New Year's Eve

New Additions to the TBR pile

Today I'm listing mainly the books I got for Christmas. The Anne Stuart is the only exception to that.

Kate Bridges - The Surgeon
Lisa Cach - The Erotic Secrets of A French Maid
Susan Carroll - Winterbourne
Gayle Feyrer - Prince of Cups
Lisa Kleypas - Mine Till Midnight
Nicky Pellegrino - The Gipsy Tearoom (in portuguese A Filha do Pescador)
Miss Read - Village School
Bram Stoker - Dracula
Anne Stuart - Ice Storm

Secret Santa & other gifts

My Santa wasn't all that secret this year. Since I was organising the ERTG exchange with Alex we automatically became each other's Santas. She sent me a box (which I had to try very hard not to open ahead of time) and an envelope with great things inside.



Aren't those Hello Kitty socks just what you need for a cold winter night? And the tea, the chocolate are just great (still waiting for instructions on the chestnut cream... And notice the books from my wish list that she got me :-)

Then A. sent me a package too. I was very curious about it's contents because it had so many things inside but once again I managed not to peak (I was on my best behaviour this Christmas) and when I opened it I found out that among other things she had sent me a few Christmas movies that I was planning on buying...



See how they both got me Christmas ornaments. I just love them!! And plenty of books! And little notebooks that I love and a new bookmark for my collection!

And then Ro came a brought me a gift to warm me in the winter. It's so soft and warm that I couldn't resist taking it with me to work this week.



I feel lucky to have such nice friends...

The Simpsons

We spent Christmas afternoon watching the Simpsons DVD that Santa was nice enough to bring L. The movie is great fun with Homer being his usual self centered self who, in spite of his daughter's campaign to save a nearby lake spills his new pet's waste in said lake and provokes a catastrophe. I found it hilarious that the pig was called Spider Pig and I just couldn't stop singing the song in spanish that Ro taught me.

The movie follows the family's adventures after the government shuts the town into a glass dome due to the pollution and the Simpsons end up running away after a lynching attempt on Homer's life and later come back to save Springfield.

It was the perfect Christmas day movie (even if it's not about Christmas) because it got everyone around the TV sharing some great laughs.

Recommended!

Because It's Christmas - Kathryn Shay

I seldom read categories because they are usually too short to fully develop a story the way I like it. If we don't count traditional regencies the only author whose categories I buy is Anne Stuart. However I must say that Kathryn Shay's category books are very enjoyable (at least the one's I read).

To most people in the small town of Bayview Heights, high school principal Seth Taylor's a hero. But Seth's never forgiven himself for a mistake he made years ago. And neither has Lacey Cartwright--the woman he's falling in love with. Seth's "mistake" cost her and her family dearly. But that's all in the past--or is it?

In Because It's Christmas she builds up a story that is a romance but it's such a solid story that it is more than that. I liked Seth and Lacey's romance but I also liked how they dealt with their feelings, their everyday life, how the school's problems were approached. It was believable. One of the things that caught my attention was that the heroine is in her thirties and the hero in his forties, so when there's talk about a professional burn out it really seemed believable to me, the problems they face, the doubts they have seemed much more real.

After they face the fact that they are in love with each other I almost felt they were too good to be true. It seemed obvious to me that Seth was not to blame for what had happened to Lacey's brother and the lenght that she goes to protect her grandfather from her relationship with Seth seemed a bit too much. However they end up speaking to each other and clarifying what seemed an avoidable misunderstanding so I wasn't too bothered.

Another thing that makes Shay's books stand out to me is how professions are really important in character's and people's lives. Here it's teaching and news reporting and in the other books I read by her it was firefighting.

A B+.

PS: I've just found out this is the second in a series so I might just have to go look for the first one but couldn't they have got them better covers?

Vacation Time Is At An End

Rosario left today and I'm going back to work this afternoon. I had a great time this past week, we did a lot of sightseeing, we chatted about books and life in general and time just flew by during this week as it always does when we are having a great time.




Here's a picture of me, Rosario and Ana O. at Byblos, a new bookstore with an innovative search system (visiting bookstores is almost as important as visiting all the other monuments for a book lover :-P) where we spent a few minuts last week browsing the shelves.

