Showing posts with label The Sunday Salon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Sunday Salon. Show all posts

Sunday, November 24, 2013

TSS: Escape Publishing's 1st Birthday ~ Romantic Suspense Giveaway Goodies


On the 14th November ESCAPE PUBLISHING, a digital division of Harlequin Enterprises Australia celebrated their 1st birthday. Here at The Eclectic Reader we're excited to help them mark the occasion with a month long giveaway party to spread the word about their internationally available eBooks.  Aren't they good gift givers :)

Up for grabs this week .. ROMANTIC SUSPENSE BUNDLE

by Gracie Macgregor
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 07/2013
eBook Pages: 291

Emotional, suspenseful and set in paradise, Hearts on Hold is a novel for fans of Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz.

The strongest sunshine casts the darkest shadows...

Cate Boyd is searching for a place where nobody knows her name. The sleepy Maltese village of Xlendi offers privacy, anonymity, and the serene life she craves, far from her former world. But her peace is shattered when monolithic development company Vena announces its plans to level her village, and threatens to expose Cate’s secrets if she stands in its way.

Her peace is shattered when monolithic development company Vena announces its plans to level her village, and threatens to expose Cate’s secrets if she stands in its way.

The arrival of seductive, nosy professor Brandon Blackshaw seems too coincidental for comfort — especially when she discovers that Vena is his research partner. As the pressure mounts, Cate must decide which is more important: her hard-won privacy, or the future of her beloved Xlendi.



by Kendall Talbot
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 08/2013
eBook Pages: 239

An action adventure novel set in the Australian jungle where two unlikely people prove just how attractive opposites can be...

It’s pretentious socialite Abigail Mulholland’s worst nightmare when her plane crashes into an ancient Australian wilderness. Things go from bad to downright hellish when rescuers never come. As she battles to survive in an environment that’s as brutal as it is beautiful, Abigail finds herself also fighting her unlikely attraction to Mackenzie — another survivor, and a much younger man.

Mackenzie Steel is devastated by his partner’s death in the crash, the only person with whom he shared his painful past. Now, as he confronts his own demons, he finds he has a new battle on his hands: his growing feelings for Abigail, a woman who’s as frustratingly naïve as she is funny.

Fate brought them together, but they’ll need more than luck to escape Kakadu alive. Could the letters of a dead man hold the key to their survival?


by Ainslie Paton
Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 09/2013
eBook Pages: 250

From one of Australia's hottest new authors comes a story about an international scandal, a billionaire, and a fearless reporter who might just save the day...

Confined in a cold, dull room in the depths of a Shanghai airport, a journalist chasing a career break and a businessman with a shadowy past play a game of truth or dare — deliberately not exchanging names.

They tell each other their most painful secrets and burning desires. One dare leads to a kiss and a wild night of illicit passion, setting off a dangerous sequence of events, bringing exposure and disgrace.

Only the brutal truth can save them. But it will also rip them apart. And it will take more than daring before they can build a new truth together.


by Lee Christine
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 11/2012
eBook Pages: 208

She thinks she needs him, but she doesn't know the secrets he keeps…

Threatened with the publication of naked photographs taken in her law student days, defence attorney Allegra Greenwood enlists the help of former SAS Commander Luke Neilson, unaware of his involvement in her brother's death in Afghanistan.

In a race to stop the photographs appearing on the Internet, Luke battles a hidden enemy, his growing feelings for Allegra, and his conscience, which demands he protect a fallen comrade's sister. As the stakes increase and more sinister motives unfold, Luke not only has to fight to save her career, he has to fight to save her life.

by Shannon Curtis
Genre: Fantasy/Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 05/2013
eBook Pages: 118

For readers of Stephanie Bond and Darynda Jones, fairy tales as you’ve never seen them before. The debut in a series that mixes suspense, sex, and just a sprinkle of fairy dust.

Once Upon a Crime…

Melanie wants to get incriminating information on her evil stepfather and she’ll get it – even if it means giving in to an odious toad’s demands. Cole is undercover, and when the opportunity arises for him to get closer to the criminal he’s investigating using the man’s beautiful stepdaughter, he grabs it.

Esmerelda is a Fairy Godmother Enforcer charged with getting the Frog Prince fairytale back on track. But fate has saddled her with a partner, and Rumpelstiltskin – with his sexy bad boy swagger – has a hidden agenda of his own.

