Cookbooks reviewed: Apr 6

 

30 Fun, Fresh & Tasty Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes by Lisa M.K.

The ASIN # goes to the above title but the book I read was called  Veggie Breakfast: 30 Easy & Delicious Vegetarian Breakfast Ideas (Veggie Life Book 1) by Lisa M.K.

TOC where recipes are listed, not in any special order.

Has chapters and recipes for just two servings and some for four people.

Intro discusses how the book is broken up into chapters.

Each recipes starts with a title and  a few have a medium size color photo, summary of the dish.  List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and prep time and cook times.

Tips along the way and there are NO nutritional information available.

Some recipes have a LOT of ingredients, be sure to have them all before you start.

Lots of good ideas, not only for breakfast but use them throughout the day.

 

Dash Diet for Beginners: 2 in 1: Improve Your Health By Lowering Your Blood Pressure And Cholesterol With 1200+ of The Best, Low-Sodium Recipes | BONUS 100-Days Meal Plan Included for Diabetics by Lindsay Burton

 

 

TOC where recipes are listed in food and meal categories.

Dash Diet Cookbook: 600 Easy & Delicious Low- Sodium, Low Sugar, Heart- Healthy Recipes for Improve Your Health | Bonus 4 Weeks Meal Plan to Lower Your Blood Pressure & Lose Weight by Lindsay Burton

Intro discusses the diet plan causes and how to fix the problems, servings and food list, what to eat and avoid.

Each chapter starts with a color photo, each recipe starts with a title, prep and cook time, servings.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and some nutritional info: calories, fat, sugar, protein, sodium and carbs.

There are NO pictures and recipes does NOT always start at the top of a new page.

Some recipes call for a lot of ingredients, be sure to have them all ready.

Love fish and meatless meals the best.

Meal plans are included at the end.

The Diabetic Cookbook for Beginners: The Guide for the Newly Diagnosed to Manage Type 2 Diabetes Effortlessly, Detox Cleanse With 600 Healthy Low-Carb Recipes. Includes 100 Days of Natural Meal Plan by Lindsay Burton

Short intro then the recipes.

Each recipe starts with a title, few have a small color photo, prep and cook times, servings.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given and some nutritional information: calories, total fat, sat fat, protein, carbs, sugar, cholesterol, sodium. Some recipes have a LOT of ingredients be sure to have them all ready.

Recipes do NOT always start at the top of a new page.

The nutritional information is totally different from each chapter, different sources....

Even list of ingredients is totally different.

Meal plans are included at the end. 

There are enough recipes between these two books to make hundreds of meals. have fun deciding what you want to make first because my list is long.

  

Dash Diet Cookbook for beginners: The Ultimate Dash Diet Guide with 500 Low Sodium, High Potassium & Magnesium Recipes To Lose Weight & Lower Hypertension. Boost Your Health with Omega 3 & Vitamin D by Micaela Miller

TOC where recipes are listed in meal and food categories.

Intro discusses the diet plan, benefits,  guidelines and so much more.

Each recipe starts with a title, prep and cook times and servings.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Some recipes have a large amount of items, be sure to have them all.

Directions are given and some nutritional information: calories, carbs, fat and protein.

There are very few tiny color pictures. Index of recipes is included at the end along with conclusion note from the author.

There are definitely a lot to choose from, I like seafood and fish recipes the most.

Algerian Cookbook: Authentic Algerian Cooking with Simple and Easy Algerian Recipes by BookSumo Press

Full page color pictures of the area, not the recipes.

TOC where recipes are listed.

Each recipe starts with a title, to far right hand color, sometimes in dark shaded area with black lettering is  very hard to see.

Sometimes there is no shaded area that has prep and total times, servings.

Some nutritional information per serving: calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, and protein.

To the main part of the page there is a list of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given.

Some titles tell you where they came from, the country or area.

There are NO individual recipe pictures.

Lot to choose from, spicy and flavorful.

