Make Ahead Meals for Busy MOMs

As you can probably tell from my lack of participation over here lately

I definitely needed the help...

Probably most of us do...

I tried several recipies in this book and I found them to meet all of my criteria

1. FAST

2. EASY

3. Pass my very picky eaters standards

The ingredients are all things you can find at your neighborhood grocery store. I love that because I hate recipies with ingredients I have to go to five different stores to find. Plus many of the recipies can be used to make more than one meal.

The Author Jane Doiron was nice enough to share a Guest Blog with us today.

A Delicious Make-Ahead Dessert

Let’s face it…what’s the holiday without dessert? Cut down on your holiday stress by making a few simple desserts in advance. My #1 make-ahead tip for dessert is to freeze your favorite cookie dough ahead of time. Prepare your cookie batter and place the dough on a cookie sheet using a handy scooper (so all the cookies are the same size).
Cover and freeze the dough for 2 - 3 hours until solid.
Place the frozen cookie dough in a labeled freezer bag (including the baking directions) and freeze up to 2 months.

When you need cookies for school, work, or for a holiday party, all you need to do is defrost the cookie dough on a cookie sheet for 30 – 45 minutes and bake as directed!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

This delicious cookie creates a wonderful French toast aroma in your kitchen when they’re cooking!

2¾ cups flour
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
½ cup shortening
1½ cups cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a large sheet pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening, and 1½ cups sugar. Blend in the eggs on low speed. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. In a very small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Roll 1 tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball and roll in the cinnamon mixture. Place the cookie dough on the sheet pan 2 inches apart. Bake at 350°F for 8 - 9 minutes. Do not over bake. The centers will be soft but will set upon cooling. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 4½ dozen
cookies.

~Freezing Directions for Uncooked Dough~
Place the sugar coated cookie dough on a large sheet pan in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 - 3 hours. Place the dough in a labeled freezer bag. Write the cooking directions on the bag. Freeze up to 2 months.

~Thawing Out the Dough on Baking Day~
Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper and place the frozen dough 2 inches apart. Thaw the dough for 30 - 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 8 - 10 minutes.

Thanks Jane!!

and

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Review and ARC Giveaway!

All right Chicks!

I promised you 3 more reviews and here they are.

Don't forget you have until tomorrow night to leave me a comment here AND the post below to win All FIVE of my ARC's of these books.

Remember, they're gently read, just by me.

FROM AMAZON:

When hunky rancher "Lucky Beau" Luckadeau accuses spitfire Milli Torres of stealing his prize bull, she promptly shoots at him, triggering a feud that only gets resolved when they discover they share a steamy hot memory from a night long ago…
It was a night of passion that has always haunted Lucky. The mysterious beauty he seduced at a cousin's wedding disappeared. He's always been lucky at cards, luckywith cattle, and lucky with land, but he's never been lucky in love.
Now Milli Torres has come to southern Oklahoma to help out on her grandfather's ranch. A cut fence and a big, mean Angus bull in the pasture are bad enough, but then she looks up and sees Beau Luckadeau. Great God Almighty, how did he get from Louisiana to Ardmore, Oklahoma, and what in the hell is she going to do if he recognizes her?

What I thought: It's a familiar formula, but one that works. If you an early Debbie Macomber or Fern Michaels fan I think you'll like this one also. A fun light read with fun characters.This is the beginning of a series of what I think right now will be 3 books.

From Amazon: Amidst the upheaval of Cromwell's Britain, Jamie Sinclair's wit and military prowess have served him well. Leading a troop in Scotland, he impetuously marries a captured maiden, saving her from a grim fate.
A Highlands heiress to title and fortune, Catherine Drummond is not the woman Jamie believes her to be. When her people effect her rescue, and he cannot annul the marriage, Jamie goes to recapture his hellcat of a new wife...
In a world where family and creed cannot be trusted, where faith fuels intolerance and war, Catherine and Jamie test the bounds of loyalty, friendship, and trust

What I thought: If you're in the market for some decent historical romance, this is what you're looking for. Again, you know I love strong heroines, and Catherine is a great one.
From Amazon: When American librarian Samantha Lewis and Irish rogue Keirnan Fitzgerald set off to find priceless jewels, they become embroiled in a 500-year-old love story that eerily prefigures their own...
In 15th century Venice, beautiful and wealthy Serafina falls in love with Nino, a young Florentine sculptor. They decide to flee to Padua, and to fund the trip, Nino copies a set of jewels that then disappear.
In modern-day Venice, Keirnan needs Samantha's help to locate the jewels so he can pay his sister's ransom. Samantha must decide whether the man she's so drawn to is her soul mate from a previous life...or are they merely pawns in a relentless quest for a priceless treasure?

What I thought: This story is different, and I liked that about it. It seems to be telling two love stories at once, hopping back and forth between the past and the present which kept me turning pages and kept me interested.

That's it for today!

Thanks for stopping by and

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It's been a serious hiatus...I know

It's a little overwhelming sometimes,

when all the balls I try to juggle come crashing down on my head all at once.

I had to take a little hiatus...

everything is fine

Just trying to keep up with my neverending to do list..

you have one of those, right?

So..anyway

Here we go...

I've got 5 chick books to review over the next several days, I did not get giveaways on these but will GIVEAWAY all FIVE of my very gently read ARC's to one lucky winner .

TO WIN ..

you have to enter on EACH DAY

just leave me a comment with your email

simple as that

All the reviews will be up between now and Saturday and I'll pick a random winner on Sunday Night and post it here Monday morning.

Thanks so much for bearing with me and for sticking around!

HERE WE GO!!

Tessa Anderson has always been as fascinated by wolves as they seem to be with her. Her brother seems to share this trait with her and they've turned it into their livelihood. Until her brother is framed for murder and ends up in prison.

Now Tessa is being stalked, by a danger she couldn't ever have imagined.