In the Fairy Isle, nothing is as it seems…


Connect with Escape Publishing


GIVEAWAY: 
To enter the giveaway, you know the drill ... just leave a comment telling me which book gets your heart racing? And don't forget to ensure you're easily contactable. The winner will get the eBook bundle above and it's International!! 

Extra Entries:
+ 2 tweet giveaway and leave a link

Giveaway ends 1st December. Winner will be drawn via Random.org and announced on my blog. Good luck everyone!




Sunday, October 27, 2013

TSS: Cookies, Outback Dreams and a Giveaway :)


Earlier in October I read OUTBACK DREAMS by Rachael Johns ... loved this rural romance set in Australia and drooled over Faith's baked goodies. 

I made a promise to share, if I got my hands on the recipe for Faith's famous Custard and White Chocolate Cookies so here it is  ... the recipe that is, not the biscuits. 


"Anyway, right now my stomach is crying neglect. Do you have any of your famous custard and white choc-chip cookies in that esky?"
"I can't believe you're hungry already. We've barely been on the road half an hour." But she was already unclicking her seatbelt. "Pull over."
While faith retrieved the snacks, Monty drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and brainstormed safe topics of conversation. He'd never had to think about such things with Faith before; come to think of it, he'd never had to with any woman.
She returned moments later with a large Tupperware container and as she peeled back the lid, the familiar aroma filled the cab.


Faith's Custard & White Chocolate Cookies Biscuits ;)

Ingredients:
140g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour
85g custard powder
85g white chocolate chips (I doubled that)

Method:
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan forced (that's 356/320 for US peeps)
  • Line two baking trays with baking paper
  • Cream the butter and sugar in mixer until light and fluffy
  • Add lightly whisked egg and vanilla and mix well.
  • Sift in the flour and custard powder and mix until a dough is formed
  • Throw in the choc chips and work together by hand
  • Form the dough into small balls, place them on the baking tray and press down lightly. Be sure to leave a gap because they spread.
  • Bake for 10-15 mins until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack (mine took 10mins)
  • Try not to scoff the whole batch in one go! (Rachael Johns you are so right lol) 





Ok go bake your own ... they're YUM I promise :)


and now I have another sweet treat for you ... 


GIVEAWAY:
2 copies of OUTBACK DREAMS thanks to Harlequin Aust - print copy Aus/NZ & eBook copy International. Just tell me your favourite cookie/biscuit and I'll put you in the draw. 

Extra Entries: (completely optional)
+2 leave a comment on my review of OUTBACK DREAMS
+2 tweet giveaway and leave a link


Giveaway ends 7th November, winners will be drawn via random.org and announced on my blog. Good luck everyone!

Synopsis:
Faith and Monty are both looking for love...but they’re looking in the wrong direction.

Faith Forrester is at a crossroads. Single, thirty and living on a farm in a small Western Australian town, she’s sick of being treated like a kitchen slave by her brother and father. Ten years ago, her mother died of breast cancer, and Faith has been treading water ever since. She wants to get her hands dirty on the family farm. She wants to prove to herself that she’s done something worthwhile with her life. And she wants to find a man...

For as long as he can remember, Daniel ‘Monty’ Montgomery has been Faith’s best friend. When he was ten, his parents sold the family property and moved to Perth, and ever since, Monty’s dreamed of having his own farm. So for the last ten years, he’s been back on the land, working odd jobs and saving every dollar to put toward his dream. Now he finally has the deposit. But there’s still something missing...

So when Faith embarks on a mission to raise money for a charity close to her heart, and Monty’s dream property comes on the market, things seem like they are falling into place for them both. Until a drunken night out ends with them sleeping together. Suddenly, the best friends are faced with a new load of challenges...

Monty and Faith are both ready to find a life partner and settle down, but have they both been looking in all the wrong places?


Connect with Rachael Johns

Purchase Outback Dreams




Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs.


Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Sunday Salon: My Love Affair with France & Bonjour 40 by Karen A. Chase



If Karen A. Chase absolutely had to turn forty, she decided she could do it gracefully in Paris… for forty days. Released after the e-book, this stunning paperback version contains over 100 photographs, plus quotes and thoughts not found in the streamlined e-book version. For readers who begged for more images, and for armchair travelers who prefer to hold Paris in their hands, comes this visually elegant photo journal and travel essay book.

What began as a blog to communicate with friends and family, became a travel journal filled with over a months’ worth of humorous and insightful glimpses into her Paris adventures, each of which could be read in about forty seconds. Journal entries are interspersed with Chase's own inspiring photography. Additional, longer stories richly fill in details allowing readers to reflect upon her experiences with food, travel, photography, Parisians, writing, and love in the City of Lights.



