Mindy

The Recipe Hacker by Diana Keuilian — Blog Tour

Posted by Mindy Book Reviews

Jan 132015

The Recipe Hacker: Comfort Foods Without Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Grain, or Cane Sugar

Author: Diana Keuilian

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Published: December 1st, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4621-1539-6

Paperback: 230 pages

FTC FYI: Received a paperback copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Summary

Break the recipe code for your favorite foods! Free of grains, gluten, dairy, cane sugar, and soy, The Recipe Hacker is a mouthwatering collection of your favorite comfort foods with a healthy twist. Learn to use easy ingredient substitutions to transform traditional dishes into real, healthy comfort food masterpieces, without sacrificing any of the flavor! Enjoy healthier, whole-food versions of Key Lime Pie, Crispy Orange Chicken, and Banana Pancakes. Dozens of recipes and delicious flavors will keep you coming back for more. Enjoy all the comfort foods you crave and keep your body (and skinny jeans) happy at the same time!

My Review

This recipe book is not only informative and helpful to those who need these recipes, it is also lovely to look at! Each chapter is highlighted with a picture and each recipe has a picture also. I appreciate recipe books with pictures, what a great way to sell your delicious recipe. I have a nephew with severe food allergies, as well as a sister in law who can’t eat gluten, and I am excited to share this recipe book with them and give them some more healthy, but yummy options.

About the Author

Diana Keuilian is passionate about creating wholesome versions of your favorite foods. She removes the gluten, dairy, soy, grains and cane sugar from traditional comfort food recipes like cake, tacos, cookies, waffles, enchiladas and more. This hobby propelled her to start the popular blog, RealHealthyRecipes.com, where she shares hundreds of delicious recipes and mouthwatering photos. She lives in Southern California with her husband and two young children.

Visit Diane at Real Healthy Recipes and on Facebook

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Cedar Fort

A Timeless Romance Anthology: All Regency Collection

Posted by Mindy Book Reviews

Jan 122015

A Timeless Romance Anthology: All Regency Collection

Authors: Anna Elliot, Sarah M. Eden, Carla Kelly, Josi S. Kilpack, Annette Lyon, Heather B. Moore

Publisher: Mirror Press

Published: January 5th, 2015

ASIN: B00RR8AJ72

ebook: 320 pages

FTC FYI: Received a Kindle copy in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Summary

Six Award-Winning Authors have contributed new stories to A Timeless Romance Anthology: All Regency Collection. Readers will love this collection of six regency romance novellas.

In THE WEDDING GIFT: A PRIDE AND PREJUDICE STORY, an enchanting novella by Anna Elliott, the story opens two weeks before Elizabeth Bennet’s wedding to Mr. Darcy. He has given her the perfect wedding gift, and now she must come up with one for him. But what do you give a man who has everything? Elizabeth soon discovers that the gift of love is more important than any one thing.

DREAM OF A GLORIOUS SEASON, a sweet novella by Sarah M. Eden, we meet Elizabeth Gillerford who envies her sister only one thing—that she’s been intended for Julian Broadwood since they were children. The trouble is that Elizabeth is hopelessly in love with Julian too. When Julian discovers that Elizabeth has been denied a Season because her older sister is yet unwed, he undertakes his own stealthy measures to introduce her to society, only to find himself falling in love with her himself.

In THE MENDER, a captivating story by Carla Kelly, Thankful Winnings takes a sea voyage with her cousin on the Ann Alexander, in a last adventure before she settles down to marry one of her beaus. Unexpectedly they come upon the aftermath of a fierce ship battle, and Thankful is commissioned to help in the place of an injured surgeon on one of the Royal Navy ships. Adam Farnsworth, surgeon, has been at sea for years. Tired of war, but devoted to his post, it takes a resourceful lady such as Thankful to give him the hope of love and help heal his own wounds, the ones that show and the ones that don’t.

In BEGIN AGAIN, a charming novella by Josi S. Kilpack, Regina Weathers gives up on marrying for love the day that Ross Martin walks out of her life. Now, fifteen years later, Ross shows up at a ball and thinks he can woo Regina. But she is set on her lonely path and stitched-up heart, no matter the excuse Ross gives for his years of silence and neglect. When Ross insists he wrote many letters during his military years, Regina discovers a secret long-since buried by her father, and the revelation might be enough to thaw the coldness of her heart.

