It’s been awhile… :)

Life has a way of getting busy. Priorities change so do views and interests. And then there are the everyday to-dos, endless projects, a myriad of wishes and wants. Things tend to get away from you (or rather me). I certainly don’t have the time or the freedom (or maybe even a wish) to blog as I used to some years ago (as you can tell, it’s been a few years since I did this last). I’m also not the same voracious reader that I once was. Still an adventurous cook though. Thankfully that comes in handy when one is mostly stuck at home.

2020 was not a good year for reading. Even though we were stuck home most of the year I found it hard to keep reading – something that I love(d) to do. These days I find audiobooks more my style. Nonetheless there are always at least a dozen books on my nightstand waiting for the spur-of-the-moment all-nighter or (who am I kidding?) at least five minutes for me to get a few pages in.

In the words of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie: “and just like that” I thought to dust off my writing skills. Perhaps share a few good reads from the past few years and maybe some great recipes and ideas too. This is by no means to be a regular thing, but hopefully the mood strikes more than this one time. ;) So here are some books/series and authors that I’ve been reading and listening to:

Romance

 

Love and Other Words (2018)

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating (2018)
The Unhoneymooners (2019)
In a Holidaze (2020)
The Soulmate Equation (2021)

By Christina Lauren – I’ve been slowly making my way through CLo’s back catalog ever since I read Love and Other Words, which is such a touching and sweet story. From Macy and Elliot to Josh and Hazel, and others – there is humor, love, family… gah! These novels give me all the right feels. Also, I just scored an early copy of The Soulmate Equation from Goodreads and am so excited to dive in! If you are a fan of romance, I highly recommend you check out at least one of this writing duo’s novels.

The Happy Ever After Playlist (2020) – Dreamy and romantic! Highly recommend it on audio as Zachary Webber and Erin Mallon do an excellent job as Jason and Sloan.
The Friend Zone Series
By Abby Jimenez

Author Spotlight: Elizabeth McKenna

Happy Friday! And here’s a little treat to start your day, an excerpt from Venice in the Moonlight by Elizabeth McKenna.

Venice in the Moonlight
Elizabeth McKenna

Release Date: October 2, 2013

Book Description:
Considered useless by his cold-hearted father, Nico Foscari, eldest son of one of the founding families in Venice, hides his pain behind gambling, drinking and womanizing.

After her husband’s untimely demise, Marietta Gatti returns to her hometown of Venice in hopes of starting a new life and finding the happiness that was missing in her forced marriage.

When Fate throws them together, friendship begins to grow into love until Marietta learns a Foscari family secret that may have cost her father his life. Now, she must choose between vengeance, forgiveness, and love.

Elizabeth McKenna’s latest novel takes you back to the days of eighteenth century Carnival, where lovers meet discreetly, and masks make everyone equal.

Amazon US | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

Excerpt:

Nico shrugged in the French wingback chair they had placed by the fireplace for his portrait. He looked regal in a black silk suit trimmed in gold and a waistcoat of burgundy and gold leaf-patterned brocade. It seemed Raul had excellent taste in men’s fashions.

Marietta rolled her eyes before she settled in a chair behind the easel. “Please keep still while I draw.”

“May I talk?”

“I’d rather you didn’t.” Looking at him was going to be enough distraction. She didn’t need to listen to him also.

