Sweet Evil Read-Along: Week 4 - Halloween

I am cutting it a little bit close, but week number four in the Sweet Evil Read-Along isn't quite over yet. This awesome event is being hosted by the amazing Mindy of Magical Urban Fantasy Reads and this week we were reading chapters twenty-six all the way through to thirty-one.

Our topic for the fourth and final week is:

HALLOWEEN!!!

I'm originally from Germany and we didn't have/celebrate Halloween when I was growing up. I still remember watching kids dress up and go trick-or-treating in movies, and being a teeny tiny bit jealous of them. The only thing I can remember, is a Halloween party at my school when I was 13 or 14 or something like that.

Nowadays, it has become more popular, especially in the bigger cities, but the little town I grew up in still doesn't seem to be big on it. My mom told me she had three kids coming to her door last year which made her incredibly happy.

Well, but since I'm not living in Germany anymore and am now the proud mommy of a four-year-old boy, I do get to experience the whole thing with and through him. He was one the first time we went trick-or-treating and it was so cute because he had just started walking. We only went to three houses but he had so much fun. The last two years we went with his cousins which made it even better for him. I remember when he was two and we started going up the stairs of the first house, he got so nervous and shy - and yes, a little bit scared, funny enough though, not of the decorations, just of the people. Well, but as soon as he found out that he got candy at the doors, he couldn't get from house to house fast enough.

Needless to say, he's already super excited for Halloween this year, though he hasn't quite made up his mind about a costume yet. Last year, he went as Curious George and right now, he wants to go as Spider-Man, but we shall see. A lot can happen in four days... ;)

Mini Review

Again, I love this book and the characters so much. If anything, I would have only one slightly negative comment. I felt, at times, it was too much about Anna and Kaidan and their relationship issues, where I would have rather had more Nephillim stuff going on. There was some action at the end and I am really, really hoping there will be more of that in book two, SWEET PERIL.

My rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

This might be an odd rating. I had initially intended to give it a 4.5 because of what I just said above, but I am missing those characters too much already and just couldn't do it.

*****

Thank you so much to Mindy for hosting this awesome event! I loved every minute of it!

Sweet Evil Read-Along: Week 2 - Citrus or Pear Recipe

We are in week two of the amazing Sweet Evil Read-Along which is being hosted by the wonderful Mindy of

 Magical Urban Fantasy Reads.

This week's topic is:

Citrus or Pear Recipe

Now, I have to admit I don't know any citrus or pear recipes myself. I'm actually not a citrus fan whatsoever, and my favorite way of eating a pear, is fresh from the tree when it's still green and pretty hard. That's how I like my pears.

Since I don't have a recipe of my own, I went and hunted one down that I think I will have to try very soon. Credit for it goes to Kraftcanada.com.

Apple-Pear Crumble Pie

Prep time:   20 min

Total time:  1 hr 5 min

Makes:        10 servings, 1 piece (100 g) each

What You Need

24 cup Nilla Vanilla Wafers, finely crushed (about 2/3 cup)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

125 g (1/2 of 250-g pkg.) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese, softened

1 frozen deep-dish pie shell (1/2 of 350-g pkg.), thawed

2 large baking apples, peeled, sliced

1 large fresh pear, peeled, sliced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-1/4 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
MIX wafer crumbs, brown sugar and butter until well blended.
SPREAD cream cheese carefully onto bottom of pie shell; sprinkle with half the crumb mixture. Combine fruit in large bowl. Add granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon; toss to coat. Spoon over crumb layer in pie shell; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.
BAKE 45 min. or until fruit is tender and pie shell is lightly browned. Cool completely. Serve topped with Cool Whip.

 

Head over here to see the whole recipe with a picture. YUMMY!!! Now, I don't know about you, but my mouth is all watery.

*****

Last week I got a little bit hasty with my Sweet Evil post, because I forgot to include a mini review of the first nine chapters. Don't worry, I will be talking about them today.

Mini Review

Oh dear, you have no idea how happy I am I signed up for this read-along. Who knows how much longer I would have deprived myself of getting to know these amazing characters in this incredible world.

I love Anna. She is so sweet, innocent, and just absolutely pure. Then you have Kaidan, who is the complete opposite of everything that makes Anna who she is. I do not usually say this about any fictional character, but boy, he is hot and sexy and oh so dangerous.

I adore both Patti and Jay. Patti is such an amazing, caring person, and Jay just seems like a great, great friend to have.

On a side not, I am utterly terrified of Kaidan's dad. There, I said it.

So far, I am enjoying every second of this story. I felt a connection to Anna right from the start and the way the author Wendy Higgins writes, you live every little scene through Anna. Every time she fights with her own emotions, you can feel the tugging and pulling in your own body. It's fantastic.

I have always found stories about angels and demons to be very fascinating and intriguing, so this is the perfect kind of book for me. I cannot wait to read what happens next.

*****

 

I picked a favorite line to share with you guys, and I chose this particular one because it almost had me falling off the couch laughing so hard.

Anna and Kaidan:

"Kaidan...do you think you could try to be a gentleman, at least while we're traveling together, and maybe wear shorts to bed?"

"Ahh...I see." He sat back. "The sight of my arse gave you quite a fright, did it?"

Oh, have I mentioned how much I love Kaidan's British accent?!?! Because I do!!!