loopyloulaura

My very own website!!! Yikes!

Helen’s sandwich bread mix

Tags:

YUM!

I have bought this bread mix soooooo many times! It is utterly delicious an extremely easy to make. In fact I was going to get Zach to make it to show you just how simple the instructions are, however, in traditional cooperative child fashion, he decided to demand food instead so I fed him grapes instead…

Gluten free bread has been a bit of a journey for me over the past 17 years since my wheat allergy diagnosis in 2001. My mum used to make one in the bread machine that was like a brick but back in the early 2000s it was the best we could do!
Then supermarkets and brands began to make gluten free breads but they can be a bit hit and miss. Some loaves are fantastic but then the next time you buy it the crumb has huge holes in it and it is not suitable for toast or sandwiches (so disappointing 🙁 )

I then went through my own baking phase but it was always a bit doughy and never rose well.
In the last few years I have been introduced to Helen’s bread mixes (thanks Chris!). This sandwich mix is my favourite by far as it is so tasty and easy. It never doubles in size during proving as the pack states but it does rise in the oven and is far superior to any ready made loaf or homemade one that I’ve tried. Plus baking at home gives you the truly beautiful smell of baking bread: just perfect!

 

The only criticism I have of the loaf is that despite its name it doesn’t make good sandwiches in my opinion! The bread has a perfect crust and crumb but I have never been able to cut it into thin enough slices to suit sandwiches. I love eating it with soup, noodles or just on its own (it definitely seems like a treat!)


Categories: Product reviews, recipes.

/ 15 Comments

Beck Valley Books: Reviewers’ Choice 2017

Tags:

I am very proud to have become part of the Beck Valley Books review bloggers and have enjoyed some great books in 2017. The reviewers have put together their top books of 2017:
Our fantastic tour reviewers have been busy voting, from all our incredible reads of 2017 that we have had the pleasure of touring, for our Beck Valley Books Reviewers Choice 2017.
Here are their Top 6 Favorite books!
Here we go…..
Beck Valley Books Reviewers Choice for 2017
1st PLACE
Truly Madly Whiskey (A sexy stand-alone contemporary romance) 
by Melissa Foster 


Emotionally riveting, sexy standalone romance by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster. Watch mysteriously sexy Bear Whiskey claw his way to his happily ever after with sassy, rebellious Crystal Moon.

In TRULY, MADLY, WHISKEY…
Eight months is a long damn time to have the hots for a woman who keeps a guy at arm’s length. But Crystal Moon is no ordinary woman. She’s a sinfully sexy, sass-mouthed badass, and the subject of Bear Whiskey’s midnight fantasies. She’s also one of his closest friends.

Just when Crystal thinks she has her life under control, scorching-hot, possessive, aggressive, and fiercely loyal Bear pushes all her sexual buttons, relentless in his pursuit to make her his.

The more Bear pushes, the hotter their passion burns, unearthing memories for Crystal that are best kept buried. But there’s no stopping the collision of her past and present, catapulting the two lovers down an emotionally charged road that has them questioning all they thought they knew about themselves.

**CONTENT WARNING: Due to mature content, recommended for readers aged 18+**

Available to buy from …
See our book tour page, including review stops HERE
2nd PLACE
Whisper of Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens at Peaceful Harbor) 
by Melissa Foster

Tempest Braden adores her family and her small hometown, but sometimes too much of a good thing can be confining. At almost thirty, having watched most of her siblings find true love, she’s anxious to experience her own happily ever after, and the move to Pleasant Hill, Maryland, is just the change she needs. When she rents a room from ruggedly handsome, and closed-off, artist Nash Morgan and his adorable son, Phillip, she thinks she’s found a little slice of heaven on the outskirts of town, where she can concentrate on building her business. That is, if she can ignore the undeniable heat between her and the sinfully hot single father.

When Nash bought his farmette, he had one goal in mind—to provide a loving, stable home for his son. He never imagined he’d be raising Phillip alone, or renting out a room to keep their heads above water. Then again, he never imagined losing his brother, or spending two years sailing around the world with parents who seemed to forget one son was still alive.

Sparks fly from the moment Tempest moves in, and her positive energy and inquisitive nature brings new life into Nash and Phillip’s quiet, confined world. For the first time in years, Nash wants to let a woman into his world, but while his loss made him stronger, that strength came at a price, leaving him walled off and wary of opening his heart again.

WHISPER OF LOVE is part of the Love in Bloom series. While this can be read as a stand-alone novel, for even more reading enjoyment you may want to read the entire Love in Bloom series in series order.

