Consequences (The Guardian Trilogy)

Rating: 5-Must Devour

Olivia struggles between fighting her desire to be with her love, the desire for justice and the knowledge that she is different. 

Holden fights to keep his only love by his side, torn between power and what is right, his choices will change everything--for everyone.

And Quintus yearns to be the one whom Olivia runs to but can't shake his guardian loyalties. His role will shift the lives of everyone.



Another intriguing tale of Holden, Quintus and Olivia as Liz takes you on a topsy turvy ride through the inner workings of the guardians and jinni. By the time this book came about I had completely solidified my idea of what I wanted to happen at the end of this book. And happy to say that I was not disappointed. I am happy to say that I would ride these waves again. Liz does a great job further developing her characters, even those newly introduced, never allowing them to become stagnate and always keeping you on your toes. If you are like me and are a hopeless romantic or just like the battle of good versus evil this series is for you and will deliver time and time again.

Favorite Character Moment:
"You're an indelible part of everything in me that's worth having. I won't lose you again, not ever." (ebook, loc. 3244)

"No, I'm serious. I see the way you look at him, and no one could miss the way he looks at you. You aren't fooling anyone but yourselves. Even if it means I'm out a job, I'd like to see you kids defy the odds and beat the system." (ebook, loc. 3128)

Check out Liz Shulte on her website: http://www.lizschulte.com/

Choices (The Guardian Trilogy)

*Spoilers if you have not yet read Secrets.*

Rating: 5-Must Devour

Olivia is back, but she is different. Does she still love Holden? Will she embrace her chance at a second life or will trouble find her again?

Holden does dark deeds to drown his guilt and pain while protecting connections to the one girl he loved and lost.

Quintus charged with being Olivia's mentor, caring for her, wanting to protect her from all that was, but is she the same Olivia? Will his desires blind him to what is really going on? And will he realize it before it is too late?

Again this book was mesmerizing. Once I began reading I couldn't stop until I had devoured every single word and even then I wanted more. Even better than the first. And my suggestion is buy all three books at once so that you can read them one after another, because like me you will want to know what happens. You won't be able to resist the hold the characters have on you as you choose your side in a battle of good versus evil that will leave you questioning what is good and what is evil? I fell even in more in love with her characters and would probably follow them into the depths of hell (in a book of course). This book has it all humor, suspense, love, and action keeping you enthralled well after the story is over.

Favorite Character Moment:
"She chose to live in agony rather than come to me. I let that realization sink in. Olivia truly didn't want to be with me. I would have crossed Heaven, Hell and Earth to be with her, and she couldn't even pick up a phone." (ebook, p. 188)

http://www.lizschulte.com/

Secrets (The Guardian Trilogy)

Now I will be the first to admit that I am an emotional reader and I choose to review a book as soon as I've read it while that passion is fresh in my mind. That being said, if I find the book lacking then I allow that passion to settle down before I solidify my review making sure there are sound reasons for such a review.



Rating: 5-Must Devour

Olivia hates being the center of attention, much preferring to blend in with those around her. Only with two mysterious guys taking notice of her in a matter of days that is just what she has become. The center of attention. So who are these mystery men and what do they want with her?


Those are questions that change the course of Olivia's life, changing everything, leaving her questioning at every turn. 


As soon as I opened this book I was hooked.  Immediately the world Liz created took me in its clutches and refused to let me go until the final page. The characters make you choose sides and form attachments before you even understand the full story. This book has it all mystery, the supernatural and a little of what could be love. I am sad I did not discover this book sooner, but am glad that I have now been enlightened. An absolute must read!

Sweet-- RELEASE (Cover Reveal)

First, I just want everyone to know how excited and nervous I am to be writing this blog today! Seriously! 

You see, I have been given the wonderful opportunity to participate in the cover reveal for a great up and coming Indie author, M.R. Merrick!  

The cover for the third installment of his Protector Series! 

After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father.  Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.

