There is something about this book touched me, deeply. It made me reflective, melancholy, happy and sad. Even now, hours after finishing, I still have tears rolling down my face trying to write this review. It's not so much the book itself as it is parts of the story where you see yourself. You see the choices you've made. The life you've led. This book will make any romantic think about what is, what could have been, what should have been and what can be.
     I'm too drained for a full review. 5 stars for a beautiful love story that made me reflect on my own life and left me melancholy, optimistic and wishful. If everyone's life was perfect, there would be no such thing as regret, second chances or redemption.
     Every book in this series, the Burg, Chaos, Colorado Mountain and the Dream Man series will have a hard cover on my collection shelf as soon as they're available. She writes realistic hero's and heroines.  She writes her characters so well, you can see them as clearly as yourself in the mirror. I will never hesitate to buy one of her books. Not all are great but they are all good.

Shade by Jamie Begley

I read a lot of complaints that this book was simply a rehash of The Last Rider series without a  lot of new material. I disagree. A lot of it is but this book is entirely  from Shade's POV and I loved every chapter. If you've read the series, you know Shade was instrumental in every story. We all wanted to know what he was thinking while he quietly worked behind the scenes to help his friends and to show his devotion to Lily. We get that here. This is it. This tells that story and more. This book is not the companion to Shade's Fall from Shades POV. It's Shades POV throughout the entire series. If you liked Shade at all during those books, you will love this one. Also, full disclosure: I like the men in this series and Killyama more than I like any of the heroine's. But it's a series to be read for pleasure, not to be taken seriously. There is no way I could put myself in their positions. I'm not made that way.

     I don't even know where to start with my love for this book. I have bookshelves full of old classics, literary favs, Johanna Lindsey's,  Sherrilyn Kenyon's, a Kindle full of Kristen Ashley, Jamie Begley and more. This book solidified Shade as a top ten hero, book boyfriend, anti-hero, lover, friend, badass, alpha. Whatever label you want to put on him, Shade is it.
     He was so heavily played in some of the other books and all we knew was he was a military hero and sniper with no emotion but his love for Lily.  According to Viper he was also a mean motherf*cker.  He ended up having the biggest heart of them all.
     Shades love for Lily was a beautiful thing but there were issues.
-I want someone to slap the mess out of Bliss. My least favorite character that we're supposed to like.
-I need more Lucky.
-The sex club is my least favorite part of these books because it seems the women all give in to easily. The guy says "wait, watch, you'll like it" and they just do. The sex between the couples is fine but not realistic at all. Some I skipped over, some I didn't. Shade was more realistic in his wait for Lily than the sexual scenes in any of the books.
     If you like easy, motorcycle club reads, this is a good series. Not the best, not my favorite but a few of my favorite characters.

                                       Sleepy Hollow - 3x02 - Whispers in the Dark
     Episode 2 opened with a very domesticated Ichabod cleaning Abbie's house, hoping to repay her for giving him a place to live. He even does windows. It looks like the writers understand they went off the rails in S2 and are trying their best to make S3 better. It may be too little, too late but I appreciate the effort. I'm not sure I can forgive them for S2 but I can give them credit for trying.
     This episode had Pandora sending a wraith after a group of people with secrets. A random case of the week that shows it's going to be more of a procedural this season.
     The wraith was just the backstory to Ichabod and Abbie's secrets. Which turned out to not be bad at all. Ichabod was captured during the war and given a chance at freedom if he gave up Washington's spies. He didn't. His integrity remained intact. His big secret? He thought about it. You have to love his sense of honor. Abbie's big secret was she found her father. Alive and well, living in Saratoga. She hasn't seen him since she was six. I imagine that would be heartbreaking. She's basically started stalking him. Followiing him, taking pictures. We're sure to see a nice arc involving him this season.
     At the halfway point we started to get a lot of Jenny and Joe as they talk about his father and his legacy. I liked those scenes and hope he sticks around. He and Jenny could cause a lot of trouble together. At first they seemed out of place but as Joe talked, you could see where they're planning to go with this story. They're laying a season's worth of groundwork in these first few episodes.
     I like Pandora as the evil this season. She's not overwhelming and she's not a whiny villain. She's just evil. She isn't taking up a lot of screen time and the actress is very good. I'll be patient but at some point, we need to know why she is in Sleepy Hollow. There has to be more story to it. I like that they are letting us get used to her first but I do want to know what makes her tick. She's so calm.
     Abbie has a new boss and it turns out he is a friend from her FBI training days. It also turns out they had a rocky relationship. Evidently Ichabod picked up on those vibes because he was giving him the most wonderful side-eye.
     I really enjoyed this episode and the many facial expressions of Ichabod. He and Abbie are my favorite platonic m/f relationship and I hope it continues. She's patient with him and he's understanding of her. They balance. Now if they can just keep those roommate boundaries intact, I'll be happy.

