Two Little Lies by Liz Carlyle

Having been slightly disappointed with the first book in this trilogy, One Little Sin, I have to admit that I was a bit worried before I started hearing reviews for Two Little Lies. Thankfully when the reviews did start rolling in, they were pretty well all positive, and I have to agree! Two Little Lies hit the spot! I shouldn't really have been worried I guess. Having only discovered Liz Carlyle in November last year, I have read quite a few of her books in a short time span and haven't been disappointed in any of them before One Little Sin.

In One Little Sin, our hero Quin and his two friends Sir Alisdair and Merrick McLachlan are visiting a country fair, when they are forced to find shelter in the tent of a fortune teller. When she reads their palms, she tells them that they are about to have to face up to what they have done in their pasts (very rough paraphrasing of course).

Quinten Hewitt, has recently inherited his title (Lord Wynwood) and property and also now has his mother pressuring him to do the right thing and marry a suitable young lady, have children and ensure the continuation of the Hewitt line! Quin becomes engaged to Lady Esmee Hamilton, but at the betrothal celebration an unexpected guest is Viviana Alessandri, Contessa Bergonzi di Vicenza, a very famous opera singer, and more importantly Quin's former mistress, the only woman that he ever really loved. When they were together about 9 years earlier, they were both young, and neither were quite honest about their feelings and their dreams, and both had looked back wondering if they had let a good thing pass them by. Theirs was however a very complicated love. Quin believed that Vivi did not want to marry him, Vivi that he would not marry her as she was unsuitable to be the wife of a future Lord. Indeed Quin did think this, but if he had known the whole truth it may have been that he would have fought for their love, and it wouldn't really matter. Vivi didn't give him that chance.

The night of the party Quin and Vivi agree to meet the next morning in secret. Unfortunately, after being caught in a compromising situation with Vivi, Quin's engagement is called off, although Esmee insists she was going to call it off anyway, and Quin and Viviana must work out what it is that they want from each other, and how they tell each other the truth about what really happened all those years ago.

I was so caught up in the story that I read this book in one sitting, and really, really enjoyed it. There was only one thing that bothered me, and that was the fact that the first 100-150 pages of this book were occuring concurrently with the events from One Little Sin, for Quin's fiance Esme was the heroine from the previous book. If I had only just read One Little Sin it would not have been anywhere near as distracting, but it has been a couple of months and so whilst I knew what was coming I was trying to rack my brains to think how they got to that point! However, whilst this was a minor distraction, it also made me to want to pick up One Little Sin and reread it! I do actually have a bit of a problem with my Liz Carlyle collection at the moment. I borrowed nearly all of them from the library and so rereads are not that easy to do! I feel a Liz Carlyle shopping spree coming on, even though I have already read most of them!

I really liked the secondary characters in this read as well. Quin's sister Alice and Lucy, the maid who was assigned to look after Vivi when she was in England the first time, and with whom Vivi was reunited, were both well written and definitely added value to the storyline.

Overall, this was an outstanding read, and if you are a Liz Carlyle fan then I would definitely be saying get this and read it as soon as you possibly can! I cannot wait for Three Little Secrets to come out in April.

Rating 4.5/5

More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh

Jane Ingleby is on her way to her third day of work at a milliners shop, walking across Hyde Park, when she sees two men who are about to take part in a duel. She screams and tries to stop the duel, causing one of the men to lose concentration, and he is shot in the leg. As she is late for work on only her third day, she loses her job. Her boss says that if she can get a letter confirming that she was delayed by the unlikely events that she used as her excuse (I mean, everyone knows that no one duels in Hyde Park anymore!) she will not be able to get her job back...and Jane really needs to earn some money!

Never one to hold back, Jane makes her way to the home of Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham, the man injured in the duel. Tresham is none too happy. How dare an impudent working class girl interrupt his duel, causing him to be injured. When Jane asks him for a letter so that she can get her job back, he refuses, instead giving her employment for three weeks as his nurse, including a place to live. Jane needs to be earning money and therefore agrees.

Tresham is a cold, domineering man, who very few people will stand up to, but Jane has no fear. Indeed Jane isn't quite what she seems. For that matter neither is Tresham. As they get to know one another we find out that Tresham is in fact a very artistic man, whose abilities were quashed by the former duke, his father.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot, right up until the ending. The scenes where the delightfully impudent Jane stood up to the moody and imperious Duke were very entertaining, the changes in the relationship between Jane and Jocelyn were very tender, and very well written, as you would expect from Mary Balogh. There was enough backstory to keep things interesting, without using one of the standard storylines that you see in Regency romances, for example spies.

And yet, at the end of the book I was left feeling that this book just didn't quite hit the mark. A really major event happens off page just before the end, and I can't help but feel that as a reader, I wanted to be there for it, not told about it later. There was probably more to it than that as well, but I guess that was enough of a flaw in the book for me for it to affect the rating.

Having read and enjoyed numerous Mary Balogh books, I can say that she normally writes at a consistently high standard. There is a sequel to this book called No Man's Mistress which features Ferdinand Dudley, the brother of our hero in this book. I will be looking out for it to see whether I can be more satisfied with the next book.

