Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore By: Stella Duffy Release Date: September 27, 2011 Publisher: Penguin Group Series: Empress Theodora Rating: 1 out 5 Summary: Roman historian Procopius publicly praised Theodora of Constantinople for her piety---while secretly detailing her salacious stage act and maligning her as ruthless and power hungry. So who was this woman who rose from humble beginnings as a dancer to become the empress of Rome and a saint in the Orthodox Church? Award-winning novelist Stella Duffy vividly recreates the life and times of a woman who left her mark on one of the ancient world's most powerful empires. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore is a sexy, captivating novel that resurrects an extraordinary, little-known figure from the dusty pages of history. Review: It tells the story of Theodora, before and after she became one of the most powerful women in the Byzantine Empire. In the novel, she explains how her mother offered her and two other sister
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (Hannah Swensen #1) By: Joanne Fluke Release Date: April 11th 2013 (first published April 1st 2000) Publisher: Kensington Books Rating: 3 out 5 Series: Hannah Swensen Summary: Discover the delicious mystery that started it all! No one cooks up a delectable, suspense-filled mystery quite like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke s dessert-baking, red-haired heroine whose gingersnaps are as tart as her comebacks, and whose penchant for solving crimes one delicious clue at a time has made her a bestselling favorite. And it all began on these pages, with a bakery, a murder, and some suddenly scandalous chocolate-chip crunchies. Featuring a bonus short story and brand new, mouthwatering recipes, this limited edition of the very first Hannah Swensen mystery is sure to have readers coming back for seconds. Hannah Swenson already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother s attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minneso