cocktailsandbooks1's review
4.0
The Lunden's Tavern has been the only home that Juliet Cavanaugh has ever really known. She's been going there since she was a young girl, since the youngest Lunden, Danny, was her best friend. It was her safe haven when her teenage world fell apart, so now when it's in trouble she'll do anything to help. Even if that help includes cooking side by side with the person she's forever had a crush on, Max Lunden...the eldest son.
Max has spent the past six years traveling the globe learning different cooking techniques from the bests, winning cooking competitions and staying as far away from home as possible. He's preparing to leave Tokyo for the countryside of Italy when he gets a call from his mother demanding that he come home. The family restaurant is in trouble and he needs to come help.
Max and Juliet were like two peas in a pod. Both of them refusing to deal with the issues that have led them to where they are. Juliet doesn't want to deal with her mother and the past events that led to her living with the Lunden's and having trouble trusting men. Max on the other hand, has been running try to prove to himself (and ultimately his father) that he is a good chef and has good ideas when it comes to the food prepared in the restaurant kitchen.
When it comes to dealing with each other, they do a slightly better job...but not by much. Sure they can smoke things up with sex, but they are always second guessing or assuming what the other is thinking instead of just asking. Juliet's heartbreak towards the end of the story would have never happened if she didn't immediately take issue with something, that while mean spirited, was definitely said during the fall out from a traumatic event and shouldn't have been taken quite so personally.
Loved the cooking element to the story and secretly wished someone was whipping up those dishes (with the exception of those brussel sprouts) for me to eat.
Enjoyable story, with deliciously flawed characters that make your mouth water for the next installment, Some Like It Hot (Danny's story)
4 Cocktails
Max has spent the past six years traveling the globe learning different cooking techniques from the bests, winning cooking competitions and staying as far away from home as possible. He's preparing to leave Tokyo for the countryside of Italy when he gets a call from his mother demanding that he come home. The family restaurant is in trouble and he needs to come help.
Max and Juliet were like two peas in a pod. Both of them refusing to deal with the issues that have led them to where they are. Juliet doesn't want to deal with her mother and the past events that led to her living with the Lunden's and having trouble trusting men. Max on the other hand, has been running try to prove to himself (and ultimately his father) that he is a good chef and has good ideas when it comes to the food prepared in the restaurant kitchen.
When it comes to dealing with each other, they do a slightly better job...but not by much. Sure they can smoke things up with sex, but they are always second guessing or assuming what the other is thinking instead of just asking. Juliet's heartbreak towards the end of the story would have never happened if she didn't immediately take issue with something, that while mean spirited, was definitely said during the fall out from a traumatic event and shouldn't have been taken quite so personally.
Loved the cooking element to the story and secretly wished someone was whipping up those dishes (with the exception of those brussel sprouts) for me to eat.
Enjoyable story, with deliciously flawed characters that make your mouth water for the next installment, Some Like It Hot (Danny's story)
4 Cocktails
yche09's review
3.0
I'll give this a 3.5 for the cooking part. I was really trying hard to love this one because this is my first time reading a contemporary romance with cooking for a theme (i think it is but i'm not so sure). Anyway, i tried so hard to love Max since i usually swoon over hot heroes.. but then Max is so arrogant for his own good.. which is again, weird for my part because i can usually accept arrogance.. errm, i'm having a weird day. Jules on the other hand, is an "okay" character.. nothing special really. She's had some issues growing up and that's about it. I don't even think i got to find out about her ex "Phil" who was mentioned once or twice in the book.
The story was good actually. Family tries to save their restaurant by entering a contest. Prodigal son comes back and falls for the replacement daughter. It's just that at some point, it became totally predictable to me..and frankly, boring. I was lost to some (actually, a lot) of the cooking terms, foods I've never heard before.. but it was interesting enough that i kept on reading. I love the contest part. It was like watching a real contest live on TV.
All in all.. this one's an "okay" read.. does that make sense?