As I enjoyed most of the book, the rating is still relatively high, but with a better ending it could have been higher.

Rating 4/5

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll was quite an unusual read for me! Just deciding what to classify this book as has taken me a while. I have seen it classified as historical romance on one website, and yes, there is definitely a strong element of that here, including a relatively standard plot progression, but there seemed to be more of a basis in actual history in the book than you normally see in most historical romances (which tend to feature a historical setting, but not a whole lot of historical content!).

So, how about historical fiction. Certainly, it is strong enough to stand up in that category (and I saw it shelved in fiction when I went to the bookstore yesterday) with many of the key events based on real events, including the horrifying climax. There are however a lot of witches, spells, potions and enchantments that feature throughout the book so maybe we need to have a category called Historic/Romance/Fantasy for this book.

This mix of styles is part of the reason why I enjoyed this book so much!

Ariane Cheney has inherited the title of Lady of Fair Isle following the death of her mother. With her mother gone, and her father off exploring the world (who knows if and when he will return), it is Ariane's responsibility to look after her sisters - the emotionally damaged Gabrielle and the sensitive Miribelle, whilst also looking after the people of Fair Isle, and guarding the secrets that have been passed from generation to generation. For a lot of the ladies of Fair Isle are white witches, in a time where witchery is a crime, and witch hunters have been known to roam the land. Ariane's great skill is healing, Gabrielle's is using painting and art to create magical environs, and Miri's is that she can talk to the animals, and that she has dreams foretelling the future. Due to events that happen before the start of this book we know that Gabrielle has not painted for a while, due to losing her magic because of an encounter with a man. Gabrielle is becoming a much harder person, laying the foundations for the next book, and causing problems during this book for Ariane and her beau, who Gabrielle calls The Ogre.

Enter Justice, Compte de Renard, who has decided that Ariane is to be his bride. Poor Ariane has so much already going on, that another persistent suitor is the last thing she needs. The book opens with the Compte waiting patiently at the church for his bride to turn up, after he has ordered her that she will marry him after only their second meeting. He will take care of all the arrangements. When a straw mannequin dressed in the wedding dress he provided is taken from the carriage, Justice realises that it is not going to be as easy as he thought to bend Ariane to his will. He goes to visit Ariane at her home, and gives her an enchanted ring. He will leave her alone with the proviso that if she needs him, she places the ring on her finger, and holds it near her heart. If she calls him with the ring 3 times, then they must be married. Ariane accepts the ring, along with the guarantee that he will not continue to bother her, with no intention to use the ring once, let alone 3 times! More interestingly though, and more troubling for Ariane, where did he obtain such enchanted rings, and how can he read her eyes and thoughts so easily if he has no knowledge of witchcraft, whilst being able to guard his own thoughts from her at the same time.

However, there are dark clouds on the horizon. The Dark Queen, Catherine de Medici is planning foul deeds, and she is also a witch, a dark witch at that. Before too long Ariane is called to assist a wounded soldier (Nicholas Remy) who was trying to make his way too Fair Isle. He is carrying a pair of gloves that he believes Catherine used to murder his Queen, Catherine's rival. He needs Ariane's assistance to prove it so that he can stop the wedding between Henry of Navarre and Catherine's daughter. Catherine is however determined to get the gloves back, even if that means sending the witch hunters to Fair Isle to flush out the wanted man..even if it means that all the women on Fair Isle have to die.

This was a very compelling read. The romance between Ariane and Justice was well written and satisfying. Seeing Ariane relax and become a normal young lady at times with Justice instead of the Lady of Fair Isle with all her responsibilities was refreshing for the character. There was plenty of intrigue, and the stage has definitely been set for the next two books in the trilogy featuring the two other Cheney sisters, but also with setting up their nemesis in at least one of the two books.

If there was one criticism to be made of this book, it would be that it was a touch too long, but that is minor when compared to the strengths of the rest of the book.

I had never read any Susan Carroll before this book. I will however be on the lookout for more from her, especially the sequel The Courtesan which is not available here in Australia yet. The third book, The Silver Rose is due out in March of this year.

Rating 4 out of 5

The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson

The inside flap reads:

Imagine that on the night before she is to die under the blade of the guillotine, Marie Antoinette leaves behind in her prison cell a diary telling the story of her life - from her privileged childhood as Austrian Archduchess to her years as glamorous mistress of Versailles to the heartbreak of imprisonment and humiliation during the French Revolution.

Carolly Erickson takes the reader deep into the psyche of France's doomed queen: her love affair with handsome Swedish diplomat Count Axel Fersen, who risked his life to save her, her fears on the terrifying night the Parisian mob broke into her palace bedroom intent on murdering her and her family, her harrowing attempted escape from France in disguise, her recapture and the grim months of harsh captivity, her agony when her beloved husband was guillotined and her young son was torn from her arms never to be seen again.

