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13.2.15

January 2015 Wrap Up

Hello & happy Friday!

I seem to have read more books than I originally thought I would in January... and then I got excited and upped my number and didn't reach my goal. hahah Such is life.
Anywho, I though it would be good to share with you the books I read in January as an overview though I might be sharing a review or two in the upcoming weeks and go into greater detail then :)


Name: Azagoth (1,001 Dark Nights #6; Lords of Deliverance 5.5; Demonica #10.5)
Author: Larissa Ione
Publishing Company: Evil Eye Concepts
Publication Date: June 10, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

This might very well be the best novella I had ever read. I loved Azagoth's story. We got to see a human side to him that is not shared in most any other novel in the Demonica/LOD series. At the same time, however, Azagoth always has a somewhat ruthless edge to him. If you're a fan of this series, you cannot miss this novella. I even wish we could have more Azagoth. Maybe in a future novel - please?

Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Recommend? Yes
Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 
Author Online: goodreads 


Name: Chained by Night (Moonbound Clan Vampires #2)
Author: Larissa Ione
Publishing Company: Pocket Books
Publication Date: September 30, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Me reading 2 Larissa Ione novels back to back was a total [awesome] coincidence. I really enjoyed her first book in the Moonbound Clan Vampires series and was anxiously awaiting the release of this book. Although I think I did enjoy the first installment in the series better (but mostly because I enjoyed the dramatic background of both protagonists), I still loved Chained by Night. I love that Ione doesn't stick to "perfect" images of people. Love can happen to anyone at any time. Also, Ione always does a freaking phenomenal job at building up the sexual tension between people. I mean, damn.

Rating (out of 5): 4.0
Recommend? Yes
Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 
Author Online: goodreads  


Name: Slow Satisfaction (Struck by Lightning #3)
Author: Cecilia Tan
Publishing Company: Hachette Book Group
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance

When I first started reading the Struck by Lightning series, I was hooked. It's an erotic contemporary romance novel with extremely heavy BDSM elements involved. I will say though that the third (and final) installment to the trilogy was not my favorite. The major conflict that was left dramatically unresolved in book 2 was solved within the first half of the book and I was left wondering what the purpose of the rest of the book was. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this book but I felt it lacked some of the fire I loved in the first 2 books. The series as a whole gets 4 stars from me. 

Rating (out of 5): 3.5
Recommend? Yes
Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 
Author Online: goodreads 


Name: Blood Bound (Unbound #1)
Author Rachel Vincent
Publishing Company: Penguin
Publication Date: August 23, 2011
Genre: Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

If you're into Urban Fantasy novels and by some miracle you haven't picked up Blood Bound yet, you NEED to put this on your TBR. This has been on my TBR for years and I finally was able to listen to it via Audible and holy hell, I'm in love. I will be doing a detailed review of this one but let me post the blurb in case you're interested in the mean time (as I have seriously not said anything about the book itself aside from I heart this book).
Bound by blood, condemned by fate

As a bloodtracker, Liv is extremely powerful. And in a world where power is a commodity that can get you killed, Liv's learnt to survive by her own rules.

Rule number one? Trust no one.

But when a friend's daughter goes missing, Liv is bound by a potent magical oath. She can't rest until the child is safe.
And that means trusting her dangerous ex, Cam.

A sinister prophecy tells that she and Cam will be the death of each other, yet Liv's tired of being a slave to destiny. She's ready to play the forces controlling her world at their own game.

No matter what the cost.
Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Recommend? Yes
Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 
Author Online: goodreads 


Name: Blood Wolf Dawning (Bloodrunners #7)
Author: Deborah Harkness
Publishing Company: Harlequin
Publication Date: January 1, 2015
Genre: Fiction, Paranormal Romance
Though it is book #7 in the Bloodrunners series, it reads great as a standalone. I'm actually pretty excited to catch up with the remaining novels in this series.

Rating (out of 5): 4
Recommend? Yes
Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 
Author Online: goodreads 


Name: Naughty Bits
Author: Joey W, Hill
Publishing Company: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: January 6, 2015
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance, Fiction

Naughty Bits is one of my top reads so far this year. Granted, we are only only in mid-February but it was such a fantastic fresh perspective on a contemporary romance with heavy BDSM elements.
If you're into these kinds of novels, you can check out my in-depth review on my blog, here.

Rating (out of 5): 5
Recommend? Yes
Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 
Author Online: goodreads 


Name: Burned (Fever #7; Fever World #2)
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Publishing Company: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 20, 2015
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

I will not gush about my love for Burned and/or the entire Fever series. But if you're interested in a detailed review, you can check out my review on the VBC, here.

Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Recommend? Yes
Where it can be purchased: Book Depository 
Author Online: goodreads



So that's it! Let me know if you've read any of the books I've mentioned here and your thoughts on them! My highlights of the month were Naughty Bits and Burned.  

What were your book highlights of January?


&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:
Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net
Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com


Until next time-


-Jannelle

3.2.15

Cooking Basics | Herb Marinade

Hello & happy Tuesday!

I was thinking of posts I'd like to focus on for the new year and I think it would be good to visit some cooking recipe basics. As you can see from the post title, the recipe I'll be focusing on today will be an herb marinade.

What I love about making herb marinades (and one like this in particular) where there aren't any real measurements and you can just throw everything in a blender and voila! Marinade.


I sincerely just use whatever herbs I have in the fridge. For this marinade, I really just wanted to use up the herbs before they went bad.



Also, I heart oregano and since I didn't have the fresh stuff, there's nothing wrong with adding some of the dried herbs, as well. I also like to add some crushed red pepper flakes as it gives a great depth of flavor but you are more than welcome to omit this item if you're not a fan of spicy. 





Exactly what you see in the pictures above is exactly what you will need. Just in case, I'm going to lay it down for you in case you need a little reassurance. 


Basic Herb Marinade

Ingredient List
Herbs of choice. I used a small bunch each of:
  • Parsley
  • Thyme
  • Rosemary
  • Dill
Other Ingredients:
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 of a small onion (or 1/4 of a large onion), peeled and roughly chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, peeled (you can add less if you're not into garlic - I LOVE garlic)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves *optional

Prep
  • All you need to prep your herbs is to remove the leaves from the stems. In all honesty, if you leave a tiny bit of stems, it's OK. The only herb you might have to worry about (in regards to stems) is the rosemary as their stem is really thick and woody.
  • Add everything into the blender and blend!
  • If you think that the marinade is a bit thick, you can always thin it out with either a bit more olive oil or more lemon juice.
  • My biggest tip? Try your marinade! How else will you get a good feel of how it should taste and/or what it's missing? I usually find that I need to add a dash more salt to my marinade.
What it can be used for
  • Chicken (like I show in the picture up there ^^)
  • Vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, etc.
  • Steak
  • Tofu (like marinading and then grilling tofu -delicious!)
Storage
  • I usually place the remaining marinade in a plastic ziploack bag and freeze it. We use it semi-often and find it freezes well for up to a month. You can just break off what you need and defrost it before marinading your item of choice in it :)
  • You can also freeze it in individual ice cube trays (I saw this tip/trick on Pinterest). This way it is pre-portioned out and you can just pop out what you need when you need it.

So, that's it! I hope you enjoyed this cooking basics post for Herb Marinade. Let me know if you happen to have any questions and I'll be seeing you soon!


&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:
Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net
Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com


Until next time-


-Jannelle

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