Quickie Review: Snowball in Hell by Josh Lanyon

Format: ebook
Pub Date: (newly revised edition, April 2011)
Publisher: Carina
Length: 44,490 words
FTC: review copy via NetGalley

I'm incredibly late posting this review, but I blame the winter blues. Why? Because it's still acting like winter here. And thanks to someone on Twitter, I have a name for it: June-uary. Seriously. We've had maybe 1 day in the last month that hit 70 degrees. Anyhoo...my review:

I love Josh Lanyon's writing. Something about the mystery noir sensibility just makes me happy. And setting this one during  WWII? Total win. Finding a genre for this novella is a bit difficult. I'd say it was a m/m historical romantic suspense. And I think that's where my problem lies...I'd have preferred this story as a mystery.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the explicit scenes, but except for one...they seemed unnecessary to the plot. As if the author had added them to artificially turn up the heat level to match the preferences of the current crop of m/m readers.

The setting and characters are well done as always, though, and the mystery was believable. This is a very atmospheric piece of writing. It expertly captures the feel of the old film noir movies without overdoing it. And it made me care about the two lead characters enough to hope there are other stories in the works.

And props to Josh Lanyon: I didn't guess whodunnit. At all. I had part of the mystery figured out, but not who the murderer was. That's a rare thing for me.

My Grade: B

The Blurb:

Los Angeles, 1943
Reporter Nathan Doyle had his reasons to want Phil Arlen dead, but when he sees the man's body pulled from the La Brea tar pit, he knows he'll be the prime suspect. He also knows that his life won't stand up to intense police scrutiny, so he sets out to crack the case himself.
Lieutenant Matthew Spain's official inquiries soon lead him to believe that Nathan knows more than he's saying. But that's not the only reason Matt takes notice of the handsome journalist. Matt's been drawn to men before, but he must hide his true feelings—or risk his entire career.
As Nathan digs deeper, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay one step ahead of Matt Spain—and to deny his intense attraction to him. Nathan's secrets may not include murder, but has his hunt put him right in the path of the real killer?

Cookbook Review: Desserts 4 Today by Abigail Johnson Dodge

Format: Oversized paperback
Publisher: Taunton
Pub Date: September 2010
FTC: Digital galley received through Netgalley

The Blurb:

Today's home cooks want simplicity in the kitchen, especially when it comes to desserts. For this book, consummate cook and teacher Abigail Johnson Dodge has developed an extraordinary collection of sophisticated, yet easy-to-make sweets-using just four ingredients-that offer a depth of flavor that belie their simplicity. There are no difficult-to-master techniques here, no hours of prep work required; each of the 125 flavorful desserts uses mostly simple pantry ingredients and is ready from start to finish in about 30 minutes. Each recipe includes flavor variations and substitutions, as well as dress-up options. Cooks of all skill levels will delight in everything sweet-from cookies to mouthwatering creamy, frozen, and pastry desserts. 

Lately it seems I've lost my baking mojo. I just can't summon the interest to make *anything*. Part of the problem is likely that I live in high altitude country and need to have plenty of patience when trying new recipes. Because, thanks to living at 3500 feet, half of them don't turn out. A friend of mine has it even worse. She lives at 7000 feet. Which means certain types of baking (cookies, breads) are pretty much out the question.

So with those limitations in mind, I was happy to see so many desserts in Desserts 4 Today: Flavorful Desserts with Just Four Ingredients that aren't baked or that start with partially prepared ingredients. Most of the recipes are still from scratch, but (and here's the awesome part of this cookbook's concept) the recipes here have only 4 ingredients. 4! There are ways to enhance (or "gussy up") some of the plainer recipes by adding additional ingredients, but the base recipes still only have 4 ingredients.  Yea!

The chapter on fruit desserts is terrific, as is the Creamy Desserts chapter. 

Another thing to love? The price is very reasonable for the slender paperback. Full list price is $17.95, and you can find it for much less at most online bookstores. There are plenty of photos (a must!) and the number of mix-ins or variation ideas adds to the value.

I think this will be the book that breaks my dessert-making slump. And it will also make a great gift for the aforementioned friend stuck in the no-bake zone.

My Grade: A

Cookbook Review: Perfect One Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get Togethers by Pam Anderson

Format: Hardcover
Pub Date: September 2010
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
FTC: Digital galley received from the publisher via Netgalley

Despite the title, this cookbook is not for the cheap, easy casserole-minded cook. These dishes do go together in (mostly) one dish, but most involve long lists of ingredients and plenty of time.

We made the Frogmore Stew which is essentially a seafood boil. The proportions and cooking instructions were clear and easy to follow. And it was a one dish meal.

I really liked the appetizers and dessert recipes that go with each one dish dinner. The book is really more One Dish Main Course than One Dish Dinner, but that's okay with me. I loved the way some recipes have alternative substitutions that take far less time than the "star" recipe. It adds to the value of the book that these recipes are kind of snuck in rather than set out on their own pages to pad the recipe count.

There are some clever almost Semi-Homemade ideas, too, such as the recipe for Miniature Lemon-Raspberry Cakes that you can find on Amazon here.

The mostly one dish dinners is because many of these require second recipes to make them work. So while there are fewer dishes to dirty (and clean) titling the book "One Dish" is not really accurate.

Also, these recipes are geared towards entertaining, so they are more calorie-laden and involved than your average dinner. At least at my house. ;)

I like the recipes, I like the presentation, but this is more of a Simple Ideas for Entertaining than One Dish or Easy.

My Grade: B

Review: Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey

Format: ebook
Publisher: Carina
Pub Date: November 2010
FTC: Review copy received from Netgalley

The Blurb:

One-night stand + two percent condom failure rate = happily ever after?
 
Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him, but lately he's more interested in finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth Hansen. If only their first meeting hadn't gone so badly... 

Beth's tending bar at a wedding when she comes face-to-face with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she'd see again. She tries to keep her distance from Kevin but, by last call, she can't say no to his too-blue eyes or the invitation back to his room. Then she slips out before breakfast without leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant. 

Kevin quickly warms to the idea of being a dad and to seeing where things go with Beth. After all, he's not the player she thinks he is. But she's not ready for a relationship and, given his reputation, it's going to take a lot to convince her to go on a second date with the father of her child..

I'm not a huge fan of the unplanned pregnancy trope, but Shannon Stacey was able to sneak past my preferences and make me change my mind—at least for this book.

Shannon Stacey writes wonderful contemporary romance with warm, genuine characters and a subtle sense of humor.  I love the Kowalksi family, warts and all. The Kowalksis, and their family dynamics, remind me very much of Nora's classic Silhouettes (MacGregors, Stanislaskis) because there's something so appealing about the group as a whole.

Cookbook Review: Fine Cooking Appetizers

Pub Date: November 2010
Publisher: Taunton
FTC: Digital galley via Netgalley

I love appetizers. I love appetizer-only meals even more. It's like sanctioned snacking. You can take a culinary tour with just a few bites and feel like you've eaten more than you have.

What I'm not so fond of is pretentious food and that's what Fine Cooking Appetizers is filled with. It's from the editor's of the Fine Cooking Magazine, which on the whole I've found unpretentious and versatile. I want recipes I can make for my friends. Recipes that have easy to find ingredients. I don't mind fussy, but I do want something that appeals to palates beyond the sophisticated foodie.

Out of the very large book, I found only a half dozen recipes I would even consider making. And nearly all of those were in the Sips and Sweets category.

This book may very work well for those who want something sophisticated. But it doesn't work well for those who want to use ingredients from the supermarkets or for those who want a good go-to appetizer book for any occasion.

My Grade: C