Giveaway: India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr

by Carol2 Comments
Did you see my review of India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr? Good news- I've got one copy to give away. From the publisher: Black is back—Her Majesty’s favorite spy is off to Scotland in this new adventure to ensure the Queen doesn’t end up getting killed. When Queen Victoria attends a séance, the spirit of her departed husband, Prince Albert, insists she spend Christmas at their Scottish home in Balmoral. Prime Minister Disraeli suspects the Scottish nationalists plan to assassinate the Queen—and sends the ever resourceful India and the handsome British spy, French, to the Scottish highlands. French will take the high road, looking for a traitor among the guests—and India will take the low road, disguised as a servant in case an assassin is hiding among the household staff. India is certain that someone at Balmoral is determined to make this Her Majesty’s last Christmas... This one's open to the US and Canada only, no PO Boxes. To...
Read More

Review: India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr

by Carol16 Comments
India Black and the Widow of Windsor is a delightful romp, a mix of adventure, comedy and just a touch of sexual tension. Prime Minister Disraeli believes that a group of Scottish nationalists is planning to kill Queen Victoria while she spends the holidays in the highlands at Balmoral Castle. He sends along French, the sexy James Bond-type spy, and India Black, the madam of the Lotus House who has proved herself a resourceful woman before. French is to be a guest and will keep an eye on the aristocracy; India, on the other hand, is to mingle with the servants, working as a lady's maid for an eccentric, elderly Marchioness. They both have the same goal, though, keep the Queen safe and find the assassin. India is a brash, unrepentant woman. We get to hear the conversations she is a part of, or overhears, but we also are privy to her internal monologues which are biting, sarcastic and practical too. She's...
Read More

Mailbox Monday

by Carol15 Comments
I've decided to share the books I've received once a month instead of every week, so I thought the first Monday in the month would be perfect.  Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of  A Girl and Her Books and is being hosted by Serena of Savvy Verse and Wit this month.    Here’s what I found in my mailbox, or delivered to my Kindle, over the last month of so: Boca Knights by Steven M. Foreman (Won from Tea Time with Marce. Thanks!) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (Received from Crown.) Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather  Lynn Rigaud (Won from Palmer's Picks for Reading. Thanks!) Jack The Theorist by Jon Hartless (Won from Freda's Voice. Thanks!) Two and a Half Dead Men by Jason Krumbine (From Pump Up Your Book for blog tour.) Beautiful Outlaw: Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus by John Eldredge (From FaithWords via NetGalley) Stories for Nighttime and Some for...
Read More

Recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup

by Carol10 Comments
This past week I was looking for cheap, easy, yummy dinners. Okay, that's what I'm looking for most of the time. Anyway, I tried this variation on Chicken Noodle Soup and it was a definite hit. Amber loved it and even ate the celery, which she doesn't usually do. Chicken Ravioli Soup (recipe thanks to DisneyFamily.com) Ready In: 30 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 8 cups chicken stock or broth 1/2 cup diced carrot 1/2 cup diced celery 2 cups refrigerated mini cheese-stuffed ravioli (I used frozen tortellini instead. It's what we had and it's Amber's favorite.) 1 cup cooked chicken - diced salt and pepper to taste Directions  Heat chicken stock in a soup pot to boiling; reduce heat and add carrot and celery. Simmer until vegetables are soft - about 20 minutes. Add ravioli and cook according to package directions -- usually about a 5 minute simmer. Stir in cooked chicken, salt and pepper as desired and serve. Using the tortellini instead of regular egg noodles made it a little heartier, a little more...
Read More

Her Chosen

by Carol9 Comments
Her Chosen 392 words "Ingrid, leave," she commanded imperiously, not wanting to hear any more of the fairy's prattling.  As the girl flitted away, Aura sat, enjoying the deep quiet of the forest at night, broken only by the occasional hoot of an owl. She settled her skirts around here, their beautiful pink silk contrasting nicely with the grass and trees surround her, and waited. Just after daybreak she heard the sounds she had been waiting for, the footsteps of humans, hunters. Whispering a warning to the deer and the foxes to head deeper into the woods, she began to sing a soft song, a melody she allowed only one of the men to hear, the handsome one she had seen yesterday, with the dark hair and blue eyes. He was the one she had chosen. Erik heard a faint sweet tune, but none of his companions seemed to hear it, too intent perhaps on listening for the crack of a twig that would...
Read More

Thursday’s Tale: Little Red Cap by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

by Carol12 Comments
Image source: Sur La Lune Fairy Tales I've talked about Perrault's Red Riding Hood before, but I wanted to visit the Grimm's version this week, in honor of Banned Books Week. The Grimm version differs slightly from Perrault's. First, obviously is the girl's nickname, Little Red Cap, but in other ways as well. Little Red Cap is of course on her way to grandma's house, this time carrying wine and cake. She meets the wolf along the way and he persuades her to stop and pick some flowers, while he rushes ahead eats grandma and disguises himself as the old woman. When Little Red Cap gets to the house we have the standard and answers, what big eyes you have and so on. The wolf eats Little Red Cap, but here the girl and her grandma get a happier ending. A hunter comes by, sees the wolf asleep on the bed after his feast, and cuts the wolf open, freeing Little Red...
Read More