Apr 6 Book Review: SENIOR HEARTS by Josie Riviera

  

 

SENIOR HEARTS  by Josie Riviera 

3 book sin this bundle, for the older people who love romance.

...

 

 

A Chocolate-Box Summer Breeze by Josie Riviera 

Book starts out with s short introduction about the authors works and sign up for newsletter and free gift.

Story start with Emily and she's sitting at the location where she had met Joe from the storm where they were trapped together along with many others as the roads were shut down.

They exchanged information and stayed in contact with one another with calls. They learned a lot about each other and felt a great companionship when together.

When Joe, a truck driver does arrive they share a nice meal that the diner owner has put together. He's rather a match maker. She had lost her spouse a few years earlier and she feels as if she is intruding on her kids lives.

He has a surprise for her and she is agreeable. They are able to drive to a location where she's never been, a rather run down cottage by the sea. She does find faults with it but it will do. She loves the location and scenery and just doing things they want to do, no pressure.

Most important is she gets her own room, no pressure! Love the things they do while together but when he drops her off it's a good bye as he feels others see him as chasing after her and her money.

It's a wonder if they will ever get back together with one another after the misunderstanding.

Love that the couple is older and is in the same age groups as myself. Love hearing of the music and seashore.

Story ends with a note from the author and a recipe. Acknowledgements and listing of all the author's other works are listed.

I received this review book from the author and this is my honest opinion.

...

 

 

 

A Chocolate-Box Irish Wedding by Josie Riviera 

Book starts out with praise and reviews. Info about author's newsletter.

Story starts out with Colum O'Brien and he's on his way to his father's wedding. He will be in the wedding party and he wonders if the girl next door will be there also.

The story also follows Keira (kiki) and she's her mothers choice at the wedding. They are able to reminisce about the days they were dating one another, getting to really know one another.

Love hearing of her sewing abilities and how they each followed their dreams-he to be on stage in plays, her on the runway and even a designer.

Like hearing what they do now 30 years later and how things were left when they fell apart.

You wonder if they will get back together. Like Irish theme in this one and have heard the Irish blessing many times. So touching.

Love that this book is about 50er's characters.

Recipes included at the end.  Note from the author is included.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion. 

...

 

 

1-800-IRELAND: A Sweet Contemporary Romance Novella (Flipping For You Book 3) by Josie Riviera

Another great story from the author.

Have followed this series and enjoyed them all.

This one starts out with Kathleen who's relocated from Ireland to NC, a small town called Roses. She lives above her new store-a tea house serving real Irish bread to name a few items on her menu.

Candy, the one who set up the apartment and saw to all the new owners needs from the US side also has notified Rob, her friend in FL who bakes cakes and cupcakes in his own shop.

He's older and not quite the catch of the day-love this that he's just a regular guy and kinda out of shape.

kathleeen has it set in her dreams about her shop but Maureen knows she will need help. Rob needs time away from his own shop so travels there to see what it will need, in his opinion to make it a success.

He never expected to find Kathleen so charming! Like the challenge they take part it. So many lovely detailed descriptions, I can just picture it for real.

Loved hearing all about starting up the business-priceless information!

Some characters from the series make an appearance but you are given all details aobut them so you're not left in the dark.

This can be read as a standalone! Irish slang words are explained in the conversations they have.

Misunderstandings and you wonder if they will ever get back together to see if they have what it takes to be a couple.

Recipe included! Note from the author is included at the end.

Acknowledgements and about the author is included. Offer to join first readers group.

Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.  Excerpt from Maeve is also included.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Reviews: Childrn'ens books by Aleks Harrison

  

I Have a Friend: Children's Picture Book About Friendship for Preschool (Emotions & Feelings book for preschool)  by Aleks Harrison 

What I love right from the start is the fact I can rotate my screen and the words tapped will enlarge them. This doesn’t happen often in children's book. Thanks to this author he nailed it! Makes it MUCH more enjoyable when you can see the words.

