Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: BEST LAID PLANS by Roan Parrish
Author Guest / February 12, 2021

Thank you SO much for celebrating Valentine’s Day with us this week! We hope you discovered some great new books and will try a recipe or two that have been shared. Don’t forget to leave comments on the posts for chances to win amazing books by these wonderful authors. Today, Roan Parrish brings this roundup to a close with more about her book, BEST LAID PLANS and a recipe for decadent truffles! Best Laid Plans is the second book in my Garnet Run series, which features cozy, queer romances that take place in a beautiful small town. We met Charlie Matheson briefly in Better Than People, the first book in the series, which featured his brother, grouchy children’s book illustrator Jack. When Charlie Matheson’s parents died just days before his eighteenth birthday, he learned to fend for himself and take care of his younger brother, Jack. That included learning how to cook. He was always competent, but he never saw food as anything more than fuel to get him through the day, repeating the same five meals every week for the last fifteen years. When tattooed new arrival, Rye Janssen, inherits a house in Garnet Run, Wyoming, he brings much-needed…

Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: TO LOVE AND TO LOATHE by Martha Waters
Author Guest / February 11, 2021

Today’s recipe is perfect for a date-night-in! While the characters in TO LOVE AND TO LOATHE by Martha Waters have known each other for years and spent most of that time arguing, they are about to spend a ton of time together at a country house party—the perfect place for shenanigans… Tomorrow is the last day of the Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Come back for one more day of fun! Jeremy, the Marquess of Willingham, and Diana, Lady Templeton, have known each other for years, and have spent much of that time at each other’s throats. They are famed among their friends for their bickering, and no one is surprised when they agree to an impetuous bet: Jeremy will be married within the year, or Diana owes him one hundred pounds. What is a surprise is when Jeremy, after receiving some unflattering commentary on his bedroom skills, proposes a no-strings-attached affair with Diana for the duration of a country house party—both to get feedback on his performance, and to dispel the inconvenient attraction that has plagued them for years. This frenemies-with-benefits arrangement quickly becomes more complicated, and both Diana and Jeremy drink a good deal of wine over the course…

Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: KILLER CONTENT by Oliva Blacke
Author Guest / February 10, 2021

Looking for a Galentine’s Day treat? Author Olivia Blacke has a vegan-friendly cake ball recipe that is sure to delight. KILLER CONTENT’s amateur sleuth, Odessa, works at a bookstore/cafe and has a great group of co-workers and friends to share this with during after-hours fun.  Of course, we’ll be back tomorrow with the next featured author during the week-long Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup—hope to see you again!  KILLER CONTENT’s (Feb 2, 2021, Berkley) Odessa Dean isn’t much of a cook. When she decides to leave her hometown of Piney Island, Louisiana for a summer in the trendy Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, she’s overwhelmed by the unique and ever-evolving flavors of New York City. From food trucks to pop-up eateries to the eclectic menu at Untapped Books & Cafe where she works, there is always something new for her to taste. As much as she loves sampling unique dishes, she doesn’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen. Not that it would stop her from trying to make something fun and tasty for her friends when they decide to throw a Valentine’s Day party after hours at the cafe! While cake balls and cake pops might be blase in Brooklyn…

Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: SCOUNDREL OF MY HEART by Lorraine Heath
Author Guest / February 9, 2021

Enemies to lovers… opposites attract! How can these two possibly fall in love? We trust Lorraine Heath to take us on a wonderful journey in SCOUNDREL OF MY HEART. And this recipe for Strawberry Delight is the perfect treat for them to share together… And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for another wonderful recipe!  SCOUNDREL OF MY HEART is an enemies to lovers story. He finds her irritating. She considers him a scapegrace. He dreams of owning a club. She dreams of inheriting her grandmother’s cottage by the sea. He needs funds to see his dream to fruition. She needs to marry a duke to gain her inheritance. He wants to ignore her. She needs his help to gain the duke’s attention. He betrays her. She wants her revenge. But when his father is found guilty of treason, and Lord Griffith Stanwick’s family loses everything, including their place in Society, he takes a detour through the darker corners of London and emerges a changed man, a man to be reckoned with. A man Lady Kathryn Lambert desires. Soon she must decide if giving up her inheritance is worth a chance at love. While it’s not a historical recipe and…

Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: HOPELESS ROMANTIC by Marina Adair
Author Guest / February 8, 2021

We are so excited to bring you the 2021 Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! We have a fun week of great authors, awesome books, and delicious recipes to share to get you ready for Valentine’s Day! Whether you’re celebrating Galentine’s Day with friends or making a special meal with your significant other, these recipes are yummy and fun.  Today, Marina Adair is here to tell us more about her new book, HOPELESS ROMANTIC, and a great recipe for chili. . . While I love a good summer barbeque, nothing beats a warm bowl of soup and fresh baked bread on a brisk winter night. With the days getting shorter and the night longer, we tend to stay indoors. A good way to beat the cold-day chill is a home cooked meal of comfort food. For three generations, my family’s favorite winter meal is a pot of my grandmothers chili and warm cornbread—and I can’t forget the honey butter. I may have been corn in California, but with my family hailing from Arkansas and a live in grandparents, my upbringing was more the Clampetts than the Cleavers. I grew up on chicken fried steak, scratch biscuits smothered in white gravy. And that…

Carla Laureano | Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: The Solid Grounds Coffee Company + Giveaway!
Author Guest / February 14, 2020