**CONTENT WARNING: Due to mature content, recommended for readers aged 18+**

Available to buy from …
See our book tour page, including review stops HERE
3rd PLACE
Read, Write, Love at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers) 
by Addison Cole
 


Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers features a group of fun, flirty, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re sassy, flawed, and so easy to relate to, you’ll be begging to enter their circle of friends! All books can be read as stand-alone novels.

Read, Write, Love at Seaside by Addison Cole is the sweet edition of New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster’s steamy romance novel Read, Write, Love. The stories and characters remain the same, and convey all of the passion you expect between two people in love, without any explicit scenes or harsh language.


In Read, Write, Love at Seaside…
Bestselling author Kurt Remington lives to write. He spends twelve hours a day in front of his computer, rarely leaving the seclusion of his beach-front property, where he’s come to finish his latest thriller — that is, until free-spirited Leanna Bray nearly drowns in the ocean trying to save her dog. Kurt’s best-laid plans are shot to hell when he comes to their rescue. Kurt’s as irritated as he is intrigued by the sexy, hot mess of a woman who lives life on a whim, forgets everything, and doesn’t even know the definition of the word organized.

Leanna’s come to the Cape hoping to find a fulfilling career in the jam-making business, and until she figures out her own life, a man is not on the menu. But Leanna can’t get the six-two, deliciously muscled and tragically neat Kurt out of her mind. She tells herself she’s just stopping by to say thank you, but the heart-warming afternoon sparks an emotional and unexpectedly sweet ride as Kurt and Leanna test the powers of Chemistry 101: Opposites Attract.

FREE!!
Available to buy from …

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

See our book tour page, including review stops HERE
Joint 4th PLACE
Hurricane in Paradise (Paradise Series) 
by Deborah Brown

 

Set against the steamy backdrop of Tarpon Cove’s sun-kissed, tropical waters, sexy sleuths and best friends Madison and Fab are at it again dealing with the occasional dead body. Hidden just below the surface of the small town lies an underworld, one steeped in deceit, corruption, and deadly secrets. It’s only a matter of time before Madison and Fab find themselves on a collision course with the police, who consider them likely suspects in a murder.
Ride along on their adventures when the duo realizes that a family member is missing and pull themselves away from all jobs to track him down. Theories: walked away, freak accident, kidnapped? If so, then why no ransom demand?
Hurricane in Paradise is book ten in the thrilling and humorous provocative Paradise series, which finds the two waist-deep in mystery and romance. It is a smart, adventurous read that delivers heart-thumping, non-stop action. Join Madison and Fab as they solve the most twisted of cases, through unconventional ¬– and highly entertaining – measures… sometimes in flip-flops.
The Paradise series, are Florida Keys mysteries, “great as stand-alone reads, but they’re like chips…you won’t be able to devour just one!”

 

Available to buy from…..

See our book tour page, including review stops HERE

 

Joint 4th PLACE
Just Three Dates 
by David Burnett

When their mothers become matchmakers, entangling them in a series of dates with each other, Karen and Mark must each decide whether to entertain the idea of a “marriage of convenience,” or to hold out for an increasingly unlikely marriage based on love. 

 

Since breaking with her last boyfriend, Karen has refused to trust any man her age. For the past three years, she has not dated the same one twice, and only one in ten has received even a goodnight kiss as she turned him away. Karen is an artist. She follows her feelings, lives in a cluttered loft, and gushes over vivid sunsets.
Mark still dreams about his almost-fiancée, and his date book has been empty since he threw her out a week before he’d planned to ask for her hand. His friends call him the “Ice Man,” since he seldom smiles, especially at a woman. A math professor at the College, logic guides his behavior, he loves order, and an elegant proof is a thing of beauty.
Both Karen and Mark have all but abandoned hope of ever falling in love, and, left on their own, these opposites would never attract. So, their mothers become matchmakers, entangling them in a series of dates by extracting promises that Karen and Mark will go out together three times, suggesting that, in the absence of love, a “marriage of convenience” is a live option.
If you enjoy heartwarming stories based on true-to-life behaviors, with complicated relationships and a less-than-certain outcome, this book is for you.

 

Available to buy from….
See our book tour page, including review stops HERE
Joint 4th PLACE
Nights at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers) 
by Addison Cole


Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers features a group of fun, flirty, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re sassy, flawed, and so easy to relate to, you’ll be begging to enter their circle of friends! All books can be read as stand-alone novels.Nights at Seaside by Addison Cole is the sweet edition of New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster’s steamy romance novel Seaside Nights. The stories and characters remain the same and convey all of the passion you expect between two people in love, without any explicit scenes or harsh language.

