🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Verant

Title: The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux
Author: Samantha Verant 
Format: Kindle Edition, 348 pages
Published: September 8th 2020 by Berkley
ASIN: B082H35HBM

Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Source: NetGalley

Reviewer: Crystal

Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

A disgraced chef rediscovers her passion for food and her roots in this stunning novel rich in culture and full of delectable recipes.

French-born American chef Sophie Valroux had one dream: to be part of the 1% of female chefs running a Michelin-starred restaurant. From spending summers with her grandmother, who taught her the power of cooking and food, to attending the Culinary Institute of America, Sophie finds herself on the cusp of getting everything she's dreamed of.

Until her career goes up in flames.

Sabotaged by a fellow chef, Sophie is fired, leaving her reputation ruined and confidence shaken. To add fuel to the fire, Sophie learns that her grandmother has suffered a stroke and takes the red-eye to France. There, Sophie discovers the simple home she remembers from her childhood is now a luxurious château, complete with two restaurants and a vineyard. As Sophie tries to reestablish herself in the kitchen, she comes to understand the lengths people will go to for success and love, and how dreams can change. 

Crystal's Thoughts:

"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all, have fun." - Julia Child

🍷🍷.5 #Review of The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel

 

Title:  The Trouble with Hating You
Author: Sajni Patel
Format: Paperback/eBook, 352 pages
Publication: May 12, 2020 by Forever
ASIN:   B07XDM21SB   
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 🍷🍷.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents' latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she's out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later -- the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company. What's not surprising: he's not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco.

Jay Shah looks good on paper...and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He's also arrogant and infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts. Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?

Kimberly's Thoughts:

Liya loves her mother, has a contentious relationship with her father, and while enjoys the community aspect of her culture, she doesn't like the judgment. Living by herself, unmarried, and more of a modern bent attitude towards romantic relationships, Liya doesn't want to get married. She has had it with her father surprising her with these matchmaker dinners and literally runs over the latest match to get away.
Jay can't believe how rude Liya was and is angry at her for making his mother feel bad and when it turns out she works for the company that just hired him as a corporate lawyer to try and the save them from impending lawsuits, he comes down harsh on her when she is late to a meeting.

#CoverReveal of The Way the Story Goes by Samantha Chase

 

About the Book

The Way the Story Goes

(Magnolia Sound #7)

by Samantha Chase

Kindle Edition, 208 pages

Expected publication: January 12th 2021 by Chasing Romance, Inc.

ASINB08MKL8TS7

🍷.5 #Review of The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag

Title:  The Sisters Grimm
Author: Menna van Praag
Format: Paperback/eBook, 448 pages
Publication: Mar. 31, 2020 by Harper Voyager
ASIN:    B07TV5S9T9  
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: LibraryThing
Reviewer: Kimberly
Rating: 🍷.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . .   

As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly.

To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming.

So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.

Kimberly's Thoughts:

The Sisters Grimm are daughters of air---at least they begin that way---born of dreams and prayer, imagination and faith, bright-white wishing and black-edged desire.

🍷🍷🍷🍷 #Review of What I'm Looking For by Karen Grey

Title: What I’m Looking For
Series: Boston Classics Book 1
Author: Karen Grey
Format: Kindle Edition, 262 pages
Published: June 23rd 2020 by Home Cooked Books
ISBN: ASIN B0876HQBKG
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Linda
Source: Author
Rating: 🍷🍷🍷🍷 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Recipe for a Boston Classic Cocktail: one part finance geek, one part starving actor, two shots of stubborn and a healthy squeeze of passion. Shake well and serve in a vintage glass.
 

When Kate Bishop walks into Boston’s famous Bull and Finch pub, all she’s looking for is one guy from her investment firm that she can trust to have her back—a tall order. With a salesman at her side, maybe stage fright won’t paralyze her completely when she presents her meticulously prepared research to clients. And maybe she can save her job.

 
Romance is the last thing on her to-do list, but a meet-cute with a Shakespeare-quoting bartender has her speculating on the value of diversifying her life portfolio.

 
Will Talbot is not a fan of the slick financiers who cram into his bar after each day’s closing bell. With their calls for Harvey Wallbangers and their Hermès ties, they’re all the same.
 

Except for a certain beautiful, buttoned-up brunette with fire in her eyes and a storm in her heart. They’re totally wrong for each other. He should be focusing on his upcoming audition, not coaching Kate on how to act like she's a bona fide member of the Gordon Gekko club.

 
Problem is, they can’t seem to stay away from each other.
 

The course of true love never did run smooth, but in this 1980's sweet-and-sexy rom-com, returns on love can’t be measured on the S&P 500.

Linda's Thoughts:

“’This is very midsummer madness,’” he says.

Read an #Excerpt from Blacklisted by Jay Crownover

About the Book:

Blacklisted
(Loveless, Texas #3)
by Jay Crownover 
Mass Market Paperback, 285 pages
Published October 27th 2020 by Forever
ISBN1538746387

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Marked Men series comes an irresistible and suspenseful romance between a doctor who plays by the rules and the outlaw who breaks them in order to protect her.

Dr. Presley Baskin has always lived a quiet, calm life. Unfortunately, nothing about her life in Loveless, Texas—especially not the wild, rowdy, and impossibly close-knit Lawton family who've claimed her—is quiet or calm. Which is how loner Presley finds herself roped into patching up local bad boy Shot Caldwell against her better judgment. Presley wants nothing to do with the dangerous, brooding leader of the local outlaw motorcycle club. But when someone starts stalking her, Shot is the only person she trusts to help. Plus he owes her one...

Palmer 'Shot' Caldwell has always known his life isn't made for relationships. At least until shy, secretive, Presley reluctantly pulled a bullet out of him. He's oddly protective of the pretty doctor, so when she comes to him for help, hard-hearted Shot suddenly realizes there's nothing he wouldn't do to keep her safe.

AMAZON | B&N