Customer Reviews

Menu for Romance (Brides of Bonneterre, Book 2)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I started reading this book over lunch and when I looked up it was three in the afternoon. I don't mean that it was particularly suspenseful, but it has characters weird enough to be interesting but sturdy enough that I felt like I knew them. The characters that will be in the next book seem so (outwardly) perfect that I'll probably be getting that one too.

Meredith, the heroine, struggles with detaching--and distinguishing--herself from her large family. Usually in books families are either perfect or emotionally abusive. But a family that's just nosy and demanding of your time? That I can relate to.

But where Dacus really shines is in her world-building. Bonneterre seems like a real place. C.S. Lewis wrote about how he read as much for the fun of "living in another world" as anything else, and Menu For Romance achieves this. I love that Bonneterre is a mid-sized city. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little sick of incestuously small towns in fiction.

This was a sweet, surprisingly compelling romance.

Kaye Dacus has completely captured my imagination once again with her novel "Menu for Romance". Although I found the name "Major" to be an awkward name at first, I came to adore it as I grew to understand his character. The chef, Major, and the event planner, Meredith, are destined for each other. But neither will come forward and reveal their feelings for reasons that may seem valid, but are actually ridiculous as you get to know the characters and can see how well-suited they are for each other. But when Meredith's eye is drawn to another man, Major must jump into action or risk losing the lady he loves to someone else - someone who definitely doesn't deserve her!

This is an amazing novel filled with beautiful details ("The tile in the kitchen sent shockwaves of cold up his legs"). It is laugh-out-loud funny - in fact some moments caught me completely by surprise while I was reading at work during my lunch hour! Major's relationship with his mother is warm and touching. And the dishes that Major created made me drool! This book has absolutely every ingredient for a smash hit novel! I will recommend it to everyone I know!

At the Vul de Ciel in Bonneterre, Louisiana, Meredith Guidry sadly muses that her thirty-fourth New Year's has arrived and she still has never been kissed. Instead she has been in love with her co-worker Major O'Hara since they met eight years ago, but he shows no signs of reciprocating. Instead her unrequited love has left her with nary a kiss or for that matter a date. This year she vows it will be different as she resolves on New Year's Day to move past Major and seek male companionship.

Major has loved Meredith since he first met her eight years ago. He wants to ask her out and taste her lips, but fears she will laugh at him; besides he has a family secret that embarrasses him to his bone narrow. Instead he expects to die a lonely old chef. However, when he sees Meredith on her first date, he's jealous and vows to take a chance by telling his beloved how he feels as ridicule would be easier than staying idly on the side.

The latest Brides of Bonneterre (see STAND-IN GROOM) is a fun tale of two shy individuals in love with one another, but neither can take that first courageous step. The story line is much more than described above as each has family issues also to cope with. Kaye Dacus provides her fans with a wonderful culinary romance starring a super strong extended cast but especially two people who once believed love was only a fairy tale.

Harriet Klausner

I do believe that I have found the author who can consistently provide me with my contemporary romance fix! Now, I've only read 2 of her books so far, but I stand by my first statement because both of those books have been THAT GOOD! Her Brides of Bonneterre Series has everything I love in a contemporary romance: the heart-stopping kissing scenes, the fun (but at times, flawed) characters, and a good dose of Southern charm.

Now, most books that try to have a Southern flair either get it right or get it wrong, and unless you're from the South, you might never know which bucket a book falls in. Pleasantly, Menu for Romance fell into the "got it right" bucket. :o) If I'm not mistaken, Kaye is a from the South, so she's certainly stuck to the all-important writing rule of "write what you know." Bonneterre is a fictional town in Louisiana that has an old-South charm. There's a great love of family and friends there, not to mention the beautiful plantation homes that make one "ooh" and "ahh."

Then, there's the Southernisms....things that I immediately noticed because they are already prevelant in my family (particularly obvious in my redneck brother). A man is not called a man, but a "fella." You don't say "everyone"--you say "y'all." You come out of the womb with a John Wayne movie in your hands. And your tea better be "so sweet that if you run out of syrup, you can pour it over your pancakes" (borrowed that line from Christian comedian, Mark Lowry).

