Goodbye Lie Sugar & Spice Nuts w Excerpt

Every year around Christmas, I make my Sugar and Spice Nuts. I think they are festive enough to serve for fancy functions, so wrote them into my historical romance novel, The Goodbye Lie.  Click on the link for the recipe, http://www.greenlightwrite.com/sugarspicenuts.htm, and read the excerpt below from the book that mentions the nuts...

The scene is the Fort Clinch Christmas dance of 1882 set on Amelia Island, Florida.  

     While Trip and Will found amusement between them, Nora commented, "You'd never think this was a military establishment from the looks of the holiday decorations.  All I can think of right now, though, is biting the head off one of those frosted snowman cookies hanging from the red ribbons."...

     The girls nibbled on triangular egg salad sandwiches, rolled ham, and sugared nuts while watching Mrs. Bleether. The stout widow was still dressed in black for General Bleether who had passed away in the line of duty before Breelan was born. Tonight, the widow nodded periodically to the conductor with instructions. A self-described expert tunesmith, she could always be found near the hapless leader of the band at any social function she attended...

      Breelan danced with Trip each time he asked despite his occasional cutting remarks. She didn't understand why he was becoming increasingly nasty as the evening advanced. Usually that happened as he drank more alcohol, but the dance committee was only serving spiced punch and mulled cider they heated with a fire poker. When Trip crushed her to him in an indelicate moment of lust, she felt the hard flask under his tunic and understood.

     The glowing fireplaces kept most of the cold at bay. They blazed high, casting a golden haze on everyone and everything. Passing the door in dance, Breelan felt a rush of raw wind enter the room, along with a late arriving couple. The cape the man wore was not military. She saw the woman next. The blond hair, piled a little too high on the head, left no doubt that it was Leona Visper, a figure not seen since New York City and more importantly, not missed. Looking again at the silhouette of shoulders, Breelan realized the identity of the singer's escort. It was then that eyes met, expressions hardened and polite nods were exchanged.

     "What the hell's he doing here?" Trip railed.

     Having no answer, Breelan offered none.

     "Look everyone," said a voice from somewhere in the room, "Captain Taylor and his lady brought the snow with them to Fernandina!" The floor cleared as couples rushed to the windows to see the rare white flakes drop softly to the earth, melting on contact with the warmer sand and sparse grass.

     Trip grabbed Breelan's hand and yanked her to the window farthest from the entrance. He threw his arm about her waist...murmured a vulgarity against her ear. She tried pulling away, but was fused to his body by his overpowering strength...