Coloring Wednesday's Ham and Noodle Casserole recipe

I have a You Tube channel and I do Cross Stitch Sunday and Ramblings, Coloring Wednesday & ramblings, Friday Reads. A subscriber asked me to do a recipe on Wednesdays. So here is my Ham and noodle casserole

Ham and Noodle Casserole

4 Cups noodles, uncooked
1 lb ham, chopped
1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
1 green pepper
2 can cream of celery soup
1 cup milk
2 tsp horseradish
2 tsp prepared mustard
2 cups crushed potato chips


Cook noodles according to package. Drain. Mix all ingredients except for chips. Add ingredients to noodles, stir to mix. Put in greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, top with chips, return to oven for 7 minutes.

The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury review

The Forbidden Wish - Jessica Khoury
standalone
YA Aladdin retelling/Fantasy
Publisher: Razorbill (February 23, 2016)
Rated 4/5 stars

 Synopsis:
When Aladdin discovers Zahra's jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn't seen in hundreds of years -- a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra's very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. 



But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart?

As time unravels and her enemies close in, Zahra finds herself suspended between danger and desire in this dazzling retelling of Aladdin from acclaimed author Jessica Khoury.

My Thoughts:
This story was a little different as the jinni was female and a little darker. The Princess and Aladdin don't fall in love but he does help her fight for her throne. I enjoyed this book very much.

February 2016 Book haul featuring Rascal the cat

January 2016 BIG book haul

Salt To the Sea - Ruta Sepetys review

Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
Standalone
Young Adult Historical Fiction
 Publisher: Philomel Books (February 2, 2016)
Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis:
 World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.

MY Thoughts:
Set in Winter 1945 world war II. We follow 4 teenagers with 4 secrets. The chapters alternate between the 4 teenagers point of view. Each one from a different homeland and affected by tragedy, lies and war. They all happen to show up at the same place and try to survive. This book was gripping and I had such emotions for each character. The ending was happy and sad. I started the book with low expectations of liking it as I don't always like historical fiction and figured I would get to maybe 50 pages and stop. I was surprised how much I loved this book and got sucked right in.

The Siren by Kiera Cass review

The Siren - Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen (January 26, 2016)
Genre: YA, Folklore, Fantasy
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:
Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human—a kind, handsome boy who's everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger . . . but Kahlen can't bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?


My Thoughts:
I loved the story. There are 4 Sirens and one is at the end of her 100 year serving as a siren. She gets to become human and she will lose her memory of being a siren. Kahlen still has 20 years to go when she meets Akinli. I love the friendship between the 4 sirens. Also the love story between Kahlen and  Akinli. I found this a fun and fast read.

The Passenger by Alexandra Bracken review

Passenger - Alexandra Bracken
#1 in Passenger series
Time traveling fiction
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (January 5, 2016)
Rating 4/5 stars



Synopsis:
 In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles, but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods-a powerful family in the Colonies-and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, his passenger, can find. In order to protect her, Nick must ensure she brings it back to them-whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home forever.

My thoughts:
I loved this book and the cliffhanger was typical Alexandra Bracken and I can not wait for the 2nd book to come out.

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman review

1. The Dark Days Club - Alison Goodman
2. #1 Lady Helen series
3. Fantasy/ paranormal
4. Published  Viking Books for Young Readers (January 26, 2016)
5. Rating: 5/5 stars

 Synopsis:

 London, 1812. Eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall is on the eve of her debut presentation at the royal court of George III. Her life should revolve around gowns, dancing, and securing a suitable marriage. Instead, when one of her family’s maids disappears, she is drawn into the shadows of Regency London.
            There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few able to stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons that has infiltrated all levels of society. Carlston is not a man she should be anywhere near, especially with the taint of scandal that surrounds him. Yet he offers her help and the possibility of finally discovering the truth about the mysterious deaths of her parents.
            Soon the two of them are investigating a terrifying conspiracy that threatens to plunge the newly Enlightened world back into darkness. But can Helen trust a man whose own life is built on lies? And does she have the strength to face the dangers of this hidden world and her family’s legacy?    
           Set in the glittering social world of the Regency upper-crust, the Dark Days Club is a supernatural adventure that introduces New York Times best-selling author Alison Goodman’s Lady Helen Wrexhall—another heroine whom, like Eona, readers can take to their hearts.

