Customer Reviews

Can't Stand The Heat (Recipe for Love)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This charming, smart contemporary romance debut sparkles from the very opening scene. I was lucky enough to read this book before publication, and I'll never forget settling in the corner of my office and being swept into this world of quirky characters...and steamy love.

After having a wee too much to drink at the launch of New York's hottest new restuarant, Market, food critic Miranda Wake has a problem. She's committed herself to spending a month working in the kitchen of chef Adam Temple's restaurant. In short, one of those, "Yeah, you think this is so easy? Come try it!" dares that leads to serious trouble. As in, she can't actually cook, kind of trouble. As in, Adam's hotter and steamier than his kitchen...kind of trouble.

But some of the book's greatest charm comes from the warm, offbeat characters who work at Market, and the way they form an unlikely family of sorts. Never fear, however--they don't steal the show. You just love everyone on the page, and feel such deep warmth and humor shining throughout the book.

Oh, and I think--maybe--I could poach an egg after reading this book. :)
Enjoy, enjoy. You are in for a real treat with CAN'T STAND THE HEAT!

A close friend of mine gave this to me as a gift, and I was super suspicious because I have *never* read a romance novel before. But I figured I'd give it a try since I trust my friend's taste, and I LOVED IT!!!

"Can't Stand the Heat" has mouth-watering cooking scenes and super-hot love scenes!! But the story is so much more than that. The characters are vividly well-developed, and the contemporary dialogue crackles with realism. I loved how different characters would "see" the same situation differently, and it made for a super-vivid read. No spoilers here, but I also really enjoyed the two parallel love stories--I totally wasn't expecting that, and it created excellent pacing. I also wasn't expecting to experience the romance from both Miranda and Adam's perspectives... for some reason I only thought the story would be told from Miranda's perspective. But having dual perspectives added so much depth and truth to the story.

Most of all, this book really touched my heart. I never thought I'd like a romance novel, but I loved this one so much. I cried at least four times while reading it.

And I was so excited to realize that it is FIRST IN A SERIES!!! I "can't stand the wait" until the next one!!

This is the debut novel for Louisa Edwards and I must say I can't wait for more. I enjoyed this book very much and felt her portrayal of life in a restaurant was very accurate. I also liked how she described food. Some of the dishes I swear you could taste. It was also nice that recipes were included for the food that was most focused on in the story.

I liked that it really captured what it's like to be part of a restaurant "family" from the back of the house descriptions to the hanging out after closing.

I liked Adam Temple and thought his passion for cooking and his restaurant really showed. He was everything a sexy chef should be. He had the attitude and the skill. However, I wish we knew more about him. Outside of being a chef, feeling protective of his crew and investing everything into Market, the reader never really knew anything else about him. Did he have siblings? What was his family like? Besides a love of cooking why did he want so badly to own his own business and finally WHY did he fall in love with Miranda Wake? They had chemistry but that was about it. Sex is not enough people.

I did not like Miranda very much. She was very one-dimensional. Yes, she wanted to pay for Jess to go to school because she had been taking care of him for so long, but he was willing to work. Her submission of the manuscript didn't ring true to me and she was too easily forgiven for something that was truly awful and broke the trust of not only Adam but the rest of the staff she had supposedly grown so close to.

Also, her reaction when Jess came out was just horrendous and I didn't understand it. One minute she thinks she always knew he was gay and the next it is somehow all Frankie's fault and if she can only get him away from the bad boy punk rocker, he will settle down with a nice girl and have a passel of children. Her reaction did a disservice to what was, to me, a truly beautiful love story between Jess and Frankie. Her reaction is exactly why it is so hard for people to come out to their family, the people who are supposed to love and support you no matter what.

I adored the love story between Jess and Frankie. It is what kept me reading to be honest. It was tender and sweet and I was never quite sure if Frankie were going to break Jess' heart in the end. I liked how they contrasted and complimented each other. It was nice how Frankie was never pushy despite is sexual experience and he gave Jess the strength to except himself and his sexuality without shame. Which is more than his sister did.

Overall I enjoyed this book and for her first novel it was amazing. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

I won't go into plot detail because others before me have already done so, but I almost gave this book one star I disliked it so much. Then I realized that I started out liking it, adored the hero, the hero's best friends, the heroine's brother, and every other supporting character in the book. I just despised the heroine. Her reaction to finding out that her brother was gay was bad enough to drop the rating, but then she betrayed every single person she said she cared about in the most horrifying way and then - oops, so sorry everyone, my bad. And that's it! No real consequences. Not that anything short of tar-and-feathering would have made me feel better about her actions, I'll admit.

I don't like books with TSTL characters, but I don't know that I've ever read a book with such an unsympathetic, horrible, hateful lead before.

On the good side, it did make me feel very passionately about the characters, so that means good writing. And I did think the hero was just about the most charming, darling, sweet, sexy guy ever. And I love the gay sub-plot, though it was a little thin. So I will give this author another chance. But one more character like Miranda and I'm done for good.

