The Season - Sarah MacLean

I LOVE historical fiction, and one of my favorite time periods to read about is the Regency Era. There's something completely enchanting about the London Season, when girls of a marriageable age attended balls in beautiful gowns in hopes of finding a husband. Slightly less enchanting is the manner in which women were often paired with undesirable partners solely to move up on the social ladder, but a girl can still dream. Anyhow, this is one such enchanting novel.

Alex is making her debut for the Season this year, but one thing sets her apart from many of her hopeful counterparts; she has absolutely no desire to marry. In fact, she believes the whole thing is ridiculous. The headstrong Alex finds the expectation to be the perfect lady burdensome at best and is irritated (and intimidated) by her inability to discuss important things like politics. Additionally, growing up in the presence of four jocular males has had the unfortunate side effect of causing her to speak her mind without thinking of the consequences. The only people she feels comfortable with outside of her immediate family are her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, and Gavin, her brothers' closest friend and her confidant. But that was before the mysterious death of Gavin's father. Now, he has inherited the title of Earl of Blackmoor and the responsibilities that go with it. Whether it's the Season or Gavin's new title, something has affected their relationship, changing it from familial to something more intimate. As they struggle to cope with these new (and not entirely unwelcome) feelings, a shocking discovery comes to light regarding the so-called accidental death of Gavin's father. Soon, Alex, Gavin, Ella, and Vivi are mixed up in a life-threatening plot that could have devastating national consequences.

The fact that I chugged through this book without stopping should indicate the level to which I love and adore it, but in case that doesn't speak for itself, I'll explain. First off, I love Alex's character. She goes against the grain of society in an inadvertently determined way and she's not willing to settle for the norm. She's intelligent, witty, and amusing, but she doesn't always think things through, which, I have to admit, grated on my nerves a little bit. Second, have I mentioned the Season yet? Beautiful balls, stunning ballgowns, man-hunting... what's not to love?! Finally, Gavin is pretty much what every girl dreams of, except for the occasional annoying incident. Pretty much the only real problem I had with the book was how she rushed into the conspiracy, knowing that people's lives were being put at risk. Even with that, it's definitely a book I would want to add to my collection!

Pros:

• London Season!!
• Forbidden romance (I know, I know, so typical. But give it a chance!)
•  Mystery AND romance AND historical Easter eggs

Cons:

• You say "life-threatening danger", Alex says "I'm on it! Never mind the impact on my entire family, my two closest friends, and the love of my life!"
• Plot seemed a little rushed with regards to the relationship between Alex and Gavin
• Snobby debutantes who think they can get whatever they want just because they're beautiful

Sloppy Joes

Remember when your mom used to make Sloppy Joes with Manwich, the sickeningly sweet canned sauce you'd add to ground beef? Yeah, me too. It was awful. It made me never want to touch anything remotely resembling Sloppy Joes again. That was before I discovered the Pioneer Woman, the queen of home cooking. She's got a recipe for pretty much everything you could ever want, and that includes Sloppy Joes. Once again, home cooking wins against processed, store-bought food!
 
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups ketchup
2 TBSP. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. chili powder, or more to taste
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or more to taste
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 kaiser rolls
2 TBSP. butter

Directions:

1.  Brown ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat, then drain off the fat.
2. Add in green pepper and onion. Stir, then add minced garlic, ketchup, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine, then add brown sugar, chili powder, mustard, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Stir again, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
3. To serve, spread the kaiser rolls with softened butter and brown them on a griddle or skillet. Spoon the meat mixture onto the bottom roll, then top with the other half.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

A Matter of Heart - Amy Fellner Dominy

Abby Lipman has it all: she's the best female swimmer in her school, is about to swim for the Olympic qualifier, and dates the best (not to mention, most attractive) male swimmer on the team. Abby's father was once in her shoes, but a freak accident ended his swimming career before it had even started. Consequently, she swims for both of them, fulfilling her ongoing dreams and the ones he never got to live out. When she passes out after a meet, her coach sends her to the doctor for permission to swim again, where she is devastated to learn that she has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), an enlargement of the heart that jeopardizes her future. She is immediately prescribed a heart-slowing drug which, despite potentially saving her life, destroys her ability to swim competitively. In addition to not being able to race, her boyfriend decides that there's not room in their relationship for HCM and breaks it off. With the qualifier swim coming up, Abby decides to continue her training against the advice of her doctors and peers, but she didn't count on being under the watchful eye of Alec, a team member who she previously looked down on. As the two grow closer, Alec urges Abby to stop risking her life for swimming. When she can no longer lie to herself about her chances of winning while on the medication, she makes an impossible decision: she's going to win that meet or die trying, and that means taking herself off of the meds behind her parents' backs. This life-changing decision has huge consequences for her, but will the qualifier swim be her last one, or will she come to her senses in time to save her own life?