Colorful, children's, rhyming book about 

Max and his father were working on a special project in the garage as it's cold out. Next sunny day they take the kite to the park where he's able to fly his shark kite. Kite crashes and Max turns to talk to Martha who is disfigured on her face.

She is so kind and wants to lend him her kite to fly. Love the shark seesaw. They have so much fun playing together til sun goes down...

On the bus the next schooldays she's getting on the bus and others ignore her and takes a seat by herself. Max hears what the others are saying about her and joins her on the seat and tells her they are unkind and to ignore them.

Maxs’ parents get a call from her parents later that night and they all are so proud of him being her friend, although  she is different.

They are friends and she wants him at her birthday party.

About the author finishes this story with a note about emotions and how to control them  along with contacts for the author. Cool thing for me is the great grandchildren can point out the pictures and tell me the story that way. Others are older and will be able to read these words.

Fun way showing us all how it's done.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

 

 

I Know the Secret of Diversity: Children's Picture Book About Diversity and Inclusion for Preschool (Emotions & Feelings book for preschool) by Aleks Harrison

What I love right from the start is the fact I can rotate my screen and the words tapped will enlarge them. This doesn’t happen often in children's book. Thanks to this author he nailed it! Makes it MUCH more enjoyable when you can see the words.

Colorful, children's  rhyming book about the subject of diversity. It's a must nowadays with our society.  not just for kids but adults as well.

A boy is anxious to get to practice and the coach has seen he's improved. After achieving his goal a little small boy approaches and wants to race to the top but he's a new climber.

The older bigger boys make fun of him and he leaves crying with his mother.

The older boys talk about it after the little boy leaves and realize it was NOT nice what they did to him.

At home later with his dad he explains that he did make it to the top but then about the incident with the little boy. 

He is glad his son can recognize that it was not ok behavior and tells him of what happened to him when he was a young boy.

It;s all about people being different, it's called diversity. Even in his world his dad explains that his boss is in a wheelchair and he's treated the same way as everybody.

Love how when the boy comes across the little short boy he tells him he's sorry and will show him what he's learned.

Love ending it's Never too late to learn diversity. About the author is included at the end  along with contacts for the author. Cool thing for me is the great grandchildren can point out the pictures and tell me the story that way. Others are older and will be able to read these words.

Very reassuring words from his father. 

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

 

I Feel with My Heart: Children's Picture Book About Empathy, Kindness and Friendship for Preschool (Emotions & Feelings book for preschool) by Aleks Harrison 

What I love right from the start is the fact I can rotate my screen and the words tapped will enlarge them. This doesn’t happen often in children's book. Thanks to this author he nailed it! Makes it MUCH more enjoyable when you can see the words.

Colorful, children's  rhyming book about the subject of emotions

Max is at the aquarium with his family and there is so much to see and learn about. He's having a great day til he notices a girl sitting on the floor crying. He asks his dad about it and says she's crying because her glasses are broken.

He approaches his neighbor Pearl and gives her a snack and just wants to talk to her. He hopes her day gets better and she gives him a hug.

With a new boy in school  Max approaches him along with Thomas and Brad. The teacher allows him to sit near Max. At recess Chen does not know what to do so Max invites him to play foursquare.

He is happy after that and the rest of the day is great. Max gets a card and it is has  special gift in it for him. It makes him happy that he's great friend. 

Such a great moment to know you have a friend.

Cool thing for me is the great grandchildren can point out the pictures and tell me the story that way. Others are older and will be able to read these words.

About the author and emotions finishes this book along with contacts for the author.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Cook book reviewed: 30-Minute Instant Pot Cookbook: Quick and Easy Recipes for Every Meal by Ramona Cruz-Peters

  

 

30-Minute Instant Pot Cookbook: Quick and Easy Recipes for Every Meal by Ramona Cruz-Peters

Book has full page color photographs. Table of contents where recipes are broken up into food and meal categories.