Merry Christmas / Feliz Natal

The Crib

I really like Cribs. This one is in the center of my hometown, it's real life size and there's always Christmas music playing when you're near. It seemed appropriate to post it here on Christmas Eve!

New Additions to the TBR pile

A few ones this week (and no, I did not open my presents early...)

Anthology - Sisters and Secrets
Liz Carlyle - The Devil You Know
Dinah Dean - Cockermouth Mail
Rachel Gibson - Simply Irresistible
Caroline Linden - What a Gentleman Wants
Caroline Linden - What a Woman Needs

Rosario and Me

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

This story is without a doubt my favorite Christmas story. I love to follow Scrooge as he makes his journey from being a money grabbing and mean man who hates Christmas to a nice and pleasant business man who tries to help others just from the goodness of his heart. How he is redeemed by seeing what was his past, what is his present and what will be the future if he continues being an old miser.

There's something just magic, for me, in people changing for the best and when we add the good feelings of the season and the christmas traditions all the better. It's an interesting thing that Dickens chooses to portray the true spirit of Christmas more connected to the good and moral feelings of kindness, good will and charity than on a strict religious level. In it's time the book was also a voice against poor working conditions, poverty and social problems and injustice. One of things Scrooge has to face is how poverty will affect the life of his employee Bob Cratchit and how he could change that so easily. By creating the character of Tiny Tim, who is such a loving child despite his health problems, he calls attention to the problems poor children faced and it's highly emotional when he finds out Tiny Tim will not live if things continue as they are.

I think the beliefs we see in this A Christmas Carol are pretty much the same we still have in out contemporary world and that's probably one of the reasons why the story is so beloved even today.

Grade: A

Christmas Vacation and a friend's visit

I haven't been spending much time online as Rosario arrived yesterday and we've been spending the days sightseeing. We've been having a great time, although it's a bit cold and rainy. I hope to have photos to post soon...

Holly's Cooking Challenge - Week 3, Recipe 1

Baked Codfish with Corn Bread

This was our dinner the other night and it was great and, as usual, very easy!

4 cod fish fillets
300g corn bread
2 onions
olive oil
garlic cloves
flour


In a pan warm the olive oil. Roll the cod fish fillets in the flour and put in the pan till it looks golden (both sides). Take it from the pan and add the sliced onion and garlic cloves and let it fry till it's golden too. Put the onion and the garlic in a baking tray, put the cod fish on top and over it put the corn bread (the inside only) cut in little pieces till it covers the fish. Pour the olive oil left in the pan on top and take to the oven in a medium temperature.

With this we ate potatoes that I cooked in a pan first and then added to the baking tray to finish it.

Christmas Ornaments

I'm feeling really guilty that this is the first Christmas ever since I moved in with L. that I don't do a Christmas Ornament for our colection. In my defense I should say I've been really busy at work and then at home reading and movie watching (I put that down as work because one has to maintain one's blogs, right?) but a tiny little voice is screaming I could always have started early and done everything. Well, I guess I could have but now it's too late. So to compensate I'm going to post here links to some of the lovely crafts I've been seeing online... and maybe next year I'll start sooner...

Some Christmas Tree decorations

A Magical Cookie Forest

Fabric and Foam Ornaments´

Molly's Star Ornaments´

Christmas Cards for download

Zacca Style Owl Pennant

Felt Ornaments

and this one I just found too funny because Bah! Humbug! is what mr Scrooge says about Christmas in the beginning of Dicken's A Christmas Carol!

There are some lovely crafters out there!!

A Regency Christmas VI - Anthology

In Emma Lange's CHRISTMAS MAGIC the widow of an older man joins and Christmas house party and encounters the rake who once tempted her to betray her marriage vows. It was a very sweet story about an attraction not forgotten and I enjoyed both characters very much. A B+

In Sandra Heath's DINNER AT GRILLON'S we have a marriage in trouble story. I was looking forward to it because I love the theme but the end was a bit of a let down. A Lord intends to divorce his wife and remarry as he believes she deserted him one year ago. I thought they fell to easily in the lies of another woman and there's no real confrontation in the end with the villainess. A B-

Mary Balogh's THE BEST GIFT is an old favorite! I looove this cinderella story about a young teacher, presumably an illegitimate child and how she brings love into the life a lonely viscount who is planning to give up on his own illegitimate child. An A.

