School 2013 ep 3 and yet more romance novels
I continue to be vastly in love with School 2013. Ep 3 confirmed the following things for me:
While I'd love for it to go all Hello My Teacher and hook up In Jae and Nam Soon, I am loving the adorable cuteness (which better lead to love or else) of In Jae and Se Chan. Why are they so adorable, why?!
Also, it's official, I am a goner for Nam Soon/Queen Nogook. Errrr, Nam Soon/Ha Kyung. She totally covered for him when he was unwilling to do the greeting thing to Se Chan, but it was the motorbike scene that did me in. Apparently I cannot resist black knights rescuing princesses fallen on hard times on their motorbikes (see also Shut Up Flower Boy Band).
And the scene at the bridge where she asked him if there anything he wanted to throw off (she threw away her despised uniform) and he replied 'myself.' Ohhhhh, my heart. You poor kid! And he checked to make sure she got on the bus safely, and he gave her his uniform jacket when she had no uniform to wear and basically, ship ship ship.
And speaking of shipping, they had about ten seconds of interaction together, but I need tomboy girl/Heung Soo together like mad. Mainly because I need to ship Kim Woo Bin, but also because that one interaction was hilarious and mangaish.
Also, while the drama might be hinting that Heung Soo is Nam Soon's bully from the past, I am thinking there is something majorly else going there. Because in the preview for ep 4, Nam Soon seems to sincerely apologize to Heung Soo for something, but mainly because of Nam Soon's general relation to violence - when being beaten by school bully, he pretty much refuses to hit back at all, and when pushed almost to it, appears to be much more terrified of his reaction than any severe beating he got. So I am wondering if he used to fight back way when too, and it got Heung Soo in trouble somehow. Hmmm. I need them to be frenemies, dammit!
On romance novel front, the latest four are kinda mixed bag.
Tempt the Devil, Anna Cambpell - ugh. I loved her Untouched and Captive of Sin, but this book is baaaaad. Heroine is long-term courtesan, hero is aristocrat who is her latest 'protector.' Both are control freaks with issues, true love ensues. I didn't care for either of the protagonists nor did I buy their love but, more importantly, this was such a joyless joyless book. I don't mean angsty - I love angst. It just this wasn't angsty but dreary. How the same woman could write the awesome Sin and Untouched books and also this, is a mystery to me. I hope it's an aberration because I have more AC books in my stack.
Never Deceive a Duke, Liz Carlyle - I have NO idea what the title refers to, even after reading the book, but other than that and a somewhat rushed ending, I loved this book to bits. Hero is a shipping magnate, distantly related to the Duke of Wareham, whom he hasn't seen in years and whom he loathes. Until the old Duke turns up his toes without any closer heir than our hero. Heroine is the old Duke's widow, a young fourth wife, who is also possibly mad. There is a wonderful, dark, passionate romance, and a bit of mystery. This book pretty much showcases the difference between joylessness and angst. Both the hero and heroine are in a hardcore, neck-and-neck competition for the most horrific background, but the book, while occasionally very angsty, doesn't feel dreary in the least.
Because You Are Mine, Lisa Kleypas. This one was a reread. Our heroine is being forced into a marriage with a horrible old man, so she does what any reasonable woman would do - she runs away and joins a theater so she can sleep with its famous star/manager, Logan Scott, and be ruined and thus unsuitable for marriage. Logan may be gorgeous, but he also has issues and is a control freak, so difficulties abound in her plan. I really like this book (hence the reread), even though I occasionally wanted to smack Logan in the second half, after Madeleine's deception was revealed - I get it, I get it, this hits all your issues and the control freak thing doesn't make it any better, but take a chill pill. Still, this is delightful and delicious and with a lovely bit of angst. Also, bonus points for the hero who works for a living *gasp* and isn't any sort of an aristocrat.
The Care and Taming of a Rogue, Suzanne Enoch - yet another one of Enoch's delightful, sparkly stories with wonderful hero and heroine. Hero is an explorer who returned from the Congo, only to find out he has been presumed dead and his former second-in-command is claiming all the credit for the expedition. But, on the plus side, he also meets the heroine, an incredibly commonsense bluestocking. Basically, this one is a total delight.
