The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson, Served with a Recipe for Carrot-Pineapple Cupcakes

I am excited to be today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for the buzz-worthy new novel The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson. Accompanying my review is a recipe for Carrot Pineapple Cupcakes with Apricot Cream Frosting that fits the essence of the book. 

Publisher's Blurb:

From the award-winning author of Yellow Wife, a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.

1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright.

Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his par­ents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.

With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.

                                                    Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 7, 2023) 
                                                                            Hardcover: 384 pages

My Review: 

I had a feeling I was going to enjoy The House of Eve from the start--historical fiction is my jam. I had to keep reminding myself not to order it from my monthly book club subscription because I had signed up for the tour--especially hard when publishing got delayed for the very good reason that it was picked for Reese Witherspoon's book club and it started generating lots of buzz. It's great when a book gets a lot of hype, and ends up deserving it. Sadeqa Johnson has written a compelling story about strong young black women and the hardships and choices they faced in the 1950s. 

Teenage Ruby doesn't have an easy life, left to live with her aunt when her uncaring mother's boyfriend focuses his attention on her. She is studying hard to gain a scholarship and be the first one in her family to attend college when she meets a young Jewish boy and their hidden relationship results in pregnancy. Eleanor is attending Howard University when she meets William, studying to be a doctor and from one of the upper crust black families in Washington DC. They are in love, but his mother doesn't approve and isn't happy when pregnancy speeds up their marriage plans. Their stories are told in different ways, Ruby's in first person and Eleanor's in third person, which I wasn't sure was going to work, but it did. Both of their stories and how they dealt with their circumstances were engrossing and I found myself quickly caught up in their plights. 

The House of Eve is not a light read, but it's a good and ultimately hopeful one. I appreciated the author's afterword about how she came to write the novel and the lack of information compiled and published on unwed black women. She noted, "I'm drawn to writing historical fiction because I feel charged to tell the truth about American history, whether grim or happy." Sadeqa Johnson is a talent and her storytelling has me moving her novel, Yellow Wife, up to the top of my TBR pile.   

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Author Notes: Sadeqa Johnson is the award-winning author of four novels, including Yellow Wife. Her accolades include the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the USA Best Book Award for Best Fiction. She is a Kimbilio Fellow, former board member of the James River Writers, and a Tall Poppy Writer. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children. To learn more, visit SadeqaJohnson.net.

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There were food mentions throughout the book such as scrapple, okra, and fried fish, tuna salad, chocolate-covered pretzels, ice cream and candy, chicken soup with matzoh balls, pastrami sandwiches, spaghetti, seafood salad, wilted spinach, cocktail shrimp, cheese and Ritz crackers, stew, avocado with vegetables, sweet tea, biscuits, crab cakes and sunny-side-up eggs, and poundcake, pies and baked goods.

When William is seeking forgiveness from Eleanor, he brings her a big piece of carrot cake from the bakery. It made me crave a good carrot cake, and so I decided to showcase these carrot cupcakes I made back in 2009. They lean to the healthy as they are from a spa cookbook, but they are delicious--the pineapple and applesauce make them very moist. 

Carrot-Pineapple Cake with Apricot Cream Frosting

Adapted from Cooking With the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta

(Makes one 8-inch cakes or 12 cupcakes)

The book says, "Most carrot cakes deliver healthy ingredients with loads of fat. In this very simple, moist cake, applesauce is substituted for the usual oil, and crushed pineapple adds moistness and flavor. The cake is delicious even without the creamy frosting--try serving it lightly dusted with powdered sugar, alongside a citrus salad or fresh pineapple."  

2 eggs

zest of 1 orange

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups grated carrots

1 1/4 cups drained crushed pineapple in juice

1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened

Apricot Cream Frosting:

6 dried apricots, cut into 1/4-inch dice

4 oz Neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush an 8-inch pan with oil. 

Beat the eggs with the orange zest and sugar until thick. Stir in the applesauce and the vanilla. Sift the flours, baking powder, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture, then fold in the carrots, pineapple, and coconut.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.

To make the frosting, soak the apricots in hot water until they are very soft. Drain thoroughly. With a hand mixer, whip the Neufchatel until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar and the 1/4 tsp vanilla, fold in the apricots. Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooked cake, and cut into thin wedges to serve. 

Note: The cookbook suggests variations such as adding 1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked and drained to batter, sprinkling the chopped apricots over the cake instead of mixing them in the frosting, adding chopped pecans to the batter, or making it as a loaf cake or cupcakes.

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Note: A review copy of "The House of Eve" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.  