When Hunter Greymore is attacked by another pack while trying to protect his sister he is near death. Tessa finds him on the beach and nurses him back to health and he swears to protect her and help her brother.

But, there's much more to Tessa than what meets the eye, and in protecting her Hunter finds himself fighting an attraction to her he's not even sure he wants to fight anymore.

This was a nice esacape from reality. Steamy sex scenes and a really fun love story, with enough suspense and excitement to keep the pages turning.

When her fiance betrays her, Abby Stanford goes on vacation alone to escape her heartbreak trying to escape her past.

What she finds is Luke, scarred by a horrible accident and unable to face his future.

Abby can help him get better, and sets out to with Luke fighting her every step of the way.

This is a really sweet story, Abby is a strong heroine, not what I expected in the description. She's witty and spunky and holds her own against Luke and his constant antagonizing.

OKAY

you know the drill! Leave a comment with your email the next few days to win my ARC's!!

that's it for today and

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Two Years, No Rain...

From Barnes and Noble.com:

In San Diego County, it hasn’t rained in 580 days. But for weatherman Andy Dunne, everything else is changing fast…Only a few weeks ago, he was a newly divorced, slightly overweight meteorologist for an obscure satellite radio station, hiding his secret love for a colleague, the beautiful—and very much married—Hillary Hsing. But nearly overnight, Andy has landed a new gig, flying a magic carpet in a bizarre live-action children’s TV show. So what is affable, basically decent Andy Dunne going to do now that he can do practically anything he wants? With a parade of hot moms begging for his autograph and a family that needs his help more than ever, Andy has a lot of choices. First, though, there’s this thing with Hillary, their heated text messages, a long-awaited forecast for rain – and a few other surprises he never saw coming…

What I Thought:

This was a really fun book. Andy is a totally likable character, one you want to root for and hope that everything goes well for in the end. You just can't help but want to stick around and see what happens. A great "when the going gets tough" story!

Visit the Authors Website

HERE

That's it for today!

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I'm having BOOK-GASMS!!!

Find out more about Hush, Hush!

That cover is enough to keep me going for the rest of my life, I think...

I was lucky enough to recieve an ARC of hush, hush from Simon and Schuster...

My actual review will come later, closer to the pub date possibly with a visit from the incredibly talented author

Becca Fitzpatrick

Release Date is

Oct 13th

BUT

I will say this...

1. It's completely different from everything else out there right now

2. If you are female, I have no doubt that you are about to fall in love with a very bad Angel

3. This is going to be the "next big thing"....think Twilight HUGE...

..EPIC..

ONLY

this book is much better

promise

so..

Go to where ever you go to procure your reading pleasures

and make sure to order it,

I know if you're here reading this that you are going to love it!!

Read the first two chapters

HERE

Get the above widget for your blog

HERE

at Becca's blog

Becca's Website

HERE

and by the way..

Book 2 is almost finished

CRESCENDO

I am such a tease...

that's it for today

READ ON CHICKS!

Summer House

FROM AMAZON:After years of wandering from whim to whim, thirty-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche. The free spirit enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of land on the family’s seaside compound to get Charlotte started. Though Charlotte’s skill with plants is bringing her success, cultivating something deeper with people—particularly her handsome neighbor Coop—might be more of a challenge.
Nona’s generosity to Charlotte, secretly her favorite grandchild, doesn’t sit well with the rest of the Wheelwright clan, however, as they worry that Charlotte may be positioning herself to inherit the entire estate. With summer upon them, everyone is making their annual pilgrimage to the homestead—some with hopes of thwarting Charlotte’s dreams, others in anticipation of Nona’s latest pronouncements at the annual family meeting, and still others with surprising news of their own. Charlotte’s mother, Helen, a Wheelwright by marriage, brings a heavy heart. She once set aside her own ambitions to fit in with the Wheelwrights, but now she must confront a betrayal that threatens both her sense of place and her sense of self.
As summer progresses, these three women—Charlotte, Nona, and Helen—come to terms with the decisions they have made. Revisiting the lives and loves that have crossed their paths and the possibilities of the roads not taken, they may just discover that what they’ve always sought was right in front of them all along.

WHAT I THOUGHT: This is the quintessential summer read. Take it with you to the beach or the pool and sink into this wonderful story of the Wheelwright's. A wonderful famliy drama, It's not too heavy and I think you'll really like Charlotte, Nona, and Helen. I also liked the way Nona's memories are woven throughout the story which give you more insight into each of the leading women. Plus the cover is just absolutely adorable!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Thayer is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Hot Flash Club, The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again, Hot Flash Holidays, The Hot Flash Club Chills Out, and Moon Shell Beach. She is also the author of a new June release, Summer House. Nancy lives on Nantucket. You can visit her website at www.nancythayer.com.

EXCERPT: Charlotte had already picked the lettuces and set them, along with the bunches of asparagus tied with twine and the mason jars of fresh-faced pansies, out on the table in a shaded spot at the end of the drive. In July, she would have to pay someone to man the farm stand, but in June not so many customers were around, and those who did come by found a table holding a wicker basket with a small whiteboard propped next to the basket. In colored chalk, the prices for the day’s offerings were listed, and a note: Everything picked fresh today. Please leave the money in the basket. Thanks and blessings from Beach Grass Garden. She hadn’t been cheated yet. She knew the customers thought this way of doing business was quaint, harkening back to a simpler time, and they appreciated it.Perhaps it helped them believe the world was still a safe and honest place.

The day was overcast but hoeing was hot work and she had been up since four-thirty. Charlotte collapsed against the trunk of an apple tree, uncapped her water bottle, and took a long delicious drink. Nantucket had the best water on the planet: sweet, pure, and clear. It was shady in this overgrown spot, so she lifted off the floppy straw hat she wore, in addition to a heavy slathering of sunblock, and sighed in appreciation as a light breeze stirred her hair.She couldn’t linger, she had too much to do. She took another long drink of water, listened to her stomach rumble, and considered returning to the house for an early lunch.