A fitting cover for the series thus far, it is dark, eerie, and intellectually stimulating. The arch beckoning you to read the adventure inside. Follow Chase and Rayna as M.R. Merrick takes us on another adventure through his creative mind. Make sure to check it out on December 10, 2012!! I know I will!!!

If you haven't read the first two books in the series here are some helpful links.

Exiled (Protector Series #1)                             Shift (Protector Series #2)

Helpful links: Goodreads, M.R. Merrick

Dirk Pitt (Character Time #1)

For my first character time I decided to focus on one of my all time favorite book characters to get things started off with a bang. So without further ado, I give you my first character star from the great author Clive Cussler........Dirk Pitt.

Why do I love Dirk? Well, let me tell just some of the reasons why he is an awesome character!!

Dirk is one of those characters, who if he were in a movie, on TV or Broadway would steal the show, and that's what he does in his books. Even with all the suspense, excitement and predicaments that Clive Cussler creates, I can't help but wonder what will good ol' Dirk do next?

He is incredibly unpredictable, except when it comes to rescuing damsels in distress and taking down the bad guy. Loyal to his job, the sea and those he calls friends, he will do anything to protect them; even if it means he has to pay the ultimate price-his life!

You see Dirk is not afraid to die, oh no, he is the type of person who would welcome death especially if it came defending his country, honor or sea. His lifelong friend Al Giordino says that Dirk would "spit in the eye of the devil." He never backs down from a fight, even if it's not his, he is incredibly intelligent, sharp as a tack and funny to boot. He is as laid back as a surfer, but can most definitely blend in with Washington's elite. He's Indiana Jones, meets James Bond meets McGayver. He is the all around guy you want in your corner, men want to be him and women want to be with him....he is Clive Cussler's best character.....Dirk Pitt!!

Check out the link below to see Clive Cussler's collection of Dirk Pitt novels.
http://clive-cussler-books.com/html/DirkPitt_AdventureSeries.htm

If you have any suggestions for character time please let me know the name of the character and the name of at least one book I can find them in. Who knows your favorite character could be next!!

Nutella Chocolate Mousse

I wasn't originally going to post this recipe, but after a few requests for the recipe, I decided what the heck! But first I need to make sure that everyone is aware that when I cook I don't usually measure. I am much more of an eyeball it kind of girl. The only time I measure is when I am baking cookies or something I have no idea how to make and I have to actually follow a recipe. Normally I just make it up, even if I am baking, so keep that in mind when you read the recipe that follows. That being said, I do promise however that this recipe is amazing. My entire family loved it, including my husband who usually doesn't enjoy chocolate. So without further rambling here is the recipe for the following yumminess!!

Nutella Chocolate Mousse

Yield: 7 individual servings

1 small container of Nutella (not sure of the ounces because I used about half of a large jar)

2-2.5 Cups of heavy whipping cream

1/4 Cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Sliced Strawberries

First, place a metal or stainless steel bowl and whisk or beaters in the freezer. While those are chilling, place Nutella in a microwave safe ceramic or glass bowl, (don't use plastic, glass or ceramic is better for heat distribution); I use the microwave because I am too lazy to use a double broiler, but if you prefer more control over the melting of your chocolate please use one. I started melting mine at 1 minute and stirred it about half way through. You don't want to burn your chocolate so make sure you stir, keep in mind when Nutella melts it will not be super runny like most chocolate. Just melt it until you can stream chocolate off your spoon. Once it is melted set aside to cool.

In chilled stainless steel bowl whisk heavy whipping cream and sugar. This will take a while, I suggest the use of a mixer, but if you are looking for a work out use a hand whisk. Once you see the cream thickening up, add vanilla, mix until blended. This is a good point to stop and taste your whipped cream. I don't particularly like a sweet cream for my mousse the chocolate is sweet enough, but if you desire a sweeter taste this is a good time to add a little more sugar. Continue mixing until your cream forms relatively stiff peaks. Meaning that when you pull out the beater the cream should stand up, or if you stick your finger or spoon tip in the cream the whole will remain. Add about 1/4 of the chocolate to the cream and fold in, until blended. (Do not stir because your cream will turn to liquid.) Continue to add cream folding until mousse reaches the desired chocolate flavor. Spoon into individual bowls and chill in the fridge for about an hour. Remove from fridge, top with favorite fresh fruit and DEVOUR!!