The story was good actually. Family tries to save their restaurant by entering a contest. Prodigal son comes back and falls for the replacement daughter. It's just that at some point, it became totally predictable to me..and frankly, boring. I was lost to some (actually, a lot) of the cooking terms, foods I've never heard before.. but it was interesting enough that i kept on reading. I love the contest part. It was like watching a real contest live on TV.
All in all.. this one's an "okay" read.. does that make sense?
prgchrqltma's review
4.0
Characters: Chef, chef who has been away from his family
World Building: Restaurant kitchen, cooking competition, food
Plot: Opening rounds of cooking competition, interior growth
Sex: Medium
Read another: I would love to, but I haven't seen a new one in a while.
World Building: Restaurant kitchen, cooking competition, food
Plot: Opening rounds of cooking competition, interior growth
Sex: Medium
Read another: I would love to, but I haven't seen a new one in a while.
joreadsromance's review
1.0
Too boring to read
1 star
Too hot to handle? More like too boring to read. I started reading this book and after three nights of reading before bed I realised I hadn't moved past page 45. It really should tell you something when sleep sounds like more fun than continuing a book. To put it bluntly - I was bored.
The characters were one dimensional, boring and yet still managed to irritate and annoy me. Well, to be fair, Juliet was so bland that I barely even remembered her from one page to the next. I know this is down to personal preference of what you like in a hero but I just couldn't like Max either, I'm afraid. He was cocky, smarmy and far too self absorbed for my tastes.
I've never really watched any of those American chef competitions like the one described in this book but if I had liked the other elements then I'm sure that wouldn't have mattered one jot. I just couldn't get into the competition and the passion and excitement was missing. The author just didn't sell it to me, I'm afraid.
I know I've been pretty harsh about this book but that's simply because the writing style, story and characters just really weren't to my taste. I will now put the other side of the argument forward and say that I have read of many, many people who not only liked but adored this book and all the things that I wasn't keen on. I really do hope that you like it if you've bought it but unfortunately I just can't bring myself to recommend it. Not my cup of tea. 1 star.
xeniajensen's review
4.0
The romance in this book wasn't really that original (not that I expected it to be), but I LOVED the whole cooking aspect. The main characters are both chefs and along with the rest of the team from the family restaurant they are competing in a nationwide cooking contest. This alone had me convinced from the beginning, but the foodie facets were furthermore beautifully interwoven into the rest of the book as well, e.g. in a lot of imaginative but well-executed food-related metaphors and similes.
I don't know if you'll like this books as much if you aren't as obsessed with the world of food and cooking as I am, but I surely loved it - and I can't wait to get started on the next one!
I don't know if you'll like this books as much if you aren't as obsessed with the world of food and cooking as I am, but I surely loved it - and I can't wait to get started on the next one!
jotyler2021's review
5.0
I love the show 'Chopped' on Food Network, and this book reminded me of that show-except this was a team effort instead of individual. So the fun of cooking mixed with hot romance made the perfect read. I loved that the main male character, Max, was very opened about his feeling for Jules. It was a nice role reversal having the girl try to fight it. I am looking forward to the next book with Eva and Danny.
cleocleveland's review
4.0
This was my first book by Louisa Edwards but it certainly won't be the last. I was a little nervous at first because Max came off initially as a little bit cheesy/smarmy. But that faded as I got to know his character. I enjoyed the whole set up, the cooking competition, the secondary characters (I'm loving the secondary romance) and the main romance with Max and Jules.
readingpenguin's review
4.0
I have to admit, I was kind of predisposed to like Too Hot to Touch. I love food. I can cook passably, and I bake very well. Unfortunately, I live in a college apartment with a tiny kitchen that I share with three other people. Gourmet meals are not within my reach. So reading about people who can and do cook very well is a treat for me.
