Mommy's Corner (#3)

Morning Friends,

Welcome to Mommy's Corner! I am super excited to share my journey through parenthood with you. I have a five year old little girl named Mia. She loves arts, crafts, and playing. I am about two months behind on these posts so forgive me for posting Halloween activities practically at Christmas, but life gets hectic and I get behind. We did a ton of fun activities and treats for Mia's school on Halloween and I wanted to share them with you!

Candy Corn/Popcorn hands the kids loved these!

Tony peeling the grapes for a sensory box game.

The finished product (eyeballs)

My girls decorating their pumpkin
(Mia decided she wanted to use paint this year)

Cheese Puffs Jack O Lanterns

We had a ton of fun this past Halloween working on all of the treats and crafts!

Mini Review: Succubus On Top by Richelle Mead

Succubus on Top (Georgina Kincaid #2)
Author: Richelle Mead
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Publisher: Kensington
Format: ebook
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn

Georgina Kincaid's job sucks. Literally.

Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses her new boyfriend, she’ll drain his life force. Georgina is a succubus—a demon who draws her power from other men’s pleasure. Admittedly, the shapeshifting and immortality perks are terrific, and yes, Georgina did choose to join the ranks of hell centuries ago. But it seems completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can’t get hot and heavy with the one mortal who knows and accepts her for who she is.

It’s not just her personal life that’s in chaos. Doug, Georgina’s co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects that something far more demonic than double espressos is at work. She could use help finding out, but Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, is preoccupied in the suburbs with corrupting an ultra-conservative talk radio star—and giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one—and fast because soon, Doug’s life won’t be the only one on the line…

3 stars out of 5 stars

• I liked Succubus on Top but not as much as Succubus Blues. It felt a little long and drawn out. I wouldn't have minded if certain parts were cut. 
• I found the way Georgina and Seth tried to create intimacy so sweet and perfect for them. Seth is just the sweetest with the way he tries to make up for the lack of sex easier on Georgina. Which is why when she does something that betrays him, I was upset at her and how she just kind got away with it. Seth is much too good for her, sometimes. 
• All the moments with her friends and the Mortensens are my favorite. I love Georgina's relationship and interactions with everyone.
• I wasn't really in love with this book so I'm not rushing to pick up the next book. However, I do love the way Richelle's writes so I will continue with the series, eventually.

Quotes (#179)

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Morning Friends,
I am so excited it's finally my birthday week!!! Yes, you read right. I like to celebrate the entire week even though my birthday isn't until Friday. Well, with all of this excitement I think I need some quotes to calm me down a bit, on to our quotes!

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”
~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

“You cannot pick and choose what parts of her to love.”
~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

“All she knew was that whatever and whoever climbed out of that abyss of despair and grief would not be the same person who had plummeted in.”
~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

“He would see that world reborn, even if it took his last breath. Even if he had no name now, no position or title save Oath-Breaker, Traitor, Liar.”
~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

“She was still on the fall down. There was no getting up, because there was no bottom.”
~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

“Because hers was not a story of darkness.”
~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

“She would remake the world - remake it for them, those she had loved with this glorious, burning heart;”
~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

Have a fantastic week!

Bookish Girl in the Kitchen

Morning Lovelies!

Today, I wanted to do something different. Around here, we normally talk books and we are slowly starting to chat about some of other likes, like my obsessions of House of Cards, Supernatural, and Gilmore Girls. Nahomi talks about some of the activities she does with her little one. We are trying to expand ourselves and the topics we cover so as to keep things fresh for both ourselves and our readers. Today, I want to talk about food! 

Ever since high school, I loved baking. I couldn't do it as much because hello! I would have all these sweets and I couldn't eat them but I can't say no to them. After the wonderful invention of Pinterest, I've been hoarding allllll the recipes. Main dishes, appetizers, desserts, drinks, you name it, I have it on my Pinterest board. So after I got married and became in charge of the cooking, I've been willing to try out some of those recipes I have saved. Even now, after moving back home with my parents, I've been making some recipes that aren't too wild since my dad is a bit of a picky eater. So I going to start sharing some of the recipes I make with you guys! 

Recipe:

I am going to be sharing Ali's, from Gimme Some Oven, Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken recipe. I will mention that I doubled every single ingredient since I was cooking for 6 people. Except the cooking time. I cooked on High for 4 hours. But the recipe below shows the exact measurement from the original recipe.

PREP TIME: 10 MINS COOK TIME: 4 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 4 HOURS 20 MINS
INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce (use low-sodium if desired)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cold water
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
(optional toppings: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds)

DIRECTIONS:

1- Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker in a single layer.
2- In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and black pepper until combined. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Cover slow cooker, and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and shred it using two forks. Transfer the remaining teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a medium saucepan.
3- Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and pour the sauce on top of the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.
4- Serve topped with scallions (green onions) and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

This is me gathering all the ingredients and prepping the meal.

