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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is an engaging contemporary romance with a whimsical thread of fantasy, September 3, 2008
This review is from: Hungry for More (Mass Market Paperback)
Amy Burns loves her skill of being able to tell someone the name of their true love. She also knows the stipulation she must adhere to if she wants to keep her precious paranormal gift; the gypsy must never fall in love.
However, she is stunned when the voice in her head turns silent. Amy knows she has not fallen in love so wants her voice back. She tracks her missing muse to Chef James LaChance's restaurant. James knows his inspiration comes from women so when Amy kisses him, he believes he will create a masterpiece. Whereas he wants her in bed and in his head, she wants her voice back; neither want love, but the voice has a mind of its own when it comes to one's true live.
This is an engaging contemporary romance with a whimsical thread of fantasy as the heroine seeks her "voice" and the hero finds his "muse". Fans will enjoy the third Burns' sister tale (see MAKE ME A MATCH and THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE) as Diana Holquist continues her fabulously jocular spin on the twisted paths of true love in which fate causes detours, wrong turns, and tsunamis of the heart..
Harriet Klausner
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Unsatisfying, January 11, 2009
This review is from: Hungry for More (Mass Market Paperback)
Holquist is a good writer. I adored James, her chef hero. His food, his looks, his amazing acceptance of the heroine's many MANY quirks. Even his secret flaw endeared him to me.
But Amy, oh no! First of all, she's a Gypsy, which is fine. But Holquist plays to every Gypsy stereotype you can imagine, including the clothes. Amy's a con-artist and a liar. She lies and lies and LIES. To James, to a scared teenager, to her sister (see the previous book Sexiest Man Alive), and to herself. Sometimes Amy lies to get ahead, sometimes because it's just what she does. And while she's not much bothered by this habit (after all, she reasons, it's the gypsy way), I was! It was difficult to like this lying woman, let alone care about her happily ever after with James.
VERY MILD SPOLIER AHEAD.
Of course, this liar has huge trust issues. Throughout the story, Amy runs or plans to run away multiple times. And James demonstrates again and again that Amy can trust him. But in the end, KNOWING James is her True Love and she is James', Amy decides she can only stay with James if things are "equal" between him. Even though he wants to teach her to cook, she refuses to work with him in the restaurant he owns because it wouldn't be an "equal" relationship. So she borrows a giant wad of money from her hard-working sister (there's independence for you) to open a joint restaurant w/ James. This irritated me on a number of levels.
1) Amy still hasn't learned trust. James works his butt off in his beloved restaurant. Meanwhile, Amy's been conning people all her life and has nothing to show for it. But in order for them to be together, their finances must be in sync? What? She can't trust him enough to continue working for him? She can't accept that they've lived very different lives and move on together?
2) Since when does Amy know anything about food? The woman has never eaten gnocchi, doesn't know anything about fine cheeses, has never heard of shallots vs onions. She dices some carrots, heats up oatmeal, and cooks one very simple meal (after watching James do it earlier in the day). The girl is a culinary Philistine! But she suddenly decides to be a great cook, open a restaurant to compete with James, and invent dishes like blue corn torilla chips with pomegranate seeds and fruit salsa? Please! This Italian girl can suspend her disbelief when it comes to spirit voices, but NOT the preparation of good food. Amy's overnight transformation from con-artist to Foodie was completely unconvincing.
Frankly, these two things ruined the book for me. I thought I could deal with Amy for the sake of James, but the ending annoyed me to much. Poor James!
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hungry for More, December 17, 2008
This review is from: Hungry for More (Mass Market Paperback)
Gypsy Amy Burns has lost her mojo. Ever since appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show, her gift of naming a person's true love has been silent. Finding out that her muse might have taken up with a runaway single mother employed at a French restaurant, Amy shows up and fakes a story about being the single mother's replacement. The chef/owner of the restaurant, James LeChance, doesn't seem to think twice about hiring her and so her plan goes into motion. It is only a matter of time before her psychic ability is back with her and she can once again access her mystical power.
James LeChance knows that Amy Burns is not what she seems. Exotic in a Gothic gypsy sort of way, he knows she has an agenda and he knows she is not being honest. However, with just one kiss he was able to concoct in his mind a new dish to offer on his menu. He can't help but wonder what she would inspire if they do more than kissing.
Hungry for More by Diana Holquist is the third book in a trio. In the prior novels, Amy was able to name her sisters' one true love. The catch to her ability is that she can't predict her own. Amy's loss of her ability scares her and makes her restless and edgy. She is willing to do anything, screw over anyone, and lie, cheat, and steal to get that ability back. For those reasons alone, Amy Burns was simply not likable to me. I actually could not stand her as a character in Hungry for More. She lied. She was sneaky. She was a thief. To me she was simply unredeemable and Ms. Holquist tried. She really did, but by the time Amy seemed to get it all together, I simply wanted the hero to find someone else. Speaking of the hero - James LeChance, while being a chef and restaurant owner, is by no means a true mettle of a man's masculinity. James' actions were, but not in a good way. He seemed to be a bit beta for my tastes and I found myself rolling my eyes at him more than once.
Hungry for More left me hungry alright. Parts of it were comical, parts of it emotional. For me as a reader, those parts didn't outweigh my dislike of the female lead character. For those readers who enjoy comedy and humor in their romance, Hungry for More has it. If you are looking for sensuality and equal love between both characters, then Hungry for More would be best left unread. It was definitely not the book for me, that's for sure.
Talia
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
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