Happy eating :))))

A 3 year old's Addiction

There comes a point in everyone's life where you become obsessed with something. You know when you were a kid and everything had to be about your favorite TV show, Rainbow Brite? (I know this dates me, but I am willing to do so to make a point) You just had to watch that show, you wore your hair in pig tails with ribbons just to be like her and you absolutely had to have a Rainbow Brite birthday! Well okay, it may not necessarily be about Rainbow Brite, but any show or anything that you just could not get enough of, whether it was your favorite show, band, movie or even your crush. Everyone has had those moments of pure obsession. 

Well this obsession, addiction or whatever you want to call it started early for my youngest son Scott. Which makes me wonder, how many more things will he be obsessed with throughout his life? In order to understand his "addiction" you first have to understand something about our family. You see we are a gaming family, and yes I mean video games. We all play games, of course we all have our favorites, mine is any Call of Duty and Halo, my husbands is Skyrim or any Fallout. My children will play just about anything they can get their hands on. We play games with each other and against each other. In other words we strongly believe that the family that games together stays together!!

Now it is usually expected for a 12 and 11 year old to play video games, and even my 7 year old. And in most cases you can expect a 5 year old to at least play a DS, but when people find out that my 3 year old plays, and can actually handle the controls (properly), they are just blown away. Our kids might as well be born with a controller in their hands. He has been "playing" since he was 2. Now of course he was not always so good, but of course like wine, he get's better with age.

So, where does this addiction come in? Well let's just say that when I am so kindly woken up by my son in the morning, I can always tell how my day will go based on the first words out of his mouth. You see, most days my son wakes me up to, "mom, can I play my DS?" or "can I play XBOX?" If either of these are the first words out of his mouth in the morning, then I know I am in for a fight, especially if I say no. If I say no, it is the end of the world to my son, and he is not shy about letting you know just how upset he is with your decision. At first he cries a little, but then he decides to ask again, but now he begs, he sticks out his bottom lip, cocks his head just slightly down and looks up at you through those sad little eyes and says please. Instantly your heart melts and you want to give into him, but you know you can't because it is the principle. Besides, its only 7 am, even in a gaming family it is too early to play games. So of course you say no, again. Now my son loses it. He yells at you and demands to play games. He stomps his feet, balls his hands into fists, tells you that your mean and so on. 

After that, he asks to play games about every 2-3 minutes until we either give in or we can think of something better to do, which to him there are only two better things, shopping, and playing outside, and naturally us adults don't always want to do those things. So, as much as it pains me to say, we usually give in about an hour or two later, if he hasn't forgotten, but we always hold to hope that he will forget, of course he never does.

Who can say no to this face?

What's for Dinner?

There are two kinds of food that make me drool.....sandwiches and anything fried. I think I will eat anything if it's fried, so why not a sandwich? My original inspiration comes from a deep fried Monte Cristo sandwich I had at a restaurant several years ago, but recently I find my thoughts dreaming about that deep fried sandwich. 

Working in restaurants has given me an insight to many great recipes, one of them just so happens to be the inspiration for my favorite sandwich. My family calls it my sandwich, because I am the one who introduced them to the wonderful joy that this sandwich brings. I call it my Southwest Turkey Panini. It has all my favorite sandwich components: turkey, green chile, bacon, tomatoes, red onion and cheddar cheese all tucked in on two thin slices of sourdough bread. And when I say green chile I don't mean pablano or jalapeno peppers, for those of you from New Mexico you know exactly what I'm talking about. 

Now this sandwich is amazing as is, but trust me when I say deep frying it took it to a whole new level making it out.of.this.world!

