The Gladiator's Master by Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe

“Do not mistake gentleness for weakness, or confuse mercy with the inability to take care of my own.”

The year is 27AD and Caelius has come to his villa in Fidena, the villa he recently inherited from his late uncle. Craxus had been a self-indulgent man and had allowed his slaves, gladiators and in fact, all of his property, to fall into ruin. He gave no thought to those who depended on him, spending his coin on hedonistic pleasures and giving little care to the future, but now he's dead and it falls on Caelius to put things back in order. As his uncle's overseer showed him around the property, Caelius was both angry and saddened at what he finds:

Priscus wrung his hands as he led Caelius out to where the men had lined up to wait. They were an even more miserable-looking bunch up close, ill-fed with the pinched expressions and hollowed eyes of men who had lost muscle and weight. No doubt thanks to his uncle and his coin-pinching ways. Why feed slaves three times a day when he could feed them once and drink away what he saved?

His uncle hadn’t held to the same philosophy that the rest of the family did. That they had a duty to their slaves as much as their slaves had a duty to them. Still, he had not expected abuse on such a sickening, infuriating scale.

“They’re skin and bones! And filthy! What has happened to the coin I sent for food, fresh water and a medicus to see to their health?”

One of the gladiators lifted his head, genuine surprise flashing in his blue eyes. His brows furrowed as if he was questioning Caelius’s sincerity. After what he had likely endured at Craxus’s hands, Caelius didn’t blame him. His eyes wandered over the group and then came back to the gladiator, and their gazes caught. The man held his stare for a moment before lowering his eyes again.

To me, that passage speaks volumes to the kind of man Craxus had been and the kind of man Caelius is, and even though he is a slave owner, just as his uncle had been, I still found myself being drawn to him and wanting to know more about this Dominus.

Gaidres had lost so much to the greedy, arrogant Romans. He had nothing that mattered left; no family, no property, nothing but bitterness, and the only thing he had to live for was finding revenge against those who now ‘owned’ him. As far as he was concerned this new Dominus was no different from the last, and not to be trusted. While this man's words of outrage surprised Gaidres, he knew them for what they were - just words. He might have a new Master, but nothing else had changed except that now it was Caelius who would pay the price for what had been taken from Gaidres.

The Gladiator’s Master is the first story I’ve read taking place in ancient Rome during the legendary days of the Gladiators, and authors Fae Sutherland and Marguerite Labbe did a wonderful job of bringing that period of history to life. I enjoyed reading about the social classes, the ways of life, and the struggles of both the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots,’ but what really drew me in was the relationship between the slave, Gaidres, and his Dominus – or Master, Caelius. I found myself sympathetic for both men, who each in their own way was a victim of their times. They both had rules to follow, their lives being governed by laws and social status, and when it came right down to it, both were slaves, just to different masters.

While this story is incredibly hot, the sex scenes burning up the pages, what I loved most was the depth of emotions these men felt for one another; anger, hate and distrust, compassion, friendship and love… and I have to say that The Gladiator’s Master is one of the best M/M erotic historical romances I’ve read, and I will definitely look for more by these authors.

This ebook was provided free of charge by netgalley.com in behalf of Carina Press. This had no influence on my rating or my review.

Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn

Normally, I do not stalk people in grocery stores.

I confess to the occasional practice of supermarket voyeurism. But who doesn’t sometimes notice the curious collections of fellow shoppers, then contemplate what they may reveal about them?

 
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is not your typical cookbook, and not at all what I expected. It took me some time to get into the memoir-esque beginning where we learn what led Kathleen Flinn to decide to teach cooking and technique to the everyday chef – meaning people who are cooking for themselves and their families. As she tells us, it all began late, on an otherwise average Tuesday afternoon….

Late on an otherwise average Tuesday afternoon, a sight near the canned tuna stopped me dead in my tracks. The cart sat as if abandoned in the middle of the aisle. It contained two dozen haphazardly piled boxes of dehydrated mixes for pasta, casseroles, rice, and stuffing and dubious jars of gravy. Despite being half full, the cart contained no real food. As I stood contemplating its contents, a heavyset woman in her late thirties, casually attired in an eggplant colored fleece, claimed the cart. Her preteen daughter twirled impatiently around her, quietly singing a Lady Gaga song under her breath.

Would it be wrong if I followed her to find out what else she might buy?

