The ballroom has an oak floor polished to a high sheen, a chandelier winks above. A string quartet plays.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup superfine
sugar
½ cup triple sec
½ cup cognac
½ cup fresh
orange juice
2 bottles chilled
dry champagne
Orange slices,
lemon slices and fresh strawberries
Directions:
Combine liquers,
juices and sugar until sugar is dissolved
Add Champagne
and combine until mixed
Cover and
refrigerate for 1 hour
Put into punch
bowl and garnish with lemon slices, orange slices and strawberries.
The tables in the great dining hall groan beneath a wonderful array of food.
The tables in the great dining hall groan beneath a wonderful array of food.
The
Anton and Lenora series Ute explained when the party was being organised, is all about sea faring folk and so the menu is mainly from the sea, with a taste of San Francisco.
The
main dish is a frutti del mare—a mix of seafood over pasta or, for those who
don’t care for seafood, there are other options, including roasted chicken.
Desert
is a beautiful Lemon Crème Cake.
On a table near by is a stack of Ute's books.
Ute is giving away a set of books 1 and 2 in this series to one lucky visitor, so don't forget to leave a comment with your email address to be in the draw. Without more ado let us welcome Ute Carbone and find out more about
'All Things Returned'.
'All Things Returned'.
Excerpt
Anton pulled off his cravat for the second time. “Foolish speck of clothing—like to choke the life out of a man.”
He fumbled with it until I took the scrap of silk and tied it around his neck, sealing my action with a kiss.
“You should try wearing a corset.”
“I think we should pull off all of these confounded garments and run about like babes in Eden,” he said, nuzzling my neck.
I dearly would have liked to take his suggestion. “We have to attend. For our own sakes and for Edward’s.”
Anton knew well enough attendance at the mayor’s ball was not an opportunity we could squander. In the year since we’d been in San Francisco, Edward, my brother, Anton, and Frederick Earnhart, a solicitor and good friend of Edward’s, formed a partnership. They planned to ship timber from Seattle,
where it was plentiful, to San Francisco, where it was needed to support the city’s growth. To that end,
they bought and repaired a clipper ship called the Sea Spray.The ship was even now sitting at anchor in
the bay waiting for Anton to take command of her inaugural voyage north. They would set sail on the
morning tide.]
Ute Carbone Biography
Ute
(who pronounces her name Oooh-tah) Carbone is an award winning author of
women’s fiction, comedy, and romance. She and her husband live in New
Hampshire, where she spends her days walking, eating chocolate and dreaming up
stories.
Books
and Stories by Ute Carbone:
For
more about Ute and her books, Please Visit:
Web page: http://www.utecarbone.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wildwords2
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/utecarbone/
Love Stories
(available daily via Paper Li): http://paper.li/Wildwords2/1355247882?utm_source=subscription&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=paper_sub#
***GIVEAWAY***
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)
Come on in and welcome to my lovely party! Much thanks to the hostesses and the scrumptious Oliver for making it all possible.
ReplyDeleteI
Hiya Ute, and welcome to your roast. Isn't Oliver a doll? Here's a champagne punch toast to your release of All Things Returned. Congrats, sweetie.
ReplyDeleteThank you,Mac. Cheers!
DeleteSounds like a beautiful read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Julie.
DeleteWow! What a lovely party. Ute, you and Oliver dance well together, but don't hog him. The other hostesses (especially Mary-lol!) Might get jealous! BTW, I love your book cover!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Lily. You hostesses know how to do it up right. I may give Oliver back. Eventually... The cover was done by Petra Kay. She's done a few for me, but I think this one may be my favorite.
DeleteWhat a party and the dress, mmmm would look great on me. Me jealous? Ya bet your life. BTW who is available to have a nice dance and then walk in the garden or whatever....? Lilly is that spinach in your teeth??
ReplyDeleteThe gardens are lovely. And it's a beautiful night.
DeleteHi ladies,
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm here late. The kids are off today so the Snark residence is much busier than usual.
Good morning! :)
Hello, Melissa. Thank you for coming.
DeleteWell at least there are no creatures taking you to court Melissa!
ReplyDeleteSo where are the bachelors? I do love a man in a top-hat.
Is this punch spiked? I'm feeling like causing some trouble, no I mean just a bit of excitement. Oh Foster, I got a job for you...
??? HeHeHe
We need to grab some more visitors. Not enough guys if you ask me. So don't forget to use the little thingees and share today with facebook, twitter, etc.
ReplyDeleteNow let me think. What can I do to liven things up. I don't think that chandelier would hold me do you guys??
Hi guys! I'm in the same boat with kids home today so I'm sorry I'm running late. Plus child #1 has a birthday this weekend, on Easter Sunday! Can't believe my baby boy is turning 14. Ute, I LOVE that excerpt! This one sounds right up my alley! Congrats on your Roast and Toast and now I'm wondering if there's any more punch! Off to find some and share the post to my sites!
ReplyDeleteHi AJ. Thank you. My babies are in their twenties. Sigh. I do think the punch is in a magical bottomless bowl. That's what Oliver said, anyway. :)
DeleteWhat great prelude to the Easter weekend. Hope you all have a lovely holiday (if you celebrate) Sadly, I will celebrate the holiday with a clear liquid diet in preparation for my surgery on Monday. So tonight, ladies, let's live it up. Cheers! Hey Ute, how about another excerpt before we all stagger off in different directions?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely party. Lily, I wish you a speedy recovery. And for now, one more toast to a happy holiday weekend and here's a bit more of All Things Returned:
ReplyDeleteThe phaeton and driver had already left. I considered going down the hill to the Mathers, but I hated to bother them at this late hour. I told myself it was nothing, some trifle or oversight, and I was making far too much of it. Still, I crossed the threshold with some care and then, despite the warning, was so shocked I dropped the blueprint I carried under my arm.
On my settee sat Jacob Lowell as though he were an invited guest. He sneered at my dropped parcel and came over to pick it up. Instead of handing it back to me, he unrolled the paper.
This proprietary action served to take me from being frightened to being furious. I snatched the blueprint from his grasp, tearing it at the corner. “What is the meaning of this? How dare you walk into my home unannounced.” I rerolled my treasure.
Jacob sneered yet again. “Protecting stolen goods, are we?”
“Not stolen.” I felt little need to defend myself further and put the print down on the table. “Please leave.”
Jacob came up behind me, pinning me between his body and the table. “Is that any way to treat an old friend, Lenora?” At close range, his breath smelled of whiskey. Still, he was someone I had known since childhood. I thought perhaps I could count on him to act as though we were, indeed, old friends.
“Why are you here, Jacob?”
He took my hair between his fingers. “Sweet girl. I have often thought of you. The softness of your lips and your sweet young body. Wasted on a scoundrel.”
Uh-oh! Lenora needs a hero. RIGHT NOW! I don't see Anton anywhere. Oh, Oliver!!!
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, sorry I'm late for the party, hope you all had a good time. I'm sorry I'm late, my coach was held up by highwaymen and it took me a while to fight them off. Your books sound fantastic, Ute, and I love the excerpts, so intriguing!
ReplyDeleteHope you all had a lovely Easter!
pretty nice blog, following :)
ReplyDelete