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

I have actually reviewed this book for the VBC so if you're interested in a detailed review, check mine out here.

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:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

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:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

Epic Reads Book Tag

Hello and Happy Saturday!

So while I have a book review and a recipe to post up, I thought it would be fun to post a book tag. The last one I uploaded was the Book Cake Tag which you can see here. 

I saw the Epic Reads Book Tag on Peruse Project on YouTube, here (in case you're interested).

Let's get started!

If you could invite any author and fictional character to tea, who would you invite and what would you serve them?

This one was hard. Regan mentioned Hermione Granger as her fictional character and  I totally saw Hermione in my head before she answered the question... so there's my fictional character-

Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

My author of choice is probably the most difficult. I don't think it would be any fun to choose an author that is still alive as we are being immersed into a fictional scenario here so I'm going to say Shaespeare. Is that too cliche? I just think it would be great to play Mad Libs with Hermione and Shakespeare. O.o

I'm thinking a classic tea party preparation would be ideal foodwise. So scones, cucumber chevre sandwiches, cookies and a wide array of loose leaf tea for their brewing pleasure. :)

What book/series do you wish an author would write a prequel for?

Aside from J.K. Rowling writing any kind of prequel to the Harry Potter Series (as that seems to be the most obvious answer), I think Karen Marie Moning writing a prequel to the Fever series would be phenomenal. It could literally be anything about what the Nine have been up to or Dani's life when she was younger (though maybe that would be too graphic and unappealing so scratch that) or even Mac's life before Alina's death and ya know - Barrons.

Which two characters from different books do you think would make a good couple together?

Ian from the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost and Bree from the Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan. Why? Well Ian is kind of a douche. He's used to having things his way though when push comes to shove, he's always there for his good old friend Bones. I think much can be said about the similarities between him and Bree from Sweep who, by the way, is a total bitch at times and a straight-shooter. I think the sparks would fly between the two of them and there's enough stubborn-ness between the two of them to create an amazing story.

If you ran into your favorite author on the subway, who is it and what would you say to them?

Honestly, the author I was the most intimidated to meet was Melissa Marr and I kind of sort of met her at RT14 last year and yeah, that was a nightmare. My nerves were all over the place and I don't think I gave much to that conversation other than total fangirling... it was embarrassing. 

Aside from her, I would have to say Karen Marie Moning from the fever series as I don't think I would ever run into J.K. Rowling on the subway and if I did, I might just run the other way because I might be terrified of fucking that up. Yup, I just cursed. 

Oh! And I might just praise KMM for the sheer genius of the Fever Series/ world. I don't know. I'm in love.

What book made you a reader?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. 

This was the first book I sat down and read in its entirety in one sitting. I think I was in 4th or 5th grade when I read it and although I did enjoy reading books from an early age, I never really found one that I felt like I needed to devour all at once. The Harry Potter series woke me up to a world I did not know existed and well, the rest is history.

Your bookshelf just caught on fire! Which books will you save?

This is my nightmare

I would save my Sweep Series as it's the oldest series I own. And then... I don't know. I DON'T KNOW.

What dystopian world would you want to live in?

*sigh* I don't like this question. Most dystopian worlds are shitty and I don't know. Right now, all I can think about is the Fever Series - can you tell I just finished reading Burned? Aside from that, I would have to say the world of the Chicagoland Vampire Series by Chloe Neill? 

The question mark there is because this is not a dystopian novel. It is seriously just an alternate reality to the one we live in now but with vampires, witches and shifters as a bonus. I'm playing it safe :) #katanasforthewin

What is the most epic read of all time?

CRAP. I don't want people to hate me and think I'm lame and focused purely on the Fever Series. SO I WILL NOT MENTION IT (though I kind of just did and I kind of really think this is my series of choice). Instead, I will say the Hidden Legacy Series by Ilona Andrews. 

This is really early on in the series for me to make such a statement. But have you read Burn for Me?! I freaking loved that book. It was the best book I read in 2014 and the world that Ilona Andrews has created is so magical and unique that I am seriously looking forward to rereading it before the next book is due to release later on this year. I don't want to go in-depth of my love for this book because I think I have talked about it enough but in case you're interested, you can see my review of Burn for Me on the VBC, here.

