Jennifer Garcia's Review of Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout

Dog Gone, Back Soon by Nick Trout

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cyrus is a wonderful character and this was a great story. A romance that was very different than what I had expected. This was so much fun, as Dr. Mills diagnosed animals. I found it interesting and exciting, especially since I'm a huge dog fan.

Cyrus Mills was a reclusive, curious, analytical, nosy man, and movie buff that solved incredible health mysteries. I loved the way his mind worked and being inside it made for a great read. Most of the time, his thoughts were inappropriate but hilarious. And Cyrus was not the only awesome character, there were so many more.

There was a bit of romance in the book, which was a nice surprise. However, I honestly believe the story would have been just fine without it.

Trout told an amazing story and I recommend it to anyone that loves a great cast of characters, dogs, interesting veterinarian cases, solving medical mysteries, and an amazing hero.

Summary:

When Dr. Cyrus Mills returned home after inheriting his estranged father's veterinary practice, The Bedside Manor for Sick Animals, the last thing he wanted was to stay in Eden Falls, Vermont, a moment longer than absolutely necessary. However, the previously reclusive veterinarian pathologist quickly found that he actually enjoyed treating animals and getting to know the eccentric residents of the tiny provincial town-especially an alluring waitress named Amy.
So Cyrus is now determined to make Bedside Manor thrive. Not an easy goal, given that Healthy Paws, the national veterinary chain across town, will stop at nothing to crush its mom-and-pop competitor. And the rival vet practice isn't Cyrus's only competition; a handsome stranger shows up out of nowhere who clearly has a mysterious past with Amy. To top it off, Cyrus finds himself both the guardian of a very unique orphaned dog and smack in the middle of serious small town drama.
This charming sequel to The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs is a wild and delightful ride through one jam- packed week, where Cyrus must figure out how to outsmart the evil veterinary conglomerate, win back Amy's heart, solve several tricky veterinary cases, find a home for an orphaned dog, and detangle himself from an absurd case of mistaken identity. DOG GONE, BACK SOON brims with Nick Trout's trademark humor, charm, and captivating animal stories, and is proof that all dogs, lost or not, on four feet or two, deserve a second chance.
View all my reviews

Tempting Tuesdays ~ Apple Pie Cake

Sometimes you just need a dash of an American favorite, Apple Pie. Oh, but all the work! This recipe from good old Betty Crocker takes the hassle out of making a pie crust by substituting your favorite yellow cake mix. Grabbing a peeler and going to town on a half a dozen apples is the hardest part of the recipe. What a great reward you'll have when you're done!

Ingredients

Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces

Apple Mixture
6 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (follow instructions on box to make your batter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13x9-inch pan with baking spray.

For topping, mix together brown sugar, flour, and salt. With a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

In another bowl, gently stir apple mixture ingredients together then set aside.

In a large bowl, mix your cake mix according to box instructions. Pour batter into pan.

Layer apple mixture evenly over the cake batter.

Sprinkle topping evenly over the top.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting, approximately 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar if you wish.

Best served warm for breakfast, dessert, or even a midnight snack.

Enjoy!

Sunday Sneak Peek: Jeanne McDonald

Jeanne McDonald is revealing an excerpt of her upcoming release The Certainty of Deception book 2 of The Truth in Lies Saga coming June 2014.

The Certainty of Deception cover will be revealed on April 25, 2014.

“Now,” he continued as though I’d not spoken, “regarding Miss Hamilton.”

Every bit of my winner’s high was gone.  I already knew what was coming.  

“What about her?”

“Has she consented to the paternity test yet?”

“Morgan informed her that it’s safe for the baby now, but she’s not yet consented.”

“Hmm. I see.”

I bit my tongue.  It took everything inside me to maintain my control.  My father was baiting me.  This was a tactic I knew all too well.

“I assure you.  She will have the test done.  You have my word.”

“You word is worthless, Andrew.  Actions are more valuable.”  He paused.  My pulse quickened.  The man was hundreds of miles away, yet I felt as though I were sitting in front of him getting in trouble for stealing the Bentley when I was sixteen.  “Have you consider what you will do if the test confirms the child is yours.  Do you plan to do the right thing by this family and marry Miss Hamilton?”