My thoughts:

You never know who to trust and not trust in this book. I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. Helen is being raised by her aunt and uncle and I can not stand her uncle. He is the type that just waits for her to do one little thing wrong. I can't wait for the next book.

review: Creation In Death by J. D. Robb

Creation In Death - J. D. Robb
Book #25 In Death series
Suspense
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (November 6, 2007)
Rated : 4/5 stars

Synopsis:
 NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas keeps the streets of a near-future New York City safe in this extraordinary series. But even she makes mistakes, and is haunted by those she couldn't save-and the killers she couldn't capture. When the body of a young brunette is found in East River Park, artfully positioned and marked by signs of prolonged and painful torture, Eve is catapulted back to a case nine years earlier. The city was on edge from a killing spree that took the lives of four women in fifteen days, courtesy of a man the media tagged "The Groom"-because he put silver rings on the fingers of his victims.
When it turns out that the young brunette was employed by Eve's billionaire husband, Roarke, she brings him in on the case-a move that proves fitting when it becomes chillingly clear that the killer has made his attack personal. The victim was washed in products from a store Roarke owns, and laid out on a sheet his company manufactures.
With the Groom's monstrous return, Eve is determined to finish him once and for all. Familiar with his methods, Eve knows that he has already grabbed his next victim. Time is running out on another woman's life.
And chances are he's working up to the biggest challenge of his illustrious career-abducting a woman who will test his skills and who promises to give him days and days of pleasure before she dies: Eve.

My Thoughts:
 Book #25 of the In Death series. Detective Eve needs to find the man who is murdering women. It started years ago and then stopped and started again. Then to find out she is to be his last victim. Will she find out who he is on time? Read it if you want to know :)

November Book haul

Review: Inncocent In Death by J. D. Robb

Innocent in Death - J.D. Robb
In Death series book #24
Mystery
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons; First Edition edition (February 20, 2007)
Rated: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:
 The phenomenal series set in a future New York City returns as NYPSD Lt. Eve Dallas hunts for the killer of a seemingly ordinary history teacher-and uncovers some extraordinary surprises. Craig Foster's death devastated his young wife, who'd sent him to work that day with a lovingly packed lunch. It shocked his colleagues at the private school, too, and as for the ten-year-old girls who found him in his classroom in a pool of bodily fluids-they may have been traumatized for life.
Eve soon determines that Foster's homemade lunch was tainted with deadly ricin, and that Mr. Foster's colleagues have some startling secrets of their own. It's Eve's job to sort it out- and discover why someone would have done this to a man who seemed so inoffensive, so pleasant . . . so innocent.
Now Magdalena Percell . . . there's someone Eve can picture as a murder victim. Possibly at Eve's own hands. The slinky blonde-an old flame of her billionaire husband, Roarke-has arrived in New York, and she's anything but innocent. Roarke seems blind to Magdalena's manipulation, and he insists that the occasional lunch or business meeting with her is nothing to worry about . . . and none of Eve's business. Eve's so unnerved by the situation that she finds it hard to focus on her case. Still, she'll have to put aside her feelings, for a while at least-because another man has just turned up dead.
Eve knows all too well that innocence can be a facade. Keeping that in mind may help her solve this case at last. But it may also tear apart her marriage.


My Thoughts:
  I just finished this book. Eve Dallas has 2 murders on her hands to solve. I kind of had an idea who did it and I was right. While this is going on Eve's husband has a woman from his past show up to cause trouble in their marriage. Will it work? Read to find out Haha.

Review: Devil's Chair by Roy A. Teel Jr.

