Apricot and Almond Rice Pilaf from the Prince

Two of my fav romantic suspense books are THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE and TO CATCH A PRINCESS. I love stories with siblings like Prince Alexander and Princess Tatiana. Mix in action, romance, arranged marriages, a royal jewel heist, money laundering, and secret identities and you’ve got two fun stories!

There is a scene in THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE where Prince Alexander decides to show FBI Agent Kathleen Martinez just how liberated a man he can be by making her dinner. I guess he hoped to woo his way into her heart by way of her stomach!

Today I’m going to share the recipe for the apricot and almost rice pilaf he made! You can download THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE at https://books2read.com/PrincesGamble.

Apricot and Almond Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

2 cups rice (you can use brown rice. I also wash the rice several times but that is a matter of choice)
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1-2 onions (medium to small. You can substitute shallots here!)
1/2 cup diced apricots
1/3 toasted slivered almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

Heat the butter and olive oil in a pot. Add onions and sauté until onions are translucent, but not brown. Add the rice and cook until just turning golden. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce to a low simmer and add the diced apricots. Once all the liquid is absorbed, fluff with a fork and add the toasted almonds. You don’t want to add them too early because they will get mushy!

Serve with the sour cream chicken or any kind of chicken. You can also use brown rice or quinoa in the recipe. Possibly even check out using couscous.

romantic suspense

Happy National Siblings Day

It’s National Siblings Day so I’m sharing a picture of me with my two siblings! Actually, my mom and dad are in this photo as well! I’m off to the right next to my dad while my sister Carmen is off to the left with my mom. My brother Gonzalo, who earned the nickname Duke in high school, is in the center of the photo. I’m not quite sure when this photo was taken, but I’m pretty sure it was taken at a park on Long Island where we had gone to spend the day with some friends. I love stories where there are siblings like the At the Shore series with Owen (One Summer Night) and Jonathan (What Happens in Summer) Pierce. How about you? Do you have siblings or love stories with siblings? Share a photo if you’d like!

Happy Happy Birthday to Me and You!

It’s my birthday party, but I won’t dare shed a tear! Birthdays are all about spreading joy, so guess what? I’ve got a treat for you! Drop a comment on my Facebook Fan Page and tag your bestie (one per comment) for a shot at snagging a copy of my upcoming May 21 book SABOTAGE OPERATION and a $15 Gift Card. Hurry, the magical deadline is midnight EST on March 9! Oh, and here’s a little bonus for everyone: grab the At the Shore Box Set with three sizzling romances for just 99 cents! Dive into tales of enemies turned lovers, second chances, and friendships blooming into love. Get your hands on the box set at https://amzn.to/3vQaASW and let the birthday bash begin! P.S. – If you don’t want to wait and see if you win SABOTAGE OPERATION, you can pre-order it at https://amzn.to/46h5lIf.

birthday giveaway

Thank You for Your Support

Thanks to everyone who purchased one of the books in the Take a Chance series. Thanks to you I’ll be making a donation to Hope for the Warriors, a wonderful organization that helps our wounded veterans. If you haven’t read one of the novellas in this sexy military romance series, I hope you’ll check it out because it’s a series of my heart for two reasons. First, because I get to give our military men and women their happily ever after. Second, because all of the stories are set in towns along the Jersey Shore, which I love. Just scan the QR code with your phone to find out more about the series.

military romance

#TeaserTuesday – An Unexpected First Night

As first nights together go, Carlo and Emma’s first time together is both unexpected and touching. It’s one of my favorite scenes in NEVER A BRIDE. I hope you’ll enjoy this read as well and take a moment to check out NEVER A BRIDE.

Teaser

Emma woke to tempting warmth and a teasing tickle against her cheek.  Half asleep, she tried to smooth away whatever was causing it and encountered a wall of hard muscle and crisp chest hair.  She groaned and screwed her eyes shut as memories of the night before pummeled her brain.

“You okay?” Carlo said and his deep voice rumbled through her, awakening other parts of her body.

“I am so so sorry,” she said and met his amused gaze.

“I have to confess that in all the dreams I had about our first night together – ”

“You dreamed about us being together?” she asked and her heart pounded, rushing blood to all those already alert parts.

With a half-grin, he shifted so they were face-to-face on the pillow and covered the hand she had splayed on his chest.  “I never imagined our first night together or the morning after would be quite like this.”

There was no mistaking the look in his eyes and what he had expected, but that didn’t keep her from saying, “What did you imagine?”

Order

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2MLZRyK
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/38Mje4b
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1482927575
B&N: bit.ly/BN_Bride
Kobo: bit.ly/kobo_Bride
Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/437777098
Additional Retailers: https://books2read.com/b/b6kYWx

Never a Bride Contemporary Romance set on the Jersey Shore

Come and Visit with Me at Lady Jane’s Salon

I am so excited to be at Lady Jane’s Salon tonight to help them celebrate their 11th anniversary! I’ll be reading from NEVER A BRIDE and I also have a fun gift basket that will be raffled off to support a woman’s charity. I hope you can make it. Here’s the official press release for Lady Jane’s Salon:

Lady Jane’s Salon®

Join us Monday, February 3, 7-9 PM at Madame X as we celebrate ** ELEVEN ** years as NYC’s first, and still only, regular reading series devoted to romance and romantic fiction.

Guest authors: JN Welsh, Lucy Eden, Gloria J. Browne-Marshall and Caridad Pineiro!!!
Admission: $5 dollars—cash only. Net proceeds support Win (Women in Need, Inc.)

Cash bar with $5/$6 cocktails & “mocktails.”

$5 admission. Open to the public.

Complimentary champagne toast, plus our annual award donation to Win!
Lady Jane's Salon reading

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About LJS: Launched in February 2009 by authors Hope Tarr, Maya Rodale and Leanna Renee Hieber and book blogger, Ron Hogan, Lady Jane’s Salon® is NYC’s first, and still only, monthly reading series devoted to romance fiction, now with satellites nationwide, all of which donate their net proceeds to a 501c(3). The Salon has been featured in The New York Post, Time Out New York and in the award-winning documentary film, “Love Between the Covers.”
Visit Lady Jane’s online at www.LadyJaneSalonNYC.com, http://www.facebook.com/LadyJanesSalon & http://twitter.com/LadyJanesSalon.

Happy Book Birthday NEVER A BRIDE – #Giveaway

Tomorrow is the Book Birthday for NEVER A BRIDE and I’m so excited to share Carlo and Emma’s story with you! To celebrate the release it’s giveaway time! For a chance to win a $50 Gift Card, please visit my Facebook Fan Page and share the giveaway post and tag a friend in the comments section. Each share and tag is a chance to win the giveaway. The giveaway will be open until midnight EST Friday January 24. A winner will be selected over the weekend and announced on Monday, January 27. To purchase NEVER A BRIDE, please visit http://bit.ly/NeverABride. P.S. I could so totally see Emma and Carlo doing this on their wedding day!
Never a Bride Contemporary Romance set on the Jersey Shore