In Annette Lyon’s endearing story, THE AFFAIR AT WILDEMOORE, Mrs. Ellen Stanhope escorts her three daughters to a ball. As her oldest flirts with a beau, Ellen is reminded of her courtship and early years of marriage with Anthony, before tragedy struck with the death of their infant son. The marriage has faded and dulled. Not until she sees Anthony dancing with a woman he courted years before does Ellen realize how much she misses him, still loves him, and yearns for him to yet feel the same way for her.

In the delightful novella, THE DUKE’S BROTHER, by Heather B. Moore, Mr. Gregory Clark is having an awful day, and it only gets worse when he’s ran over by … a woman. Mabel Russell reluctantly visits her sister in London for the Season, even though she’d rather stay in the country cataloging insects and aphids. When she runs into Gregory Clark, quite literally, she’s afraid to show any interest, especially since he’s a member of the dreaded ton. But getting to know Gregory becomes an unexpected delight.

My Review

Another perfect offering for the Timeless Romance Anthologies. Each story was unique and very enjoyable. I loved the romance, the language, the settings, and especially the characters in each novella, immensely. I am finding more often that novellas are here to stay, especially with this series. I am a huge TRA fan! I loved knowing I will read a quick, enjoyable book from authors whose books I love. I hadn’t read anything from Ms. Elliot before and I am excited to read more from her. It was hard to pick a favorite in this series. Each story had just the right amount of all things wonderful. What I like most is the promise of a happy ending and the journey to it.

5 out of 5 stars. Use the links on the author names up top for their websites.

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Beneath by H.B. Moore

Posted by Mindy Book Reviews

Jan 062015

Beneath

Author: H.B. Moore

Publisher: StoneHouse Ink

Published: September 26th, 2013

ebook: 30 pages

ASIN: B00OL1HTGC

FTC FYI: Received a Kindle copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

Chalice Stratford’s hands won’t stop shaking, and not only is she required to give up her medical practice, but she’s forced to enter the witness protection program since the serial killer who brutally scarred her is still at large. Working in a museum in Bordeaux, France, the last thing she expects is to be abducted in a museum theft gone wrong. Omar Zagouri, the man behind the heist, is not who she expects, and Chalice soon learns he might be the one man who can put her demons to rest.

My Review

Beneath is a fantastic companion story to the amazing Finding Sheba. This short story takes place before Finding Sheba, and gives us a glimpse of Omar. I was immediately pulled into the story and was once again reminded what a fantastic character Omar is. He’s enough to keep the pages turning and your heart pounding. I loved how he took control of a situation that could have been even worse for Chalice. She suffered a lot from someone else’s hand and couldn’t handle much more. His take-charge attitude and sweet bedside manor are evidence to what a great character he is. I loved how the author ended this story, it had me wanting more! I love it when authors don’t necessarily tell you everything, and keep you on your toes. Perfect way to draw the reader in and keep them reading.

Author Links

Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase Links

Amazon

About the Author

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women’s fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Alternate Goodreads Page: Heather B. Moore
Please join Heather’s email list at: http://hbmoore.com/contact/
Blog: http://mywriterslair.blogspot.com
Website: www.hbmoore.com
Twitter: @heatherbmoore
Facebook: Fans of H.B. Moore

Literary awards: 3-time Best of State Recipient for Best in Literary Arts, 3-time Whitney Award Winner, and 2-time Golden Quill Award Winner

From the Ashes by Julie Coulter Bellon

Posted by Mindy Book Reviews

Jan 052015

From the Ashes (Hostage Negotiation Team 2.5)

Author: Julie Coulter Bellon

Publisher: self

Published: November 8th, 2o14

ASIN: B00PEHD376

ebook: 85 pages

FTC FYI: Received a review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

**This novella is a continuation of Colby and Sophia’s story from Ashes Ashes (Hostage Negotiation Team #2)**

As a suspect in Senator DeMarco’s murder, Sophia Naziri worked hard to bring the true killer to justice and prove her innocence. But she pays a high personal price trying to clear her name when she’s held hostage and nearly killed—and Sophia can’t put it behind her just yet.

Matters get even more complicated when classified information regarding the murder is leaked. Sophia is besieged by the press and trapped even further by the memories that won’t let her move on. In order to escape the situation, Sophia heads to a secluded cabin with Detective Colby Black so they can lay low and figure out who the leak is. But can Sophia find the peace she craves? Or will the circumstances that brought her and Colby together now drive them apart?

