Leslie Keller Books

Warning - this review contains a few spoilers: This was a very enjoyable read about Caretta, who loses her high powered job after years of working her way up the corporate ladder only to find herself back in her hometown outside of Charleston, SC.  What she doesn't know when she returns home is that her mother is in ill health and wants to put her affairs in order. Caretta (Cara) is a likeable character who starts out as distant, troubled and angry about her childhood. Staying with her mother Lovie in her beach house with a young pregnant teenager, Toy her mother has taken in, Cara has to make adjustments. She pushes back against her mother, against the Toy's presence and against becoming involved in the sea turtles who lay their eggs on the beach. I enjoyed the slow process in which the author has Cara evolve and grow. As in real life, we sometimes change more slowly than can be accomplished on a few pages. In this case, the changes were forced due to her mother's he

The temperature has already hit one hundred degrees in Phoenix. Time for some cool summer cocktails to bring reduce that body heat.  This recipe was modified from one I found on the Food Network so don't hesitate to put your own twist on it.  You can switch out the berries for any other flavor but the color looks best when combined with a darker berry such as blackberries or blueberries. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 2 1/4 cups peach nectar 3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate (from one 12 ounce can), thawed 3/4 cup orange flavored vodka (or if you use regular vodka you can add a splash of Orange Liqueor 1/4 cup peach Schnapps 1 cup raspberries 3 cups seltzer Serves 4 to 6 so plan to make extra for seconds 1.  Make a simple syrup - Bring 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.  Cool completely. 2.  Combine the cooled syrup, peach nectar, orange juice concentrate, vodka and peach Schnapps in a freez