Never heard of gooey butter cake? Well, it is a St. Louis tradition. The name says it all. It rich, dense, and of course gooey. It is typically served like a coffee cake. Supposedly, Walmart sells a version of gooey butter cake and calls it Paula Deen Baked Goods Original Gooey Butter Cake. Since Paula Deen is the queen of butter, I would hope her cake is good.
In the photo, it is chocolate gooey butter cake on the left and a vanilla version on the right.
It’s a Cherry Bombshell
It’s a cocktail and cupcake. A chocolate cupcake with rum buttercream inside with Bailey’s Chocolate Cherry frosting. Cupcakes aren’t just for kids anymore.
If you liked the first three books in the Real Series, then you are bound to like “Ripped” (the 5th in the series) as well.
Young love can be intense, ever-lasting, and most importantly REAL. Pandora and Mackenna prove that in Ripped. I love how Katy Evans echoes the theme of real love in Ripped. Kenna says, “She’s real to me.”
I also like how Katy Evan plays on the characters from her other books. She uses the deep love between Remy and Brooke as the ideal attainable goal to which Pandora and Kenna are both jealous.
The desperate need that both of them have for each other is palpable. “I want her deep and hard, like wanting to tie myself to a sinking ship and letting it take me under.”
This book makes you ache for REAL LOVE.
to Katy Evans!
This is the 8th book in Lorelei James’ Rough Riders series. I can be honest – I am totally addicted to this series.
One of the reasons I love this book in the series is because I love the strong female character. She is the baby girl of a large family, but has an independent streak and a spine of steel. She owns her sexuality and has no regrets about her sexual history. And, I love how she refers to Jack as “Jack-off” when she is irritated with him.
Jack may not be a cowboy, but he is just as hot as the other cowboys in the series. One of my favorite parts is when Jack and Keely tell her family that they are engaged. Individually, each of Keely’s five older brothers and her father, warn Jack that they will “gut him” if he does anything to harm Keely. It definitely takes a real man not to cave when threatened like that.
Check out my other Rough Riders post:
Lorelei James – “Branded as Trouble”
to Lorelei James!
“You Were Mine” is the 9th book in Abbi Glines’ Rosemary Beach Series. Finally, we get the backstory on Tripp and Bethy! We knew Tripp was a good guy when he helped out Della, but Bethy didn’t seem to have many redeeming traits in earlier books.
Reading about Bethy’s past and her emotional struggles, she becomes a much more sympathetic and likable character. My favorite Bethy quote:
Only Tripp. No one else had looked at me that way after sex. … Because once you knew that look, it was hard to accept less. The warm feeling that ran through me, making me feel cherished and special, was all because of that look.
Tripp’s never-ending love for Bethy makes him an attractive character. His dirty talk makes him sexy as hell. My favorite Tripp quote:
In that moment, I realized I wasn’t her second-best. What we had was bigger than anything else she’d had. Even with Jace. Knowing I meant more to her was a game changer. I’d move fucking mountains to give her what she needed.
to Abbi Glines!
Vanilla and BDSM really go together quite well. The above cake is a Frozen merengue cake with Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Whipped Cream. This pairs well with any of the following erotic romance novels: “Hot Ticket” by Olivia Cunning, “In Flight” by R.K. Lilley, “Sweet Surrender” by Maya Banks, “The Siren” by Tiffany Reisz, “Wicked Ties” by Shayla Black, or the “The Submissive” by Tara Sue Me. A slice of cake and a book make for a perfect combination for dinner dessert. Actually, the two go together well any time of the day.
to all the above authors!
This is the 1st book in the Unspoken Trilogy. This was an unexpectedly good read. I accidentally read the second in the series, “Overheard” first, which was outstanding. (Maya Banks is the queen of writing menage stories) I was worried that “Understood” would not compare to “Overheard.” Looking back, what a preposterous notion! Maya Banks does not fail to disappoint in either book. “Understood” gets right into the heart of the romance story between Jake and Ellie. I was pleased that the book did not harp on the details of Ellie’s abusive past, but simply made it an element of her character.
The entire trilogy is now offered in one book, Unbroken (Unspoken #1-3).
to Maya Banks!
This is Book 3 in the Hard Ink series (although don’t skip 2.5 it was really good). This is one of those series that gets better, book by book.
I adore the character Derek aka Marz. Derek considers himself the “brains and beauty of the operation.” His personality is what really sets himself apart. His ability to make others laugh during the most stressful and dangerous moments is one of his most attractive features. Speaking of his features, more specifically his physical features, he is decorated with many tattoos, not all of which are shown on the cover. To quote the character Emilie, “Holy Shit, Derek.” I guess I’ll have to use my imagination to picture all of his other tattoos.
Check out my other post for “Hard to Hold On To.” (Book 2.5 in Hard Ink series)
to Laura Kaye!
If you aren’t allergic to nuts, this is a must eat cookie. I have been making this cookie for 30 years. I used to make it for holiday trays, but because of all the increased food allergies I switched it to a fall baking thing. I don’t like to repeat recipes (something that sometimes annoys my family) but this recipe has made my short list of baked goods worthy of repeating.
The dough is cream cheese and butter based and is worth every single calorie. I use Solo Nut filling for the inside, which pairs well with the dough. I have also filled these with chocolate, blueberry, and apple filling. Once I tried Solo Almond filling when I couldn’t find the Nut filling. Perhaps it is a nostalgic thing, but I prefer the Solo Nut filling to all others.
Love chocolate? Love Nutella? The two blend perfectly into a smooth fudge that is a fabulous guilty pleasure. This is sure to satisfy a chocolate lover’s fix.
Indulge in Life's Guilty Pleasures 