Devil's Chair by Roy A. Teel, Jr.
The Iron Eagle Series Book #6
Hard Boiled Suspense
Publisher: Narroway Press (August 11, 2015)
Rated 4/5 stars

Synopsis:
 Rollins Industries is one of the nation’s largest distributors of organic food products, but Adam Osborn, a highly successful sales manager and the head of their sales department, has disappeared. Amelia Farrell, the head of human resources and Osborn’s love interest, has just terminated Gaston Reed, a senior salesman with a less than stable personality, after he made threats against Osborn and others in the company. What begins as a routine missing persons report quickly turns into anything but as LA County Sheriff Jim O’Brian and FBI Special Agents John Swenson and Steve Hoffman are drawn into the investigation when the Osborn investigation reveals that he was brutally murdered. Reed tops everyone’s list as the prime suspect; however, a deeper mystery begins to unfold as bodies pile up, and an unseen force is suspected of pulling the strings. Just when the men think they are closing in on the killer, a stunning development sends them careening into an unforgiving world of cruelty and torture — a world so depraved that only the Iron Eagle dare tread.

***Content Warning: While the Iron Eagle Series can be read out of order as a stand-alone book the reader should be advised that backgrounds and details of the characters may be confusing if readers choose to do so. The Iron Eagle Crime novel series contains mature subject matter, graphic violence, sexual content, language, torture and other scenes that may be disturbing to sensitive readers. This series is not intended for anyone under the age of eighteen, reader discretion is advised.***

My Thoughts:
I received this from NetGalley for an honest review. I had not read any of the other books in this series and it might have helped me with the main characters. All I can say is WOW! What an intense and graphic book. Great detail even though it is very gory. The Iron Eagle deals with the bad guys in his own way and leaves a signature for the FBI when done. I would like to read the rest of the books from the beginning,

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Dregs series book 1
Dystopian/Fantasy
 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (September 29, 2015)
Rated 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price--and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction―if they don't kill each other first.

My Thoughts:
 Loved this book. At first I was lost with all the characters and things going on but then I couldn't put it down. Loved all the characters and how we were told their backgrounds on who and what they were and how they got to where they are now. Glad that I bought this book now as the page edges are black.

Review: Born in Death by J.D. Robb

Born in Death - J.D. Robb
#23 In Death series
Suspense
Thorndike Press (November 2006)
Rated: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:
  Eve Dallas has a grisly double homicide to solve when two young lovers—both employees of the same prestigious accounting firm—are brutally killed on the same night. It doesn't leave Eve a lot of leftover time to put together a baby shower for her buddy Mavis, but that's supposedly what friends are for.

Now Mavis needs another favor. Tandy Willowby, one of the moms-to-be in Mavis's birthing class, didn't show up for the shower. A recent emigrant from London, Tandy has few friends in New York, and no family—and she was really looking forward to the party. And when Eve enters Tandy's apartment and finds a gift for Mavis's shower wrapped and ready on the table—and a packed bag for the hospital still on the floor next to it—tingling runs up and down her spine.

Normally, such a case would be turned over to Missing Persons. But Mavis wants no one else on the job but Eve—and Eve can't say no. She'll have to track Tandy down while simultaneously unearthing the deals and double-crosses hidden in the files of some of the city's richest and most secretive citizens, in a race against this particularly vicious killer. Luckily, her multimillionaire husband Roarke's expertise comes in handy with the number crunching. But as he mines the crucial data that will break the case wide open, Eve faces an all too real danger in the world of flesh and blood.

My Thoughts:
 
Eve has to find a killer, a missing pregnant woman and throw a baby shower for her best friend and be a birthing coach for her friend. She does it all with sarcasm.

Review: Winter - Marissa Meyer

Winter - Marissa Meyer
#4 The Lunar Chronicles
Science Fiction/ Fairytale Retelling
Feiwel & Friends (November 10, 2015)
Rated: 5/5 stars

Synopsis:
 Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

My Thoughts:
 
The last book of this series and so hard to put down. I just finished it and have so many emotions right now. This books was sooo good. All the characters from the past books all come together to defeat Levana.

