Cook It, Eat It, Live It is written by Jo Kenny, food writer and owner of GirlEatsWorld.co.uk. In this first publication, Jo offers readers a vibrant and varied collection of recipes inspired by both travel and family ties to the UK, Japan, Guyana, the Caribbean.
This delicious collection of everyday recipes satisfies appetites for light bites, indulgent dinners, fresh sides, and delicious desserts. You’ll find a spectrum of dishes from rich, earthy flavors to fresh aromatics giving you meals to enjoy year-round. All recipes are firm favorites in Jo’s own household and cooked regularly. This is family-style, everyday inspiration to ensure no more boring dinners.
Recipes are punctuated with stories of travel, food inspirations and a personal philosophy of enjoying food unapologetically. This book is about finding happiness in the little things and injecting some joy into everyday life through wholesome, exciting meals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jo Kenny
Jo is a food writer from Bedford, living with her husband Alex, newborn son and Kimchi the cat. Her website GirlEatsWorld.co.uk was founded in 2012. Starting out as a personal space to capture cooking and food adventures, it has evolved into a public hub for recipes, cooking guides and food inspiration. Jo is passionate about fresh ingredients eaten joyfully, intuitively and adventurously.
Cook It Eat It, Live It is a delightful book of recipes, family stories, and travel adventures. The pictures are gorgeous, and there are so many recipes I want to try. Jo Kenny’s work on this book and her website proves that life is an adventure, and food is a big part of that.
In this book, Jo shares recipes from four countries, including soups, stews, main dishes, desserts, and more. There are even instructions for setting up a kitchen garden. And she shares stories and beautiful pictures with each recipe.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cookbooks that not only have recipes, but the stories behind them.
I received a free copy of this book from Kingsley Publishers via Rachel’s Random Resources. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
Self-Published Saturday is my effort to help Self-published/Indie authors with the daunting task of marketing. Self-published authors have to do it all, from writing to editing to cover design to going out and selling that book. It’s exhausting. If I can help even a little bit by sharing the book with others, I’m happy to do it.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
It wasn’t the aliens she had to worry about; it was the humans.
A troubled young woman is recruited by a race of ancient alien explorers to be their emissary to save the human race from extinction. The problem is that not everyone believes the world is doomed, and not everyone trusts the aliens’ motives. Holly Burton will have to overcome opposition from world leaders, attacks by religious zealots, assassination attempts, intractable bureaucracies, and her own fears and doubts if she is to save the human race, not just from the coming apocalypse, but from itself.
She will have to become a very different person to lead a remnant of humanity into space and become the architect of a new civilization. The question is: Can she use the extraordinary knowledge and abilities given to her without losing her own humanity in the process?
BOOK REVIEW
Holly Burton is just a girl living a normal life with her Dad–well, as normal as you can get in a post-apocalyptic world. Then, aliens arrive, announcing that they want to meet with the world’s leaders, and Holly’s life is literally turned upside down. Twelve years later, she is a troubled university professor, and the aliens choose her as emissary. She is to lead a select group of Earth’s people into space so they can prevent the extinction of the human race. There is a real coming of age element, as Holly matures from partying professor to leader and struggles with the politics and suspicion that surround her at every turn.
This is a compelling story of first contact that portrays how certain governments and individuals might react. The characters are interesting and well written, and Holly is a wonderfully conflicted protagonist who shows real character growth. The plot is well developed and engaging. The idea of first contact is an intriguing one. What would varying reactions be from different countries? Would our world accept first contact or react with suspicion?
There are some political opinions in this story, so if you avoid politics, be aware. The ending is a bit of a surprise. I would recommend this book to fans of classic science fiction.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael J. Edwards is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest (USA). Having unexpectedly found himself in his seventh decade of life, he decided to retire from Boeing and become a writer of speculative fiction. The Emissary is his first novel. Follow him at http://www.michaeljedwards.com. Buy The Emissary at the links below.
*If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
Lessons in Chemistry was just a joy to read. The pacing is fantastic, and although there are plenty of sad moments, it has a delightfully comedic tone that I loved. The main character, Elizabeth Zott, commands attention, and her way of looking at the world keeps the reader turning the page. This story is expertly layered, with chemistry and television cooking somehow blending easily with crew rowing and child-rearing. It is an intelligent, witty, thoughtful, and sad look at life, with bits of humor mixed in. It brings home the importance of how you treat others and the way that each individual’s actions greatly affect another, good or bad.