Tag the people you want to do this tag!

Everyone- do this! Michelle from Sporadic Liasion should do this and Sabrina (@theGeekyJunkee) and Patti (@lovesFABromance) and Rachel (@parajunkee)!

So, that's it! I hope you enjoyed the Epic Reads Book Tag! Let me know if you decide to participate.

What would you answer if you were to do this tag?

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

Recipe Adaptation | Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies

Hello everyone & happy Tuesday!

So a week or so ago I was having some serious cravings for cookies. I knew I wanted a cookie with brown sugar because I was thinking of a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate (don't judge me) but then... I don't know. My cravings are usually pretty specific so I figured I would just make something myself instead of fighting the cold and walking somewhere... #NYCStruggles

Anywho, my journey to satisfying my cravings led me to Smitten Kitchen which is my favorite food blog, ever. I love how Deb shares stories with her readers while enlightening us on delicious and well-constructed recipes. So, ya know, I then stumbled upon her recipe for Brown Butter Brown Sugar Shorties which she also adapted from Gourmet Magazine. Is this recipe adaptation inception?!

Here is the recipe which, by the way, can be made Gluten Free by replacing the All-Purpose Flour with Almond Meal/Almond Flour. I tried this and I think I even like the consistency/texture better with the GF option. Hm. The more you know!

Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies

Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen blog, here.

Yield: about 30-32 cookies

Ingredient List

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup well-packed brown sugar (I used light brown sugar; however, Deb prefers dark brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (can be replaced with almond flour for a GF option)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (try to use a flaky salt - I used a flaky sea salt. You could always just use Kosher salt though I wouldn't recommend the iodized table salt)
• demerara sugar (sugar in the raw) OR any coarse sugar for rolling the dough in (optional)

Prep

• Cut up butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. You want to make sure that you are stirring frequently to brown the butter evenly and continue cooking until the the bits at the bottom of the pan are light brown and there is a general nutty-type fragrance. Takes about 5 minutes.
• After browning the butter, transfer it to a medium to large mixing bowl (which we will be using to mix all the ingredients together later on) and allow it to cool at room temperature for about 1 hour. You want it solid but still soft and pliable.
• Once the butter has cooled, whip together the brown sugar and butter together until it gets nice and fluffy and changes color (you can use the picture above for reference). You can also either do this in a stand mixer or with a hand whisk (which is what I used).
• When the mixture is light and fluffy, you can go ahead and add the vanilla. Once it is mixed, add in the flour and salt until it is just combined (we don't want to over mix this dough).
• Transfer the mixture to a clean surface or on wax/parchment paper to prevent the mixture from sticking.
• Roll it out into a 12-inch log which should give you about a 1 1/2 inch diameter.
• Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour or until firm.
• After the mixture is firm, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap it from the plastic wrap and roll it in the coarse sugar. I just sprinkled a thin layer of the sugar onto parchment paper and then just rolled the log in the sugar. Whatever was left over, I placed back in the sugar container.
• You can now cut the cookies into 1/4 inch thick rounds and place them about 1 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. They should take 10-12 minutes in the oven. You are just looking for them to have a dry surface with a light golden brown along the edges.

**If you don't want to cook all of the cookies, cut what you want to bake off and wrap the log (whole) in plastic wrap and freeze it! When you are ready to bake the rest, just thaw it, cut it, and bake it with the same directions as baking off the freshly made cookies. They should last about a month in the freezer.

So, that's it! I hope you enjoyed my recipe adaptation. The cookies came out amazing and I am sure will now be a staple in our household as my boyfriend could not stop eating them. They are the perfect balance of a sweet and slightly salty and nutty cookie.

If this is your first time making/trying brown butter, I know you will love it. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions!

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

Book Review | Naughty Bits by Joey W. Hill

Hey guys, hope everything is going well. I know I've been out of the loop for a while but I've just been trying to figure out a schedule for posting and filming that will work with my new school & work schedule. Finally created a schedule & am hoping I can stick to it! 

