Gale Reads: Game On Series by Kristen Callihan

Hello fellow bookworms! =)

I decided to continue reviewing the New Adult sports-related books I have read lately. After I read the Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy (just click here for my review on this), I decided to try more sports-related romances & per Goodreads' recommendation, Game On Series by Kristen Callihan is the one to try.

This series currently have 3 books & I'm not sure how many books it will be or if this is it.

*all synopsis are from Goodreads.com*

The HookUp 

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love.

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?

Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…

Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.

All’s fair in love and football…Game on.

The Fried Zone

Gray doesn’t make friends with women. He has sex with them. Until Ivy.

The last thing star tight-end Gray Grayson wants to do is drive his agent’s daughter’s bubblegum pink car. But he needs the wheels and she’s studying abroad. Something he explains when she sends him an irate text to let him know exactly how much pain she’ll put him in if he crashes her beloved ride. Before he knows it, Ivy Mackenzie has become his best texting bud. But then Ivy comes home and everything goes haywire. Because the only thing Gray can think of is being with Ivy.

Ivy doesn’t have sex with friends. Especially not with a certain football player. No matter how hot he makes her…

Gray drives Ivy crazy. He’s irreverent, sex on a stick, and completely off limits. Because, Ivy has one golden rule: never get involved with one of her father’s clients. A rule that’s proving harder to keep now that Gray is doing his best to seduce her. Her best friend is fast becoming the most irresistible guy she’s ever met.

Which means Gray is going to have to use all his skills to get himself out of the friend zone and into Ivy’s heart. Game on

The Game Plan

A beard-related dare and one hot-as-hell kiss changes everything.

NFL center Ethan Dexter’s focus has always been on playing football and little else. Except when it comes to one particular woman. The lovely Fiona Mackenzie might not care about his fame, but she’s also never looked at him as anything more than one of her brother-in-law’s best friend. That ends now.

Fi doesn’t know what to make of Dex. The bearded, tattooed, mountain of man-muscle looks more like a biker than a football player. Rumor has it he’s a virgin, but she finds that hard to believe. Because from the moment he decides to turn his quiet intensity on her she’s left weak at the knees and aching to see his famous control fully unleashed.

Dex is looking for a forever girl, but they live vastly different lives in separate cities. Fi ought to guard her heart and walk away. But Dex has upped his game and is using all his considerable charm to convince Fi he's her forever man.

MY REVIEW:

As a whole, I really really love this series! I'm totally giving it a 4.5/5 rating because even though the premise of the story is not that unique like most sports-related romances I have read, the execution is superb. I really enjoyed reading each of these books as I like that every character is interconnected & so you can still see the progression of their love story through the eyes of a different character. My favorite among the 3 is Friend Zone. Actually, come to think of it, I believe Friend Zone is my favorite sport-related New Adult romance of all time because it has all the elements I wanted in a book. The main hero Gray is a very smart & talented man who adores her girl. While the heroine Ivy is such a strong character & so unique plus I really love the fact that she's not whiny. Also, i really enjoyed their love story as it is a slow burn & not insta love.  They are mature in their decisions & have shown real emotions, no over drama.

I will definitely recommend this series to everyone who love romances. You won't regret this, i promise. =)


Thank you for dropping by!

Gale Reads: Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

 Hello everyone! Today is the last day of February & it's a leap year too! And I suddenly had an urge to write a book review so that's what I'm going to post for this week. =) 


Starting around October-November of 2015, I got hooked into the new adult romance genre especially the sports-related ones (football & hockey especially). I was in need of a refresher as I was reading a lot of heavy novels and I wanted something light & fun to read. I was searching on Goodreads for suggestions & that's when I saw The Deal that is book 1 of the Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy. I got intrigued by the synopsis because my black hole in books are nerdy girls that has strong personalities. 


This series has 3 books so far & I'm not sure how many there will be in this series.

