It's Fry again! Have a hot chocolate recipe!

Hey everyone, it's Fry here. I legit disappeared, didn't I? Amy has been doing a marvelous job keeping the fort functioning and reading all the books that I haven't been. It's pretty awesome. I'm super stoked to see that the blog is still alive even after dropping off the planet for a few months.

Where did I go? Well, ya see, the husband and I received a surprise. We're having another baby! As with the others, I succumbed to ennui and morning sickness like you wouldn't believe. First trimester is no fun and all you ladies who won the genetic lottery and have smooth ones, you have all of my jealousy.

I'm finally feeling like a functioning human again and I hope to get back to reading and reviewing. This surprise has thrown a snag into several of my plans for this and next year. I will no longer be attending the RT convention in May with Amy. It's actually on my due date. I would have loved to see New Orleans again, but there will always be the future.

Anyway, I (fingers crossed) find out the gender on Friday (the 20th). It will be a marvelous early Christmas present!

May your holiday be full of book store gift cards, hot chocolate and warm cuddly reading time.

Since I'm unable to make all of you hot chocolate, I'd like to share my aunt's recipe. It's in her cookbook, but that was a limited run that was local to her hometown of Louisville. I've made it. It's delicious and it makes a TON of hot chocolate. Make sure you have a big enough bowl (I used a stock pot) and a big enough container or several containers.

Aunt Alice's Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
1 25.6 oz package of nonfat dry milk powder1 22 oz jar of powdered coffee creamer1 pound of confectioner's sugar1 39 oz can of powdered, sweetened chocolate flavoring for milk (I bought Ovaltine, but I love Ovaltine)1 to 1 1/4 cups Hershey's cocoa

Makes about 88 servings using 1/4 cup of mix.
If you want the mix sweeter, add more sugar. If you want more chocolate flavor, ad more cocoa.

I actually added a bunch of pumpkin spice to my first batch, and that ended up tasting fabulous. I'm sure any creative addition (candy cane pieces, marshmallows, etc.) will meld well.  

Anyway! Have a great holiday. I hope to have some reviews for ya'll after the New Year!

[Reveiw] Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper

Legend of the Highland Dragon
Isabel Cooper 

December 3, 2013

Sourcebooks Casablanca


Review copy provided via Netgalley
by publisher for honest review



Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

He Guards a Ferocious Secret


In Victorian England, gossip is often as precious as gold. But the Highlanders are a more mysterious bunch. And if anyone found out that Stephen MacAlasdair really was, he'd be hunted down, murdered, his clan wiped out. As he's called to London on business, he'll have to be extra vigilant—especially between sunset and the appearance of the first evening star.


Mina just wanted to find out more about the arrogant man who showed up in her employer's office. Some might say it was part of her job. She never thought the stranger would turn into a dragon right in front of her. Or that he'd then offer her an outrageous sum of money to serve as his personal secretary. Working together night and day to track a dangerous enemy, Mina comes to see a man in love is more powerful and determined than any dragon.

 

This is going to be short review and I am apologizing up front for this.  The reason is because I just don’t have much say about Legend of the Highland Dragon and the only nice thing I could of think of think of as soon as I finished the book was to give thanks I finished this book because there were times I thought I wouldn’t.  This book isn’t bad but for me it was just plain boring.  I felt like the story moved slow and I don’t know I just couldn’t make myself care about the characters.  

The book is about Mina a secretary for a professor in the late 1800s around the Victorian era.  One day a mysterious man comes in to warn the professor his friend.  Mina is curious sort and goes to the man’s house to find out what sort of man he is from the people who would know, his servants.  While there the house is attacked and she discovers the man is not really man but a shape shifting dragon.  Lord MacAlisdair offers Mina a hundred pounds to stay and be his secretary until the whole life threatening bossiness is over and they have man set to kill him in jail or dead.  Mina agrees because it is exciting, a considerable amount of money and now the man threating the Lord knows what she looks like it is better to keep her family out of the mess.