So, with all that Southern loveliness floating around, it should be easy for a couple to fall in love and start a relationship, right? Well, almost. Falling in love was obvious to everyone except Meredith and Major...which caused me to get a tad frustrated, but I was still understanding. See, Major has a family secret that would be utter mortification if it got out to his friends. And even though he's known Meredith for 8 long years, he's never been able to share this secret with her, his best friend. So, he tries to put her out of his mind and his heart until another "fella" comes a'courting. Equally, Meredith tries to move on past her 8-year crush on Major until she sees a certain woman making goo-goo eyes at him. But God had other plans in mind for these two, if only they'd just open their eyes. Trust me, it was well worth the wait once the light bulb came on for both Meredith and Major. :o)

So, if you're a Southern gal like me, and love a great romance, then may I wholeheartedly recommend that you get yourself down the road to Wal-mart and buy yo'self a copy of this book! (For those non-Southerners out there, most everything can be found at Wally World in our small towns.) And if they don't have it at Wal-mart, then get to beggin', borrowin', or stealin' (well, maybe I shouldn't encourage that last one). No matter...get yourself a copy of Menu for Romance and the book before it, Stand-In Groom. You'll be really glad that you did. :o)

If I had to name an author who is quickly earning the right to be listed as one of my favorites, it has to be Kaye Dacus. I read her first book, The Stand-in Groom and was quite impressed. I love the fact that she brings freshness to the Christian fiction.

Menu for Romance is the continuation of the Guidry sagas and the story of Meredith Guidry, a successful event planner. She desperately wants to find love and make a New Years resolution to find someone. It's also the story of Major O'Hara (cute man with extreme name), an Executive Chef who feels his life is to crazy for love.

Dacus creates a realistic look into the "behind the scenes" world of food service. She puts the reader right in the world with all it's tastes and smells. The novel also depicts the thrills of secrets: both secret love and secret issues.

Another very strong theme in the novel is family. The Guidry family is a loving bunch, but their inter-family dynamics always makes for exciting reading. I love the way Dacus makes me feel like I could be reading about my family of four sisters.

I suspect that Dacus will be making waves in the Christian fiction world for a long time to come.

This was a very enjoyable read. One thing I really liked about it was the hero and heroine weren't your perfect model-types, and they seemed more real and relatable because of that. If you're looking for a few hours of clean, fun reading, Menu For Romance is a good choice.

"Menu for Romance" is a contemporary Christian romance novel. The book is the second in a series, but you don't have to read the first book to understand and enjoy this one.

The characters were charming, interesting, and varied. Meredith went through realistic struggles, like wondering if something was wrong with her because guys didn't ask her out on dates and trying to find privacy in a large family that always seemed to know what she was doing.

The details about the town and job were nice and made the setting seem realistic. The pacing was excellent until the very end. In fact, I loved this book all the way up until the last thirty pages. However, the ending felt rushed to me as I didn't feel like previous problem issues had been fully resolved between the two main characters.

The characters were Christian, but the book wasn't preachy. It was just typical Christians living out their lives. Meredith's main struggle was with why God hadn't sent her the desire of her heart--a husband--while family members around her were getting married.

There was no cussing and no sex. Overall, the book was well-written and very enjoyable.


This review is also up at Genre Reviews.

I'm not usually one for contemporaries, unless it's from an author I already know and love. But when I saw Menu for Romance on the ER list for August, I was interested enough to request it. And while this wasn't my favorite book of all times, it was a pleasant enough read that I may try other books from Ms. Dacus in the future.

I did enjoy the lite, fluffy romance in the story, and it was a welcome reprieve from all the other books I've been reading. It had it's 'ah, cute' type of moments, along with a few witty ones. In other words, a sweet, and fairly quick read.

