King’s Property by Morgan Howell, is a strong start to the Queen of the Orcs series. Dar, a peasant girl barely scraping by, is betrayed by her family. Branded and enslaved by King Kregant’s army, she is assigned as a drudge to the dreaded orc regiment. Rather than prostitute herself out to soldiers on the side for extra food and clothing as do most of the other women, Dar braves her fear of the orcs, learning their language and making a place for herself in their society. But as the war escalates, will Dar survive the enmity her actions have incurred among the human side of the camp?
I found King’s Property an engrossing read. Dar is a stubborn, kick-ass heroine ready to die fighting but sneaky enough to survive. This book reminded me strongly of Elizabeth Moon’s Deeds of Paksenarrion series.
Check availability of Morgan Howell books at Fiction Addiction.
The other day none of the other produce at the grocery store looked that great, so I was forced to buy broccoli. My husband, Lee, loves it, but it’s not one of my favorite vegetables. In the hopes of jazzing it up, I turned to The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without by Molly Katzen (well-known author of The Moosewood Cookbook). Her recipe for Broccoli, Apples, & Red Onion in Honey-Mustard Marinade looked promising as my husband likes all 3 of those ingredients, although I’m sure he never envsioned eating them together in the same dish.
In an earlier post I listed some 