In Emily Hendrickson's CHRISTMAS KNIGHT we another sweet story about 2 sister waiting for thir prince charming to save them from a lonely existence in the country. They dress like the 15th century to please their father and their adventures with a love potion to gain the attention of one of her brother's friends will lead to some funny scnes. A B+

In Sheila Walsh's II CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR we have a gothic story with a delicate heroine, a misterious villain and a ruined Abbey. It was not very original but it was a nice story. A B-

Grade: B+

What The Holidays Mean To You

What The Holidays Mean to You

For you, the holidays are about celebration. You enjoy all the fun and fellowship that the holidays bring. You celebrate the holidays in an over the top style. If something is cute, you'll buy it. People end up with a lot of gifts from you - and your house Sunday, December 16, 2007 New Additions to the TBR pile Anthology - A Western Winter Wonderland Eloisa James - An Affair before Christmas Elizabeth Mansfield - A Christmas Kiss and Winter Wonderland Fay Weldon - Letters to Alice I think the first 3 will have to be left for next year's Christmas, I'm finding hard reading all the books I had set aside for this month but I may not resist picking the James sooner than that. I really want to know if it's better than the first book in the Desperate Duchesses series. The Fay Weldon (thanks Dee!) I'll pick up as soon as possible as I am curious about another book Jane Austen related... Saturday, December 15, 2007 Holly's Cooking Challenge - Week 2, Recipe 3 Tonight we made baked salmon in aluminum foil. I had a recipe to follow but in the end we had to invent a bit, as I totally forgot to buy carrots, and used bean sprouts instead. 2 Salmon Fillets 1 Onion Olive oil 3 Leeks Bean sprouts Soy sauce Salt In a pan put the olive oil and the onion and let it a cook a bit, when it's golden add the leeks chopped in small bit and the bean sprouts. When cooked add a bit of soy sauce. Put the vegetables in an aluminum foil with the salmon fillets on top. Close the foil and let it bake in the oven for 15 min. at 180º. To go with this L. made pasta. He fried a bit of bacon and some scrimps and then added the pasta to the frying pan where he mixed everything with cheese and 2 eggs. It was a perfect dinner!! Once Upon a Christmas - Diane Farr Home for the Holidays After a tragic loss, Celia Delacourt faces the daunting prospect of a lonely life as a governess ... or worse. Then her distant cousin, the Duchess of Delacourt, arrives on her doorstep, inviting her to spend Christmas on the family estate. Celia suspects that the reserved noblewoman has an ulterior motive up her expensive sleeve, but nonetheless decides that spending the holidays in a palace will surely surpass spending them in the poorhouse.... Jack Delacourt knows his mother is plotting something when he receives a strange-sounding Christmas invitation that he recognizes as a thinly veiled matchmaking ploy. But if his mother plans to bully him into betrothal with a stranger, Jack is equally prepared with a plan of his own. He meets his cousin Celia with every intention of putting her off. But Celia is not at all what he expected--and they may be about to share the most wonderful Christmas gift of all.... I had already read another book by Diane Farr when I came across this one. The other book was The Fortune Hunter and I really enjoyed it so I couldn't resist picking this one up. And it was a really nice and occasionaly fun story. Celia Delacourt has lost her entire family when she is brought to the attention of some wealthy relatives and taken in by the Duchess of Arnsford. The Duchess has an ulterior motive as Celia soon finds out. She wants Celia to marry Lord Lynden, her son, and decides to train her accordingly. When Jack, Lord Lynden, arrives he suspects his mother has found a new girl for him to pay court to and decides on an very excentric atitude to put her off. This leads to a series of misunderstandings that have Celia believing Jack is mad and that his family just makes him worse. Despite this the two enjoy each other company and soon Jack realises Celia is not the fortune hunter he believed she was. It was really a very nice story and it was quite fun to see how the Duchess plots to have all she wants happen and how that actually comes about in a different way. It was a nice touch for us to be in on the Duchess's secret, it made her more human. I also really enjoyed the secondary romance and the propect that Elizabeth might find some happiness. Grade: 4.5/5 Friday, December 14, 2007 Europe's Biggest Christmas Tree Last year I mentioned Europe's biggest Christmas