In NIGHTS at SEASIDE… 

Sky Lacroux has finally realized her dream and opened her own tattoo shop in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She’s happy as can be, preparing the shop for its grand opening and renting a cottage in the Seaside community while renovations to her new apartment are being completed. The only thing missing is the one thing she longs for, and has no control over—love.Sawyer Bass, a professional boxer, plays his guitar at a local bar to escape the painful reality of his father’s deteriorating health and a recent health warning of his own. But when he spots a stunning brunette across the room, escaping reality goes out the window, and the beautiful woman becomes the focus of his next song—and maybe even the rest of his life.

When Sawyer walks into Sky’s tattoo shop and sees the woman from the bar—Sky—the chemistry between them is instant. Sawyer is everything Sky could ever hope for in a man. He’s honest, loving, sensitive, and potently virile—but boxing goes against everything Sky believes in. The closer they become, the more she realizes that her alpha boxer is waging his own emotional battle—only the battle she thinks he’s waging isn’t the one that threatens to tear them apart.

Available to buy from…
See our book tour page, including review stops HERE
Check out all our incredible tour reads of 2017 HERE
 
Are you a book reviewer or book blogger? Join our book tours reviewers team – Apply Here x
 
I confess that I have only read one of these so I’d better go and check out the others! Happy reading everyone!

 


Categories: Product reviews.

/ Leave a comment

Terror at the Sweet Shop by Lawrence Prestidge

Tags:

Terror at the Sweet Shop is a fast paced chapter book for young readers aged 7-10. Matthew would be able to read this book with ease as he is a confident independent reader.

The subject of this book is the glorious sweet shop run by Mr McNulty but one day he disappears and is replaced by the sinister Miss Primrose.
The children’s suspicions are confirmed when they discovered Miss Primrose is selling revolting alternatives and is actually a witch!
This book was enjoyable but quite gross! Vomit, eating worms, horrendous farts (and follow through!) all feature so beware if you have a delicate nature!
The book is also quite comedic and reminds me of the humour of Roald Dahl and David Walliams but in a simpler form so as to be accessible to younger readers.
There is also sadness and emotion in the book as we find out about the family backgrounds of the main children. The ending has a comment about kissing which perfectly sums up Matthew’s attitude to if Chris and I had a major snog in public: ‘Worst day ever’!
My only real criticism of the book is that it was a little short, but then I am an adult! The chapter length was appropriate to the style of the book and will give a child a sense of achievement for completing them. The illustrations are fun and help to bring the text to life.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and it is fun to be grossed out every now an then 🙂
Enter my competition below to win your own signed copy of Lawrence’s book Terror at the Sweet Shop!

 

Win a signed copy of Terror at the Sweet Shop by Lawrence Prestidge

*I was sent an e-book copy of Terror at the Sweet Shop to review. All words and opinions are my own

[amazon_link asins=’1785899074,1785891898′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’tiredmummyblog-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’6c2d5875-f7e2-11e7-b73a-2de26e1e062e’]


Categories: Product reviews.

/ 5 Comments

Oh, pants! And a giveaway!

Tags:

As I mentioned in my post to kick off the year, Zach is rapidly approaching the potty training stage. My mum goes on about how me and my sister were both potty trained at 13 months. Well, we were marvelous, weren’t we?! My kids were not that perfect and waited until they were 2 and a half.
Zach will happily sit on the potty and once did a tiny wee by accident but apart from that he is showing no sign of being ready.

To help him get used to the idea, I have been reading the Underpants collection by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort. They are huge fun and the older children love reading them as well. Apparently pants are hysterically funny. The illustrations are beautiful and bright so they engage little ones. Each book has drama and resolution, and a lot of pants!
I have a 3 book bundle to give away to one lucky reader!
For your chance to win Dinosaurs in Underpants, Monsters in Underpants and Pirates in Underpants, enter below:

Win 3 Underpants books by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort

Open to UK residents and postal addresses only.

Categories: Product reviews.

/ 31 Comments

Nights at Seaside by Addison Cole review and giveaway!

Tags:

This is the second Seaside book I have read recently and it was good to catch up with the characters I had met in Secrets at Seaside.
In this book Sky meets the contradictory Sawyer. He writes and sings beautiful songs but he is also a boxer. A boxer with a secret: he has been warned by his doctor not to fight due to the risk of brain damage if he sustains another head injury. Nothing will stop him from one last fight to secure the future for his father who has Parkinson’s.
Sky feels split in two as she struggles to come to terms with the gentle man she knows fighting in the ring. Can their love overcome this barrier? Will Sawyer survive one last fight?
I could identify with Sky’s and Sawyer’s different perspectives and Addison Cole cleverly shifts the narrative between the 2 main characters so we understand their feelings which determine their actions.
This book affected me more deeply than I anticipated and I sobbed at the final chapter and epilogue! (sorry for the spoiler that there is a happy ending!)
Score 4/5

NEW RELEASE…

Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers features a group of fun, flirty, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re sassy, flawed, and so easy to relate to, you’ll be begging to enter their circle of friends! All books can be read as stand-alone novels.

