Olivia Cunning – One Starry Night

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Extra, Extra, Read all about it … Sinners on Tour Extras … Extra Sinful, Extra Sex, Extra Hot Man

Fan of Olivia Cunning?  YOU MUST READ!  I realize the story is a bit tangential to the favorite core group of rockers, but Jake, a guitar technician and roadie for the band, certainly epitomizes the lovable sexy rock stars.  He’s crass, crude, and says whatever is on his mind, which is mostly sex.  The three-way between Jake, Devlin, and Michelle was UNBELIEVABLY HOT!  This book may be short, but remember it’s quality that counts, not quantity.  Only $0.99 on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Starry-Night-Sinners-Tour-Book-ebook/dp/B00R0CROW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431308528&sr=8-1&keywords=one+starry+night+olivia+cunning

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Tiffanie Debartolo – How to Kill a Rock Star

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Great romance book for those who have very high standards of rock music appreciation.  Paul and Eliza share a taste for music that bashes pop music and only favors songs that include quality lyrics and genius musicality.  The story was very unexpected.  I almost felt like it was elevating music to the level of literal passion in Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard when the author mentioned a love of the Botticelli paintings in Uffizi.  I originally had anticipated a hot, sex, drugs, and rock and roll novel.  The story was more gut wrenching than sinfully sexy.  Even after reading the HEA, the painful heart break stuck with me for days.  For that reason, I recommend this book. Good or bad, sometimes you just need a book to tap into deep feelings.

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Slutty Brownies, for a Chocolate Whore

Slutty Brownies

These brownies are dedicated to chocolate lovers that never find a dessert “too rich.”  I was a little shocked when I mentioned to my kids that I was making slutty brownies and they knew exactly what I was talking about.  I can’t take credit for the idea, although I elaborated on the name a bit.  After reading a few recipes and speaking to a friend about her experience baking Slutty Brownies, here are my suggestions on how to ensure a great dessert:

1.  Preheat oven to 350

2.  Use a glass 8×8 or 9×9 pan (recipes that are larger do not end up baking well in the center & glass pan ensured that cookie on bottom did not overcook).

3.  Line the pan with two sheets of aluminum foil placed criss-cross

4.  Spray the foil with cooking spray

5.  Make a 1/2 batch of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookie batter (follow recipe on pkg) place in prepared pan and pack dough in tightly

6.  Place 16 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on cookie dough and slightly press into the dough

7.  Place 16 Oreos (not double stuffed – not enough room for everything) directly on top of peanut butter cups

8.  Using a brownie mix for 8×8 or 9×9 pans, follow recipe.  Pour batter over Oreos until Oreos are covered completely.  (I did not use the entire brownie mix- I didn’t want the brownies to heave over side of pan while baking)

9.  Bake for 50-60 min.  Just until toothpick at 2 inches from edge of brownie comes out clean, but center still sticks to toothpick

10.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before covering it to store

11.  Allow to cool completely overnight before slicing and serving!!!

Okay, if you’re really desperate to try it warm – go for it!  Just don’t expect the piece to come out looking pretty or not falling apart completely.  

HAPPY BAKING!

Lorelei James – Chasin’ Eight (Rough Rider Series #11)

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Chase is a champion bull rider and is built like the athletic man necessary to tackle such a feat.  Ava, an actress on a break, dreams of riding him on a mechanical bull, but Chase has self-invoked a month of celibacy.  That’s a lot of pent of energy during a month.  After, the sex off the charts but the way that Ava and Chase help each other find what’s really important to each of them is even better.  Family is always a cornerstone in the Rough Riders Series.

While I suggest reading the entire series, if you must choose one – this is it!  Chase gives great sex advice to his friend, Ryan.  If you enjoy reading with a partner in bed, I highly suggest reading Chapter 15.  Sorry I can’t include my favorite paragraphs here.  Trying to keep the blog PG-13.  It’s a must read!

