In Dine With Me, award-winning chef, Miller Sykes, sets out on a cross-country culinary tour with unabashed foodie, Clancy Rhodes. When Miller and Clancy first meet, Clancy’s attention is drawn to the intricate tattoos on Miller’s arms. Over the course of their trip, Miller explains that each abstract design hides a recipe of personal significance, both of which also hold significance to me. On Miller’s left arm is the recipe for bechamel sauce. Miller’s first kitchen gig is under a French chef in Martha’s Vineyard, and béchamel is one of the first sauces he learns. He becomes a master at sauces, much to the chagrin of his best friend, a chef who hilariously struggles with them. For me, béchamel is significant because it was a law school friend’s killer béchamel lasagna that spurred me on to cook more. I’d always loved to eat, but that’s when the cooking bug really hit. Bechamel Sauce INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 1/4 cups whole milk, heated Salt (to taste) Freshly ground pepper (to taste) *Extra kick: Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg + 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese PREPARATION In a saucepan, warm milk over low heat until just bubbling, then remove…

After yesterday’s delicious kickstart by Kendra Elliot, we’re so excited about today’s post from contemporary romance author, Laura Trentham because she has a delectable dessert recipe! The first book in her Highland, GA series, A HIGHLANDER WALKS INTO A BAR, will be in stores later this summer. Be sure to check out our other Summer BBQ Recipe Roundup posts all week! Day 1: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=10089 *** A Highlander Walks Into a Bar answers the age-old question: What would you do if your mother brought home a handsome six-foot tall Scotsman as a souvenir? (You thought I was going with, What does a Scotsman wear under his kilt, didn’t you? ☺) Our heroine, Isabel Buchanan, tries to her suspicions the man is planning to take advantage of her mother, because she has bigger problems. The annual Highland Festival is only three weeks away and she and her mother are in charge! Enter Alasdair Blackmoor, another handsome Scot who harbors his own suspicions about Isabel and her mother’s intentions with his uncle. Hilarity (and passion) ensues as Isabel and Alasdair spar and try to ferret out the truth. A Highlander Walks Into a Bar is a wild romp during a Georgia summer. I dare…

What do a bear and a wolf eat on their one free night? When I saw that Fresh Fiction had recipes up last week for Valentine’s Day, I had to laugh. The hero and heroine of my new novel, Taming Her Mate, Frankie and Ryan, are busy people! They’re saving Detroit from a deadly virus and keeping their respective shifter packs from going to war with each other. Their meals reflect their busy lifestyles. Inspired by the delcious recipes shared last week, I knew whatever my characters would cook would be interesting… For example, Frankie is the daughter of the alpha wolf. She’s got to help out whenever life gets too busy for anyone in the pack. That means comfort foods that are easy to remember and that picky pups will eat. She makes the simplest meatloaf recipe she can remember with ingredients on hand and while it’s in the oven, she whips up a box of Macaroni and Cheese. And now here’s the cool secret: ketchup and brown sugar. The original recipe called for a modest amount of both, but let’s face it, who doesn’t love ketchup and brown sugar? She mixes up enough of that to slather over…

Welcome to the final day of the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors have been on our blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and sharing recipes for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy while celebrating Valentine’s Day. Today we have inspirational authors from Revell! We’ve had so much fun this week, and hope you have, too! Missed our previous roundup posts? Check them out here! Mystery Authors Contemporary Romance Authors Historical Romance Authors   Paranormal Romance Authors Suzanne Woods Fisher, MENDING FENCES Have you met Luke Schrock? Picture a guy who is drop-dead gorgeous, appealing, endearing, exasperating, unreliable, undependable…and hard to stay mad at. He’s on a bumpy road to manhood. That’s our Luke.   He’s back in Stoney Ridge after a stint (or two) in rehab, and he’s looking for some quick fixes. Luke plans to buzz back into Stoney Ridge, make a few apologies, and then take off for greener pastures. Not so fast, Luke. You’ve got some work to do, first. And then he meets Izzy Miller. Like Luke, Izzy has had a bumpy road to adulthood. But she’s settling into the Stoney…

Welcome back to the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors will be on the blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and a recipe for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy this festive week. Today we are joined by paranormal romance authors from Sourcebooks Casablanca! Enjoy, and come back tomorrow for more fun! Missed our previous roundup posts? Check them out here! Mystery Authors Contemporary Romance Authors Historical Romance Authors TERRY SPEAR, YOU HAD ME AT JAGUAR Jaguar agent Howard Armstrong has a mission, protect Valerie Chambers at all costs while they take down the bad guys in the tropical country of Belize. The romance just happens. He wants to do a lot more than guard her hot body. Still, when in Belize, taking a moment to have a really special dinner with the woman who has stolen his heart—they start off the meal with shrimp cocktails—jaguars love seafood. Medium rare steaks are perfect for hungry big cats. A baked potato topped with all the good stuff—sour cream, butter, cheese, chives. Grilled asparagus and slices of avocado for their human halves. Cabernet Sauvignon to make the night…

Welcome back to the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors will be on the blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and a recipe for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy this festive week. Today we have the three historical romance authors of the novella anthology, LOVE BY THE LETTERS! Enjoy, and come back tomorrow for more fun! Missed our previous roundup posts? Check them out here! Mystery Authors Contemporary Romance Authors A is for Amorous by Grace Burrowes Ada Beauvais is a spinster in training and an amateur scientist. Her interests range from compost heaps to botany to corrective lenses. The last thing she would volunteer to do is swill tea while politely asking people to donate to a failing orphanage. Lord John Waverly, headmaster of that orphanage, is no better at soliciting funds than Ada is, and he’s too busy managing forty lively children to keep as close an eye on the ledgers as he ought. Lord John’s family despairs of him, and wonders why he can’t take up a country parsonage like all the normal younger sons do. They are a little bit of…

Welcome back to the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors will be on the blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and a recipe for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy this festive week. Today we’re featuring contemporary romance authors from St. Martin’s Press! Enjoy, and come back tomorrow for more fun! Missed our previous roundup post? Check it out here! Mystery Authors LAURA TRENTHAM, THE MILITARY WIFE   Harper Lee Wilcox (yes, named after the Harper Lee) is the widow of a decorated Navy SEAL and living with her mom and young son in her hometown of Kitty Hawk, NC. Bennett Caldwell is a former Navy SEAL that served with Harper’s husband, but now runs a survival school in Virginia Beach. Bennett got to know and love Harper through the emails and letters she sent her husband while they were deployed together. When he meets her face-to-face years later, he discovers the real woman is even stronger and more fascinating than the one he imagined. Standing between them is the memory of Noah, Harper’s dead husband and Bennett’s best friend. A common mission brings them together…

Welcome to the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors will be on the blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and a recipe for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy this festive week. Today, we have mystery authors from Midnight Ink. Enjoy, and come back tomorrow for more fun! JD Allen, SKIN GAME The Sin City Investigations books launched in 2018 with 19 Souls, February 8th, Skin released. Private investigator Jim Bean has worked hard to create his new identity in Las Vegas. Now his life’s on cruise control, destination nowhere. He’s got clients enough to pay his bills, a cat, and a stash of Scotch. But life’s not as static as he’d like. His tragic past collides with a dangerous present when ex-fiancé Erica Floyd walks into his investigation. She’s looking for her missing sister. Bean can’t refuse her and the clues lead him to human traffickers and one of Vegas’ biggest hotel moguls. He’s got to face ghosts of his past, his anger of the present, and a brand new enemy to save four women from a fate worse than death. Jim’s not a fancy…