Always the Baker Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

This book made me laugh out loud! I love a story that can do that. The dialog between characters was so witty and filled with humor. A very entertaining read.

Emma works in a bakery for a cranky boss. Emma has just won the prestigious Passionate Palette award for one of her mouthwatering wedding cakes. A cake that Emma has only had a taste of since she is a diabetic. Emma's eccentric friend Fiona also works at the bakery. When Emma reads about the Tanglewood hotel opening up and in need of a baker she sees it as her and Fiona's chance to shine and show her true baking abilities, with hopefully a less cranky boss.

Jackson doesn't know what to think of Emma when he stumbles into the bakery that she works in. He sees her as an annoyance when she tries to get him to drink hazelnut coffee instead of the plain black coffee he asked for. When she shows up at his hotel to apply for the job of baker he is less than thrilled. But some things are out of Jackson's hands, mainly his 3 sisters! Emma has charmed her way to their hearts and they just know that if Jackson hires her the Tanglewood will have it's start in making a name for itself.

The book really becomes entertaining once the sisters become involved and once Emma's "divorced" parents arrive. Add to that Emma's Aunt Sophie who keeps escaping from the assisted living home and it all adds up to one riotous laugh after another!

Another fun thing about the book that was fun was that at the beginning(or ending) of each chapter there was either a recipe for some delicious sweet or wedding tips and advice.

I downloaded this book for free from Amazon.

This is the 2nd book I have read for the Why Buy the Cow? reading challenge

Same Look, New Name!

Hey Everyone! This is the new name of my former blog My Only Vice. As I stated in a previous post unfortunately My Only Vice name coincided with an adult fetish site starting advertising on the web. They asked me if I would be willing to change my name. Since their company has been in business longer than my blogging days and since I in no way want to be associated with that industry I agreed to changing my blog name. So WELCOME to MY FAVORITE PASTIME! I chose this name to go along with my crochet blog that is called My Other Pastime. For those of you who were on my networked blogs you will need to rejoin this site. Also if you grabbed my button you will need to grab my new and improved(in my opinion) button. Thank you to my friend Karin who co-posts with me on Edifying and Edgy for all of the hard work she always does for me when I need computer help and blog management! She's a great teacher and friend!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

First off, don't you just love this cover?! From the first time I saw it I wanted to get this book and read it. Yup, I love a good cover!

Cinder is a cyborg. She lives with her guardian and 2 step sisters. Yes, this is a retelling of Cinderella. 

Cinder is a mechanic in the marketplace. She can repair just about anything.  Prince Kai, the soon to be emperor of New Beijing, brings his android for Cinder to fix. Cinder can't believe when the prince seems to be flirting with her. But Cinder knows that she can never be attractive to him once he finds out that she is cyborg.

When the dreaded plague attacks Cinders step-sister Peony, Cinders step-mother immediately volunteers Cinder to go to the palace research facility to be tested on for a cure. No cyborg that is tested on ever comes out alive.

When Kai's father dies from the plague Kai is made emperor. Being forced to marry the Lunar queen in order to save earth from war, Kai holds a ball to announce his coming marriage. Barely able to be civil to the queen, Kai is determined to save his people from war with the Lunar's. Cinder has found a hidden chip in Kai's android that will expose the Lunar queen's plans for war. She must go to the ball in order to inform Kai before it is too late.

I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next book in the series. Cinder kind of reminded me of the Uglies, Pretties, Specials series by Scott Westerfeld. I don't even know why? Maybe because of the post-apocalyptic flavor to it? Maybe because of the advanced technology? Whatever the reason, with robots, spacecraft, cyborgs, romance and evil queens and step-mothers Cinder is a fun read and a great new twist to the Cinderella story!

Name Change

Imagine my surprise when I opened my email this morning and a notice was there that My Only Vice is also the name of an adult fetish company based out of the UK! They will be starting a new website and wanted to inform me before it went live that our interests may not be the same! YA THINK?! So I am currently thinking of different names for my blog. I will keep you all informed. I hope this won't be a huge production, but certainly wanted to distance myself from any pornographic references or companies. I in no way want to be associated with this type of industry and I certainly would not want anyone innocently looking for my book blog to come across objectionable material. I hope you all continue to visit my blog once I change my name. All will be the same except for the name.

For Love & Liberty by Stephen Grimble-February sale on Amazon

For Love & Liberty by Stephen Grimble will be offered as an ebook on Amazon for .99 for the entire month of February.

Here is a synopsis:

For anyone who enjoys history and a charming love story in age of disposable relationships  . . .

Since the Constitution's ratification in 1789, each generation of Americans has been called to honor liberty by securing its blessings to posterity. For over 200 years, every generation has answered this call to honor.

