My Christmas Books – Melange Books and Satin Romance

Angel of Kindness

by Joanne Rawson

Megan Shepard was not looking forward to Christmas. Now divorced, all she had to look forward to was spending Christmas in Derbyshire, with her sixty four year old, bisexual, hippie mother, and a scrawny little sapling tree, overdressed with cheap decorations from the pound shop. However, her friends had other ideas, like taking her to Pinkie's Night Club, their old stomping ground as teenagers. This brought back memories of rah-rah skirts, fishnets, and legwarmers dancing to Madonna, until the DJ played The Power of Love, whereupon Richie King would take her hand and lead her to the dance floor.

Seeing Richie leaning against the bar in his unforgettable Danny Zucko pose, she knows the right thing to do would be to walk in the opposite direction, yet finds herself walking straight to him, and taking the advice of her unconventional mother. Swept off her feet to the winter wonderland of Manchester's Christmas Market, romantic walks in the snow of the Derbyshire Peak District, and fireside dinners, she has to wonder if Richie really changed, or has he something to hide?

Genres

Chic-Lit  Holiday - Christmas  Short

 Heat Level: 3 Boiling, Sensual, yet more explicit love scenes, and the language may be more graphic and direct.

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Coming Home for Christmas
After her husband’s death, Sophie and her young daughter return to her family in Derbyshire. The Ferguson’s seem like a perfect family until you scratch the surface. With so many emotional baggage, and only nine weeks to Christmas, can Sophie bring them altogether for the perfect Christmas she dreams of?

Thomas, the gorgeous, moody decorator, is a man with his own agenda that doesn't seem to include Sophie. Even in his paint-smeared tee shirt, faded jeans and scuffed boots, he is immodestly masculine, handsome and sizzling hot. But when his eyes reflect the pain she knows so well, Sophie cannot help but wonder if there is another side to the cold exterior.

Thomas finds his heart opening to this beautiful, wounded woman from his past. A passion smoulders as they work together in the months before Christmas. But he has been hurt before and hesitates to stoke the fire between them.

Will the magic of the holidays heal a family and bring two lost souls together?

Genres

Chic-Lit  Contemporary Anthology

Heat Level: 3 flames

Boiling, Sensual, yet more explicit love scenes, and the language may be more graphic and direct.

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Satin Romance – Christmas Reads

WHITE SATIN ROMANCE - SWEET

A Bride For Christmas by Anna Aysgarth

Genre: Historical Holiday Romance

BUY

Amazon

A Cozy Country Christmas,Darling by Christine Arness

Genre: Holiday Anthology

BUY

Amazon

Fairy Christmas, Darling by Christine Arness

Genre: Holiday Romance

BUY

Amazon

PINK SATIN ROMANCE - SENSUAL

Moonlight & Mistletoe by Megan Hussey

Genre: Contemporary Novella

A Pink Satin Romance - Sensual

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Amazon

Who's Been Naughty or Nice by Sonja Gunter

Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance

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Amazon

Seriously! When your husband wakes you at 1am and there is a cyclone in Goa.

At 1am this morning, hubby woke me.
"Jo, we need to get the lounge terrace blinds down."
Seriously! I was having a really.... nice dream about Michael Bennett a fictional detective I was reading before going to sleep. "Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
Shuffling into the lounge, hubby fetched the ladders.
"Seriously, there's a frigging cyclone out there and you afraid of heights, want to get on a ladder two floors up in a cyclone?"
Holding the ladder, the rain thrashing down and the wind so strong I thought it would take the blinds and hubby.
As 16 feet of blinds fell to the floor in a heap, hubby disembarked from the ladders.
"Seriously?" I said, as he went back inside to close the doors. "You’re just leaving them here?"
"Jo there's a frigging cyclone. Are you happy now, the blinds are down? Go back to bed."
SERIOUSLY! 

My Spanish Style Rice Chicken

Not just a recipe for this yummy, chicken dish. You also get a video of me cooking it!

