Is it hot enough out there for you? Why not cool off with COLD KISS, our book club book of the month for July! Each week, keep an eye out for a post from us discussing a new topic about the book and at the end of this month, join us for a week long forum chat with the author, Amy Garvey. Participants in our book club (ie., chatting on the forum, posting comments on the blog posts) will be automatically entered to win a copy of the book PLUS an advance copy of the sequel GLASS HEART! You can also enter to win a copy of the book on the Epic Reads Facebook page here.
Let’s kick things off this week with an intro into Cold Kiss and allow me to hook you up with some fun stuff like recipes, playlists and this awesome tumblr…basically everything you’d need to get started! Here we go:
ABOUT THE BOOK
Be careful what you wish for. . . . When Wren’s boyfriend, Danny, died, Wren decided that what she wanted-what she had to do-was to bring Danny back. And so, in a heartbroken fury, armed with dark incantations and a secret power, she did. But the Danny who returns isn’t the boy Wren fell in love with, and she must hide him away while her life unravels around her. Then Gabriel transfers to her school and somehow he knows what she has done-and he wants to help make things right. But Wren alone must undo what she has wrought-even if it means breaking her heart all over again.
WHY IT’S AN EPIC READS BOOK CLUB PICK:
The book doesn’t shy away from grief. The crux of the story is really about how she deals with the loss of her first love—and the lengths of any us might go to in order to bring back a loved one. Wren’s voice and story are incredibly relatable, and it’s easy to root for her happy ending even in light of her mistakes. It takes the zombie trend and completely spins it on its head in a fresh, appealing way. It’s a beautiful story about first love. Cold Kiss offers a haunting look at the consequences that can come from getting exactly what you think you want.
I’d like to share an excerpt with you that showcases the intense and stirring mood of this incredible novel. This passage comes from the prologue, when Wren describes the beginning of her relationship with Danny.
“Love like that is what they make movies about. It’s the thing you’re supposed to want, the answer to every question, the song that you’re supposed to sing.
But love like that can be too big, too. It can be something you shouldn’t be trusted to hold when you’re the kind of person who drops the eggs and breaks the remote control.
Love doesn’t break easily, I found. But people do.”
BROWSE INSIDE NOW!
WATCH THE TRAILER
EAT THE COOKIES – Cold Kiss Coconut Cookie Recipe
Recipe is courtesy of Jennifer Baker Henry
INGREDIENTS
Cookie
¼ cup butter (as soft as you can get it, near not wholly melted is okay)
¾ white sugar (I prefer superfine)
1 egg (can use 2 egg yolks for a lighter consistency)
½ cup sour cream (or you can use *Greek yogurt for a lighter fare as it has a similar consistency)
½ tsp coconut extract**
1 1/3 cup flour
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1/3-1/2 cup of shredded coconut (dependant on your enjoyment of coconut or you could eyeball it)
Glaze
1 cup confectioners/powdered sugar
1 tbs milk (or coconut milk for extra coconut flavor)
1 tsp vanilla extract (or coconut extract for, again, extra coconut flavor)** Handful of shredded coconut (optional for ‘snow’ effect)
The Mixing…
Preheat oven to 350 degrees or higher (dependent on oven as mine is SUPER hot).
Mix soften butter, egg (or egg whites), and sugar using a hand or stand mixer. When everything is completely mixed together (should have a slightly yellow and runny consistency) add sour cream and extract.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda & powder and salt, suggest mixing these together beforehand) to the wet.
As dough will be kind of liquidy you should refrigerate for an hour or longer. Could even do overnight.
Drop 1 tablespoon or smaller bits of dough on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (a fave of mine). Cookie cookies for 10-15 minutes or until edges are light brown (again dependent on oven). You can press on the tops, lightly, to see if they are firm and don’t make an indent.
(Try to keep remaining, unused dough refrigerated while cookies are baking so it doesn’t get too liquidy from heat in the kitchen.)
Cool completely on a rack before making glaze. (If the cookie is still super hot/warm the glaze will run off it making a gooey mess.) After drizzling glaze atop cookie sprinkle shredded coconut.
*Make sure to use Greek yogurt and not regular yogurt as regular has a more runny consistency and may take the middle of the cookie to cook longer resulting in darkened edges and a gloppy center. (Trust me, lesson learned on this.)
**The simple glaze can be made with coconut extract but I think vanilla extract adds a nice complement since you have coconut extract and flakes within the cookie and the glaze adds a nice stickiness to have coconut flakes (representing snow) on top which gives it a good balance. Putting vanilla extract inside the cookie would probably overwhelm any coconut flavor you have so it’s best to use coconut extract but not be too heavy handed.
LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST
Now it’s time to discuss, head on over to this forum!
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