Quick Thoughts-
The CGI for the wraith was really good. Dean would say "That was scary,"
The return of Joe felt natural. Not a plot point.
I'm so shallow but it was not hard at all to look at Tom Mison doing housework.

Grade: B

                                          
Best Reason to Watch - Pandora is literally just going to visit a different evil to Sleepy Hollow every week. Which should give us a good, long season to look forward to. There are no limits to the evils in Pandora's box. This could get interesting.

Best Character - Joe Corbin. I was surprised at this but I really enjoyed his scenes with Jenny. The guy is very earnest in his need to know his father's secrets better. He wants to carry on his father's legacy and I felt his pain when he couldn't. His speech to Jenny was sad. He just wants to be close to something that meant so much to his dad. Jenny didn't want to share but after the kidnapping, she gave in. I'm glad. A son should know his father. Even if he has to learn the truths after his death.

Best Scene - The end scene between Abbie and Ichabod was really well done. Simple but honest and almost sweet.  Just a simple conversation between two friends on a country porch, sharing secrets and drinks. I grew up having conversations on porches like that and it filled me with nostalgia.

Best Action - Jenny attacking a man who is 3x her size while rescuing Joe. It wasn't a very physical scene but she was a firecracker who looked like Tinkerbell, attacking the Jolly Green Giant

Best Reaction -  Ichabod "manhandling" Abbie's unmentionables. His facial expressions are priceless.

Best Save - Ichabod refuses to give up the Archives. He petitions to have it declared a historical landmark.

Most Ridiculous - Jolly Green Giant kidnaps Joe by knocking him down with his car door. Somehow knocking him down around the knees, knocked him unconscious. SMH.

Best Change -  Ichabod and Abbie as roomates with boundaries. I'm surprisingly ok with this.

Best "You've Gotta Laugh" - Ichabod sings while doing housework

Least Surprising - Ichabod is not a traitor

Most Awkward - Ichabod giving the evil, suspicious eye to Abbie's new boss. I was side-eyeing him too Ichabod.

Most Bizarre -A random (huge) thief kidnaps Joe to get to Jenny. All for an artifact of his dad's that she has had for years. An out of nowhere plot but Joe is very likable to me.

Best Quotes:
Abbie - "If you can't stand the heat, use somebody else's kitchen. Take Out."
Ichabod - "Of course, having you by my side is the greatest boon."
Ichabod- "Leftenant. I sensed something between the two of you that seemed more than professional. " Abbie "Yeah? Mind your business."

The Best Thanksgiving Gravy

     One of my favorite must have's for Thanksgiving dinner is gravy for my turkey and dressing.