To be honest, I found myself giggling as I imagined this playing out, and the subsequent meet-and-greet that took place when Kathleen introduced herself to said ‘heavyset woman in her late thirties’ and then proceeded to teach her how to shop better, cheaper and healthier. I’ve found myself doing similar things while shopping in bookstores and watching people walk right past some of the best books on the shelves! How can anyone pass by the historical romances, or the romantic suspense books and not even take a look! It’s appalling… I mean, the covers alone are worth taking a gander at with those hot chests and sexy chins – and why on earth do the photographers stop before they get to the eyes?? Honestly!

But I digress…

I enjoyed the beginning and getting to know a bit about Kathleen and what makes her tick. It was fun, there's a lot of humor in this book, but as I read on and it was more and more of the same, I found myself skimming and wanting to get to “the good stuff” – the recipes, cooking lessons, and the tip and tricks.

And when I finally found them? I love them! Great tip after tip on making stock, ways to add flavor to just about anything, how to avoid kitchen disasters... The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is a veritable smorgasbord of information that every cook, professional or novice, should have at their fingertips. The only problem I have with this book is that I like being able to flip right to a page and find what I'm looking for. I love lots of photos and to have everything spelled out for me, because I'm not a confident cook, and having to go through the chapters to find what I need didn't work for me. Yes, there was an index, but it just isn't the layout I like in my cookbooks, but that's just my opinion.

The bottom line - The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is not just a great reference guide, it's an enjoyable story. If you're looking for something more than your average cut and dry cookbook, this might just be perfect for you!

Fine Cooking Comfort Food by Fine Cooking Magazine

I do believe I’ve just found a new “go-to” cookbook!

Being someone who loves to cook and try new things, but has no specialized training, I appreciate cookbooks that not only provide the recipes, but also give us tips and tricks for making the dishes turn out as tasty and beautiful as those you find in restaurants. The recipes collected in Fine Cooking Comfort Food: 200 Recipes for Soups, Stews, Casseroles & More are for the home cook who wants to bring something special to the table without having to take lessons or spend a lot of time fussing over procedures and techniques. Most of the ingredients are readily available in your grocery store and along with the easy to follow instructions and the absolutely mouthwatering pictures, you’re sure to create dishes that will impress your family and friends without making you a wreck before you even get them to the table.

With basics like Tomato Soup and French Farmer’s Soup to the more exotic recipes like Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup, I was pleased with the number and wide variety of soup recipes offered. I absolutely love the cooler Fall and Winter months, and even early Spring when there’s still a chill in the air. With the house closed up and a pot of my favorite soup simmering on the stove, nothing says “home” better. The recipes are all so delicious sounding that the only problem I can foresee is deciding which ones to make!

Then I got to the pasta section… Being the starch addict that I am, I had to stop and pay homage to the traditional Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe on page eighty-one, which I promptly decided to make this week. I had a mental grocery list all made up and was ready to head to the market but then I discovered the Pulled-Pork Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Four Cheeses recipe, and well… Just tell me that doesn’t sound to-die-for!

And the Breakfast and Brunch section? Who doesn’t love starting their day with a hot, fluffy omelet or waffles drenched in syrup? What a wonderful assortment of easy to make, sure to become favorites recipes.

Well, I could go on and on, but if you’re not convinced by now, there’s just no hope for you.  So just go on with your silly self and head to McDonald’s where they’ve got a  piece of deep fried cardboard on a stale bun with your name on it. The rest of us will be planning our meals around the recipes found in this book. Soups, stews, casseroles, sandwiches and much, much more – yes, like I said, I do believe I’ve found a new “go-to” cookbook!

This ebook was provided to me by netgalley.com in behalf of Taunton Press. This had no influence on my rating or review.

Three Days, Two Nights by MJ Fredrick

Tess walked out on her marriage when it became clear that her husband was more devoted to his military career than to her. Nat had assumed that Tess understood the demands of his job, and didn’t quite get why she left, but his marriage and Tess are the most important things in the world to him, so he’s going to do whatever it takes to get her back – even if it is kind of extreme.

Three Days, Two Nights is a short, sweet, romantic, sexy, second chance story and I truly enjoyed it. I find that often times novellas dealing with such an emotional issue tend to come across as forced and contrived, but I didn’t get that feeling while reading this book. While I didn’t quite accept Tess’ reasons for leaving as being entirely understandable, and she actually came across as selfish to me, MJ Frederick did a good job of giving us characters who are honest, real, and likable, and storyline that was fun, at times poignant, and incredibly hot!