I guess that this would be considered a warts and all kind of telling story of one of the more famous figures in history. Whilst Erickson is obviously a fan and a student of Marie Antoinette (she has also written a non fiction book called To the Scaffold that is also about Marie Antoinette) it is not a one-sided account. She does not neglect to tell of the excesses that Marie Antoinette had around her, even when she thought that she was economising, right down to the fact that it was decided that the Queen should have her satin slippers resoled so that she could wear them at least two to three times. The delusions that Marie Antoinette held were never more evident than when she was trying to plot her escape from France disguised as servants and she ordered a grand new carriage, "a spacious new travelling carriage with a stove and dining table so that we can eat on our way. It is a large and handsome vehicle painted dark green and yellow with upholstery of white velvet." And yet, these episodes were not portrayed as meanness as the famous "Let them eat cake" that is attributed to her would suggest, just in the way that this is all she has ever known. On her journey through life, she changes from a pampered princess to a beautiful queen and then to one of the most reviled people of her time.

I learnt quite a few things whilst reading this book, and enjoyed it for that. It also bought back memories of my trips to Versaille and Vienna. It did not however really grab me in a "I can't put this down" kind of way. There are several of Erickson's non fiction books that I will be trying to track down as she has a very easy to read writing style, which I think was hampered a little with the diary style of writing, particularly when it came to writing background type information.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not a great one.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

For me Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning was a welcome return to form. I have read all of her books and love Kiss of the Highlander and then The Dark Highlander. When I read The Immortal Highlander a little while ago I wasn't quite so impressed and was thinking that maybe I had read enough Monings. However I borrowed Spell from the library and was really glad that I did so! It hasn't replaced Kiss as my favourite, but it was a darn site better than The Immortal Highlander in my opinion.

Cian MacKeltar was one of the most powerful Druids of his time..only problem is his time was in the 9th Century. As a result of his enormous ego in relation to his powers he ends up being tricked into a situation which results in him being trapped inside of one of the great Unseelie relics, The Dark Glass for the last 1100 years. The Dark Glass offers immortality to the holder, as long as the tithe of pure gold is paid every 100 years at Samhain.

Jessica St James is an archeology student who is struggling to make ends meet. One of the ways she does this is to assist her professor. One night her professor asks her to make sure that a crate is received safely. What she doesn't know is that the crate has The Dark Glass in it. It is something of a surprise when she sees Cian, preserved 9th century alpha male, looking back at her through the glass.

There are however quite a few people who want to get hold of the treasure, not least of all Lucan Trevayne, the man who captured, and kept Cian in his cell for hundreds of years. Lucan has managed to track the glass down, and now Jessi is in mortal danger. Cian needs to get them somewhere safe and soon. After Cian gives Jessi the words to enable her to release him, at least temporarily, from his cell they are forced to go into hiding, until Cian can work out a way to protect them both for the next 20 days, as that is when the next tithe is due to be paid. If Lucan is not able to pay the tithe, then Cian's imprisonment will be over. One of Cian's most useful powers is The Voice, which enables him to ensure that people will do exactly as he says which enables them to get hotel rooms, flights and provisions.

The only problem for Cian and Jessi is that whilst Cian can be released at least every day they do not know how long he will be free before he simply disappears back into the mirror. This leads to several comical scenes such as when he disappears as they are grocery shopping.

Cian is alpha male through and through, but still very likeable, and willing to do anything to protect Jessi. Jessi is probably one of the more likeable heroines that the author has written. Whilst she is a struggling student working two jobs to get by, she is not an orphan, and she does maintain family ties, something that was missing with a couple of the more recent heroines.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and there was enough room left over at the end of the book to show loyal readers that there will be more books in this series.

Rating 4 out of 5

Bubbles Ablaze by Sarah Strohmeyer

The third book in the Bubbles Yablonsky series, Bubbles full time hairdresser, part time journalist) and her Mel Gibson lookalike boyfriend Steve Stilletto (press photographer) are finally going to consumate their relationship. Bubbles is in the very comfortable hotel room at the Passion Peak romantic getaway when she gets a fax from her editor Mr Salvo saying that a prominent businessman has been murdered at a nearby mine and she should get over there to get the story.

When Bubbles arrives at the mine not only does she find the businessman with a bullet hole in his chest, she also finds Stilletto knocked unconscious in the bottom of a coal car. Before too long they are both caught up in a mine explosion. It appears that someone wants them out of the way. The hunt is on for the person who set them up, but also for the story. This time, however, instead of working together, they are working for competing news bureaus, so not only are they dealing with whoever wants them dead, but also trying to race against each other.

Bubbles is still pretty entertaining, however the books are certainly not as fresh as the first one, Bubbles Unbound was. Whilst there were plenty of twists and turns in this story about coal mining magnates, casinos, and small time American towns that are stuck in a 1950's timewarp, at the end of the book I was left thinking, but what about Steve's reporter, and what about their competition. Maybe these will be recurring themes so I just have to read the next book, but there were just a few too many loose threads for my liking!!

You can read previous entries for Bubble's adventures here.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Books by the Bed - January 2006

Following on from my previous Book by the Bed post, it seems that there are some books that never actually move, although there are several new ones there this month as well!! Maybe I should just clean up and start again. Next month maybe!

