Scan barcode
geektoria's review against another edition
2.0
I have heard so many good things about Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, and I haven't given up on her just yet - but this book was definitely not a favorite.
The story line was mediocre and such, it was cute.
I know an author uses their writing to express their interests, but I felt like more often than necessary, I was getting the religious/political views of the author thrown in my face.
Regardless of how I feel about the topics discussed, it was a tad bit uncomfortable reading the phrase "right-wing nutjob" "anti-war" "born-again wacko" or whatever, over and over.
I totally understand writing is an outlet, I just seemed that her personal views were shouted from the pages way too much - didn't seem like it really helped the story so much.
But that's just me.
The story line was mediocre and such, it was cute.
I know an author uses their writing to express their interests, but I felt like more often than necessary, I was getting the religious/political views of the author thrown in my face.
Regardless of how I feel about the topics discussed, it was a tad bit uncomfortable reading the phrase "right-wing nutjob" "anti-war" "born-again wacko" or whatever, over and over.
I totally understand writing is an outlet, I just seemed that her personal views were shouted from the pages way too much - didn't seem like it really helped the story so much.
But that's just me.
ncrabb's review against another edition
1.0
Initially, the female character, Vanessa Duran is likable enough. She's an Albuquerque-based chef whose recipes are making her boss famous while she gets no credit. But at least it's a job, and it will work for her until she can open her own place. Although her folks aren't much to be proud of, Vanessa has a slightly older married sister who is in her corner, so to speak.
There's just one problem with Vanessa; she has a nasty nack of falling for married men. Of course, she doesn't know they're married at the time. She's not a home wrecker by desire; she doesn't set out to callously destroy families, and she's horrified every time a relationship breaks up when she learns of a wife somewhere else.
After a particularly humiliating experience in Philadelphia, Vanessa is determined that from that day forward, her heart is sealed, and the only living things that would garner her love would be those things that grew in her her garden and her dog. She admirably keeps that promise for a while, but her sister needs help caring for their aging mom, and Vanessa reluctantly agrees.
While helping her mom, Vanessa meets Paul, the neighbor who has recently moved in. Despite her determination to avoid any future entanglements, Paul moves her in all kinds of good ways. There's no ring on his finger, but Vanessa, of all people, realizes how irrelevant that fact can be. Paul flew bombing raids in Iraq, and he has come home ashamed of his service and embittered by what he saw. He is smitten with Vanessa from their first conversation,and despite her best efforts, she, too, is quite taken by him. While rummaging about in his house one day, Vanessa unwittingly stumbles onto the box, and I suspect you'll be as intrigued by what it contains as I was.
The book gets a low rating because of the manner in which Valdes-Rodriguez deals with Paul's military service. At one point, Vanessa rather self-righteously insists she would never have gone to Iraq, and Paul seems somehow ashamed of his part. I also found the whole concept of returning veteran who is a wealthy guy and can help get her set up as a chef in her own place rather offputting.
Interestingly enough, since Vanessa is a chef, the brief sexual scenes here are "tastefully" described. The two boil, drizzle, stir, and mix and so forth. The descriptions were pretty creative as opposed to the tiresome stuff that usually gets written, and the author gives her readers credit for having the intelligence to fill in the blanks.
There's just one problem with Vanessa; she has a nasty nack of falling for married men. Of course, she doesn't know they're married at the time. She's not a home wrecker by desire; she doesn't set out to callously destroy families, and she's horrified every time a relationship breaks up when she learns of a wife somewhere else.
After a particularly humiliating experience in Philadelphia, Vanessa is determined that from that day forward, her heart is sealed, and the only living things that would garner her love would be those things that grew in her her garden and her dog. She admirably keeps that promise for a while, but her sister needs help caring for their aging mom, and Vanessa reluctantly agrees.
While helping her mom, Vanessa meets Paul, the neighbor who has recently moved in. Despite her determination to avoid any future entanglements, Paul moves her in all kinds of good ways. There's no ring on his finger, but Vanessa, of all people, realizes how irrelevant that fact can be. Paul flew bombing raids in Iraq, and he has come home ashamed of his service and embittered by what he saw. He is smitten with Vanessa from their first conversation,and despite her best efforts, she, too, is quite taken by him. While rummaging about in his house one day, Vanessa unwittingly stumbles onto the box, and I suspect you'll be as intrigued by what it contains as I was.
The book gets a low rating because of the manner in which Valdes-Rodriguez deals with Paul's military service. At one point, Vanessa rather self-righteously insists she would never have gone to Iraq, and Paul seems somehow ashamed of his part. I also found the whole concept of returning veteran who is a wealthy guy and can help get her set up as a chef in her own place rather offputting.
Interestingly enough, since Vanessa is a chef, the brief sexual scenes here are "tastefully" described. The two boil, drizzle, stir, and mix and so forth. The descriptions were pretty creative as opposed to the tiresome stuff that usually gets written, and the author gives her readers credit for having the intelligence to fill in the blanks.
turophile's review against another edition
2.0
The descriptions of food in this book made me hungry and fueled a desire to visit New Mexico. The story itself was predictable and not that well written. A few too many cliches for my tastes. Fast fun read.
tonireads's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't read this when it was first published because I was mad at the author for something she said on Twitter. Yes, I'm petty like that sometimes. Anyway, time heals all wounds and I walked past it in the store the other day and decided to pick it up. I'm glad I did. Vanessa Duran is a chef at an Albuquerque restaurant owned by a popular food personality. Everyone loves the food, but they have no idea that Vanessa is the real genius behind the menu. On the personal front, she has just ended a streak of unwittingly dating men who turn out to be married. Her sister has to leave the country and asks Vanessa to look in on their parents while she is gone and by the way, stay away from the new neighbor next door. She's afraid that Vanessa's bad dating habits will rear their ugly heads. It turns out that upon initially meeting the neighbor, Paul, that she is not interested. But Paul has other ideas. This book was a total departure from what Valdes-Rodriguez normally writes. She's known as the "Queen of Chica-Lit", novels that showcase Latinas. This time around she explores more romantic, flowery language, especially when talking about the food culture that Vanessa loves so much. That style of writing turned a lot of reviewers off, but I quite liked it and the book very much.
More...