After helping Prince Kung avert an international disaster and negotiating with Inspector Gong's mother for his betrothal to Concubine Swan, Lady Li takes a well-deserved evening to enjoy the first public performance by a female Peking opera performer. But her relaxing night out takes a dramatic turn when a murder is committed on stage during the performance.

Inspector Gong's attempt at finding a distraction from the troubles in his heart is thwarted when he and Lady Li attend the same opera performance. Thankfully, a murder in front of hundreds of people plunges him into a world usually hidden behind curtains and costumes.

The empress has decreed that women can now play female roles in Peking's beloved operas. But few women have been willing to undertake the challenge and risk the wrath of the more conservative opera patrons. When the first woman willing to step into the role of the "dan" becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her co-star, Lady Li begs Inspector Gong to delay in arresting the actress and find the real killer before the woman is executed for the crime. With the future of Chinese theater hanging in the balance, Inspector Gong must try to find the truth among people who mask their real faces for a living.

Will Lady Li and Inspector Gong discover the killer? Or will the empress's first attempt at social change lose its head before it finds its footing?

Take a peek behind the curtain at the fascinating world of Chinese opera in Murder at the Peking Opera, book 3 in the Qing Dynasty Mystery Series.

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I've never read anything by Amanda Roberts before but I can't resist a good mystery. Let's jump in and see if I found one!

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Autumn is almost here and while I'm thinking of cider,donuts, and pumpkins, I'm also thinking about turkey. There's something about it that just screams fall to me. I'm also thinking about pasta...but that could just be because I love pasta.

Creamy Turkey Dinner:

Ingredients:

2 pounds turkey breast, cut in chunks
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
1 cup frozen green beans

Favorite pasta, already prepared

Directions:

Put the turkey into the bottom of your crockpot and pour in the beef broth and balsamic vinegar. Add onion, mushrooms, and dried parsley. Stir a bit to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for about 4.

Stir in the heavy cream and green beans. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes, or until beans are thawed and heated through. Serve over cooked pasta.

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Kat O'Hara returns home penniless, heartbroken and without a job. When the magical Landers sisters hire her to run their new Enchanted Cafe little do they suspect that a gruesome murder is about to take place in the small town of Kissing Bridge Mountain. Things bubble over at the big chili cook-off when a crockpot goes missing and a body is found.
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I came across this book sitting on my Kindle and was in the mood for a cozy mystery, ala Murder She Wrote, so I dove right in...

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Brimming with heart, humor, and a bit of mystery, this third book in Melody Carlson’s lively new Boomer series packs a poignant punch! Life is heating up for the four Lindas—and it’s not just hot flashes! Abby’s losing sleep over her husband’s health and neglecting her bed-and-breakfast dreams. Caroline may have waited too long to put her Alzheimer’s-afflicted mom in a care facility. Marley’s hard-won independence is threatened by her grown son’s neediness. And Janie’s having a hard time being everyone’s rock as the relationship she counted on falters. Add to that a house fire, a missing set of dishes, a bully brother, plus a half-crazy blonde named Donna, and things get really complicated. But with each new twist their lives take, the Lindas are learning that good friends are the best family a girl can have.

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One of my goals is to start reading through my physical book to be read pile alongside my official review books. After all, it makes it easier to downsize if I know if I actually like something or not! This book was sent to me ages ago by the author along with some of her other books after I won a contest that she was doing.

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Lobster is one of those foods that I get to eat once in a blue moon. It just screams decadence to me and you know what? Every once in a while, you deserve a treat and this is the perfect easy dinner that will hopefully make you feel as if you're the queen or king of the ball!

Lobster Bisque:

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken broth
8 ounces clam juice
14.5 ounces stewed tomatoes
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 onion, diced
1 large leek, diced (just the white part!)
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning mix
1 teaspoon dill
1 cup heavy cream (to add later)
2 lobster tails (to add later)
lemon slices as garnish, and to squeeze in at the end

Directions: 

Use a 5 quart or larger crockpot, and combine the broth, clam juice, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, leek, parsley, Old Bay, dill, and parsley.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4-5, or until onions are translucent and flavors have melded.

Use an immersion blender to blend into a chowdery broth or very carefully add it to a traditional blender and blend before adding it back into the crockpot. Add lobster tails. Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes, or until lobster tails have turned pink and the meat is fork tender. Remove lobster tails from crockpot. Stir in heavy cream.

Ladle into dishes, and serve with lemon slices and lobster meat. You can take the meat out of the tail, and mix it in the soup, or leave it intact and pick at it at the table. 
I cannot wait to put this on the menu! My birthday is coming up so that just might be the perfect time!





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A beguiling painting holds the secrets of a woman’s past and calls into question everything she thought she knew about the man she loved…

Nearly sixty years ago, renowned London artist Patrick Adams painted his most famous work: a portrait of his beloved Emma Temple, a fellow bohemian with whom he shared his life. Years after Patrick’s death, ninety-year-old Emma still has the painting hanging over her bed at their country home as a testament to their love.

To Emma’s granddaughter, Laura, the portrait is also a symbol of so much to come. The masterpiece is serving as collateral to pay Laura’s tuition at a prestigious music school. Then the impossible happens when an appraiser claims the painting is a fraud. For Laura, the accusation jeopardizes her future. For Emma, it casts doubt on everything she believed about her relationship with Patrick. Laura is determined to prove that Patrick did indeed paint the portrait. Both her grandmother’s and Patrick’s legacies are worth fighting for.

As the stories of two women entwine, it’s time for Emma to summon up the past—even at the risk of revealing its unspoken secrets.

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Dude! Did you know that you get a free ebook each month if you have Amazon Prime? Somehow I just found this out and this was my first book choice. Let's dive in, shall we?

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Does anyone remember being a kid and saying, "ewww...lima beans!"? I don't. I loved lima beans as a kid. If I had an eww veggie, it would have been beets. I just could not get into them. Lima beans though? More please!

Lima Bean Soup:

Ingredients:
1 pound of soaked lima beans, drained (for quick soak: boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then turn off heat and leave covered for 1 hour.)
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 head (about 10 cloves) garlic, peeled
1 (28-ounce) can diced or plum tomatoes with basil
1 (28-ounce) can water
2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups diced ham

Directions:

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the drained lima beans into your crockpot and add the onion and garlic. Dump in the tomatoes, then rinse the can into the pot. Add paprika and stir in the ham.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans are fully soft.

Use an immersion blender to naturally thicken the broth by blending some of the beans and tomatoes. This also helps distribute the flavor and squish up the garlic cloves. If you don't have a handheld blender, you can scoop out a cup or so of the beans and smash them with a large fork or blend in a traditional blender, then stir them back into the pot.

This is one soup that I always look forward to making!




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Cover Art

I like to pretend I’m just another immigrant trying make her way in New York City…but I’m not.

You may know of my family from stories of an older age. Across all nations, all cultures, my family was once worshipped as gods, cursed as demons and shunned as otherworldly creatures.

Reality? I am shen, but the worst kind of shen there is.

One who would rather pretend to be human than to rule them.

One with no magic.

One hunted by the immortal monster that killed my parents.

And now, I just discovered how grandma found us refuge in America, how she thought she could save me.

She betrothed me – to a dragon.

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When I first came across this book, I had no idea what a shen is. I'm still not 100% sure, but what I am sure of is that I read this book and I have opinions.

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I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments, and opinions are my own.

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