Plot Summery! Lunden's Tavern was once a very popular upscale restaurant in New York City, but in recent years it has experienced a decline in business. In an effort to save their business, the chefs decide to enter the Rising Star Chefs competition, with the idea that winning would propel them back to popularity and profit. Jules has been working in the restaurant since the Lunden family took her in when she was a teenager. She's always had a crush on Max, the eldest Lunden son. For the past six years, Max has been roaming the world in search of culinary secrets, and barely keeps in contact with his family. There's some bad blood between him, his father Gus, and brother Danny. But when Max is asked to return home to help with the first round of the competition, he can't refuse.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book--the chef competition involving team work and a lot of skill. Even though I found the plot kind of predictable, I didn't find it boring. The dynamics between the team members were fantastic. In addition to Jules and Max, you have Danny the pastry chef, Beck the mysterious new guy, and Winslow the the very energetic spirited guy. I thought the book was at it's strongest when it showed everyone working together, practicing their own specialties but still helping one another. These secondary characters might easily have come off as pointless sequel bait, but instead they were likeable characters who served a purpose.
I found Max fascinating, and I though his personal conflicts were true to real life. He really wants to be creative and discover new things, rather then help run his parent's very traditional restaurant. The process of reconciling family loyalty (and his relationship with Jules) with his impulse to wander and be free was interesting to me.
I liked Jules quite a bit as well. I found her to be just a tad too angsty at times, letting her less then perfect childhood serve as an excuse for all of her current emotional turmoil. Not to minimize her dark(ish) past, but I was kind of expecting her to have some much darker secret then what is ultimately revealed. I was left feeling like she was a pretty lucky woman, and she should behave accordingly.
The romance was pretty hot. Max and Jules had instant chemistry as well as the beginnings of a deeper emotional connection.
My complaints about this book are pretty minor. The plot is predictable, and at times cliched--but in contemporary romance you can't expect plot twists. Some of the dialogue was slightly awkward and forced, like the author was trying a bit too hard. And yes, some of Jules' character development strays into the melodramatic.
In the end, I liked this book a lot. It's a pretty light read, and it's a lot of fun. I'd recommend it if you like contemporary romance, and especially if you like cooking. 4 stars.
Plot Summery! Lunden's Tavern was once a very popular upscale restaurant in New York City, but in recent years it has experienced a decline in business. In an effort to save their business, the chefs decide to enter the Rising Star Chefs competition, with the idea that winning would propel them back to popularity and profit. Jules has been working in the restaurant since the Lunden family took her in when she was a teenager. She's always had a crush on Max, the eldest Lunden son. For the past six years, Max has been roaming the world in search of culinary secrets, and barely keeps in contact with his family. There's some bad blood between him, his father Gus, and brother Danny. But when Max is asked to return home to help with the first round of the competition, he can't refuse.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book--the chef competition involving team work and a lot of skill. Even though I found the plot kind of predictable, I didn't find it boring. The dynamics between the team members were fantastic. In addition to Jules and Max, you have Danny the pastry chef, Beck the mysterious new guy, and Winslow the the very energetic spirited guy. I thought the book was at it's strongest when it showed everyone working together, practicing their own specialties but still helping one another. These secondary characters might easily have come off as pointless sequel bait, but instead they were likeable characters who served a purpose.
I found Max fascinating, and I though his personal conflicts were true to real life. He really wants to be creative and discover new things, rather then help run his parent's very traditional restaurant. The process of reconciling family loyalty (and his relationship with Jules) with his impulse to wander and be free was interesting to me.
I liked Jules quite a bit as well. I found her to be just a tad too angsty at times, letting her less then perfect childhood serve as an excuse for all of her current emotional turmoil. Not to minimize her dark(ish) past, but I was kind of expecting her to have some much darker secret then what is ultimately revealed. I was left feeling like she was a pretty lucky woman, and she should behave accordingly.
The romance was pretty hot. Max and Jules had instant chemistry as well as the beginnings of a deeper emotional connection.
My complaints about this book are pretty minor. The plot is predictable, and at times cliched--but in contemporary romance you can't expect plot twists. Some of the dialogue was slightly awkward and forced, like the author was trying a bit too hard. And yes, some of Jules' character development strays into the melodramatic.
In the end, I liked this book a lot. It's a pretty light read, and it's a lot of fun. I'd recommend it if you like contemporary romance, and especially if you like cooking. 4 stars.