Turkey Gravy

1-2 Turkey Wings (or giblets from Turkey you are basting for dinner)
3-4 Cups of Turkey Broth
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp of Poultry Seasoning
2-3 TB of flour

1) Boil your wings in a large pot, keeping enough broth in to make at least 3 cups. Add water as needed.
2) After your wings are cooked to "fall off the bone" tenderness, set aside.
3) Pour your hot broth into a large bowl
4) Place in the freezer for at least one hour
5) Debone your turkey wings, set aside
6) After one hour remove the broth from the freezer
7) Skim the top layer of fat off and using 4-5 TB, add to a large skillet..skim the rest of the fat away and discard. You should have nothing left but clear turkey broth
8) Heat the fat until just sizzling
9) generously add flour, salt, pepper and 1 tsp of poultry seasoning
10) simmer until a golden brown, stirring the entire time to smooth out your gravy and dissolve the flour
11) Slowly stir in your broth, 1 cup at a time. For a thinner gravy, add more broth. For thicker gravy, less broth. Add in your shredded, deboned turkey. More or less to your taste.
12) mix well and simmer on lowest setting for 5 minutes.

Using broth instead of water and flour for your gravy gives it a rich flavor that is perfect with your turkey.

Gun Control

     I'm not going on and on about this and I'm not posting statistics. We all know what they are. These mass shootings show that we are killing ourselves. That's it. We are allowing ourselves to be killed, one innocent person at a time.
     My heart breaks for all of the innocent children at Sandy Hook, the new couples who just wanted to enjoy a movie date at a movie theater, the scared but excited new college kids. These bright futures that were stolen from us could have included a doctor who cured cancer. A paramedic, the next POTUS, the next great American Mom, a teacher who changed the world of a child. It doesn't matter if they were going to be doctors, lawyers, parents, athletes, mentors, humanitarians. It matters that their right to live was decided upon by an insane person with a gun. In most cases, multiple guns.
     The NRA has half of the country enraged to the point of violence. They believe "gun control" equals "take away my right to bear arms." IT DOES NOT. They are being deliberately obtuse and that pisses me off.
     The point of gun control that I harp on the most, is the accessibility. Gun advocates crowning glory, go to statement "guns don't kill people, people kill people" irks me. We would never have known. <insert sarcasam> Does that mean we make it easy for these people to have those guns? Why is it so hard for the NRA and other gun advocates to understand that passing a bill that makes it hard for someone with a history of mental illness to get their hands on gun, does NOT mean the government is coming into YOUR law abiding home to take away your legally obtained weapons? Unless you have a violent past or history with mental illness.
     I won't name him, but the Sandy Hook terrorist is the only example I'll give. He had a history of mental illness. He was sick, disturbed, not trusted and people shied away from him because "he made you feel uncomfortable." He lived with a disturbed reality.  That same person was able to get his hands on several guns and murder all of those innocent children because his OWN MOTHER had assault rifles, hunting rifles and other weapons in her home. When even she was afraid of him at times.  Should she have been able to purchase these guns, with him in her home? No. Stricter gun laws would have prevented that. Stronger background checks.
     Then there are the people who say "criminals don't obey laws, he would have gotten his hands on a gun anyway." That's right. He would have. Does that mean we just lay down, roll over and give up? "Oh he would have found one somewhere, just let him have it." That is complete crap.
     As a young male with no ambitions and no money, he would not have been able to get his hands on the thousands of dollars worth of hardware that he used in Sandy Hook. He couldn't have bought the military grade assault rifles, various samurai swords and over 1400 rounds of ammunition found in his home after the killing. There is no way a person who had his history should have been able to live in a home with all of that, kill his own mother and attack a school of innocent children. All because his mother was a "gun enthusiast" who was either too scared of her son or completely blind to the picture he had of himself holding a gun to his head.
     We don't want your guns. We want to keep your guns out of the hands of mentally ill people. Domestic terrorists and criminally violent people. That's it. I believe in all of our right to bear arms.  I don't think our rights supersedes those of the hundreds of innocent people killed in this country simply for going to school or to work. Simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For having the audacity to wake up thinking they were going to have a normal day.
     Keep your guns. Protect your families. Hunt your wild game. Enjoy your sport. Please do so while keeping that gun out of the hands of a mentally ill person.

This is a favorite recipe of mine.