Related Posts:

Lorelei James – Cowboy Casanova: Rough Riders, Book 12

Lorelei James – Cowgirls Don’t Cry

Lorelei James – “Raising Kane”

Lorelei James – “Tied Up, Tied Down”

Lorelei James – “All Jacked Up”

Lorelei James – “Branded as Trouble”

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Book Boyfriend Boards 5/06/2015

Pinterest Book Boyfriend Boards

Great romance authors make the reader fall in love with the characters. The descriptions of their build, the way in which they speak, and their prowess in bed electrify the characters and make them hot and desirable.  Enjoy these pinterest boards that celebrate some of the most titillating characters and combine both provocative images and amazing quotes.

Lauren Dane’s Brown Siblings, Delicious, Hurley Boys, Chase Brothers

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/chelse6787/lauren-dane/

Original Sinners by Tiffany Reisz

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/kyo31/original-sinners/

Rosemary Beach by Abbi Glines

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/natapou/rosemary-beach-series-by-abbi-glines/

Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/mamawnurse/black-dagger-brotherhood/

Rough Riders by Lorelei James

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/twopervs_inapod/rough-riders-by-lorelei-james/

Chaos Novels by Kristen Ashley

13_pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/holyhotness/chaos-series-by-kristen-ashley/

Wicked Lovers Novels by Shayla Black

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/vibrantbride/shayla-black-wicked-lovers-series/

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/catarinafsilva2/fifty-shades-of-grey/

Sea Breeze Series by Abbi Glines 

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/billanddallas/sea-breeze-series-by-abbi-glines/

Kellan Kyle in Thoughtless Series by S.C. Stephens

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/wallinmt/thoughtless-kellen-kyle/

Drew Evans in Tangled Series by Emma Chase

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/mariskabell/emma-chase-%7E-tangledtwistedtied/

Remy by Katy Evans

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/lilyslibrary/real-mine-remy-by-katie-evans/

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

13_pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/beckybookworm/travis-mad-dog-maddox-3/

Lemon & Lime Cookies

lemon & lime cookies

An easy sugar cookie that looks great in spring!  These cookies are flavored with jello and rolled in a sugar/jello combination.  (a minor change to the recipe) I added a little food coloring to perk up the colors.  Find the full recipe at http://www.iheartnaptime.net/jello-cookies/  This would be a great recipe to adapt for other holidays and festive occasions.  I added these to a tray with springtime colored cupcakes.

teacher apprec tray

See Related Post:

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

HAPPY BAKING!

Lauren Dane – Broken Open (Hurley Boys #2)

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Love this series!  Why?

(1) The characters from the first book are very much intwined in the second and their story continues but don’t detract from the main story

Natalie is Tuesday’s best friend and confidant, she is important to Tuesday.  Paddy is Ezra’s brother and important, too.  Getting a peak into the progression of their friendship is a bonus to this story.

(2) The theme of trust continues from book one into this book

Ezra says to Tuesday, “I want to be sure everything is all right with you.  If I can’t be bothered to take care of the trust you give me, I don’t deserve it.”

(3) the bedroom scenes are hot (really, it is the main reason to read romance)

I love the humor in the scenes as well.  Ezra refers to his amazing ability to maintain a hard-on under any circumstances.  Then there are a few instances where Ezra’s pets try to intrude.  “I warned them [the pets] not to cockblock me again.”

Even as a stand alone, this is pleasurable romance.  Ezra is a recovered heroin addict (and rancher, rock star, and animal lover) that is struggling with the idea of being with someone that makes him want them too much.  He is worried that his feelings are too similar to his cravings for heroin.  Tuesday is a strong woman that is struggling to move on with her life after her former husband passed away from cancer.  There are numerous issues that happen to each character that makes it seem more realistic as if their “real” lives continue to persist while dating.