I’m looking forward to reading more by this author!

This ebook was provided to me by netgalley.com in behalf of Carina Press. This had no influence on my rating or my review.

Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

 

Kevin was ruined. No way in hell was he going to have a normal relationship with a woman’s vagina ever again.

Shit. He was even using the word 'vagina'. He was totally, irretrievably ruined as a man.

I LOVE these books... every single one of them!! Absolutely favorites and keepers, each and every one! Undeniably Yours is book two of the Kowalski family series and it’s funny, heartwarming, sexy… and in case I didn’t make it clear enough, I LOVED IT!

This is Kevin and Beth’s story who, after a one-night-stand, end up pregnant. Yeah, they’d used a condom, but sometimes Fate has other ideas, and I’m so, so glad for it! Just like the other books in the series, while there are definitely some very emotional moments, this is not an angst ridden story. I’ve ended each book with a smile on my face and a deep sigh of contentment!

I’m going to share a couple of my very favorite scenes and then call it done, because no amount of my raving can do this story justice -

This scene takes place when Beth meets the whole Kowalski clan for the first time. The entire event was funny as all get out, but this bit had me smiling so hard my cheeks hurt--

It was a little overwhelming, even though they were a very likable bunch of people. Like agreeing to learn the doggy paddle and being shoved off the high-dive board. And to keep things interesting, somebody told Bobby, Kevin’s youngest nephew, the baby could hear stuff and he was determined to make his new cousin his BFF in utero. It was a bit disconcerting having a kid randomly tell bad jokes to her stomach. Like now.

“Why did the weasel cross the road?” he yelled at her belly button. “To prove it wasn’t a chicken!”

Then he laughed so hard he almost fell over. He was a cute kid, she thought, and then it hit her—a little over seven years from now, she might have one just like him. Some faceless, nameless boy with too much energy and the knees almost worn out of his jeans, telling jokes to crack himself up. Maybe, if they were lucky, he’d look like his daddy, dimples and all.

And Bobby strikes again -

Beth was laughing at his story when Bobby ran up to her. She lifted her plate out of harm’s way and smiled at Kevin over his nephew’s head as the boy put a hand on either side of her waist.

“Hey, cuz!” Bobby yelled at her stomach. “What does a snowman eat for breakfast? Snowflakes!”

Then he laughed like a loon and ran off in another direction.

And for some reason, this one really got to me. One of the simplest, sweetest ways to hear that a man had fallen hard for his woman -

Countless women had walked through his bar. Walked. Sashayed. Danced. Staggered. He’d even had a few try to climb up onto the bar and strip. Who knew he’d be turned on by the one who waddled?

So yeah, do I love these books? Absolutely!! They are fun, feel good, sweet, romantic, and very sexy stories guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face and have you wishing that you were part of this family - or better yet - one of the lucky ladies who has stolen the heart of a Kowalski.

Just Tacos by Shelley Wiseman

I’m a huge fan of Mexican food, a truth to which my hips and posterior can bear witness, so when I say that this cookbook is both a blessing and a curse, surely you understand!

Just Tacos is just that – a cookbook devoted to tacos; those tasty little servings of flavorful goodness, all wrapped up in a homemade tortilla. I had no idea tacos could come in so many shapes and sizes and flavors, but this book is filled with recipes and easy to follow instructions for making not only the taco filling, but a wide variety of homemade tortillas. Everything from the traditional corn and flour tortillas to cilantro flavored, black bean flavored and even hibiscus flavored tortillas!

In addition to that there are salsa recipes and recipes for fillings like mushroom tacos, fried avocado tacos… the list goes on and on! Who knew there could be so much diversity in something as simple as a taco? And the pictures! Just another way to tempt and torture me!

Needless to say, this cookbook will be used again and again in my house.

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

 

“It’s customary to offer a squeeze to determine if breasts are real or not, you know. Don’t you watch TV?”

She laughed and shoved the retrieved ballcap back on her head. “Nice try, Kowalski. You’ll have to take my word for it.”

Exclusively Yours is the first book in the Kowalski Family series, and wow! Just… WOW! It’s one of the best Contemporary Romances I’ve read and I loved every single word, every heartbreaking, heartwarming, funny, sexy minute of it! I laughed, I cried and I stayed up until almost 3AM to finish this story because I simply could not make myself put it down!