The book currently by the bed are:
Destiny of the Light by Louise Cusack - Still no idea where this one came from, what it's about, if I should read it!

The Ruby Ring by Diane Haeger - Can't wait to get to this.

Dragonwyck by Anya Seton - Loved Katherine, hope to enjoy this one just as much when I get to it.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - Started this one although haven't been really grabbed yet. In the early stages it feels a bit like hard work.

Lady of the Knight by Jackie Ivie - one day I will read this!!

Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning - over half way through, and really enjoyable!

Mr Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll - I'm sorry Sue!! I really am reading it, I promise!

Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon - I was listening to this in the car but one of the conversion parts for my CD player is broken, so I am still not all that far into this book. I have so loved the rest of the series, but can't seem to get into this one at all.

Books by the bed list for December is here

The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis

This is the sixth book in the Chronicles of Narnia that I have read. Only one more to go, The Last Battle.

Whilst I did enjoy this book, I think that my poor non creative brain would have handled this better if I had of read the series chronologically instead of in the published order. Oh well... next time I read it I will read it chronologically!!

This book is basically the story of the creation of Narnia. Digby and Polly are two friends that live next door to each other in London. Digby's horrible Uncle Andrew used magic to send Polly to another world, and so Digby had to go to find her. They find themselves in a place that is like a door between many worlds. As they want to explore they choose to enter another world, and find themselves in the world of Charn, a place where the inhabitants have gone into a permanent sleep. The only way for them to be awoken is for a magic bell to be rung. Polly doesn't want to ring it, but Digby rings it anyway and they find themselves face to face with Jadis, who we know is the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Jadis escapes with the children back to London, causing chaos, so Digby and Polly have to lead her away from their own world and back to another.

When they end up in the world that we know as Narnia we find out how the lamppost came to be where it is, and how it is that the animals could speak, and we meet the inaugural King and Queen of Narnia, King Frank and Queen Helen.

This was another enjoyable read. I am looking forward to reading the last book in the series.

Here is the link to the other posts about the Chronicles of Narnia.


Rating 3.5 out of 5

Manhunt by Janet Evanovich

Alexandra Cross, successful New York business woman has done the unthinkable. She has swapped her condo with jacuzzi for a hardware store and a log cabin in Alaska. Now, she has to live with this decision. Never mind that she knows nothing about hardware, hunting, fishing or living in Alaska. Luckily her neighbour is sexy Michael Casey who runs one half of a company that runs transport between California and Alaska. He is also a dab hand with an axe, gun, knife and just about everything else that Alex will need while she gets used to life in Alaska and everyone knows the man to woman ratio is favourable for manhunting up there. One reason why Alex has chosen Alaska is because she figures that she needs a husband. At 30 her biological clock is ticking. She knows what she wants (brown hair, stable, not too rich) and Michael didn't really fit it.

This isn't the first of the pre Stephanie Plum novels by Evanovich that are being rereleased that I have read, so I must be more used to what to expect, because I quite enjoyed this one whereas a couple irritated me no end. It still feels like the bare bones of a story with many things raised and not resolved at all, or quickly resolved. Alex and Michael meet and practically instantly are kissing.. well maybe not that quickly, but you get the idea. Lucky she finds perfect husband material in the first man that she meets, although it takes her a bit longer to figure that out. She finds a black teddy under his bed, we never know where from, although I guess that we are supposed to assume that it came from his ex wife who has moved to Florida with his son, a development that came up very quickly!! You want cliches...you've got them in bundles.

If you want fluff to occupy a couple of hours then this will do.

Rating 3 out of 5

The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons

The Summer Garden is the third book in the trilogy that began with The Bronze Horseman and continued in The Bridge to the Holy Cross (published as Tatiana and Alexander in some places). At this stage it is only published in Australia and New Zealand but hopefully will be published elsewhere soon.

Just a brief overview of the first two books. In the first book, we meet Tatiana on the day that war is declared in Russia in WWII. She is sent out to the shops to get as much food as she can, and along the way she meets Alexander, a young soldier. We then live through the siege of Leningrad with Tatiana and Alexander as they try to survive and their love grows. Along the way, Alexander is injured, family members die, and they become closer and closer to each other. Eventually we find out that Alexander is really an American whose parents moved voluntarily to Russia in the 1930's. Tatiana and Alexander eventually marry and plans are made to escape the USSR.

In the second book, Tatiana is in the US, but Alexander was left behind. She is trying to get on with her life, but she believes that he is still alive and searches for him. We also hear some of what was covered in the first book but from Alexander's point of view which is really good!!

Those are REALLY brief synopsis, but I don't want to spoil for anybody!! Onto this book then.

Tatiana and Alexander have suffered the worst the twentieth century had to offer. After years of separation, they are miraculously reunited in America, the land of their dreams. They have a beautiful son, Anthony. They have proved to each other that their love is greater than the vast evil of the world... but they are strangers. In the climate of fear and mistrust of the Cold War, dark forces are at work in the US that threaten their life and their family. Can they make a new life for themselves in this new land? Can they be happy? Or will the ghosts of yesterday reach out to blight even the destiny of their firstborn son?