Alas – it’s the last day of our Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! We have two more great posts from awesome authors – read on for a caffeine fix! *** In my new book, The Solid Grounds Coffee Company, ex–rock climber Bryan Shaw opens a coffee-roasting business in Denver . . . and ropes his friend and longtime love interest, marketing expert Analyn Sanchez, into helping him. And while the characters in the story are more concerned with third-wave roasting methods and black coffee made by pour-over, I happen to know that no one can resist a Valentine’s Day latte. Filled with chocolate-covered cherry goodness, even a coffee purist won’t be able to resist this “dessert-in-a-mug” take on chocolate-covered cherries. DARK-CHOCOLATE CHERRY MOCHA Makes: 1 serving 4 ounces very strong coffee or espresso 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao or higher) 8 ounces whole milk, 2% milk, or almond milk 2 ounces sour cherry juice ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or) 2 tablespoons unflavored simple syrup Whipped cream (optional) Chocolate shavings or sprinkles (optional) Combine half of the milk with the chocolate in a double boiler and whisk over low heat until melted. Whisk in…

Tessa Gratton | Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: LADY HOTSPUR + Giveaway!
Author Guest / February 13, 2020

Ready for yet another delicious dessert, perfect to share with your valentine? Fantasy author Tessa Gratton is here to tell us more about Lady Hotspur and a delectable dumpling dessert. *** Prince Hal has loved Hotspur since the moment she saw her–on a battlefield, rebelling together against an unjust king. Hal is a terrible prince, afraid of ruling, and hides herself in alcohol and wild parties, while Hotspur is consumed with duty to the land, her family, and her queen. But both women long to make their country better, and that mutual passion for Aremoria and each other ties them together with fire. Though their courtship is fraught with true Shakespearean romance, tragedy, war, redemption, and star-crossed destiny, Hal and Hotspur keep managing to come back to each other. Lady Hotspur doesn’t cook. She eats what’s put in front of her, whether it be charred meat from an army fire, or fine cream and candied apples at the queen’s table. Hal, on the other hand, loves distraction, and if she had the chance, would concoct a delightful plan to whisk Hotspur away for a date. She’d have to make something simple, that didn’t require many ingredients or delicate timing, and…

Joanna Hathaway | Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: STORM FROM THE EAST + Giveaway!
Author Guest / February 13, 2020

Another day, another fabulous author and book to feature on our Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup. . . Let’s see what Joanna Hathaway has to offer us!  Romantic dinners are tough when you’re in a forbidden romance with the son of your family’s greatest enemy. For princess Aurelia Isendare, it would take a Romeo-and-Juliet worthy effort to arrange a simple date night with her beau fighter pilot Athan Dakar–especially since war has broken out and he’s invading the kingdom she has sworn to protect. But if the stars align, they might just manage to sneak away and savor a moment of peace, forgetting the rest of the world behind (and how much their parents would hate this traitorous kissing!). Since wartime is rough and leads to rationing, something simple and quick is in order. . . How about War Cake? This aptly named treat is a recipe from WWII, when many ingredients were scarce, and it’s made without dairy or eggs. But don’t let the simplicity scare you! It still tastes good, and it’s easy to throw together. It also allows for some creativity, which both Aurelia and Athan appreciate as artists who enjoy experimentation. This cake (with an almost muffin-like…

May McGoldrick | Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup: HIGHLAND SWORD + Giveaway!
Author Guest / February 12, 2020

We’re pleased to present another delicious recipe on our Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup from the historical romance writing team, May McGoldrick!  *** In Highland Sword, Aidan Grant and Morrigan Drummond are both proud and principled. He is a barrister. She is a trained fighter in search of revenge. They each know their own mind and are certain about what they want. And they end up spending a lot of time together, be it fighting in Inverness alleyways or the training yard at Dalmigavie Castle or duel each other in a battle of wits. But it is during the night of the Samhain celebration that their romance blooms. Many of our readers already know that May McGoldrick is actually two people – Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick. We write together, live together, love endlessly, and enjoy cooking together. In our household, Nikoo loves the everyday and holiday cooking, and Jim is great at baking. In this Highland competition, players are banned from using their hands. This game challenges participants to take bites out of treacle scones dangling from string. How can you lose?! Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 cup white sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons…

Mimi Matthews | Valentien’s Day Recipe Roundup: THE WINTER COMPANION + Giveaway!
Author Guest , Christmas in July / February 12, 2020

The Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup continues with Mimi Matthews! We hope you’ll enjoy this sweet treat. . .  *** Neville Cross is one of the four Victorian orphans of my Parish Orphans of Devon series. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in his youth that impacts his speech, his ability to recall words, and also causes him to occasionally lose time. He’s a gentle giant of a man who generally prefers the company of animals to people. Enter Clara Hartwright, a lady’s companion and aspiring academic who has recently rescued an elderly dog. She’s come to stay for the winter, and at once enlists Neville’s help with her problematic pug. Soon, the two of them are bonding over their mutual love of animals. They’re also sharing several cups of tea. During a cold winter, nothing goes better with hot tea than freshly baked molasses cookies. You can dip them and then let them dissolve on your tongue. As an added bonus, baking molasses cookies makes your entire house smell fantastic. The following recipe is one I’ve used often. Note: For a better dipping experience, I generally skip the part where you roll the cookies in sugar before baking…