STORY BRIEF:
Miranda lost her parents in a car accident at age 18. Since then, she has been supporting herself and her younger brother Jess. She is a restaurant critic with a wicked tongue. She drinks too much at the opening of the new restaurant Market and says something to the owner Adam. He dares her to spend a day in his kitchen. The next day, he regrets it. Miranda realizes an opportunity and discusses this with Adam's financial backer who agrees to let her spend a month in the kitchen so she can write a magazine article. Adam grudgingly allows it. Miranda soon realizes she might be able to write a book with a sleazy gossipy tell all spin. A book publisher is interested and gives her an advance.

A second story is about Jess who had a college scholarship to Brandewine, but quit school and moved back in with Miranda. He wants to work and go to NYU instead. He gets a job as a waiter at Adam's new restaurant and has some interesting interaction with another employee there.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I loved the secondary characters and story about Jess and Frankie. Jess is new to the gay world. Frankie's a dog, regarding his sleeping with others. I wanted more about their story. I loved one of the sex scenes with Miranda and Adam (pages 233-234). His reactions were wild and desperate while she was pleasuring him.

I also enjoyed the idea of Miranda writing descriptions for the restaurant's menu (the opposite of her critiquing job). Page 322: "By switching a couple of words and adding a vivid adjective or two, she'd turned a boring-sounding dish into something everyone wanted to try. Adam swore she could make a vegan order the rib eye, the imagery she evoked was so tantalizing." However, this was the only statement (told and not shown). I would have loved seeing examples of this.

CAUTION MILD SPOILERS:
I did not like three of Miranda's actions. Adam promised someone he would keep a secret. Miranda was mad that Adam didn't tell her the secret. Yet at the same time Miranda was keeping a much worse secret from Adam. Her inequity bothered me. I did not like her reaction to finding out that her brother was gay. She was not bigoted, but her actions in that scene were. Then I was bothered even more with her action that caused the big misunderstanding and crisis in the story. It was stupid on her part, and the results were mean. She fell in love with a man she knew was good, yet she was willing to do something to ruin his reputation and career? And the motive was nothing compared to the harm she would cause. Her motive was to get some extra money to pay her brother's college tuition. But he didn't need it, and he never asked her or expected her to pay. I blame the author who should have come up with something better to create a plot crisis. The rest of the writing was good. The author has a nice writing style, but I want her to give more thought to sources of conflict, causes and effects.

DATA:
Story length: 344 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 24. Setting: current day New York City, NY. Copyright: 2009. Genre: contemporary romance.

Louisa Edwards' debut is a fun, food-filled rollicking adventure of opposites who definitely attract and cook in places outside of the kitchen. If you're a fan of TOP CHEF, HELL'S KITCHEN or any Food Network shows, you'll appreciate the behind the scenes look at the cast of characters it takes to run a professional kitchen. The secondary characters provide a delicious array of adventure and romance of their own. Mix in a little sexual tension and a hot romance and you have a recipe for love, just what Edwards promises. A fun read and I can't wait for the next book.

Can't Stand The Heat by Louisa Edwards is a sizzling debut.

Food critic Miranda Wise doesn't let many chefs avoid her sharp tongued critique of their cooking skills. She mistakenly picks Chef Adam Temple as her next target.
But Adam turns the tables on her and agrees to let Miranda observe the workings of his kitchen at the restaurant called Market.

Adam Temple wants to make his new restaurant Market a success. He has gathered over the years a well oiled team and doesn't want anything or anyone to mess that up. He is willing to put up with Miranda in his domain as long as she doesn't interfere with their jobs. Once Adam discovers that the food critic can't cook he offers to give her one on one lessons. But these lessons start out about cooking but turn into a sizzling affair in and out of the kitchen.

Miranda is keeping a huge secret from Adam and his staff, will they be able to forgive her when it all hits the fan?

Can't Stand The Heat is a smoking hot debut. It turns up the heat when it's in the kitchen or in the bedroom. Adam and Miranda turn each others temperatures up to a hot sizzle with just one look. Their chemistry is sensational. The secondary characters in both their worlds add another layer to this charming book. I will be looking for more books from this author.

I've picked up a lot of buzz on this book and, like so many others, I love food and romance, so how can you miss? Ms. Edwards hit the mark perfectly and I highly recommend this one if you like a snappy, contemporary, sexy romance. The culinary/restaurant setting makes it very clever and different, but what really sets this one apart is the freshness of the writing. It was easy to read - like an old Susan Elizabeth Phillips or Jennifer Cruise. This was a perfect, bright, fun read for me - highly recommended. I can't wait for the next "Recipe for Love" book!

Chefs really make great heroes - and this book proves. Fast, funny and full of flavor, this culinary romance really hits the spot. Adam and Miranda have great chemistry plus I love a heroine with a backbone! Can't Stand The Heat really delivers a great modern story.

Miranda Wake is a food critic with a secret. She can't cook! When she's challenged by Adam Temple, the sexy chef of NYC's trendiest new restaurant, Market, to spend a month in his kitchen, she can't resist. This will give her the juicy gossip she needs to write an expose on what really happens behind the scenes in the culinary world. She needs the money to keep her younger brother in college. Adam teaches Miranda how to cook and the sparks start to fly. The secondary characters in the book are fabulous, with a sub-plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Funny, steamy and well-written, Can't Stand the Heat is book 1 in Edwards' Recipe for Love Series. I can't wait for book 2!