I slapped my hand over my face.  There was no way in hell I would marry Olivia.  McKenzie was the only woman for me.  “I’m not marrying her.  I’ll draw up a custody agreement, but I refuse to be tied to Olivia by anything more than the child.”

My father huffed in aggravation.  “How is it possible that you’re my son?  This type of behavior is unacceptable.  Where is your sense of propriety, of duty?  Have you not learned anything, Andrew?  You have a responsibility as a Wise to maintain the image this family upholds.  Traditional family values.  You failed me ten years ago.  Do not fail me again.”

*This excerpt is subject to change for final publication

Begin McKenzie and Drew's journey with The Truth in Lies.  Now available on Amazon.

Jeanne McDonald began telling stories at the ripe young age of five, when her mother considered the truth to be a lie due to her extensive embellishment to the retelling of an event.  She wrote her first short story when she was twelve years old, and at the age of sixteen she tried her hand at poetry.  She reconnected with her love for writing in 2010 thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend. 

Her passions include a "mild" Starbucks addiction, music, reading, quotes, movies, and romance.  When she's not spending time with her family, she can be found reading, writing, chatting with her friends or diligently working toward her bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology.  A proud Texan, Jeanne currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.

Where to find Jeanne

Website   |   Facebook   |   Twitter

Goodreads   |   Amazon

Saturday Snapshot: 3/29/14

Saturday Snapshots is a picture prompt brought to you by Author to Author, meant to inspire the creative genius within you.

Maybe you'll be moved to write flash fiction for it, perhaps it will kick start an old idea for a novel, or it may inspire a new short story. Whatever it does, we hope you'll enjoy these images around the web.

If inspiration does hit, we hope you'll post a snippet in the comments.

Today's image: Bride

Photo credit: http://www.fearlessphotographers.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/MG_5472.jpg

Jennifer Garcia's Review of Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

  My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every single Colleen Hoover book makes me feel, feel so much. But this one, I think, is by far my favorite. Not only is this an awesome story with a love triangle, she crossed the originality of writing by pairing the book with a music cd. Yes, Ridge and Sydney are musical, and they write lyrics together. So, when you read the words to the songs, you can actually listen to them. Clever, right?

But, truly, that's not even the best part, Ridge is the best part. He's original from any other character I've ever read. All the characters are quite incredible, even the roommates, the side characters, are so a part of the story. The characters and their situations are original. The plot is original! Sydney, the heroine, is respectable, honest, and more than likable. But Ridge is loyal, lovable, amazing, and just true to heart. You'll fall in love with the story, with the characters, and just the feels that it leaves you with.

 Colleen really did it with this one. I mean, she really did it. I suggest this to everyone that loves music, love triangles, sexy heroes, honest heroes, beautiful heroes and heroines then you'll love this. Also, I suggest the cd by Griffin Peterson that goes with this book. His voice is incredibly soulful and the music is beautiful. My favorite song is I'm in Trouble. Love it!

Maybe Someday CD Buy Links:
 Amazon
  iTunes
  Google Play
  Maybe Someday Website
  Colleen Hoover's Blog  - Signed CD Summary:

Includes a free original soundtrack by musician Griffin Peterson.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.

At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next. Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…

 From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to become another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite.

The Wednesday Word

Author To Author’s Newsletter                                                    

March 26, 2014

Invisible Burden of the Trilogy

tril·o·gy

ˈtriləjē/

noun

noun: trilogy; plural noun: trilogies

1. 1.

   a group of three related novels, plays, films, operas, or albums.

   • (in ancient Greece) a series of three tragedies performed one after the other.
   • a group or series of three related things.

     “a trilogy of cases reflected this development”

Origin

from Greek trilogia, from tri- ‘three times’ + logos ‘story.’

