Helpful Score: 1
Cute but blah.
Third book in the One True Love series, the story of James the chef and Amy the Gypsy is neither deep nor edifying. Diana Holquist delivers a kind of romance that is more like a quality pre-made dinner from Whole Foods than something from a five star French restaurant. The couple may be destined to be together, but it is always nice to see them falling in love, learning each other, not just the lust we see between Amy and James.
I picked up this book because it was on a list of books for foodies. My favorite author, Lisa Kleypas, does not appear on that list so I assumed this would be some brilliant food porn. Not so much. We get a menu-style description of the food, but never a description of what a person experiences when they eat the food, the flavors, feelings, subtle textures, smells, and everything all the senses experience. That aspect was disappointing. Lisa Kleypas makes you want to go out and find a recipe for baked oatmeal RIGHT NOW. This book is filled with food, but only one scene described food in a way that made me wish I could eat it too (gnocchi with sage butter). I think for food descriptions to be successful, emotion and all the senses must be tied to the moment.
As to sensuality...disappointing. Lots of buildup to a scene that went like this: "They made love that night." Okay it got a teeny bit better later but not much for sensuality in this book. Pretty PG-13.
At any rate, the characters were kind of fun, as was the situation and while predictable, it was an enjoyable journey. Not great reading, but not like eating Hamburger Helper for dinner.
Third book in the One True Love series, the story of James the chef and Amy the Gypsy is neither deep nor edifying. Diana Holquist delivers a kind of romance that is more like a quality pre-made dinner from Whole Foods than something from a five star French restaurant. The couple may be destined to be together, but it is always nice to see them falling in love, learning each other, not just the lust we see between Amy and James.
I picked up this book because it was on a list of books for foodies. My favorite author, Lisa Kleypas, does not appear on that list so I assumed this would be some brilliant food porn. Not so much. We get a menu-style description of the food, but never a description of what a person experiences when they eat the food, the flavors, feelings, subtle textures, smells, and everything all the senses experience. That aspect was disappointing. Lisa Kleypas makes you want to go out and find a recipe for baked oatmeal RIGHT NOW. This book is filled with food, but only one scene described food in a way that made me wish I could eat it too (gnocchi with sage butter). I think for food descriptions to be successful, emotion and all the senses must be tied to the moment.
As to sensuality...disappointing. Lots of buildup to a scene that went like this: "They made love that night." Okay it got a teeny bit better later but not much for sensuality in this book. Pretty PG-13.
At any rate, the characters were kind of fun, as was the situation and while predictable, it was an enjoyable journey. Not great reading, but not like eating Hamburger Helper for dinner.