I know many of you might wonder how the sandwich didn't fall apart during frying and the only thing I can tell is that it is due to how long you keep the sandwich in the panini press because I did have one fall apart on me, and trust me it wasn't pretty. Once I made all my panini's I made my batter. For this I cheated, I just used a basic pancake batter that I watered down so that it could easily coat the sandwich, then I placed in vegetable oil that I preheated to 350 degrees and let it cook to a nice golden brown. Due to the incredible amount of oil I immediately placed them on paper towels, blotting until I couldn't feel oil anymore.

Keeping with the theme of the Southwest serve a jalapeno lime ranch dressing on the side for dipping. Now that is the New Cristo! Now wipe that drool off the corner of your mouth and go create something awesome in the kitchen!! :)

Joy's of being a mother!

Let me set the stage-


Side note: I don't know how we do it but everyone seems to be born with the ability to find their way to the bathroom even in the dead of sleep. It is like we are programmed with a bathroom tracker as soon as we are potty trained. (keep this in mind)

It is a typical night in the Young household all five kids are in bed, it is well after midnight, I am in my room attempting to write a book, and my husband is in the living room playing Skyrim. When just like any other night my 4 year old wonders out of his bedroom, eyes still closed, clutching his blanket-he calls it a dinty (don't ask), and sucking his thumb. 

My husband of course thinks nothing is wrong because this is normal behavior for our 4 year old. He get's up every night to use the bathroom and has been doing so since he was about 2. Of course we have had incidents where he has fallen in the toilet, but have otherwise been unscathed. 

This night however, was going to be different. That night all three of my little one's decided to sleep in the play room, so when my son got up to use the restroom I guess he got a little turned around and some how ended up in the kitchen. 

I of course was in my room and completely oblivious to the happenings of my son until I heard my husband ask if he was okay, which was rewarded with the usual whine of a sleepy 4 year old. My son continued to whine and my husband got up to ask him if he needed a drink, only to find my son standing in front of the trashcan taking a leak. 

My husband responded as anyone would and tried to get my son's attention. Upon calling my son's name he began to cry, having clearly been asleep and suddenly being awake to find himself peeing in the kitchen. My husband tried to reassure my son that it was an accident and that it was okay, but my son only cried harder. When my son get's like this there is only one thing you can do, and that is to allow him to sleep on the couch in the living room. This gives him time to calm down so that he can go back to sleep, but let's him feel like he doesn't have to go back to bed. It is truly one of those great tricks of a parent.

Of all my children I can honestly say that my then 4 year old, now 5 year old is the most entertaining. Since he came into our family there has never  been a dull moment. Of course I enjoy all of my children, but with him you just never know what will happen-even in the dead of sleep! :)

What is in a blog?!

That is the exact question I asked myself as I was sitting in my quiet room. If you know me, quiet is a rare commodity in my house. Having five boys running around with their hair on fire leaves little time for quiet. That is exactly why I stay up as late as I do. That is my only time for quiet and serenity, but we are getting way off task here. 

Back to my question, what is in a blog? There are thousands and thousands of blogs out there on every topic known to man. I personally don't follow many blogs. The one's I do follow relate to my direct interests of cooking and reading. Many times in my life I have been told that I should start a blog, write about my experiences share my stories. Because there are many. But I just don't think that I am specialized in any one thing enough to blog about it and who would read it anyway?! 

So I bet your asking, "then why did you start this blog?" Good question, I started this blog as part of an assignment for a technology class I was taking. Yes, I am still in school. I am working on my Master's in fact. Once I was done with the project I honestly had no intention of writing again, but there are times where I find myself wanting to share my stupid, crazy, and dull thoughts with the world. 

I have decided that because I have no one specialty and many loves I will share what I know and what I am inspired to share. So, there may be days where you have to hear me rant about reading, teaching, my kids, family, cooking, video games, kids again; well I'm sure you get the picture. So, if you are reading this, then I apologize for the randomness and thank you for reading.