Tree in Lisbon. This year the honor went to the city of Oporto where the 76 m. high tree will be displayed from Nov 17th till Jan 7th. It has 2,4 million lamps. A replica will be displayed in Bucharest, Romania, also sponsored by Millenium You can check the webcams and see it live here Thursday, December 13, 2007 Holly's Cooking Challenge - Week 2, Recipe 2 I tried a new one yesterday - Sweet and Sour Chicken Breasts Ingredients 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts Juice of 1 lemon Fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped Bean sprouts Chinese Mushrooms (but I used regular fresh mushrooms) 1 small can sliced pineapple, drained and cut into chunks Soy sauce Cashews Cut the chicken into thin strips and mix with the lemon juice and the chopped ginger. Leave to marinate in a non-metallic bowl for about 30 minutes. In a frying pan heat the olive oil and mix the chicken breast with the mushrooms and the bean sprout. When it's partially done add the pineapple and the chashews. When cooked pour the soy sauce and mix everything. Serve with white rice. It was really easy to do and tasted wonderfully! To repeat soon... Wednesday, December 12, 2007 A Regency Christmas V - Anthology In Sandra Heath's UNDER THE KISSING BOUGH a gentleman decides to visit his country estate after having his heart broken and he meets the young Lady who previously lived there with her family. Everything seems to go smoothly till the woman who broke his heart returns to win him again. Nothing really original. A C In Gayle Buck's SEASON OF JOY a misunderstanding almost leads to a betrothal breakup. I think the hero refusing to hear the truth was a bit forced but I liked the idea of them getting to know each other through letters. A B- In Laura Matthews's THE VISCOUNT AND THE HOYDEN a young man visits old friends of his family and falls in love with the older daughter even if she tries to pair him up with her cousin. I thought the fact that the characters fell in love slowly was refreshing. A B. Emily Hendrickson's THE CHRISTMAS MOUSE starts off really well, a young woman tretaed as a poor relation by her family receives an inheritance and moves to her own house. There she meets a young man who helps her settle in and introduces her to the neighboors. I had some trouble with the ending as the hero adopts a cold atitude not to be considered a fortune hunter and the heroine decides to propose to him. Too awkward I think. B- Mary Balogh's NO ROOM AT THE INN is a story I had read and reviewed previously and it was a story I quite enjoyed. If publishers ever decided to reunite all her short stories like they did in the Under The Mistletoe anthology I'll be a happy reader. You can read about the story here. A B (I enjoyed it more than the first time around) Grade: B- Tuesday, December 11, 2007 How Much Do You Know About Christmas? You Know a Lot About Christmas You got 7/10 correct You know tons about the history and traditions surrounding Christmas. When you celebrate the holidays, you never forget their true meaning - or all the little fun details. Random Christmas fact: "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is the first Christmas carol. It dates back to the 12th century. How Much Do You Know About Christmas? Holly's Cooking Challenge - Week 2, Recipe 1 Okay so I'm cheating a little bit here because this recipe was cooked by L. but it was so good I couldn't resist sharing. It's dried codfish baked with potatoes. Really yummy!! First he cooked the codfish and the potatoes in two different pans then he fried onions and garlic in olive oil. Then everything was put in a baking tray and baked in the oven till it looked golden. Pretty easy really! Although he would probably say it's that magical touch he has!! ;-) Monday, December 10, 2007 A Christmas Journey - Anne Perry Readers of Anne Perry’s bestselling suspense novels revel in a world that is all their own, sharing the privileged existence of Britain’s wealthy and powerful elite in West End mansions and great country houses. It is also a world in which danger bides in unsuspected places and the line between good and evil can be razor thin. This new novel features Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould–one of the most memorable characters from the Thomas Pitt series–who appears here as a lively young woman, the ultimate aristocrat who can trace her blood to half the royal houses of Europe. It’s Christmas and the Berkshire countryside lies wrapped in winter chill. But the well-born guests who have gathered at Applecross for a delicious weekend of innocent intrigue and passionate romance are warmed by roaring fires and candlelight, holly and mistletoe, good wine and gorgeously