Step 2. Time for it to start cooking.

Almost ready!

The sauce! So yummy!

The end result

Final thoughts:

This recipe was a success! Everyone loved it. I will say that the chicken was a little dry because I left it in the slow cooker a little bit longer because it wasn't dinner time when it was finished. So I know for next time to keep the time in mind.

So are any of you goddesses in the kitchen? Or you rather order in or have your partner/roommate cook? Tell me of any good recipes you may have!

Favorite Friday (#62) Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Have a favorite book? Series? One that you've just read or are currently reading? Favorite Friday is a bi-monthly meme hosted by Books and Swoons where we spotlight some of our Favorite Reads. Everyone is welcome to join. Just enter your information on the linky or leave us a comment!

This week pick is: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning.

“Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believes it’s good.” — MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever. — Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh -- a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

OMG! This book is so intense! I absolutely love the entire series, but this is my favorite of all. I love how Mac has evolved throughout the series. I also love the relationship between Mac and Barrons. Shadowfever is such a great action packed book!

About the author:

Karen Marie Moning was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1964, the daughter of Anthony R. and Janet L. Moning. The family moved to a self-sustaining farm in Indiana when she was six years old, where she spent her youth raising cows, horses, tobacco, corn and other crops with her sisters and brother.
An alum of the Immaculate Conception Academy, at seventeen she attended Purdue University where she completed a BA in Society & Law, with minors in Philosophy, Creative Writing and Theatre, while working full time as a bartender and computer consultant. She intended to go to law school but after an internship with a firm of Criminal Attorneys, decided against it. For the next decade, she worked in insurance, where she wrote intercompany arbitrations and directed commercial litigation. At the age of thirty, she decided it was time to get serious and do what she’d always wanted to do: write fiction novels.

Author's links: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

I hope you can join us in sharing and talking about some of your favorite reads. Book talk always makes us happy. 

What is one of your favorite reads?

Reread Blog Tour + Giveaway: Into the Blue by Chanel Cleeton

Hi there Swooners!

In preparation for the final book in the Wild Aces series, On Broken Wings, by Chanel Cleeton, Berkley reached out to me about participating in a reread blog tour. I got to pick Into the Blue, Thor and Becca's story, because they were my favorite of the bunch. So today I am going to be sharing some of my favorite swoony Thor moments! But before I do, let's see what the books are about.

Fly with Me (Wild Aces #1)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Berkley

From the author of the Capital Confessions Novels comes the first in the steamy Wild Aces Romance series.

U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Noah Miller—call sign Burn—loves nothing more than flying hard and fast. When he meets a gorgeous and sassy woman while partying in Las Vegas, he immediately locks on to her.

Jordan Callahan owns a thriving clothing boutique, but her love life is far less successful. Her luck changes when six feet, two inches of sexy swagger asks her to dance and turns her world upside down.

One scorching weekend becomes an undeniable chemistry that they can’t leave in Vegas. But the long distance relationship and their different lives threaten to ground their romance. And when the dangers of Noah’s job become all too real, Jordan learns being with a fighter pilot means risking it all for a shot at love…

Into the Blue (Wild Aces #2)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Berkley

Eric Jansen—call sign Thor—loves nothing more than pushing his F-16 to the limit. Returning home to South Carolina after a tragic loss, he hopes to fix the mistake he made long ago, when he chose the Air Force over his fiancée.

Becca Madison isn’t quick to welcome Thor back. She can’t forget how he shattered her heart. But Thor won’t give up once he’s set his sights on what he wants—and he wants Becca.

Thor shows Becca that he’s no longer the impulsive boy he used to be, and Becca finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. But will Thor be able to walk away from his dream of flying the F-16 for their love or does his heart belong to the sky?

On Broken Wings (Wild Aces #3)
Author: Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: January 3, 2017
Publisher: Berkley

The author of Into the Blue and Fly with Me returns with the newest, hot and high-flying Wild Aces romance...

A year after losing her husband, Joker, the squadron commander of the Wild Aces, Dani Peterson gets an offer from his best friend, Alex “Easy” Rogers, to help fix up her house. Dani accepts, and their friendship grows—along with an undeniable attraction.

Racked by guilt for loving his best friend’s widow, Easy’s caught between what he wants and can’t have. Until one night everything changes, and the woman who’s always held his heart ends up in his arms. Yet as Easy leaves for his next deployment, he and Dani are torn between their feelings and their loyalty to Joker’s memory.

But when Dani discovers something that sends them both into a spin, the conflicted lovers must overcome the past to navigate a future together…

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It seems like my entire adult life had been spent either running to or from this one girl. She was the compass when I was lost I couldn't find my way. - Into the Blue, Chanel Cleeton

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And here's one of Becca taking a nice appreciative glance at our boy.

