I've been reading the newly released Digestive Health with Real Food by registered dietitian Aglaée Jacob, a copy which was sent to me for an honest review. Here's my take on it: Firstly, it's a beautifully designed book, chock full of charts by the author detailing several digestive issues such as IBS, Crohn's disease, Celiac disease, GERD and more. Author Jacob explains the basics of digestion in the most complete manner I've ever read. Quotes such as this one by Hippocrates (“All diseases start in the gut”) and this one by Heather Morgan, M.S., N.L.C. (“Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.”) explain the purpose of the book. Jacobs, who has dealt with digestive issues speaks from personal experience and strives to show the basics of digestion—what goes on in the gut—and what happens when digestion goes wrong. Charts showing food allergies and intolerances, a description of short-chain fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPS)--what they are and why to avoid, along with descriptions of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and the foods that can cause a reaction are all shown in comprehensive yet simple-to-understand text and charts. Almost every digestive issue can be found with details of the why it occurs and how to minimize the problem through diet and restriction is given. Chapter 4 is devoted to nourishing foods with tables to measure and monitor your own health. Here, Jacob explains the micro-nutrient balance between fats, carbohydrates and protein and gives a list of safe vegetables and which to buy organic. You will learn about probiotics, safe natural seasonings, and which fluids to enjoy and which ones to avoid. For many digestive issues, healing is accomplished by discovering the allergens, eliminating them from the diet and finally, slowly reintroducing them. Ms. Jacob convinces the reader that a paleo diet is preferable to others to combat each digestive issue and then offers real food solutions. A troubleshooting chapter covers cravings, fatigue and what to do if the symptoms return. I was interested to see she gives recommendations for that nasty distress constipation, often a companion to other digestive issues. Her recommendations in a nutshell: eat more fat, be patient, avoid trigger foods, take probiotics, get enough water and exercise. And if these don't help, she offers info on managing stress, abdominal massage, taking magnesium, sipping ginger tea and more. In short, everything you can do to help yourself naturally is listed. Chapter 10 gives some wonderful basic recipes for digestive health such as making ghee, bone broth, basic soups and stews, all-in-one salads and some snack foods. Each is accompanied by a full page, full color photo to get the digestive juices flowing. It's not a complete cookbook but offers enough recipes to fuel your body and your imagination. If you are eliminating foods, there's a section offering a weekly meal plan to reintroduce foods back into the diet. In conclusion, this book should be the bible for anyone suffering from digestive disease who wants a step-by-step manual for a holistic therapy. Jacob did it using her methods and so can you. Highly recommended.

Review - the 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking by Hayley Mason and Bill Staley

I've been reading—and sampling recipes from—the 30 Day Guide to Paleo Cooking, the soon-to-be released third cookbook by Hayley Mason and Bill Staley. A copy was sent to me for an honest review, and I am delighted with the content and the overall presentation. While this book is aimed more for the newcomer to Paleo nutrition with tear-out shopping lists and a 30 day menu, the recipes are a delightful extension of their innovative cuisine from Make it Paleo and Gather, with the exception that there are no desserts, appropriate for the 30-day detox period. The book, a sturdy nearly 9 x 12 paperback printed on quality glossy paper, is divided into three parts: 1. What is the Paleo Diet? with testimonials, helpful ideas on what to eat and drink, growing your own food and meal-building; 2. the 30 Day Meal Plan showing basic ingredients and shopping lists for each week; and 3. the Recipes which are sectioned by type: Breakfast, Chophouse, Fish and Seafood, Ground Meat, Pasta, Salads, Sides and so on. This is a beautiful book, well-written with timely information on the benefits of not only eating Paleo but of using high-quality ingredients. The recipes are wonderful. To date I have made the Kale Salad with Bacon and Fig Vinaigrette, Buttered Squash Ribbons, Roasted Rosemary Carrots with Onion (which worked perfectly with a Greek-style boneless leg of lamb) and the Smoky Roasted Turnips with Bacon. Each was a delight and had simple-to-follow directions. I am looking forward to testing the Garlic Ginger Chicken and the Italian Wedding Soup. Even if you're well on your way to Paleo cooking, this book is worth every penny just for the recipes. The publication date is June 11th but you can pre-order now from Amazon. Highly Recommended.

