Hungry for More (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Amy Burns, a Gypsy who once knew the name of the “One True Love” of anyone she touches, has lost her gift. Following a lead to a fancy Philadelphia restaurant, she discovers that the Gypsy who presumably has her power has disappeared, leaving her teenage son alone and Les Fleurs short staffed. Amy decides to take her quarry’s job. The restaurant owner and chef, James LaChance, has his own magical talent. When he makes love to a woman, fabulous recipes flow into his head, but just being near Amy makes the recipes flow. Amy continues to search for her missing power but finds herself falling for James, a move that could mean her gift will never return. Holquist follows tales of Amy’s sisters (Make Me a Match, 2006; Sexiest Man Alive, 2007) with an enticing feel-good romance with lovable secondary characters and fascinating details about the dynamics of an upscale gourmet restaurant. --Diana Tixier Herald

Review

"I devoured this book and wanted to beg for more. Ms. Holquist is a gifted storyteller who makes you laugh, cry, and cheer. Do not miss this book!"
--Coffee Time Romance

RAVES FOR DIANA HOLQUIST AND
SEXIEST MAN ALIVE: "Entertaining and enjoyable. The bit of paranormal in the form of the sister's psychic ability adds an intriguing twist to this romantic tale"
--Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine

"An amusing entertaining romance...a humorous tale with lovable characters enhanced by the paranormal." --Harriet Klausner

"A fun romance combining the girl-next-door with movie stars and a hint of magic, this is the feel good book that is as sweet as hot chocolate on a cool fall night." --The Parkersburg News

MAKE ME A MATCH:
"An amazing debut...this book has it all: humor, heart, and razor sharp writing. Diana Holquist is a writer to watch."
--Deirdre Martin, USA Today bestselling author

"Four stars! Peopled with charming characters and containing a fascinating, almost believable paranormal element, Holquist's novel is pure entertainment from beginning to end."
--Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Forever (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446197041
• ISBN-13: 978-0446197045
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #273,152 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unsatisfying, January 11, 2009

By	Emily - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

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!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I am still hungry!!, November 12, 2008

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (11/08)

Was I dreaming? Some of my favorite things--reading, food, sex and Oprah all bound between the cover of a book. "Hungry for More" had me hooked within the first few pages. You should grab a smooth beverage, turn on the table lamp, curl up with a bit of Oprah, delectable food and some real heat, cooked up between one hot chef and a sexy mystical gypsy.

Of course the guy gets the girl; this is a romance novel after all, but you will become entranced from beginning to end with twists, turns, and multiple personalities. Beginning each chapter with a catchy food quote, you may need to have that bowl of chocolates nearby. (NOTE: dark chocolate goes very well with red wine)

Success-driven Chef James LaChance doesn't really have any time for a relationship; he is too driven in the upscale restaurant business, so what is happening to him? Is he under the influence of the temptress Amy Burnes? Amy is a gypsy with a gift of being able to name a person's one true love. To keep the power, she can never fall in love herself.

This coming weekend have a fine dinner out, curl up on the couch with this last book in the Burns sisters' saga, "Hungry for More" by Diana Holquist, and enjoy the dilemma James and Amy find themselves in.


Reviewed by Adra Young for Reader Views (12/08)

From the embarrassment of her gypsy inner-voice, Maddie, deciding not to respond on the Oprah Winfrey show about assuming the position of a waitress, Amy, the authentic physic, tells her story as a struggling waitress simply trying to survive. Despite being financially challenged, she refuses to let it take a toll on her pride. On top of everything else, Maddie, her inner-voice, has disappeared and Amy is not able to get her back at this time.

Amy is curvaceous, flirtatious, and used to having her way with all the men she comes into contact with. James, owner of the restaurant that Amy works for, is smart and does not allow Amy's sex appeal to overpower his rationalization. Even after laying a hot wet kiss on him, James refuses to let Amy see any attachment or physical attraction for her.

Troy, a typical everyday teeny bopper, works in the restaurant well. Desiring to enter into the restaurant business himself eventually, Troy has other plans for his boss. He looks up to James in a fatherly way and would love nothing more than to see his mother married to him.

In so many ways, many women, at one point or another in their lives, can relate to Amy's situation. This character wanted the fame and fortune. On some instances, she went about accomplishing her goals and ambitions in the right way and many times she did not. I would recommend this book to adults, caterers, pastry makers, and anyone wanting to read a romantic novel with a twist of ongoing laughter and humor.

Diana Holquist does a great job of providing a sense of humor to her main character Amy. Amy had me laughing throughout the whole book. Due to feeling overwhelmed and having a stressful day at the restaurant, Amy bummed a cigarette from the bartender and said the following about her serving abilities, "No, I'm not getting off on being a good runner." "Well, a semi-passable runner." "Okay so I was a lousy runner, too." This storyline will have you cracking your side with laughter throughout its entirety.

Diana Holquist's style of writing is unique and exciting. Romance novels come and go but this one definitely keeps your interest. "Hungry for More" is hot and spicy just like the title; it keeps you wanting more and more.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hungry for More, December 17, 2008

By	M. Nix "Joyfully Reviewed" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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