*all synopsis from Goodreads.com
 

 The Deal

he's about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice...even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it's going to be oh so good

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

The Mistake

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

The Score

He knows how to score, on and off the ice

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she's going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di-Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

 MY REVIEW

COVER TALK:

I love the cover! I really like the fact that it doesn't show the face of the model. I really prefer to imagine my lead hero's face. And why would I complain with these bodies? Haha seriously though, many might think this is romance if they see the cover but this is only a tad more mature compared to young adult books but it's definitely not on the level of 50 Shades. I just think football players are stereotyped as hot & sexy so they used these as covers.

 

OVER-ALL THOUGHTS:

As a whole, I love the fact that all 3 of these stories are not "love at first sight" and all of the characters are interconnected in a way, thus making it a series. I also love the fact that the stories doesn't feel rushed even though it's not a thick book. The author took her time to show her readers how the main characters develops throughout the story. You will also see the development of the different characters that surround the main leads so you know that if ever Elle Kennedy decided to pursue & continue this series then you'll definitely be excited for it since you have already loved that character that is somewhat an extra of each book. For example, Logan from book 2 was introduced as Garrett's best friend in book 1. There's also Allie that first made an appearance in book 1 & also in book 2 before she became the lead of book 3. I really enjoyed reading how these characters interact with each other & gets updates for each book.

I also love the author's writing style. She writes in a way that you feel like you are watching it as a TV series. I love the dialogues & the jokes. Nothing is forced or too cheesy, at least for me. I know there are cliches there but it was used so perfectly that I didn't care that much haha. If you love a new adult romance and also love football players then this is definitely a good series to start.

I definitely give this entire series a 4.5/5 RATING, I didn't give it a 5 just because the storyline per se is predictable. I really hope Elle Kennedy will continue this series. =)

What's your favorite New Adult Romance or sports related book? Please share them in the comment section below so I can add it to my TBR list. =)

Thank you for dropping by!

Gale Reads: Empower [Violet Eden Chapters # 5] by Jessica Shirvington

Finally! I'm done reading the last book in the Violet Eden Chapters. It really a sort of an achievement for me whenever I finish a series because that meant I have completed the story :)

TITLE: Empower
AUTHOR: Jessica Shirvington
GENRE: Young Adult, Angels, Love Story, Paranormal
PUBLISHED DATE: November 12, 2013 
# of BOOKS IN THE SERIES: 5 titlse, this is the final installment

SYNOPSIS:
It has been two years since Violet Eden walked away from the city, her friends, her future and - most importantly - her soulmate, Lincoln. Part angel, part human, Violet is determined to stand by the promises she made to save the one she loves.
Living in the perpetual coldness of a broken soul she survives day to day as a Rogue Grigori in London.
But when an unexpected visitor shows up at her door, the news he bears about someone she swore to protect leaves Violet with no choice.
Even worse, she fears that this might all lead back to the night she tries hardest to forget. And what was taken without her permission.
Violet is going back to New York ... and she knows exactly who is going to be there.
With Phoenix in her dreams and Lincoln in her heart she knows it is only a matter of time before the final choice must be made.  


COVER TALK:
I don't want to talk & rate this anymore. The original book cover (left) is just so boring and has no appeal whatsoever. I love the other version (right, red) way way better because it has more personality :)

MY REVIEW:
I would recommend you read my review of the first 4 books before reading this post because I have given a good intro for the series in those. Just click here.

I am so so glad that the author made the character of Violet Eden mature book after book. She turned from a whiny love crazed teenager with all those angst that is so immature for someone who has a big responsibility to a wonderful mature girl who knows what she is capable to do & what she must do. She is not totally ruled by her emotions anymore & can control her feelings & actions way better. I guess it's a nice touch for the author because it showed great character development not only for Violet but also to all the other character in the story because she's not the only one who matured. 

This finale is full of action & twists that it became a page turner, which is a little unexpected because I didn't have that much high hope with the series. I loved all the fight scenes that happened. And the ending is the best for each character. I just hoped she didn't have to kill the one that I liked since it's not essential to the story. Anyhow, I really admire each scene of this book and I am now adding this series on my to-buy list for physical copies :)


OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

Perfect ending for a good series. If you love books about strong women then this is for you.