The treatment of women in the workplace in the 1960s was shown in shocking detail, as was the way that society looked down on single mothers and their children at that time. The characters were unique and fresh, from the determined Elizabeth to the brilliant Calvin, and the precocious child Madeline. Even their dog, Six-thirty, was a fresh, unique, and insightful character in this story. Everything in this book stands out, from the phrasing to the quirky characters. It is a book I will recall often and will read again. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a well-crafted novel.
I received a free copy of this book from the Doubleday Books via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bonnie Garmus
Bonnie Garmus is a copywriter and creative director who’s worked widely in the fields of technology, medicine, and education. She’s an open-water swimmer, a rower, and mother to two pretty amazing daughters. Born in California and most recently from Seattle, she currently lives in London with her husband and her dog, 99.
Publication Date: March 7, 2022
Aspidistra Press
Genre: Historical Mystery
Series: Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, #2
Do you ever really know your family?
In the 1880s a sixth daughter learns not to ask for much, even if she’s the daughter of an earl. Even if she married the richest man in her corner of Sussex. Even if she’s now a widow with a splendid Georgian mansion.
Lady Helena Whitcombe is still trying to adjust to widowhood and reconcile her family loyalties with her desires when her artist sister Odelia makes a startling suggestion. Why not make her mark on the house that’s now all hers, by commissioning a magnificent work of art from one of London’s most celebrated painters?
Lady Odelia invites Helena into the seductive world of medieval fantasies and fairy tales she has inhabited since Helena was a child. But when a shocking series of events exposes the destructive reality of a great artist’s unusual lifestyle, Helena and her lady’s maid Guttridge are called on to help—or is it to interfere?
Looming danger, the risk of scandal, and competing loyalties force Helena to re-evaluate her relationship with the sister she’s always loved the most.
What is Lady Odelia’s secret? Find out in this gripping continuation of the Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, a story that blends mystery and historical detail with Downton Abbey-style saga as the truths about Helena’s aristocratic family unfold. Read it now before the secret gets out!
Jane Steen writes series set in the late Victorian period, with an unputdownable blend of mystery, family saga, romance, and the real-life issues facing women of the era. She is an indie author who began her career while living in Illinois, later moving with her American husband to her native England. When not working, she can be found walking through the green and muddy Sussex countryside, getting her cobwebs blown away on the nearby beaches, lovingly tending her garden, or sticking her nose into yet another book.
For more information, please visit Jane Steen’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.
9 winners will receive an eBook of Lady Odelia’s Secret and the main prize winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift card & eBook of Lady Odelia’s Secret.
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on April 8th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Lady Odelia’s Secrethttps://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js
BOOK REVIEW
Lady Helena Whitcomb is the sixth daughter of an earl, but the widow of a very rich man. She is struggling to start her life over after the death of her husband. She decides to commission an artist, Sir Geraint Dorrian-Knowles, to create works of art for a room in her home. Dorrian-Knowles is enthusiastically recommended by Helena’s sister Odelia. The artist begins his work, and shock, intrigue, deception, and murder follow. Along the way, Odelia’s secret comes to light. This is the second book in the Scott-De Quincy Mystery Series.
Although this is a Victorian mystery, it is even more about the dynamics of a large, entitled family in 1880s Britain. The relationship between Helena and her older sister Odelia is interesting and sometimes fun, as Odelia tends to shock the much more conservative Helena. Helena and her ladies maid Guttridge work well together as amateur sleuths. The art world of that time, and all its excesses, is explored. The mystery is compelling and there are plenty of shocks to be had. There’s a bit of romance and hints of debauchery. Fans of mysteries and the Victorian era may enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via HFVBT Book Tours. My review is voluntary. My opinions are my own.
I’m pleased to share the cover for the final instalment in the Vagrant Chronicles, Descendants by Janet Post and Gabe Thompson!
The Descendants (The Vagrant Chronicles #3)Genre: YA Sci-Fi From the award-winning authors of Vagrant and Mutant comes the long-awaited finish to the Vagrant Chronicles, Descendants!
Book III begins on Gliese where Shayna, Mai Li and Cain Hollyroad have taken over the leadership of the new colony. Shayna is worried because they’ve heard nothing from Declan and Logan. She decides to contact Earth using the equipment Eddie set up before he left. Unfortunately, when she succeeds and contacts someone she’s never heard of with the New LA Vagrants, she gets bad news. War has broken out in New LA and the Vagrant she’s contacted, a mole person named Reek running a small, solar-powered computer hacked into the Company’s com systems, he tells her most of the Vagrants are gone, hiding and shipped off to mining worlds. Reek doesn’t know Logan or Declan or any of the group from Gliese, and tells her the Vagrant space ship was destroyed. When she uses the equipment to piggyback off the Company’s Interstellar communication waves, they are alerted and come to find the colony.
