Boozy Bookgasms

Heated Riverly by Rachel Reid
This week the cousins are switching up the format! We’re trading paperback pages for power plays and diving headfirst into Heated Rivalry on HBO Max based on the MM romance by Rachel Reid. We'll be joined by a Heated Rivalry superfan, Miranda to recap and review episodes 1-3 and let’s just say, the ice is not the only thing melting. Mix up a Pretty Russian and join us for some laughs! 

 

Signature Cocktail: The Pretty Russian

Tonight’s cocktail is the Pretty Russian — a dangerously smooth blend of vanilla, marshmallow, and just enough kick to keep things interesting. At first sip it’s sweet, creamy, and a little indulgent… but much like a heated rivalry, Pretty on the outside… chaos underneath

Ingredients:

2 oz vanilla vodka

1 oz coffee liqueur (Kahlúa)

½ oz marshmallow syrup

1 oz half & half or heavy cream

Ice

Optional “Pretty Factor”

1 drop pink food coloring in the cream

Mini marshmallows

White chocolate syrup

Graham cracker crumbs or vanilla sugar for rim

Prep the Glass (makes it look amazing)

Drizzle white chocolate syrup inside the glass.

Rim the glass with marshmallow fluff then dip in graham cracker crumbs or vanilla sugar.

Add ice.

Build the Drink

Pour vanilla vodka + coffee liqueur + marshmallow syrup over the ice.

Stir lightly.

Slowly pour the cream (with a tiny drop of pink coloring if you want the swirl effect).

Garnish

Toasted marshmallow on a cocktail pick

Optional: tiny dust of edible shimmer

Flavor

Creamy vanilla latte

Toasted marshmallow sweetness

Rich coffee finish

Basically this is a grown-up marshmallow latte that looks like it belongs in a romance book scene.

Inevitable by Jenna Hartley
This week the cousins are talking about Inevitable by Jenna Hartley—where a summer internship turns into a dangerously tempting situation with her dad’s best friend. This one has some of us all hot and bothered and others clutching their pearls. So, mix up a WAP and join us for the fun!

 

Signature Cocktail: WAP (Wet and Potent)

Tonight's beverage of choice is strong enough to withstand the roller coaster of emotions we are about to take. It's sweet, bold, slightly messy and has just enough alcohol to help us cope with tension in this book, and let's be honest, who doesn't like a WAP. 

Ingredients:

2 oz vodka 

1 oz watermelon liqueur

1 oz pineapple juice

1 splash of lime juice

For spicy flavor rim the glass with Tajin

For sweet flavor rim the glass with sugar

lime wheel for garnish

Rim tumblers with preferred flavor (spicy or sweet)and add ice.  Add  ice, vodka, watermelon liqueur, pineapple juice and lime to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into iced tumblers. Garnish with the lime wheel and enjoy.

The Devil's Advocate by Ashley Jade

Hey Boozy Book Lovers! Today we are going to make Lynn smile when we finally finish the second book in a duet! The cousins are recapping and reviewing book two of the Devil’s Playground duet by Ashley Jade, and let’s just say… if you thought book one was messy, buckle up. 

We’re talking obsession, political power plays, true crime, revenge, and a romance that refuses to behave itself. Damien and Eden are back, making choices that will have you screaming, swooning, and maybe texting your therapist “you up?”

So grab your drink, lower your expectations for healthy relationships, and join us for some laughs!

Signature Cocktail: The Devil Will Get You

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounce vodka or tequila

1 1/2 ounce peach puree

1/2 ounce lime juice

Chile-lime seasoning

Ice cubes

Instructions:

Rim your glass with Tajin. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine your alcohol liquid, peach puree and lime juice. Shake until chilled about 30 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass.

The Devil by Ashley Jade

Tonight the cousins dive headfirst into Book One in The Devil's Playground duet where the men are dangerous, the tension is sinful, and the emotional damage comes with a side of sexual chemistry. 

Pour a drink and join us as we unpack power plays, toxic flirting, and a love triangle that feels less like romance and more like potential for felony charges. Cheers to bad decisions and even worse men.

Signature Cocktail: Devil's Heart

Ingredients:

1/2 oz 1883 Spicy Syrup
4 oz White Tequila
1 oz honey
3 oz cranberry juice
splash of lime juice

 

Pour all the ingredients in a shaker, add ice and shake well during 10 seconds. Strain in chilled Martini glass. Decorate with a pepper and a lime peel.

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

Today the cousins are entering the dark, deadly, and frankly very sexy world of Phantasma, the gothic competition where contestants must survive a series of terrifying trials inside a cursed castle. Think haunted house meets Hunger Games, with just enough brooding men to make everyone question their survival priorities.

So pour yourself something strong, light a candle that probably shouldn’t be flickering like that, and laugh along with Kim, Jen and Lynn!