Read & Cook – Rhyming Dreams by Nicole Sara and Multicoloured Jelly Cupcakes

Posted: February 11, 2026 | Author: robbiesinspiration | Filed under: Book Review, Collection, Poetry, Read and Cook, Recipes, Review | Tags: #ReadandCook, #RobbieCheadle, Book Reveiw, Nicole Sara, Poetry, Recipes, Rhyming Dreams, Writing to be Read |9 Comments

Rhyming Dreams by Nicole Sara

What Amazon says

Rhyming Dreams is an enchanting and engaging collection of poems about the heart’s winding journey through deep wistful longing towards bliss and belonging along the meandering road of love and loss, hope and healing. This book is for anyone who dreams a lot, loves deeply, and has both good and bad days.. like steps on a pathway, be them confident or hesitating, nevertheless tirelessly searching for happiness in the enjoyment of small things around, yet so sweet, that life has to offer.

Each and every poem in this debut collection is deeply rooted in personal moments and experiences but still wonderfully universal, so that you feel taken by the hand and shown the beauty and brightness of it all, thus wholeheartedly invited to gently give yourself grace beyond the sadness of blue gloomy days, the tears or the brokenness.

This collection of beautifully flowing and uplifting verse is a soothing balm for the soul in search of serenity, helping the reader to reach peaceful shores deep within.

for here, on Earth, you and I
bearing within us the sky
we dance away beneath whispering stars
trying to reach beyond rails and bars
(fromKinship)

My review

The poetry content of Rhyming Dreams is a delightfully ethereal as its striking cover of a female goddess in shades of blue against a turquoise background. The poet introduces this collection with an overview about the large variety of different steps she has taken during her life and how they have led her on different journeys. Some steps are hard to take and some are taken quickly, heedless of potential danger, but all lead to change. The overarching message in this introduction and in this book, is that no matter how tough life gets, our feet always eventually grow wings again and our steps led us upwards, in pursuit of our dreams and better opportunities.

Many of the poems are written in rhyming verse which is a favourite form of mine, and all are exquisitely beautiful. Each poem is matched with one of the poet’s wonderful colour photographs that compliment the words. One of the objectives of this collection is to create and share beauty by engaging all of the senses in a sensuous and vivid way. It creates a path of poems to joy and gratitude.

One of my favourite poems in the collection is called Starry Steps and it provides a small peek into the collection.

Starry Steps
“to step on stairs
of stars

to breathe in their light,
their dream

touching their statin star dust
beyond clouds

and the moon…
smiling
from within their shine

and hiding behind veils of rays
to fall asleep

sun in your heart…”

A poetry collection that uplifts and inspires.

Purchase Rhyming Dreams by Nicole Sara from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/Rhyming-Dreams-Nicole-Sara-ebook/dp/B0DCZXWMBF

Multicoloured Jelly Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 each red, green, orange, blue and pink jelly; 1 lemon jelly; 125 ml evaporated milk; and 250 ml clear apple juice

Method

Make up the red, green, orange, blue and pink jellies according to the instructions on the packet. When set, chop the jellies roughly into squares. Heat the apple juice and dissolve the lemon jelly in the juice and allow to cool. Add the slightly beaten evaporated milk. Place cupcake holders on a baking tray and fill them to three quarters full with different coloured squares of jelly. Cover the jelly pieces with the lemon mixture. Place in the refrigerator to set overnight.

About Robbie Cheadle

South African author, photographer, and artist, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated seventeen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, written and illustrated four poetry books and written and illustrated one celebration of cake and fondant art book with recipes. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Find Robbie Cheadle

Blog https://wordpress.com/home/robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyFo_OJLPqFa9ZhHnCfHUA

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

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This segment of “Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and their themed anthologies.

Tales From the Hanging Tree: Imprints of Tragedy: There exists a tree that is timeless, spanning across all dimensions, which absorbs every life as those who are hanged as they die… and it remembers every one. The stories within are a select few of the Tales From the Hanging Tree. 

Curses: Chronicles of Darkness:

There are all types of curses.

Cursed places, cursed items, cursed people, cursed families.

Curses that last throughout time. Curses which can’t be broken. Curses which are brought upon ourselves. Curses that will kill you and those that will only make you wish you were dead.

Legends: Monsters That Go Bump in the Night: Coming in 2026

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