In the current publishing climate, I am seeing a divergent (See what I did, there?) set of perspectives regarding trilogies. On the one hand, folks like them because they are considered to be an extending of a story involving characters the reader has come to love/hate and this is pleasing. On the other hand, the story often changes or ends in a way that a reader might find unsatisfactory.

Because, let’s face it, life DOES that. If your life were a trilogy, would YOU expect to be where you are, now?

I digress.

As I am writing the final book in what is, in fact, a trilogy, I have to confront the general expectations of those who read trilogies. And I have to confront the fact that I am not and never have been a terribly conventional sort of person.

A trilogy is, as per the definition above, a group of three related novels. Related. That is, they are bound together by common theme or purpose, as well as (often) a character or two. Or more.

My trilogy has three separate books, each with its own story arc, but they are related. They are pointing to a place in history that I always intended to get to, and I’m there, just about, in my current writing. It’s a burden to shoulder, though, when I know how people sort of expect trilogies to conclude. A burden that I hadn’t fully considered when the idea originally occurred to me, once upon a time.

But still, I persevere. I am trying to balance my ideal for this final book—

—As an aside, it is highly intimidating and frustrating to write a trilogy and publish it and be unable to go back and tinker with earlier books in the series—

—with the role the final book in a trilogy should play. Because, honestly, to me a trilogy is a series of three related books. But to many, it’s a saga that should end in a certain way.

So, I continue to write, adding a scene here and there, progressing forward in my ultimate design for this final Viking book. I fret, I dance, I look up dates and names, I check the weather patterns for the 9th century…

And I enjoy the process.

I hope my readers will enjoy the result. Both of this book and the entire trilogy. By A2A Member and Contributor, Sandi Layne. Originally posted on her blog March 19, 2014 http://sandyquill.com/2014/03/19/invisible-burden-of-the-trilogy/

Exciting News for Author to Author Group Members

Enter April Emerson's Giveaway

It's the last week to enter April Emerson's Good reads giveaway! Don't miss it! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/83983-the-righteous-and-the-wicked

Join R.E. Hargrave On Tour

Sign ups are open to participate in Author R.E. Hargrave's latest blog tour! http://www.rehargrave.com/2014/03/the-divine-trilogy-mid-series-tour.html?zx=4b5db85bcb698529

You can also join up with R.E. for a Facebook party this weekend here... http://www.rehargrave.com/2014/03/aint-nobodys-fool-multi-author-event.html

Join A2A Authors for Some Viking Excitement!

Lissa Bryan and Sandi Layne are watching VIKINGS on History Channel. Not only do they live-tweet the episodes (@LissaBryan & @sandyquill), they do a day-after recap/discussion. Here's the latest from episode four: http://sandyquill.com/.../eye-for-an-eye-vikings-episode-4/

 

Sign up for The Truth in Lies Book 2 Cover Reveal

Signups are open for Jeanne McDonald's The Certainty of Deception cover reveal on April 25th.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PAI_DiCRFcIg6vRQijoTcJNh02CiJXmLihxLiCJgdYs/viewform

Wednesday's Weird Word

Floccinaucinihilipilification

Noun for the act of deciding that something is totally and utterly valueless.

Thank you for reading this edition of Author to Author's The Wednesday Word! Visit us again in two weeks for more news and savings to refresh your bookish pleasures! As always, feel free to share and spread the word! Have a wonderful day!

Tempting Tuesdays ~ Cream Cheese Filled Banana Bread

We haven't had a bread recipe posted in a while and I found this one while visiting one of my favorite blogs, Lil' Luna. What I discovered was a new twist on an old favorite.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

3 mashed ripe bananas

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 TB sour cream

2 cups flour

1 TB Sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts

Cream Cheese Mixture :

8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 TB flour

Mix butter, eggs, and 1 cup sugar.

Dissolve baking soda in sour cream. Mix in bananas, salt, nuts, and 2 cups flour.

Add banana mixture to sugar mixture and blend well.

Combine all ingredients for cream cheese mixture until smooth.

Pour half of your bread mixture into greased loaf pan. Pour cream cheese mixture evenly over bread mixture. Add remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle top with 1 Tbsp of sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

ENJOY!