Google and Alexa-enabled devices.
Midea U is now available at Midea Philippines’ official website at https://www.midea.com/ph and available at the following Midea Philippines flagship stores:
You can also check out more Midea intelligent home solutions at leading appliance stores nationwide.
About Midea
Midea is the world’s largest manufacturer of home appliances, offering customers a wide range of surprisingly friendly products for day-to-day living at home, at work, and anywhere else they might be. Midea provides high-quality home appliances for air treatment, refrigeration, laundry, large and small kitchen solutions, and fresh storage, recognized globally for their exceptional design and outstanding functionality. For more information about Midea’s home appliance solutions, you can visit and follow @MideaPhilippines on Facebook; @mideaph on Instagram; @mideaphilippines on TikTok or subscribe to Midea Philippines Official on YouTube.
I have mixed feelings about Fireman’s Secret Baby by Kate Lovelace because the character growth felt a little slow for me. Also, Bree’s childish behavior in chapter one made me want to bend her over my knee and spank her. I know it isn’t fair that her mom seems to favor her sister more than her, which she felt growing up and I agree that the way her mom talked to her and treated her was not nice. Maybe it’s cultural, but here, you can’t get away with throwing a tantrum like that and you can’t just commandeer the living room for painting just because it isn’t being used. At the very least, she should have asked her mom for permission first, not just started using it.
Estelle is 22 and a sugar baby. This means that she joined an agency that handles all the legalities of her becoming a temporary girlfriend for hire – this entails anything and everything girlfriend related, including sex.
This got me curious. At the time, Alpha Asher was probably only 70+ chapters in and I was already catching up with the author. Since I hate having to wait for chapters to get written I checked out Alpha Killian and, lo and behold, it was a completed story with 40+ chapters only!
Doughnuts have been a popular sweet indulgence of Pinoys since these were introduced about 4 decades ago. And from then on, doughnuts have evolved, even trended, into exciting formats and flavors.
Begin Again popped up in the list of books that give bonus coins for reading 3 chapters. I looked at the preview and said, “Sure, why not.” Eden is jilted a month before her wedding has a one-night stand with a billionaire then leaves him before he wakes. Later she finds herself pregnant but hesitates in contacting him because she thinks he is getting married.
When he later, at the prodding of the Alpha and Beta of the pack, decides to take back the rejection I was like, “Oh, hell no! We are NOT letting that jerk anywhere near us!” Fyi, in this book, I cast myself as Harper’s wolf.
Which begs the question … why would any Alpha need such protection? This was the same thought that entered Alpha Wade’s head, apparently.
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