Tag: belt test

What I Read Last Week

Posted August 28, 2012 by Tracy in Features | 11 Comments

Well here we are on Monday again. I don’t understand how this keeps happening so quickly every week! lol

I went back to work on Wednesday but am still under the weather and pretty sick this weekend. I’m at work today just dreaming about home. 🙂

My youngest had a belt test this past Saturday for her Danbo belt. It’s the last belt before she hits black and I was so proud of her! I took a lot of little mini videos and then thanks to a great little app on my iPhone I was able to merge them all together into one video. In this test she had to break a ton of boards and even one with her head! OMG that scared me but she did a great job. I’m embedding that video but there are also a couple of sparring vids on my youtube channel if you want to watch them.

Other than that not a lot happened this week so on to what I read:

I started off the week with About That Night by Julie James. I swear this book must have gotten lost in the shuffle but I was so excited when I unearthed it. This is the story of Rylann who is a US Attorney and Kyle who is an ex-con (he shut down Twitter for 48 hours) and how they fall in love. It was a really great book which is what I expect from Julie as she writes so well. I read this one for Book Binge and will let you know when my review posts. 4 out of 5

Next was a reread for me – The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook. I loved this book the first time I read it and it was no different this time. I wanted to refresh my memory on events and characters before I delve into books 2 & 3 (I know, I can’t believe I’m that behind either). If you haven’t read this steampunk book then you should cuz it’s oh so good. 5 out of 5

My next read was Archangel’s Storm by Nalini Singh that I read for Book Binge. This is a great addition to the Guild Hunter series. In this book we get Jason’s story. Jason is Raphael’s spymaster and is in one of the other Archangel’s courts to try and find a murderer. He meet Mahiya and the man who never thought he could feel again, does. Now he doesn’t turn from dark to light and change personalities and that’s what I loved about the story. He was himself only better and Singh kept his character true. Very good story. 4 out of 5

After that I picked up But My Boyfriend Is by KA Mitchell. This is book 4 in the Florida series and one of the men is the brother of Aaron who was in Collision Course. Dylan’s twin, Darryl, is beaten up because the bashers thought he was Dylan. Darryl was saved by good Samaritan, Mike. Mike and Dylan have a connection and though they quickly getting off in the bathroom, Dylan is in complete denial as to the fact that he’s gay. This one was very angsty but oh so good. I really liked Mike a lot and thought he was extremely patient with Dylan and his constant denials about his sexuality. Definitely worth reading, especially if you’ve read the others in this series. 4 out of 5

Nothing of a Son by LA Witt was next and this was an unusual read for me. I don’t normally read m/m historical romance but this sounded so good. The story is about a soldier, Daedalus, who asks a Duke for shelter from a storm. The duke allows him in but warns him about touching his two daughters. But Daedalus is gay and when he sees the duke’s son, Rauman, he is completely smitten. Rauman is also head over heels for Daedalus. They fall into each others arms but know they can’t be together forever. This was a good historical read. I didn’t get to know the characters that well so I felt I was missing something in the end. The story is more of a HFN story but was still good. 3 out of 5

Turn to Darkness by Jaime Rush was my next read. This is a spin-off from her original Offspring series. I haven’t read any of the other stories but I didn’t feel too lost at all with what was going on. Shea was hurt horribly 6 years earlier but none of her friends know about it. She hides behind baggy clothing. This doesn’t stop her friend Darius from liking her but he wants to possess her and frankly it’s a bit creepy. Then there’s Greer who she really likes but tells herself she doesn’t. The story revolved around Shea and Greer coming to terms with what they were to each other as well as the father’s of Shea and Greer coming to kill their offspring. It was an interesting story and I think I may want to go back and find out more about the “Darkness” which seems kind of like a strange magical ability. 3 out of 4

Love, Hypothetically by Anne Tenino is a follow up to Frat Boy and Toppy that I enjoyed so much. Paul was the nasty ass roommate that couldn’t keep his trap shut about jocks. We all thought he had a stick up his ass but apparently there was a very good reason for the way he acted. I’ll review this one later this week.

Last for the week was Forbidden by Nicola Cornick. This story was about Margery who is a ladies maid and quite happy for the time being. She wants nothing more than to save enough money to start her own confectioners shop. She meets Henry and is quite charmed by him…until she finds out some important information. I’ll review this later this week and tell you more then.

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
A Perfect Stranger by Jaden Skye
Echoes at Dawn by Maya Banks

Happy Reading!