However, the one main thing that I didn't like was the complete lack of sexual tension---of any sort! Only a few little pecks on the lips were even mentioned in the book. Now, I know, this is technically a 'Christian Fiction', and that means that it's no where near the erotica level, but does it have to mean no sexual tension, too? Come on, sometimes the build up and teasing along the way is far more interesting than the actual 'event'! If the author doesn't want to put sex scenes in the book before the h/hr are married, that's fine with me-- but what's so harmful in a few slightly heady scenes between a couple that you know will end up married in the end?

Despite the lack of, well, passion, between the hero and heroine of the story, the characters themselves weren't too bad. They could have had a bit more depth at times, but over all, I didn't mind them-- and I have to say, Major's mother was by far the most unique out of the group. I only wish the author had played up interaction between them all a bit more, since at times I almost didn't really see the connection between them. It was more like a fine line than the strong one you usually want in a book, especially a romance. Christian Fiction or not, you still need that connection, that growth and development from the characters.


3/5 STARS! An enjoyable romance novel, which I would recommend to anyone, even a teenage girl. With an interesting (and not too common) story plot, which only added to the appeal, plus characters and events that are realistic, Menu for Romance shouldn't be passed over just because of its genre. Try it, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed in it either!

Menu for Romance is the second in the series of Brides of Bonneterre by Kaye Dacus. This is a light-hearted romance novel. I believe this book is about choices. Meredith makes a conscience decision on New Year's that she will no longer be single by the end of the year. She is in love with Chef Major O'Hara but after eight years, Meredith has decided that is a futile quest.

Meredith is remodeling an old house and runs into an extremely handsome contractor. Not only is he qualified to assist her in restoring her house, Ward asks her out. He's a dream come true. He's attentive, handsome, and has a magnetic personality.

Chef Major O'Hara is offered a dream of a lifetime by his employer. He has the opportunity to open up his own restaurant. He has a decision to make. Due to a secret that he's only shared with a few, he has given up on love and now may have to give up his dream. The only way to change that is to share the secret with the one that he truly cares about.

In a small way, it reminded me a little bit of "It's a Wonderful Life." When Major O'Hara looks back on his life of unfortunate circumstances, he learns a powerful lesson that we can all relate to. Every one of us has past experiences that we wish we could erase. Each event becomes a template in our lives. They have an impact of who we will become one day. Our past doesn't determine our future. I am grateful that God works through us to become who He wants us to be. We need to make a conscience and intentional choice to follow Him.

Kaye Dacus has done it again! I had such fun revisiting the fictional town of Bonneterre, Louisiana and spending time with her great cast of characters. The biggest thrill was that party planner Meredith Guidry and executive chef Major O'hara, whom readers met briefly in Dacus's delightful debut novel, Stand-in Groom, get a story all their own.

Meredith has been secretly in love with Major for eight l-o-n-g years. Both work for her parents' mega firm, which puts them in the other's path on a daily basis. She's his boss, so she has to keep things professional and accept the fact that they're just friends. Her heart protests regularly, making for an intense struggle. In an act borne of desperation, she asks God to help her get over Major and find the man of her dreams.

Unbeknownst to Meredith, Major is crazy about her and wishes he could make her his wife. However, he harbors a secret he's afraid would ruin everything. Not only that, but he's been offered the chance to open his own restaurant and feels it would be unfair to ask her to be his when he'd be working more hours than ever. When Mere meets a handsome contractor who's not only remodeling her house but building a relationship with the woman Major loves, he's forced to make a choice. Will he fulfill his lifelong dream, or will he take a risk, trust Mere with the truth and concoct a Menu for Romance?

Dacus tells a wonderful story, one I thoroughly enjoyed from first page to last. Her characters are captivating. I fell hard for Major and admired Meredith's dedication and determination. And yet I hurt for these two who so obviously want to be together but are kept apart by circumstances they must overcome. Only when they deal with their difficulties and look to God for the answer to their dilemma, can they find peace in His plan for their lives. I heartily recommend Menu for Romance, the second in the Bride of Bonneterre Series, as a story that is sure to satisfy your appetite for a good read.