Spicy Chicken and Rice Soup

1 whole chicken*
1-2 jalapeno peppers
2 large green peppers
2 large sweet onions
2 TB of vegetable oil
1 can of tomato sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup of rice*
1/2 cup of water

1) Boil the chicken whole until it starts to fall from the bone
2) take the chicken from the bone and set aside
     reserve 1 cup of chicken broth
3) wash and dice your peppers and onions
4) In large stew pot or dutch oven, add 2 TB of oil and 2 TB of chicken broth
5) Add your peppers and onions and saute until tender
6) Add your shredded chicken to the peppers and 1/2 - 1 cup of chicken broth, salt and pepper
7) simmer 15-20 minutes - taste test the "hotness" of your peppers. If they're not hot enough to suit your taste, add more jalapeno. If too hot, add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
8) Add one can of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of water
9) Mix well, turn to low and simmer for one hour
10) Cook your rice according to directions
11) After your soup has simmered for one hour, serve over hot rice and enjoy.

*I love this recipe for the hot and sweet flavor but also because you can substitute beef and have an entirely different meal. Substitute with beef tips or cooked and shredded london broil. You can also substitute pasta for the rice.*

Greg Hardy

     This week one of the most controversial NFL players is back in the game of football. His suspension is ended and he will suit up for Sunday's Cowboys vs Patriots game.
     Greg Hardy was found guilty of domestic violence, during a bench trial in NC. With our wonderful judicial system, he was able to appeal that conviction and remained free. He was suspended by the NFL, WITH PAY, while the court proceedings worked themselves out.
After the appeal was filed, court date set and the DA ready to move forward, the victim in the case disappeared. Holder, Greg Hardy's girlfriend, was found to have taken a settlement of undisclosed monies from Hardy and left town. The DA was unable to proceed with the appeal. Case was dropped.  It would violate his civil rights to proceed without a willing witness and the DA would have no case without her testimony. Thank you Nicole, on behalf of all domestic violence victims everywhere.
     Here is a small bit of testimony from the trial from the Charlotte Observer: 

"Hardy, Holder said, flung her from the bed, threw her into a bathtub, then tossed her on a futon covered with rifles. Holder said Hardy ripped a necklace he had given her off her neck, threw it into a toilet and slammed the lid on her arm when she tried to fish it out.
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Hardy dragged her by the hair room to room, she said, before putting his hands around her throat.
“He looked me in my eyes and he told me he was going to kill me,” said Holder, 24, who said she used to live with Hardy.
“I was so scared I wanted to die. When he loosened his grip slightly, I said, ‘Just do it. Kill me.’ ”

     This man is free to make millions, play football, say anything and come and go as he pleases.
Today that man chose to make his first media appearance with the Cowboys. His statement on facing Tom Brady and the Patriots?
"I love seeing Tom Brady. Have you seen his wife? I hope she comes to the game. I hope her sister comes to the game..."  
     Not an ounce of remorse for his conviction, not an ounce of humility to be playing a game "he loves" nothing but a passive aggressive, very creepy dig at Tom Brady's family. This man, when proven guilty by a judge, said he didn't do anything wrong. Evidently the police and hospital reports mean nothing. She choked herself. This wasn't the first offense. This was just the one he was finally arrested for.
     These statements had no business whatsoever in a game press conference. They had no business coming out of his mouth at all. He has shown he is a narcissist with a complex. I think he may be a borderline sociopath. These words were a direct hit at Brady, trying to get into his head before Sunday. Hardy should know, after 14 years, what a justifiably pissed of Brady is capable of.  People wonder why Brady has a chip on his shoulder. They call him arrogant. They call him a liar, a cheater and many other things. Tom Brady is a man out to prove anyone wrong who ever doubted him and his integrity. He isn't a coward to resort to subtle innuendo's to try to frustrated an opponent.
     I have no clue how that game is going to go Sunday but I know who I am hoping does not play.
Add to Hardy's comments, Cowboy fans are hoping he "breaks both Tom's legs" and I clearly have a favorite Sunday. I'll be rooting for the guy with a chip on his shoulder who doesn't kiss NFL ass vs the guy with a gun in one hand, while the other is wrapped around his girlfriend's throat.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article9140591.html#storylink=cpy