You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and learn what other reviewers thought about the book below.

Book Review Tour Stops:

Friday, March 3rd: @bookmom22
Friday, March 3rd: IG: @mamabookwormreads  and TT: @mamabookwormreads 
Friday, March 3rd: @addictedtobooks86
Saturday, March 4th: @stephreadsalot on TikTok 
Monday, March 6th: @notinjersey – REVIEW
Monday, March 6th: @storytimewithshelbs on TikTok 
Wednesday, March 8th: @subakka.bookstuff – REVIEW
Wednesday, March 8th: @lindahamiltonwriter on TikTok – REVIEW
Thursday, March 9th: Run Wright and @karen_runwrightreads – REVIEW
Thursday, March 9th: @bookdragon217 – REVIEW
Friday, March 10th: 5 Minutes for Books – REVIEW
Friday, March 10th: Kahakai Kitchen – REVIEW
Monday, March 13 th: Helen’s Book Blog – REVIEW
Tuesday, March 14th: Books Cooks Looks – REVIEW
Wednesday, March 15th: @rachellelovesbooks – REVIEW

 

Scampi Pasta for Cook the Books Dec/Jan Selection: Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman

Even when I host the selection for Cook the Books, our bi-monthly virtual foodie book club, I still manage to be the last entry in! 

I selected the novel, Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman, for our because it had been hanging out on my Kindle TBR pile for ages and I thought the story of a friendship between two women, several decades apart in age, would be light and charming.

 Here's the blurb from the publisher:

An unlikely friendship between two stubborn, lonely souls anchors this big-hearted book and dares us all to ask for more. 

When her life falls apart on the eve of her 40th birthday, Kate Parker finds herself volunteering at the Lauderdale House for Exceptional Ladies. There she meets 97-year-old Cecily Finn. Cecily's tongue is as sharp as her mind, but she's fed up with pretty much everything. 

Having no patience for Kate's choices in life or love, Cecily prescribes her a self-help book...of sorts. Thought for Food: an unintentionally funny 1950s cookbook high on enthusiasm, featuring menus for anything life can throw at the "easily dismayed," such as: 

• Breakfast with a Hangover 

• Tea for a Crotchety Aunt 

• Dinner for a Charming Stranger

As she and Cecily break out of their ruts, Kate will learn far more than recipes. 

I will say that it took  me a while to get into the book. I found both Kate and Cecily to be annoying in different ways, but eventually both characters grew on me and I found myself rooting for Kate and understanding and liking Cecily. Although she was brusque and domineering, she had Kate's best interests at heart and pushed her toward better and happier life choices.

The cookbook snippets and menu titles were probably my favorite thing about the book. I would love to have a copy of Thought for Food: A Cookbook for Entertaining Occasions by Esther Shavin on my shelves. I just wish there had be some recipes included. 

Overall, once I got into the book, I enjoyed this story and friendship. It made me smile and it made me tear up. I am happy that it finally made it out of the bottomless pit of my TBR. 

There was plenty of food inspiration in the book, between the dishes Kate cooked and ideas in the cookbook. Ultimately, I wanted pasta and was at first going to make a carbonara. Then, although I should take points off because Kate cooked it as part of a meal for her useless boyfriend Nick, I got intrigued by the fried scampi that was part of "Dinner for the Man You Hope to Marry." I decided to just combine the scampi (non-fried) with buttery, garlicky noodles for one. I call it "A Quick But Indulgent Dinner When You are Tired as Hell."  Yes, I did throw it in a blow (bright yellow/gold to sorta match the cover of the book) and eat it on my couch with chopsticks because sometimes noodles eaten with chopsticks are just more fun. 

Quick and Easy Scampi Pasta for One (or Two If You Must)
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

About 1/2 lb pasta--I like linguine, dried or fresh
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon coarsely-minced garlic
1/2 lb jumbo or colossal shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen easy peel extra jumbo 16-20)
sea salt  and black pepper to taste

1/3 cup white wine or chicken stock
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta in water (salted like the sea) and according to package directions.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a saucepan over medium high heat with the olive oil and add in the garlic and shrimp. Season with salt and  black pepper to taste. Stir continuously, turning shrimp until it just turns pink, about 2-3 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp

Pour in the white wine or chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Stir in lemon juice and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat with the butter. 

Top with parsley and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately. 