Of course the book takes on a Beauty and Beast plot because Mina and the Lord become attracted to each but fight it the entire book.  The love story was something I have read a thousand times and even the suspense of the final showdown was blah.  I don’t know if was just me because I have seen reviews for people who love this book.  I found it slow, boring and I skim read parts of just so it would move faster there was just something missing in this story that for me makes a great read.  I think it was that I didn’t really like Mina.  I couldn’t connect with or really care about the love story between her the Lord because after a while the constant should or shouldn’t we got old.  I was just like do it admit you love each other already.  The story line isn’t horrible and I liked the happy ending.  I give Legend of the Highland Dragon 2.5 laser pistols and round it up to three.  

[ARC Review] These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
December 10th, 2013
Disney Hyperion


ARC received at BEA for honest review

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N


 

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other's arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever? Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won't be the same people who landed on it. The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.

So I saw this cover on Goodreads and Amazon this past  spring or something, I know it was before I went to BEA because when I saw the cover again as book up for review I knew this was a must have.  I don’t usually judge a book by its cover and, I am loathe to admit it but a pretty cover can grab my eye and stick in my mind.  These Broken Stars has one of the most gorgeous covers I have seen in a while.  This book is more than just a pretty face it is also pitched as Titanic in space.  With a pretty cover and a tag line like that who could resist picking up this book and giving it a whirl.  Let me tell you, after finishing this book it does not disappoint.  I am in love with this book.  I want to shout from the rooftops about how much I love this book, pass it out all to my friends , and pretty much push it on anyone who loves books because this book is just that amazing.

The book is about Major Tarver Merendesen and Lilac LaRoux, one is a lowly solider and the other is the richest heiress in the entire galaxy.  They meet on board the space ship Icarus while traveling.  Icarus is supposed to the best of its kind and “unsinkable” but something goes wrong and the ship crashes killing 50,000 people save for two lone survivors.  Tarver and Lilac are the only ones able to get their escape craft unlatched from Icarus in time to save themselves and find they are not only the lone survivors but there is no people on the planet they crash landed.  Then the Titanic story takes a turn and becomes more like The Blue Lagoon.  What happens when two castaways are stranded on an island, or inhabited planet, and are madly attracted to each other: romance of course.  Then Lilac starts to hear whispers in the night and sees mysterious visions and things become a bit spooky as they begin discover the mysteries of the planet.

I loved this book, have I mentioned that already, because it was moving, gut wrenching, oh so romantic, and even suspenseful.  I like how Lilac came into her own because of the confidence she finds from the love she shares with Tarver.  Her love makes her not only stronger but makes her want to become the kind of woman Tarver believes she can be.  He helps her to believe in herself and not be afraid anymore of what everyone is going to think about her.  I liked the progression of the relationship, for me, it felt real.  I liked that they start out annoyed at each other but are able to see past the idiosyncrasies and into the hearts of each other.  I liked that by the end neither one of them is just a spoiled princess or the dumb solider because together they are so much more.  

The suspense building was fantastic in this book.  Even though I kind of knew where the whispers were leading to, there were parts that freaked me out and raised the hair on my arms.  There even parts that had me reaching for the tissues because I like “no you can’t do this to me.”  I love a book that makes me feel so involved in the story:  that I am crying one moment, swooning the next, and freaking out a second later.

These Broken Stars is a book to be devoured.  I am glad I picked up this book because it was one of those rare books that lived up and surpassed all my expectations.  I can’t wait to read more because I am dying to know what is in store next for Lilac and Tarver.  I feel like they are old friends and I can’t wait to cheer them on because I know they will have to keeping fighting for their love in more stories to come.  I give These Broken Star five laser pistols and it is with a happy smile I say that I have become a fangirl of this book.

Entangled Embrace December Blog Launch Party

Today we’re celebrating the release of two New Adult books from Entangled Embrace!