When she heard the voices, she almost jumped.People were talking on Bill Cooper’s side of the fence, just behind the green tangle of wild grapevines. Hunky Bill Cooper and his gorgeous girlfriend. From the tense rumble of Coop’s voice and Miranda’s shrill whine, they weren’t happy.“Come on, Mir, don’t be that way.” Bill’s tone was placating but rimmed with an edge of exasperation.“What way would that be?” A sob caught in Miranda’s throat. “Truthful?”The moment had definitely passed, Charlotte decided, when she could clear her throat, jump up, and call out a cheerful hello. Vague snuffling sounds informed her that Bill’s dogs, Rex and Regina, were nearby, nosing through the undergrowth. She thought about the layout of Bill’s land: along the other side of the fence grew his everlasting raspberry bushes. The berries wouldn’t be ripe yet, so Bill and Miranda must be taking the dogs for a walk as they often did.She was glad the berry bushes grew next to the fence, their prickly canes forming a barrier between Bill’s land and Nona’s. A tangle of grasses massed around barberry bushes was wedged against the fence, and then there were the tree trunks. They would pass by any moment now. She would keep very quiet. Otherwise it would be too embarrassing, even though she had a right and a reason to be here.“I never lied to you, Miranda. I told you I wasn’t ready for a long-term commitment, especially not when you’re in New York all winter.”“You could come visit me.”“I don’t like cities,” Bill argued mildly.“Well, that’s pathetic. And sleeping with that—that slut—is pathetic.”

Miranda was striding ahead of Bill. She cried out, “Rex, you stupid, stupid dog! You almost tripped me.”“Mir, simmer down.” Bill sounded irritable, at the end of his patience.Miranda didn’t reply but hurried into the orchard of ancient apple trees. Bill followed, crashing through the brush. Charlotte could hear a few more words—I’m not kidding! It’s over, Bill!—then she heard the hum of their voices but no words, and then they were gone.“Gosh,” Charlotte whispered to herself.

Charlotte had had a crush on Bill Cooper for years. Coop was a hunk, but so easygoing and funny that when you talked with him you could almost forget how handsome he was. She seldom saw him, even though he lived right next door. Of course, “right next door” was a general term.Nona’s property consisted of ten acres with fifty feet of waterfront on Polpis Harbor, and the Coopers’ land was about the same size. With all the plantings, you couldn’t see one house from the other, even in winter when all the leaves had fallen.Like the Wheelwrights, the Coopers mostly summered on the island, the Wheelwrights coming from Boston, the Coopers from New York. Eons ago, when they were all little kids, Coop had played a lot with Charlotte’s brother Oliver, even though Oliver was younger, because Coop was an only child, and the two families got together several times over the summer for cocktails or barbecues.

Then came the years when they rarely saw each other, everyone off in college and backpacking in summer instead of coming to the island.Coop lived in California for a while, but three years ago his parents moved to Florida and Coop moved into the island house, telling everyone he wanted to live here permanently. He ran a computer software business from his nineteen-sixties wandering ranch house, mixed his plasma TV and Bose CD player in with his family’s summery bamboo and teak furniture, and was content. Mostly he allowed his land to grow wild, except for a small crop of butter-andsugar corn famous for its sweetness. At the end of the summer, he held a party outdoors, a clambake with fresh corn, cold beer, and icy champagne.

Charlotte had seen Coop and Miranda about town now and then, when she went in to catch a movie or pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. It was obvious why any man would fall in love with Miranda Fellows. She was a dark-eyed beauty hired to run Luxe et Volupté, an upscale clothing shop on Centre Street. She was British, and her accent thrilled the young, beautiful, rich, social-climbing set, men as well as women. She was such a snob, and Coop was such a genuine good guy, they seemed like an odd pair, but Charlotte hadn’t allowed herself romantic thoughts about Coop.She hadn’t allowed herself romantic thoughts about any man for quite a long while.

Her own move to Nantucket had not been a lighthearted, impulsive act. She’d thought about it a lot. She’d searched her soul. She came to Nantucket to get away from men—at least from one particular man—and to somehow balance with good acts the wrong she’d done. Her organic garden was her own self-imposed penance and repentance, and she’d been diligent and hardworking and nunlike for three years. She didn’t know when her penance would be over . . . but she knew she would find out when the time came.

Until then, she forced herself to work hard, every day.

I have one copy to giveaway!

To enter please leave a comment with your email!

Thanks so much, that's it for today

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It's a TwoFER!!

Hey Chicks!!

I've got a couple for you today so hang in okay?!

FROM AMAZON: Sophie Heller's family immigrated from Germany to Victory, a small town in Illinois, before WWII began. Now that the war has affected the town, the townspeople discriminate against Sophie and her family. When a train derails, it is an accident but the Heller family is blamed. Coming to Sophie's rescue is a teacher from the high school, and despite their cultural differences, a romance starts to bloom.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I don't think I've ever read a book or seen a story that actually sympathized with the German immigration to America during and post WWII. Yet it's very hard not to do exactly that while reading this very poignantly written story of Sophie and her family. This is such a sweet love story set against an engaging backdrop that I think you might have a hard time not getting swept away.This is a great one to curl up with on a rainy summer afternoon.

I have 5 copies to give away courtesy of Anna at Hatchette!!

To enter please leave a comment with your email and "Moon" in your comment!!

Evolution of A Sad Woman

FROM AMAZON:Five very different men - all strangers - are drawn together to solve a murder by an uncommon thread - the love of the same beautiful woman, Kizzy. When she is murdered, they pull their past into their present, their present explodes, and their future is filled with surprise and changed forever! When police detective Evan Picard, attorney William Newton, cabdriver Jimmy Smithson, former pro-football player turned used car salesman Tom Hastings and Father C.D. Casmiersky are forced together - personalities explode, tensions build and relationships develop. The ending to this chapter of their lives and to Kizzy's murder will have a surprise none of them will ever expect.