Book Review: A Breath of Snow and Ashes

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
Diana Gabaldon

Release Date: September 27, 2005

Book Description:
A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
I’m amazed at the amount of work and detail that must go into writing of these novels and I have no doubt that Diana Gabaldon is a gifted writer with and incredible ability for storytelling. But it is also her downfall. Personally, I’m starting to find these novels a bit tiring – the sheer amount of detail and events seem to overshadow the main arc of the story, if there is even one at this point. However, the reason I can’t give up these books completely is my fascination with the main characters of these novels – Claire and Jamie, both of whom are charismatic, idealistic, imperfect, selfish yet selfless, and endearing even when they infuriate me with their action. It isn’t an ideal world and these aren’t ideal novels but there is still enough spark to keep me reading, craving, and wanting more…

Book Review & Giveaway: The Marquess of Cake {Blog Tour}

The Marquess of Cake (Redcakes #1)
Heather Hiestand

Release Date: July 4, 2013

Book Description:
Coffee…tea…or a pastry chef sweeter than any confection…

Scotch trifle fit for Queen Victoria, scones with clotted cream…Alys Redcake knows the way to a man’s heart. Yet she is unaware that with each morsel—and flash of ankle—she is seducing the handsome marquess frequenting her father’s tea shop. Unmarried at twenty-six, Alys’s first love is the family business. But thoughts of the gentleman’s touch are driving her to distraction…

With his weakness for sugar, the Marquess of Hatbrook can imagine no more desirable woman than one scented with cake and spice. Mistaking Alys for a mere waitress, he has no doubt she would make a most delicious mistress. And when he finds himself in need of an heir, he plans to make her his convenient bride. Yet as they satisfy their craving for one another, business and pleasure suddenly collide. Will Hatbrook’s passion for sweets—and for Alys—be his heart’s undoing?

Amazon US | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Review:
Digital review copy provided by Foreword Literary in exchange for fair and honest review.

What can I say? Romance and sweets – I simply couldn’t resist the temptation. And so I found myself with a copy of The Marquess of Cake, an enjoyable and quick read that certainly played to my sweet tooth.

Book Review: The Fiery Cross

The Fiery Cross (Outlander #5)
Diana Gabaldon

Release Date: November 6, 2001

Book Description:
The year is 1771, and war is coming. Jamie Fraser’s wife tells him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy—a time-traveler’s certain knowledge. Claire’s unique view of the future has brought him both danger and deliverance in the past; her knowledge of the oncoming revolution is a flickering torch that may light his way through the perilous years ahead—or ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes.

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
Mild spoilers ahead

It seems it’s been forever and yet, here I am, having finished another of the Outlander novels. I’m almost feeling proud of myself for having accomplished this, as this novel had me wondering if I was ready to give up the series all together. Alas, I’ve already purchased the two follow-up novels and that would be a real waste in my opinion, so on and on I went, as did Ms. Gabaldon…

Book Review: Rough Surrender

Rough Surrender
Cari Silverwood

Release Date: June 4, 2012

Book Description:
One master, one woman who craves surrender, and a sky that will challenge them both.

At a time when airplanes are as new-fangled and sensational as the telephone, Faith dares to fly.

The one territory she has not explored is her own sexuality. In Leonhardt she discovers the man who can teach her how a woman surrenders her body and her mind. However, Leonhardt has a shadowed past and his own learning to do. He doesn't have the right to keep Faith from flying, even if he thinks airplanes are flimsy death-traps made of canvas, timber and their inventor's prayers.

Faith has her limits, Leonhardt has his flaws, and sometimes the nicest people get murdered by unscrupulous bastards. Even if Leonhardt can save the woman he loves, the battle for Faith’s heart will be the hardest one of all.

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
“Because it thrills me. Because when I fly, I am truly alive. You must come up and fly sometime. Do something new in your life! I dare you, sir!” Rough Surrender (Kindle Locations 602-603).

I have to admit this was my dare read, as I don’t often venture into such an explicit content. Now… don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t consider myself a prude, but historical BDSM erotica is not really on my to-read list. So, this was quite an unexpected read, and what a surprising experience it was! I was not familiar with Cari Silverwood’s prior writing, but she masterfully pulls it off: the setting, the characters, the mystery, and of course, the scorching romance.

Book Review: Drums of Autumn

Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4)
Diana Gabaldon

Release Date: December 30, 1996

Book Description:
In this breathtaking novel—rich in history and adventure—The New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon continues the story of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser that began with the now-classic novel Outlander and continued in Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager. Once again spanning continents and centuries, Diana Gabaldon has created a work of sheer passion and brilliance....

