Winner of Recipe of Love Trilogy by Louisa Edwards

CONGRATULATIONS

to the Lucky Winner of

The Recipe of Love Trilogy by Louisa Edwards

Can't Stand The Heat (A Recipe for Love)
On the Steamy Side (Recipe for Love)
Just One Taste (Recipe for Love)

I will email Natasha for her mailing information to send on to Nancy Berland Public Relations for the trilogy.
Also, when I get back I will locate the bound draft I have of Can't Stand the Heat and I will mail that to:

HRJ Rita

Giveaway - Recipe of Love Trilogy by Louisa Edwards

I had the fun to review book one and three of this delicious, sexy trilogy.
Thanks to Nancy Berland I am hosting this wonderful giveaway for all three of the books and there are yummy recipes at the end of each book too!

Can't Stand The Heat (A Recipe for Love)
On the Steamy Side (Recipe for Love)
Just One Taste (Recipe for Love)

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE TRILOGY:

1. Visit the author's website and tell me something fun that you found there.  Good for One Entry.
Please leave your e-mail!

2. Three Extra Entries:  Comment on the review and tell me who is the cook at your house?  At my house it is my DH. :)

3. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

4. For another entry, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

5. Two more extra entries: Comment on my earlier review of Can't Stand the Heat.
(Eight total entries possible.)
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is open to US and Canada only.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on November 4, 2010. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.

Book Review: Just One Taste by Louisa Edwards

This books serves up a delicious feast of trouble and romance.
Just One Taste (Recipe for Love) by Louisa Edwards

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1 edition (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312356471
• ISBN-13: 978-0312356477

     Genre: Contemporary Romance
     My Rating:  4.5 of 5.0

He has a hungry mind.
Bad-boy chef Wes Murphy dreads his final semester cooking class—Food Chemistry 101—until he meets the new substitute teacher. Dr. Rosemary Wilkins is a feast for the eyes, though her approach to food is strictly academic. So Wes decides to rattle her Bunsen burner by asking for her hands-on advice—on aphrodisiacs . . .

She’s got love down to a science.
Rosemary is a little wary about working with Wes, whose casual flirtations leave her hot under the collar. But once they begin testing the love-enhancing power of chocolate, oysters, and strawberries, it becomes scientifically evident that the brainy science nerd and the boyish chef have some major chemistry together—and it’s delicious . . .

Review: A fun read with “delicious” writing.
Wes isn’t a “bad-boy” in the way that you might think as a playboy type. His “bad” history comes from a childhood on the “scam” with his con artist dad until the scams landed him in a halfway house. Which was really a good thing because it turned Wes around and gave him a goal for the future with his love of cooking.

When Wes first spots his geeky but sexy teacher (you know the kind hiding behind the frumpy lab jacket, hair pinned back and wearing thick glasses) he thinks maybe he can con...ah no, make that charm... his way into a good grade. Then things get hot in the lab and they both jump from the pan into the fire, so to speak.

Rosemary has an IQ off the charts but is naive on friendships and relationships having lived her whole life set apart from normal people and in the standoffish presence, or more often absence, of her wealthy, brilliant parents. She views most things in scientific black and white.  Unfortunately the bubbly emotions that come with Wes take a fast plunge when Wes runs off.

Wes takes off to try to protect Rosemary’s reputation. But leaving a note saying “I’m off to the job I always dreamed of” isn’t exactly brave or kind.  When they meet again he is thrilled to have a second chance but prideful Wes is going to hide his background at all costs, even if it means lying to Rosemary and losing her. This is really idiotic since it seems she could handle the truth.  But where would the betrayal and story be??  So with two strikes behind him, is there any chance Rosemary will trust him again?

Behind the primary story there is a strong secondary story involving the relationship trauma between the gay couple, Frankie and Jess. As in the first book of the series, this was nicely handled with good characterization and natural heartache and angst.

I enjoy the smooth writing with the very natural, true to  life, presentation of the characters. There are lots of apropos cooking phrases, like: “Drawn to her like butter melting toward the hottest spot in the pan....”, which are peppered throughout and add flavorful fun to the story.  I thought the ending was a little weak and would have liked an epilogue to tie up loose ends instead of leaving unanswered questions since this is the end of the series. All in all this is a sumptuous and satisfying romance.

One caution: The language is very strong and scattered throughout so be forewarned.

The ARC and trilogy for Giveaway are provided by Nancy Berland PR.

Review and Giveaway for Can't Stand the Heat!

