Next week, my debut sexy contemporary romance series, Texas Nights, will conclude with the release of Designed for Love. And to thank my writer gal pals, fabulous readers and Carina Press for supporting and loving this series, I wanted to share a delicious hot chocolate recipe that will warm you up on these chilly November nights when you’re curled up reading stories by your favorite authors.

(Originally published in Southern Living—I think!—but I’ve tweaked the instructions over the years.)

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Mexican Hot Chocolate

• ¼ cup cocoa

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 − 14-ounce can (fat-free) sweetened condensed milk

• 4 cups (low-fat) milk

Stir together dry ingredients in a small bowl. (I actually like to make up several batches of this dry mixture early in the season and keep them in plastic containers or baggies. That way, I can get straight to the hot chocolate making with no measuring.)

Heat a cup or so of milk over medium heat. Whisk dry ingredients into the milk. Make sure the cocoa and spices are well incorporated. Then add remainder of milk and the condensed milk and whisk well. Cook until the whole chocolaty yumminess is heated through.

Pour it up into four or five cups and share with the folks you’re most thankful for!

NOTE: This hot chocolate is killer top offed with a little shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey. :-)

Ashton Davenport: Hot blonde. Old Money. Off-limits.

That’s how Mac McLaughlin sees her, anyway. And now that he’s enduring a temporary self-imposed exile in tiny Shelbyville, Texas, he’s seeing her way too often. Mac only wants to succeed as the contractor for the Lily Lake development in order to rebuild his reputation and return to Dallas, pronto. A sexy distraction like Ashton was not in the plans.

Mac McLaughlin: Hot builder. Cash poor. Hands-on.

Ashton kissed her trust fund goodbye and left her life as a society princess to prove she could make it on her own. Developing Lily Lake is her big chance, but it’s hard to stay focused working side-by-side with bossy, rough-around-the-edges Mac. Especially when he pulls off his shirt.

When the discovery of an endangered species derails the project, Mac can’t afford to stick around for a stalled job. His and Ashton’s explosive chemistry aside, he’s outta there…unless she can convince him that they just might be able to build something together.

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Connect with Kelsey: Email / Website / Newsletter / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest

In my newest book, Finding Their Bliss, one of my characters introduces her (*cough* my) recipe for decadent Hot Chocolate. Even though the weather is warming up on my side of the world, I still think it’s worth sharing. And drinking.

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The World’s Best Hot Chocolate (No, I’m not proud of it or anything *grins*)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk

6 Tablespoons Dutch Process (High fat) Cocoa Powder

4 Tablespoons Vodka (Regular vodka is Great. Kissed Caramel, Fluffed Marshmallow, or Coconut flavored vodka is even better)

4 Tablespoons (divided) Marshmallow Crème

Directions:

Take two large mugs. In each, put 2 Tablespoons Marshmallow Crème, 2 Tablespoons Vodka, and 3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder.

Heat milk over stove on medium heat. Stir to make sure milk doesn't scald. Remove from burner when it is hot but hasn't started to boil. Split between two mugs and stir all ingredients together. Enjoy

Brent Carmichael loved Corbin's Bend. A small community at the base of the Rocky Mountains just for spankofiles, he worked tirelessly to make sure everything ran smoothly and that the residents were safe and happy. He never intended to fall in love but when Charmagne Kendle stumbled into his life, he found an attraction he had no intention of fighting.

Char moved to Corbin's Bend after losing her job, her apartment, and her fiancé all in one day. She had no idea she was actually moving to a spanking community but with the freedom to explore her secret fetish, she found herself happily upended over Brent's lap.

As their relationship deepened into domestic discipline, her ex appeared wanting her back. Now she had to choose. The rich, handsome, and charming Nathan Korven or former police officer Brent Carmichael. To find her bliss, there was really only one choice.

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http://www.thiannad.com/

With autumn here, it’s time to cuddle up with a hot drink and an even hotter romance!

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Decadent Salted Irish Hot Chocolate

1 cup whole milk

A pinch of salt

2 oz of milk chocolate, finely chopped.

2 tbs Irish cream liqueur

Whipped cream

¼ tsp cocoa powder

If you are making the whipped cream, be sure to add a splash of the liqueur to the cream so you can infuse it with a little more of that boozy goodness.

Heat milk in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat until just beginning to bubble at edges. (this should take about 3 min or so)

Remove from heat, stir in salt, chocolate, and liqueur and then let it rest for a minute. Once everything is melted, whisk until smooth.

Pour into glasses and finish with whipped cream dusted with the cocoa powder

Enjoy!

[Ménage Amour: Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, vampires, sex toys, HEA]

Duncan Masterson lives apart from his vampire brethren and has vowed to never bring another mortal into his dark world. Only his fiercely loyal human guardian, Jared Evans, knows the truth about who and what he is.

For nearly a century Duncan has held fast to his vow, until the day he finds the beautiful Tabitha Blacke lying dazed and bleeding after a rogue vampire attack. Duncan realizes he must break his vows in order to protect her from the evil that is prowling his territory.

When both Duncan and Jared find themselves falling for their lovely houseguest, they decide to claim her together, forging bonds that will change all of their lives forever.

As trouble draws near, their bond will be tested and sacrifices will be demanded of them all. The two men know they'll do whatever it takes to keep their beloved Tabi safe, but will their love be enough to see them through

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You can find Susan around the web:

website/blog: http://www.susanhayes.ca

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Hayes/551945384831723

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6444700.Susan_Hayes

Amazon: http://amzn.com/e/B008KWT574

Twitter: https://twitter.com/capricia13

Bokstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/susan-hayes

One of my favorite things is coffee, followed closely by chocolate. What better drink than to mix them together with some tea, to make Ambrosia?

