This Week’s Feature Book Teaser: The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz
Image From 
http://smutfanatic.blogspot.com/2014/09/lauras-review-of-mistress-original.html?zx=d6f7a7ca156c5eef
Gluten Free Halloween Treats
Meringue Cookies in the shape of candy corn and ghosts
(recipe found at http://makebakecelebrate.com/candy-corn-week-candy-corn-meringues-printable-and-round-up/)
- 4 Egg Whites
- 1 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 1/4 TSP Salt
- 1/4 TSP Cream of Tarter
- Orange Gel Coloring
- Yellow Coloring
- Parchment Paper
- Pipping Bag
- Large Round Tip
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150-170 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer separate egg yolks from egg whites. Let the eggs come to room temp.
- Beat eggs until white and foamy. Mix in 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp cream of tarter until soft peaks form.Set timer for 7 minutes. Slowly add in sugar a bit at a time taking the entire 7 minutes to do so.
- Divide into three bowl. To make the most meringues put a little more in the orange bowl, and the most in the yellow bowl because you will use the most of these colors.
- Add orange to your middle bowl and yellow to the bowl with the most meringue.
- Fill piping bags with meringue using a large round tip (I used Wilton #2A). If you only have one tip or one bag just start with yellow and wash in between of course.
- On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet pipe yellow dots of meringue about an inch across. Holding the icing bag vertical. Just press gently until you get a nice shape release pressure then pull up. I have found that these bake best when they are no bigger then and inch wide and an inch tall.
- Layer an orange dot on top slightly smaller, remember to keep the icing bag vertical it will help loads!
- Layer a smaller white dot on top. Pull up as you release pressure to get a nice little tip.
- Now bake at a very low heat (about 150-170) for about two hours to two and a half hours until they are nice and crisp. I just checked on mine every so often to make sure they haven’t started to brown. Every oven is different. I have found in the past that a low temp for a much longer time is far better then a higher temp with a risk of browning.
- With any left over white batter: swirl and add a couple of mini chips for eyes
Chocolate Coated Marshmallows with sprinkles with gluten free Snyder’s Pretzel handle
This is pretty self explanatory and incredibly easy to make. They are festive looking and very fun to eat! The chocolate cools and hardens quickly so it can even be done as a last minute dessert.
HAPPY BAKING!
Lorraine Loveit – Grand Final – The Last Game (Playing the Game #6)
AVAILABLE FOR PRE ORDER
As the series comes to an end, will Suzie end up with Brendon? The entire novel leaves the reader on pins and needles, waiting the for the other shoe to drop. Will Brendon return to his abusive former self? I couldn’t put the book down until I had the answer.
With all the admirers that Suzie has procured, with whom will she end up in the end?
I love how this book separates itself from other BDSM novels. Most other books have completely romanticized the concept of BDSM, which isn’t to say that the books are bad. This series breaks from those predictable story lines.
1. This series shows that things aren’t always perfect in a BDSM relationship. Doms, like Brenden, can be inexperienced. He really had no clue how to be a good Dom. In previous books, he never put the needs of his sub first.
2. BDSM isn’t for everyone. Jason states, in the beginning of this book, that Suzie isn’t a submissive even though he wishes she should would be his. Suzie tried to be a good submissive but it just wasn’t in her nature.
3. Even if you try the lifestyle, you can always stop and still have a kinky fun sex life. There’s a whole lot of room for creativity between BDSM and boring vanilla missionary. This is the crux of the heat and steam in Grand Final.
The racy scenes left me needing a cold shower. Unfortunately, unlike Suzie’s numerous showers, Brendon did not join me. Damn those book boyfriends!
This is a Must Read Series. See Related Posts:
Lorraine Loveit – Getting Tackled
Jaci Burton – Changing the Game (Play by Play #2)
In honor of the World Series, this is my suggested read for the week.
Check Out this cover! Guess what … the writing inside is even hotter.
Liz is a successful sports agent and Gavin is one of her clients. She’s been in love with him for years. He is a professional baseball player that has true love and devotion for the game.
Gavin and Liz burn up the sheets (shower and other surfaces) together. But mixing business with pleasure is complicated. Throw in some deep emotions and the situation gets more complex. Liz has close ties to Gavin’s family, which makes the entanglement even more convoluted.