I received this book from my monthly Bookcase Club Box, which, by the way, is a really awesome service available for book-lovers. When I first picked it up, I was certain it was going to be your typical sappy romance novel, but I guess that goes to show you that you really can't judge a book by its cover. I couldn't put it down! The constant suspense caused by her continuing her training with HCM keeps you turning pages to find out what's going to happen, and you can't help but sympathize with her as you watch not only her dreams but also her father's crash and burn. That being said, I found her character a little annoying because she was legitimately going to put her life in danger just to swim a race, not to mention lying to pretty much everyone about what was going on. I eventually decided that her actions were due to her age and the shock of the diagnosis, so it wasn't a huge obstacle while I was reading.

 In addition to being a good novel in general, it's also informative; Dominy talks about HCM briefly at the end of the book. HCM is a real disease that affects 2 in 500 people, especially athletes, killing most of them before they've even been diagnosed. The realistic nature of the condition makes the story even more poignant, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to a heart foundation.

Pros:

• A can't-put-it-down page turner!
• Realistic and relatable storyline
• Good character development

Cons:

• Main character can be a little unlikable when making rash decisions
• Parents' characters seem a little underdeveloped off the bat
• Typical teenage drama (some directly attributable to HCM diagnosis)

Beauty - Robin McKinley

What would you do to save your family? 

Beauty, Grace, and Hope live in the city with their father, Roderick, a wealthy man who lost his wife and newborn child to a trying pregnancy. Although she was named Honour at birth, an incident in her childhood left her with the nickname Beauty, a name she came to hate as she matured into the opposite. When one of her father's business ventures ends disastrously, the family is left with nothing and is forced to move from their fancy city house to the country to earn their keep. There, they make a living for themselves using the skills of their father and Hope's husband. Beauty's father returns to the city to tie up some loose ends with his former business, but returns home with a fortune and a terrible story. After being caught in a storm on the journey home, Roderick found himself in an enchanted castle in the heart of the forest where he was graciously cared for by magical attendants. As he was leaving, he came across a garden of stunning roses and picked one to bring home to Beauty, who had requested seeds he had been unable to find in the city. Enter the Beast. As punishment for "stealing" one of the prized roses, the Beast issues an ultimatum; Roderick must return in a month's time as the Beast's prisoner, or bring one of his daughters to fill his place. Beauty, true to her birth name, insists on taking her father's place, and so she arrives one month later at the gates of the castle. Expecting to be treated as a prisoner, she is pleasantly surprised to discover that, although he is certainly fearsome, the Beast seems to have no plans of having her for dinner (other than in the traditional sense). In fact, he goes to great lengths to ensure her comfort. Every night, however, he asks for her hand in marriage, and every night she declines. As time goes by, she finds herself becoming more and more comfortable around him and learns more about the enchantment that is on the castle. When Beauty becomes aware of a crisis at home, she begs the Beast to release her, vowing to return. He agrees, but will she return to break the enchantment, or will she remain with her family?

Obviously, I'm not going to spoil the ending for you because what kind of horrible person would that make me? So, on to the analysis. I LOVE Beauty and the Beast. If you do, you'll probably like it. If you don't, you probably won't like it. This retelling has elements of both the original tale and the Disney version, but it was written before the Disney version even came out! Talk about foreshadowing! Now, being somewhat of a young adult novel, Robin McKinley spared us some of the more gruesome elements of the original tale, but other than that, it's pretty true. As with all books, it does have flaws; pacing, for one thing. A huge chunk of the book takes place with her family, not the Beast, and the ending is so abrupt I thought I had gotten whiplash. Moving on.

