Chef

REVIEW:  Feel the Heat by Kate Meader

REVIEW: Feel the Heat by Kate Meader

Dear Ms. Meader: On the plus side, this is NOT a small town contemporary. Cue cheers. It’s an entirely serviceable story set in Chicago with a believable plot and likeable characters but for some reason I didn’t love it like I thought I would.  This is totally a case of “It’s not you, it’s me.”(…)

REVIEW:  Lush – Delicious Book 3 by Lauren Dane

REVIEW: Lush – Delicious Book 3 by Lauren Dane

Dear Ms. Dane: After reading this book, I have a new favorite hero trope: I call it, “Hero in Hot Pursuit”. Mary Whaley runs a very successful catering company and a supper club. She has good friends, a loving family and is generally both busy and truly happy with her life. She offers to cater(…)

REVIEW:  Scrumptious by Amanda Usen

REVIEW: Scrumptious by Amanda Usen

Dear Ms. Usen: I bought this book while it was on sale, the reviews convincing me that it would be a fresh contemporary read.  It largely lived up to the positive reviews with some exceptions.  In the past, I haven’t been overly interested in the chef hero even though I love the show, Top Chef. (…)

REVIEW:  Short Soup by Coleen Kwan

REVIEW: Short Soup by Coleen Kwan

“A story about best friends, childhood dreams, and the healing power of Chinese food… Toni Lau and Dion Chan were connected from birth — first via their parents’ jointly-owned restaurant, then via their bone-deep friendship. But children grow up, and Toni leaves their sleepy hometown looking for more than it can offer. Now Toni is(…)

REVIEW:  When Chocolate is Not Enough … by Nina Harrington

REVIEW: When Chocolate is Not Enough … by Nina Harrington

Dear Ms. Harrington, Chocolate seems to be the new “thing” in romance books. And here we have luscious, organic, single estate, premo, “to die for” chocolate. Chocolate that makes chocolatiers swoon with delight and weep with envy – if they don’t have access to it. We also have a hero convinced of the wonder of(…)

What Jayne’s Been Reading and Watching Recently

What Jayne’s Been Reading and Watching Recently

Most books that I finish get their own reviews but here are some that either I didn’t finish or I didn’t think warranted a separate review. The Terrorist – Caroline Cooney / Fabulous writing. Intense, page turning, I was 50 pages into it before I even realized it when I finally came up for air.(…)

REVIEW:   Fearless Love (Konigsburg, #7) by Meg Benjamin

REVIEW: Fearless Love (Konigsburg, #7) by Meg Benjamin

Dear Ms. Benjamin: Jayne’s love for your Konigsburg series piqued my interest. Konigsburg is a small town in Texas and one commenter suggested it might be patterned after Fredericksburg, Texas. It’s far enough outside the city (I think the nearest one is Austin) that it feels like a small town but it is close enough(…)

REVIEW: Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael

REVIEW: Daddy, Daddy, and Me by Sean Michael

Dear Sean. I like your voice. I really do. After all, it’s why I keep trying your books. I’ve even enjoyed some of your Hammer Club series (Kinky Klub of Kinkiness, ahoy! in which Sarah learns about sexual sounding. O.O ). I just wish you believed in plot a little more strongly. I think I’ve(…)

REVIEW: Always the Bridesmaid by Nina Harrington

REVIEW: Always the Bridesmaid by Nina Harrington

Dear Ms. Harrington, This is the second charming book I’ve read of yours I’ve read. The CEO hero isn’t a cad or bounder, the baker heroine is dedicated to what she does – and I’d love to try her strudel, the action is short, sweet and to the point and I had a good time(…)

REVIEW: With a Little Help by Valerie Parv

REVIEW: With a Little Help by Valerie Parv

Dear Ms. Parv: Emma Jarrett knew exactly what life with a surgeon would be like. Her mother was one, her father was one, and her brother was one too. From personal experience, Emma knew that life with a surgeon meant missed birthdays, false commitments and taking a backseat to the operating theater. Emma made it(…)

REVIEW: Not Knowing Jack by K.A. Mitchell

REVIEW: Not Knowing Jack by K.A. Mitchell

Dear Ms. Mitchell. This was not the book I was expecting. At all. Which doesn’t make it bad, at all. It just…threw me a curve ball pretty early on (not that I have any idea what that metaphor actually means) and just kept them coming. That said, I adored it. I adored Tony. I adored(…)

REVIEW: Just Desserts by Scarlet Blackwell

REVIEW: Just Desserts by Scarlet Blackwell

Dear Ms. Blackwell, I hadn’t read an m/m in a while and decided to splurge on this story of one hot Parisian chef who meets his match in a cool English food critic. Luc Tessier is hot tempered, sexually demanding of his minions – who really don’t seem to mind too much, a top vegetarian(…)

REVIEW: The Heat is On by Jill Shalvis

REVIEW: The Heat is On by Jill Shalvis

Dear Ms. Shalvis: This is a recommended read by Jaclyn but while I loved the tone of the book, the overall story felt very rough.   Isabella Manchelli is a free spirit who has never believed in settling down. She flits from one place to the next, enjoying her time until her restlessness pushes her to(…)

REVIEW: Tipping the Waitress with Diamonds by Nina Harrington

REVIEW: Tipping the Waitress with Diamonds by Nina Harrington

Dear Ms. Harrington, Celebrity chefs and cook off challenges aren’t my passion. I like to cook but hate to clean up so having one hanging around my kitchen to do my scut work for me would be nice, though. And if he looked like I imagine Brett Cameron does, that would be a bonus because(…)

REVIEW: On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards

REVIEW: On the Steamy Side by Louisa Edwards