This book is a grand slam hot romance!
Other Play-by-Play Posts:
Jaci Burton – Quarterback Draw
Jaci Burton – All Wound Up
Which is your favorite Jaci Burton Play by Play Cover?
Results of Favorite Jaci Burton Play by Play Cover
to Jaci Burton!
P J Haynie – Losing You
I believe that there is always a book out there to read no matter your mood. If you get into a fight with someone you love, this is a great book to read. It’s literally a quick reminder (only 24 pages) about forgiveness. It’s done in a modern, believable, and most importantly a romantic way.
I’m not a huge fan of short stories and novellas, but this is one I know that I’ll read again in the future.
to P J Haynie!
Maya Banks – Sweet Temptation (Sweet #4)
Re-reading books is my new guilty pleasure. This book was too tempting not to read again.
Micah is a generally a walled off man that doesn’t care to share a lot of personal details about his past. Angelina, the little sister of his deceased best friend, returns from his past. She’s a sexy Latina with a determination to seduce the man of her dreams. Micah tries to fight his overwhelming lustful attraction for her, but he cannot resist. His domination of Angelina’s body is scorching hot! You’ll need a glass of cold water nearby to help cool you off.
Add a little suspense to the mix and the culmination is one hell of a book.
This series is absolutely flipping amazing. New to the sex club scene? Read these books! Sex, action, and romance, this series has it all. (A little menagerie, too) I cannot say that I have a favorite in the series, because they are all great. I suggest reading them in order, because the characters develop throughout the series.
to Maya Banks!
To Audiobook or Not
I couldn’t image listening to an audiobook. I didn’t want someone else’s voice in my head. When I read, I like to imagine how the characters’ voices sound and I didn’t want someone else altering that experience. I figured that hearing someone else read would completely ruin the fantasy of the book. I love to get lost in the author’s words. I didn’t want any distractions.
But then I found myself entrenched in those pesky times of the day when I had to tear myself away from a good book and actually clean the house, do laundry, make dinner, etc.
A few days ago, I finally decided that I would try an audio book. I chose a book by a well known author that I adore. I downloaded the book and put in my ear buds. I set very low expectations and pressed play. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel the urge to cut-off the voice.
It didn’t take long until I was hooked. Even when I had time to return to my traditional book, I wanted to finish the audiobook. Yes, I found a new love for audiobooks.
After I finished my first audiobook, I quickly downloaded another. Eager to start another book, I began it immediately. Whoa! There it was. An annoying voice that grated on my nerves. The inflections and accent were all wrong. After five minutes, I couldn’t bare another minute. There was no way that I could endure listening to that voice for an entire novel. I’m not usually one to abandon a book but this was dreadful.
I considered whether or not I should give up on audiobooks completely. I decided I would give it another shot. The quality of the audio of the third book was not as good as the first but still very enjoying.
What do I think of audiobooks? Well, just like all books, some are good and some are not. They definitely fill a gap in my day when I have to do mundane chores. Even sorting laundry doesn’t seem so terrible when I’m listening to a book. Also, after spending an entire day working at the computer, my eyes are sometimes too tired to focus on a traditional book. An audiobook is a nice substitute. Of course, there are limitations. I read much more quickly than an audiobook. So when I’m listening to an audiobook and I’m desperate for the happily-ever-after, I have to dig deep for a little extra patience.
I guess I’m a traditional girl at heart and prefer a book that I can hold in my hands and turn the pages, be it a paperback or an ebook.
In the end, the format of the book doesn’t really matter. All that matters is the quality and enjoyment of the story.
I 
HAPPY READING!
Teaser Tuesday – Lead by Kylie Scott
This Week’s Favorite Book Teaser: Lead by Kylie Scott
Image From https://www.pinterest.com/nomes3329/naomis-reading-palace/
MORE BOOK TEASERS
Misleading Book Blurbs Lead to Bad Reviews
I’m a romance book junkie! I can’t get enough. I read all kinds of romance: historical, suspense, humorous, sad, BDSM, erotic, cowboys, sports, paranormal, and everything in between. I love the build up, the tragedy, and the happily ever after or happily for now.
