3 stars

I wanted to like this more than I did because, come on! It's about a group of orphan girls who end up on a cattle drive in the 1800's. When John Elder is forced to fire his no good, lazy drovers, he's in dire straights. He has a herd of long horns he's bound and determined to move to Kansas so he can start a ranch of his own. When circumstances put a group of young orphans, including Moira O'Mara, a beautiful woman with a terrible secret, under his protection, he has no choice but to teach the girls how to manage the herd and lead it through dangerous Indian territory.

I loved the concept of this story, but the actual execution felt cliched and tired. The romance between the protagonists was sweet, but I was hoping for more action or excitement on the trail. This wasn't a bad read, it just isn't what I was longing for.

As Thanksgiving Week begins in America, it is a time of great eating.

 

Before we all get tired of cooking, here are some wonderful Romances featuring recpies or the writing of cookbooks.

 

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy!

 

1. The Chocolate Rose by Laura Florand

 

Her father's worst enemy...
Top chef Gabriel Delange never forgave his old nemesis Pierre Manon for all the other chef had cost him.

One stolen rose...
And he most certainly couldn't stand the sight of his own most famous dessert, the legendary Rose, claimed as Pierre's own on the cover of his new cookbook.

A beast's substitute victim...
But even Gabriel could hardly go through with a lawsuit when he learned the older chef had just had a stroke.  Especially not when Pierre had one very cute daughter willing to be Gabriel's victim instead.

A fascinated beauty...
As a child, Jolie Manon had seen her family torn apart by her top chef father's obsession with his work.As a food writer, she might be fascinated with a chef's work, but she knew how to guard her heart.  She would never allow another chef into her life.  
Unless he blackmailed her into it...

2. A Recipe for Romance  by Lenora Worth

 

• Contributing authors Lenora Worth, Debra Ullrick, Janet Tronstad, Carolyne Aarsen, Dana Corbit, Lyn Cote, Debby Giusti, Winnie Griggs, Arlene James, Deb Kastner, Renee Ryan, Danica Favorite,Gail Gaymer Martin, Jill Kemerer, Jolene Navarro, Marta Perry, Terri Reed, Sherri Shackelford, Cami Tang, Missy Tippens, Pamela Tracy, and Cheryl Wyatt present an anthology of sweet and inspirational short stories and tasty recipes. 
  
  A sampling of the stories you’ll find inside: 
• A young woman who uses Potato Salad to prove she’s still in love with her long-lost miner beau, 
• A new stepdad who builds Chopped Tree Casserole to bond with his stepson, 
• An Amish mother who finds a way to reconnect with her husband over her Chicken Potpie, 
• A bank teller who brings Tomato Basil Soup and new hope for a relationship to her coworker. 
• And many more

3.  Heartburn by Nora Ephron Well, not a romance but an amazing read

 

Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, is in love with another woman. The fact that the other woman has "a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs" is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel writes cookbooks for a living. And in between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron's irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes. Heartburn is a sinfully delicious novel, as soul-satisfying as mashed potatoes and as airy as a perfect soufflé.

 

4. The Bride Raffle by Lisa Plumley

 

Famous home-keeping expert Daisy Walsh is overwhelmed by the warm welcome she receives in Morrow Creek, and then she realizes she's the star prize in the town raffle! She can bet the lucky winner's not expecting a pregnant woman who needs a place to stay.

Single father Owen Cooper suspects he's been set up because his daughter is thrilled to have a woman around the house. He could get used to the smell of home baking tempting his taste buds, but the sight of Daisy's stockings is one temptation too far!

