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Today on Weekend Meanderings, my 5 favorite romance novels, last minute sweet treats for Valentine’s Day, how to wear red and lots more.
Good morning friends, how are you?
Today I am joining Kim and Juliet for weekend meanderings, our weekly series of things that caught our eye and piqued our interest.
The Big Game is tomorrow, will you be watching? As I mentioned yesterday, my husband is a KC fan so he will be rooting for them. The food and the commercials are my favorite part of the Super Bowl, if you need a few appetizer or snack ideas check out yesterdays post, I shared some good ones.
Valentine’s Day is Tuesday, just remember if you are not a fan it isn’t just about romantic love or a Hallmark holiday. It’s a wonderful time to celebrate all the people you love, including yourself.
Ok, grab your hot tea, coffee or chocolate and settle in for some sweet treats, my 5 favorite romance novels and more on weekend meanderings.
My 5 Favorite Romance Novels
Books in my humble opinion are the best gift for any occasion. They are fun, inexpensive and thoughtful. In addition to the chocolates, flowers and whatever else you are gifting your Valentine this year, add a book to the stack.
In honor of Valentine’s Day I thought I would share 5 of my favorite romance novels.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
A most untraditional love story, this is the celebrated tale of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who inadvertently travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare’s passionate affair endures across a sea of time and captures them in an impossibly romantic trap that tests the strength of fate and basks in the bonds of love.
Ferney
Combining the spellbinding time travel of Jack Finney’s Time and Again and the sweeping passion of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, here is a haunting and enchanting novel that captures the magic of the ineffable sense that we have lived and loved before…
It was an accidental detour inspired by one of Gally’s frequent panic attacks that sent her husband Mike down a twisting, lane to the abandoned cottage. Yet from the moment she saw it, Gally felt a peace she hadn’t known in years and the inexplicable sense that she had finally come home.
And so she had.
Beautifully evocative, tender, and gripping, Ferney is a novel for anyone who’s ever believed that two people are destined for each other, that passion has no end, and that true love never dies–a unique and unforgettable love story that truly stands the test of time.
When unhappily married Fiona Edwards answers the door of her farmhouse bed and breakfast, she discovers a tall man shouldering a hulking backpack. He is unshaven, sweat-soaked…but arrestingly handsome.
American Alec Hudson has carried the ashes of his ex-wife from London’s Heathrow Airport to the mountains of North Wales. Honoring her request to scatter them atop the towering mountain directly behind Fiona’s farm, he attempts to fulfill her wish, but the weather stops him.
The Invisible Life of Adie Larue
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget.
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.
Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.
But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
Through a Glass Darkly
Karleen Koen’s sweeping saga introduces unforgettable characters consumed with passion: the extraordinarily beautiful fifteen-year-old noblewoman, Barbara Alderley; the man she adores, the wickedly handsome Roger MontGeoffry; her grandmother, the duchess, who rules the family with cunning and wit; and her mother, the ineffably cruel, self-centered and licentious Diana.
Although her own romantic fairy tale seems to be coming true, Barbara has a lot to learn about the machinations of the royal courts, financial chaos, and surviving with her reputation intact. Like no other work, Through a Glass Darkly is infused with intrigue, sweetened by romance and awash in the black ink of betrayal.
Last minute Valentine’s Day Treats
A gift made with love is the best kind of gift. Sweet treats are my “love language” here are a few last minute treats that you might want to make for all the Valentine’s in your life.
Everything is better with chocolate, in my opinion. This chocolate drizzled caramel corn is a family favorite.
Heart shaped sugar cookies with icing, made with my favorite sugar cookie recipe.
Double chocolate muffins made from scratch are so much better than from a bakery! Make these for brunch, lunch or a snack.
Make a heart shaped cake without a heart shaped pan! This cake is easy, pretty and delicious! Make it even easier on yourself and use a box mix!
This isn’t really a recipe but it is a fun Valentine’s Day treat, especially if you are having a Valentine’s Day or Galentine party. Add cellophane bags and let the guests take home whatever they like from this cookie and candy board.
All of these recipes can be made from scratch or semi-homemade. You can buy sugar cookies at the store and frost them, drizzle melted chocolate on store bought caramel corn, use a cake mix for the heart cake. Your family and friends will love that you thought of them and went to the effort to make something special for them.
Valentine Outfit Inspiration~A Pop of Red
If you need a little inspiration for your Valentine’s Day outfit check out Kim and Cindy! This month on Signature Style they shared several outfits featuring red, from workout wear to dress.
“Red is one of the most dynamic colors when it comes to fashion. Red grabs attention and is associated with excitement, passion, danger, energy, courage and action. A woman wearing red exudes character, independence, strength, determination and confidence.” ~Cindy Hattersley
I think we all want to show our independence, strength and confidence!
I love this red sweater and white jean look from Cindy and Kims’ casual, classic outfit with a pop of red shoes!
Don’t forget to follow both Kim and Cindy, their Signature Style series(and their blogs) are stylish, informative and filled to the brim with things you will love.
In Other News
A Happy Memory Can Help You Fall Asleep
From Monet to Christine Clark: exceptional artists inspired by gardens
Planning a trip to Paris this year? Bookmark this article, 8 Fabulous One Day Jaunts from Paris. I have been to all of them and they are all great places to visit.
Did you know there are eight Statue of Liberty replicas in Paris?
A quintessential New England house with an extraordinary collection of antiques
I ask this ALL the Time, Why Do People Believe Everything They Watch on TikTok?
The Allure of Candles too Fancy to Burn
Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
Anthropologie
Candles
Treats
Mugs
Jewelry
H&M Home
Talbots
In Case You Missed It
On Monday Musings No. 58, I shared a weekend update + 5 Things: what I read, watched, and discovered., including the details of this outfit.
Vegan chocolate ganache mousse that is so easy and delicious it will become your signature dessert. Great minds think alike, Juliet made pots de creme this week so check out her recipe as well.
Last but not least, on Friday I shared game day appetizers(including this Bold Chex Mix), 3 books, lots of links you may have missed, a cute outfit and more on Friday Favorites No. 519.
THAT’S IT
I hope that you enjoyed my 5 favorite romance novels, last minute Valentine’s Day treats and all of the rest on this weeks, weekend meanderings.
If you missed any of the previous Weekend Meandering posts you can find them all here.
When you leave here don’t forget to pop over to see all of the things that Kim and Juliet have discovered this week.
MAKE MINE A SPRITZER
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE
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Happy Saturday Elizabeth. Love your outfit combinations! Such a lovely post.
Elizabeth, I really enjoyed reading your recaps on your favorites and now putting them in my queue to read! They all sound wonderful. I’m a big time travel fan.
You chocolate ganache looks wonderful..as does the cute heart cake and the chocolate cupcakes. I am saving them all to my Valentines board.
Love the two outfits and the pops of pink! I need those loafers..SO darn pretty.
That was so nice of you to share our red post this week! It was a lot of fun and I have been wearing it much more .
I will dig into all the posts this week when I relax this afternoon. I love doing a deep dive on all your links of the week with some tea!
Hope you have a good weekend and KC kicks butt!
xo
Love your book recommendations, Elizabeth. I haven’t read any of them and they all sound intriguing. It’s a dreary day here in Northern California and a good romance novel is just what the doctor ordered. Your Valentine’s treats look so good … I’m ready to overindulge! Happy weekend! xo
Have a terrific weekend.
Thank you William, you as well!