Review: No Place for a Lady

It all started with an Easter basket to rival all Easter baskets. It was innocent enough. I like having a book with me whenever I visit Jason's house because I typically wake up before everyone and enjoy sitting in the living room in front of the windows looking at the marvelous view of the forest and the mountains.

However, the night before I had finished Seventh Son and there it was. No Place for a Lady, just sitting there in my Easter basket...taunting me.

As I mentioned, I've never read a trashy romance novel before, so I was hesitant. Within the first five pages I was hooked. Women driving stagecoaches, men running willy nilly around after them, estranged wives coming back from the dead, attempted maulings in a public park...how did I not know these novels were so fantastically awful?!

Within two days I had read the entire novel. For me, that is a very short period of time as I read slowly, but I just couldn't look away!

So if you will allow me to rate this book...
Raunch Factor: *****
after all...she was a lady!
Writing Style: *****
best written romance novel I've ever read...although it is also the first
Ridiculousness: *****
two words...nipple ring...you're hooked too now, right?!
Actual Plot: *****
although predictable, there was a decent story

I am seriously considering purchasing a few more Harlequin Historicals. That and I'm apparently in some sort of trashy romance novel trade-off program with my friend Ashley, we're mailing each other books back and forth. I've already read another one...look for a review of Rhiannon soon!

Lamb Cake

I've been the worst blogger ever. I really have no excuse except that I've pretty much lacked motivation to do anything the past few weeks.

So let's travel back to Easter. Just for shigiggles! Since my wonderful company gives us a vacation day on Good Friday, I took the opportunity to leave early on Thursday and drive up to New Hampshire to spend the long weekend with my boyfriend and his family. My mother thought it would be a fabulous idea if my sister Julianne came to meet me since she didn't want her to be alone for the holiday. The more the merrier in the Shire, eh?

We decided ahead of time that we would make Jason's family dessert so I went out shopping with Jason's sister Amanda and got all the ingredients for my Julibean's carrot cake and cream cheese frosting. None of them had every had carrot cake so it was all the more exciting!

A little back story. Easter used to be a huge holiday in my family. When we were younger my Mom would decorate almost as much as she does for Christmas and we would go out to New Jersey to spend the day in pretty dresses at my uncle's house. One of the big draws was the lamb cake. No, not a cake made out of lamb, but one shaped like a lamb. When we decided to bake for Jason's family I immediately asked my grandmother for the lamb tin (which has not made a public appearance since I was 10) and we revived the tradition.

(Please excuse the tiny poor quality photo, it's from my phone)

Voila! My first attempt ever at decorating a cake. Look at him, ain't he cute? Sitting in his little bed of grass. Best of all, he was delicious!

We had a wonderful Easter dinner on Saturday night, and then devoured the lamb soon after that. The next morning, after church we dug right into a delightfully unhealthy breakfast of delectable cinnamon rolls and then it came time for the Easter baskets.

Jason's mother is hardcore about her Easter baskets. I mean, the thing was HUGE and had full bags of candy in it. In our house Easter baskets had a chocolate bunny, a few Cadbury eggs, a handful of jelly beans and a dash of robin's eggs. Plus, you'd have the glorious task of digging through the plastic grass to find them all before my Dad came by and yoinked your eggs! So low and behold, a plethora of chocolate, and all for me!

It was intense. And not only was there a cornucopia of candies, but quite useful things like a pair of knee-highs, healthier options like a box of raisins and fruit snacks, and best of all...a trashy romance novel. Yes ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend's mother gave me (and my sister) trashy romance novels. This woman is awesome.

Now I have never read a trashy romance novel before...ever. I laughed at them, sure, but I never legitimately read one. But low and behold, No Place for a Lady was hilariously awful. In fact, I might just review it for you.

All in all, Easter was fantastic. Spending time with Jason's family is always entertaining and having my sister there was even more wonderful.

To Tweet or not to Tweet

That is the question!

Should I? Shouldn't I?

I personally don't think I'm that interesting, but enough of my friends do it that it could be wildly entertaining.

Thoughts?

Ode to the Southern State Bunny

A Haiku:

Southern State Bunny
I sit in traffic alone
Your nibbling brings joy