OVER-ALL RATING FOR THE SERIES: 4/5

It is a good series, just not the best in the YA genre that I have read. It started slow in the first 3 books but started to pick up in book 4 & 5. I did love the concept about Gregoris & Nephilims & Angels but the premise & everything is not unique. I would have loved to see more depth to the story. But this is still a good series to read especially if you love books about angels.


Thanks for dropping by!

Review: LUSH Godiva Shampoo Bar

Happy Friday everyone! It's a bright and sunny day and I'm feeling really good right now since my colds are gone yay! :)

Today, I will be reviewing another shampoo bar from Lush Cosmetics. I really like their hair care line because they didn't break me out and there's also minimal to no hair fall whenever I use them.  I have been contemplating which shampoo to try and have decided to get the popular Godiva 2 in 1 shampoo bar.

*photo courtesy of Lush USA website because I was unable to take a picture before I used it*


According to Lush:
Our vegan, 2-in-1 shampoo bar cleans and conditions your hair with moisturizing nut oils and shea butter. These butters and oils care for dry, processed locks and leave you with glossy, shiny, and softened tresses. Long used as a tonic for the hair and scalp, jasmine also perfumes your locks with an ultra-sexy fragrance with serious staying power. Named after a certain naked protestor, Godiva gets to work sending a message to your hair. 

INGREDIENTS:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao) , Cetearyl Alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , Glycerl Stearate & Peg - 100 Stearate , Propylene Glycol , Perfume , Hibiscus Extract (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) , Stearic Acid , Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) , Cetearyl Alcohol , Cetrimide , Camella Oil (Camella japonita) , Organic Cold Pressed Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis) , Organic Macadamia Nut Oil (Macadamia ternifolia) , Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera) , Jasmine Absolute (Jasminum officinale) , Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata) , Cypress Oil (Cupressus sempervirens) , Palmarossa Oil (Cymbopogan martini) , Jasmine Flowers (Jasminum officinale) , Cupuacu Butter (Theobroma Grandiflorum) , Cocamide DEA , Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides) , Benzyl Alcohol , Geraniol , *Limonene , *Linalool


NET WT: 55g
PRICE: Php525 


MY THOUGHTS ON GODIVA SHAMPOO BAR

YAY!

- This cleanses my hair and scalp thoroughly. All the build up of products that I have used before were gone after one wash. Can be used as a clarifying shampoo but not as drying like other brands.

- Keeps my hair soft without the need of a conditioner which saves me time and money hehe. You might think at first that your hair is too squeaky clean (while it's wet) and is in need of a conditioner but just wait until your hair dries and it will surprisingly felt soft.

- It gives my hair volume. I have limp hair so having a bouncy full locks without the use of a styling tool is a big plus.

- Keeps my scalp and hair smelling good the whole day.

- I did not experience any hair fall. Whenever I use commercially available shampoos, I get a lot of hair fall during my shower but I didn't experience that with this.

- Did not irritate my skin so no breakouts on my scalp and back. That's one of my problems with other brands and those acne were painful to the touch and hard to heal. I'm so glad Lush is always there to the rescue to help me heal.

- One bar is said to be good for 80 washes (equivalent to 3 bottles of shampoo). I have long hair now (past bra line) so I think I can get around 60 washes from this instead of 80...actually, I think this can last me for 4-5 months because I have already used it for a month and it's still looks the same.

- Lastly, having great customer service is always a big plus in my book. I always buy from Lush SM North because the staff there is so accommodating and helpful everytime I visit the store.


NAY!

- This is softer and easier to melt compared to the other shampoo bars that I have tried from Lush. Maybe it's because it has a lot of oils in it to make it moisturizing so it's not that solid. I just place it in a container where it can dry completely and won't get reached with water whenever someone takes a shower.

- It is not enough to make your hair tangle free. My hair is soft and volumized but it can get tangled at the ends very quickly. My hair is naturally like that so I think I need to do a weekly deep conditioning to help Godiva along.


- It is quite pricey at Php500+ for one small bar. It is still worth it though :)


OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5

I love everything about it! No wonder Godiva is such a popular and well loved product. It does everything it said it will and you definitely won't get disappointed with the performance. I just hope it doesn't melt that fast.