Before I start in earnest I will say that whilst there are several things that I didn't think were perfect about this book. However, there is something about the way that Paullina Simons writes that draws me so completely into the world of her characters that despite the faults I come away from reading her books feeling so excited and immersed, and this book was no different. I also can NOT pace myself with her books..I have to devour them and ended up staying up until 2am three or four nights until I finished it! What a ride!!!

Firstly, I felt that there were many situations within the book that were a bit rushed. A couple of the 'bad guy' characters were introduced, did their thing, and then were gone again very quickly. Secondly, the relationship between Tatiana and Alexander at times seems to me to be very oppressive and possessive, at times over the edge, but then once the conflict at that time is resolved then they come back to simply being devoted and so completely in love - an impossible love to achieve in real life? Maybe. And dare I say it, there were possibly a few too many references to love scenes - gasp! A lot of the love scenes weren't detailed at all, just references. I understood that physically was the one way that they could reconnect before they did so emotionally, but every now and again I wanted to move on past the touching!

Despite those things, this book overwhelmingly is a triumph, and more than a fitting conclusion to the amazing story of Tatiana and Alexander. Initially, the little family travels across the US, living in Maine, Florida, California and Arizona amongst places as they try to find where they belong. We also get to hear about Anthony's life, and see all of the Barrington's as they go forward with their lives, always mindful of the past, but with an eye to the future.

I love this whole trilogy, and will definitely be rereading the whole series at some point so that I can, perhaps, slow down and enjoy the series without being so compelled to have to know what happens next!! I highly recommend that people rush out to the shops and get the first book and start reading!! Funnily enough, it was really difficult to write this review because there are so many things that I wanted to talk about but I don't want to spoil for anyone and so have held myself back a little!!

I was so close to rating this a 5 out of 5 even though I did have a couple of issues, but I think that these have to be taken into consideration. I am therefore going with a very strong 4.5 out of 5.

Rating 4.5 out of 5

Recipe Index

Recipe Index


Sides and Light Meals

Baked French Potatoes (Jamie Oliver)
Cheese Twists
Couscous Salad

Curried Sausage Rolls (Justin Narayan)
Roasted Vegetable and Ricotta Salad
Spanish Eggs with Chorizo, Potato and Tomatoes
Spinach, Tomato and Bocconcini Salad
Thai Chicken Balls
Vietnamese Lamb Rump

Soup

Potato, Leek and Ham Soup
Pumpkin Soup with a Twist

Seafood Chowder

Tomato and Rice Soup (Meliz Berg)
Vegetable, Bacon and Risoni Soup
White Bean and Chorizo Soup (Bill Granger)

Main Meals

Baked Prawn Nasi Goreng

Baked Zucchini, Tomato and Tomato Risotto (Bill Granger)

Baked Tuscan Chicken (Adam Liaw)

Bangers and Mash Pie

Beef and Broccoli Noodles (Pippa Middlehurst)
Beef and Shiitake Stir Fry (Kim McCosker)
Beef and Vegetable Red Curry (Annette Sym)
Beef Stroganoff (Tom Kerridge)

Boeuf Bourguignon(Julia Child)
Butter Chicken (Annette Sym)

Cajun Risoni with Chorizo
Chicken and Leek Pie (Curtis Stone)
Chicken and Onions Braised in White Wine and Mushrooms with Tiny Baked Potatoes (Susan
Loomis)
Chicken Burrito Bowls

Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken with Chilli and Basil (John McLeay)

Chicken Kiev Tray Bake
Chicken Parmagiana (Annette Sym)
Chicken Pasta - 6 Veg Herby Ragu (Jamie Oliver)
Chilli for a Crowd

Chorizo and Sun Dried Tomato Tortilla 

Creamy Mustardy Pork (Jamie Oliver)
Crispy Skinned Pork Belly with Caramelised Apples
Curried Sausages with Herbed Mash
Deluxe Chicken and Noodles (Anna Gare)
Easy Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Easy Skillet French-Style Chicken

Egg Curry (Justin Narayan)
Fettucine Bolognese (Curtis Stone)

French Onion Rigatoni (Lucy Tweed)
Garlic Prawns
Greek-style Lamb and Eggplant Bake
Green Curry Chicken Pie
Guiness Lamb Shanks (Jamie Oliver)
Gulyas (Goulash)
Gyoza (Pork Dumplings)
Honey Chicken with Stir Fried Greens

Jollof Chicken and Rice
Jollof Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice
Low Fat Barbecued Prawns with lime, chilli and coriander
Maple Mustard Chicken Tray Bake

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Burrata (Theo Randall)

Mediterranean Vegetable tart (Tom Kerridge)

One Pot Pastistio (Georgina Hayden)
Open Canneloni with Pork Meatballs (Michael Moore)
Pasta Carbonara (Lucy Knisley)
Pork and Pineapple Curry
Pork Nachos
Poulet Cocotte Grandmere (Grandma's Chicken Casserole) (Gabrielle Gate)

Poulet Vallee d'Auge

Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Bolognaise
Pulled Pork Ragu
Red Wine and Garlic Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks
Roast Chicken Dinner

