Celebrate! Yuletide Cupcakery!

Greetings fellow Broomstick travelers!

Join me on my cookbook blog

for holiday recipe fun!

Giveaways, cookbooks, recipes and fun!

Share a recipe, picture, cookbook or food memory...

Link up a post on December 5th!

Or leave a comment

See old friends 

And greet some new!

Happy Yule to everyone!

http://bookgirlinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/celebrate-yuletide-cupcakery.html

Getting ready for Yule...

Are you getting excited for the holidays? I am. Just thinking about our wonderful Yule blog party makes me smile. And Thanksgiving is just next week! Time for family and traditions both old and new to make our season bright.

I hope all of you will join me in making this a holiday of fun, friends and a bit of magic.

Moon Power: A Scorcher!

Abby loves the thrill of danger that comes from attending masked sex parties, but it’s not long before she finds herself feeling something more than lust for fellow partygoer, Jake Winters. When someone at one of the parties is murdered, and Abby learns that she and Jake were the last two people to be seen with the murder victim, she begins to wonder if Jake could possibly be the murderer.

Abby can't deny her feelings for Jake, and when he shows up at her apartment, Abby doesn't hesitate in letting the potential murderer in. When Jake tells Abby an almost-unbelievable story about werewolves, an old werewolf legend, and how it's all connected to the murder, Abby becomes wary. Can Abby trust Jake, or will her feelings for him only prove to endanger her?

What I liked:


This is a short novella and it hits all the plot points-characters, action and some pretty spicy action. This book is for an adult audience only. On the Evernight publishing website, it is listed as a level 4, the hottest level they have. It moves fast at only 50 pages and has a good plot with lots of heat to keep you warm this winter. 


What I didn't:


I think I wasn't prepared for just how hot this was going to be. Wow. It was very well done, but there are certain scenes that were very, very adult oriented. Just a word of caution. Check the website for specifics.


Overall:


I liked the werewolf story line and the mystery behind the murder at the party. The extreme adult nature of the book was a little surprising as I don't usually review novels with that level of heat. After I stopped fanning myself and clutching at a glass of ice water like a life preserver, I found that I could appreciate the author's ability to get the story across in a mere fifty pages. A good and fast paced read, with enough heat to probably melt my e-reader. 


4.5/5

Something Witchy This Way Comes: The Review

Brainiac Tessa McClean’s newly discovered magical powers give her an escape from her self-absorbed parents. But the thrill of being a witch fades when she learns of a rival coven and begins to suspect her own coven’s motives. Evidence tells Tessa to trust one side, but instinct drives her toward the other. When the school’s scrumptious delinquent, Hayden Anders, offers Tessa self-defense lessons in exchange for tutoring, his timing couldn’t be better. Although hanging out with him is a necessary evil in Tessa’s fight to stay alive, resisting a bad-boy she secretly yearns for might be more than she can manage. Together, Tessa and Hayden work to unravel the mysteries behind the two covens to discover why they’ll stop at nothing to lure Tessa to their side. She must form an alliance with one of the covens before it’s too late. But the wrong decision could cost Tessa the lives of all who she holds dear — including Hayden.


Goodreads

What I liked:

I liked Tessa and Hayden and the sparks that flew between them. The cover art was also something that struck me immediately about the book. The way the author set up the chapters from Tessa's point of view and then Hayden's was good. I liked the multiple points of view. The intrigue and not being sure which group to trust was a sure fire way to keep the pages turning.

What I didn't:

When looking at the cover art and reading the description of the book, I was hoping for more of a paranormal angle and less of a teen romance. Most of the book was centered on the sexual tension between Tessa and Hayden and after awhile, I felt myself getting restless with the plot because of it. That and the mentioning of Hayden's habit of sleeping with anything in a skirt. 

The other thing that was interesting about this book was the parent's lack of caring for either Tessa or Hayden for various reasons. 

Overall:

I enjoyed the interplay between the characters, but some of the teen "tap this" scenes and romantic sparring could have been eliminated and more of the plot focused on the paranormal. The witchiness was almost more action adventure than your usual spell binding type of novel, but it was still interesting.  While I liked Tessa and Hayden, I wanted to see more in depth plot and less obsessing with Hayden's lady killer tendencies. I did like that the two points of view let you see into both characters and found the book to be engaging, full of humor and fun.

3/5

One Last Halloween Giveaway! Purple Hummingbird Bottle cap Charms

ThePurpleHummingbird

I have always loved being crafty and constantly over the years dabbled in anything that caught my eye. Just try too rush me out of any craft store, it can't be done. LOL I do have to have self restraint tho. On not walking out with every poss. new craft, every paint color poss., every holiday item, and the dicount bin oh yes that is me messing it up NOT wanting to miss a thing.

I have started this shop with recycled bottle caps. Oh the possibilitys are endless! I love to learn new things and even continue with the old. So, Check back often I have high hopes to expand. My creativity side has been ignited full flame!

halloween-vampire

two-bats-halloween

Recycled art is one of the best ways to make the world beautiful and have some fun at the same time. To win the cute vampire charm, enter the contest below! Thanks to Purple Hummingbird for sharing your Earth friendly art.

Celebrate! The Witches Yuletide Ball: December 10, 2011

Deck the Halls

Holly, Mistletoe and Pine

Wassail and Sweets for Everyone

Twinkling Candles Bright

Magick in the Air

Yuletide Carols

Spread Good Cheer

At the Witches’ Yule Ball!

Join us in all your winter splendor on December 10 to share your Yule trees, decorations, crafts, rituals, spells, recipes, parties and more. Hope to see you there!

Sincerely, Dana & Tenae

Rules:

1.       Please copy the flyer onto your blog as soon as you sign up. We will add a link to your blog to the end of this post on each of our blogs once you have posted the flyer.

2.       Create a Yule-themed post to share on your blog on December 10.

3.       Comment with a link directly to your post on either (or both!) of the party posts at The Witch of Howling Creek or On the Broomstick.

4.       Make new friends and spread some Yuletide cheer!

Links to attach to the button:

http://witchofhowlingcreek.wordpress.com/

http://onthebroomstick.blogspot.com/

Etsy Artist Find: Glinda Designs

maid-marion-silver-vintage

Glindadesigns

I know a lot of you feel in love with the wonderful bracelet by Blackberry Designs. Well, here is some great news! Dea Shelton, the amazing artist behind Blackberry Designs is opening a new shop called Glinda Designs. It features a romantic vintage line of jewelry that is simply gorgeous! This line can be found at many a Renfest and there will be lots more items added over the next few weeks. Check it out and get your holiday wish list going. I know I have. Wow!

winter-pearls-silver-vintage

celtic-princess-silver-vintage

Get Off Your Broomstick Fitness Challenge

I came across this wonderful challenge last night after wolfing down a few candy bars and thought...hmmm. Is that an exercise bike next to the bed, or is it really destined to be a coat rack for the rest of its unnatural life? I thought about it again this morning and well...I think it may be time to do a little more than sit on my broomstick all day. Yes, I walk a lot at work, but that only gets me so far. 


I have been trying to give up sodas first and foremost. Those key lime classics really do get to me, so that has to be my once a month exception. That and the baby candy bars I allow myself to have once and awhile. I just need to make it a little longer between whiles...(smile). Water...tea-no sugar...water....more water. I am good with that most of the time. Just don't get near my three teaspoons of ice cream. Mine I tell you...Mine!


Would love to hear from you if you are in this challenge and what you are doing to try and get healthier for the holidays.


To find out more about the challenge, click the link on the sidebar.