crystal_reading's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmmmm. I am NOT a vampire book fan as a rule, but did enjoy some of the Twilight series and really enjoyed Peeps so I thought I might like this one. Not so much. The characters were not very well developed and the book felt pretty stilted. I thought the idea of a vamp restaurant theme was fun and I zipped through the book, but it was a little flat.
ama_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Vampires. Werewolves. Hmmm...that sounds familiar.
Oh, yeah. The ever-popular Twilight series. That's why.
This book was OK. I wanted to know how it was going to end. I was a little surprised as to who the bad guy ended up being....but barely. It was rather predictable.
If you want a vampire/werewolf love triangle type of story, skip this one and go directly to the Twilight series.
Oh, yeah. The ever-popular Twilight series. That's why.
This book was OK. I wanted to know how it was going to end. I was a little surprised as to who the bad guy ended up being....but barely. It was rather predictable.
If you want a vampire/werewolf love triangle type of story, skip this one and go directly to the Twilight series.
brittaniethekid's review against another edition
4.0
I recommend this book for fans of Twilight and similar vampire novels, but I believe it to be a little better. The leading lady is not a whiney brat and has gone through a lot in life that gives her a pretty mature outlook. Though the book feels a little rushed in the third and last part, it was still entertaining and a good read.
ashreads10k's review against another edition
3.0
Tantalize had so much potential to be a completely amazing and unique book in the vampire world, but I felt that it just didn't do it. I was confused most of the time, and felt it took me longer to read Tantalize than it normally should.
The concept is great--a vampire themed Italian restaurant wrapped up in a supernatural murder mystery. But the murder mystery is never even looked into. The fact that the first chef was murdered in the restaurant is basically brushed aside, when I thought it could've added way more suspense and intrigue to the novel.
Also, the romance, well, wasn't romance-y. It was supposed to be a love triangle between Quincie, the new young and cute chef she hired, and her best friend who also happens to be a werewolf. The problem is that Mr. Werewolf Bestfriend only stops by a few times throughout the novel for a quick argument, and then leaves again, all culminating at the end with an even bigger argument. And Mr. Hot Chef, well, I didn't really know what to think of him. My opinion of him changes several times throughout the book, and at the end I was just kinda like ".....Okay then."
The plot didn't do much for the first portion of the novel. There comes a moment where something monumental is revealed about one of the main characters, and only from there do things pick up. But it just took too long to get started. I do think that Cynthia Leitich Smith has a great writing style, and was able to paint a vivid picture with her prose, though.
Even though I wasn't too keen on Tantalize, I will read more of Cynthia's work. Even if I don't like the first book in a series, I always give the benefit of the doubt and continue on for at least one more book. Overall, I give Tantalize 2 out of 5 stars.
The concept is great--a vampire themed Italian restaurant wrapped up in a supernatural murder mystery. But the murder mystery is never even looked into. The fact that the first chef was murdered in the restaurant is basically brushed aside, when I thought it could've added way more suspense and intrigue to the novel.
Also, the romance, well, wasn't romance-y. It was supposed to be a love triangle between Quincie, the new young and cute chef she hired, and her best friend who also happens to be a werewolf. The problem is that Mr. Werewolf Bestfriend only stops by a few times throughout the novel for a quick argument, and then leaves again, all culminating at the end with an even bigger argument. And Mr. Hot Chef, well, I didn't really know what to think of him. My opinion of him changes several times throughout the book, and at the end I was just kinda like ".....Okay then."
The plot didn't do much for the first portion of the novel. There comes a moment where something monumental is revealed about one of the main characters, and only from there do things pick up. But it just took too long to get started. I do think that Cynthia Leitich Smith has a great writing style, and was able to paint a vivid picture with her prose, though.
Even though I wasn't too keen on Tantalize, I will read more of Cynthia's work. Even if I don't like the first book in a series, I always give the benefit of the doubt and continue on for at least one more book. Overall, I give Tantalize 2 out of 5 stars.
foreverbeautifulbooks's review against another edition
I just didn't care about anything in this book. The first chapter started off choppy and I had no clue what was going on. I was like wait--then had to reread it only to realize that Quince was attacked my something, then they were in a restaurant. They were trying to make spagetti sauce 'blood lusty'. Then the werewolf boyfriend/hopeless crush/best friend was leaving and couldn't see her anymore because he would be joining a wolf pack???? I'm all for original werewolf/shifter politics but it was having conflict for the sake of young adult conflict.
This story was not my cup of tea. People seem to like it and fans of the genre might be interested. I just was bored out of my mind.
This story was not my cup of tea. People seem to like it and fans of the genre might be interested. I just was bored out of my mind.
darbyart's review against another edition
1.0
I was disappointed by this story.
Quincie is high-schooler whose parents died when she was small. She inherits her parent's restaurant and starts to make some very poor decisions - drinking being one them.
I thought from reading the description it sounded interesting. And being a fan of books about vampire/werewolf. But this story fell so flat. I did make it through it as I just was curious where it would end up or get better. None of the characters make me feel invested in them. And I felt the story ends badly and just kind of like "that was the end really?" Not a book I would recommend and because it was so bad I doubt I will be picking up any other title by this author.
Quincie is high-schooler whose parents died when she was small. She inherits her parent's restaurant and starts to make some very poor decisions - drinking being one them.
I thought from reading the description it sounded interesting. And being a fan of books about vampire/werewolf. But this story fell so flat. I did make it through it as I just was curious where it would end up or get better. None of the characters make me feel invested in them. And I felt the story ends badly and just kind of like "that was the end really?" Not a book I would recommend and because it was so bad I doubt I will be picking up any other title by this author.
zombi's review against another edition
1.0
I was really disappointed in this book. The presentation was set up so well at the first glance -- I really loved the division of the book into a "menu" and the chapter titles -- and the cover art is quite pretty, but the writing was far more mediocre than I was hoping for. The idea is solid enough, I suppose, but Smith attempts too many plot twists too close together near the end, and the middle fails to hold the reader's attention. Starting out strong, the book falters and then falls flat near the end -- which, along with being predictable, is dissatisfying.
thisbookishcat's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
When I read this, it was not clear that it was going to be a series. Now, this is a book I read all in one night and lost sleep over to finish, so the ending to me was very disappointing. There were so many different ways that this novel could have gone that would have made it more enjoyable, especially with the way the author built-up certain characters and storylines.
This could be an enjoyable read for you, but only if you sit and are able to read the whole series in one binge.
This could be an enjoyable read for you, but only if you sit and are able to read the whole series in one binge.
hybum's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
jemcam's review against another edition
2.0
Good read alike for Twilight, but pretty predictable. Definitely one to skim.