Gale was kind enough to stop by and give us a Guest Post:

Her enticing, mystical, jeweled, green eyes will prey upon them forever . . . .
Five very diverse men---all strangers---are brought together to solve a savage murder by an uncommon thread---the love of Kizzy, the most beautiful woman they have ever known. When she is murdered, they are forced to wrench their past into their present, their present erupts and their future is filled with astonishment and altered forever!
They are taken down a long, winding investigation into a world of dangerous people and deceit.
When police detective Evan Picard, attorney William Newton, cabdriver Jimmy Smithson, former pro-football player turned used car salesman Tom Hastings and Father C.D. Casmiersky are forced together---personalities explode, tensions build and relationships develop. The ending to this chapter of their lives and to Kizzy's murder will have a surprise none of the will ever expect! ------------

Thanks Gale!

She's also offering a copy of her Book to one lucky commenter!!

Please leave a comment with your email and the word "evolution"

if you would like to win Gale's book.

Thanks so much!

That's it for today!!

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Short Girls...

FROM AMAZON: A mesmerizing novel about estranged sisters and the cultural and family history that binds themVan and Linny Luong are as baffling to each other as their parents’ Vietnamese legacy is to them both. Van, the quintessential overachiever, has applied the same studied diligence to her law career and marriage—a beau idéal that vaporized when Mr. Right walked out. Linny—pretty, fashionable, untethered—is grasping for purpose when her affair with a married man takes a humiliating turn. Each is the last person her sister would call, but when Mr. Luong summons them home for his American citizenship party, Van and Linny find themselves communing about their past—their late mother, their father’s obsession with his Luong Arm invention, even the irony of their romantic straits. As these unlikely confidantes chart the uncertainty that defines them, they forge a tentative new relationship and the wherewithal to overcome disappointment.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I love stories like this. People living on their own estranged from their families for whatever reason, who realize, when they're thrown together that they really needed each other all along. Linny and Van, completely opposite from each other, are both women you will grow to love and I think the theme of sisterhood and family ties reach far beyond the page. Their father Mr. Luong is a wonderful character as well. This story is both clever, witty and makes for a great read!

I have one copy to give away!

To enter please leave a comment with your email!

That's it for Today!

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The Night Gardener...

FROM Barnes and Noble:When the body of a local teenager is found in a community garden, homicide detective Gus Ramone relives intense memories of a case he worked twenty years earlier. When he was still a rookie, Ramone and his partner Dan "Doc" Holiday assisted legendary detective T.C. Cook as he investigated a series of killings involving young victims left overnight in neighborhood parks. The killer, dubbed, "the Night Gardener," was never caught. Since then, Holiday has left the force under a cloud of morals charges; he now works as a bodyguard and driver, taunted by his dreams of what he might have been. Cook retired, but he has never stopped agonizing about the unsolved case. Ramone is "good police," working as a homicide detective for the city's violent-crime division. He is also a devoted husband and father, and his teenage son, Diego, was a friend of the most recent victim, a boy named Asa." Could the Night Gardener be on the prowl again? Asa's death draws the three men together on a mission to finish the work that has haunted them for years. For T.C. Cook, it means solving one of the few cases that eluded him in his distinguished career. For Doc Holiday, the Night Gardener case is one last chance to prove - to Cook, to Ramone, and to himself - what kind of police officer he once was. For Gus Ramone, catching the killer means not only doing his job but knowing that his son will not be the next victim. The regret, anger, and fierce sense of purpose that once burned between them come rushing back as they race to lay to rest the monster who has stalked their dreams.

WHAT I THOUGHT:

Pelacanos never disappoints. His insight into his characters and how the story affects their lives is always what seems to keep the pages turning for me, the nail biting suspense is an added bonus. It's not just a crime story, it's a story that has you questioning yourself and your own ideas about right and wrong at every turn. I love the dialogue in this book, but be warned it is very raw.

I have 5 copies to giveaway courtesy of Valerie at Hatchette!

To win Please leave a comment with your email!!

That's it for today!

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SELF HELP SUNDAY!!!

It's SELF HELP SUNDAY

CHICKS!!

AND I have

TWO Books for you!!

SMART MAMA's GREEN GUIDE
FROM AMAZON:Parents often feel overwhelmed and defenseless against a never-ending recall list of toys and baby products. Deciphering unpronounceable chemicals they encounter every day can be daunting if not impossible. With environmental exposures being closely linked to 70 percent of birth defects, new parents faced with the overwhelming responsibility for their babies' health frequently turn to organic products. But they quickly find they don't have the time to practice a completely green or natural lifestyle. THE SMART MAMA'S GREEN GUIDE delivers the information busy parents want and the tools to make informed, individual choices without the demand to go all-out green. Packed with practical tips on eliminating or reducing the hidden dangers of toxic chemicals that lurk everywhere, this book will empower readers to control what comes into their homes and make informed decisions instead of relying on government regulation of harmful chemicals.
WHAT I THOUGHT: With the vast amount of information out there and all the differing opinions it can be pretty overwhelming. This book seeks to lay it all out for you without being overly opinionated. Very informative and easy to understand.