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What I Read Last Week

Posted June 27, 2011 by Tracy in Features | 10 Comments

Good Afternoon!
It was a good week here in Tracyland. Life was relatively quiet during the week and that’s always nice.
On Saturday my youngest tested in Taekwondo for her next belt level…and passed! Get this – not only did she pass but she got the highest score of all 20 students who were testing and got a trophy! Yay! Go baby, go! To say we were proud of her would be a huge understatement.
And here she is doing some kicks during the test. 
In reading I was incredibly undiversified. I read book 1 of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews a couple of weeks ago so I decided to pick up book 2 and that started me off on a complete Kate Daniels binge. I tried to stop, I did, but I just had to keep going. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve read a series one book right after another. Just a damned good series that gets better and better with each book.
I started off the week with Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews. Kate is asked to retrieve some maps that were stolen from the Pack. The magic that normally comes and goes is heading into a flare where there will be the most powerful magic. She discovers that during this time Gods can manifest and that’s just not something she wants to happen. During the story she also inherits a 12 year old street urchin, Julie. She also discovers some interesting information about Curran and his possible feelings toward her. A really good book that had me turning pages as fast as I could. 4 out of 5
After that I read Winterlude by Tam Ames. You all know Tam Ames, right? Tam is Tam…you know, from Tam’s Reads and Brief Encounters. Yep, she wrote a story and got it published – go Tam! This was about a chance meeting on the street between two men who hit it off. They end up going out on a date and having a bit of an interlude. Will there be more in the future? IDK – hopefully Tam will follow up and let us know! A very good short story that I really liked. 4 out of 5
Saying Yes by Barbara Elsborg was next. This was another short story about a girl whose boyfriend/boss/roommate breaks up with her/fires her/kicks her out because she’s so negative all of the time. She determined to be more of a yes person. When she runs into a man while staying at her best friends apartment she decides to say yes to a whole host of things. Very cute just too darned short! 3 out of 5 (free story at Ellora’s Cave)
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews was next and it was so damned good! This had Kate fighting in something called the Midnight Games and trying to find the people who hurt her friend Derek. The world-building in this series just blows me away and especially in this book with the “new” creatures that were introduced – the Rakshasa – just their dwellings in Unicorn Lane was amazingly detailed…but not in a “omg too much detail” kind of way. Just an excellent book – I loved it. 5 out of 5
Next I pulled out the Must Love Hellhounds anthology and re-read Ilona Andrews story in that book. It was called Magic Mourns and it’s told in 1st person pov by Kate’s best friend Andrea. She ends up retrieving a dead body and facing a hellhound while getting together with werehyena, Raphael. Great little story. I had read this story before when I read the anthology originally but it had so much more meaning now that I was reading the whole series. 4 out of 5
After that it was Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews. This story had Kate facing her very powerful aunt as well as the aunts minions. Curran and Kate are getting closer as well and I love the slow build-up that we’ve gotten over the course of the series and it really comes to a head in this book. Love them together! 5 out of 5
Hexed is an anthology with four different authors but I only read Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews. This is Jim and Dali’s story and if you’re following the story you won’t want to miss it. Dali is trying to save Jim for a “thing” that’s eating his soul and trying to hide her love for him. A very good addition to the series. 4 out of 5
I had to do a bit of a palette cleanser after that and picked up my ereader and read Old Poison by Josh Lanyon – my Tracy’s TBR Challenge read. This is the second story in the Dangerous Ground series. It has Taylor and Will together for Taylor’s birthday but someone who has a very old grudge against Taylor wants him gone. This was another great story in the series and I really, really enjoyed it. Will and Taylor together are just wonderful and I can’t see what happens next in Blood Heat. 4.5 out of 5
And last for the week was, you guessed it, the last Kate Daniels book that was released, Magic Slays. Kate and Curran are searching for a man who is missing and the magic killing device he created. It also has Kate trying to save Julie’s life (her ward). Another excellent read! I just love the writing in this series. It just gets better and better. If you haven’t read this latest installment and have been reading the KD series then you should definitely read this one! 5 out of 5 (I read this for The Book Binge so will let you know when my review posts)
My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
**crickets**
Happy Reading!

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What I’ve Been Reading This Week

Posted December 7, 2009 by Tracy in Features | 11 Comments

Hey there!

I hope you all had a great week. My was fairly good overall.

My youngest did it again. She kicked butt and took names and got her orange belt in Taekwondo. She really is doing a great job. I, of course, am a horrible mother and forgot the damned camera! She went up first thing too so I didn’t have time to run home and get it. I suck, I know. My hubby took a couple of shots with his blackberry and 1 came out ok but most came out pretty blurry. I’m gonna post a few anyway cuz I’m so proud of her.



Here’s what I read this week:

I started off the week with The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston. I really enjoyed her Magnus Pack series so I thought I’d venture over to the Pride series. While I was overwhelmed with love they were definitely cute. The Mane Event had 2 stories in the book. The first was Christmas Pride which Dez, an NYC cop and Mace a shapeshifting lion who has had his sights set on Dez since he was 14 years old. There was a murder involved in the story and some other conflict but overall it was more sex than story. The second story, Shaw’s Tail, involved Shaw, a shapeshifting lion and Ronnie Lee, a shapeshifting wolf. Talk about mixed breeds. lol Ronnie Lee is trying to settle her life down from the craziness of her youth and Shaw is a wealthy hotel owner. Besides their breeds they really don’t have a whole lot in common. This was a really cute story – when the h/h spends the day together and the story shows them going from activity to activity it was highly amusing and very enjoyable. 3.75 out of 5


My second read for the week was Lord of the Highlands by Veronica Wolff. This was a book that I will review for The Book Binge – I’ll let you know when the review posts.

