[bOOK] The Princess Affair by Nell Stark

YAY!! I have found another good read. I must admit that I have a soft spot for a slight British accent and red hair…hahaha It’s no wonder I’m such a fan of Lucy from my favourite movie “Imagine Me & You”!! Anyway, before I get too sidetracked, I’d like to introduce you to “The Princess Affair” by Nell Stark. When I read the synopsis my eyebrows did a slight raise…

Princess Sasha…an English princess…2nd in line to the throne..,known to be a party girl crosses path with American Kerry Donovan…a Rhodes scholar studying at Oxford. What will happen?

Btw, before you go Google “Rhodes scholar”, for those clueless and uneducated like me, it’s an international postgraduate scholarship offered to foreign students by University of Oxford. Yep, our Kerry has a pretty big brain!! ^_^ She’s worked hard all her life to get to where she is now but will she lose it because of Sassy Sasha?

Not only is this story completely nothing like what I’ve seen before but don’t you love the cover design!?! It’s such a cute and polished cover!! You have to admit, the usual covers we see are pretty ugh. Some scenic picture is considered a bit classier otherwise it’s a pair of long legs or even some naked body slapped onto the book cover.

Anyway, this book did not disappoint. I must say that the first two/three chapters were a bit of a drag though. I felt like the author was trying very hard to describe the glamorous surroundings of the places that the princess visited so it was kind of slow and made me *roll my eyes* BUT persevere!!! Once the setting is set, it picks up quickly. ALMOST too quickly. :D

I think the couple is very cute. Princess Sasha is undoubtedly elegant, gorgeous and breathtaking. To make her even more dangerous, she has an uncanny ability to read the situation and control it with her eloquent and persuasive self. Kerry on the otherhand, is not only bright and good looking but a bit of a soccer whiz too! I really enjoyed this book. She also seems such a sweetie!!! It was like going for a walk through a gay fairy tale. hahahaha

Has anyone else read this book?

[bOOK] Love in Photographs by Alex Tryst

SO…my weekend was meant to be very productive. I was going to start writing on a paper for work about Taiwan – economics, politics and Z…z..z..Z… OH sorry fell asleep there!!! Anyway, so I thought I should enjoy my Saturday evening and start work on SUNDAY…which I will eventually get to once I get this post written up and published, finish my cup of coffee, gone to the gym and have watched Imagine Me & You for the 5th time this week. haha You get the picture. I will get there though!!

Ok back to this post. I had found a recommendation of this online book about a week ago and started it on Saturday night. Yes, I finished it this morning!! haha The book is about Torrence, a successful photographer who is tall, sincere androgynous looking, kind hearted and falls head over heels with Helen, a 29 year old blonde model. Before you start rolling your eyes at the setting, I thought it was kind of fresh and different from other stories. Both characters are very down to earth. Helen is actually a maths teacher in high school (yay!! She has brains!!) and modelling is only a side job that she does in the summer. Despite the whole lesbian meets straight girl formula, I didn’t feel like I’ve read it before. The development between the two seemed believable and real. Although there were bits that I didn’t like, such as Torrence’s history with drug abuse (it happened in the past and stayed in the past), I guess it was kind of fitting. One aspect of this book that I particularly enjoyed was how the author managed to describe the photographs Torrence took of Helen. I honestly felt like it must have been “love found through the lens of a camera”. For a moment, I had a sudden impulse to visit galleries of photography and see if I could find something to hang on my wall. A sensual capture of a woman? Mmm…makes my apartment feel all romantic and tasteful. :D

Below is a section in the first chapter of the book. I enjoyed this book but I must admit that my favourites are still Lynn Galli’s series and Playing the Role of Herself. All time favourites!!

Check it out guys! It’s available here. One final point, the book is part of a series so if you like it, you can move onto the next one. I think each book covers different couples but there are probably appearances here and there of the other characters. Have fun!

“Hi. I’m Torrance. I’m here to photograph Helen.”

“Oh. Yeah, she mentioned that to me. I’m Kelly. She’s still sleeping. Did she know you were coming this early?”

“I’m early for a reason. Her agent knows. I was hoping to catch her asleep. I wanted to get some pictures of her that way for the book.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, her room is the last door on the right.” Kelly said.

“Thanks. Is she a light sleeper?”

“Not at all. She can sleep through anything. She probably won’t even know you’re there.”

