Customer Reviews

A Taste of Fame (The Potluck Catering Club) (Center Point Christian Fiction (Large Print))

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read all the Potluck Club and Potluck Catering Club novels so far and this book was the funniest one yet. One of the things I like about this series is that the characters aren't perfect, but flaw-filled, just like the rest of us. It's fun to see them stumble over their flaws while trying to grow in their friendships and relationship with God.
And no, this book isn't about gossip, but love, romance, friendship and adventure.

The premise that the girls are forced to appear on the reality TV Show, The Great Party Showdown in New York is hilarious.

I love following the lives of these characters through each book. It makes me feel like I know them.

The writing and characterizations are great and I'm recommending it to all my family and friends and to my bookclub.

I thought this was a fun book. It was easy to read and laugh-out loud funny in places. Each chapter is told, first-person, by one of the club members. I'm not a regular television watcher and I don't watch reality-television at all, so I have no comparison to the descriptions and experiences of the club members. However, a reality show about cooking groups competing against each other was an interesting premise. The story is Christian, but not preachy. The women all pray together before events, etc., and there is a real desire to do what is right and honest, even as other contestants resort to underhanded tactics in an effort to win the contest.

I was not familiar with the Potluck Club books before reading this one. The character's voices were terrific; some are certainly more likeable than others and I'm sure that if one was familiar with all of them and their history, they would feel like old friends. However, I didn't find any real disadvantage to not having read the previous books. I will certainly check them out in the future though.

I loved having the recipes at the end. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a recipe is mentioned in a book and then not included. This book includes 36 recipes, all of which are a part of the story. I'm going to try the Peppermint Patty Brownies, first!

A fun, light novel about friendship. Easily recommended.

"A Taste of Fame" is book two in a series of novels about the ladies of "The Potluck Catering Club". Shepherd and Everson mix up a group of six ladies who originally came together to form a prayer club and have now (accidentally) taken their catering onto the big screen.

Each chapter in the book is written from a different character's POV. Each character has a unique background story that is expertly woven throughout, as well as the uniqueness she brings to the collective whole of the group.

The ladies of the Potluck Catering Club have found themselves tied into a contract forcing them to appear on a reality TV show - The Greatest Party Showdown - in New York City. Each of them (including the three guys that also managed to get roped in) have their own reasons for not wanting to go, but with the big picture in mind (raising enough money to save their church from bankruptcy), they choose to trust God for the outcome, knowing that He will bring to pass whatever He has planned for each of them.

As they find themselves moving farther and farther into the competition, they run into fiasco after fiasco. Through the humor, the tears, the fears, and learning to trust God with the little things as well as the big things, the ladies of the Potluck Catering Club will grab your heart and you will want them to cater your next big party!

Not only does this book include a great story, but it also comes with some great recipes that the ladies used throughout the story!

"The Potluck Club Cookbook" is full of easy and yummy recipes that are great for getting together with friends and family. From the back of the cookbook: "Potlucks make sharing good, home-cooked food with family and friends simple and easy. Start with a few (or a lot of) guests, bring delicious dishes to share, and mix with love. A proven recipe for success... From salads to casseroles to slow-cooker delights, there's something for everyone, even if you're watching your waistline... These great potluck ideas not only save you money, they also help you build memories to last a lifetime." I can't wait to try some of the yummy dishes inside and share them with family and friends!

Available September 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

We've been following the Potluck Club in my book club since the beginning, but this one has to be our favorite. With the end of each book, we can't wait for the next one to come so we can find out what crazy thing Lisa Leann has the girls involved in- and this one's a doozy- a cooking reality show! And every one of the girls, from Donna and her love lost admirers to Goldie with a marriage on the mend, adds a special spice to this catering mayhem. What a fun read. Even if you've not read the first three books in this series, you'll fall in love with these girls of Summit View. They are the girls we each want to invite to our own club- and you will, too, because they're real Christian women.

First, let me say that I am an avid reader and a staunch follower of the Potluck Club Series. I am also a publisher. I loved all of the Potluck Club books, they were written in a "can't wait to turn the page" way and each turn of the page promises to be as great as the one before. For anyone considering this book, I would disregard Staceys review as she makes it clear that she never read the book. I can say this much about the Potluck Club series, you LEARN from it! I can't say that about many novels. Linda and Eva show us what everyday Christian women go through, the ups and the downs, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and how they allow God to teach them and shape them through their mistakes. I GUARANTEE you will love this book.

