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Website for author Vicki Stewart

Guardians of the Chosen

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Reader’s Choice Award Contest Book Review – Guardians of the Chosen Received 5 Stars!

I am so blessed and thankful for Rosie Malezer and her gracious 5-star review of Guardians of the Chosen, Book Three in the Tori Cooper Novels! Thank you, Rosie!

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Guardians of the Chosen is the third book in the Tori Cooper Novels by Vicki Stewart. As the last descendant of Archangel Ramiel, FBI Agent Tori Cooper has powers which the FBI utilizes in order to capture serial killers. Tori uses her psychic powers to hunt criminals with the help of a special amulet. Not only can Tori see events that have happened in the past just by touching objects, but she can also communicate with spirits, whom she is able to send to their final destination when they are ready to cross over. When Tori wakes to the sound of her own blood dripping onto the floor below her, she thinks back to two months earlier and the events which had led to her being in such a predicament. In putting the pieces together after interviewing four recent murder victims, all of whom had had microchips with GPS’ cut out of their bodies when they died, Tori not only realizes that she is being used as a pawn in a sick game by Lucifer himself, but that the main suspect, Dr Ronan Keenan, is the last man alive she would have ever have suspected of the killings. Under the protection of her husband, Ben, her ancestor, Remy, and Remiel’s telepathic dog, Goliath, Tori is in a race against time to find and stop the killer before it is too late.

From the very first page of Guardians of the Chosen, I was hooked. I loved that some of the characters were quite complex. Vicki Stewart has delivered a story of epic proportions, incorporating those of so many different realms into one place, with the help of Tori’s special gifts. My only regret is that I read the third book in the series first, before reading the others, but I will be quickly rectifying that, having discovered that there are four books in the Tori Cooper Novels so far, each of which looks just as mesmerizing. Seeing the murders, not only from the view point of the FBI but also of the killer and the victim, was a first for me. Most of the characters were likable, and watching Lucifer receive a good dressing down for being mischievous was definitely a first. I would recommend this book to all those who love a good murder mystery entwined with a gory supernatural element in their read.

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Cooking Therapy Time, Baking Ben’s Favorite Bread

We’ve all learned that Ben loves to eat. Fortunately for him, he fell in love with a woman who loves to cook. A true match made in foodie heaven!

Like Tori, I don’t always cook just to prepare a meal; often times it’s a way of working through an issue going on in my life, or when I’m stuck in the middle of a chapter and I know where I want the story to go next, but I just can’t seem to find the words to get it there.  Yes, even I get writers block from time to time! That’s when cooking time becomes ‘therapy time’.

Cooking for hours in the kitchen allows me to forget about what’s going on in my head, and instead, create something that comes from my heart. Then being able to share that creation with others, very much like writing my books, gives me the sense of fulfillment I need to remember that I know who I am deep down inside, regardless of all the ‘noise’ from the outside world.

So for those of you, who sometimes find yourselves in similar situations, try a little cooking therapy and see if it helps put your head back in alignment with your heart.

Here’s the second recipe tied to my post from June 28th from Guardians of the Chosen, Chapter 12.

Tori’s Tomato Ciabatta with Olives and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
5 Tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
2 Yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
½ Cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
½ Cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
3 Packages active dry yeast
1 Teaspoon sugar
1 ¾ Cups, warm water
2 ½ Cups all purpose flour
¾ Cup semolina flour
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:
1) In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat until lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes.

2) Add the tomato paste and crushed red pepper, cooking for an additional 2 minutes.

3) Stir in the olives and tomatoes and season with salt and black pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4) In a bowl, whisk the yeast, sugar and water; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

5) Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the 2 ½ cups of flour and semolina, until the dough comes together; it will be very wet.

6) Stir in the cooled olive/tomato mixture and cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel. Let stand in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.
7) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

8) Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface and shape into 2 rough loaves, about 14 x 3 ½ inches each.

9) Transfer loaves to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 25 – 30 minutes, until loaves are lightly browned and have risen.

10) Remove bread from oven and allow to cool before slicing.

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True Love

Or, for those of us who are also fans of the movie, The Princess Bride, ‘Twu Wuv’.

I realize the following question is going to totally date me, but remember when a guy making a mixed tape for a girl was considered a romantic gesture?  Fortunately, our darling Ben is old school.  He loves Tori, heart and soul, and isn’t shy about how he shows it!

Play List My Angel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guardians of the Chosen, Chapter 11 “…Hoping he had enough time before she woke up, he snuck her iPod off the dresser, crept into the living room and plugged the device into a cable attached to his laptop.  Working quickly, he created a new playlist on her directory and transferred several carefully selected songs over to the list.

The timing couldn’t have worked out better as he had just enough time to eject the device, place it on the table in front of him and grab a section of the newspaper, as he heard her open the door to her bedroom.

He looked up from the newspaper, casually, and smiled as she strode into the living room wearing a jogging suit and sneakers.  “Perfect!” he chuckled, inwardly.  “Good morning!  Where are you off to looking so sporty and beautiful?”

“Good morning!” she replied, smiling back while pulling her long auburn hair up into a high pony-tail and securing it with an elastic band.  “Thank goodness the rain has finally stopped!  Have you seen the sky today?  It’s absolutely beautiful!  I thought I would go for a walk.  Hey, have you seen my iPod?  I can’t seem to find it…oh, there it is – never mind!  Geez!  I’m starting to leave my stuff everywhere, aren’t I?”

She walked over to the coffee table, next to where Ben was sitting, picked the device up and clipped it onto her waistband.  While she un-tangled the headphone wires from each other she added, “Do you want to come with me?”

Ben grinned secretively, shook his head and said, “Thanks, you go ahead.  When I’m done with the paper, I have some email I need to catch up on.  Go, have fun!”

Tori shrugged and replied, “Your loss!  See you later!”

“Later,” he agreed, chuckling out loud as the door closed behind her.

Tori paused on the landing long enough to stretch out her calves and hamstrings against the stair railing, then descended to the ground and headed out of the parking lot in the direction of a farm road a few blocks away.

The familiar sounds of birds chirping in the sky above and her shoes crunching the loose gravel against the pavement, made her quicken her pace as she anticipated the road ahead.

While she walked, she placed the ear-buds from her headphones into her ears and unclipped her iPod from her waistband, powering up the device.  Scrolling through her playlists, she looked for the usual list of songs and was surprised to see a new playlist she hadn’t seen before named ‘My Angel.’  Curious, and immediately suspicious of Ben and his typical prankish behavior, she selected the playlist and waited for the first song to play…”