Next up was Bastards and Pretty Boys by KZ Snow. A gay man who’s not quite happy in his 5 month relationship buys a summer home on a lake. His neighbor is hottie mchot hot but he’s not gonna stray…until his “boyfriend” tells him that he’s been with other men. He’s positive that’s sealed the door on the relationship and moves forward with his neighbor. But his neighbor has some secrets of his own. He’s an ex-con and he’s got a man pretty much stalking him. This was a great 74 page read. KZ just has a great way of phrasing the simplest words and making them wonderfully emotional. 4.25 out of 5

After that I read To Tempt the Wolf by Terry Spear. This was an impulse buy while down at the UBS (the first time) but it being a shape-shifter book it was high on my list to read. The story covered Tessa who’s brother is convicted of murder – but she knows he’s not the murderer. Then she finds a naked man on the beach who ends up having amnesia. Not knowing who he is doesn’t stop Hunter from making a bargain with Tessa. She will let him stay at her place and he’ll find out who was the real murderer. Who Hunter really is? An Alpha wolf from a pack that has pretty much deserted him. He falls for Tessa, even though she’s not one of his kind and he can’t mate with her. On top of all this there are humans being turned to wolves, bad wolves stalking Tessa, Hunter’s sister is missing and there’s buried treasure! It is a lot in one book but Terry Spear pulls it off in a way that, hell, it could happen. lol Anyway, an enjoyable read. 3.75 out of 5

My Tracy’s TBR Challenge read for the week was Sleeping with the Fishes by Mary Janice Davidson. My friend gave me this book a couple of years ago and there is has sat on my shelf. And I have to say…after reading it I could have let it sit there a couple of more years and not missed it. The first chapter almost had me putting the book down. Fred, the half mermaid, half human is such an incredible bitch I wanted to slug her…yes, in the first chapter. I did finish reading the book since it was so few pages but I can’t say I enjoyed it too much. I didn’t care abotu Fred, the sea prince, Artur or the water fellow, Thomas. If you don’t care about the characters, do you really care about the story? For me? No. 2 out of 5

The Dickens with Love by Josh Lanyon was released on December 1st and I scooped that puppy up right away. It was 97 pages of wonderful Lanyon goodness. From the first meeting between the two men, to the crazy things that happen (yes, there’s an ocelot involved) I was riveted to my ereader. The story of a lost Dickens novel, a newly uncloseted son of a vicar and a tainted antiquarian is one that I will probably read every year at Christmas time. I think the love and self-awareness that the characters experience was very moving and this is a story I would definitely recommend. 4.5 out of 5

I read a yaoi manga this week. It was ZE1 by Yuki Shimizu and I have to tell ya, that was pretty odd. A guy who’s grandma has died goes to live in this house but he finds out that half of them are dolls and take away pain. It was truly bizarre but the graphics were pretty darned good. The main character’s story was just touched upon in this volume but I’m not sure I want to read any more – IDK, I’ll have to think about it. 2 out of 5

My last read for the week was another book from my shelves that’s been there a long while and that is Black Ice by Anne Stuart. I have to tell ya – I loved this book. From the heroine who seems kind of weak at first but is truly not…to the hero who is working undercover for the good guys but the line between good and evil is so thin he’s not sure where it crosses over anymore. Just a fantastic read. There were a couple of minor discrepancies (editing issues) in the book which were a little annoying but nothing that took away from my overall enjoyment. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. In fact I have Fire and Ice on the shelf so I won’t have to go buy anything. 🙂 4.5 out of 5



Happy Reading and have a great week!

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My Baby…the Yellow Belt

Posted July 3, 2009 by Tracy in Miscellaneous | 13 Comments

At the beginning of May youngest daughter started Taekwondo and has been loving it. Seriously loving it. Like she wants to go every day and when she’s there she wants to stay for more than one class loving it. She caught on very quickly and the Sensei has said that it just seems natural for her.

So last night she had her first belt test and she did great. She only messed up one time and still got above an 85% on her test. Right on. So here she is getting her yellow belt from Master Jordan. She’s so happy she can hardly stand it and I am very, very proud of her!

My oldest, who started dance at the same time as my youngest started her classes, now wants to stop dance and start Taekwondo. I think after seeing all the kids and the power they have she wants to learn how to kick butt too. lol Here she is messing around after the ceremony.
Also last night there was a student who was testing to try to get from a yellow belt to an orange belt. I was impressed with her test and felt for sure she was going to pass. She was the last one called up during the ceremony and the Master said there was bad news and good news. The bad news was that she wasn’t going to get her orange belt. The poor girl was trying so hard to keep her cool. Then he said that the good news was that she did so well on her test that she was going to go straight to her purple belt which is one step up from the orange belt! I’m such a sap. I totally started tearing up and she wasn’t even my daughter! 🙂

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