A Taste of Fame by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson is the most recent entry in the Potluck Catering Club series. The women of the club are in for the ride of their lives! Nelson, Lisa Leanna's son, entered some footage he shot of the club catering a wedding, and it's made its way to a reality TV show contest. The women are on the fast track to fame with all of its perks (bumped to first class) and the pitfalls (dirty laundry on internet message boards). The show flies them to New York to compete in a series of competitions that will put their skills, their faith, and their friendship to the test. I have become completely addicted to this series. I love the variety of characters from brusque Evangeline and Donna to sweet Vonnie and too-sweet Lisa Leann, they are all real women facing challenges we all do. Evangeline and Lisa Leann's trip to New York was the perfect mix of tourist fun and panic. I appreciated how the authors made the Big Apple come to life without falling ito the stereotypes of rude people and crime ridden streets. It's a fresh treat from the first to the last page.

This has probably got to be my absolute favorite Potluck Club book ever. The story was written so extremely well. As a huge fan of the Food Network, I love any show that deals with competitive cooking. If the competition that happened in this book actually became a TV show (and I really think it should) I would definitely be watching and be a fan. I loved the behind the scenes action that took place and the descriptions of what it takes to make one of these shows. Also greatly enjoyed the trip to New York and the adventures the ladies had of just being in the city.

What I love best about this series is that these women are real. I get tired of reading other Christian fiction that portrays their characters as saints or those who are always eager to cast the first stone. Not only is it an overused stereotype, it's just plain wrong. The women in this book are just like any woman you meet in your church. They are flawed characters but they are real. They learn from their mistakes and they do what they can to live better lives. Usually you can tell with multiple authors when each author is writing. There is a distinct tone that is unique to that author's voice and stands out. This can be a distraction sometimes when it's obvious that the narrator has changed. Well in this series, I can't tell when Linda is writing or when Eva holds the pen. It all blends so seamlessly that the story just flows along. You don't feel overwhelmed, lose track or get confused with any of the character's stories. I felt that in this book, everyone had equal story time and each story was just as interesting, hilarious, and touching all at the same time.

There are TONS of recipes in this story, and all were used in the book. Alas I didn't get to try out any but there are many that are really simple to make. That way, if you get a hankering to try out something you're reading about, it's right there for you to stop reading, start cooking, and then eat and read at the same time. I cannot wait until the next book but at the same time, it's bittersweet because I know it'll be the last one. Until then, I shall cook up some of the recipes from this one and enjoy what I have. VERY HIGHLY recommended.

This is the first book I have read in the Potluck Club series of books. I must admit it was a little hard to get really into it but after a couple of chapters I was hooked. The six main ladies of the story represent just about every type of woman there is. You are sure to find at least one you can identify with. The characters are very well written and easy to understand. Even if you don't identify with a particular character you learn to feel for and like that character as if she was a new best friend.

The story centers around the Potluck Club being entered into a cooking reality show and all the ups and downs of being on the show. There is also a lot of personal issues and family issues that the individuals are dealing with on the side.

The writing is great, the characters are great and the story line is great. You won't be sorry you read the book.

I'll admit it: I'm hooked on reality shows; I watch home decorating shows, cooking shows, and even competition reality television programs. This book is about a show that I'd enjoy watching--a cooking competition for groups.

Written in first-person narrative in the voice of each of the individual characters, helps the reader follow the chaotic adventures of a diverse group of ladies and a few chosen guys who by a mishap, involve themselves in a competitive television reality program. With the prize a million dollars, along with an iron-clad contract that they signed without bothering to read, the ladies are obligated to plug away in spite of romantic entanglements and a bit of a mystery. Who IS "B"?

This is a fun book to read. Not only can I envision it on TV, but I'd sure phone in my vote for the Pot Luck Club to take the grand prize. The recipes for all thirty-six of the dishes used in the competition all included as well as a metric conversion guide.

What a joy this book was to read. I love this group of ladies. I was wondering before I started reading this book if the premise of the reality TV show was going to be boring, but there was so much more to this story and every bit of it was wonderful. The authors did a brilliant job of using the TV show as a way for the ladies to learn to trust God to be in control.

There is so much more reality in this book than just the TV show. Each of the women in The Potluck Catering Club has issues and problems to deal with and they all lean on each other and pray with and for each other. I loved how much prayer was involved in each step for these six women. We could all take a lesson from the strong faith of these women and the strong support each woman gave to the others.

There is nothing I would change about this story. I loved every moment of it and I loved all the characters. This is truly an inspiring and heartwarming story. The authors are obviously women of strong faith and I appreciate them sharing it with us through this group of women. A Taste of Fame will be enjoyed by all those chick-lit lovers out there, myself included.