It began at an ancient Scottish stone circle. There, a doorway, open to a select few, leads into the past—or the grave. Dr. Claire Randall survived the extraordinary passage, not once but twice.

Her first trip swept her into the arms of Jamie Fraser, an eighteenth-century Scot whose love for her became a legend—a tale of tragic passion that ended with her return to the present to bear his child. Her second journey, two decades later, brought them together again in the American colonies. But Claire had left someone behind in the twentieth century—their daughter, Brianna....

Now Brianna has made a disturbing discovery that sends her to the circle of stones and a terrifying leap into the unknown. In search of her mother and the father she has never met, she is risking her own future to try to change history ... and to save their lives. But as Brianna plunges into an uncharted wilderness, a heartbreaking encounter may strand her forever in the past ... or root her in the place she should be, where her heart and soul belong....

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
As another installment in the Outlander saga draws to a close I feel a sense of accomplishment. I’ve lived along with these characters for so long now, that I am almost sad to see another book end. At over a thousand pages [or 40 plus listening hours in my case], I can certainly see why so many readers [myself included] have been captivated by these stories. Ms. Gabaldon is unquestionably a gifted storyteller, but like any franchise certain things continue to work well, while others become repetitive or even annoying. Still, my love remains with these characters.

Book Review: Voyager

Voyager (Outlander #3)
Diana Gabaldon

Release Date: December 1, 1993

Book Review:
From the author of the breathtaking bestsellers Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber, the extraordinary saga continues.

Their passionate encounter happened long ago by whatever measurement Claire Randall took. Two decades before, she had traveled back in time and into the arms of a gallant eighteenth-century Scot named Jamie Fraser. Then she returned to her own century to bear his child, believing him dead in the tragic battle of Culloden. Yet his memory has never lessened its hold on her... and her body still cries out for him in her dreams.

Then Claire discovers that Jamie survived. Torn between returning to him and staying with their daughter in her own era, Claire must choose her destiny. And as time and space come full circle, she must find the courage to face the passion and pain awaiting her...the deadly intrigues raging in a divided Scotland... and the daring voyage into the dark unknown that can reunite or forever doom her timeless love.

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
Finally finished, and what a book it is!

Only a third installment in the Outlander series, but I feel it must have been at least ten books since I first started the series. I think Ms. Gabaldon certainly doesn’t take her writing lightly – if anything, her books are full of little details from everyday life occurrences to unexpected plot twists and more.

Book Review: Dragonfly in Amber

Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)

Diana Gabaldon

Release Date: January 1, 1992

Book Description:

With her now-classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon introduced two unforgettable characters — Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser—delighting readers with a story of adventure and love that spanned two centuries. Now Gabaldon returns to that extraordinary time and place in this vivid, powerful follow-up to Outlander....

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland’s majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones ... about a love that transcends the boundaries of time ... and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire’s spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ... in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising ... and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

Audible Audio Edition:

Narrator Davina Porter's gift for expression captures the history and flavor of a harsh place and time, and gives it the polish of a warm and engaging love story.

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:

Another stellar installment in the Outlander franchise! Diana Gabaldon once again transports us to the world of 18th century Scotland where Claire and Jamie are set to thwart the second Jacobite Rising, if only history can be rewritten…

Book Review: Outlander

Outlander (Outlander #1)
Diana Gabaldon

Release Date: June 1, 1991

Book Description:
The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Amazon US | Goodreads

Review:
What a story!

I just finished this novel a few days ago and am surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I’ve been hesitant to pick it up even though many have recommended it to me and it has great reviews and a devout following (from what I hear). It’s been on my TBR list for awhile and I admit I have avoided reading this for quite some time, but I am very glad that I gave it a chance.