WILL I REPURCHASE? Yes but not anytime soon. I plan on trying out all of Lush's shampoos, both the solid bars and the liquids, but I can definitely see myself using this for a long time.


What's your favorite Lush shampoo? I would like to know yours so that I can try them too! :)


Thank you for dropping by!
 

Pinoy TV Review: Be Careful With My Heart

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope all of you are having a great week so far. Me, not so much as I have a nasty cold and it's hard to breathe so I stayed indoors and just watched videos online. And whenever I'm home during the weekdays, I make sure I watch Be Careful With My Heart (BCWMH) at ABS-CBN :)


TITLE: Be Careful With My Heart
GENRE: Comedy, Love Story, Family
EPISODES: ongoing (started airing in July 9, 2012)
AIRING TIME: 11:45am Monday-Friday
BROADCASTING NETWORK: ABS-CBN

PLOT:
This is a story about a simple girl MAYA DELA ROSA (Jodi Sta. Maria) who journeys to the big city to follow her dreams to become a flight stewardess to help her family. She would allow no one to stop her, not even the handsome, wealthy widower RICHARD LIM (Richard Yap), who threatens to ruin her dreams. Ironically, Richard is her last hope in reaching her dreams because of his influence in the Airline Industry and he will only help Maya if she agrees to become his children's temporary nanny.

click here for the wikipedia complete info 


MY THOUGHTS:
First things first before I say anything else, I wanted to inform you all that I don't typically watch Filipino TV shows and dramas. To tell you guys honestly, I kind of hate them because a lot of these dramas are so long (because of repetitive conflicts) with stereotyped problems and aggravating characters. I'm not saying ALL but A LOT of these dramas. Since time immemorial, the story always evolve around the topic of "poor vs rich" and "family conflict" things which I know is the most popular but to put so many unnecessary twists with it is arrgh! So just to spare myself some irritations, I tend to just spend my time watching other Asian dramas like Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese because every episode will contain something vital and you know that the drama will just run for 20 episodes or less so it won't have a chance to put weird story line most of the time. 

That said, you might say, "why do you watch Be Careful With My Heart if you don't like Filipino dramas?" 
My answer to that is simple: This drama has a very light storyline and only have a few conflicts. This doesn't even have "kontrabidas" (enemies) to begin with hehe and that's a unique aspect by itself and I guess this is what made the drama popular for all ages and gender. 

BCWMH aims to show its audience the fun and positive life of a simple Filipino family regardless of the social standing. They also reenacts the different Filipino values that everyone should have (that a lot of kids didn't do anymore, which is sad) such as always showing respect to adults, saying "po" and "opo", pag-mamano, and even the proper way of courting a girl which is asking for permission to the parents. The conflicts are also the common problems encountered for such age group such as "puppy love" problems and school for the teenagers, jealousy, coping with a death in the family, kids coping with the fact that their father is inlove again after the death of their mom, workaholic parents, OFW in the family, working student, etc just to name a few.  My brother even watches this because according to him, it's nicer to laugh than to cry in every episode which I agree 100% with.

According to ABS-CBN, they still don't know how and when they will end this drama because a lot of people are still watching and they have decided that as long as the ratings are okay, they will continue with the show. I also have read an article about the writers of the show having a hard time because according to them, "...it's so hard to stay positive...and to think of events that happens everyday to anyone..."   For me, I would actually like for the show to continue and for it to end with a "happily ever after" moment for everyone.

OVERALL, I'm giving this show 4.5/5. 

The casts did a great job in acting out their roles and I really salute the casting director because he chose them very well. I gave this a minus 0.5 because even though the acting is good, the way the writers wrote Richard Lim's dialogue is a little off. I don't know why Sir Chief always talks in English and then Maya talks in Tagalog. It's really weird to converse like that don't you think? Luckily for them, it works haha. But aside from that, I really enjoyed BCWMH and I will continue to watch the show at iwantv.com.ph.

To watch Be Careful With My Heart online, click here. There's also a rewind every Saturday morning at Channel 2.

What about you? Have you watched this show? Share your thoughts below and let's chat :)


Thanks for dropping by! 

