Long and Short Reviews

Recipe for Love by Sue Perkins
Whiskey Creek Press
Contemporary Romance
Full length, Spicy
Review by Bluebell

Sous chef Kirsty Lawrence's problems begin with the arrival of the new hotel manager. Everything she touches ends in disaster. Has she really become so inept or is someone sabotaging her work? Reeve Stuart obviously distrusts her, but she can't help her growing attraction to him.

Reeve initially believes Kirsty is incompetent, but he still feels drawn to her. He must put his feelings aside to concentrate on finding out why the hotel restaurant is losing money. Could Kirsty be the reason? Instinct tells him no, but his feelings for her might be influencing his decision.

♥ ♥ ♥

Food is sous chef Kirsty Lawrence's first love and her life seems to be in order, working along with Chef Antoine at the Hibiscus Hotel. When a few slip ups mar her working days, she dismisses them as ordinary mix-ups in a day’s work. Things start getting out of hand after the new management has Reeve Stuart breathing down her neck. Reeve is determined to find out the reason of the hotel’s dwindling popularity and some of Kirsty’s moves have labeled her as the culprit. Can they get everything into perspective before their problems get them into hot water?

Reeve appears bossy but he cleans up his act very well. He always seems in control of the situation and I found myself secretly smirking whenever he ruffled the fiery-tempered sous chef’s feathers. Kirsty is a take charge sensible woman with big dreams. I appreciated the fact that she took her job seriously and did everything with gusto. At times, though, I just couldn’t get her reason of jumping to conclusions and making assumptions. Though there is an instant connection between the lead characters, their relationship develops at a very believable pace. Their romance didn’t feel rushed at all and the bantering between them somehow increases the flavor of the whole dish. There is enough spice to make a silly grin appear on the reader’s face while dreaming an escapade of their own.

Scenes that describe the scenery around them are quite poignant and well written. The North Island of New Zealand became alive under Ms. Perkins’ pen and I was thoroughly delighted by my visit. It feels as if the author was thoroughly enjoying herself while writing the tale and it shows. The plot progressed at a decent pace while I was pondering the bad guy’s motives for making Kristy his target. Within minutes of beginning Recipe For Love, I found myself eagerly searching out Ms. Perkins’ other books. The author’s great sense of humor is responsible for such an entertaining read. All in all, Recipe For Love is a fun and light-hearted contemporary romance that has moments to savor.