Introduction discusses how the author loves their instant pot and why. 

Tips of how to use and the functions and what to have on hand for your pot, accessories and why and their uses.

Each recipe starts with a title, servings, prep and pressure cook and release and total time.

Summary of the dish is included.

List of ingredients and you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low fat, low sodium, low sugar and fresh vs canned items.

Directions are given along with variation tips.

Nutritional information per serving: calories, fat, protein, carbs, fiber, sugar and sodium.

At the start of each chapter there is an index of recipes in that section. There are no individual recipe photographs.

Love staple recipes at the end, so useful.

Conversion tables are included at the very end along with guides for food groups.

Index, acknowledgements and about the author are listed.

A KEEPER for the information about the pot itself and so many tips.

I received this review copy from The Callisto Publisher's Club and this is my honest opinion.

Book Review: A Knight to Desire by Gerri Russell

  

 

A Knight to Desire by Gerri Russell

Starts with dedication page then other works by the author. Scotland 1329

Story follows Brianna and she's been at a convent of sorts but her wishes are to join the knights. They discover who she is and they toss her out. She now works in an inn with Abigail her friend.

Story also follows Sir Simon and he’s at the inn pleading with her to come back. She has seen visions and he hopes they will once again be useful to the knights Templar.

Love when they are ahead of the one they are after. Love when they spend time at his castle and his family members are there. Holy Grail wow who would've thought it would do so much good when in the hands of those that are linked to it.

Significance of church bells, so cool!  She helps her father in the battle and wonders as she rushes to Simon is she's too late....

Like hearing of the relationship with Brianna and her father, can she really trust him?

Adult situations.  afterword I enjoy because it's about history in a fun way. 

Mystery, treasures, travel, war scenes, love war games, strategies, maneuvers, history, free masons, all mixed together to tell this tale with me sitting on the edge of my seat. About the author is also included at the end. Author’s other works is included also.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

 

Book Review: Border Lord's Bride (The Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars #4) by Gerri Russell

  

 

Border Lord's Bride (The Brotherhood of the Scottish Templars #4) by Gerri Russell

1330's Scotland

This book is about Elizabeth and her father who she lives with has gambled everything in the house and she's to wed Lucious.

He's just back from his 5 year stint with the Templars and arrives at his estate where his three sisters live with the help.  He is happy to be there and knows the Templars will not forget him.

Love the time they share together, adult situations and how they get the house ready for the Christmas holidays.

Skirmishes draws Lucious to fight with his clans. She tries to hold the whole family together. He thought she just wanted an out with her father til he realizes some things about her. He hadn't seen here in over 5 years’ time.

Misunderstanding kept them from each other when he thought she wanted his brother, who’s now deceased...

Lots of adventure for such a short novella, it's jam packed.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

April 1 Book Review: Seducing the Knight by Gerri Russell

  

 

Seducing the Knight by Gerri Russell

1331 The legend is spoken of and that is the quest Jessamine is achieving to do. Her mother had been poisoned and her father died and now she is the princess. She tries to hide it from everybody and just be normal.

When she finds the conde is after all, he plans to wed her now that her mother is out of the way and take over her lands and estates being her husband.

She is able to get away and runs into Sir Alan from Scotland helps to save her from Conde and they ride into the woods to hide. They do find some shelter but as a knight he does not want to think about her and her body.

Adult situations throughout the book.  She speaks of the ark of the covenant and after they escape a kidnapping and Alan is hurt she sees to his wounds on the ship. The sailors have other plans til he is able to rise carrying his sword.

They are in the holy land and the conde had followed them and Alan persuades them not to fight in the holy land, it's sacred.

There are many fights, battles and killings and wounds. Love finding the quest and she fears they are alone. Love the blue orb and the mystery behind it.

There is so much action, travel, religion, adventure, mystery, the quest, the treasure, sweet quiet time and much help from the Templars.

Afterword the author tells you how she wrote her story with parts of it being real history and other parts her imagination.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.