My Thoughts on Gluten Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond

I am not allergic to Gluten although I have found that I am sensitive to it and as I've said before Zilla is Autistic and all the doctors say to get off gluten ASAP for kids on the spectrum. When I saw this book I got very excited because I felt that breakfast was so limited without Gluten but Linda Amendt sure did blow that out of the water. There are a TON of awesome recipes in this book and I can't wait to make them all. Well maybe not all of them (there is a Carrot Waffle recipe!). I really liked all of the in depth information she gave in regards to the ingredients and making your meals and kitchen Gluten free. There are a lot of variations for the recipes like for example the Banana Nut Pancakes can turn into Banana Blueberry or Banana Spice or Tropical pancakes - YUM. I never thought that sweet rolls would be remotely good when you take the gluten out but I was wrong. There was also a lot of good info in the back about making your kitchen and recipes you already have gluten free.

A few things I wouldn't mind to be different: There were pictures but none of them said what they actually were and although it wasn't hard to guess I shouldn't really have had to guess. Maybe in print this wouldn't be an issue because the picture would be opposite the recipe but in my e-book copy it was annoying. I also would have really appreciated for maybe a small picture of the finished product on the page - there was plenty of room - so I know if what I'm making was huge fail or not. I also would have liked Amendt to mention using coconut oil as a substitution but it was no where to be seen. This was definitely NOT a healthy baking book though because sugar was liberally used and there were zero substitutions offered - in fact it almost seemed like she was saying that you can't cook these things without that amount of sugar. I plan to make several of these recipes and maybe I can get Zilla to eat some of them lol.

Overall a great cookbook that I will be enjoying for some time to come!!  I don't know that my waistline will say thanks but I'm sure the taste buds will lol.

I got this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

My Thoughts on Cowboy Delight

This short Novella by Cheryl Brooks is about Lauren who is on the way to meet her future in-laws for the very first time. Lauren decides to drive there on her own after her fiance, Fredrick, had to rush home to attend to his mother after she broke her ankle. Unfortunately Lauren's car breaks down in the middle of nowhere Texas and she has to walk several miles to a small town diner. The Waitress convinces Lauren that a Cowboy named Steve would be a suitable candidate to drive her to Houston because he'd be a gentlemen. Now Steve is a widower and agrees to drive Lauren to Houston while her car is being fixed. 

During their drive Lauren begins to consider if agreeing to marry Fredrick is the best idea because she has some serious and instant chemistry with Steve that she's never felt with her fiance. Steve is feeling the chemistry and certainly isn't interested in acting like a gentlemen. Things really heat up between the two and Lauren is left to decide if she is willing to give up her life (Fredrick is rolling in the dough and his dad owns the company she works for not to mention that she doesn't live in Texas!) for someone who makes her feel the way that Steve does. 

Ok I did like this book but there were a few things that bugged me. First the things that bothered me (so I can leave on a good note):

- Lauren worries an awful lot about leaving the security that Fredrick can give her and not much at all about the actual relationship. Seems like this might be related to her childhood but really the book was too short to delve into this so who knows.
- I don't really like that she seems like she wants to "try" out Steve while still keeping ole Freddy on the line. Seems unfair to both guys and I am not much one for cheating so that didn't do anything for me at all. I mean don't get me wrong I understand wanting to make sure your not giving up everything for nothing but thats still isn't right unless ALL parties are aware then they are making the choice with you but that didn't happen here.
- Lauren seems to be fine with letting Fredrick twist her into some sort of stepford type wife; she's okay with changing almost everything about herself just for security. After meeting Steve she seems more at ease with herself.
- Felt like it would have been better just being a smidge longer because she could have drawn some things out and explored their pasts a little better. It wasn't needed but I would have liked it better.
- The Butter..made me gag a little. Butter should NEVER be used as lube people!!! EVER!!!! That's all I'm saying there.
- When trying new 'things' couples really should ease into them - not use nasty lube and go full tilt. I guess in a book no one needs to prepare things.