Roast Chicken with Apples and Grapes (Pollo con manzanas y uvas_ (Claudia Roden)
Roast Chicken with Lemon Cream Gravy (Katie Quinn Davies)
Roasted Chicken with Roast Potatoes and Tomatoes (Bill Granger)
Slow Cooked Pork with Chorizo and White Beans
Slow Cooker Chicken

Smoky Sticky Pork Ribs
Southern Fried Chicken (Tom Kerridge)

Spaghetti con Zucchine alla Nerano (Stanley Tucci)
Spanish Tuna Pasta Bake

Steak and Pepper Casserole 

Steak with Mushroom Sauce
Teriyaki Salmon with Udon Noodles

Thai Chicken in Lime and Coconut (Donna Hay)
Thai Pork Burgers with Pineapple Relish (Curtis Stone)

Tomato and Paneer Curry (Poppy Cooks)
Tomato Pasta Sauce


Desserts

Amalfi Lemon Cheesecake (Theo Randall)

Apple and Custard Crumble

Baklava Cheesecake (Georgina Hayden)
Balsamic Pavlova with Strawberry Cream (Kate Bracks)

Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Chocolate Caramel Flan (Nadiya Hussein)
Chocolate Mousse Pie (Annette Sym)

Chocolate Mousse Cake (Donna Hay)
Classic Baked Cheesecake (Donna Hay)

Earl Grey Tea Chiffon Cake

Filo Cream Parcels (Nadiya Hussain)
Creamy Gingernut Cheesecake
Gingerbread Souffle (Eric Lanlard)
Hazelnut Chocolate Pudding

Japanese Strawberry Shortcake

Lemon Cheesecake (Jamie Oliver)

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
Lemon Meringue Tart (Mary Berry)
Lemon Tart (Donna Hay) 

Milk Tart  
Pancakes
Pavlova Board
Poached pears

Raspberry Clafoutis (Mary Berry)
Raspberry Jam Slice (Merle Parrish)
Rhubarb and Apple Pie
Salted Caramel and Vanilla Baked Cheesecake (Donna Hay) 
Salted Caramel Sauce 

Spicy Ginger and Apple Self Saucing Pudding
 Tarte Tatin
Torrijas (Baked Milk Pudding Dusted with Cinnamon and Honey)(Frank Camorra)
Triple Berry Jellies
White Chocolate Cheesecake



Cakes, Biscuits, Slices etc
Anzac Biscuits
Apfelkuchen 

Baklava Slice
Baumtorte

Banana Bread

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (Lucy Knisley)

Beesting Cake
Blueberry Muffins with Crispy Topping
Bung-in Chocolate Cake (Kate Bracks)
Caramel Banana Upside Down Cake
Choc Banana Bread (Bill Granger)
Chocolate Brownies (Bill Granger)

Chocolate Eclairs (Emelia Jackson)

Chocolate Kisses (Anja Dunk)
Christmas Pudding

Coffee Cream Cake
Double Choc Zucchini Bread
 Easy Pain au Chocolat

Eggless Chocolate Sponge Cake

Florentines (Mary Berry)
Ginger, Walnut and Carrot Cake (Nigella Lawson)

Granny's Fruit Cake
Honey Log Roll
Hot Cross Buns

Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cakes
Jam Drops (Matt Moran) 
Jelly Slice
Lamingtons
Lemon and Ginger Muffins

Lemon Angel Food Cake (Mary Berry)
 Lemon Syrup Cakes (Kate Bracks)
Lemon Thins

Maple Butter Date Loaf
Merle's Slice  (Merle Parrish)
Mini Strawberry Tarts
Monte Carlo biscuits (Arnotts)
No Knead Bread 
2 Hour No Knead Bread
Pineapple Fridge Tart

Plum and Mascarpone Karpatla (Polish Mountain Cake) - (Nicola Lamb)
Plum Pudding Muffins

Polish Honey Cake (Belinda Jeffery)
Puff Pastry Cream Squares
Raspberry Flecked Sour Cream Cake (Nigella Lawson)
Red Velvet Cupcake Swirls (Marian Keyes)
Rhubarb Cake

Rusks 
Scones (Merle Parrish)
Scones (Sally)
Soft Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Sour Cream Banana Cake
Triple Choc Brownies
Vanilla Slice with Passionfruit Glaze

Vanilla Portuguese Custard Tarts
White Chocolate, Lemon and Raspberry Brownies
Wookiee Cookies
Yoghurt Cake (Susan Hermann Loomis)

Cocktails

Christmas Cosmo (Stanley Tucci)
Cowboys
White Russian
Mudslides

Queen of Ambition (An Ursula Blanchard Mystery at Queen Elizabeth I's Court) by Fiona Buckley

It is the summer of 1564 and Queen Elizabeth I and her court are on progress through the land. In a couple of weeks time they will be staying at Cambridge and there is much excitement. There is also a suspicion of danger as a group of young students have requested permission to perform a playlet for the Queen which would involve the kidnapping of a woman and Robert Dudley being his chivalrous self and rescuing the woman by performing a mock sword fight with one of the students. Sir William Cecil is concerned that there will be drawn swords in such close proximity to the Queen and so sends Ursula Blanchard to inveszigate to ensure that the Queen is not in danger.

