Dining with Joy (A Lowcountry Romance) [Paperback]

Rachel Hauck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2010 | Series: A Lowcountry Romance

"Chef" Joy Ballard longs for a simpler life. But when a good-looking outsider arrives and spices things up, life becomes deliciously complicated.

Host of a regionally syndicated cooking show, Joy Ballard has a little secret: she can't cook. But when her show is picked up by a major network and given a prime time slot, her world heats up faster than a lowcountry boil.

Enter Luke Redmond: handsome, creative, and jobless after having to declare bankruptcy of his Manhatten restaurant. When her producers ask him to co-host the show, Joy sees Luke as her way out. But Luke sees much more than just a co-host in Joy.

Their relationship begins to simmer on and off set. Until Joy's secret is revealed and her reputation is ruined on national television by her rival, Wenda Devine.

But could Devine's cruelty be a divine gift? Losing Luke--and her sister--forces Joy to consider where her worth really comes from. Could God be cooking up an even bigger adventure from the mess? And will Joy hang on long enough to find out?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Romance novelist Hauck (Love Starts with Elle) whips up a delectable and light tale of finding love amid everything edible, a story that goes down easy. Joy Ballard, a cooking show host who can't cook, inherited her television show from her father. Joy's executive producer sells Dining with Joy to success-hungry Allison Wild of Wild Woman Productions, who brings on hunky chef Luke Davis, owner of a failed Manhattan restaurant. When Joy and Luke mix it up on television, sparks fly and ratings soar. The only thing holding back Joy's career is the truth about her lack of cooking talent and her guilty conscience. Toss in some cooking rivals, old family wounds, and struggles with Christian faith, and readers will find themselves hankering for another serving of low country living from Joy's pantry. (Nov.) (c)
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From Booklist

When her dad dies, Joy Ballard takes over his popular cooking show. She is pretty, personable, and great on camera, but she can’t cook. Joy has fooled everyone by turning her show into a humor fest, a sort of America’s Funniest Home Videos: Stupid Cooking Tricks. But now she has a new producer, one who expects her to actually cook. Worse yet, this aggressive, ambitious woman is determined to take Joy’s show to one of the largest cable networks. Luke Davis is an extraordinarily talented chef, but he’s lost his fancy Manhattan restaurant and moved to a small town in South Carolina. He’s desperate to get back to the culinary art’s upper echelon, and he just may be the answer to Joy’s dilemma, not to mention her love interest. With its sparkling dialogue, witty premise, and convincing characters, and the popularity of television cooking shows, this subtly inspirational tale is sure to entertain readers. Libraries that don’t have Hauck’s other books ( Lost in Nashvegas, 2006; Diva Nashvegas, 2007; Sweet Caroline, 2008) will want to add those, too. --Shelley Mosley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (November 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595543392
• ISBN-13: 978-1595543394
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rachel Hauck is the bestselling author of #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller and RITA finalist, The Wedding Dress, as well as the ACFW Book of the Year winner Sweet Caroline, and RITA Finalist Love Starts With Elle, and of the critically acclaimed fiction collaboration with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, The Songbird Novels.

Her next release, Once Upon A Prince, which received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly, arrives in stores May 7th.

She lives in sunny, though sometimes hurricane plagued, central Florida with her husband and their ornery pet.

Rachel earned a degree in Journalism from Ohio State University and is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

She is the past President of American Christian Fiction Writers and now serves on the Executive Board. Visit her web site at www.rachelhauck.com to sign up for her newsletter, read her blog, and to follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#78 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#78 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious fiction!! November 6, 2010

By Writer_for_Christ VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Let me say right off that I LOVED this book! It will certainly not be the last one I read by the fantastic story teller, Rachel Hauck.
The characters of Joy and Luke (along with the minors) are filled with depth and flaws, humor and charm that stand to life on the page. The story is well told with word pictures abounding in a manner sure to grab your attention and refuse to let go. This is the kind of book that when you have to put it down, you want to go back to it immediately.
Dialogue is snappy, tension thick and the romance. Ohhh. Hear my heart sigh. Talk about delicious chemistry! Swoon worthy moments to be sure. I loved the entire premise behind the story, a cooking show host that can't cook. I could see, taste and smell it all. What imagery!
The writing drew me in, the characters held me in my seat and the circumstances either had me laughing, seething at the villains or sighing with delight. But underneath it all, is an underlying faith message that that reminds Joy-and the reader- what is really important.
Don't let this book pass you by! Bang up fiction!
This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for my copy to review.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read From the Dedication to The End November 6, 2010

By B. Vogt

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Rachel Hauck's masterful writing invites you to sit down and partake of the world of food, cooking shows, chefs and the oh-so-tangled web woven by one faux chef, Joy Ballard--of Dining with Joy fame.
Dining with Joy is more than a story about "foodies"--it delves into what food means to different people--how food can show love, or represent family, or can even divide families.
I stayed up until 1:30 a.m. to finish the book because I fell in love with Joy and Luke, the main characters--and so enjoyed watching them fall in love. I kept turning pages because I wondered, "What's going to happen next?" Even the subplot of the book is compelling enough to make you wonder what you would say or do if you were in Joy.
I can't wait to go back and re-read my favorite parts. The challenge is going to be figuring out what those favorite parts are--I have so many!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved Dining With Joy December 6, 2010

By SFH

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved visiting the Low County again with my new friend Joy Ballard. What a character . . . trapped into continuing her Dad's cooking show Joy tries to pull it off even though SHE CAN'T COOK!! The intrigue of finding out how she tries to keep her secret until there is a risk of being exposed kept me turning pages. The author is able to describe the scenes so well you feel like you are a included - not standing on the outside looking in. I cringed during the scene in the NY cooking show - how is she going to get out of THIS one?? Hauck intertwines Joy's relationship with Luke in such a way that leaves you guessing how this will end. This stand-alone book is definitely a great addition to the low country series. I highly recommend this book - it would be a great Christmas gift for a teenager to the grandmother in your family.