Day: February 2, 2022

Honest Intentions: Marcus Grimshaw #1 (The Secret State) by C.J. Steinberg

They are after him. His guilty conscience is haunting him. The faith of the whole world is at stake.

Marcus Grimshaw was their best agent. Unable to handle all his past sins and crimes in service to The Company, Marcus decides to run away, hoping to find some moral ground as excuse for his past. The same night he leaves the mission in Africa, his handler and estranged father is murdered. And Marcus is framed for his death.

The only way he sees out of it all is to face his former employers–the people who are at the heart of every secret, within every mystery, inside every conspiracy. And now they were openly taking people’s freedom, excused by a pandemic. Marcus knows that the road will be hard and traitorous, and that his mission is not one he is likely to survive. But the faith of the whole world hangs in the balance. And he must react.

The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Jacques Pepin

A culinary legend tells his story, from boyhood in wartime France to stardom in America, and shares favorite recipes: “A delicious book…a joy.”—The New York Times Book Review

In this memoir, the man Julia Child called “the best chef in America” tells of his rise from a frightened apprentice in an exacting Old World kitchen to an Emmy Award-winning superstar who taught millions of Americans how to cook and shaped the nation’s tastes in the bargain.

We see Jacques as a homesick six-year-old in war-ravaged France, working on a farm in exchange for food, dodging bombs, and bearing witness as German soldiers capture his father, a fighter in the Resistance. Soon Jacques is caught up in the hurly-burly action of his mother’s café, where he proves a natural. He endures a literal trial by fire and works his way up the ladder in the feudal system of France’s most famous restaurant, finally becoming Charles de Gaulle’s personal chef, watching the world being refashioned from the other side of the kitchen door.

When he comes to America, Jacques falls in with a small group of as-yet-unknown food lovers, including Craig Claiborne, James Beard, and Julia Child, whose adventures redefine American food. Through it all, he proves to be a master of the American art of reinvention: earning a graduate degree from Columbia, turning down a job as John F. Kennedy’s chef to work at Howard Johnson’s, and, after a near-fatal car accident, switching careers once again to become a charismatic leader in the revolution that changed the way Americans approached food. Also included are approximately forty favorite recipes created in the course of his career, from his mother’s utterly simple cheese soufflé to his wife’s pork ribs and red beans.

A Gambler's Jury by Victor Methos

What they’re doing to her client is a crime.

Attorney Dani Rollins is bullish in the courtroom—pushing judges and prosecutors to their limits in defense of the innocent. So when she meets Teddy Thorne, a mentally challenged teen accused of selling drugs, Dani knows she’s got this in the bag. She can easily settle the case with a couple of court appearances. But when prosecutors move for an adult felony conviction, Dani suspects Teddy’s being used as a pawn in a sinister game.

As the case moves forward, Dani is certain the judge and district attorney’s office have motivations beyond the crime—a fair trial isn’t in the cards. And when she takes on guardianship of Teddy, the case becomes personal as she fights her own demons and the government. Dani will stop at nothing to protect this innocent boy—there’s no other option. Because if she loses, both she and Teddy could lose far more than just the case…

Building in Bronze: Creating the Future through Healing the Past by Cayla Pothan

Building in Bronze is an inspirational manifesto written by a woman who has never stopped dreaming and working to create space in the world where she could live her most authentic life. Cayla Pothan created just such a space, and in the process, discovered how to share her insights with other people who long to live with joy and purpose. After a difficult journey from a childhood of feeling trapped in a victim mindset, she emerged into a life filled with creativity and growth, eventually founding the Tootsie Gallery. Tootsie is a symbol of the dreams and creativity in the life of the child. As an artist, mentor, coach, gallery owner, and community builder, she reaches out to help others find purpose by getting in touch with the child within. Readers who may have lost sight of their own dreams, lacking purpose or creative outlets, will find inspiration to re-engage with their creative energies and the courage to chase those lovely dreams.

Fake It For Nowby Weston Parker

It’s time to fake it for the public.

Selling love hasn’t given me the upper hand on love yet.

But romance is messy and inconvenient.

I’m interested in passion and pleasure. The rest is overrated.

Unfortunately, a recent round of internet rumors might kill my billion-dollar business.

Time to make a change. To look like the kind of guy that is interested in commitment.

A fake fiancée for a month should prove to the clients that I’m not the playboy everyone thinks I am.

What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Besides, my private life is, well, private!

Luckily enough, this beautiful, curvy woman that takes the job wants something in return.

Games are so fun when played correctly.

She’ll be my fake anything as long as I use her family’s roses for all of my events.

Done. Valentine’s will never be the same.

And who cares about the future? Let’s just fake it for now?

Every good girl deserves a bad boy. ~ Weston