wrapped gifts. It’s scarcely the setting for misfortune, and no one–not even that clever young aristocrat and budding sleuth Vespasia Cumming-Gould–anticipates the tragedy that is to darken this light-hearted holiday house party. But soon one young woman lies dead, a suicide, and another is ostracized, held partly responsible for the shocking turn of events. To expiate her guilt, Gwendolen Kilmuir sets out for the Scottish Highlands, hoping to explain to the dead girl’s mother the circumstances surrounding the sorrowful act–and to bring her back to England for the funeral. Gwendolen’s sole companion on this nightmarish journey is Vespasia. As Vespasia learns more about the victim and the ugly forces that shaped her desperate deed, she understands the heartbreaking truth of the tragedy. I found this book a really interesting read.It is set as usual in the Victorian period. Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould attends a house Party with some friends, there is some gossip and some less than friendly emotions going round and when one of the guests - Isobel Alvie - makes a cruel remark to another that will apparently lead to the suicide of the latter. As Isobel is shunned and condemned by all except Vespasia the owner of the house as the idea of proposing an expiation journey for Isobel - to take the dead woman's last letter to her mother who leaves in the highland of Scotland - and if she is sucessful everyone will abide by a pact of silence of not speaking of it again nor condemning her socially. I found the idea of the expiation of a crime very interesting and found myself wanting to know more about it. As Vespasia and Isobel start their journey to find Gwendolen's mother not only is the journey dangerous but is also an emotional dificult one as Isobel will have to tell her part in the tragic events. Vespasia is the character we get to know better, she is a sensible and kind woman (sometimes a bit too kind to be real) of her time who will gain a better knowledge of herself with this journey. And as the journey progresses not only is Isobel's behaviour analysed but they also start suspecting that more things may have been tormenting Guendolen. If I have a complaint about this story is how short it was, a bigger story would have allowed for more analysis on the character's feelings and the burden of guilt that most of them seem to carry. Grade: B+ Sunday, December 9, 2007 Holly's Cooking Challenge - Week 1, Recipe 3 I decided on a dessert for todays recipe: Chocolate and Orange Muffins 3 cups of flour with baking powder 1 cup of sugar 1 bit of salt 2 eggs 1 cup of milk 1/2 cup of olive oil Zest and juice of 1 orange 180 gr of chocolate drops Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to a batter. (Do not over-mix the batter. Too much mixing will create tougher muffins.) Divide the mixture evenly between 12 muffin cases in muffin trays. Bake for 15-18 minutes. I'm afraid I left them a bit too much time in the oven and that's why they look so brown. I'll have to try it again with less time. It was what we had at tea time yesterday. New Additions to the TBR pile 2 more this week: Claudia Bishop - A Taste For Murder Cathy Kelly - Best of Friends Saturday, December 8, 2007 A Regency Christmas IV - Anthology Another Signet Christmas Anthology with some really nice stories. In Mary Jo Putney's THE CHRISTMAS TART a young lady in distress is confused with a woman of ill repute by the friend's of the hero who decide to make her present for him. He realises the truth, decides to help her and soon they are falling in love. Nothing new here but the characters are so nice that I can't help enjoying it. A B In Sandra Heath's A SEASONAL STRATAGEM two gentleman wager that one of them will manage to seduce and get a kiss from a young lady. The gentleman in question does fall in love with the lady but she finds out about the wager and doesn't believe him. It was nice to see him go after her and win her back. A B+ In Mary Balogh,'s THE PORCELAIN MADONNAa gentleman has decided not to celebrate Christmas due to some tragedies in his past but discovering a young boy stealing to feed his family and a young lady who asks him not to punish the boy will lead him to rediscover the magic of Christmas again. A truly enjoyable story. A B+ In Marjorie Farrell,'s CHRISTMAS ROSE a couple that has no children is given a baby to take care of by it's mother. I wasn't too fond of this story because I didn't feel the reasons of the mother were good enough to give the child away. I would have preferred if the child was simply found alone. Then the distrust of the heroine appeared to me as just a way to extend the story more. A C. In Emma Lange's THE BEST GIFT OF ALL a