Jester's pie shop seems to be the meeting place and central focus of the students involved and so Ursula is sent to work in the shop for the bullyish owner Roland Jester. Jester's daughter Ambrosia also works there with a couple of other employees. Ursula manages to make arrangements to meet with one of the young men, Thomas Shawe, who has some concerns about the playlet, but before he can meet her, Thomas dies in what looks like an unfortunate accident. However it turns out that Thomas and Ambrosia were involved and her father would not allow them to marry. The fact that Thomas had agreed to meet her, but is now dead was a bit too much of a coincidence for Ursula and she sets about investigating his death.

Whilst I do enjoy reading this series, it is in no way a perfect experience. The books are written in first person and sometimes the way she chooses to reveal information to the reader is a bit irritating. Ursula tells us that she has found something out, but it is not revealed for a few more pages.

A couple of other things in this book that I didn't really like were the insistence of the author to labour home the fact that Ursula feels some kind of attraction to her manservant Roger Brockley despite the fact that she is his boss and that they are both married - Roger to Ursula's maidservant Fran Dale, and Ursula to Matthew de la Roche. Ursula is waiting for the all clear from Matthew so that she can rejoin him in France as there has been an outbreak of the plague where he lives, and she does not wish to expose her daughter or herself to the plague. The way that Matthew is dealt with at the end of this book seems like a very good way to deal with the problem of how to have a respectable married woman travel all over the countryside to spy for the Queen without arising suspicion, but seems a little drastic for my liking. The disintegrating relationship with Rob Henderson also left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Rob has been Ursula's ally several times during the series, and Ursula's daughter Meg lived with Rob and his wife while Ursula was at court, so for their friendship to change in the way it did seemed a little heartless to me.

The plot in this one is pretty complicated, including a very laborious code breaking exercise, but the twist in the plot is very well done, and added immeasurably to the reading experience for me. The books are full of historical detail, and are pretty well written as well, so it is off to the library for me some time this week to get the next book in the series, A Pawn for a Queen.

Rating 4 out of 5

2006 Reading Resolutions

My reading resolutions for this year are to read 200 books. In 2005 I read 168 so this should be a challenge.

Of those 200 book, at least 25 of them need to be books that I already own that I have not read yet! I have loads of books on my bookshelf that I have been meaning to get to soon, but haven't quite got to.

I also want to maintain this blog, and continue to read a variety of genres and styles.

I'll be a happy reader if I can do that!

Reading Year in Review - December 2005

The highlights for December were A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg, Beasts of No Nation by Uzodinma Iweala and Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase.

I also really enjoyed the continued reading of the Chronicles of Narnia, particularly after going to see the movie!!

Overall I am pretty happy with my reading year in 2005! The best book I read was The Red Tent, I found many authors that I will continue to read and I think there was a pretty good mix of genres and styles. Hopefully that will continue in 2006.

The Silver Chair by CS Lewis

Eustace Scrubb returns to Narnia along with his school mate Jillian Pole. Eustace previously visited Narnia in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader with his cousins Lucy and Edmund, where his adventures included being turned into a dragon, and he really wanted to go back so he is calling Aslan to let him back into Narnia, when suddenly his request is granted.

Before he knows it, Jill and Eustace are in Narnia and on a quest to find King Caspian's son Rilian who disappeared 10 years ago. Caspian is now and old man, and he has no heir, so Jill and Eustace are sent by Aslan to go and find him as he is being held captive. They are accompanied on their journey by a Marsh-Wiggle and encounter giants who like nothing better than man-pie on their great feast days. They also enter underground worlds where there is a great enchantment, and learn lessons about obedience and Aslan's power along the way.

This is probably my favourite so far after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Here is a link to my previous posts about books from the Chronicles of Narnia series.

Rating 4.5 out of 5


Other blogger's thoughts:

Puss Reboots

The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis

After all my fuss about what is the correct order to read the Chronicles of Narnia in (see previous post here.) I then went an picked up the wrong book, so have just finished The Horse and His Boy when I should have been reading The Silver Chair! Oh well!! Reading the first line, I was convinced that I really should have read the books in chronological order..that as it was now it was definitely not the right order!! We'll see how it all fits in place once I have read The Silver Chair which is now my next read!

In The Horse and His Boy, Shasta has been raised as a fisherman's son, but basically worked as a in the land of Calormen. When he overhears his father planning to sell him off to become a slave he decides to run away and look for the magical land of Narnia. Along the way he meets up with a talking horse whose abbreviated name is Bree (we humans couldn't pronounce his whole name properly if we tried!) and Aravis and her talking horse Hwin. Their journey is fraught with danger esepcially as the treacherous Calormen are about to commit an act of war on Archenland, a close ally of Narnia.

Aslan makes several appearances in this novel, and this certainly is a very meaningful book. I can however see more in this book than I have in any of the others that I have read why Lewis gets into trouble for being racist and sexist in this series. The Calormen are all dark skinned whilst our hero, Shasta is in fact Archenland royalty and he is blond and fair skinned. The division between good and evil is very clearly delineated in this way.