Home to Whiskey Creek - Review

 

Adelaide Davies returns to Whiskey Creek after a fifteen-year absence. The homecoming is not what she'd prefer, however, her aging grandmother—the woman who raised her--needs help. Addy, a trained chef, comes home to care for Milly and to help run her restaurant. But she's not happy to be back. One horrible night, fifteen years earlier, changed her life forever, and there are too many people she'd rather forget. But someone hasn't forgotten Addy. Within days of her arrival, she is abducted from her bedroom at Milly's and dropped into a disused mine. By a stroke of luck, her cries for help are heard by cyclist Noah Rackham, out for an evening ride. Addy's grateful for the rescue, but Noah isn't someone she welcomes seeing either. Once the senior who captured her heart, he is also the twin brother of a boy who perpetrated an act of violation she cannot forget...and paid for it with his life.

This fourth book in Brenda Novak's Whiskey Creek series starts off with a bang and doesn't let up. I took it to the gym and was so caught up by the end of page one that I managed 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer without even watching the time. I do not feel I'm giving away anything in the plot in the above paragraph because all is revealed in the first few pages. What happens to Addy, why she chose to remain silent over her assault, and the devastating effects bringing it to light would have on so many in the small Gold Rush town is the real plot of the story. Novak, long on my automatic buy list, creates an intense study into the human character by showing how people are neither all bad or all good. While many of the characters from previous Whiskey Creek books make appearances and their stories are seamlessly woven in, this is about Addy and Noah, and their character journeys. This one will grab you and not let go, even after the last page. I acquired this one from NetGalley for review. Ms. Novak's book releases July 30.

Book Review: Against the Odds

Against the Odds by Kat Martin When Sabrina Eckhart's Uncle Walter leaves her his silver mine, the petite redhead's financial worries might just be over—that is, if she can stay alive and keep from losing her heart to P.I. and former Navy pilot Alex Justice. Since the economic downturn, Sabrina's stockmarket brokership has gone south. She needs to learn what she can about the West Texas mine she's inherited, and Alex Justice, a good friend of her best bud Sage Cantrell is just the man to help her. Despite her initial assumption that the man is an aristocratic, womanizing snob, Rina has to admit tall, sculpted Alex is nothing short of gorgeous. He agrees to fly her to the mine, but things go suddenly wrong and they're forced to rely on wits to survive. As if that isn't bad enough, as soon as they are rescued, more accidents begin to happen. It's becoming increasingly obvious that someone doesn't want Sabrina to inherit the mine. Despite the dangers, Rina is tough and one determined lady, but can she stave off the attack on her heart? Against the Odds is Kat Martin at her best, mixing suspense with a megadose of testosterone. Alex Justice has it in spades. He may not know what he wants to do with his life, but he certainly knows what he wants to do with Rina. If you like loads of sexual innuendos, hot and heavy, sweaty sex scenes and nonstop hormonal intensity, then this is the book for you. Alex is one sexy dude and he and Rina click on every level. Trouble is, he's not sure what he wants in life and Rina isn't about to have her heart stomped on. Ms. Martin has action a plenty in this well-paced suspense; it kept me turning pages. The story's weaknesses were more a matter of taste for this reviewer. With regard to the sensuality, I feel less is more. I found the almost constant references to sex a bit tedious. The action and suspense, however, were topnotch, and after a couple of chapters where there was a bit too much repetition, the story really took off. Kudos to Ms. Martin.