What will be the epitaph of the current generation?

The fictional protagonists in For Love & Liberty form the Madison Committee, named to honor the Father of the Constitution James Madison, and soon determine that a constitution convention, the first since 1787, must be called to consider and adopt seven amendments known as the Second Bill of Rights. If ratified, these amendments salvage the nation's honor and fulfill its sacred trust by securing liberty's blessings to posterity.

"A ruminative thriller" Kirkus Reviews

Here is the press release:

Calling our Founding Fathers

Author looks to the past to save our future in latest work

ALBUQUERQUE - In his second book and first fiction piece, For Love & Liberty (Wasteland Press, September 2011), Stephen Grimble, author, veteran, and history buff, asks, “What can we learn from our founding fathers to solve the crisis we're in today?”  

Inspired by the United States' current political and fiscal troubles, Grimble penned the novel with the belief in mind that the U.S. is long overdue for a renewed examination and application of the original constitutional principles. For Love & Liberty captures the spirit of the American Revolution and re-thinks the modern function of the American Constitution and Bill of Rights, combining both historical and futuristic perspectives...and a little romance, too.

"It's a distinct probability that we will not pass on the blessings of liberty to future generations if America is not restored to fiscal solvency and limited government," says Grimble.

Posing the questions "what will be the epitaph for the current American generation?" "will it be the first in the country's history to fail to answer the call to honor liberty?", For Love & Liberty is a cautionary tale that offers a possible solution to restoring limited constitutional government, individual liberty, and fiscal solvency, and what might happen if that solution is rejected. Grimble hopes this will inspire other concerned citizens to join him in his call for new action. 

STEPHEN GRIMBLE is a retired executive and a member of SouthWest Writers. He currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he continues to call fellow patriots to the founding ideals of the United States Constitution. 

NOTE: I have not read this book so I will not be doing a review of it. I was asked by the publisher to post about the sale of this book. If you choose to buy it and review it please come back and comment on this post so that I can read your review. 

 

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

This year I'm participating in the Contentment Reading Challenge hosted by Katie at Legacy of a Writer. The challenge is to be content with what we have and to enjoy books that we have on our shelves and have already read. I have challenged myself to do the WADING level of this challenge. That is to re-read 10 books this year. New Moon is my first one that I have re-read.

New Moon is my least favorite book of the Twilight series. It is depressing how Edward decides to leave. It is more depressing to see how it affects Bella. And of course the most irritating part is that this is the book that Jacob becomes a key player in. Yes, I am an Edward fan! But New Moon is also the jumping off point for the last 2 books in the series. Eclipse and Breaking Dawn could not have been written without having all of the background of New Moon. So that is why when I re-read the series I never skip over New Moon even though I would like to.

The thing about re-reading books that is comforting to me is that they are like visiting old friends. Sometimes while reading other books the tension in the story gets to me, or there is anxiety over the angst that is being portrayed. In re-reading a book, I know what is going to happen, I know how the ending is going to turn out. There is no anxiety, it is JUST FOR FUN! I didn't start with Twilight because I re-read that last year. I think I will try to re-read the other 2 this year. We'll see what my mood is when I decide to re-read my next book.

So, here is my first book finished for the Contentment Reading Challenge for 2012. Head over to Katie's blog and see if you would like to participate in the Challenge!

Accused by Janice Cantore

Carly Edwards is a police officer sworn to protect the community she serves in. While out on patrol with a substitute partner she was involved in a shooting. Now she is working juvenile until the investigation is over.

Carly's personal life is also in a shambles. She has just recently divorced her husband Nick for being unfaithful. She can't get away from him though since he too works for the police force.

Carly wants nothing more than to be back out on the streets. She thinks she is being given the chance when she is called to the scene of where the missing mayor's body is found. In reality she was called because the juvenile in the car asked for her. He is the son of Carly's mom's friend. Carly is to question him and get him to confess to the mayor's murder. The only problem is that after talking to him she doesn't believe that he was involved.

When Carly is told to back off of the investigation she begins to think that something isn't right in the department. At first she can't believe that there is corruption among her brothers in law enforcement. Carly soon comes to believe though that there are few people she can trust in the department.

Bitter against God and angry at her ex husband, Carly struggles with whom she can trust. She doesn't want to believe her mother when she tells her of the peace that God has given her after her father died. Carly has to take notice though when Nick too becomes a believer. Regardless of what he did, she still has respect for him as a cop. She soon finds that Nick is the only one she can trust as a cop, even though he failed her trust as a husband.

I really enjoyed this book! The story was quick-paced and action packed while also filled with suspense. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series! Also I found that the faith woven into the story was real and not distracting or preachy.

Thanks to Tyndale House and NetGalley for my review copy.