Happy Bastille Day 

My Thoughts:
I read the ebook version of Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log by Karen A Chase back in 2011 and was completely smitten (click here for review.) My one wish from this treasure of a book, (well I have more than one, the top one involving my own love affair with France and a healthy obsession with cheese, chocolate and pastries in no particular order of preference ... but I digress) was more photos and earlier this year I got my wish. 

The lovely Karen sent me the beautiful photography print edition of Bonjour 40 and with "Paris in July" what a perfect opportunity to squeal a little more about this book that had me wanting to eat my way through France and kiss in Paris. It's also the first time I've been quoted for a cover book 'blurb' ... exciting :)



Photo: Karen Chase

Cheese heaven ~ Photo: Karen Chase


Photo: Karen Chase


My sister holidayed in the UK/Paris in 2012 with a Paris to-do-list which included some of Karen's experiences from Bonjour 40. My request was she visit Dorothee's crab shack and take a photo of the much talked about Bandit. I emailed Karen asking for directions and my sister had drinks at L'Amuse Gueule and I got my photo :)

Dorothee & Bandit

I'm longing to visit and fulfill my own dreams but for now Bonjour 40 is the next best thing :)


Connect with Karen

Purchase eBook just .99 cents @Amazon @B&N (how can you resist)
Print release @Amazon 



Co hosted by BookBath & Thyme for Tea

I'm also linking up with Paulita's Dreaming of France meme over at 




Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs.


Sunday, April 07, 2013

The Sunday Salon: Bloglovin & Chocolate


After much hoopla over the soon to be demise of Google Reader and umming and ahhing on my part (I hate change) I bit the bullet and decided on Bloglovin. I was going to test Feedly and Bloglovin extensively and make an informed decision (ha) but I'd probably still be undecided come 1st July ... so Bloglovin it is :)

  
Follow on Bloglovin

What I was happy with:
  • very simple transfer from Google Reader to Bloglovin, blog list imported at the press of a button
  • all my categories transferred - Favourite Blog Visits, Australian Bloggers, Scrapbook Blogs etc
  • Bloglovin app works well
  • I liked claiming my blog and seeing who was already following
  • Option to like a post and return to it later
Not so happy with:
  • only option for a profile pic is using your facebook photo (I don't want to)
  • only option for customising the layout that I can see is by Blog or Date 

And Google Friend Connect is NOT disappearing with Google Reader but it probably won't be around forever so it might pay to follow by more than one source. I keep many of my favourite visits in my blog roll but I like to give readers options - see left hand side bar.


On the state of my mental health, I needed chocolate and lots of it to post my review of Nameless by Lili St Crow so I made this 




Chocolate Brownie Pudding 
recipe from the Merry Gourmet who minimally tweaked it from Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics 2008. 

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter (or 227gm for us metric users)
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar (that's normal sugar for us not castor)
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tblsp Grand Marnier (optional) I didn't use it

Directions: 
Preheat oven to approx 160 degrees Celsius - 150 fan forced (325 farenheit) and grease a 2litre baking dish. 

Melt butter and set aside to cool.
Beat eggs and sugar with electric mixer on medium to high speed until mixture very thick and pale, about 5 - 10 mins. Whisk together cocoa and flour and set aside.

When egg/sugar mixture is ready decrease the speed to low & add vanilla, then the cocoa and flour mixture. Mix until just combined. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in cooled butter and mix until just combined. 

Pour batter into baking dish and place in larger baking pan. Add hot tap water to pan until it comes halfway up the side of baking dish. Bake 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly, serve warm with cream or icecream or both :)

Warning: This is for serious chocolate lovers. Rich, oozy chocolatey goodness. The top is crunchy and chewy and the inside is gooey and delicious. Beats therapy ;)

PS: I just found out this is actually freakin awesome cold. OMG I've died and gone to heaven





Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.



Sunday, December 30, 2012

Bye Bye 2012 - Most Memorable Reads Of The Year



Can't say I'll be sad to wave goodbye to 2012 but I bounce well! I'll be welcoming 2013 with a smile and hope for a truly wonderful year with a return to good health and new adventures.

I'm grateful for all that I have in my life - my darling family, the bestest of friends,  experiences that shape and make, the blogging fun, the awesome reads - thanks for the memories :)

Totally bummed that I missed out on completing the 100+ Challenge ~ 94/100 sooo close but wow did I read some brilliant books, especially from the historical fiction, general fiction and YA genres. 