My post regarding the previous Chronicle of Narnia that I read is here.

Rating 4 out of 5

Reading Year in Review - November 2005

As I have already blogged about the books that I read in November and December, I am just going to mention the highliights (or lowlights as the case may be for these two months!)

The list of November reads is here.

The Red Tent will probably qualify as the best read of this year for me! I don't imagine it will take me too long to want to reread that one!

I also started a couple of new series in November. Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first in the Amelia Peabody series of mysteries by Elizabeth Peters, and Bubbles Unbound by Sarah Strohmeyer is the first in the Bubbles Yablonsky series.

Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes is my favourite book by her so far!

Reading Year in Review - October 2005

Simply Unforgettable by Mary Balogh 4
The Wedding Survivor by Julia London 5
Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie 3
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt 4
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 3
A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber 4
My Friend Leonard by James Frey 5
Devil You Know by Liz Carlyle 4
Sweet Nothings by Catherine Anderson 3
The Secret River by Kate Grenville 4
Surrender to a Wicked Spy by Celeste Bradley 3
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell 4
Port Vila Blues by Garry Disher 3

Comments

Simply Unforgettable is the first in Mary Balogh's new Simply series that is derived from her Bedwyn series.

The Wedding Survivor is the first in the Thrillseekers Anonymous trilogy.

My Friend Leonard is the sequel to A Million Little Pieces, and is an excellent follow up.

The Handmaid's Tale was a very disturbing read.

Slay it with Flowers by Kate Collins

Abby Knight, law school dropout and now flower shop owner has just had a really rough week when the novel opens, and now she has to face being responsible for the flowers at her cousin Jillian's wedding and try to pull off a really big display on the same day as the wedding at a really important client's house. Jillian has been engaged numerous times before, but this time it actually looks as though she is going to make it to the actual ceremony all things being well. However not all things are well. One of the groomsmen is missing, and before too long another one turns up dead. Jillian is distraught at the prospect of her wedding being cancelled and so turns to Abby to ask her to help investigate the murder. With one of her groomsmen and another in jail accused of his murder..what is a bride to do!

Throughout this book much is made of the fact that Abby has promised that she will not meddle anymore in dangerous situations, but once Jillian asks Abby to find out who killed the groomsman Punch, she has no choice but to say yes. She needs the flower order that goes along with the order to keep her fledgling business afloat. Abby is however constantly reminded about her promise by just about every quirky character in the book!

The one good thing about meddling is that if she gets in trouble, she can always call the sexy bar owner from down the road to help her out. Marco seems to be at Abby's beck and call all the time, rescuing her, advising her and generally just being available!

This book follows on directly from the first book in the Flower Shop Mystery series that started with Mum's the Word. I read Mum's the Word a while ago and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to picking up this book. This one however didn't really match the first. It felt to me as though the author was trying too hard to be light and funny, and it didn't really work for me.

I will read the next book in the series (Dearly Depotted - clever title!) in the hope that it doesn't feel quite so forced, although I already have my doubts given that the next book opens the morning of Jillian's wedding, which basically means that Abby will be investigating her third murder in three weeks.

Small town America is a very dangerous place to live apparently.

Rating 3 out of 5

Reading Year in Review - September 2005

One Night for Love by Mary Balogh (4 out of 5)
The Love Potion by Sandra Hill (5 out of 5)
Jillaroo by Rachael Treasure (3 out of 5)
A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh (4 out of 5)
Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddon (3 out of 5)
Something's Cooking by Joanne Pence (3 out of 5)
Holy Fools by Joanne Harris (3.5 out of 5)
Smoke in Mirrors by Jayne Anne Krentz (3 out of 5)
A Woman of Virtue by Liz Carlyle (4 out of 5)
Mum's the Word by Kate Collins (4 out of 5)
Sea Swept by Nora Roberts (5 out of 5)
Noble Intentions by Katie Macalister (5 out of 5)
Noble Destiny by Katie Macalister (2 out of 5)
Rising Tides by Nora Roberts (4.5 out of 5)
Slightly Sinful by Mary Balogh (3.5 out of 5)
Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts (4.5 out of 5)
Beauty Like the Night by Liz Carlyle (4 out of 5)
No True Gentleman by Liz Carlyle (5 out of 5)
The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber (3 out of 5)
A Deal with the Devil by Liz Carlyle (4 out of 5)
Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts (4 out of 5)
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (4 out of 5)

Comments

Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbour and Chesapeake Blue were my first ever books by Nora Roberts, and the Quinn brothers were a great place to start!

Noble Intentions and Noble Destiny are actually the first two books in a trilogy by Katie Macalister. The first one was laugh out loud funny...the second was just plain stupid! Haven't got to the third one yet because I have no idea what I am going to end up with. Hopefully it will be closer to the first one than the second.

This was the month that I discovered Liz Carlyle...now an autobuy for me. I just have to track down her first two books and a couple of anthologies and then I will have read everything!

The Subtle Knife is the second book in the His Dark Materials series.