What don’t I like? Book Blurbs that represent a book as being a romance novel or novella, but then include graphically violent scenes that include things such as rape. There’s nothing romantic about rape. The one exception is when the story mentions that a character has been violated in the past and it is done as part of the character development.
However, CONSENSUAL simulated rape in a kinky BDSM scene in a novel can be hot if written well.
A reader’s reaction to a book starts at the book blurb. It puts the reader in a particular mindset and sets up expectations. When the book doesn’t meet those expectations it can be disappointing. If the book goes off into a completely different direction, it can either be great or can be a bust. That’s a serious risk. Beware, the result can be a scathing review. It’s the bad reviews that make more of an impression than the good reviews.
I’ve been an avid book reader for years and I’ve been blogging about books for one year. I try to be very fair about my book reviews. I make it a policy not to bash authors or books.
Please don’t misrepresent a story with a falsified book blurb.
Tennis Racquet Cake
What kind of cake does one make for a 16 year old tennis player? I’ve already made a cake in the shape of tennis ball.
When I asked him what he kind of cake he wanted, he joking said “my tennis racquet.”
I thought about his request for a few days. It sounded a bit nuts. Then, I thought I’m just that nuts to take on this challenge.
Here’s how the project went along.
First, I traced the actual racquet to make a template for cutting out the cake and planning how to plate and store the cake. Both were a challenge because of the size. A full size racquet is 27 inches long. I didn’t have a container large enough to store the entire cake. I needed to be able to split the cake in order to store in two different containers. You can see the split I made in the cake plate (pre-cut cake cardboard covered with green paper and wax paper).
I then had to choose an appropriate cake recipe. I needed one that was dense enough to be cut into sections. I’ve used a pound cake in the past to cut into shapes, but I wanted to find something different this time. I found a recipe online that suggested using a cake mix but only using 1/2 the oil and 2 Tbls less of water. I needed a lot of cake for this project (again a BIG cake). I used my 12 x 18 inch pan, which requires 2 cake mixes worth of batter.
The cake baked nicely and luckily popped out of the pan without any fuss or cracking. After the cake cooled, I leveled the cake. I cut my cake template into three pieces and placed them on the cake. I cut out each section carefully, making sure to keep my knife perpendicular to the table. I then assembled the pieces of cake on the cake plate.
Because the strings on a racquet are in the center of the frame, I needed a separate surface for the strings to appear. I used my cake level to cut the cake in half horizontally. I cut out the center, leaving just enough cake for the racquet frame. I then removed the cake.
I also had to cut out the throat of the racquet. The entire cake then needed to be skim-coated with a thin layer of frosting. This step seals in the cake for freshness and allows the top frosting to go on smoothly.
I allowed the frosting to dry before placing the two sections in containers for the night.
I wasn’t done for the day, yet. Dyed frosting needs to sit overnight. I first whipped up a batch of vanilla white frosting. I took about a cup of it and dyed it bright yellow-green. The second batch of frosting, I dyed “tour purple” (which looks like a deep purple or indigo). This took a lot of purple dye and quite a bit of blue to attain the perfect shade.
Why purple? The club where my kids practice painted the courts “tour purple” this year. It allows players to see the ball more clearly because the yellow ball is in direct contrast to the purple. Here’s a pic of the actual racquet on the actual court.
To end the evening, I whipped up a batch of chocolate frosting and dyed it black.
EXHAUSTED – that’s what I felt like at this point in the project. I called it a night.
I woke up the next day refreshed and ready to pipe some frosting. I frosted the racquet face first so that it would have time to dry before I piped the strings. Then I went to town on the racquet frame. I started with all the lettering and details and then filled in with the color. I wanted all the frosting to be a single surface (smooth like a racquet).
Next, I piped the racquet handle to look like it was wrapped in a grip.
I even piped the end of the racquet to replicate the Head logo.
Lastly, I needed to pipe the strings. The problem? Strings on a racquet are woven. A fact I know all too well because I string my kids’ racquets. How did I do this with frosting? I piped every other main (black) string first. Then I piped every other cross string (white). I finished piping the black mains. Then I finished with the white crosses. Thus, most of the strings actually appear to be woven. I could have used a basket weave technique, but the breaks in the piping would have detracted from the overall appearance.
Here are a few more close up photos of the cake:
Indulge in Life's Guilty Pleasures 