Brenda Novak has another winner in When Summer Comes. Callie Vanetta has received the worst news a person could: she needs a liver transplant and without it she will die. She determines to spend her days—her last days if a donor cannot be found—at her late grandparents' farm. When attractive drifter Levi McCloud happens on her front porch in the middle of the night, injured and needing help, she decides to put her fear aside and take him in. Levi needs to repair his motorcycle, but without funds, he strikes a bargain: in exchange for parts and lodging, Levi will help with the barn repairs. What begins as a tenuous friendship, soon becomes much more. Callie grows to care for Levi but realizes she has nothing to offer him since she may not live out the summer. She decides to keep her news from him. Book three in Brenda Novak's Whiskey Creek series s the reader back to California Gold Rush town where she is reacquainted with many of the characters from books one and two. Nothing is overly repetitive and each protagonist is delightful. Novak mixes her astute knowledge of the human condition with expert storytelling to create a wonderful stand-alone book and an important adjunct to the series. Both Callie and Levi are realistic characters with desires and needs that work well with the story. Novak's skillful writing is always a pleasure to read. Two thumbs up for this one.

One of my "tags" for the Tag, You're It blog is Crimson Publishing author Galen Rose. Check out her page and her WIP, a romance set on Maui.

Tag! You're It!

My work-in-progress has been tagged by author Judy Alter. You can visit her at Judy's Stew and read about her work in progress—as yet untitled. It's a cozy mystery and the third book in her series which she says is also enjoyed by many male readers. Now it's my turn to answer ten questions about my WIP, so bear with me:

What is the title of your book?

I'm currently calling it Indecent Proposal, however, that could change.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

The book began as a romance, but there were several suspenseful plot points in it that I felt it would be a better story if written as a romantic suspense, so I'm rewriting early chapters to inject more suspense and drop in a few clues while still adhering to the building romance between the protagonists. The original idea was conceived after I had written a wine country story and enjoyed the research so much that I decided to set another wine country story in my own backyard. (The Santa Cruz mountains host a number of wineries since the micro-climates here are conducive to viticulture.

When genre does your book fall under?

Indecent Proposal is my first venture into the area of romantic suspense. It's a sub-genre I enjoy reading. My goal is to capture both the suspense and danger of a suspense novel while keeping the love interest between my diamond-in-the-rough wine consolidator and a sheltered young French American woman who is thrust into managing her family's small mountain winery.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

That's a difficult question for me since I watch few films. Paul Brandon, the hero, comes from a Midwestern steel town and he's had a hard-scrabble life. He's not used to the finer things, but he very much hungers for them. Julia Marchant, on the other hand is the only daughter of French immigrants. She's had a sheltered life and a convent education. Her world is art—restoring European frescoes—until her father suddenly dies and she's called home to take over the family winery.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of the book:

Swiss-educated heiress inherits California winery and clashes with handsome, business-savvy partner bent on making his fortune, that is, if he can keep them both alive.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agent?

I am currently writing for an amazing small press—Turquoise Morning Press. They have published the last eight of my books plus a Christmas novella. I have been represented by an agent, however for these books I am unagented.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I'm still working on the first draft. This story has undergone quite a change since its initial concept, so more study into what makes a romantic suspense work is required. Generally, a rough draft takes me about five months.

What other books would you compare this to within your genre?

I'm not sure I have a book in mind that Indecent Proposal could be compared to, however, I very much admire the writing of Sharon Sala and Brenda Novak, and I hope my story will be reminiscent of stories by those two talented ladies.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I've always been attracted to the courageous heroine who also has humility. A heroine who must overcome huge obstacles to reach her HEA. Julia is such a person. I felt I wanted to tell her story and show the push pull of her traditional ideas against Paul's drive to modernize the winery for bulk, blended wine. Both have much to gain and lose, and they also need to gain the cooperation and respect of one another to succeed. They have to learn to work together both for the winery to succeed and to outwit a villain who wants the winery at whatever cost.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I think the setting—my own backyard—is fascinating, almost a character in itself. I hope the reader will relish the blue-collar Paul as he struggles to cope in a world with which he is unfamiliar. The Old World culture of the cadre of vintners on the mountain are as foreign to Paul as a trip through the Louvre.

That's a taste of my work in progress. Please check back to see how it's going. I will update from time to time. Meanwhile I'll be tagging five other authors to take part. I'll let you know later who they are, and I'll tell you each time one posts.