marriage of convenience becomes something more during the Christmas season. This was a nice enough story but a bit predictable as the hero first believes the heroine just married him for his title and then changes his feelings when he discovers it might not be so. An ex mistress also brings some misunderstandings to thicken the plot. A C+. Grade: B Friday, December 7, 2007 Holly's Cooking Challenge - Week 1, Recipe 2 Last night's dinner was pasta, a recipe that I found on Jamie Oliver's site and that you can find here. The only changes I made was in using macarroni instead of farfalle (because it was what I had at home), using oat cream instead of double cream and adding a few carrots. We both love pasta so this was a hit! Very good!! Thursday, December 6, 2007 Santa Baby - Anthology I got this book because of Jennifer Crusie's story and I'll readily admit I only skimmed the other two specially after I discovered I had read them before. JENNIFER CRUSIE Mayhem ensues under the mistletoe as a determined shopper grabs the very last hot toy action figure off the shelf, only to find herself plunged into the middle of a real-life spy game—in the arms of a sexy secret agent. . . LORI FOSTER Two dedicated coworkers with a lot of secrets (and fantasies!) between them must plan a Christmas party side by side—and discover a love worth celebrating—in this steamy office romance. CARLY PHILLIPS A “mistletoe moment” begins when a no-nonsense lawyer intent on seducing her boss meets his twin instead—after giving him a scintillating kiss that leaves him begging for more. . . I was very disappointed in Crusie's story which was called HOT TOY. I found the plot too confusing and the fact that it revolved about kid's toys (hence the title) instead of making it interesting just bored me. I do like to have substance in my novellas but this one had too much information and it seems it wanted too much to be funny. A C. Foster's story had the the hero/heroine in love for some time but they needed a little push to go at it. That happens when the hero finds out the heroine is a romance writer and writes sexy scenes using him as a character. I found it too cliché with the romance writer angle and there were too many sex scenes and not enough story. A C. In the Phillips well things just happen too fast for we to believe in them specially as the heroine thought she was kissing the twin brother at first instead of the hero. A C. Grade: C Wednesday, December 5, 2007 A Regency Christmas III - Anthology I'm not much of an anthology reader except at Christmas. Ever since I found the Signet Christmas anthologies I've been collecting them and reading a few every Christmas. This one has 5 stories by well known authors. In Sandra Heath's MISTLETOE AND FOLLY a pair of young lovers meet again after 5 years. The hero had his heart broken by the heroine when she left to marry another and now that they meet again he is engaged to be married. A rival for the affections of his current fiancee creates a misunderstanding to have their engagement broken which leads to an explanation of what really happened 5 years earlier. I liked this story, it had an unusual plot, a bit more mystery than you usually find here and an unexpected ending for some of the secondary characters. A 4. In Mary Jo Putney THE CHRISTMAS CUCKOO a misunderstanding leads the wrong man to be invited to spend Christmas at a farmhouse by the heroine. Although misunderstanding plots are always easy to believe in I really liked this one. Not only it worked well as the main characters were really likeable people. A 4. In Mary Balogh's THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER a young child, mute since her mother's death, wishes for a new mother for Christmas and believes she got it when the heroine arrives to the house party the next morning. The hero and the heroine have a past together and it will take them a while to solve things between them. I found the thoughts of the child regarding her mother very emotional. An 5. In Melinda McRae's HOME FOR CHRISTMAS a man returning from America finds his parents house empty except for the servants and the children's governess. This was a sweet story but the weakest of all as there is not much back story or explanation for the characters feelings. A 3.5 In Edith Layton's THE DARK MAN a young lady newly betrothed has doubts about her fiancé's feelings and ends up breaking up with him. It will take him a while to discover his true feelings and go after her. I did like this story that had a really nice set of secondary characters like the heroine's parents and the hero's friend trying to matchmake. The Duke of Torquay is mentioned briefly and that was a nice touch. A 4. Grade: 4/5 