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About the author: 

After years spent studying international politics in London and a stint in law school, Chanel Cleeton found her passion crafting smart and sexy contemporary romances and thrillers. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she's happiest curled up with a book, her three dogs lounging beside her. Chanel is a lover of big sunglasses, irresistible handbags, food covered in sprinkles, and pint-sized pups with larger-than-life personalities.

She is published by Harlequin and Penguin and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, Assassins, and Wild Aces series. Chanel also writes historical fiction as Chanel Dolz Cleeton. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Author Links: Website  / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram / Tumblr / Pinterest

Be sure to check out On Broken Wings when it releases on January 3, 2017. I'll be hosting a blog tour stop on January 9th, so be sure to stop by then. Now, it's time for the giveaway! Rules are pretty simple, you must 13 years or older and you must resides in the US. Just enter the required information onto the rafflecopter. Giveaway ends on December 19th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swoony Boy of the Month: Perry from Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Swoony Boy of the Month is our feature where we spotlight a favorite and/or swoony boy from the books we have read.

Today's Swoony Boy of the Month is Peregrine aka Perry. Perry is a rebel with heightened senses! He is definitely rough on the outside but also sweet and tender on the inside. Perry makes my heart melt over and over again!

“What I was trying to say,” he whispered, “is that I see you in everything. There isn’t a word for you that means enough, because you’re everything to me.”
~Veronica Rossi, Into the Still Blue

“Come back with me, Aria. Be with me.”
~Veronica Rossi, Through the Ever Night

“She'd been right. It had been easier with her. Perry placed his right hand on hers.
"Are you all right?" he whispered. It wasn't what he wanted to know. Of course she wasn't all right. What he wanted to know was if the together part still mattered to her. Because even though he was confused and sorry and angry, it still mattered to him.
She looked up and nodded, and he knew she agreed. Whatever else came, they'd face it together.”
~Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky

“It's not far. Another week. Doesn't matter. I'll get you better shoes this time. And I'll carry your rocks for you. I'll even answer your question.”
~Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky

“I've been watching you and Roar. Wanting it to be me training with you." His shoulders came up. "I don't want to do it now."
"Why?" Aria's voice was high and thin.
He smiled, a flash of shyness, before he leaned close. "There are other things I'd rather do when I'm alone with you.”
~Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky

Check out Perry in the Under the Never Sky series!

Review: Unforgivable by Laura Griffin

Unforgivable (Tracers #3)
Author: Laura Griffin
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Publisher: Pocket Books
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn

TRACING KILLERS IS MIA VOSS’S BUSINESS.
AND HER WORK JUST GOT PERSONAL.

At first, Mia Voss thinks it’s just bad luck when her already lousy day ends with a carjacking. But what seems like a random incident is followed by another sinister episode. A DNA expert, Mia has made it her mission to put away vicious criminals. Suddenly, she’s become the target of one. And the only way to protect the people she loves most is to deliberately destroy her reputation and risk letting a killer walk free.

Once, Mia trusted Detective Ric Santos. That was before Ric let his turbulent past ruin his chances with Mia, the sexiest, most intriguing woman he’s ever met. But he can tell when she’s lying—and when she’s scared. The key to catching a sadistic madman lies within a long-buried cold case that has haunted Mia for years. Only she can uncover the truth, but first, Ric will have to get her to entrust him with her secrets . . . and her life.

3.5 stars out of 5 stars

Unforgivable captured my attention from the first page. Having met both Mia Voss and Ric Santos in the previous novels, I was excited in getting to know these two characters. In the previous books, we get the feel that there is something brewing between the two and so I was a little surprised to see that nothing really ended up happening. However, after reading the previous books in the series, I knew that Griffin would somehow rectify this.

The story follows Mia as she becomes of a victim of a carjacking, which in turns deadly and is part of bigger problems for Mia and her life. Ric becomes involves when he's assigned to her case and he battling a lot of emotions attraction towards Mia but also the reluctance to act it. The suspense aspect of the book had me turning pages at lightning speed because I was hooked and curious at who would want to hurt and kill Mia. I found it so interesting and worrisome at how Mia was being asked to destroy evidence and in turn how quickly it can kill her reputation and career.

The romance part of the story irritated me a bit, to be honest. There were some instances where Mia made some questionable choices, choices that in turn put her in danger and made me question her intelligence. Also, Ric is constantly manhandling her, expecting her to answer/do everything/anything he asked only to leave her with no look back, and he continually flipped his mood and emotions on how acted and felt towards her. So I definitely had trouble liking Ric and in liking how their relationship progressed. I would have been happier if Ric would have owned up to his reasons and told Mia why he was such a commitment-phobe at an earlier time instead of just brushing her off. It would have made him a better person and made things clearer with Mia.

Overall, I was happy with how the story progressed. The suspense part of the series is always my favorite parts of the book and that's because Griffin just knows how to suck in her readers into the story. I would have preferred a little bit more of an epilogue of some sort but I know I'll see these characters in some form in the next book of the series. I can't for more of these books!