Nights at Seaside by Addison Cole is the sweet edition of New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster’s steamy romance novel Seaside Nights. The stories and characters remain the same and convey all of the passion you expect between two people in love, without any explicit scenes or harsh language.

In NIGHTS at SEASIDE… 

Sky Lacroux has finally realized her dream and opened her own tattoo shop in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She’s happy as can be, preparing the shop for its grand opening and renting a cottage in the Seaside community while renovations to her new apartment are being completed. The only thing missing is the one thing she longs for, and has no control over—love.

Sawyer Bass, a professional boxer, plays his guitar at a local bar to escape the painful reality of his father’s deteriorating health and a recent health warning of his own. But when he spots a stunning brunette across the room, escaping reality goes out the window, and the beautiful woman becomes the focus of his next song—and maybe even the rest of his life.

When Sawyer walks into Sky’s tattoo shop and sees the woman from the bar—Sky—the chemistry between them is instant. Sawyer is everything Sky could ever hope for in a man. He’s honest, loving, sensitive, and potently virile—but boxing goes against everything Sky believes in. The closer they become, the more she realizes that her alpha boxer is waging his own emotional battle—only the battle she thinks he’s waging isn’t the one that threatens to tear them apart.

Nights at Seaside is the sweet edition of the steamy romance novel Seaside Nights by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster.

Available to buy from…
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

Nights_Quote1

Also available… 
Read, Write, Love at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers Book 1)
Bestselling author Kurt Remington lives to write. He spends twelve hours a day in front of his computer, rarely leaving the seclusion of his beach-front property, where he’s come to finish his latest thriller — that is, until free-spirited Leanna Bray nearly drowns in the ocean trying to save her dog. Kurt’s best-laid plans are shot to hell when he comes to their rescue. Kurt’s as irritated as he is intrigued by the sexy, hot mess of a woman who lives life on a whim, forgets everything, and doesn’t even know the definition of the word organized.

Leanna’s come to the Cape hoping to find a fulfilling career in the jam-making business, and until she figures out her own life, a man is not on the menu. But Leanna can’t get the six-two, deliciously muscled and tragically neat Kurt out of her mind. She tells herself she’s just stopping by to say thank you, but the heart-warming afternoon sparks an emotional and unexpectedly sweet ride as Kurt and Leanna test the powers of Chemistry 101: Opposites Attract.

Read, Write, Love at Seaside is the sweet edition of steamy romance novel Read, Write, Love by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster.

Get the 1st book FREE!!

Available to buy from …
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

Dreaming at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers Book 2)
Bella Abbascia has returned to Seaside Cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, as she does every summer. Only this year, Bella has more on her mind than sunbathing and skinny-dipping with her girlfriends. She’s quit her job, put her house on the market, and sworn off relationships while she builds a new life in her favorite place on earth. That is, until good-time Bella’s prank takes a bad turn and a handsome police officer appears on the scene.

Single father and police officer Caden Grant left Boston with his fourteen-year-old son, Evan, after his partner was killed in the line of duty. He hopes to find a safer life in the small resort town of Wellfleet, and when he meets Bella during a night patrol shift, he realizes he’s found the one thing he’d never allowed himself to hope for—or even realized he was missing.

After fourteen years of focusing solely on his son, Caden cannot resist the intense attraction he feels toward beautiful Bella, and Bella’s powerless to fight the heat of their budding romance. But starting over proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and when Evan gets mixed up with the wrong kids, Caden’s loyalty is put to the test. Will he give up everything to protect his son—even Bella?

Dreaming at Seaside is the sweet edition of the steamy romance novel Seaside Dreams by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster.

Available to buy from …
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

Hearts at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers Book 3)
Jenna Ward is vivacious, spontaneous, and confident—except when she’s around the man who stole her heart years earlier, strikingly handsome, quiet, and reliable Pete Lacroux. After years of trying to get his attention and overwhelmed from dealing with her mother’s new cougar lifestyle, Jenna’s giving up on Peter—and is ready to explore other men.

As the eldest of five siblings, with an alcoholic father to care for, boat craftsman Pete Lacroux always does the right thing and has no time for a real relationship. He’s looking forward to seeing his friend Jenna, a welcome distraction who’s so sexy and painfully shy that she equally entertains and confuses him.

When Jenna picks up a hard-bodied construction worker, jealousy ignites Pete’s true feelings, and he’s unable to ignore the desires for Jenna he never realized he had. But Pete’s not the quiet guy he appears to be, and his life is anything but conducive to a relationship. Can Jenna handle the real Pete Lacroux—the most alpha male she’s ever seen—or will she crack under pressure? And can Pete reclaim the life he once had without tearing apart his family?

Hearts at Seaside is the sweet edition of the steamy romance novel Seaside Hearts by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster.

Available to buy from …
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

 

Sunsets at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers Book 4)
Jessica Ayers has lived a sheltered life with little more than cello lessons and practices taking up her day. Now a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she escapes the prim and proper symphony to vacation in the Seaside community in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, to determine if she is living life to the fullest or missing it altogether.

For the first time since developing the second largest search engine in the world, billionaire Jamie Reed is taking the summer off. He plans to work from the Cape and spend time with his elderly grandmother—and falling in love is not in his plans.

From the moment Jamie and Jessica meet, the attraction is white-hot. Once-overly-focused Jamie can think of little else than sweet, smart, and alluring Jessica, and Jessica discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. But when Jamie’s business encounters trouble and his attorney and best friend intervenes, he proves that the brown-haired beauty is too distracting for Jamie. To make matters worse, it appears that Jessica might not be who she says she is, turning Jamie’s life—and his heart—upside down. In a world where personal information is always one click away, Jamie must decide if he should trust his heart or watch the woman he loves walk away.

Sunsets at Seaside is the sweet edition of the steamy romance novel Seaside Sunsets by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster.

Available to buy from …
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

Secrets at Seaside (Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers Book 5)
Tony Black is the hottest surfer on the planet. He travels the world throughout the year and spends his summers on Cape Cod with his friends, at the Seaside cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. He’s got his choice of women, but Amy Maples is the one he wants. Fourteen years ago she was his for an entire summer, until a devastating accident changed everything, and what they had seemed like it had never existed—at least for her.

Amy Maples is as consistent as the day is long. She’s spent summers on Cape Cod forever, she always does the right thing, and she’s spent years trying to reclaim the heart of Tony Black, the only man she’s ever loved. She’s back for a summer of fun with her friends at Seaside, only this year she’s been offered the opportunity of a lifetime thousands of miles away, and she’s decided to try one last time to reconnect with Tony. But having a relationship with Tony means dealing with her past—and dealing with her past may knock her to her knees.

Secrets at Seaside is the sweet edition of the steamy romance novel Seaside Secrets by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster.


Available to buy from …
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    iBooks   GPlay   Paperback

Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers

Available!
Read, Write, Love at Seaside
Dreaming at Seaside
Hearts at Seaside
Sunsets at Seaside
Secrets at Seaside
Nights at Seaside
Seized by Love at Seaside 

Coming Soon!

Embraced at Seaside
Lovers at Seaside
Whispers at Seaside

About the author
SIGN UP for ADDISON’S Sweet with Heat newsletter. Fun, flirty romance with a dash of heat. www.AddisonCole.com/Newsletter

DOWNLOAD the first book in Addison’s Sweet with Heat: Seaside Summers series free: READ, WRITE, LOVE AT SEASIDE

Addison Cole is the sweet alter ego of New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author Melissa Foster. She writes humorous and emotional sweet contemporary romance. Her books do not include explicit sex scenes or harsh language. Addison spends her summers on Cape Cod, where she dreams up wonderful love stories in her house overlooking Cape Cod Bay.

Addison is proud to be part of the Main Street Romance family, a partnership with bestselling authors Nancy Naigle, RaeAnne Thayne, and Chris Keniston, bringing sweet happy-ever-after love stories to the Main Street Romance community. Join them at www.MainStreetRomance.com ~ open 24/7 just for you.

Addison enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Addison’s books are available in paperback, digital, and audio formats.

Find Addison on the following sites….
Website   Newsletter   Facebook   Twitter    Google+   Pinterest   Goodreads   Bookbub   Amazon Author Page

Follow the Book Tour

018836-glossy-silver-icon-symbols-shapes-square-2

I received this book through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR’S GIVEAWAY !!

Win Dreaming at Seaside ebook (2 winners)
Ending on Sunday 7th January at 11.59pm EST

Open Worldwide

Enter Below & Good Luck !!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a book reviewer or book blogger? Join our book tours reviewers team – Apply Here x
Current book tours open for sign ups HERE


Categories: Product reviews.

/ 1 Comment

Previous

Next