THE NDD BOOK

FROM AMAZON:

The Sears Parenting Library's latest addition is an exploration of how nutrition affects the brains and behavior of youngsters. N.D.D., or Nutrition Deficit Disorder, as coined by Dr. Bill Sears, is based on the idea that if "you put junk food into a child's brain, you get back junk behavior and learning."Dr. Sears will explore the latest scientific research on the effects of nutrition on the brain. He will present case studies of his own patients who were diagnosed as "N.D.D." and showed major improvement in learning and behavior with diet change. Instead of simply medicating his patients, Dr. Sears looked for a better solution--in fact, with better nutrition, many of his patients were able to greatly reduce or even stop their medication. The book will also provide parents with a prescription, shopping and meal tips, and recipes to make implementing a healthier lifestyle that much easier.THE N.D.D. BOOK will be a must-have for all parents who want to help their children become healthier, happier, and better prepared to learn.

WHAT I THOUGHT: A very interesting look at how diet and nutrition affects the way your child learns and how they behave. This book has a very easy to read approach complete with shopping lists and recipies...which, by the way are pretty yummy.

I Have 5 sets of these two books to giveaway

Courtesy of Anna At Hatchette

US and Canada only please no PO Boxes

To enter Please leave a comment with your email!

Do not forget your email!

That's it for today and

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FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!

Hey There Chickies!

I've got a hot one for you!!

ONE SCREAM AWAY

by Kate Brady

FROM AMAZON: Killer Chevy Bankes is a master of disguise, and just paroled, he's coming after the woman who sent him to jail, the beautiful antiques expert Beth Denison. A set of antique dolls brings Beth into his sight, and inspire Chevy's disturbing crimes as he draws closer to Beth and her young daughter. Chevy sends the dolls to Beth one-by-one and she soon realizes that these antiques carry the same marks as his victims, signaling that the final piece in his collection will be for her.Neil Sheridan gave up his FBI shield five years ago, but his best friend Rick, a cop, pulls him in as a consultant on a case involving a serial killer who is eerily similar to a murderer Neil encountered in the past. The investigation leads Neil to Beth's doorstep, and he is certain she isn't telling him the truth. Neil is the only one who can get through Beth's defenses and, as they grow closer, discover the secrets that Beth is hiding about her fateful night with Chevy.

WHAT I THOUGHT: A really great romantic suspense. I think fans of earlier Nora Roberts or early Linda Howard will really like this. There was a twist here that I didn't see coming for awhile and a lot of edge of your seat suspense. I look forward to seeing a lot more from this author!

5 Copies to GIVEAWAY courtesy of Anna

at Hatchette!

All you need to do to win is

LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL!!!

That's it for today!

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Here we Go!!

I've got a few things going on here today

chicks, so make sure you scroll all the way down to see the whole post!

First,

Marie Force,

author of Love at First Flight and Line of Scrimmage

is joining us today with a Guest Post and a giveaway!

Together Forever?
By: Marie Force
I recently read a review of my new book, Love at First Flight, written by a woman who was rocked to the core by something that happens in the book. The reviewer, married for more than twenty years to her high school sweetheart, wasn’t expecting a storyline about a man who’d been with the same woman for ten years (since he was seventeen) and had begun to wonder if he was missing out on something.

When we meet Juliana in Love at First Flight, she’s on her way to Florida to spend the weekend with her longtime boyfriend Jeremy. Together since their junior year of high school, the two are now twenty-seven and have been living together for four years. Until they are forced to spend an interminable year apart when Jeremy’s company sends him from their Baltimore home to do a job in Florida, Juliana had never given much thought to why they never married. But as the months of separation unfold, tiny cracks begin to appear in what she’d always viewed as an idyllic relationship.

During their weekend together, Jeremy confesses to his curiosity about other women, which tips Juliana’s world upside down. In writing their painful conversation, I tried to convey the epic struggle Jeremy has waged with wanting to remain faithful to the woman he has loved his entire adult life while contending with the uncertainty of whether he’s prepared to remain faithful to her forever. Jeremy’s curiosity results in Juliana suggesting they take a three-month break from each other to make sure they are both prepared to go forward together. Ironically, during their break it’s Juliana who finds new, unexpected love with a man she met in the airport on her way to see Jeremy.

The reviewer couldn’t help but see her own marriage through Jeremy’s eyes. Does her own husband wonder what he’s missed out on by being with the same woman all his life? Days after finishing the book, she continued to view her husband through different eyes and was unsettled by these new thoughts. We talked about it on her blog, and I urged her to talk to her husband, who would no doubt put her mind at ease.

I have friends who’ve been together nearly thirty years—since our freshman year of high school. In fact, they were our class couple. We’ve recently been closer than we ever were in school because our daughters became friends. After spending time with them, I’m amazed at how devoted they continue to be to each other even after all these years. It can happen. Lightning can strike at a young age, and the electricity really can last a lifetime. As I watch my children, now almost 14 and 11, grow up I wonder if their lifelong loves are just around the corner or further down the road. How will it happen for them?

How did it happen for you? Anyone out there married to their high school sweetheart and happily content? Do you ever wonder what you might’ve missed out on?
To find out what Juliana decides to do, you’ll have to read Love at First Flight, now in bookstores. If you wish to discuss all the rules I broke in the book, join me Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m. EDT on my blog (http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com) for a book club

Marie has been kind enough to offer one copy of each of her books to one lucky winner!

All you need to do to win is leave a comment with your email!!