Razor Tsang and his father are at the Gliese spaceport. They have an interview with the CEO. Razor’s father is the head of the Tong that has been the one sanctioned smuggling operation affiliated with the Company for decades. But the CEO, an alien who is a member of the ancestor race, laughs in their faces, denies them a new contract and give them twenty-four hours to clear off Gliese. Unfortunately for Razor’s father Big Lou Tsang, a group from the Smugglers guild meets him at his ship and kills him. Razor escapes and runs for the hills. He meets up with Shayna and her group and tells them what happened.
Cain Hollyroad leads colony members out of their valley and into the badlands of Gliese where there is no water and little hope of survival. Some of the colony gets caught by the Company and sent to the mines. Shayna, Cain, Razor, Mai Li, her daughter escape and begin a terrible trek into badlands searching for water. When all appears lost, Cain finds some caverns in a canyon which lead to an underground chamber with a spring. They need to get to a spaceport. Shayna is so worried about Logan, he concerns drive them away from their temporary shelter in the cavern and onward. They find the newest mining settlement. It has a rudimentary spaceport and a gigantic interstellar ship on the ground. It’s the ship they stole off the moon. Raj thinks he might be able to fly it. He has Helga. Knock reluctantly surrendered her control cube to him when he fell for Fenfang.
On Earth, Logan, Knock, Eddie and Fenfang are trying to fight their way, with the aid of the remaining Vagrants on Earth, to the Denver Spaceport where they hope to steal a ship to the moon where they can grab an interstellar ship and get home to Gliese. Logan is devastated by his father’s death. To find him and then lose him so suddenly was a huge blow.
The remaining population of Vagrants is wily and motivated to escape Earth. When they can’t contact Shayna, Logan becomes frantic. He lost his father and needs to know Shayna is safe and sound. Hounded by the Company and its new leader, a Company drone, frantic Logan, turns its eyes to smaller target, the spaceport in New Salt Lake City.
When Logan tries to contact Shayna again, he is stunned to discover she is traveling back to Earth on the Far Horizon. With the Company after them, the Guild discovers they are hiding close to their secret spaceport and moves in. Logan and his group hunker down and pray Cain, Shayna and Raj will arrive in time to save them. Available on Amazon
I’m the daughter of a Marine Corps colonel. I lived the military life until I got out of high school. At that point I was a wild child. I got married and moved to Canada where I lived up the Sechelt Inlet, the scene for Spellcast Waters. I lived in a log cabin, with wood heat and a wood cook stove fifteen miles by boat from the nearest town. I’ve moved a lot. Between the military upbringing and just rambling around the country, I’ve moved 40 times.
I lived in Hawaii and worked as a polo groom for fifteen years. I love horses and I paint, and I write. Now I live in the swampland of Florida with too many dogs and my fifteen-year old granddaughter. Life is beautiful. Live in the moment.
Gabe Thompson
My mother and I started writing young adult and action novels together about five years ago. We work well together because we share many of the same interests. I have a degree in journalism and currently teach middle school in Jacksonville, Florida where I live with my wife and twelve-year old son.
Tell-Tale PublishingCover Reveal Organized By:R&R Book Tours
Self-Published Saturday is my effort to highlight self-published and Indie books and help the authors with the daunting task of marketing. Below is a review of Framed, Book 2 in the Jax Diamond Mystery series by Gail Meath. I must disclose before you read the review that I edited this book.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Things get pretty sticky for PI Jax Diamond and his courageous canine partner, Ace, when their best friend, a cop, is framed for murder. And not just anyone’s murder. The victim is the fiancée of the most notorious gangster in the city, Orin Marino, Jax’s worst enemy.
Laura Graystone, the budding Broadway Star and Jax’s new squeeze, proves to be an ingenious partner as they sift through clues trying to find the real murderer. But when Jax is pinched for another crime, Laura and Ace are forced to go undercover.
Hang on to your seat as Jax, Laura and Ace take you on another crazy, whodunit ride during the Roaring Twenties. Where no one is who they seem, and those who do, aren’t. Anything goes during an era of fun and frolic, song and dance, speakeasies, gangsters, bootlegging, and bribes.
BOOK REVIEW
Jax, Laura, and Ace are back, and the adventure starts immediately when Jax’s best friend Tim, a cop, is framed for murder. Can Jax clear Tim’s name or will he go down too? Laura is on hand to help, and Ace is more involved than ever as they face off with Jax’s enemy Orin Marino and try to find the real killer.
