Life

Hi Ya'll! I was so not motivated at all this last week to do much posting! I promise I will try and be better about posting more.. I recently took a look at my past posts and noticed that I have stopped sharing what the hubs cooks. Since he has been out of school we have been in a cooking rut and the hubs has not done much of anything! (As I type this he is sitting next to me playing Grand Theft Auto..) Don't get me wrong, the man deserves an actual break from school! He will be starting his senior year in a few weeks after being in school for only 2 years. He has worked super hard to get to this point and I could not be prouder of him! But with that being said, he has not done much of anything this summer. He says once school starts back up he will be motivated to start cooking again.  So look forward to that!

As far as the book thing goes, I am super excited to be starting to do reviews! I have quite a few books waiting for me to read and review. I would love to say that I have put a huge dent in my TBR pile.. but that would be a lie.. I've read 2 books on my kindle (one for review and one that I bought) and have only gotten one read from my physical stack of books so far. I am also super excited for some of the books I will be getting in the mail in the next week or so!

Along with awesome books coming and great recipes, my birthday is next week! I'll be 29 this year.. One year closer to 30.. No plans for celebrating yet, but I'm hoping to have dinner with some friends.

Thats my week.. How have you been?

Review Thursday- A Texan's Promise by Shelley Gray

 

When Clayton Proffitt, foreman of the Circle Z Ranch in Texas, discovers Vanessa Grant crying in the barn late one night, he first thinks she’s gotten herself into another scrape. But when he spies the marks on her back and hears about her stepfather’s advances, Clayton knows he must spirit Vanessa away to safety.

As they make their way west, it becomes apparent that there’s something special between Vanessa and Clayton— far more significant than mere friendship or his sense of duty. Unfortunately, also heading west are Vanessa’s brother Miles and her stepfather Price Venture. Price wants Vanessa back for obvious reasons; Miles wants to earn his stepfather’s respect. Eventually, unexpected confrontations reach a harrowing conclusion. As their family begins to heal, their journey and trials they've faced helps them realize their future is in God's guiding hands.

Before I get started on the negative I would like to say that I did enjoy the characters in this book. Vanessa, Clayton, Corrine, and Merritt. Even the ones they met on the road. I was glad to see the changes in Miles and Price, of course I did not like! I felt that the characters were very well written and that this book could of been more, if it were not for a few minor things holding it back.

To start I must say that the whole religious aspect of the book was a bit much and made me want to put it down a time or two. It felt very over done to me. Growing up in a very religious household, we did not talk as much about God and the Bible as much as these people did. I felt like I was being preached at through some parts of this book.

I also take issue with the repetitiveness of Clayton and Vanessa's thoughts. It feels as though the author was just trying to meet a page quota and managed to do so by repeating their insecurities in one way or another.

Through out their entire journey west it seemed like all Gray focused on was their insecurities. I get it. They have issues that they need to work on. I just don't need to be told about those problems in every chapter!

Along with the repetitiveness I take issue with the timeline. It seems like it was not thought out very well or was not corrected when edited.

For example, when Clayton and Vanessa arrive at Bar M, Corrine states that she is pregnant and figures she has 6 months left. A few weeks (at most) later and she is giving birth to a healthy baby boy. That puts her at 4 months and no way would that baby would be healthy!

When Clayton Leaves Vanessa at Bar M it is unclear, to me, how long he was really gone for. Gray writes that it was just over 2 months a few times, but on a letter from Vanessa she says its Christmas time and then in her telegram to Clayton it is August. That's more than 2 months. When they are back together again Vanessa also claims that it has been only 6 months since leaving Circle Z, but then a few pages later states that it had been a long 18 months since everything happened. So which is it? How long was Clayton really gone for?

Over all I did really love the characters and how well they worked with each other. I think this book could of been better if the author took the time to pay attention to her time line.

My rating: 2/5 stars

Pub Date: 10/01/11

Thank you to netGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Samoa Truffles Take 2

Hi Ya'll! Don't worry, your not seeing double, and I'm not reposting the same recipe (sorta).. I had found 2 different versions of the Samoa Truffles that I wanted to try! The first one I posted used cream cheese as the binding agent. This one uses Dulche de Leche. After trying both versions (both are awesome!) I think I like the cream cheese better. The dulche de leche was a little too sweet for me. But judge for yourself!

We were invited to a friends house for dinner last Saturday night and I brought these for dessert. This recipe make about a dozen truffles. I left our friends house with one left. Of course that one did not make the drive home!

Samoa Truffles:

2 packages Coconut Dreams

2 Tablespoons dulce de leche ( found in the mexican food section)

melting chocolate (almond bark)

1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Crush the cookies in a food processor (or in a baggie with a rolling pin) until they are turned into a fine crumb.

Mix crumbs with the dulce de leche using the back of a spoon or your hand. Roll mixture into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place in the freezer for about 15 min.

Meanwhile toast your coconut and melt your chocolate.

Dip each ball into the chocolate then sprinkle with the coconut. Place back onto the wax paper and let dry.

 Eat and Enjoy!

Book Tuesday's

Hi Ya'll! Last week was an exciting week for book getting! As far as reading goes I finished the last of my library books and have started on Operation Read Your Own Books!

In My Mailbox

The Mistress's Revenge by Tamar Cohen (ARC)

I won this one from Goodreads awhile ago. They had sent me the wrong book the first time (but I got to keep it!). They got it right this time! I'm excited to read this one!

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan (ARC)

How excited was I to find this one in my mailbox?! It was a total surprise! I had entered a giveaway on the Glow facebook page. They were giving out a bunch of ARC copies and I got one!! I didn't know I won it until it showed up in my mailbox!! I so can't wait to read it!!

 

What I Read

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Oh how I love this series! I don't have enough words to describe how much I love this series! lol I have yet to read Summer's Crossing, but I have it on my Kindle (all a part of ORYOB!) I also have The Iron Knight on my kindle. I can't wait to read either of them!!

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I only have wonderful things to say about this book! I could not put it down! Its taking me everything I have to not go and get Pretties from the library! I need to hurry up and clear out my TBR pile so I can read Pretties!!

In other news, Book Soulmates who host  R.A.K. ( random acts of kindness) every month are hosting a giveaway with R.A.K. sign ups this month! To get a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card, go sign up!

Well that's it for me this week. How about you? What have you been reading?