Next up:

Product Description From Amazon:

It is 1498, the dawn of the Renaissance, and Venice teems with rumors of an ancient book that holds the secret to unimaginable power. It is an alchemist's dream, with recipes for gold, immortality, and undying love. Everyone, rich and poor alike, speculates about the long-buried secrets scrawled in its pages and where it could possibly be hidden within the labyrinthine city. But while those who seek the book will stop at nothing to get it, those who know will die to protect it.
As a storm of intrigue and desire circles the republic that grew from the sea, Luciano, a penniless orphan with a quick wit and an even faster hand, is plucked up by an illustrious chef and hired, for reasons he cannot yet begin to understand, as an apprentice in the palace kitchen. There, in the lavish home of the most powerful man in Venice, he is initiated into the chef's rich and aromatic world, with all its seductive ingredients and secrets.
Luciano's loyalty to his street friends and the passion he holds for a convent girl named Francesca remain, but it is not long before he, too, is caught up in the madness. After he witnesses a shocking murder in the Palace dining room, he realizes that nothing is as it seems and that no one, not even those he's come to rely on most, can be trusted. Armed with a precocious mind and an insatiable curiosity,
Luciano embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth. What he discovers will swing open the shutters of his mind, inflame his deepest desires, and leave an indelible mark on his soul.
Rich with the luxurious colors and textures of Venice, The Book of Unholy Mischief delights the senses and breathes fresh life into an age defined by intellectual revival and artistic vibrancy. A luminous and seductive novel, it is, at its heart, a high-spirited tribute to the fruits of knowledge and the extraordinary power of those who hold its key. In a world of violence an d in trigue, who guards the truth?

WHAT I THOUGHT:This book is different from anything I've read since...well..I can't remember when...I liked it, it had sort of a fairy tale feel to it that was fun and interesting. The author does a really great job of developing the characters and making you want to know more about them and paints a really beautiful picture of Venice.

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SELF HELP SUNDAY!!!

Hello my little CHICKLETS!

and Welcome to another installment

of SELF HELP SUNDAY!!

Which, I know

have not been that regular lately...

hey, I'm trying..

apparently I could use some help too

But I'm pretty sure you're going to like this one!!

THE SASSY LADIES'

TOOLKIT FOR START-UP BUSINESSES

From AMAZON:

Starting a business is serious stuff, but it doesn't have to be dull. Not when you have the resources of The Sassy Ladies. They share their own experiences as well as rich insights of other solopreneurs who have learned valuable lessons running their businesses.
The Sassy Ladies' Toolkit for Start-Up Businesses is a reference guide and workbook designed to get your business from the dream stage to the ''oh-my-gosh-I'm-running-my-own-business'' stage, all from women who have been there.

WHAT I THOUGHT:

This book is awesome!

Lots of inspiration and resources here for how to get started living your dream and making it happen. These ladies not only tell you how they did it, they give you practical

exercises and resources to help you do it. It's also written in a way that makes it really fun. You can read this book in a couple hours, to get the gist and then go back and complete the exercises as you go. This book would be great for anyone who is wanting to be successful in any business, and I would definitely recommend it also to everyone out there who is a consultant for any of the Multi Level Marketing copanies such as Stampin Up, Pampered Chef etc.

Authors WEBSITE

SASSYLADIES

I have one copy to give away!!

To enter please leave a comment with your email!

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Thanks for stopping by and

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Triple Cross...

FROM THE INSIDE: It’s New Year’s Eve at the Jefferson Club, a luxurious private ski resort in the mountains of southwestern Montana. Seven of the world’s wealthiest men and a U.S. Senator are among the guests gathered in the ballroom of the club’s spectacular main lodge for a private party. Expensive champagne flows and multi-billion dollar deals are getting done, when, at the stroke of midnight, a ruthless and well-armed militia attacks the club. Self-described anti-globalists, they intend to to put the wealthy patrons of the club on trial for crimes against humanity, live on the Internet for all the world to see.As the first trial unfolds, it becomes a new-media sensation, with tens of millions of viewers who are allowed to vote as jury members. It seems harmless, funny, until one of the tycoons is convicted and put to death just as stock and bond trading opens for the New Year. The markets are rocked by the execution, and start to plummet as more of the billionaires are put on trial.The only people who can prevent an outright market crash, stop the madness, and uncover the true reasons behind the brutal attack are Mickey Hennessy, the club’s director of security, his three fourteen-year-old children and Cheyenne O’Neil, an FBI financial crimes specialist.Ultimately capitalism and anti-globalism collide with stunning consequences in a searing narrative that’s a lean blend of suspense, dark humor and explosive action, as well as a novel that raises compelling questions about who the real criminals are in a world where financial markets can be manipulated on an unfathomable scale and a powerful few profit at the expense of the many.

WHAT I THOUGHT: This book plays out like a good action movie. Plot twists and suspense, romance and kids in danger, all come together to keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole book. I have a weakness for stories involving Heroes who are former government agents...and this is no exception. The story captures you from the first and weaves it's way to an exciting and action filled finish!

I have one copy to giveaway!

To win please leave a comment with your email!!

winner will be announced July 5th

Thanks so much!

and

READ ON CHICKS!!

FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!

Yep Chicks!

It's another

FREE BOOK FRIDAY!!!

FROM AMAZON: Sarah Harper is driven to achieve success no matter what the cost. She wants to do good and not hurt the people she loves--especially children and her husband, Joe--but her desire to succeed in her career too often leaves little time for family. One cold, autumn afternoon, all of that changes when Sarah's car plunges off a bridge and into a river. She is presumed dead by those on the "outside," but Sarah's spirit is still very much alive. What she discovers on the other side transforms everything about Sarah's view of life--past, present, and future.When Sarah is revived, she is a changed woman. And the unsuspecting world around her will never be the same again.

WHAT I THOUGHT: This book reads like a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. It also kind of reminded me of Fireproof...so I think we'll probably see some sort of production of it in the future if it's not already in the works. I have to say it gave me a healthy dose of not taking things in my life for granted. There are, of course a lot of Christian themes here...the characters, finding themselves in dire need of help turn to God in prayer, but it's not overdone and I think this could be a valuable lesson for almost anyone of us. In other words, if you don't typically read Christian fiction, I wouldn't pass this one up for that reason alone. The story is written almost in Charles Dickens style, with Sarah the main character visiting her past, present and future with her deceased Grandmother and an angel named Wingtip. It reads quickly and leaves you with hope.

I have one copy to giveaway courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette

US and Canada only please no PO Boxes!!

To enter please leave a comment with your email!

That's it for today!