Notes/Results: Butter, garlic, noodles, shrimp... need I say more? You could add capers or crushed red pepper flakes if you are inclined and up the amount of cheese (I didn't realize I was almost out). Excuse the bad photos, I came home from work tired as hell, tossed it together and ate it on the couch with chopsticks while I binge-watched the first four episodes of Poker Face on the Peacock channel which I think is going to be a new favorite. Like Columbo only with Natasha Lyonne.   

As this round is over, I will be rounding up the entries at the Cook the Books site in the next few days. If you missed this round and like food and books and foodie books, please join us for our February/March selection, The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan, hosted by my fellow Hawaii blogger, Claudia of Honey From Rock.

 

The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of Cinderella and the Duke by Lydia Drake, Served with Recipes for Two Sweet & Tart Lemon "Puddings"

I'm excited to be today's stop on the TLC Book Tour for Cinderella and the Duke by Lydia Drake. Accompanying my review of this Regency romance are links to two sweet and tart lemon desserts. 

Publisher's Blurb:

Miss Julia Beaumont has exactly one night to find herself a husband…

The Weatherford Ball is the last chance Julia Beaumont has to escape the clutches of her horrid stepmother. Any potential husband will do–rich, poor, even a reasonably well-groomed walrus. But all of Julia’s matrimonial chances are completely obliterated…thanks to the actions of an infuriating and utterly rakish duke.

Gregory Carter, Duke of Ashworth, would never risk his cherished bachelorhood by flirting with marriage-starved debutantes. But one look at the luscious and refreshingly clever Julia, and he simply can’t resist a stolen kiss–scandal be damned. Then just as things start getting deliciously interesting, the lady flees…leaving only a slipper behind.

And it must have been one dandy of a kiss. Because now Julia has proposed to him. After all, the lady needs a husband, and this roguish duke will certainly do. It’s simply a matter of making him the perfect scandalous offer…

Publisher: Entangled: Amara (December 27, 2022)

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages

My Review:

Cinderella and the Duke was a cute Regency romance and fairytale retelling but I feel slightly mislead. I signed up for the book tour after reading a description that said, "The clock strikes midnight with Lydia Drake's sparkling new Regency series that blends Pride and Prejudice and Cinderella in one romantic romp." So, as I am reading through the book, I can't figure out how this story has Pride and Prejudice in its blend components and I go back to Amazon, and there is NOTHING there that mentions P&P. I start thinking maybe I was crazy (always a possibility) and then I finally find the blurb on the book description on Litsy. Anyway, I might not have signed up if I had known it was only a Cinderella-ish story (there's an evil stepmother and a left-behind shoe), but the book was engaging enough and the heroine charming enough that I enjoyed it. It's a debut for author Lydia Drake and I liked the humor, especially the wit and banter back and forth between Julia and Gregory. As often in romance and historical romance, there are misunderstandings that could have easily been cleared up with some communication and a few plot points that seemed a bit forced but overall, if you like Regency romances with a fair about of spice and fairytale vibes, you should enjoy it. 

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Author Notes: Lydia Drake is a reader of all things romance and a drinker of all the tea. A New Jersey resident, her favorite activities include taking the train to New York City, scouring used bookstores, spending time with her family, and wrangling her hyperactive cockapoo puppy. She loves talking romance with her fans.

Connect with Lydia on Instagram: @the_lydia_drake

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For food inspiration, there's not a lot--mainly tea and pastries, picnics and pastries, and a bowl of stew and a beer at an inn. For an old-fashioned-ish English dessert, I would recommend either one of the lemon desserts below from Nigel Slater.  The combination of tart and sweet reminds me of the personality of the main character too!

A lemon posset for raspberries, mulberries, and the like From Ripe by Nigel Slater

Lemoncello Syllabub, also by Nigel Slater

Note: A review copy of "Cinderella and the Duke" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.  

You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and learn what other reviewers thought about the book below.

Book Tour Review Stops:

Monday, January 2nd: Laura’s Reviews  and @laurasreviews_1

Monday, January 2nd: Romantic Reads and Such

Wednesday, January 4th: @daniereads87

Thursday, January 5th: @ladywithaquill

Thursday, January 5th: Books, Cooks, Looks

Friday, January 6th: @sarahs.bookstack

Monday, January 9th: From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, January 11th: @infinite.readlist

Wednesday, January 11th: @plottrysts

Wednesday, January 11th: Becky on Books

Thursday, January 12th: Kahakai Kitchen

Friday, January 13th: Stranded in Chaos

Tuesday, January 17th: @1bookmore and One Book More 

Tuesday, January 17th: Jathan & Heather

Wednesday, January 18th: @temmathomas

Thursday, January 19th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Friday, January 20th: @sarahs.bookish.reviews