Pros:

• Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (obviously)
• Ridiculously awesome attention to detail
• Provides a lot of interesting backstory to Beauty

Cons:

• Pacing, pacing, pacing!
• My second greatest pet peeve, there were TWO typos in the edition I have *hideous crying*
• A lot of stuff is never fully explained and you're left scratching your head at the end. Seriously, the ending left me so bamboozled the first time around that I finally just threw my hands in the air  and decided to blame it on magic.

Okay, since we're on the topic anyway, let's take a moment to talk about the upcoming Beauty and the Beast movie starring Emma Watson, who may or may not be my favorite person of all time. "Gasp! There's a live action Beauty and the Beast?!" Yes, yes there is (or will be). Please take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the absolutely amazingly stunningly awesome trailer below.

FREAK. OUT. MODE. I am so excited about this I can't even properly express it. That's probably why I'm rereading every Beauty and the Beast retelling I've ever come across - you know, just like you did for Harry Potter (no, don't try to deny it, it's okay). So, now you know about the new movie and a great retelling of the original tale! Yay for you!

Loaded Scrambled Eggs

I have a secret. A deep, dark secret. I. HATE. Scrambled. Eggs. Where do I start? The slimy, squishy texture? The hideous smell that pervades the house during cooking? The bland, gag-inducing taste? I'm going to go with all of the above. 20 years have I lived in fear of scrambled eggs. In fact, threatening scrambled eggs for dinner was a regular scare tactic used by my mother to motivate me to fix dinner. But the tables have turned. I have found the Holy Grail of scrambled egg recipes, the one that finally broke through my hatred and made it into my "favorite recipes" cache. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I thought it only fair to share my golden egg with you (pun intended).

 NOTE: This recipe differs only slightly from the original, which you'll find the link to below.
Originally, the recipe calls for tomatoes and crusty bread to serve it on, but I thought the tomatoes made it too watery and I served it with fresh-squeezed orange juice and turkey sausage instead of bread.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 red onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 TBSP. olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 large eggs, beaten
3 oz. Cheddar, grated (about 3/4 cup)
1/3 c. finely chopped flat-lead parsley leaves

Directions:

1.  Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 12-14 minutes. 
2. Add eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are just set, 1-2 minutes. Add the Cheddar and cook, stirring, until just melted, 1-2 minutes more.
3.  Remove from heat, stir in parsley, and serve.

 Source: Real Simple

The Last Necromancer - C.J. Archer

Do I love the feel of a book in my hands? Yes. More than my own children (technically accurate, as I don't have any). But I also love my Kindle. I've lost track of how many amazing books I've found while browsing through the B&N store. And, if you sort it by low-high price, you can pick up some awesome reads for free. The only kicker is that once they've gotten you hooked on the series with the free book, all the others actually cost something. This strategy works perfectly on suckers like me, I'm sad to say. In fact, this book is the perfect example. The first book was free, but I promptly finished that one... and the one after that... and the one after that. 3 days and 4 books later, I finally had to rein the horse in, but you get the idea.

Meet Charlie, a dirty street urchin who steals to survive in London's impoverished neighborhoods. But two things set Charlie apart from the rest of the street rabble: Charlie is a girl and the last necromancer. Forced to disguise herself as a boy to keep her safe, Charlie (a.k.a. Charlotte) was kicked out of her home when her conservative father inadvertently discovered her powers. When word starts getting around, Charlie finds herself being pursued by persons unknown. She soon falls into the clutches of one such group, a strange trio of men that answers to an organization known only to her as the Ministry. The leader of the group, Lincoln Fitzroy, is a serious, intimidating man who has been training to lead the Ministry for his whole life. His only goal is to protect the Queen from supernatural harm, and keeping Charlie out of evil hands is one way of doing so. She soon learns that they are up against a dangerous foe who is harvesting body parts from the dead and trying to reanimate them. But can Fitzroy convince Charlie to stay and help willingly, or will he have to hold her hostage? Charlie has no desire to become a tool of the Ministry, but she has nowhere else to turn. Aside from that, she is becoming more and more intrigued by the mysterious Mr. Fitzroy, despite his warnings to stay away. As Charlie's position becomes more and more precarious in the household, she must decide if she will join forces with the Ministry or return to her life in the streets.