THANKS and

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Choices Meant for Gods

CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS

by SANDY LENDER

BLURB: Not even the gods noticed when Chariss was born with the mark of The Protector. Now she and her wizard guardian seek shelter from a mad sorcerer in a household not just full of secrets and false hope, but watched by the god who will unwittingly reveal her role in an impending war.

When an orphan sets aside a lifetime of running and fear to accept the responsibilities of guarding an arrogant deity, can she face the trials in the prophecies she uncovers? Will Nigel Taiman of her latest refuge dare to use his dragon heritage to bind her to his estate or to help her in her duty?

WHAT I THOUGHT: If you know nothing else about me by now, (unless this is your first time here, in which case I forgive you) you know I love a strong heroine. Not the kind who play the part of the victim, although I know a certain amount of vulnerability is sometimes what makes a strong heroine seem stronger...anyway...LOVE CHARISS. It's been a little while since I've read a good fantasy, so I was overdue. Who wouldn't want to be born with an amethyst set into the corner of their right eye, I ask you??...oh and I really like dragons...

We're in for a special treat today Chicks, as the Author,

Sandy Lender has joined us for a Guest Post:

Strong Chicks Rule
By Fantasy Author Sandy Lender
www.authorsandylender.com

Amanda Chariss Derdriu is a strong chick. And I dig that. She’s not the sarcastic, scantily-clad, promiscuous heroine you see in a lot of fantasy and spec fiction novels these days, but she is intrigued by humor, romance, and scandals she can solve. She knows her own mind and isn’t afraid to speak it. (Within reason.) See, she’s a good girl, except for a propensity to stick knives and swords in people. (I think she gets that from me. Now, I’ve never actually stuck a knife in anyone, but I sure feel better having a sword under the bed and a medieval dagger on the dresser.)

Back to Chariss.

Chariss has a power known as the geasa. In my fantasy writing, this is a gift the gods breathe into a soul after his or her conception, while the person is still forming in the womb. I designed this power for the “good guys” in the fantasy world of Onweald so they wouldn’t be using sorcery. I’m a Southern Baptist and I believe that you need to be pretty darn cautious about playing around with magic and sorcery—danger, Will Robinson—so I needed something “completely different” in my story. Now, you can argue that even the geasa sounds like magic (and I’ll agree), but I had to do something. I mean, this is fantasy. So the good guys like Chariss have the geasa and the bad guys get their “gift” of sorcery from the big bad evil Julette, an ancient goddess who has gone a little nuts with wanting to usurp her husband and son’s worshippers.

What else about Chariss is cool? Well, she was born with this beautiful little amethyst on her cheekbone, high up near the corner of her right eye. I used to be married to someone who couldn’t grasp the concept when I explained it to him. He kept saying, “A stone is inorganic matter.” And I would say, “It’s fantasy.” The point is Chariss has a destiny that was set in motion prior to her birth and the amethyst is a birthmark that seals her fate. (And her eyes match the color of the amethyst, which I think makes her just gorgeous.)

Chariss saw the massacre of her family when she was four years old. The sorcerer Jamieson Drake would have killed her back then, too, if Hrazon of Mon’dore, the greatest wizard the gods created hadn’t shown up and whisked her off to safety. He’s been her guardian, mentor, teacher, and constant companion ever since. The perfect love and respect these two have for each other is amazing to me. It’s based on 1 Corinthians 13:4 and The Master Rothahn alludes to this in CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS. He seems almost jealous of it when He first mentions it, and that deadly sin of envy only grows.

As you can see, Chariss isn’t an insular character who goes through the novel on her own insular journey. She affects the people around her. One character she affects in an extreme fashion is Nigel Taiman. This poor man seems to have given up on love and the pursuit of happiness when we first meet him. He’s just going through the motions of tending to his family’s estate and school. He protects his little sister and his mother from a tyrannical father and hides among the shadows of the estate until Chariss appears and knocks the wind out of his sails. She doesn’t mean to. It just sort of happens. In fact, she’s apologetic and fretful when she finds out he’s in love with her.

There are plenty of sides and shades to Amanda Chariss. The best way to get to know her, of course, is to read about her in the trilogy, to follow her through her arc. I’ve lived with her in my head for years now so I know her like a sister. She’s a beloved friend to me. I hope that folks who come to the series as new readers will find a friend in her as well. There’s a quick little description of her in the “Character Sketches” section of the Worlds link on my new Web site at www.authorsandylender.com.

Thank you for visiting today to learn a little more about Chariss!
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”

For a chance to win a signed copy of

Choices Meant For Gods by Sandy Lender

Please leave a comment with your email!

Sandy is giving away 1 copy a week during the blog tour

You can see all the particpants at her blog

HERE

For more chances to enter!

Thanks and

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IT's A TWOFOR!!!!!

My apologies again my chickadees

For being offline for awhile and getting somewhat behind

I was up in Ohio taking care of some family matters,

and unfortunately internet access is somewhat limited for me there

To make it up to you ...

I'm hoping to get my crap together and have several giveaways here

over the next several days.

TODAY is A TWOFER

That means One Lucky CHICK

will recieve 2 BOOKS!!

So here we go!!

From AMAZON: Syd, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears.

Fearing the worst, her parents travel to Hawaii to investigate for themselves, never expecting the horror that awaits them.

LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is conducting his own research into the case, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller.

With no leads and no closer to uncovering the kidnapper's identity than when he stepped off the plane, Ben gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil.


A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, SWIMSUIT transports readers to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I've liked James Patterson a long time. If he sounds familiar to you but you don't know why, it's because he's the author of the "Detective Alex Cross" books, several of which were brought to the screen starring Morgan Freeman. When two authors team up together, you never really know what you're going to get, but in this case it works. I really liked the female perspective that Maxine Paetro added to the story, while it kept Patterson's usual edge of your seat suspense!