Forged by Fate by Reese Monroe


He’s waited more than 900 years to love her…

Being the Gatekeeper to Hades is no small feat, and waiting almost a millennia to meet your mate is damn near impossible. But Theo Bradford’s mark has finally surfaced on his intended. Now all he has to do is find her and convince her to embrace her supernatural heritage.

Young genius, Sadie Nowland, has got life figured out. Graduating college at the age of eighteen and accepting a six-figure job is just what she needs to prove she’s made something of herself. But when a strange tattoo mysteriously appears on her shoulder and Theo starts talking about Mates, it catapults her neatly laid out life into chaos.

Targeted by a vicious demon escaped from Hades, Sadie is thrust into the volatile world of Shomrei warriors and a connection to Theo her brain can’t comprehend and her body can’t deny. That primal bond proves more imperative to their survival than either could have ever imagined—and just may be the key to the world’s survival.

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Originally from Minnesota, Reese Monroe currently enjoys living in the sunny Arizona desert with her husband of seventeen years and her loveable Shetland Sheep dog, Maddux. Monroe holds a degree in psychology from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. When she’s not busy writing her next trilogy, she can be found pounding the pavement, training to run her first marathon.

Reese Monroe is a contributing blogger at the widely popular site New Adult Alley and has been part of the New Adult revolution for years having penned over twenty-five novels in the exciting new category.

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To celebrate her release, Reese is giving away a $25 Amazon giftcard! Play along for a chance to win. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

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Sneaking Candy by Lisa Burstein

All I ever wanted was to make a name for myself as Candice Salinas, creative writing grad student at the University of Miami. Of course, secretly I already have made a name for myself: as Candy Sloane, self-published erotic romance writer. Though thrilled that my books are selling and I have actual fans, if anyone at UM found out, I could lose my scholarship…and the respect of my faculty advisor, grade-A-asshole Professor Dylan.

Enter James Walker, super-hot local barista and—surprise!—my student. Even though I know a relationship is totally off-limits, I can’t stop myself from sneaking around with James, taking a few cues from my own erotic writing…if you catch my drift. Candy’s showing her stripes for the first time in my real life, and I’ve never had so much fun. But when the sugar high fades, can my secrets stay under wraps?

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Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She is the author of Pretty Amy, The Next Forever and Dear Cassie. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats.

Twitter | Facebook | Website | Goodreads | Blog

To celebrate the release of Sneaking Candy, Lisa is giving away several prizes. Play along for a chance to win. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

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The 12 Days of New Adult Giveaway Hop

Happy Holidays to everyone. We are giving away copies of Forgiving Lies and Wait For Me along with a $10 Amazon gift card as a part of The Twelve Days of New Adult Giveaway Hop sponsored by StuckInBooks.

Enter here

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[Review] Death Takes a Holiday by Jennifer Harlow

Death Takes a Holiday

Jennifer Harlow
August 1, 2013
Midnight Ink


Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

 
 

CLASSIFIED: F.R.E.A.K.S. On Vacation

If anyone ever needed a holiday, it’s Beatrice Alexander. Crushing a forty-foot snake with her mind? Easy. Dealing with the drama that’s tearing apart the F.R.E.A.K.S? Not so much. Being used as a tug-of-war rope between a wounded werewolf and vain vampire has stretched Bea to her breaking point. So she travels home to the sunny beaches of California for Christmas. 

Despite the welcome distractions of family, friends, and her seemingly normal ex-boyfriend, her mind and heart remain thousands of miles away with her knights in tarnished armor. But a F.R.E.A.K. can never really go home again. After helping a teenage vampire companion, Bea and her family find themselves in extremely hot water with the vampire Lord of San Diego, who gives her an ultimatum—leave the F.R.E.A.K.S. to become his concubine or die.