First things first. A Frankenstein character looking for a necromancer in Victorian era London?? I'M IN HEAVEN! This is an actual dream come true. It's like science fiction meets fantasy meets mystery meets romance. Second of all, the author actually addresses things that are relevant to life as a female. Did you ever notice how lots of books and movies leave out some of the less pleasant aspects of life (e.g no need for bathrooms)? Not so for this series! For example, I bet you never thought about the work that goes into disguising yourself as a adolescent boy when you're actually a female in your upper teens, especially during *ahem* certain times of the month. It's so refreshing to finally have a series where this stuff doesn't get pushed under the rug. All in all, I highly recommend, not only the book, but the series in general. With all that being said, here's the standard "pros v. cons" list for your browsing convenience.

Pros:

• Science fiction meets fantasy meets mystery meets romance
• An edge-of-your-seat read
• Character development and plot progression are through-the-roof awesome

Cons:

• Some language
• After the first book, you pay >:(
• There's no movie (actually, this might be a good thing considering the history of book to movie conversions)

Star of the Morning - Lynn Kurland

Oh, this book. I don't choose favorites, but if I did, I'm pretty sure this would be it. It's got everything. EVERYTHING. Perilous quests, mysterious pasts, and a hefty helping of romance, all written with an underappreciated tinge of humor. And the main character is a sassy, sword-wielding shieldmaiden that relies only on her skills to get by. What more could you want?

Morgan of Melksham has no tolerance for magic. As someone who grew up with a sword in hand, finger waggling mutterers simply have no place in her life. Morgan was taken in by a kind-hearted old man who ran an orphanage after a group of mercenaries found her abandoned in an evil forest. As she grew, her swordplay improved; this was helped considerably by a stint on the other side of the island, home to a tower where only the most desperate go to train and only the most determined make it out with the mark of one who has completed training. Morgan was one of these determined individuals, and after leaving the tower, she became a blade for hire, settling petty disputes between neighboring lords and taking on sieges. This all changed when she received a mysterious summons from the man who had raised her and given her a home. Abandoning her current siege, she returns to the orphanage to find it's lord waiting for her with a dangerous quest: the king of Neroche has lost his magic, his borders are being invaded by foul creatures, and an enspelled dagger might be able to help him. Morgan is tasked with bearing the knife to Neroche.

Meanwhile in Neroche, King Adhemar is seeking a way to compensate for the unexplained loss of his powers; one minute he was fighting and his sword was responding to the magic in his blood, and the next thing you know, the magelight went out and he found himself powerless. His younger brother and the archmage of the realm, Miach, suggests finding a wielder for the magic sword that has hung in the castle for centuries. With the help of the wielder, they would be able to beat back the creatures that were overrunning the borders. Adhemar leaves Neroche and travels incognito in search of this wielder. Along the way, he runs into Morgan, who promptly knocks him out and steals his best pair of socks in payment for following her. The two are met by a few of Morgan's mercenary friends, and they end up traveling together. Back in Neroche, Miach hasn't received any messages from Adhemar, so he decides to check in himself and see what's happening. Searching for them proves harder than he expected, but he sees the magelight of the sword and is able to follow it. Upon arrival, he discovers that it was not Adhemar who called the magic, but Morgan, a seemingly insignificant wench from a backwater island. Morgan, who is very seasick from the trip across the ocean, refuses to acknowledge that she summoned the magic.

Miach decides to stay for a while, not only to assist in the search, but also so he can be close to Morgan, who he finds himself drawn to despite her rough nature. As the group draws closer to Neroche, so do Miach and Morgan. Disguising his true identity under the pretense of being a farmer, he helps Morgan as she struggles with the realization that she has magic in her blood. Along the way, he realizes that there is more to Morgan than there seems, and he eventually realizes that she is the one that Neroche needs to wield the sword. He hides this information from Adhemar and Morgan, afraid that the woman he has come to love will become nothing more than a pet to the crown. Miach has to decide which is more important: his duty or his heart. However, once they reach Neroche, everything will come out, one way or another. In the interest of not spoiling the ending, I'll leave it at that.

Pros:

• Star of the Morning has virtually every characteristic you could want in a book
• Never a dull moment
• Strong female lead

Cons:

• The rather abrupt ending always leaves me feeling like I'm missing something
• Somewhere along the way, it seems like the focus goes away from the quest to Neroche and becomes a series of smaller plots
• This storyline degrades a little as the series goes on