My Review

I really enjoyed this novella after-story for Colby and Sophia. I love how we are able to see what happened to them after their first adventure in Ashes Ashes. While reading, I was able to recall events from Ashes Ashes and was reliving all that these poor characters endured. Julie does a fantastic job of building suspense and raising suspicions. One character in particular was not so forgiving. I enjoyed how Julie built the suspense and threw me off track to who was causing the trouble. The pages turn quick in this engaging story and I hope that Julie will give us more after-their-story novellas from her other Hostage Negotiation books.

Author Links

Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Catching June by Shannen Crane Camp

Posted by Mindy Book Reviews

Jan 022015

Catching June

Author: Shannen Crane Camp

Publisher: Sugar Coated Press

Published: December 6th, 2014

ISBN13: 9781502805461

Paperback: 284 pages

FTC FYI: Received a PDF from the author in exchange of an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

June Laurie’s life in the spotlight of Hollywood is anything but normal. Between paparazzi watching her every move, and online fandoms voicing opinions on her relationship with her boyfriend and co-star Ryan Hex, things can get confusing. But June is more than confident that she has her life planned out perfectly, with her childhood friend Joseph Cleveland coming home from a mission soon, and a successful television show under her belt, things seem to be falling into place perfectly. But when jealousies both on set and off start to shake the foundation of perfection that June has tried to build up, she’ll be forced to, once again, assess just how important her deeply seated standards are, and who really fills the empty spaces in her life. With the overbearing threat of popular opinion constantly hanging over her, will June be able to clear the clutter in her life and come to terms with what will bring her true happiness?

My Review

Can I just tell you how much I love this series? Okay, I will. I love this series. June is an absolute doll. I love, love, love how Shannen writes her. And isn’t this cover adorable?!? June handles herself so well when it comes to keeping her head and her standards in Hollywood. I read this book in a 24 hour period. I easily fell in love with the characters once again. As much as I like Ryan, I love Joseph, and I enjoyed the journey that all the characters take. Benjamin and Candice are still around and have some great one-liners. But, one of my very favorite characters, who stands in the shadows, is Gran, she is a joy. She is always there for June to give her enduring advice. The ending has a fun surprise and I am thrilled!

4 out of 5 stars. If you are new to the series, I would start with Finding June, then Chasing June. You will care more about the characters and get to know the beauty that is June.

Author Links

Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

Purchase Links

Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Run by JoLyn Brown

Posted by Mindy Book Reviews

Dec 312014

Run

Author: JoLyn Brown

Publisher: Walnut Springs

Published: November 15th, 2014

Paperback: 300 pages

ISBN13: 978159159224

FTC FYI: Received a PDF from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads Summary

When Supermom joins Dad on his latest project, sixteen-year-old Morgan is left at her aunts. Instead of dating the cute boy from the track team, she will now have to spend the summer keeping a sane distance between herself and her aunts six boys.

Morgan plans on the summer being awful. Encountering an army of spiders and getting lost while running should not surprise her. What she never expects is to stumble across an abandoned house her parents own an abandoned house her uncle committed suicide in. Someone ought to have mentioned that before now.

The past haunts Morgans dreams. The more she remembers and learns, the more she realizes even her cousins are not what she thought they were. Worse, she has somehow become a reflection of her uncle and everything her parents are running from. Morgan wants to hold on to the things she loves running, her cousins, the bits of her family still intact but as the summer passes, she starts to wonder if she s going to lose everything instead.

My Review

JoLyn does a great job of capturing teen-age issues in this book. But, poor Morgan had quite a few. Her parents are shipping her off to the small town where her aunt, uncle and crazy cousins live. Morgan lived there too, when she was younger, but doesn’t remember the sad events that took place before her parents left. At first Morgan’s attitude about her circumstances make it worse for her, but as time goes on, she realizes how much she needs to be where she’s at. I really, really liked this book and I found that I didn’t want it to end. I appreciated where the author went with the story and I loved the relationships that develop. A tragedy occurred when Morgan was young that she has blocked out, and I loved the journey she takes to help herself and her parents heal. The characters are strong and the story reads quick and is very well written. I look forward to more from this author.

4 out of 5 stars.

Author Links

Goodreads / Website / Facebook / Twitter

Purchase Links

Amazon / Deseret Book

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