Lauren Dane – Broken Open (Hurley Boys #2)

May 4, 2015 lizellyn Books Erotic, Hot Rock Star Hero

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”

to Lauren Dane!

Carrot Cake (gluten free)

May 1, 2015October 12, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Cake, Cupcake, gluten free

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

Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together oil, honey and eggs.
Stir in carrots and pineapple.
Whisk in dry ingredients, making sure you get out all the clumps.
Stir in pecans.
Pour batter into greased baking dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool completely before icing.
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

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.
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.
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.
Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and maple syrup. Beat well.
Add 1 cup powdered sugar, maple extract, and salt. Beat well.
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)

April 30, 2015 lizellyn Books Erotic, Three or More Galore

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

to Kelly Jamieson!

Sloane Howell – The Panty Whisperer

April 29, 2015April 29, 2015 lizellyn Books Bedtime Read, Erotica, Spicy Stories to Savor

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.

to Sloane Howell!

Kylie Scott – Deep (Stage Dive #4)

April 28, 2015 lizellyn Books Erotic, Hot Rock Star Hero

Incredible book in an incredible series. I’m not just saying that because the main character’s name is Liz. She is perfectly imperfect. Yes, she falls for the bad boy rock star, befriends him, beds him, but is strong enough to walk away when she’s tolerated enough. Ben struggles with commitment. He has many yo-yo moments of pulling Liz in close then pushing her away. He can say the most perfect thing. “Sweetheart, you’ve been important since day one. Only girl I kept coming back to. Didn’t matter how far I ran, I couldn’t get you off my mind. Never been this way about another woman.” As beautiful are his words, it’s not enough. Actions can outweigh words.

As an aside, in a female bonding circle, Liz brags to the other women about the erotic benefits of Ben’s beard. To beard or not to beard? I can’t really weigh in on this because of lack of experience. I’ve never even kissed a man with a goatee or beard. However, it does beg the question, what is the hottest amount of facial hair? None, 5 o’clock shadow, 1-2 day, Goatee, Full Beard. Purely from a visually appealing opinion, I’ld have to pick a 1-2 day growth. (just an opinion)

See other related posts:

Kylie Scott – Lead

Kylie Scott – Play

Kylie Scott – Lick

to Kylie Scott

Christina Lauren – Beautiful Secret (Beautiful Bastard #4)

April 27, 2015April 28, 2015 lizellyn Books Erotic, Rich Racy & Romantic Romeos

Praise to the art of taking things slow. Sometimes it almost seems like a lost art, but this book is packed from start to finish. The awkward humor is refreshing and keeps you laughing. Although I did get caught laughing a bit too loud while reading in a public place. Oops. Niall is a the kind of man that you can get behind and cheer for. It is like rooting for the underdog at a sporting event. Niall struggles with his confidence and identity but continues to try his best at making a go at a relationship with Ruby. This is a fantastic series – don’t miss out.

See other related posts:

Christina Lauren – “Dirty Rowdy Thing”

Favorite Spin-off Book Series

to Christina Lauren!

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

April 26, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Cupcake

What an easy way to show a little team spirit. Obviously, I was going for a yellow and green theme here (the colors of my son’s tennis team). For the 1st cupcake I tinted half the batter yellow and half green. I swirled the two together to make a tie-dye cake. It was very easy and definitely showed that the cupcakes were not store bought. My kids are very spoiled and won’t touch a store bought dessert. I’ve been wanting to try different techniques for tie-dying frosting. This gave me the perfect opportunity to give it a whirl. For the 1st cupcake, I painted the inside of the piping bag with yellow and green gel die and filled the bag with white frosting. The piped colors were very vibrant – perhaps a little too much so and colored everyone’s tongues. For the 2nd cupcake, I placed white, yellow, and green frosting in a single piping bag. This only took a little extra time to fill the bag carefully. I was pleased that the colors didn’t completely blend together.

In the future, I would use these techniques for holiday occasions as well. Remember when mixing two colors of cake batter that is looks better if you use a bit more of the lighter colors than darker colors.

Tennis Ball Cupcakes

April 24, 2015 lizellyn Sweets Cupcake

Unlike real tennis balls that are empty, these cupcakes are filled with vanilla buttercream. Besides using a golden yellow frosting on top, I dipped each cupcake in yellow sugar so that it would have a “fuzzy” appearance like a real tennis ball. It was fun baking these for my son’s tennis team, but nothing is better than playing tennis with my kids.

Tiffany Reisz – The Virgin (The Original Sinners)

April 23, 2015 lizellyn Books BDSM, Erotic, Spicy Stories to Savor

The original sinners are the most compelling characters! They are beyond any realm of typical, but what is overwhelmingly brilliant is their commitment to each other on multiple levels. Their enduring love for each other is accentuated in this story, which covers a one-year time period where Nora, Soren, and Kingsley are separated from one another and then return to each other. Their ability to forgive one another is profoundly moving. As you find out through the story, sometimes it takes time to recognize all aspects of oneself and learn to appreciate all sides of those you love. In addition, I would be remiss if I didn’t include some of my favorite quotes (that don’t contain spoilers):

“Ignorance is a poor excuse for bliss.”

“She survived the end of the world and found at the end a new beginning. And if she’d survived the end of the world, surely she could survive anything now.”

Did you think I forgot about the sex? Hell No! It is a Tiffany Reisz book – it is always sinfully delicious. Nora takes the virginity of a novice nun in a convent. Kingsley chains his lover to a bed for an entire week. And, Soren makes Eleanor forget her safe word and then pushes her to the point to where there is nothing she can do but safe word out.

Other posts about Tiffany Reisz’s books:

Tiffany Reisz – “The King”

Megan Hart & Tiffany Reisz – Captivated

to Tiffany Reisz!

Book Boyfriend Boards 4/22/2015

April 22, 2015April 22, 2015 lizellyn Bookish Bookish

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.

Original Sinners by Tiffany Reisz

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