Gale Reads: Chosen at Nightfall by CC Hunter (Shadow Falls Series #5)

Happy Tuesday! It's been raining again these last few days and I think a typhoon will come again soon. Since I can't go out, I stayed at home and read a book from my To-Read List.

The last installment for the Shadow Falls Series by CC Hunter has already been released last April 2013. I have reviewed the first 4 books so you can read those first if you're new to the story :)

Book 1-3

Book 4

Chosen At Nightfall is the end about the story of Kylie Galen, a chameleon teenager who had struggled in learning who she really is. Kylie thought she was just a normal teenager dealing with a broken family and psychiatric problems (she sees ghosts) until she got enrolled at Shadow Falls Academy and learned about her supernatural capabilities. After accepting the fact that she is a supernatural being, she then struggled in finding out which specie she belongs to because her brain pattern is very unique and it changes frequently. Book 4, Whispers at Moonrise, solved her identity question and it ended with a big question mark about her decision to stay with her clan and also who she really wants between Derek and Lucas.

My thoughts:
I loved Chosen At Nightfall! It's the perfect ending for this series because it solved all the conflicts of Kylie and had a happy ending. CC Hunter proved true that she can really write Young Adult stories that involves different kinds of love and relationships while still incorporating lessons for teenagers. She was also able to insert the importance of self preservation and safe sex throughout the series. I didn't like her initial approach of "sex is bad and gross" because I thought it's over the top, but after reading book 5, I get to understand that she wants to show a more realistic view about the topic. She wants her readers to see how Kylie and the gang developed and mature not only physically but also on their beliefs and actions. For me, the way CC Hunter ended the story is commendable because she created a balance between the different species and also between family and friends. She also showed how teens can become independent and decide for their own while still respecting their family especially their parents. 

RATING: 4.5/5

Chosen At Nightfall is a great final installment for a good series. I have seen a lot of series that ended badly but CC Hunter were able to keep the quality until the last book which made me really happy and content. I gave this 4.5/5 rating because the author could have made this story a little longer or more detailed. The last 1/3 of the story felt a little rushed and she could have placed some more details and importance about the problem solving process instead of just saying this is what we did and this is the result, everyone is happy. But aside from that, I am glad it does have a happy ending for everyone :)



OVER-ALL RATING FOR THE SHADOW FALLS SERIES: 5/5

I am so in love with this series! It has a fresh approach wherein the author incorporated the popular groups of supernaturals and created a boarding school for them to interact with each other like in Xmen. If you love paranormal stories, you will definitely love this because it have vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, faeries, witches and warlocks, and even chameleons who have a little of everything, all in one story. This also have a lot of lessons that will benefit teenagers because a lot of the conflicts involved were the problems encountered by teens like divorce/infidelity, long distance relationship between friends and family, unsupportive parents, breakups, jealousy, friendship, being the odd man/unique in class, and dealing with authority figures like teachers and family. I recommend this to anyone and I believe even kids can read it as it doesn't have romance involved so parents can relax.

FYI: According to CC Hunter, she will start a spinoff series where the vampire friend of Kylie, Della Tsang, would be the main character! I will definitely read that because I would still be able to see the rest of the gang even if they are just glimpses. Also Della is really fun and seeing the Shadow Falls Academy through her eyes would be amazing!


Thank you for dropping by and I hope you all have a great week ahead!

Drama Review: Love Rain

Happy Thursday! 

I have watched Love Rain in 3 days and I'm so happy I did! It's really hard to stop watching the next episode even if you're so sleepy already haha :)

TITLE: Love Rain
EPISODES: 20
GENRE: Love Story, MeloDrama
BROADCAST NETWORK: KBS2
BROADCAST PERIOD: March 26 - May 29, 2012
AIRING TIME: Monday - Tuesday
SYNOPSIS:
"Love Rain" depicts a 1970's pure love and a love from the present day at the same time. It shows how the children of a previous ill-fated couple, who met in the 1970s, managed to meet and fall in love. Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee, an art student and a shy beauty, met and fell in love with each other during college in the 1970s but unfortunately their love was fated to never be. Now in the present 21st century Korea, Seo In Ha's son, Seo Joon (a liberal photographer) meets and falls in with the daughter of Kim Yoon Hee, Jung Ha Na, a cheerful and energetic girl who's personality is different from her mother's. Will their love for each other keep them together or will they have to face the same fate as their parents?

