I hate that I missed out on this one.
My recent post Think With Your Taste Buds - Release Party

Kathy,
I'm with you. The French Vanilla looks and sounds perfect!
Martha

Kathy, I didn't think about using them for a crust. That's perfect! They sure do make good ice cream sandwiches!
Martha

That's your whole meal! It looks and sounds delicious.
Martha

Dead by Midnight – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘Henny tried to maintain a positive outlook, but she felt both irritated and disappointed. She had helped Pat find a job and now Pat had let Annie down. Henny pressed her lips together. Her words might be sharp when she found Pat. With a decided nod, she turned on the motor and headed for Pat’s house instead of home…On the porch, Henny admired some crimson begonias in a glazed blue vase. A light cotton sweater lay on the green swing. Letters and magazines protruded from the mailbox. Before she could ring, frenzied barking erupted beyond the front door. Gertrud sounded frantic. That was unusual. She was a good natured dog…Henny pulled open the screen. She turned the front know and pushed. She wasn’t surprised to find the door open. Many islanders only locked up at bedtime. “Pat?” The door swung slowly inward. Henny stepped into the small foyer. A grandfather clock ticked to her left. Gertrude twisted in a circle, her claws clicking on the wooden floor, then bolted to the living room. She skidded to a stop, lifted her sleek head, and howled, the pitiably cry high and mournful.’

After years of service with the law firm of Jamison, Jamison & Brewster, Pat Merridew had been “replaced” with a much younger “window dressing.” This all came about after Glen Jamison married his second wife Cleo, also an attorney. Cleo was much younger than Glen and had a reputation of getting what she wanted no matter what. Her plans were to first get rid of the “fluff” in the office and part of that fluff included Pat as well as Kirt Brewster, taking the name of the company down to Jamison & Jamison. Her second plan was to eliminate Glen’s adult offspring, pitching them out on their own to fend for themselves and not rely on dad and his money. And her third plan was to kill the influence that Glen’s sister Elaine had over him and his decisions regarding the kids that she had virtually raised after the death of his first wife, their mother.

After her dismissal, Pat became depressed and when Henny decided to help her by getting her a job with her best friend Annie Darling in her book store Death on Demand, Pat’s spirits picked up giving her a reason to go on. But when Henny finds her body after an apparent suicide, she finds it hard to accept. That’s when she turns to Annie again for help. She knows that Annie and her husband Max are the two people that can prove Pat’s death wasn’t a suicide but instead murder. After Annie discovers a picture on Pat’s phone, taken at the Jamison’s gazebo, she finds that the field of suspects has opened tremendously. But when one of the possible suspects turns up murdered giving Annie and Max yet another murder to solve.

I have yet to read a Carolyn Hart book that I haven’t completely enjoyed. Her style of writing is light, yet full of suspense. And she usually keeps me fooled until the end. With Dead by Midnight, I was at page 265 before I knew who the real killer was and why. Great job again Carolyn Hart.

2011
282 Pages
William Morrow – HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN# 978-0-06-191497-3

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat

Red, I had never eaten this until I went to Florida for a book signing. I have a dear friend there that also loves to cook and she made this for my dinner one night. I wasn't sure to start with if I would like it but it's simply wonderful! The capers and the lemon together are simply great.
Martha

He Kan’t Kill Your Future – Review by Martha A Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

‘one day, one of the men who worked at that cab place started driving by me in an old-fashioned station wagon with curtains in the windows. He would just keep circling back and forth very slowly, watching me. Everywhere I went, he would pop up. I would see that station wagon all around town. One day, the man in the car nodded at me. The next time, he smiled at me. Then, he finally pulled his car over next to me and held his hand out with a bunch of quarters in it. I walked over, took the quarters and continued walking to school, and he drove off. We never said a word to each other, and I didn’t have a problem taking his money. In my eyes, it just looked better in my hands than in his. I remember taking the money and going to a catering truck and buying a cheeseburger, fries and a soda. That was the best cheeseburger I have ever eaten in my life. This continued for weeks, until he finally asked if I wanted a ride to school.’

Sharquent was just one of ten children…seven girls and three boys. Around the age of six her father left her mother and his children to start his life over with another woman. Being left alone to care for and provide for ten children was more than her mother could mentally handle. And feeding so many mouths became almost impossible. But it was done by raiding trash cans and dumpsters.

Hunger wasn’t the only problem Sharquent and her sisters were faced with. Their older brother decided they were perfect for his own sick desires. Learning at such an early age what possibilities go along with satisfying a man, Sharquent was able to provide for herself those things that her mother couldn’t and wouldn’t. This early education became her way to satisfy her own desires…drugs.

Sharquent Webster’s story of growing up in the slums of Los Angeles was one of the hardest books I’ve had the pleasure of reading. This woman was not only mean but she became a person who had no love, compassion nor feelings of any kind for anyone, including her own self. Her children, a boy and girl, were just something more to tie her down and keep her from running the streets. Her family became nothing but people in her life that were there to steal from when she needed a little extra money for drugs. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to stay on the streets and stay high on drugs. That is until one day someone mightier than anyone she had ever known caught up with her giving her a reason to want to live and want to live a complete life.

He Kan’t Kill Your Future is a hard book to read because of it's honesty. But it’s a book that, I feel, should be read by EVERY young person, adult and anyone working with children and/or drugs. It brings to light some of the warning signs that we as parents might not pick up as signs of abuse both physically and/or substance.

I know that I’m guilty of seeing a person on drugs, alcohol, homeless or standing on the streets begging and think to myself “Why? How can they allow themselves to live as they do? Why don’t they do something for themselves?” The questions I should be thinking are “Why? What happened to put them in this position? What can be done to really help them?” He Kan’t Kill Your Future has made me realize that I’m not here to judge but to help if possible. Not necessarily through money but through love, compassion and kindness.