 

5. Hell Yeah! Box Set With Bonus Cookbook by Sable Hunter

 

Cowboy Heat (Hell Yeah!: Book 1)

Aron McCoy has sworn off women -
except for sex. When Libby Fontaine
arrives at Aron's Tebow Ranch, she is determined to cram a lifetime of living into a few short months. The doctor has told her that she can't count on her remission from leukemia being a permanent
one. Their attraction to one another is instantaneous and overwhelming. But when Aron finds out thatLibby is innocent - he backs off. He has nothing to offer a girl who deserves white lace and promises. Then Aron catches Libby pleasuring herself in his stock tank and hears her cry out his name - and the heat is on. Cowboy heat.

Hot on Her Trail (Hell Yeah!: Book 2)

Jacob McCoy wishes for a wife and a family. Tis the Season for miracles when a young woman shows up on his doorstep: homeless, in danger and expecting a child - Jacob's child. Their
relationship is complicated by the fact that, A - they've never met before and B - she's a virgin. Jessieis determined not to be a burden to the McCoy family. As far as she's concerned, she is just passing through. Jacob has a different opinion - he wants Jessie in his life, in his bed and in his heart.

BONUS: Sable Does It in the Kitchen Cookbook

All the great recipes mentioned throughout the Hell Yeah! Series are not gathered in one place. This cookbook contains Sable's Favorite Recipes along with a few of her friends as well. Excerpts from her books are spread throughout the book to give you an added glimpse.

 

6. Rosewater and Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran

 

ore than a year has passed since Marjan, Bahar, and Layla, the beautiful Iranian Aminpour sisters, sought refuge in the quaint Irish town of Ballinacroagh. Opening the beguiling Babylon Café, they charmed the locals with their warm hearts and delectable Persian cuisine, bringing a saffron-scented spice to the once-sleepy village. 

But when a young woman with a dark secret literally washes up on Clew Bay Beach, the sisters’ world is once again turned upside down. With pale skin and webbed hands, the girl is otherworldly, but her wounds tell a more earthly (and graver) story–one that sends the strict Catholic town into an uproar. The Aminpours rally around the newcomer, but each sister must also contend with her own transformation–Marjan tests her feelings for love with a dashing writer, Bahar takes on a new spiritual commitment with the help of Father Mahoney, and Layla matures into a young woman when she and her boyfriend, Malachy, step up their hot and heavy relationship. 

Filled with mouthwatering recipes and enchanting details of life in Ireland, Rosewater and Soda Bread is infused with a lyrical warmth that radiates from the Aminpour family and their big-hearted Italian landlady, Estelle, to the whole of Ballinacroagh–and the world beyond.

 

7. The Skye Trilogy by Shannon Barczak

 

Willa McCormack is a feisty bakery owner from Yuma, Arizona. She has wonderful parents, great friends, and a career she loves. Her life changes one night when her parents come home terrified and they have to reveal their secrets to her. 
Secrets that will change Willa's life forever. 

Willa must now leave everything she has ever known and embark on a dangerous journey to the Isle of Skye. A place where she will learn that fairytales and nightmares are real. A place where she will discover not only what she really is but who she is destined to be. 

Come explore the world of Gypsies, Faeries, and Vampires with an unlikely heroine, who above all else, is determined to stay true to herself. 

Isle of Night

Several months have passed since Willa McCormack, a bakery owner from Yuma, AZ, was told she was a powerful Gypsy-Fae princess and journeyed to the Isle of Skye. As she tries to open her new business and get ready for the Fae’s arrival to the Isle, new dangers lurk at every turn. 

While she tries to uncover clues about a dangerous enemy and find the weapons that can kill him, she also has to deal with her intense feelings for her Guardian, Mathias, a vampire of light. 

Join Willa, an unlikely smart ass heroine, as she navigates this magical world and tries to save her new home from being plunged into eternal darkness. 


Isle of Dawn

Willa has left the Isle of Skye and is now in Fairlia with Patcoena to absorb the King’s power. Two unexpected guides join them as they make their way across all the realms so that she can finally fulfill her destiny to become the Fae Sanctity. 

Her journey takes her to places she never thought was imaginable and the deeper she delves into the depths, the further she moves away from the person she used to be. 
Can she ever make her way back to Mathias and everyone that she loves or will the final battle be her last? 