Spanish Rice Chicken Serves 2

2 boneless chicken breasts       salt and pepper      1tbsp olive oil      1 onion sliced    

 ½ medium red pepper cut into strips      2 cloves of garlic chopped    

 300g tomatoes, skinned and quartered       1 cup chicken stock       1 bay leaf      

salt & pepper          75g rice            70g sweetcorn      70g green beans     

50g sliced olives      Basil to garnish

1.       Cut the chick into strips and season well with salt and pepper.

2.       Heat the oil. Fry the chicken for 3 mins. Set aside.

3.       Add the onion and the red peppers, fry for 3 mins.

4.       Add the garlic, fry for 2 mins.

5.       Add the tomatoes, bay leaf and stock. Bring to the boil.

6.       Add the rice. Season with salt and pepper.

7.       Bring to the boil, then lower heat and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.

8.       Add the chicken. Cover and cook for 10 mins.

9.       Add the sweetcorn and green beans.

10.   Bring back to the boil, and then lower the heat. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and the green beans are tender.

11.   Remove bay leaf. Stir in the olives and then served garnished with basil.

Melange Books -Christmas Reads

No Heat Level

An American Noel

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Amazon

Genres:  Holiday – Christmas Short

A Miracle for Christmas

Buy

Amazon

Genres: Holiday – Christmas Short

On a Midnight Clear

Buy

Amazon

Genres: Mystery Holiday (Christmas)

Secret Santa

Buy

Amazon

Genres:  Holiday – Christmas

1 flame Sweet Love scenes are not consummated, or if the love scenes are consummated details are not given

The Feast of Yule

Buy

Amazon

Genres:  Holiday – Christmas Short

2 flames simmering some love scenes. These are more sensual then graphic.

The Three Gifts of Christmas

Buy

Amazon

Genres:  Holiday – Christmas Short

Holiday Hopes

Buy

Amazon

Genres Holiday: Christmas – Anthology – Romance - Contemporary

3 flames Boiling Sensual, yet more explicit love scenes, and the language may be more graphic and direct.

Christmas Wishes 2012

Buy

Amazon

Genres: Holiday – Christmas – Anthology – Romance – Contemporary  Historical

Covert Exposure

Buy

Amazon

Genres: Contemporary Romance Crime Holiday – Christmas Series

Room in the Inn

Buy

Amazon

Genres: Historical Romance Holiday Christmas

4 flames Bloody Hot Frequent, explicit love scenes described using graphic and direct language.

Wicked Christmas Wishes

Buy

Amazon

Genres: Holiday – Christmas – Anthology – Romance - Erotica

5 flames: Scorching Frequent love scenes are extremely explicit described using graphic and direct language. Some stories may contain subject matter which some readers consider objectionable.

Toy Soldier

Buy

Amazon

Genres: Fantasy -  Erotic - Holiday (Christmas)

New Releases for Melange Books and Satin Romance

The Final Strain

by Brian Gates

The world ended in neither fire nor ice, but blood. It began with news reports of a rampant flu-like virus that killed all infected. It induced panic when the CDC admitted no cure existed. It escalated when the Federal Government declared martial law and proceeded to throw the world into chaos. It ended in blood.

To make matters worse, the McGuiness brothers discover their sister has been kidnapped. The earth shattering revelation forces them to depart their safe haven and venture out into a world stripped of societal morals. They meet up with others along the way, each affected differently by the D.C. Virus and each with their own story. The group proves to be as different as can be, brought together only by one common cause: survival. Together, they set out following a cryptic radio transmission promising salvation in the Midwest, though the journey proves difficult.

Violent encounters with other survivors shake the assemblage, and a shocking revelation tears their reality apart: the virus was released on purpose!

When the shadowy organization responsible for the genocide sets their targets on the survivors, the group must run, hide, and fight their way to safety…or die trying.

Genres

Thriller

Heat Level:1 Sweet -Love scenes are not consummated, or if the love scenes are consummated details are not given.