Tuesday, December 4, 2007 Holly's Cooking Challenge - Week 1, Recipe 1 I tried my first new recipe yesterday. It was a cheese and ham cake that we ate with a salad. Pretty good and easy to make. It was a suggestion from A. and it was a sucess. Here's the recipe: Cheese and Ham Cake Ingredients: 150gr flour 3 eggs 11gr baking powder 125ml milk 40ml olive oil 150gr cheese (pizza cheese or small cubes) 150gr ham In a bowl beat the eggs with the flour and the baking powder. Add slowly the milk and then the olive oil. Chop the ham in little cubes. Stir in the ham and the cheese and mix everything very well. You can also add some pepper if you like. Pour in a cake pan and bake for 45min at 180°. You can serve it cold or warm. Monday, December 3, 2007 Return To Me - Shannon McKenna I wanted a fast read to occupy me in the last days of November and so I grabbed this book. I haven't been to fond of McKenna's books I've read but this one ended up being better than the ones I tried before. Seventeen years after bad boy Simon Riley sped out of town Ellen Kent has finally got her life together. She's very busy running her successful bed and breakfast in Oregon's LaRue River Valley. And she's engaged - to a man who doesn't exactly make her knees weak with lust, but so much the better. It's time for a quiet home with a family, dog hair on the sofa, all the trappings, even if she has to retool her emotional wiring to a much lower wattage to get it. After all, passion - of the pants at the ankles, lips in serious lock, hands roaming frantically on the way down the hall - well, it's just an unrealistic fantasy...like the man pulling up to her door on his motorcycle... Simon swore he'd never come back to this backwater town where trouble followed at his heels. The only good thing about the place had been El Kent, who had been his friend despite his rep. Now, he's back to investigate his uncle's sudden death and face the demons of his past. But he hadn't counted on El's lush, sensual beauty, the innocent seductiveness of her every gesture. She has no business marrying that lacklustre clown of a fiance. What she needs is a serious wake-up call, the kind that starts at the mouth and leads down to complete abandonment and total ecstasy. He never expects his strategy to backfire and leave him so hungry for more...But Simon has done more than stir El's passions and his own. His very presence has brought danger into her life, and they will have to learn to trust each other if they want to survive... I think things started a bit too fast between El and Simon and he starts chasing her even thinking he might not stay and that will hurt her. But once they were in a relationship I actually enjoyed it because while he is still rough she seems to became stronger, although a hard man Simon didn't seem as cavemen as McKenna's previous heroes. And there was a mystery regarding his uncle that I quite enjoyed even if I felt it could have been better explored, we knew who the bad guy was but it was interesting to find out the real story as the action progresses. I had a bit of problem with El and Simon as characters because after a while it seemed they were taking a bit to long to solve their problems and when something happens near the end and Simon is accused by the cops the first thing he thinks of was running away and leaving El behind. That was what he had done all those years back and I was very annoyed that the same was going to happen all over again. By this time I was more interested in the secondary couple's love story than El and Simon. Brad and specially Cora were really interesting people with a past story and lot to catch up with and make up to (specially Brad) and McKenna really creates some sizzling scenes between these 2. I wish she had given them more space. Grade: B- Sunday, December 2, 2007 New Additions to the TBR pile Two more books this week. The Faulks was recommended by A. and the Starling by A.. I'm looking forward to start both as soon as I go through my Christmas TBR. Sebastian Faulks - Charlotte Gray Boris Starling - Messiah Saturday, December 1, 2007 Lasagna and Custard Tart This was our dinner last night. L. prepared the Lasagna the day before (while I was book and DVD shopping with A.) and I baked the tart yesterday. I clearly must go out more and leave him to his adventures in the kitchen! He is so much better at it than me. Although I must say the tart was really good too - and no sugar, only sweetener! Now this month I'll take part in Holly's cooking challenge so I'll be cooking 3 new things a week for the whole month of December. Let's see how that goes... For someone who doesn't like to cook it seems I've been doing a lot of it lately! Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) LinkWithin Join us! Sign up here Link your 2014 reviews here Portuguese HF Reading Suggestions Books read for the 2013 Challenge My World My Book Collection on Goodreads My Trades on Bookmooch My books for sale at Bibliofeira My books for sale at Passado dos Livros My series on FictFact What I've Been Watching My Blogs An Evening At Almacks 15 years ago Casa da Costura 10 years ago 2014 Reading Challenge 2014 Reading Challenge Ana T. has read 0 books toward her goal of 60 books. hide 0 of 60 (0%) view books Other Worlds I Visit The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader This week... 1 day ago Books - Livros&Livros - Books Irina Shapiro - Murder on the Prince Regent 2 days ago MY JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB THE CHERRY TREES OF ROSINGS, A NEW PRIDE AND PREJUDICE VARIATION. INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR MORGAN BLAKE. 2 weeks ago The Misadventures Of Super Librarian #TBRChallenge 2026: Gray Hair Don't Care 2 weeks ago Read Room REVIEW of Frances Sets the Fashion (Lord Dere’s Dependents #4) by Christina Dudley 2 months ago Livros, Livros e mais Livros Opinião: Viúva de Ferro (Xiran Jay Zhao) 5 months ago Dear Author Review: Price of a Thousand Blessings by Ginn Hale (Book Two) 10 months ago The Written World Week in Review (8) 6 years ago Rosario's Reading Journal All about languages 6 years ago Versailles and More THE GHOST OF MADISON AVENUE, by Nancy Bilyeau 6 years ago FLY HIGH! JUDITH STARKSTON, PRIESTESS OF ISHANA: THE QUEEN BEHIND THE CHARACTER 6 years ago Yet Another Crime Fiction Blog Book Review: Mudbound by Hillary Jordan 7 years ago The Sleepless Reader's Blog The temptation of recent releases 8 years ago Lost in Books Hiatus Interuptus 9 years ago Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff The Castle 16.01 - A Place to Call Home 9 years ago Cenoura do Lado Eu e as contas... 10 years ago .Living the History THE WINTER CROWN and a bit of news. 10 years ago Rosanne E. Lortz - Official Author Website To Wed an Heiress - Now Available! 11 years ago Este meu cantinho... Mudança 11 years ago What Were You Expecting? Kids Say the Darnedest Things 12 years ago At Home With A Good Book and the Cat The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick 12 years ago Le Canapé Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent 13 years ago Jean Plaidy's Royal Intrigue Philippa Carr Series Released!!! 13 years ago Wandeca Reads How to Marry a Duke 13 years ago Estrelas ao Vento 7ª (e não só) arte 14 years ago Elizabeth Chadwick News TO DEFY A KING NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD! 15 years ago Magna Carta Journal 16 years ago 1001 Páginas The Book Smugglers Book Binge Livro em Flor LEARN ON LINE Show 10 Show All  Online Users Subscribe To Posts Atom Posts All Comments Atom All Comments Popular Posts Captain Wentworth's Diary - Amanda Grange It is 1806, and Frederick Wentworth, a brilliant young man with a flourishing career in the navy, falls in love with Anne Elliot. The two be... 2nd Blogiversary It was 2 years ago that this blog opened! I can't believe it's been two years already! Thank you to everyone who has stopped by and ... The Coming Home Place - Mary Spencer SHE HAD NOTHING TO OFFER BUT HER LOVE Elizabeth Beck had lost everyone she loved during the arduous journey from Tennessee to California. So... Anne Stuart Read-a-Fest A. is hosting an "Anne Stuart Read-a-Fest" and since Stuart is one of my favourite authors I couldn't resist joining. The goal... The Dangerous Gentleman - Julia London It's been a while since I've read a Julia London book. So long, in fact, that I forgot which book I read and can only remember that ... Giveaway: Karen Rose - Scream For Me Ok, so this the first of the giveways I promised at the beginning of the week! I have been enjoying Karen Rose's books for sometime now.... Island of the Swans - Ciji Ware Best friends in childhood, Jane Maxwell and Thomas Fraser wreaked havoc on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh with their juvenile pranks. But... What's On Your Nightstand I must confess that this month did not go well for me. Not only did I totally forget that this was the day to post my reads as I have been r... Premio Dardos I have just been awarded the Premio Dardos by Leya at Wandeca Reads . I am especially honoured by her kind words. Thank you so much Leya! Aw... False Angel - Edith Layton Since I keep complaining about wanting to read more traditional regencies and not being easy to find them Ioana was kind enough to lend me t... A Used Bookstore in Portugal Passado dos Livros or at Facebook page Passado dos Livros Watermark theme. Powered by Blogger.