I thought I would start the year off with a review of Naughty Bits by Joey W. Hill.

I also want to start off by saying that No, I do not like the cover. And honestly, this is the only thing that I do not like about this book - joy!

Here is the blurb:

To better serve the customers of her lingerie shop, Madison must explore the pleasures of giving up control...

After inheriting her sister’s North Carolina lingerie shop, Naughty Bits, Madison jumps at the chance to dump her boring finance career and try her luck down South. But even before Madison can settle in, she catches the attention of the owner of the neighboring hardware store. Sexually dominant Logan Scott recognizes a submissive when he sees one. And what he sees, he wants.

He presents her with three very tempting gifts—handcuffs, erotic cards, and an open invitation to start her sexual training. She has to accept. After all, how can she hope to sell fantasies to lingerie customers without embracing her own? Now, she’s about to discover just how far her fantasies can take her—and how far Logan will go to make every one of them come true.

 If you couldn't tell, this is an Erotic Contemporary Romance (heavy on the erotic side). When I first started reading, I wasn't sure how to feel about it and ended up setting it aside for a couple of days while I finished another novel I was reading for review. Thankfully, I decided to give it a second shot and I fell in love. 

What I loved the most about Naughty Bits was the heavy BDSM elements intertwined with different plot points in the story. Obviously, it is going to be a major aspect of the romantic relationship between the female protagonist, Madison, and her likely love interest, Logan. But it is so much more than that. Madison is dealing with the failure of all of her past relationships, the death of her sister, and a ridiculous amount of self-doubt and general self-esteem issues. The scenes that they play out together help Madison with the problems she has and just every sexual type scene in the novel is placed so carefully and with such precision so as not to feel excessive or simply for superficial purposes. In other words, it's not sex for just sex. 

I also really enjoyed that the novel was just in Madison's perspective and didn't wander into Logan's. Now, I'm not saying that I wouldn't appreciate a scene or two in Logan's POV but by keeping the book in Madison's perspective, you're able to go on this journey of self discovery with her. Since she is new to the dominant/submissive relationship, there is a lot of brief explanations about what is happening along with easing into a world a lot of us aren't familiar with.

All in all, I think Hill did a fantastic job at creating a unique and modern romance. She is also helping those unfamiliar with the BDSM lifestyle/scene understand and (hopefully) appreciate the complexity and beauty of such a negatively viewed world.

Basic info. about this book:

Name: Naughty Bits

Author: Joey W. Hill

Review Source: Provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Publishing Company: Berkley Trade

Publication Date: January 6, 2015

Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance

Rating (out of 5): 5

Recommend? Yes!

Where it can be purchased: The Book Depository 

Author online: goodreads

So, that's it! See you soon with a recipe for some ridiculously delicious Brown Butter Brown Sugar cookies :)

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle

Top 10 Books of 2014 & Top 10 Goals of 2015

Hello & happy new year!

I thought the best way to start the new year is to recap the top books I read in 2014 and set myself up some goals for 2015.

Here is the video I uploaded yesterday for my top 10 books of 2014:

Here are my top 10 goals of 2015:

1. Visit more small book shops
2. Read 52 books
3. Create a blogging schedule (and follow through)
4. Begin a weekly exercise regimen - Yoga
5. Read more classic novels
6. Read more literary fiction
7. Finish series I've purchased and haven't read or series I've started and haven't finished
8. Create a BookTube schedule (and follow through)
9. Finish at least level 1 of Rosetta Stone - Turkish
10. Start posting cooking/culinary type videos

What were your top books of 2014 & what are your goals for the new year?

&& here is where you can find me on the interwebz:

Twitter: twitter.com/jannellereads

Instagram: instagram.com/jannellereads

Facebook: facebook.com/jannellereads

Goodreads: goodreads.com/jannellereads

Tumblr: jannellereads.tumblr.com/

Vampire Book Club: Vampirebookclub.net

Book Depository Affiliate: bookdepository.com

YouTube: JannelleReads channel

Until next time-

❤❤❤

-Jannelle