Bonus book, Scrumptious Skye Confections Cookbook! 
The Skye Trilogy Cookbook! 
Scrumptious Skye Confection contains over 60 recipes all from Willa's point of view! 

 

8. The First Love Cookie Club by Lori Wilde

 

"On Christmas Eve, if you sleep with kismet cookies under your pillow and dream of your one true love, he will be your destiny."

The townsfolk of Twilight, Texas, believe the legend, but not Sarah Collier—not since she was a pudgy teenager, running down the church aisle on Christmas Day in a jingle bell sweater and reindeer antlers, trying to stop Travis Walker from marrying someone else. She may be grown-up, slimmed-down, bestselling children's book author "Sadie Cool"now, but Sarah will never forget that day. And she'll never fall foolishly in love again!

But when a letter from a sick fan brings Sarah back to Twilight, she's shocked to discover that Travis is the little girl's father—unattached and hotter than ever. His smile still makes her melt, but Sarah knows that ship has sailed. Travis, however, might have different ideas.

 

9.  Huddle with Me Tonight by Farrah Rochon

 

All Paige Turner wants is to be taken seriously as a journalist. The entertainment columnist and blogger extraordinaire gets more notoriety than she planned when her scathing review of NFL superstar Torrian Smallwood's memoir sparks an online confrontation. But that's nothing compared to the sensual heat that tackles her when she meets the heart-stoppingly sexy athlete face-to-face…. 

Torrian can't let Paige derail his dream of a new career as a restaurateur. Even if the sassy, sultry writer is making America's favorite wide receiver yearn to be on the receiving end of her desire. And with a reality TV cook-off propelling them into the spotlight, Torrian can no longer hide his passionate secret goal—to build a future with the woman who's making an end run around his heart…. 

 

10. How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal

 

Professional baker Ramona Gallagher is a master of an art that has sustained her through the most turbulent times, including a baby at fifteen and an endless family feud. But now Ramona’s bakery threatens to crumble around her. Literally. She’s one water-heater disaster away from losing her grandmother’s rambling Victorian and everything she’s worked so hard to build.

When Ramona’s soldier son-in-law is wounded in Afghanistan, her daughter, Sophia, races overseas to be at his side, leaving Ramona as the only suitable guardian for Sophia’s thirteen-year-old stepdaughter, Katie. Heartbroken, Katie feels that she’s being dumped again—this time on the doorstep of a woman out of practice with mothering.

Ramona relies upon a special set of tools—patience, persistence, and the reliability of a good recipe—when rebellious Katie arrives. And as she relives her own history of difficult choices, Ramona shares her love of baking with the troubled girl. Slowly, Katie begins to find self-acceptance and a place to call home. And when a man from her past returns to offer a second chance at love, Ramona discovers that even the best recipe tastes better when you add time, care, and a few secret ingredients of your own.

 

Do you have a rec? Let me know!

 

Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list: Cookbook Romance. 

 

Jo Beth McCoy is the definition of a tomboy, but one thing is clear: when she meets the Marshall's newly arrived niece, there is a strong emotional connection. The two form an instant bond and are quite the pair.

Jo Beth is the strongest, wilyest, most unafraid woman in Cimmaron Springs. She can out fight, outshoot and out-argue any man in town, which makes her a perfect match for gruff and tumble, no nonsense Marshall Garrett Cain.

Cain has a "dark past"-- he's the son of a man who murdered his wife and then himself, leaving Garrett and his sister Dierdre to fend for themselves. Years later, Deirdre and her husband have perished in a house fire and his nice, Cora, is left to him. Garrett is up for the challenge, but his Uncle Edward has something to say about that. He intends to take Cora unless the Marshall can prove he's a fit parent.