These three characters are becoming so dear to me. Jax is smart, rough around the edges, and extremely loyal to his friends. Laura is a capable and multi-talented woman who refuses to sit in the background for her own safety. Ace is the smartest dog on the planet. All three of them together make the perfect team. The character development of secondary characters also shone in this one, as we got to learn more about the fiery Carla and her falsely accused cop husband Tim. The descriptions of the clubs and lounges of the 1920s transport us there instantly, and we learn how speakeasies worked in the time of prohibition. Ace was even more involved in this novel, and I adored it. He takes the book to greater heights and makes us all fall in love with him. The music of the era is highlighted, as Laura sings some of the great songs of the period.
Packed with mystery, history, and canine heroism, this book will keep you entertained and guessing until the end.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gail Meath
Award-winning author Gail Meath writes historical romance novels that will whisk you away to another time and place in history where you will meet fascinating characters, both fictional and real, who will capture your heart and soul. Meath loves writing about little or unknown people, places and events in history, rather than relying on the typical stories and settings.
The subgenres of her books vary from action-packed westerns, plot twisting murder mysteries and biographies of powerful women who defied the strict rules of society fighting for the freedom of their countries. Her romances may exclude steamy sexual scenes, yet the intensity between heroine and hero will satisfy your deepest fantasies.
Outside of writing, she spends loads of time with her husband, children and grandchildren.
*If you buy the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
Self-Published Saturday is my effort to help indie and self-published authors share their books. Indie authors have to do it all, from cover design to editing to marketing. If I can help even a little bit, I’m happy to do it. Below we have Survival of the Fittest, the first book in Jacqui Murray’s prehistoric trilogy, The Crossroads Trilogy.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Five tribes. One leader. A treacherous journey across three continents in search of a new home. Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Survival of the Fittest is an unforgettable saga of hardship and determination, conflict, and passion.
Chased by a ruthless enemy, Xhosa leads her People on a grueling journey through unknown and dangerous lands following a path laid out decades before by her father, to be followed only as a last resort. She is joined by other fleeing tribes from Indonesia, China, South Africa, East Africa, and the Levant, all similarly forced by timeless events to find new lives. As they struggle to overcome treachery, lies, tragedy, secrets, and Nature itself, Xhosa is forced to face the reality that her enemy doesn’t want to ruin her People. It wants to ruin her.
The story is set 850,000 years ago, a time in prehistory when man populated most of Eurasia, where “survival of the fittest” was not a slogan. It was destiny. Xhosa’s People were from a violent species, one fully capable of addressing the many hardships that threatened their lives except for one: future man, a smarter version of themselves, one destined to obliterate all those who came before.
BOOK REVIEW
This is an interesting fictionalized look at the evolution of man. In this book, a more evolved version of man is driving out the ones before. In the vein of the novels of Jean Auel, Survival of the Fittest follows Xhosa, who finds herself the leader of her people as they try and escape a vicious new group that has fire, more advanced language, and weapons. They are violent and will not hesitate to kill Xhosa and her people. The author’s note at the beginning of this book is very helpful as she explains the setting of 850,000 years ago and what early humans were like. The author also explains her choice of language for the tribes who used more gestures than sounds, and the reason for that. I had very little knowledge of that period, so I appreciated this information, and it prepared me for the novel. This is Book 1 in The Crossroads Trilogy.
The characters and their battle for survival are fascinating and compelling. The plot is engaging and well-paced. The triangle of Xhosa, Nightshade, and Hawk brings in a romance of sorts, albeit as close as you could get to such a thing at that time. The rich cast of supporting characters goes on and on, Zvi, Seeker, and Lyta might be my favorites, but as the journey goes on and separate groups join together, each individual learns from and teaches the other. I loved the fact that a wolf is part of the group and one of the characters. I felt transported as far back in time as I’ve ever been, and the dynamic of a more evolved and stronger group trying to wipe out everyone else is convincing and strong. Full of prehistoric danger and endless adventure, this book will not let you go until the end, and only with the promise of more in book two.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, and a contributor to NEA Today. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Read Jacqui’s tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days on Amazon Kindle. Also read Man vs. Nature, starting with Born in a Treacherous Time–also on Kindle. She is also the author of The Crossroads Trilogy, which is an adventure saga about prehistoric mankind.
*If you read the book(s), please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help self-published authors go a long way!
Hi everyone. Due to illness I’m going back to bed after returning from urgent care. Good news is, it isn’t COVID. Bad news is I feel like crap. Hopefully the meds will kick in and I’ll be back tomorrow.
Lady Odelia’s Secret
by Jane Steen
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