Review - Blue Moon - Laurell K. Hamilton

Blue Moon - Laurell K. Hamilton
#8 Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series
Paranormal Fiction
first published November 1st 1998
Rated: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:
 When she chose master vampire Jean-Claude over her ex-fiancé, alpha werewolf Richard Zeeman, Anita learned that sometimes love is not enough. But though she and Richard won’t be walking down any aisles, she can’t turn her back on him when he’s arrested on a rape charge in Tennessee. Anita knows firsthand that Richard has the morals of a saint—or at least a boy scout. But his guilt or innocence is not the issue. He’s behind bars, and in five days a full moon will rise…

My Thoughts:
 
Wow, Lots of violence and sex scenes. I have always been a big fan of Anita with Richard but sometimes he gets her into bad predictaments. I didn't miss Jean Claude as I am not a big fan of his. Some scenes were really eerie with the were packs and how they show their love for each other but the writing was all there in detail so you didn't miss out on anything.

Reviews: The One and The Heir by Kiera Cass

The One - Kiera Cass
#3 of The Selection series
YA fantasy/science fiction
Published May 6th 2014 by HarperTeen
Rated 5/5 stars

Synopsis:
 The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

My Thoughts: 
This book is my favorite so far. I laughed and cried. I watched America grow up and realize what her feelings really were and Maxon coming to the realization of his feelings. 

 The Heir - Kiera Cass
#4 The Selection series
YA Fantasy/Science Fiction
Published May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen
Rated 4/5 stars


 Synopsis: 
Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

My Thoughts:
  Princess Eadlyn is nothing like her mom or dad. She is very independent and does not think she needs anyone in her life but her parents and her brothers. She has a lot of growing up to do. Having the selection for her has been nothing like it was for her dad. At the end she realized her mistake and you know there will be another book.

Review: The Bronte Plot - Katherine Reay

The Bronte Plot - Katherine Raey
standalone
Contemporary
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 3, 2015)
rated: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

When Lucy’s secret is unearthed, her world begins to crumble. But it may be the best thing that has ever happened to her.
Lucy Alling makes a living selling rare books, often taking suspicious liberties to reach her goals. When her unorthodox methods are discovered, Lucy’s secret ruins her relationship with her boss and her boyfriend, James—leaving Lucy in a heap of hurt and trouble. Something has to change; she has to change.
In a sudden turn of events, James’s wealthy grandmother, Helen, hires Lucy as a consultant for a London literary and antiques excursion. Lucy reluctantly agrees and soon discovers Helen holds secrets of her own. In fact, Helen understands Lucy’s predicament better than anyone else.
As the two travel across England, Lucy benefits from Helen’s wisdom as Helen confronts ghosts from her own past. Everything comes to a head at Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, where Lucy is reminded of the sisters’ beloved heroines who, with tenacity and resolution, endured—even in the midst of impossible circumstances.
Now Lucy must face her past in order to move forward. And while it may hold mistakes and regrets, she will prevail—if only she can step into the life that’s been waiting for her all along.

My thoughts:
 I received this from NetGalley for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it refreshing after reading the same kind of genre for awhile. Lucy had made some mistakes in her personal life and in her career. After losing the man she was seeing and then meeting his grandmother. Lucy and Helen go on an adventure to right their wrongs. I loved both of these strong women and the people that they encountered.

October Book Haul

I had to get the new Harry Potter Illustrated Edition and the big brown book is Grimm's complete Fairy Takes, that I have always wanted.

Review: The Elite - Kiera Cass

The Elite - Kiera Cass
Book #2 of The Selection series
Dystopian/YA Romance
HarperTeen; Reprint edition (May 6, 2014)
4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
 The Selection began with thirty-five girls.
Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book. The only thing that drives me crazy is America's fickleness. Does she want the Prince or not. Does she really have feelings for him or does she want a life with Aspen? I think she loves both of them and is confused. But I can't wait to see how the rest of the series works out.