Torrance nodded before moving quietly down the hall and cracking open the door as silently as possible. The room was fairly bright with morning light as the blonde slept peacefully. Torrance tiptoed over to the bed. Helen was lying facing the door, one arm and leg on top of her white comforter. Her short blonde hair was strewn over the white pillow case. Torrance’s eyes drifted over her bare shoulder down her arm before taking in her bare leg. Helen’s sleeping attire consisted of only a navy tank top and white cotton bikinis. Torrance smiled at the vision before her. Helen looked so much like an angel at rest. Torrance completed a roll of film of just her sleeping without Helen even stirring. Deciding to wait for her to rise, she left the room as she had found it and went back into the den.

[movie] Yes or No 2 ~ Come Back to Me

What?!? I didn’t know there was a sequel!!! Has anyone watched it?? I might check it out this weekend. Hohoho!!

[movie] Bloomington ~ Yep I’m a fan ^_^

Hi all!! Surprise!! I am back in ACTION! Well let’s see how long this lasts. I will try though. Work volume has dropped off a bit lately and I’ve had time to watch some movies on my “list”. *GRIN* Since I’m a bit gah gah over “Bloomington” at the moment, I figured it was a chance to start writing again.

This movie first caught my attention when it was released in 2010 but I’m personally not a huge fan of student / teacher stories PLUS I must admit that I didn’t find Sarah Stouffer particularly “WOW” so hence it never went anywhere. Finally, I watched it the other weekend. Oh and thank god the “student” here is actually of adult age.

A quick rundown for those who have not watched this. Jackie moves to other side of the United States to attend college. She was a child actress of a sci-fi TV show so she gets a bit teased at while at school. Within minutes of arriving there (yes this movie progresses VERY quickly), she catches sight of Professor Catherine Stark who teaches abnormal psychology…and I’m guessing you know where this all ends up. ^_^ Please refrain from reading ahead if you have not watched this.

Ok things I liked about this movie:

• First up, Allison McAtee is H-O-T! She really throws off those sexy vibes in her power suits. Can’t blame Jackie for being attracted to her. I mean, who wouldn’t be!? Those dimples are so cute too. I am certain that I would have had 100% attendance if she was my teacher. HAHAHA
• Sarah Stouffer grew on me. Yes she did look a bit young but I liked how their characters underwent some kind of reversion. Catherine began as someone confident, sexy and almost a bit manipulative (I mean she is a psych professor…) whilst Jackie was a little taken away and scared of the situation. Once the relationship got up and running, Catherine started to mellow and seemed almost vulnerable. She was eventually afraid of being hurt and decided to end the relationship with her own hands. On the otherhand, Jackie grew more confident and although she knows she is one of the many students that Stark has been with, she powers through to try and build a genuine relationship. She tried to understand the impact of her parents’ death and makes an effort to understand the paper that Stark is working on…and persist!
• Some of my favourite scenes of Sarah included: the “library” scene when she says “did you just make that up?”; and the pre-flight check. The way she said “did you just make that up” at 1:12 just does something for me. *small swoon* Maybe it’s because she’s so WOWed by Stark’s brains?! Call me a nerd but that kind of chemistry works for me. :P As for the pre-flight check scene, the whole part looked so touching and sweet. A beautiful scene.
• Finally it was the music. I have gone off and bought the CD of Ani Difranco! I love “Overlap” (guitar version) and 32 Flavors. I’m not usually into that kind of music (what do you even call it!?) but I felt like the choice of music was perfect for the movie. It provided the finishing touch.

Ok now enough getting all excited, I must admit this movie certainly has its flaws. The relationship between the two characters happened WAY too quickly. If we gave them another 10 minutes of film time and another 10 minutes on the transition in Stark’s character, the whole experience would have been much more fulfilling. I also found the need for them to sleep with another guy to be a bit distasteful. Ugh. I mean, can’t they just sleep with another woman!? *wishful thinking* It would have served the same purpose.

Anyway, any fans out there? I did ask a few friends on Twitter but not many people shared the same view as me!!! Boo!! :( Oh and I’m happy to hear criticism too. ^_^

P.S. More importantly, I have ordered the DVD. It’s on its way. YAY!!

[tv] The Real L Word back for Season 3!?

Apparently, some of the favourite characters from Season 1 might be returning!? I watched like one episode of season 2. I much preferred the previous season. It would be great if we can see a glimpse of Jill x Nikki, Tracy x Stamie and Mikey x Raquel. Who do you guys want to see from Season 1?!!

For more information, please go to AfterEllen!

 

[manga] Milk Morinaga is ending Kisses, Sighs and Cherry Blossom Pink!!!

For more information, please refer to Anime News Network’s article!

[manga] The Flower & the Star Ch 1 ~ a new yuri manga series!!

This is a new yuri manga series! The art is ok and it looks like there’s a bit of chemistry going on in between the two main characters. :D It’ll be interesting to see the gradual unravel of their feelings!! I’m looking forward to reading this one!! Thanks Lililicious!!