Hey guys, today I have the pleasure of welcoming Rick R. Reed onto our blog with his newest release Dinner at Home, he chats a little about Artichokes and has a fantastic giveaway! So guys leave some comments for a chance to win 🙂 oh and don’t forget to check out my review <3 ~Pixie~  

Dinner at Home

by

Rick R. Reed

It only takes a few days for Ollie D’Angelo to lose his boyfriend, his job, and his home. Instead of mourning what he doesn’t have, Ollie celebrates what he does: the freedom to pursue his real passion—cooking. He begins Dinner at Home, a home-catering business, and it takes off. 

Late one night, Ollie catches Hank Mellinger, a streetwise hood down on his luck, about to rob his car. Ollie soon discovers that appearances aren’t necessarily what they seem. Hank isn’t a criminal caught red-handed, but a hungry young man trying to make a life for himself and the four-year-old niece he’s trying desperately to take care of.

Instead of calling the cops, Ollie offers Hank a job and a way to pull himself up by his bootstraps. Together, they discover they can really cook… and that their shared passion for food just might lead to a passion for each other.

ISBN-13: 978-1-62798-836-0   Pages: 214

Cover Artist: Reese Dante

Buy Links

Dreamspinner Ebook: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4967

Dreamspinner Paperback: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4968 

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K7UZB0W/

AllRomance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dinnerathome-1501161-149.html

Why Artichokes?

A Guest Post by Rick R. Reed

If, or hopefully when, you read my newest book, Dinner at Home, you’ll notice that in addition to the hunky men on the cover, there’s a lovely picture of artichokes at the bottom. The placement of artichokes wasn’t arbitrary. Artichokes have meaning and significance in the story.

For one, they forge a connection to our main character, Ollie D’Angelo’s past. They forge a connection to mine too and we share that commonality. Artichokes were something served at holiday meals, especially Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

For another, they’re symbolic. The process of eating an artichoke can be very much like discovering the best part of someone you love. If you don’t understand, read this short passage from the book:

“You know,” Ollie said as his artichoke grew smaller and smaller on his plate while the pile of discarded leaves grew progressively larger. “The leaves get more and more tender the farther down you go. By the time you get near the heart, you almost can chew the leaves whole.” He lifted his to show the others. He peeled away the last of the leaves, and then pulled off the purplish green top of very tender leaves. He lifted what was left—an avocado green lump. “Ta-da! The heart. It takes some work to get here, you have to get through all those tough, thorny outer layers, but trust me, this is the best part. The sweetest and most tender. It’s worth all the trouble you take to get to it.” His gaze met Hank’s across the table and they smiled.

Getting to the heart makes it all worthwhile, doesn’t it?

Stuffed Artichokes

This is more of a technique than a recipe. Here’s how you make one; simply multiply the directions below by the number of artichokes you have.

1 globe artichoke, with stem trimmed off so it sits level.
A good handful of finely ground breadcrumbs (store-bought, or better, make them yourself), seasoned with dashes of dried basil, oregano, parsley, and salt and pepper.
A good handful of grated good-variety Romano or Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Pull the toughest outer leaves off your artichoke, then trim the tops of the remaining leaves so they’re square and even. Spread the artichoke leaves out with your hand (like opening a flower). They will open just a little bit. Mix together your cheese and bread crumbs and sprinkle the mixture down into the leaves, trying to make sure each leaf gets a little of the mixture. Drizzle a bit of extra-virgin olive oil over the artichoke.

Place in a pan of water where the water comes about 1/4 of the way up the choke. In the water, throw a bay leaf, a couple of cloves of garlic, and a few lemon slices. Cover and steam artichokes for approximately 30-45 minutes. Check to see if you need to add more water occasionally. You’ll know they’re done when the outer leaves come away easily.

About Rick R. Reed 

Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love. He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). Lambda Literary Review has called him, “a writer that doesn’t disappoint.” Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever “at work on another novel.”

Web: http://www.rickrreed.com 
Blog: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rickrreedbooks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/rickrreed.
E-mail: jimmyfels@gmail.com

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Want to check out a title from my backlist you haven’t yet read (or become my new best friend and tell me you want to read again)? Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered into a drawing for an eBook copy of your choice of one of these titles:

Legally Wed
Hungry for Love
Chaser
Raining Men

MM Good Book Reviews will pick a winner from all comments received one week after the date of this post and I will be in touch with the winner to see which book you’d like. Good luck!

(Ends 27th May 2014)

Review

Title: Dinner At Home

Author: Rick R. Reed

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (206pgs)

ISBN: 978-1-62798-836-0

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (9^th May 2014)

Heat Level: Low-Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: It only takes a few days for Ollie D’Angelo to lose his boyfriend, his job, and his home. Instead of mourning what he doesn’t have, Ollie celebrates what he does: the freedom to pursue his real passion—cooking. He begins Dinner at Home, a home-catering business, and it takes off.

Late one night, Ollie catches Hank Mellinger, a streetwise hood down on his luck, about to rob his car. Ollie soon discovers that appearances aren’t necessarily what they seem. Hank isn’t a criminal caught red-handed, but a hungry young man trying to make a life for himself and the four-year-old niece he’s trying desperately to take care of.

Instead of calling the cops, Ollie offers Hank a job and a way to pull himself up by his bootstraps. Together, they discover they can really cook… and that their shared passion for food just might lead to a passion for each other.

Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4967

Review: Ollie wakes up one weekend thinking everything is perfect, he has a loving boyfriend, a wonderful home and a great job and then reality strikes as his boyfriend dumps him, he has to find a new place to live and he gets laid off from work. Ollie moves his focus to his freedom to do what he now wants: cooking. Hank fell in with drugs but after a stint in jail is trying to get back on his feet, when he finds himself having to take care of his niece, Addison, it becomes a struggle just to earn enough to buy food. Starving he goes looking for some quick cash but is surprised and ends up finding his saviour, Ollie, who offers him a job and a safe environment for his niece. Both Ollie and Hank discovered more on that dark night, they discover a shared passion for food and each other.

This is an amazing story of a man with a huge heart who, instead of wallowing in self-pity, embraced the opportunity to change his life and invited others to do the same. Ollie is an incredible character, he suffered the blow of being dumped by his boyfriend followed quickly by losing his job and he began to move forward with his life instead of stewing on what had happened. Hank is, amazingly, a character that you come to admire; he dabbled with drugs but cleaned himself up and genuinely wants to make something of his life and he keeps trying no matter what obstacles are thrown in his way. They might both come from different walks of life but their core is very similar, a love of food and the need to help and share with others.

While it might seem that food has a lot to do with this story (just wait till you get a load of the amazing recipes at the beginning of some chapters) it’s the love and comfort that is represented by the food that really shines through, a quite meal for two in the comfort of their own home, a lonely man needing a meal for one and a bit of company or even a family meal where the entire family attends and can relax, and for Ollie and Hank it’s the comfort of working together to make those meals that draw them together. It isn’t a rushed ‘oh my god he’s hot, lets jump into bed’ relationship, it’s one that is built up between them without them really realizing it and which is pushed into the forefront of their minds by a sudden burst of jealousy.

The entire story is wonderful; you have Hank and Ollie building a family unit with Addison and Rosa (another young person in need), then you have the sudden loss of a member which rocks the boat and nearly tears them all apart but they work to accept the changes. Hank and Ollie are beautiful together, they make a great couple for all that they seem so different and their love will get them through anything that life might throw at them.

I recommend this to those who love stories of dragging yourself up from the cesspit and making a new life for yourself, who love men with huge hearts who will hold a hand out and offer help, finding love when you least expect it, building your own family to love and getting your happy ever after through sheer hard work.