So, if you never read another book this year, He Kan’t Kill Your Future is one that you really need to read. I feel this is a self help book for those of us who aren’t on drugs, walking the streets and selling ourselves in that it helps make us understand those that are. It’s a true story about a woman’s life as it comes from under the slimy rock and rockets to the highest mountains. I truly admire Sharquent Webster for her honesty and strength to write this heart retching story.

223 pages
Outskirts Press
2011
ISBN# 978-1-4327-6445-6

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat

Lor Mandela – Destruction from Twins – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

Destruction of twins, and so it must end.
They are the lock, yet they are not friends.
The Child of Balance can only restore.
Her father the key and she is the door.
The Riddle now told, the Advantiere presents,
Healing begins following events.

ONE comes swiftly in the morning
ONE unknowing moves in haste
ONE beloved through mighty fallen
ONE is chosen to forget her place
Elahk E Ber Lor Mandela!
One through strong must fall forbidden.
One made low shall rise again.
One must be as these words written
Then will One forever reign.
Elahk A Ber Lor Mandela!

This is the puzzle that must be solved to save the world of Lor Mandela. The destruction of the planet started with the death of the matriarchal leader known as the Vritesse of Lor Mandela, who prior to her death had to choose her successor between her two twin daughters. Anika had the strongest will whereas Lantalia was the kindest. Both were qualified but only one could rule. Which would it be? Little did she know that her choice would bring vengeance between the two ending in complete destruction of their sisterhood. Will one be stronger than the other and rule their world? To complicate things even more, Anika’s daughter's former entrusted (husband) Darian has swore to seek revenge upon her, her family and put himself into a position as ruler. But does he have the strength to pull it off?

And then there is Maggie Baker, a 17 year old living in what she calls the most boring town on earth. When she starts seeing hundreds of tiny lights buzzing around her window, she knows it’s nothing more than a stupid dream. But when the dream starts taking her in places that she can’t identify she starts believing that these dreams aren’t your every night dreams. So who is Maggie and how does she fit into the world of Lor Mandela?

When I made it to the last page of Lor Mandela I had one thing to say “NO! Don’t end now!” This book contained some of the most creative characters I’ve ever found in a book of this type. The Shadow Dwellers can fade in and out of the shadows and move at high speeds won me over. The Sybran Forest that draws it’s branches up as beings entered, were easily within my ability to imagine. But my favorite characters had to be the Shadow Squanki which is a magical creature who can camouflage into its surroundings and create portals allowing them to move from place to place. And they will do just about anything for their favorite food the cricket.

This author kept me so involved in the story of Lor Mandela that I found myself thinking about the riddle and it's meaning while driving to and from work each day. So, Author L. Carroll, I’m ready for the next chapter of Lor Mandela and hope I don’t have to wait too long. This book was great!

390 pages
2010
L. Carroll
Author of the Lor Mandela Series http://www.lormandela.com
follow my blog at http://www.lormandela.blogspot.com

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat

Great minds. I just finished eating a grilled cheese sandwich for my dinner. Wish I had seen this 1st so I could have added some meat. But I did try something I saw somewhere. I toasted my sandwich on both sides, then added a little shredded cheese to the pan, laying the toasted bread on top of the cheese. When that melted and browned I turned it over and did the other side. OHHHHH it's so good!
Martha

Drowned Sorrow – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

“I wanna go live with my father.” Giselle paused a moment to take it in. Why didn’t his answer surprise her? In fact, somehow she had been expecting this. “That’s out of the question and you know it.” Miserably, she started to wash up the dirty dishes while Mark turned to wait on the customers. She scrubbed furiously, more than was actually necessary, but she bent her mind to the task, glad that she had this activity to clear her mind. There was no way that Mark was going to leave Moonlight Creek. No one ever left this place. If he ever left, he wouldn’t survive. She was sure about that. Her mind turned to several directions, looking for solutions, but couldn’t find any. There had to be something, something she could do to make her son stay. “It’s not completely impossible,” Mark said. “I warned you,” Giselle said, her voice gentle and without a trace of anger. “It’s not safe.” “I don’t care.” “I care. You’re my son.” She paused. “If I were you, I’d just forget all about it. There’s nothing you can do about it. Moonlight Creek isn’t like other places. Things work different here.”

Megan Blackwood had been a reporter for national television for eight years. With a growing reputation as an authority on international politics, she was regarded as a leading light in journalism. But that all came to an end with the death of one of her two children. It had been seven months and still nothing seemed to ease the pain that Megan felt. So at the suggestion of a friend, she and her daughter Jenna would be taking what would hopefully be a time for the two of them to bond and hopefully put some of the past behind them. Their vacation was to take place in a small secluded village called Moonlight Creek.

Upon arrival, Megan began to wonder about her destination decision. Moonlight Creek was beautiful, nestled around a beautiful, peaceful lake, but the people were different. She knew that life in a small town moved slow but these people seemed to move at a pace slower than any she had ever encountered. And the smell. Everything had a moldy, musky smell, even the rooms of the small hotel she and Jenna would be staying in. But Megan finally decided this was due to the almost continuous rain that seemed to fall on Moonlight Creek. And then there was the lake itself. There was something simply not right about the lake that scared not only Megan but the family dog too that had come along for the trip.

Drowned Sorrow took me completely by surprise. I have to admit that I never saw the ending coming. Or for that matter, I was surprised throughout most of the book. The characters created by Author Vanessa Morgan were perfectly cast, as was the setting. This has been a very enjoyable read. But I will tell you that I will probably think twice before spending even a weekend at a small town with a lake.

164 pages
Lumina Press
2008
ISBN# 978-1-60594-162-2

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat