Mayan Afterglow (Mayan Inferno #1) by A.S. Fenichel

Mayan Afterglow

By A.S. Fenichel

Series: Mayan Inferno #1

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

They called it The End of Days after humanity met with near annihilation. Ten months later, the real end is coming.

Aileen Grant’s powerful psychic gifts have been nothing but a curse since the day she was born. She’d given up all hope of escaping the demonic grasp of Mictlan, The Lord of the Dead, until an enigmatic thief snatches her out of Hell. With something to live for, she convinces Ian to join her on a treacherous journey to save the world.

Ian Scott is stealing from long-deserted homes when he pulls Aileen’s unconscious body from a strange bolt of lightning. Aileen is the last thing that Ian wants or needs, but her quiet beauty and courageous heart bind him to her in ways he never imagined, and ignite passions he’s never known.

Mayan Afterglow on Goodreads, Amazon

A.S. Fenichel’s Website

My Thoughts:

I read this one on a bit of a dare…well not so much of a dare but a friend thought this book would be beyond ridiculous in many ways so I decided to take the plunge and see what it was about. I went into it with basically no expectations and that was probably a good thing.

Mayan Afterglow was lacking in a few different areas. There was very little character development other than knowing one is a thief and one has psychic gifts and is meant for a greater purpose. You don’t really get to know them or their background and their emotions didn’t carry over to be more than just words on a page. They didn’t come alive. I think part of the reason they didn’t come alive is because the descriptions throughout the book were pretty bland.

Those things aside, I was a little curious during the story and I kept with it. Overall it worked to fill time on a quiet afternoon but it didn’t go much further than that for me.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5

3 Liner Review: Undermountain (The Undermountain Saga #1) by Eric Edstrom

Undermountain
by Eric Edstrom

Series: The Undermountain Saga #1

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, SciFi

Two teens from different worlds…

Seeking refuge from their troubled home lives, sixteen year olds Danny Michaelson and Breyona Lewis join a group of teens in the Canadian Rocky Mountains for a ten day hiking excursion.

…the encounter of a lifetime…

Six days in, Danny and Breyona come face to face with a creature of legend—an eight foot tall beast they tag as “bigfoot”. But this is no mere animal, and it doesn’t want humans knowing its secret.

…friendship, love, and loyalty…

Swept into the hidden city of Undermountain, Danny, Breyona and their friends find themselves in a race for survival against alien forces determined to take control of the earth.

Undermountain on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble

Eric Edstrom’s Website

My Thoughts:

I’ve had this book for a while and just never got around to reading it. I’m regretting that now because I really enjoyed it! I think I kept putting it off because I don’t normally delve this far into the world of scifi/fantasy but now I’m kind of wondering what other gems I’m missing by avoiding the genre.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Friday Foodie Affair: Homemade Peppermint Patties

 ...where I profess my love for food and food related things.

Homemade Peppermint Patties

This photo is from the same source as the recipe. 

The rest of the photos in this post are ones that I took.

Serves: Makes about 8 dozen.

Ingredients:
1 pound confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
4 ounces,  cream cheese, softened
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Using a mixer, gradually add the sugar to the cream cheese, beat well until incorporated.

I find that it's easier if you start with the mixer before switching to mixing with your hands. I think that's just a flash back to the way my mom did things when I was younger, we always mixed things with our hands. Just a warning though, you will get messy.

2. Add peppermint extract and combine well.

3. Roll dough into teaspoon size balls and place on baking sheet(s) lined with wax paper or parchment. Create a small “bowl” or indention in each ball using a ¼ teaspoon or your finger. Cover with plastic wrap and let firm up in refrigerator for a few hours.

4. When peppermints have firmed, melt chocolate according to package directions (microwave is fine). Fill a piping bag or freezer bag with the corner snipped with the melted chocolate. Fill each mini peppermint bowl/indention with chocolate and let cool.

If you would like to pretty them up a little you can add sprinkles or colored sugar.

5. Refrigerate in airtight container until ready to serve.

Helpful Tips: 

These are from the recipe source

• When making the cream cheese/powdered sugar mixture, gradually add the powdered sugar until the right texture is achieved. You may end up needing to add a bit more than listed in the recipe, or less. It should hold together, but not sticky.
• If working by yourself, only make a few balls at a time before pressing the bowls/indention’s to avoid them drying and cracking. The best thing is to work with someone else and have one person roll the balls, while the other follows behind making the bowls/indentations.
• Be sure to keep main peppermint mixture lightly covered with plastic or a damp paper towel while making the balls to avoid it drying out.

My Thoughts:

I've made homemade candy before so this recipe wasn't difficult for me, it's just a little time consuming. 

The strength of the peppermint is up to you, you may like the more subtle flavor that comes with using the exact amount listed above but I'd suggest taste testing as you go. It took me a little while to get both the flavor and the texture right. I ended up using around 4x the amount of peppermint and more than a pound of 10x Sugar. 

Now on to the flavor. The peppermint candy part is quite tasty but once you get some chocolate in the same bite...just...wow. It's absolutely delish and it really does taste like a peppermint patty.

Recipe Source