I would like to Thank all Service Men and Woman, past, present, and future. These brave souls fight not just for our freedoms, but for a better world and I truly believe we should remember them always. This weekend we saw a lot of Memorial day celebrations, but today is supposed to be a day to give thanks and remember the sons and daughters of this country that have in some cases given their lives so that we can live free. Let us never forget their and their families sacrifices. A Sweet Release from Author Anna Alexander and My Thoughts on Some Books What is a Sprawling A book without a delicious treat? Even I'm not sure what Adam fell in love with first, Nic or her cheesecake. Samoan Cheesecake Here is the recipe I invented with a few culinary classmates when we were given the task to dream up a cheesecake bar. INGREDIENTS: 8oz chocolate wafer cookie crumbs 3oz melted butter 1 pound 2oz Chevre (mild goat's milk cheese) room temperature 6oz Marscapone cheese 6oz granulated sugar 1/3 cup heavy cream 5 eggs at room temperature 8oz granulated sugar 1/3 cup heavy cream 3oz coconut flake Dash of lemon juice and vanilla Melted chocolate. Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9inch cake round or springform pan by covering the outside with aluminium foil. Melted butter. Combine butter with cookie crumbs and press into the bottom of the pan and partway up the sides. In a bowl cream together the Chevre, marscapone, and the six ounces of sugar. I a separate bowl, combine eggs and cream. Slowly mix egg mixture with the cheeses until smooth. Lumps cause cracks, so no lumps. Pour in to the cake pan. Place a pan in the center of a roasting pan, then place in the over. Pour warm water into the roasting pan. About one to two inches deep. You are creating a steam bath. Bake for about 50 minutes. After baking, allow the cake to cool. Once cool and released from the pan, melt the remaining sugar in a pan with a smidgen of water. Just enough to get the sugar wet. Let the sugar cook uninterrupted until it turns a golden brown color. Add the cream and a squirt of lemon juice and a dash of vanilla. Careful, the mixture will bubble fiercely. Stir in the flaked coconut. Pour over cheesecake in a thin layer. Finish by melting some chocolate and drizzle over the top. I know!! Can you imagine! Uberreader's thoughts on Jude Devereaux's Velvet (Montgomery) Series I have recently revisited Velvet Promise (they were recently republished in ebook format and were on sale at a bargain price). I have to say my favorite is still Velvet Song, maybe that's because I liked The Black Lyon (which could be considered a prequel for all the other Montgomery books). I began reading Ms. Deveraux's books decades ago when she was a new author and was starting her career as a writer (I still own those first paperbacks). I still prefer her historical romances to her contemporaries, but alas she has moved on with her writing, but this does not mean we should mourn we can still enjoy the first fruits of her brilliant mind with the republication of these old favorites. I own multiple formats of these books and have recommended them to others who became Ms. Deveraux's fans. Uberreader's review of A Gentleman's Surrender by Mariel Grey May 31, 2016 By Heather Danielle First and foremost this is a book about how people's secrets and lies not only affect their lives, but the lives of others. James Stanton believes he is avenging the insults done to his mother by her husband and another woman, but before he can complete his plans both his conscience and love find him. He falls in love with one of the innocents that will be injured by his mother's death bed request. This book was an interesting read that will keep you captivated wanting to know if he will continue or if he will realize he is about to ruin not just his victims lives but his own. I am assured that most romance fans will enjoy this book if for no other reason than love prevails, but there is so much more to this book. It has a moral lesson in there that is never going to be out of date. Thank you Ms. Grey good moral lessons that are still engaging are in short supply lately. I also want to thank Ms. Grey and NetGalley for giving me a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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This week May 23, 2016 we lost another truly rare, gifted and well respected author. Ms. Jo Beverley, née Mary Josephine Dunn had written many books in her career and won many awards, but I never really cared if an author was popular or sellable. I just cared if I liked the stories they told us in their books. Jo Beverley succeeded as far as I'm concerned. I have many of her books and have recommended her books to others, some of whom have gone on to recommend them to other friends. This in my estimation is the mark of a great author, not the awards (although I am sure they are nice), but if someone reads what you wrote and encourages others to do likewise. Jo Beverley had that in spades; even other authors enjoyed her works before they made it to the bestsellers list. So here is my suggestion to all those historical romance readers out there, pick up one of Jo Beverley books (wherever library, bookstore, or online) and read it. In my many years of reading there have been a lot of author's who have passed (H. Beam Piper, Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Jordan, just to name a few). And although I never personally met them I miss them, for the enjoyment, entertainment, relaxation, and just a general sense of happiness they gave us. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Jo Beverley: Jo Beverley, née Mary Josephine Dunn (22 September 1947 – 23 May 2016) was a prolific English-Canadian writer of historical and contemporary romance novels from 1988 to 2016. Her works are regarded as well researched, filled with historical details, and peopled by communities of interlinked characters, stretching the boundaries of the historical romantic fiction genre. They have been translated into several languages, and she has received multiple awards. Uberreader's thoughts on Laurell K. Hamilton's Shutdown I have read this many times and still enjoy the glimpse into Anita's life. The interaction between the four characters is totally believable and true to life. I also want the thank Laurell and her editor for getting this out at a time when so many needed something to lift their spirits. If you are an Anita Blake fan and have not read this you really need to get a hold of a copy of this. Do Not Read Until You Finish DEAD ICE Ms. Hamilton recently wrote another glimpse into Anita's life in the short story WOUNDED. She put this in the back of the paperback version of DEAD ICE if you have the original e-book or hardback you are out of luck at the moment, unless like me you went to the local book store and read it. I was thoroughly engrossed and could not put it down until I finished. If you like Anita you will definitely want to read this, but heads up it contains spoilers, if you have not read DEAD ICE do not read WOUNDED until you have. Margaret Daley Recipe - Cucumber, Avocado, and Feta Salad This is from Two Peas & Their Pod website. Great recipes there. My husband and I had it this week and really enjoyed it. Perfect for summer. Easy to make. INGREDIENTS: 1 large seedless cucumber, chopped 3 large avocados, pit removed and chopped Juice of 1 lemon 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill Salt and black pepper, to taste (Next time I'm going to add sunflower seeds in it. I think this is a recipe you can play with and change up.) Directions: In a large bowl, combine cucumber, avocado, lemon juice, feta, and dill. Gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Uberreader's review of Cross the Stars (Crossing Stars Duet, Book 1) May 29, 2016 By Heather Danielle I really hate to say this to anyone but three chapters do not make a book, it could be that I was sent a sneak peek version and not informed of that. The copy I received is only 51 pages long and Amazon says this book is 312 pages. It does make a good opening to a book even if it is slow going in the first chapter. This would have been a good foundation to a longer novel which it possibly is or if Ms. Kimball was serializing the book it would be fine but as a standalone it needs more, much more. The characters are well thought out and thoroughly understandable. You can relate to Ella's struggle for a life of her own. Ragaa's conflicted feelings are perfectly understandable. There is just not enough narrative to call this a book. This is not worth the price asked for it, or it conceivably could be if the book is truly 312 pages long. I received a free copy of this book (or sneak peek) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Tea Time with Stella Cameron To give you a flavor of daily life in Folly-on-Weir and a simple opportunity to make yourself a royal treat with a lovely and speedily accomplished recipe: LINDA'S SUCCULENT BUTTERY, CINNAMON-RAISIN SCONES Ingredients: 3 cups flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp cream of tartar 3 TBSP Cinnamon 1 cup raisins 2 sticks cold butter 1 cup buttermilk 1 TBSP Vanilla Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients with fingertips until in small pieces (pea size) and coarse meal. Add buttermilk and vanilla, mix until just moistened and put onto a floured surface. Add raisins and fold into dough, then pat or roll to 3/4" thickness. Cut into rounds and place on baking sheet. Beat one egg and wash the top of scones then sprinkle with sugar. Bake 11-15 minutes. Will make approximately 12 medium to large scones. Best served warm with mock clotted cream (this is as close as we can get when not in UK!) Beat the following together. Consider preparing a little in advance and cooling in refrigerator. A lovely dollop of strawberry jam is traditional. Some split the scone and put jam inside, others (me) slather jam and cream on top. Mock clotted cream: 4oz Mascarpone 1 cup heavy cream 1tsp vanilla 1-2 TBSP sugar Harriet and Mary Burke of Leaves of Comfort, Folly-on-Weir's smashing tea shop, recommend a warm scone or two with a cup of tea as you start reading. Affectionately, —Stella Now on to the reviews, as I am sure you all know May is a very busy month, what with graduations, school ending, and just life so I have needless to say fallen behind in my reviews, but here is what I have for the week. Uberreader’s review of To Win a Lady's Heart by Ingrid Hahn May 22, 2016 By Heather Danielle Absorbing you will hate to put it down. This book may dawdle but that does nothing to hinder the story. I found that when I had to put this book aside to do something else I resented it. It could have used a little more action, but the turmoil between and within the characters more than carried this book. The characters struggles both internal and external just make this book work, you can relate to their tribulations. I would recommend this book to any historical romance enthusiast. UBERREADER’S REVIEW OF THE TROUBLE WITH MISBEHAVINGMay 15, 2016 By Heather Danielle Thoroughly enjoyable and enthralling you cannot wait to see how it all works out in the end. You relate to and understand the villains. You root for the misunderstood and guarded main characters. The children are beautifully portrayed; you just may fall in love with them. This book is entrancing and you won’t want to put it down. What's more this book illustrates in phenomenal detail the effects of war on the civilian populace. You might even find yourself in tears at some stage while you read this book. I would highly recommend you put this book on your wish or reading list if you are a fan of historical romances. It is May and life just seems to crowded with activities. So this blog is short on reviews and long on the subject of Mother’s Day, Remember to reach out to Mom today and let her know you care. As my Mother’s Day gift to my reader’s I am including in this blog a recipe from J.T. Ellison.