FROM AMAZON: PhD candidate Mitch Samuel's life isn't going exactly according to plan: his girlfriend just dumped him (to be fair, he did forget to pick her up at the airport), his estranged father has landed in the hospital, and his literary masterpiece-one part Shakespeare, one part Steinbeck, and all parts lyrical epic-has been rejected for the umpteenth time.
However, after a chance encounter at Starbucks with the queen of women's fiction- Katharine Longwell-who seems to take a liking to him, he senses an opportunity for literary riches, if not reputation. After telling her that his (imaginary) female cousin is an aspiring chick-lit author, he secures a promise from her that she'll help his "cousin" get published. The only problem is, Mitch needs a manuscript, and fast.
Unfortunately, try as he might to get inside a woman's head by reading Vogue and Cosmo, watching Oxygen and Oprah, nothing seems to work. That's when his roommate Bradley suggests that he try a dance class at the studio where Bradley's sister Marie takes lessons. Self-conscious about his own skills, and unwilling to reveal his true intentions, Mitch attends the first class under an alias: Jason Gallagher, pharmaceutical rep. What could go wrong?
Nothing, except that Mitch/Jason quickly finds himself hooked on dancing, and on the charming Marie. Who has no idea who he really is. Or that he knows her brother. Or why he's there. Suddenly, his novel-writing project is becoming a lot more than he bargained for...
WHAT I THOUGHT: This is a lot of fun, and very funny. A romantic comedy, from a guys point of view and written by a guy. I really loved it because that alone made it different from any chick lit I've read recently, or maybe ever...It's also a fairly quick read perfect for a day at the beach!

One Copy of Each is going to one lucky Chick!

All you need to do to win is leave a comment with

your email!!

That's it for today!

Thanks and

READ ON CHICKS!

Katka by Stephen Meier

KATKA

By Stephen Meier

I've never read a novella before...but there's definitely something to be said for something that can be read in just a couple hours, and the author managed to pack a whole lot of excitement in this short book!

From Amazon: Katka by Stephen Meier is a gritty, edgy novel of greed, love, and swindles gone very wrong. When Gavin and his girlfriend team with her best friend Simona to pull a phony mail order bride scam in the Czech Republic, Gavin gets in way over his head in the high-stakes and dangerous business of selling wives. When Gavin talks Katka, his girlfriend, into becoming part of the merchandise, planning to bait-n-switch the client in the end, things go awry and Katka disappears with the client. Partnering with the jealous and volatile Simona, Gavin begins to lament this risky life he has chosen, but finds the money is something he can’t walk away from. Gavin’s doubts grow; the con begins to consume him, and he finds himself thinking of Katka, the fate he dealt her, and whether he can undo the biggest mistake of his life. Written with staccato grit and streetwise savvy, Katka reads like a Quentin Tarantino movie. Stephen Meier’s work will leave you begging for more.

What I Liked: As I said, I really appreciated how much was packed into a pretty short read. I didn't feel like I missed anything. I really liked the "grittiness" of it. At it's base it's a story of love and money, and how far people will go for the sake of greed. The three main characters Katka, Gavin, and Simona are also very well developed. This is a great book to take to the beach or the pool!

Stephen Meier was kind enough to grant an interview!

1. What's your favorite thing you've read in the last year? Finished up Irving Welsh's, "If You Liked School, You'll Love Work". I love his style.

2. Name a character from a book you've read who you still find yourself thinking about. Just reread the Odyssey, and have been thinking about Odysseus.

3. A favorite quote from a book. Lately been discussing a lot of Hunter S. Thompson, so I would go with,"We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, "I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive . . ."And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about 100 miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming: "Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?"

4. Who do you consider your role model, literary or otherwise?Role Model? Hmmm, well i would say my father is my biggest hero and probably role model. He's a great man.

5. What music, if any, do you listen to when you're writing? I always listen to music! Right now some of my favorites are: Rob Dickinson acoustic, Radiohead, David Gray, and Aidan Hawken.
6. Have you ever faked reading anything? If so what? Haha, great question! Well, I was an English Major in College so the answer has to be yes!!!! And I think it was either Dubliners or Ulysses by James Joyce!

Thanks so much Mr. Meier for joining us Chicks today!

That's it for today!

READ ON CHICKS!!

A Morning Like This...

Hey There CHICKS!!

My apologies for things being a little slow around here the past several

days..I'm up in Ohio enjoying some time visiting family and my internet

access is a bit limited. BUT...I have manged to do some reading of course

so here you go..

A MORNING LIKE THIS

By Deborah Bedford

FROM AMAZON: David and Abby Treasure seem to have everything together: a perfect marriage, a perfect son, and a perfect life. But one simple phone call turns their world upside down. Years ago, David had an affair outside of his marriage, and though he never knew it, the affair produced a daughter. Now his former lover calls with heartbreaking news: his daughter is dying of leukemia. Her only hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant-from David or his son. Can David and Abby set aside their betrayal and anger to save a little girl's life? If they can make it through, they may find that their love for one another and their faith in God can be redeemed . . . and grow stronger than ever before.

What I thought: This was a really good story. It did come across as a little "preachy" to me at times, (although not overly so) but it is classified as Christian Fiction, so I'd expect it to. That fact, however, did not deter from the story line at all, in fact the characters are well developed, and while I think I got a little bothered by David's indignation over Abby's initial trouble with forgiveness, I felt the overall theme rang true. Yes, I cried a little, but in the end I felt hopeful, so I think the author did what she set out to do.

I have one copy to giveaway courtesy of Miriam at Hatchette!!

To win simply leave me a comment with your email!

THANKS!!

Winners of

"IF YOUR KID EATS THIS BOOK

EVERYTHING WILL BE OK"

ARE

Suburban Prep

Danetta

Ashley

Linda

Sharon

That's it for today!!

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