I am a big fan of Jennifer Harlow since I picked up Mind Over Freaks a year ago. I love the F.R.E.A.K.S. series. I love sassy heroines that aren't perfect and are full of snark. Beatrice Alexander fits that description to perfection. She is a powerful telekinetic in love with a werewolf and in like with a vampire. If that doesn't get anymore screwed up then I don't know what is.

Hoping to escape the tension from having two alpha males fighting for her. Bea leaves the F.R.E.A.K.S. headquarters to go home for the holidays. Of course, she finds herself entangled up with a lord vampire who wants to make her his mistress. She also finds herself kidnapped and fighting for her life all in the same vacation.

I liked this latest installment in the series. It was nice to see Bea go home and get more interaction with friends and her grandmother. I love that Bea really does find out who she cares for in this book and who the real monsters are in the end. I love that she decides to fight for what she wants in the end. The whole we will never work I am drinking the pain away angst was getting old. I liked that Bea grew some lady balls and is finally going to fight for love.

In the end, Death Takes a Holiday was an enjoyable read. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. This book was fast paced, full of action, hunky men with accents, and of course, snarky attitude. All the while keeping some of that Christmas magic that makes the holidays about love and forgiveness. That is why I really liked this installment, because it is the only way Bea, the feisty telekinetic FBI agent, can do Christmas. If you have not read the series I highly recommend it, and if you have not read this book then do get caught up because there are some nice surprises in store. I give Death Takes a Holiday four laser pistols.

[ARC Short Story Review+Giveaway] Once Upon a Highland Christmas-Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Once Upon a Highland Christmas
Sue-Ellen Welfonder

December 3, 2013

Forever Publishing

ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

Warrior Grim Mackintosh understands why his friend Archibald MacNab has decreed there be no trace of Christmas in his castle. After a devastating attack destroyed everything-and everyone-in Archie's life, he prefers to stew in his own misery until the holiday passes. But Duncreag has seen enough tragedy. Grim decides to throw a grand Yuletide feast, one that the bards will sing about for years to come, one that will remind his laird how beloved he is. He can't do it alone, though. Grim needs an accomplice . . .

There's nothing Breena O'Doherty won't do for Archie, so she's thrilled to help Grim with his plan. Yet she has a Christmas wish all her own-to win Grim's heart-and this might be her only chance to make it come true. As Breena and Grim work together to bring the joy of the season to the cold, gloomy castle and to the heart of the cantankerous chieftain, an undeniable passion ignites between them. But when a shocking secret about Breena's past comes to light, threatening everything she holds dear, will it ruin Christmas in Duncreag forevermore?

 I am a sucker for Christmas romance in any form be it movies or books.  I read Christmas romance stories and watch movies like White Christmas and Love Actually every year.  So, when I got the chance to read Once Upon a Highland Christmas I was very excited.  This story had everything I was looking for Christmas romance and sexy Highlanders. 

I felt like this short story in the end was just ok.  It was cute enough, it was sexy enough and it was romantic enough but that just it all the elements were just enough but not OMG this is the best thing since sliced bread.  For me this story ended up being just enough to like but not love.  While I understand it a Christmas short story, which means it is the season of miracles and things move at a fast pace it still felt a little too fast paced and everything just fell into place a little too easily.  This was one of those stories I really had to just go with flow.  Some parts felt a too far-fetched like a scene when Breena discovers her true identity could have been left out because I was like of course the story went there when it would have been just as good without it. 

In the end Once Upon a Highland Christmas is a cute and very sweet story that I like well enough and I didn’t feel like I wasted my time.  I liked that in end they are able to bring healing and yuletide cheer to a grieving old widower.    I liked that it felt like the author had really put some research into what a real medieval Highland Christmas would feel like because it felt authentic.   This story is also worth checking out because it Welfonder’s new Highlander series which I will most definitely have to go check out. 

Also, check out the giveaway from Forever Publisher below for a chance to win Forever tote bags with books.

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