*source: drama wiki*

CAST:
Jang Geun Suk as Seo Joon (present) / Seo In Ha (1970s)
Im Yoona of SNSD as Jung Ha Na (present) / Kim Yoon Hee (1970s)
Jung Jin Young as Seo In Ha (present)
Lee Mi Sook as Kim Yoon Hee (present)
Yoo Hye Ri as Baek Hye Jung (present)

*For the rest of the cast, click here.

ENGLISH SUBBED VIDEOS here

MY REVIEW:

This drama actually started quite slow. It was kinda dragging in the first 4 episodes wherein they showed the love story of Seo In Ha and Kim Yoon Hee during their college years (1970s). This part is kind of cliche in my opinion and a little boring but it kept me going still because you can really understand the intensity of their love and the why's why there are a lot of conflicts at the present.

I love how they recreated the 1970s because it was really believable. From the lighting and colors of the film, the costumes and the background. I also enjoyed the contrast of the characters as if they really lived at that era. The take on friendship and love is really something I want to commend the writer for.

Going forward, if you wanted to watch the present only, skip to Episode 5 where their children have met. I love how the director separated the past and present characters even though they were acted by the same person. The color and tone of their personality really showed the difference.

Seo In Ha's son Seo Joon is a famous photographer who is a eclectic and temperamental while Kim Yoon Hee's daughter Jung Ha Na is a gardener who is always cheerful and always smiling.They have different personalities and interests so they really clashed when they first met. Their relationship developed quite normally and I am glad that it never was a love at first sight. This is really believable because it can happen in real life.

Jang Geun Suk is really a great actor. I am a fan since You're Beautiful and I have always watched his drama ever since. Love Rain is a nice break for him because he is not a musician in this drama. He have done 3 consecutive dramas wherein he is a singer so I am quite happy to see him portray a different role. I can't wait for his next work and I hope it's with a great actress who can can kiss him with the same intensity like Park Shin Hye in their Etude House commercial years ago :)

This is the first time I have seen Yoona acting so I was quite impressed how good she was. I think she did a good job with her role and it really fit her personality. I also liked the fact that she is not a wooden statue during their kissing scenes. Jang Geun Suk kisses well and I'm happy Yoona had done a great job. She were able to show the difference on how an innocent girl reacts when kissed for the time and when they are already dating for a long time. Great job Yoona and I will definitely watch your next drama.

I really love the ending! Seriously, I hope all melodrama ends this way hehe ~

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

Although the story line is a bit cliche and it started a little slow, I really enjoyed this drama. It had a balance of fun scenes and melodramatic ones. The crying scenes are great because I understand why it is sad and the actors really did a great job of portraying the hurt they are feeling. This drama also showed the different faces of love: family, friends and romantic (both good and bad). Good job to the casts! I don't have any complaints on the acting. I love everything :)


[SPOILER ALERT]

Please stop reading if you haven't seen the drama yet and don't want to know what happened in the story and just come back once you have watched it :)

My TOP 3 scenes from the dramas are:

*In no particular order*

1.) I really love the back hug during their escapade when they learned their parents gave way so they can be together. It was very impromptu and the scene was just so romantic. You can feel the love oozing from these two hehe I guess being friends in real life made them really comfortable in acting lovey-dovey.

2.) Their first kiss in front of the fountain. That was so romantic! I guess, I just love how Jang Geun Suk exudes manliness when he did it. And that scene have no awkwardness whatsover that you usually see in K-dramas.

The yank is what did it to me, to be honest LOL :)

3.) And lastly, I really love their last scene - The kiss under the canopy of flowers before they got married. They look so good together and I love how sweet and romantic it is. I just hope they showed the actual wedding too :)

 I'll definitely have Yoona's look on my wedding. It's so gorgeous :)

Thanks for dropping by!!