About the story - In order to save her job, one she’d spent years working hard to get, Keri Daniels must get an exclusive interview with the famous, reclusive author, Joe Kowalski. While trying to dig up dirt on Joe, her boss learned that Keri and Joe had been more than just friends back in high school - much more - and she’s given Keri a choice: use that connection to get an interview or get a new job.

Joe’s never forgotten Keri, the first girl he’d loved and the first girl to break his heart. When he finds out she’s back in town, he’s intrigued. It’s not just because she’s back, but because for the first time in 18 years of visits to their hometown, she’s looking for him, and he’s sure he knows why. Keri’s boss has been tenacious about getting an interview, so he’s not too surprised that she’d use Keri’s past connection with him to get it. When he meets with Keri over dinner to discuss her proposal, he comes up with a proposal of his own – come with him and his family on their annual two week camping trip and for every day she survives the ordeal adventure, Keri gets to ask him one question. He’s pretty sure she won’t turn him down because she’s worked too hard to get where she is. Keri’s career is everything to her, a fact he knows painfully well because pursuing a career in journalism is the reason she up and left him and small town life, heading to Los Angeles in order to make her dreams a reality.

Well, now she’s home and he’s hoping to get some of his own questions answered, and hey, maybe get her back into his bed while she’s there, too. But if he’s really lucky, this time he can convince her not to leave him again.

My thoughts - I wish I could, but I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book! I adored Joe and Keri, both on their own and as a couple. Watching Joe try to seduce Keri, and try to woo her into accepting that there were still feelings between them was so much fun! The emotional and physical chemistry they shared felt so real. Of course there were issues to deal with, namely Joe’s twin sister Terry who hated Keri for having dumped Joe all those years ago. When you have a family as close as the Kowalskis are, you can’t hurt one of them and expect to get off easy. Terry had been there to help pick up the pieces of Joe’s shattered world and wasn’t about to let Keri get close enough to hurt him again. Some of those moments were laugh out loud funny, and others had me wanting to beat Terry over the head, but as we read on we find out that Terry has a lot on her own plate to deal with.

There are actually three relationships happening in this book. Terry and her husband, Evan, have separated and Terry plans to file for divorce as soon as she gets home from this family camping trip. She still loves Evan and has no idea what happened to make him leave, but over the course of the two weeks, she starts to see that maybe she could have done more. Maybe she had driven him away with her constant nagging. Watching her come to realize her own part in their breakup was heartbreaking, but I loved the honesty with which it was written.

The other relationship is between Lisa and Mike Kowalski who are having their own marital difficulties. Again, watching this couple work through their problems honestly and openly was both heartbreaking and heartwarming, and at times inspirational! Both of these secondary relationship stories are resolved in this story, and in a way that I found to be totally believable, and again, inspiring.

Instead of rambling on and on I'll share a couple of my favorite quotes from the story:

Joe reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a folded sheet of spiral notebook paper. “Here’s a list of things you’ll need. I jotted it down in the parking lot.”

Keri unfolded the paper and read the list twice, trying to get a sense of what she was in for.

BRING: Bug spray; jeans; T-shirts; several sweatshirts, at least one with a hood; one flannel shirt (mandatory); pajamas (optional); underwear (also optional); bathing suit (preferably skimpy); more bug spray; sneakers; waterproof boots; good socks; sunscreen; two rolls of quarters.

DO NOT BRING: cell phone; Blackberry; laptop; camera, either still or video; alarm clock; voice recorder; any other kind of electronic anything.

She had no clue what it meant, other than Joe wanting her half-naked and unable to text for help.

And this one I can relate to in a big way because it's how I feel when the internet goes down:

Keri had gone twenty-four hours without phone, email, or texting for the first time in as long as she could remember. Probably years. As wired for communication as she usually was, she’d expect to be going through some kind of withdrawal—some shaking, maybe twitching fingers. Phantom texting.

The bottom line – I loved Exclusively Yours. Absolutely adored it! If you’re looking for something light but not stupid, something with a whole cast of characters you wish were your friends and family, then get this book! There is no terrorist plot to take over the planet, no vampires or shifters attacking innocents as they sleep soundly in their beds, but what there is is a an incredible sense of family. Devotion, love, honesty, humor, and enough sexual heat to have you fanning yourself. I was so, so sad when this book ended, but very happy to have the next one on my Kindle, just waiting for me to pay another visit to those awesomely amazing, crazy Kowalskis!