Buy

EBOOKS

AmazonKindle    Nook    iBooks    Kobo    Smashwords

The Memory Series #2

Moments of Moments Present:

A Pride & Prejudice Reimagining

by Ney Mitch

Elizabeth Bennet meets the original Mr. Darcy... and he’s not what she expected! So, she wonders, what can she do next? Yet it was!

Now returned back to her own time period, Elizabeth Bennet meets the original Mr. Darcy, and she is shocked to find him a taciturn and disagreeable man. However, since she promised his descendant that she would look after him, Elizabeth Bennet decides to give Mr. Darcy a second chance and not base all judgment off of the bad first impression that he gives. Especially since, now that she knows a little about the future, it has given her some insight about how things shall unfold.

When her sister is invited to Netherfield and falls ill, Elizabeth Bennet goes to assist her. While there, Elizabeth discovers that an accident befalls Mr. Darcy. Will she be able to save him, or will fate continue on the path that was predetermined and she can do nothing?

Here comes the next adventure in the Memories series.

Genre:

Time Slip Romance

Heat Level: Pink Satin Sensual

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Kindle  Smashwords  Nook  iBooks  Kobo

MY Slow Cooked Vegetable Loaf

I love this easy to make loaf. Great for a healthy lunch served with salad. Keeps well for a

Picnic, or served like a pate with hot buttered rolls for supper.

Vegetable Loaf

250g diced vegetables (I used Cauliflower broken into tiny florets. Carrots, green beans,

Sweetcorn)     40g butter    2tsp brown sugar    Salt and pepper   300ml vegetable stock 

100g mushrooms sliced     1 small onion finely chopped    1tbsp fresh chopped parsley

2 tbsp fresh chopped dill          3eggs             25g grated cheddar cheese

1. Cook the vegetables in 25g of the butter, until they just start to brown.

2. Sprinkle over the sugar, salt and pepper, then add the vegetable stock. Cook gently

until the vegetables are tender and all the stock has evaporated.

3. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

4. Heat the remaining butter and fry the mushrooms and onions until soft. Stir in the

parsley and dill.

5. Beat the eggs and then stir into the vegetables, along with the mushrooms and

onions. Stir in the cheese.

6. Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Spoon in the mixture. Cover with foil. Put into a

slow cooker, on top of an inverted saucer or side plate. Add enough boiling water to

come half way up the tin.  Cook on high for 2 hours. The loaf should be firm to touch.

7. Take out if slow cooker and cool for a while then remove from tin and remove

greaseproof paper. Put on a plate and put in fridge until needed.

Lunchtime review of Great-E-Punjab Fort Aguda Road Calangute Goa

Great-E-Punjab is a recently opened restaurant, near Jambhleshwar Temple, Fort Aguda

Road Calangute. Menu offers veg, non veg, Punjab, South Indian, tandoori and seafood.

Service was okay, staff seemed pleasant and surroundings, clean and tidy.

What we ordered

Veg Kofta Masala, Mixed Veg Masala and Veg Biryani.

Veg Kofta Masala-Rupees 170/£1:94/€2.19/₽155.20/$2.40 2 medium sized koftas lightly browned on the outside, but oh my! So light and fluffy on the inside, they just melted in your mouth. Then the gravy sauce. Tiny shards of garlic that just gave an extra something to the masala gravy.

Mixed Veg Masala- Rupees 170/£1:94/€2.19/₽155.20/$2.40 Plenty of vegetables and paneer I a medium, spicy gravy.

Veg Biryani- Rupees 120/£1:37/€1.54/₽109.55/$1.69 more often than not, restaurants use cheap rice, that personally I find to stodgy and sticky for my palate. This was not the case today due to basmati rice being used for a lighter taste. I loved the addition of star anise and cinnamon sticks. Something I always add to my own biryani when cooking at home.

TOTAL SCORES

Staff and ambience: 2.5/5

Food: 5/5  4/5  4/5

Overall score 3:9 Red Hot Chilies Certainly worth a revisit.