But the Marshall can't. His job is dangerous and crime often doesn't take the night off. There's a group of cowboys that ride through town causing trouble, a drunkard hell bent on making life miserable for Jo and Garrett and an unsolved murder. He needs to acquire a wife, and soon. Enter Jo Beth McCoy, who's willing to marry Garrett out of convenience. She's never been one for love or flirting- all of the boys in town have always laughed at her plain, tomboyish appearance and picked on her unlady like ways. This doesn't matter to Garrett, though. And soon this marriage of convenience becomes so much more than either of them bargained for.

CALIFORNIA PROBATE CODE SECTION 4700-4701

 

4700. The form provided in Section 4701 may, but need not, be used to create an advance health care directive. The other sections of this division govern the effect of the form or any other writing used to create an advance health care directive. An individual may complete or modify all or any part of the form in Section 4701.

 

4701. The statutory advance health care directive form is as follows:

 

 ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE (California Probate Section 4701) Explanation  You have the right to give instructions about your own health care. You also have the right to name someone else to make health care decisions for you. This form lets you do either or both of these things. It also lets you express your wishes regarding donation of organs and the designation of your primary physician. If you use this form, you may complete or modify all or any part of it. You are free to use a different form.

Part 1 of this form is a power of attorney for health care. Part 1 lets you name another individual as agent to make health care decisions for you if you become incapable of making your own decisions or if you want someone else to make those decisions for you now even though you are still capable. You may also name an alternate agent to act for you if your first choice is not willing, able, or reasonably available to make decisions for you. (Your agent may not be an operator or employee of a community care facility or a residential care facility where you are receiving care, or your supervising health care provider or employee of the health care institution where you are receiving care, unless your agent is related to your or is a coworker.)

 Unless the form you sign limits the authority of your agent, your agent may make all health care decisions for you.

 

This form has a place for you to limit the authority of your agent. You need not limit the authority of your agent if you wish to rely on your agent for all health care decisions that may have to be made. If you choose not to limit the authority of your agent, your agent will have the right to:

 

 (a) Consent or refuse consent to any care, treatment, service, or procedure to maintain, diagnose, or otherwise affect a physical or mental condition.

 

 (b) Select or discharge health care providers and institutions.

 

 (c) Approve or disapprove diagnostic tests, surgical procedures,and programs of medication.

 

 (d) Direct the provision, withholding, or withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration and all other forms of health care,including cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

 

 (e) Make anatomical gifts, authorize an autopsy, and direct disposition of remains.

 

 Part 2 of this form lets you give specific instructions about any aspect of your health care, whether or not you appoint an agent.Choices are provided for you to express your wishes regarding the provision, withholding, or withdrawal of treatment to keep you alive,as well as the provision of pain relief. Space is also provided for you to add to the choices you have made or for you to write out any additional wishes. If you are satisfied to allow your agent to determine what is best for you in making end-of-life decisions, you need not fill out Part 2 of this form.

 

Part 3 of this form lets you express an intention to donate your bodily organs and tissues following your death.

 

Part 4 of this form lets you designate a physician to have primary responsibility for your health care.

 

 After completing this form, sign and date the form at the end.The form must be signed by two qualified witnesses or acknowledged before a notary public. Give a copy of the signed and completed form to your physician, to any other health care providers you may have,to any health care institution at which you are receiving care, and to any health care agents you have named. You should talk to the person you have named as agent to make sure that he or she understands your wishes and is willing to take the responsibility.

 

 You have the right to revoke this advance health care directive or replace this form at any time.

 

Charles M. Shackelford is an investment representative of Crown Capital Securities who offers financial services and investment products, including portfolio management, mutual funds, tax-free municipal bonds, life insurance and annuities.

 

Attachments:   

HIPAA Authorization      Authorizes release of medical information, PDF format  21 Kb

Vital Records and Information Form        PDF                            44 Kb

Advance Health Care Directive   Advance Health Care Directive - California Probate Code Section 4701, PDF Format                                                                                                                                           411 Kb