While I'd love for it to go all Hello My Teacher and hook up In Jae and Nam Soon, I am loving the adorable cuteness (which better lead to love or else) of In Jae and Se Chan. Why are they so adorable, why?!
Also, it's official, I am a goner for Nam Soon/Queen Nogook. Errrr, Nam Soon/Ha Kyung. She totally covered for him when he was unwilling to do the greeting thing to Se Chan, but it was the motorbike scene that did me in. Apparently I cannot resist black knights rescuing princesses fallen on hard times on their motorbikes (see also Shut Up Flower Boy Band).
And the scene at the bridge where she asked him if there anything he wanted to throw off (she threw away her despised uniform) and he replied 'myself.' Ohhhhh, my heart. You poor kid! And he checked to make sure she got on the bus safely, and he gave her his uniform jacket when she had no uniform to wear and basically, ship ship ship.
And speaking of shipping, they had about ten seconds of interaction together, but I need tomboy girl/Heung Soo together like mad. Mainly because I need to ship Kim Woo Bin, but also because that one interaction was hilarious and mangaish.
Also, while the drama might be hinting that Heung Soo is Nam Soon's bully from the past, I am thinking there is something majorly else going there. Because in the preview for ep 4, Nam Soon seems to sincerely apologize to Heung Soo for something, but mainly because of Nam Soon's general relation to violence - when being beaten by school bully, he pretty much refuses to hit back at all, and when pushed almost to it, appears to be much more terrified of his reaction than any severe beating he got. So I am wondering if he used to fight back way when too, and it got Heung Soo in trouble somehow. Hmmm. I need them to be frenemies, dammit!
On romance novel front, the latest four are kinda mixed bag.
Tempt the Devil, Anna Cambpell - ugh. I loved her Untouched and Captive of Sin, but this book is baaaaad. Heroine is long-term courtesan, hero is aristocrat who is her latest 'protector.' Both are control freaks with issues, true love ensues. I didn't care for either of the protagonists nor did I buy their love but, more importantly, this was such a joyless joyless book. I don't mean angsty - I love angst. It just this wasn't angsty but dreary. How the same woman could write the awesome Sin and Untouched books and also this, is a mystery to me. I hope it's an aberration because I have more AC books in my stack.
Never Deceive a Duke, Liz Carlyle - I have NO idea what the title refers to, even after reading the book, but other than that and a somewhat rushed ending, I loved this book to bits. Hero is a shipping magnate, distantly related to the Duke of Wareham, whom he hasn't seen in years and whom he loathes. Until the old Duke turns up his toes without any closer heir than our hero. Heroine is the old Duke's widow, a young fourth wife, who is also possibly mad. There is a wonderful, dark, passionate romance, and a bit of mystery. This book pretty much showcases the difference between joylessness and angst. Both the hero and heroine are in a hardcore, neck-and-neck competition for the most horrific background, but the book, while occasionally very angsty, doesn't feel dreary in the least.
Because You Are Mine, Lisa Kleypas. This one was a reread. Our heroine is being forced into a marriage with a horrible old man, so she does what any reasonable woman would do - she runs away and joins a theater so she can sleep with its famous star/manager, Logan Scott, and be ruined and thus unsuitable for marriage. Logan may be gorgeous, but he also has issues and is a control freak, so difficulties abound in her plan. I really like this book (hence the reread), even though I occasionally wanted to smack Logan in the second half, after Madeleine's deception was revealed - I get it, I get it, this hits all your issues and the control freak thing doesn't make it any better, but take a chill pill. Still, this is delightful and delicious and with a lovely bit of angst. Also, bonus points for the hero who works for a living *gasp* and isn't any sort of an aristocrat.
The Care and Taming of a Rogue, Suzanne Enoch - yet another one of Enoch's delightful, sparkly stories with wonderful hero and heroine. Hero is an explorer who returned from the Congo, only to find out he has been presumed dead and his former second-in-command is claiming all the credit for the expedition. But, on the plus side, he also meets the heroine, an incredibly commonsense bluestocking. Basically, this one is a total delight.