Title: Can’t Stand the Heat “A Recipe for Love Novel”
Author: Louisa Edwards
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 4.75 of 5
Reviewed by: MarthaE

Buy Link: http://search.barnesandnob/hich/af0/dbch/af31505/loch/f0%20le.com/Cant-Stand-the-Heat/Louisa-Edwards/e/9780312356491
ISBN-13: 9780312356491
Pub. Date: September 01, 2009
368pp

Synopsis:
SHE'S HUNGRY FOR EXPERIENCE.
For sharp-tongued food critic Miranda Wake, the chance to spend a month in Adam Temple’s kitchen to write an expose' is a journalistic dream come true. Surely Miranda can find a way to cut the hotshot chef down to size once she learns what really goes on at his trendy Manhattan restaurant. But she never expected Adam to find out her most embarrassing secret: she has no idea how to cook.

AND HE KNOWS JUST HOW TO SATISFY HER CRAVINGS...
Adam’s not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn’t even know the difference between poaching and paring. He’ll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own—teaching her what it means to cook with passion…and doing more with his hands than simply preparing sumptuous food.

Author's Biography
Louisa Edwards grew up in Virginia before moving to Manhattan to work with some of the biggest names in book publishing. She later moved to Ohio, where she worked as a restaurant reviewer. She decided to bring her love of romance and cooking together by writing the Recipe for Love series. http://louisa-edwards.blogspot.com/

Review: This is a very sassy and fun read! I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down!
Miranda Wake is a great character as the bright, sharp-tongued food critic. Having lost her parents when she was just entering young woman hood, she is protective of herself and the younger brother she has had to raise and help put through college. She has never been able to really let go and open up to anyone else because of her self-imposed responsibilities.

Adam is another great character as a temperamental “artist” chef. He is very passionate about cooking and life! He surprises himself when he discovers he wants to share that passion with the feisty Miranda.

Miranda is determined to raise money for her brother’s tuition by doing an expose' book on Adam’s restaurant kitchen. Considering all the unique and crazy characters in the kitchen this seems easy at first. However, as Miranda works in the kitchen she gets closer to Adam and those other characters and the expose' becomes less attractive. Unfortunately someone else leaks her draft causing immediate betrayal and heartache.

It was clear that the author knows cooking (which I do not!) and I loved her use of cooking analogies which fit so perfectly with the storyline! Here is an example where Adam is describing Miranda's shoes to himself: "Bright, shiny with a glossy patina like you get on a good creme Anglaise, the color of pinot noir help up to the light. Heels like ice picks, and then above them, her legs stretched for miles, slender, perfect. Those shoes sparked his interest." Another describing Miranda's feeling happy: “Happiness bubbled through her veins, popping and fizzing like sparkling wine.”

I also loved the snappy repartee between not only Miranda and Adam but also among the other chefs in the kitchen. I liked the style of writing which has a nature feel – the way my own brain might think.

The plot moves consistently to keep the reader moving towards the train wreck you know is coming. When the betrayal occurs you get the full emotional, breath clinching punch of the heartache for both characters. Then you don’t want to put the book down or be distracted until you find out how the split is resolved!

The book includes some gay relationships, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that when I recognized it. The author’s handling of the issues is done in a way that is tolerant, not offensive, and adds an extra facet to Miranda’s story. One additional warning: In the first 30 pages the “f” word was used 4 or 5 times. This was SO unnecessary in my opinion. And I do not recall seeing or noticing it after that! I read a spiral bound manuscript arc so I do not know if those made it to the final print. Although the word isn’t pleasant, try to get past that because the book is worth the fun reading.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

A Spiral Bound ARC copy of Can't Stand the Heat will be awarded!

1. Comment here including a brief description involving food or drink- just something you like if you can't think of an analogy! Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win.
2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.
3. For another entry, share this giveaway on your blog, my space, facebook or Twitter and tell me where you shared it.
4. For another entry, go to the author's website [link above] and tell me something of interest you found there.
5. Leave a separate comment for each entry or you'll only be entered once. (This method is used to make it easier to put the entries into the random generator!)
(Four total entries possible.)

• This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
• No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.

This contest will close Midnight (Central) on September 25, 2009. The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.

A Big Thank You to Jeanne at Nancy J. Berland Publicist for sending this book to me and providing the ARC for the giveaway!

Two Spriral ARC Books

Here are two spiral books I received for review from Jeanne at Nancy Berland PR. Thanks Jeanne!

(I know - I need to practice to get better photos!)

The books are:

Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong --- Giveaway and review already posted!

and

Can't Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards---- reading now!!