Here's the best of the best: ** are my 5 star reads but the rest are 4.5 stars and memorable!


Historical Fiction:



** WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah
** SPARTACUS THE GLADIATOR by Ben Kane

THE SUMMER BEFORE THE STORM by Gabriele Wills 
THE BUNGALOW by Sarah Jio
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS by M.L. Stedman
THE SHADOWY HORSES by Susanna Kearsley
THE SECRET KEEPER by Kate Morton
THE COURTESAN'S LOVER by Gabrielle Kimm
THE SECOND EMPRESS by Michelle Moran
THE SECRET KEEPER: A novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd
THE QUEEN'S VOW by C.W. Gortner
THE TURNING OF ANNE MERRICK by Christine Blevins
THE CROWN by Nancy Bilyeau

General Fiction:



** THE HOMECOMING OF SAMUEL LAKE by Jenny Wingfield
** ONE MOUNTAIN AWAY by Emilie Richards
** MAGIC HOUR by Kristin Hannah
** STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova
** CROSS CURRENTS by John Shors

THE UNDERSIDE OF JOY by Sere Prince Halverson
OUTSIDE THE LINES by Amy Hatvany

Young Adult:



** DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth
** INSURGENT by Veronica Roth

BLOOD STORM by Rhiannon Hart
CINDER by Marissa Meyer
THE SWEETEST DARK by Shana Abe ~ review in 2013
GRAFFITI MOON by Cath Crowley 
EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton
UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi
HALLOWED by Cynthia Hand
THE RISE OF NINE by Pittacus Lore
THE POWER OF SIX by Pittacus Lore
THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

Romance: 



** ANIMAL MAGNETISM by Jill Shalvis

FIFTY SHADES Trilogy by E.L. James ~ the most fun review to write

Suspense/Thriller:
SILENT FEAR by Katherine Howell
TATTOOED by Pamela Callow

Urban Fantasy:
THE KINGDOM by Amanda Stevens 

Non-Fiction:
JANUARY FIRST by Michael Schofield



Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Sunday Salon: 'Pinning' & Cooking & Audiobooks



I have long been guilty of disappearing into the Pinterest void, pinning like a mad woman and staring at all the pretties. In other words pinning and NOT doing. .... in a Gollum "my precious" kind of way. 

So this weekend I've blown the cobwebs from my Pinterest recipe board (yay me) while listening to The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman on audio ... beautiful!

My debut Pinterest recipe was a Penang Curry (recipe found on Pri's website Recipri)
I've adapted it slightly by using chicken breast instead of tofu, light coconut milk and leaving off the cashews as I didn't have any. The Penang paste I found in the local supermarket was very mild so an extra tablespoon could be added if you're taste buds call for extra zing. 


Penang Curry

Ingredients: Serves 4-6.
  • 2 tbsp. oil
  • 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp. grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp. Panang Curry Paste 
  • 2 cans coconut milk (13.5 oz. each) approx 430ml, I used light
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. palm sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1/4 cup roasted and unsalted cashews
  • 1 cup chopped white mushrooms
  • 1 cup chopped white/yellow onion
  • 4 Thai basil leaves
  • 4 oz. cubed extra firm tofu (I used 2 chicken breasts, chopped)
  • 5 broccoli florets chopped
  • 1 cup red capsicum 
  • 10 snap peas (I used beans)
Method:
  1. In a seasoned wok, heat oil on medium heat.
  2. Once hot, add ginger and garlic and let cook until light brown.
  3. Stir in curry paste.
  4. Whisk in coconut milk, brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice and turn heat up to medium-high. Add the lime juice little by little until it’s to your taste. I used the full 1 1/2 tbsp. of lime juice.
  5. Add chicken and onion, cook for minute or two then add vegetables and basil leaves and cook on medium until chicken cooked through but tender and vegetables still firm (was approx 5 mins)
  6. Top with basil leaves or crushed cashews. I left the cashews out
  7. Serve with steamed rice

Absolutely delicious flavour and a real hit with my family!



So are you a Pinterest junkie? Leave a link, I'd love to follow you. And if you're a fan of audiobooks, I'm keen to hear recommendations. 

Narrators can make or break an audiobook and I've been lucky enough to listen to some exquisite stories with exceptional narration. Here's a few of my favourites :)

WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah

MAGIC HOUR by Kristin Hannah

THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

THE CHOSEN ONE by Carol Lynch Williams

LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott

SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUT by Beth Hoffman

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK by Neil Gaiman





Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.