Check out other related posts:

Lauren Dane – The Best Kind of Trouble (Hurley Boys #1)

Favorite Spin-off Book Series

Lauren Dane – “Laid Bare”

Lauren Dane – “Making Chase”

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Carrot Cake (gluten free)

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OMG!  If I ever see a carrot cake with a boring plain cream cheese frosting I may cry.  After tasting this carrot cake with a maple pecan buttercream, I can NEVER go back to boring.  I owe all my inspiration for this combination of a nutty frosting combined with carrot cake to The Vegan Muffin Woman.  See her recipe  I would have tried her recipe, but I didn’t have the necessary ingredients on hand.  Instead, I used a Maple Pecan Buttercream Frosting recipe from The Food Charlatan.  (Recipe below)

The actual carrot cake was a spectacular surprise.  I had been craving carrot cake for 3 months now, but I kept getting side tracked in the kitchen.  Since I’m gluten free, it makes finding a good recipe difficult.  In the past, I’ve used rice flour to substitute in other recipes but the cake turned out way too dense.  By just tasting this cake you would never imagine that not only is it gluten free, but sugar free, as well.  It is based on a combination of almond and coconut flour.  The sweetness comes from crushed pineapple and honey.  It was light and fluffy … amazing for a gluten free cake.  I found the recipe on the site Gluten Free Mix (although a bake mix was not necessary for this recipe).

Even if you’re not gluten free, I really suggest trying this cake!

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup finely grated carrots
  • 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (canned is fine)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour, packed
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Whisk together oil, honey and eggs.
  3. Stir in carrots and pineapple.
  4. Whisk in dry ingredients, making sure you get out all the clumps.
  5. Stir in pecans.
  6. Pour batter into greased baking dish.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  8. Cool completely before icing.
  9. Top with my creamy vanilla yogurt frosting or your favorite cream cheese frosting.

* Some notes on this recipe.  If you have an oven that tends to turn things dark quickly, lower temperature to 325.  This recipe is perfect for an 8×8 glass dish, pie plate or 12 cupcakes.  For a layered cake or 9×13, double the recipe 🙂

Maple Pecan Frosting
 Yield: Makes enough to frost 1 double layer cake, or 24 cupcakes
 Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butte
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup real maple syrup (I used Grade A)
  • 1 teaspoon maple extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Chop up the pecans. You can chop them with a knife or in a food processor. See photos to see what level of choppiness we’re talking.
  2. Set a frying pan over medium heat. Add the pecans and stir occasionally until they start to smell delicious, or until they barely start to brown. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter to within an inch of its life. Just kidding, beat it for a couple minutes until it’s high and fluffy.
  4. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and maple syrup. Beat well.
  5. Add 1 cup powdered sugar, maple extract, and salt. Beat well.
  6. Add the chopped pecans when they are completely cooled and beat it. Try not to eat it all with a spoon.

Notes

I used regular syrup and substituted vanilla extract for the maple extract and it tasted amazing!

Kelly Jamieson – Rhythm of Three (Rule of Three #2)

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Kelly Jamieson nailed in the first of the series, Rule of Three.  It was a fantastic hot menage story and the characters stuck in my head for many months after reading it.  I was dying for more after finishing the book.  In #2, the story continues but is more focused on the trials and tribulations of the triad.  Chris continues to struggle emotionally with his attraction to Dag.  All three have to address issues of how the triad is perceived by friends and family.  I would have liked a little more dialog about how each was struggling with issues.  Considering the fact that men in general aren’t that vocal about their feelings, perhaps that would have been too feminine.  Or maybe I’m just greedy and always want to know more about the characters.  I’m looking forward to reading the final installment, Reward of Three.

Check out more Kelly Jamieson

Kelly Jamieson – Jilted

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Sloane Howell – The Panty Whisperer

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Free bedtime read on Amazon – The Panty Whisperer.  Want a 20 minute dose of erotica before bed?  Joel Hannover has a superpower for pleasuring women.  Jessica is a sexually frustrated, very well endowed, middle aged accountant.  Seems like a match made in heaven or less politely a little exhibitionism in a parking garage.  This isn’t a romance with a happily ever after, but it does end happily.  Sweet Dreams!

Need a little more?  The Panty Whisperer Series Book 2 is also available on Amazon and free on KU.

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