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Ambrosia

Unlike coffee or tea, Ambrosia combines the effects of both and adds the bliss of chocolate.  One cup will open your mind and awaken your senses for whatever you desire, sexy, sweet, or serious.

-1 part high quality brewed coffee (or, even better, make it in a French press)
-1 part high quality black or green tea (Dragonwell is an excellent choice)
-1 part high quality hot cocoa (Valhrona is my personal favorite; Vosges is a close second)

Combine in a tea pot and whisk briskly for thirty seconds. Serve hot with a dash of cream and sugar.

I found this recipe in the Herbal Studies Course by Jeanne Rose, called the Cosmic Caffeinator.  I have made it many times and the darker the cocoa, the better the results.  The quality of the ingredients make a difference, as in anything.  But it's well worth trying, even if all you have at hand is office coffee, black orange pekoe teabags and hot chocolate.  But making it with "the real deal" will show you why I call it Ambrosia.

If you have any interest in herbalism at all, Ms. Rose is the best source of information, bar none.  Her sense of humor and wealth of knowledge are vast and she's written extensively on both herbalism and aromatherapy, as well as other topics.  You can find out more about Ms. Rose, her books and classes, at her website.

 

Chicagoland Shifters, Book 2

Veterinary trauma surgeon and animal empath Sasha Soskoff has found everything he ever wanted with his new partners Neal, Steve and Carlos. Life feels as safe and secure as it can be among a group of ex-Marine tiger shifters. Until a homeless man is found, gruesomely mauled and murdered, near Neal’s BDSM club.

When it’s determined a rogue tiger did the deed, the jaguars’ accusing eyes turn toward Sasha’s lovers. The precarious balance of peace tips dangerously toward war.

Neal knows damned well none of his tigers committed the crime. Someone must be in Chicago without his knowledge or permission, and they’d better find him fast before uncertainty and conflict rip the tight-knit band apart from the inside.

As Sasha struggles to heal the stress fractures forming among his tiger family, he begins to wonder if his dreams of a home, and love, were too good to be true. And it’s precisely that moment the killer strikes at the heart of the tiger clan—Sasha himself.

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http://acatherinenoon.blogspot.com/

Ontario got hit hard this winter and I’ll be glad to see the end of the glaring white snow. In thinking of Spring, it made me think of smoothies, fruit juices and such. So I thought I’d share one of our favorite recipes that we enjoy a lot in Spring & Summer – and is a great for my son who has Type 1 Diabetes too – as it is a cool, sweet treat to celebrate the warmer weather.

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Blueberry-Almond Smoothies

1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk or skim milk
2 teaspoons honey
1 cup ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Purée until smooth.

Nutritional Values:
Calories: 225; Fat: 8g (0g sat fat); Protein: 11.4g; Carb: 31g; Fiber: 5.3g; Chol: 0mg; Sodium: 34mg; Calcium: 97mg

Sweetest Salvation releases this week ~ Thurs, March 21^st!

After the deaths of her husband and child, tragedies that she blames herself for, Andrea “Andy” Sheaver has shut herself off from the world. The only place she finds any relief from her shattered heart is Club Splendor, where she and her husband often frequented together.  There, Andy submits to pleasure and pain in situations so her grief is forgotten for a little while.

But Hunter Sullivan won’t stand idly by and watch Andy self-destruct. A friend of her husband, and the owner of Club Splendor, Hunter has kept his love for Andy hidden for years. He refuses to think of her at the club, cold and detached as she’s become, looking for an easy fix to take away the pain in her heart.  Hunter wants her to vibrant in life again and sets out to prove he is exactly who she needs.

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kaceyhammellkreations.blogspot.com

In The Chocolate Kiss, Magalie’s hot chocolate bewitches all comers, and Philippe, hot-shot pastry chef, struggles mightily to resist its lure. He doesn’t want to be the one to crack first, after all.

Chocolat chaud, or European-style hot chocolate, is so easy to make, I’m always surprised people would stick with cocoa mixes. Neither Magalie nor I ever use a real recipe, but some proportions to get you started

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--2 cups (250 ml) liquid; I prefer milk, but if your chocolate is particularly high quality you might prefer water, and some people blend milk and cream

--Spices as you prefer, such as 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp vanilla, a fine fresh grating of nutmeg

--8 oz (225 g) high quality dark chocolate; I prefer Valrhona’s 61% couverture chocolate

1. Put the milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a pot and heat the milk gently until steam just starts to rise from it. Try not to let it form a skin; overheating milk changes its flavor.

2. Remove from burner and add chocolate, and vanilla if using. Let sit for thirty seconds. Whisk quickly until smooth.

3. Throw in some wishes for the people who drink it, like Magalie. Here are some of hers: May you find some gumption. May you have a beautiful, dreaming day. May you love your life and seize it with both hands. May you find yourself humble at my feet and very, very sorry you ever decided to open a shop to compete with mine just down the street. (But that wish didn’t work out for her quite like she expected.)

The Heart of Paris

Welcome to La Maison des Sorcieres. Where the window display is an enchanted forest of sweets, a collection of conical hats delights the eye and the habitués nibble chocolate witches from fanciful mismatched china. While in their tiny blue kitchen, Magalie Chaudron and her two aunts stir wishes into bubbling pots of heavenly chocolat chaud.

But no amount of wishing will rid them of interloper Philippe Lyonnais, who has the gall to open one of his world famous pastry shops right down the street. Philippe’s creations seem to hold a magic of their own, drawing crowds of beautiful women to their little isle amidst the Seine, and tempting even Magalie to venture out of her ivory tower and take a chance, a taste … a kiss.

Parisian princesses, chocolate witches, patissier princes and sweet wishes—

An enchanting tale of amour et chocolat

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