J.T.'s Special Piccata Sauce (makes enough servings for 6 meals) I am a fiend for excellent piccata sauce. It's the capers. I love them, in all their salty, briny goodness. Add them to lemon, and BOOM—something special happens. Piccata sauce is one of the easiest to make. You literally can get away with lemon, butter and capers, heated and reduced, if you only want a taste of bliss. If, though, like me, you crave a flavor explosion, the recipe below is based on a meal I had at one of our local Nashville establishments, Bria. I had it over shrimp with broccolini, and it's spectacular. But piccata will go over any white meat: fish, chicken, even pork, and even works with pasta alone. A little angel hair topped with piccata will make you a brilliant dinner. Here's my re-creation of the deliciousness I had the other night. I made enough to fill several mason jar—some I froze, and the others, we ate with gusto. Enjoy! Ingredients:
Just a little heads up, if you click on Heather Danielle in the reviews you will end up at my review page for Amazon, I will soon have other links up and running. That's it from me! Enjoy May flowers, graduations, Memorial Day cookouts, and all the happiness that comes with this season, and most of all have a great time with Mom this Mother’s day. Uberreader's Review of Melissa Moore's CABIN: Unexpected Ménage A Trois April 22, 2016 By Heather Danielle Unexpectedly entertaining, but story needs some polishing. Miss Moore changed view points more than once, she started the novella in the first person, and then she would make statement like: The brunette. She could definitely use a proof reader because she also started to put Charlie's name where Maggie's name should have been and her grammar and syntax needs work. Her plot was entertaining but a little slow. Overall a good start for a budding author I am sure most of the issues I raised will improve with experience. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I hope I have achieved that with this review. Uberreader's Review of Melissa Moore's Weretwins: Three Pack April 27, 2016 By Heather Danielle While the plot was an interesting concept, the storyline just did not do it justice. The story dragged from beginning to end, it needed something to add excitement or thills. This book had many positive points but not enough to overcome the boring factor. The cats were cute but not enough in and of themselves. The characters were interesting but not enough was their development. All in all this work needed more work. The use of tense, grammar, and syntax was much improved and again for a new author these set backs are just growing pains that will improve with experience. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I hope I have achieved that with this review, I truly expect Miss Moore's to reach her goals as an author. Uberreader's review of Mail Order Baron (The Brides of Tombstone Book 3) April 28, 2016 By Heather Danielle Loved it! I could not put it down; it kept you riveted from start to finish. The underlying plot of the characters secrets was masterful. Finished book in one sitting. The character interaction was real and believable. This book is a must read, because you leave the book just wanting to see what happens next, even though it does have an epilogue, as the best books do. If you haven't read the others in the series you definitely will after reading this book. Uberreader's review of The Princess Wore Plaid: A Novella April 30, 2016 By Heather Danielle I thought some of the characters were somewhat cliché, although I did enjoy the book. The secondary characters of the inn keeper and his wife as bumbling do gooder's is so over done, but I must say that Miss Hawkins did try to make them loving and endearing. I did like and emphasize with the main characters. Although this book is not up to Miss Hawkins usual caliber it is definitely not a failure it could possibly used a little more work, but that is sometimes the case with this genre. It did not hold the reader's interest as some of her previous books, and I say this as a reader who has this author on her list of if not favorites , just the next step down from favorites. I did receive an ARC of this book and read that copy, but I still bought my own copy when this book was released, so as I have said before not great, but definitely not a failure. |
AuthorI am an avid reader and just became a semi-professional reviewer. I am in the process of starting my own blog site with links to my Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads reviews. I have encouraged reading in people of all ages for decades now, but we will not discuss my age as I am a lady. ArchivesCategories |