Now the good:

- This was a short read and who doesn't love sexy cowboys? 
- That's some very sexy cowboy on that cover and that's exactly what I pictured when I think of Steve!
- I do like that Lauren was honest with Steve about her feelings regarding him and Fredrick. She should have been a little more honest with Fredrick though. 
- I also loved that Steve fully made his stance clear and went for the prize regardless - gotta love a man who knows what he wants and is willing to fight for you. 
- Little Skipper was a trip - Always makes me laugh to see big strong guys with sweet fluffy puppies.
- Loved this:
"The local women gave up on him a long time ago. Nowadays they mostly just gaze at him and drool"
"I've got a fiance waiting for me in Houston" I said as a reminder to myself "He'll be safe with me"
Kate snorted "I hope you love that man in Houston with all your heart"
"So do I" I muttered.
- "I raise delicious beef" - makes me think of a that's what she said joke LMAO
- She did acknowledge that she 'should' feel selfish about this whole thing so I guess that's something at least. 
- There was humor sprinkled in everywhere so that you could laugh at and with them. 
- Loved the drama at the end - HA take that you snobby bunch!

Overall I liked the book and will definitely check out this authors other work.

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

My Thoughts on Reasons To Leave

I was provided a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. 

Reasons to Leave by Lisa Hobman was a easy read and we all know I appreciate an easy read! It's about Stevie who is the daughter of a single mother, and abandoned by her father, she thought she had finally found a man she could trust. At age eighteen she thought she would be with Jason forever. Everything between them was perfect until the night of the leaver's ball when he disappeared without trace. Ten years on, can Stevie ever learn to trust again enough to give her heart? Or are the ghosts of her past determined to stop her from ever finding true love?

 I liked the storyline of this book a lot  but I did notice that she kinda jumped around a bit in the beginning. There were certainly some grammar issues that did grab my attention but were easy enough to ignore. There was some inconsistency regarding Stevie and Miles' marriage that bothered me a bit throuout the story. I was not a fan of Miles and didn't think it was cool that her mom interfered in her relationship like that. Stevie and Jason to me both came across as a smidge bipolar throughout the whole Book. I did very much adore the Dallas reference with Jason's nickname. I liked the setting in the story and appreciated the descriptions. I'm hoping that David doesn't cause any problems in the next book maybe Stevie will actually try to push him in Mollie's direction. I was surprised that Stevie didn't try to push David in that direction here butthen again I got the impression that Stevie didn't mind the attention. I also didn't understand why on earth Stevie didn't just explain why she wanted to stay close to her mom but then again that probably would have messed up the sequel. I didn't really appreciate the ending (hate cliffhangers) and I wanted to smack Jason a little or well actually a lot. I honestly probably won't read the next book not because this one was bad but just because it didn't grab me and I wasn't into the characters enough.

Book Review - Poison Princess

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole is the first book in the Arcana Chronicles Series. I read this book about 5 months ago and just finished the second book yesterday but thought I couldn't very well review the second book without first giving the first its glowing Review. Here's the summary:

Sixteen-year-old Evangeline "Evie" Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they're still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can't totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him? As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it's not always clear who is on which side.Who can Evie trust?

I liked the cast of characters in this book and I also liked how the Author had the Characters evolve and adapt to the new situations they were being faced with after the event they refer to as "The Flash" that changed their world. I didn't particularly like how whiny Evie came across sometimes but then I had to keep telling myself that she's only 16 and going through some major crazy. I honestly wasn't a fan of Jack as Evie's love interest in this book because he was basically a jerk the whole time. The only redeeming quality that I found was that he was protective of Evie and taught her some survival skills. There were also quite a few pages of Evie recounting her days before The Flash and although some reviews I've read didn't like this I enjoy getting a good back story. The ending of the book left me very excited to see where the story and Evie specifically were headed. I seriously enjoyed reading Poison Princess and when I was done got upset that I had to wait until October to read the next book! I will review the second book in the series, The Endless Knight, next week!!!