VBT# Review- Nourish - Laura Baggaley - July 2026 Imagine a world where nobody eats. No Sunday roasts, no warm toast, no biscuit dunked in tea. Instead there are liquid injections and vitamin pills, and a generation of people who wouldn't know what taste is. That's the world of Laura Baggaley's Nourish, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Our hero is Cal, who lives in a post-food society where people receive what's known as Nutritional Provision. It's tidy and efficient, and everyone accepts it as simply how things are. Then Cal's father dies, and he's sent to a fancy boarding school. It's there that he finds a rare edible substance, something that shouldn't exist, and it makes him question everything he's ever been told about nourishment. What I loved most is how the book gets you thinking about the small, ordinary things we take for granted. The smell of something baking, the way a meal brings people to a table, the comfort of ...

Review: Your'e the Apple of my Pie - Rose Rossner and Illustrated by Jill Howarth - August 2023 "You're the Apple of My Pie," authored by Rose Rossner and brought to life through the enchanting illustrations of Jill Howarth, is a delightful picture book that tenderly explores the language of love through delectable culinary metaphors. In this heartwarming addition to the Punderland series, readers are treated to a feast for the senses as the author weaves a tale of parental affection using the symbolism of scrumptious foods. Rossner's prose is a charming blend of wit and warmth, ingeniously employing wordplay to convey emotions. With endearing puns and clever linguistic twists, the book beautifully captures the depth of a parent's love for their child. Each page resonates with the sentiment that children are indeed the cherished treasures of their parents' hearts. The book's autumn-themed illustrations by Jill Howarth infuse every page with an inviting...

Review: Pizza My Heart - Rhiannon Richardson - January 2022 Going through my Kindle looking for something to read, I clicked the title "Pizza my Heart" and went into the book blind. This book was a fun tween/YA read and a very clean read and perfect for girls aged 10+. Pizza My Heart by Rhiannon Richardson, introduces us to Maya whose parents have just told her the biggest news which will disrupt her life as she knows it. They are moving away as their Pizza Place is expanding to a new town, she now is about to leave her best friend, her school, and everything she has ever known. Maya is not happy about this at all, but of course, has no choice. She arrives in the small town and learns she has to also help her parents which gives her no free time her first pizza delivery was to a rich boy named Justin who was rude and arrogant and treated her horribly. Justin brings out the worst in Maya and she is not making it easy for him to make a new first impression. What happens though...

Acing the Game Carey PW Publication date: February 10th 2023 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance Is food really the way into a person’s heart? Shep Lee thought he had it all. A successful restaurant, a loving husband who understood his asexuality, and most of all, the ability to be himself, a popular chef in the small town of Cloverleaf, Montana. That is, until his husband, Elmer Eshler, began pushing Shep more on sex. Elmer doesn’t understand why he can’t turn his partner on—aren’t they perfect for each other? And Shep loves him, right? Shep, meanwhile, while confident with his body, is and forever will be sex indifferent. Why has Elmer suddenly changed his tune? But he doesn’t want to lose the man he loves so much. What can they do? Shep convinces Elmer to try a polyamorous relationship. Elmer gets to have Shep and the sex life he’s always wanted. Shep gets a cooking buddy and a chance to experience a relationship and even try sex with a woman as his authentic ge...

Acing the Game Carey PW Publication date: February 10th 2023 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance Is food really the way into a person’s heart? Shep Lee thought he had it all. A successful restaurant, a loving husband who understood his asexuality, and most of all, the ability to be himself, a popular chef in the small town of Cloverleaf, Montana. That is, until his husband, Elmer Eshler, began pushing Shep more on sex. Elmer doesn’t understand why he can’t turn his partner on—aren’t they perfect for each other? And Shep loves him, right? Shep, meanwhile, while confident with his body, is and forever will be sex indifferent. Why has Elmer suddenly changed his tune? But he doesn’t want to lose the man he loves so much. What can they do? Shep convinces Elmer to try a polyamorous relationship. Elmer gets to have Shep and the sex life he’s always wanted. Shep gets a cooking buddy and a chance to experience a relationship and even try sex with a woman as his authentic ge...

VBT# My Darling Husband - Kimberly Belle - March 2022 This book was an interesting read as I wanted to first read it as I have enjoyed this author's previous works and I love my thrillers. As I started reading it, it was written in the format of an interview with the husband aka Cam. The book then jumped to months prior when Jade is picking her daughter up from music and she swears a guy is stalking her. She calls Cam and he says it's nothing to worry about and we see Cam dealing with a fire at one of his restaurants. When Jade gets home, a man is standing there with a gun and so begins a journey of a home invasion as Jade and her kids are held hostage by a masked intruder. The masked intruder we learn knows the family too well and wants Cam to pay. As he reveals his story, we discover that all isn't happy and perfect with Jade and Cam and that he has been keeping a truckload of secrets from her and the Bees aka Baxter and Beatrix. When the kidnapper asks for money, can Ca...

VBT# Review - Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Hot Dogs and Marshmallows - Dr. Rachel Wellner MD - June 2021 This cute little indie read Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Missing Hot Dogs and Marshmallows by Dr. Rachel Wellner MD was not only great as an introduction to the genre of mystery stories for preschoolers/ early primary school-aged children as this book is perfect for children aged 4-8 years old. It also introduces children to a mixture of animals that can only be found in Australia and also only in the US. The book starts in Australia with Dr. Marsha and her friends, she has received a letter from her cousin who is the Mayor of Washington DC in America. It is the 4th July festival coming up which is a major holiday in the US and someone has stolen their Hot Dogs and Marshmallows and now the animals are worried as this is the main part of their festival. Now Dr. Marsha and her friends are on a plane to the US to help solve the mystery and not only do their help solve th...

Ain’t She Sweet Whitney Dineen (Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #2) Publication date: December 15th 2020 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance Tara Heinz began her modeling career at the tender age of twelve. After spending fifteen years drooling over forbidden foods, she does the unthinkable. She enrolls in culinary school and becomes a pastry chef. After a nasty breakup with her rock star boyfriend that leads to tabloid war, Tara takes a job at a rural lodge in Oregon to escape the spotlight she no longer desires. James Cavanaugh is a farmer in Oregon. His days are spent building his business and his nights are spent sleeping, so he can get up at four in the morning. Ruby Cavanaugh has plans for her son that involve her new pastry chef. Of course, neither James nor Tara know what’s going on until it’s too late. Goodreads / Amazon — EXCERPT: After arranging an assortment of gourds on her newspaper-covered dining room table, Ruby picks up her telephone to call her oldest son...

Review: The Unofficial Hogwarts for the Holidays Cookbook - Rita Mock-Pike - October 2020 Are you a fan of Harry Potter and obsessed with the fandom? Love cooking and baking? Now with Rita Mock-Pike's new Unofficial Hogwarts for the Holidays Cookbook, you can host your own Harry Potter Christmas with these fun recipes. Just imagine instead of serving Eggnog or Hot Cider to your Christmas guests, you can serve them the famous Butterbeer or a Gil-Growing Weed Water, though the latter doesn't sound as appetising as a Butterscotch Beer drink.  This cookbook is 177 pages filled with recipes that can be used for all-year-round and the book is split into sections from Snacks for a Train Ride which includes foods like Licorice Wands and how can we forget Chocolate Frogs. Then we move to our Start of the Term Feasts and have items like Yorkshire Pudding - very British to Desserts like Rice Pudding which is one of my childhood favorites. Then we have our Tea at the Edge of the Forest wit...