Reaching for the Stars [Kindle Edition]

Janice Horton (Author)

Book Description

Scottish celebrity chef Finn McDuff is media stalked and disillusioned after winning his third star and losing his third wife. He decides he’s had enough of all the food campaigns, the TV cookery shows, the constant frenzy surrounding his private life and, after giving up all his accolades and closing down his restaurant, he disappears.

With the enfant terrible of the kitchen missing, two rival newspapers, having lost their media meal ticket, compete against each other to whip up further public curiosity in the missing chef. Love him or hate him, everyone is out looking for Chef McDuff. Who will find him first and whose side will you be on...?

PRAISE FOR JANICE HORTON

JANUARY 2012 - 'Reaching for the Stars' Voted The Most Popular Book of the Month with Readers - on Jera's Jamboree Book Blog!

“I love the way that Janice writes. Her words flow so easily from page to page. You are whisked away to a part of Scotland where you feel you’ve always known and get so involved with the story that you feel that you are playing a star role in the book.”
Kim The Bookworm

“A wonderful plot and some extremely engaging characters all bundled together in a steamy Scottish kitchen!”
Lou Graham - Book Blogger

“Even though I knew this was a complete work of fiction, I found it fun to imagine one of the top celebrity chefs losing their marbles and giving it all up. What an amazing story that would be to follow in the tabloids.”
Lindsay Gentles - Turning the Pages Book Blog

“Horton's writing actually transports the reader straight to the scene - I felt like I actually knew some of the characters.”
Sarah Taylor - Today I’m Reading Book Blog.

“Well done Janice Horton you have got the 5 star from me...”
Rea Book Reviews.

“When it comes to writing romance, Janice Horton puts her heart into the task.”
The Dumfries & Galloway Standard

Bestselling novelist Janice Horton is also the author of ‘Bagpipes & Bullshot’.

Product Details

• File Size: 537 KB
• Print Length: 234 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Thornhill Print (December 4, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006ICFIZG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,514 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All the ingredients of a great novel! December 9, 2011

By Lougrahamii

Format:Kindle Edition

Reaching for the Stars in the latest novel written by Author Janice Horton.

Finn McDuff had worked his whole life to be awarded his three Golden Stars, as a celebrity Chef, he was at the top of his game. Nothing was more important to him than the food he presented at the Passe. Sadly his three ex Wives could vouch for that! Ambition over love, Pride over marriage and ego over emotions - Three sins over three stars!

A sudden realisation brought Finn to his senses about what actual was important in life, the `Stars' suddenly didn't shine so bright for him any longer. Closing down his restaurant and giving up on his dreams, he disappears and sets off to try to get his life back.

Raine Sanderson and Ross Campbell are two very new and very keen journalist despite to get their hands on that dream job at The Thistle, only one can make it! Both with the same target in their sights, Chef McDuff. How far would they go to find where McDuff has gone and get that exclusive interview?

Will Finn be able to find the peace and happiness away from the celebrity life that he is so desperately looking for? Or will the past continue to haunt him? To what ends will the journalists go to get that story?

I was very excited to be receiving an advanced copy of Janice's latest novel. As a huge fan of Bagpipes and Bullshot I had high expectations for Reaching for the Stars - and I'm so thrilled to say I wasn't disappointed. Janice's style that I loved so much in the first novel continues in this book. A wonderful plot and some extremely engaging characters all bundled together in a steamy Scottish kitchen!

When I started to read the story, I thought Chef McDuff would be a horrid character.... I had in my mind someone between Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsey but as the story developed I really started to like and understand him. Janice has written a great "will they won't they find him" plot that kept you guessing right to the final pages which I really loved. Fabulous depth to Raine and Anna's characters as well as McDuff and the whole book was so beautifully written which are all ingredients that make this the sort of book you can't put down! What move can a reader ask for!

Thank you so much Janice for sending me a copy of this book - blooming marvellous!! Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars What a slog! March 2, 2013

By TerryS

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I cannot believe I actually made it through to the end of this book. When I am watching the percentage read to ascertain how much more torture I have to endure to get to the end of it something is wrong. Sometimes though you just keep on reading in case you miss something. well for me there was no plot, the characters were vapourous and shallow, and there was no ending - apart from the words, "The End"

The editing certainly wasn't up to par in many places, but this only made something so bad just worse. If anyone calls this a page turner it will be because they were continually turning the page in the hope of finding something worth reading. The newspaper angle just didn't wash with me either. Those newspapers must have been pretty desperate rags if their front pages relied on the whereabouts of some arrogant chef who spat the dummy because his wife left him.

Not for me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Predictable September 21, 2012

By Annette L. Hatley

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The story was passable; I could read it without rolling my eyes too often at the stupidity of it, but the ending wasn't particularly well done. It just stopped with very little resolution. I kept reading the last page, thinking, "huh?" How could McDuff resolve his overwhelming feelings for his wife that was the driving force for him throughout the story and just do a 180 to Raine? Not well thought out at all. The premise was great, nevertheless, I had a difficult time getting into a suspension of disbelief to actually fathom that two rivaling newspapers would hang their continuance on stories about a chef.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Standard romance with a dash of spice September 21, 2012

By Terreciel

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a typical romance novel, set in Scotland in the world of competitive gourmet chefs. There are the usual characters: a stunningly handsome man, another charming and seductive handsome man, the attractive young woman who is drawn to both.

The character development is what one would expect from a romance novel. The plot is entertaining, if a bit over the top at times. Even in the world of romance, which requires implausible characters and events, there were a few things that I had a hard time buying. The main character, Finn, is 29 years old, yet he's been married three times. If one assumes he didn't marry at age 16, this gives him an average of 3 years to court, marry and divorce each of his wives, all while putting in very long hours to learn and perfect his craft. That's some quick marrying. He's also managed to win three 3-star awards for his cutting edge restaurant, which is also quite remarkable.

The protagonist, Reine, quickly becomes a feature writer for a top newspaper at the age of 23. I would have believed these two characters more if they'd both been at least several years older. In addition, the idea of 'falling in love' after meeting someone once is far-fetched. An attraction, sure. A crush even. Groin-tingling lust. But love at first sight is...well, the provence of romance novels.

As for the plot, there must not be much news in Edinburgh if stories about a celebrity chef are front-page features for several months, with the top two newspapers in the city vying to outdo each other.

The book is amusing at times, with not-so-subtle references to actual celebrity chefs. I liked the Top Chef approach; reality gourmet cooking shows ARE all the rage these days.... Overall, this book is an entertaining light read if you like romances that don't take themselves too seriously. Read more ›

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Horton Hears a Hooray! August 31, 2012

By I.A.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

(Characters) Finn is a hot, celebrity chef, who is the "main" character in the sense that he drives most of the action. Raine is a newspaper columnist, who writes for the entertainment section, and really provides the emotional drive for the book. Ross is her counterpart and foil, a paparazzi style journalist who works for a rival paper, and who is always trying to scoop her when it comes to Finn stories. Anna is the chief character in the sub-plot and a budding chef in her own right, as well as the daughter of a great chef, who was Finn's mentor.
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(Plot and subplots) The main plot deals with Finn, and his quest to be a three-star Michelin chef. His back story is that he's been divorced twice, and his third marriage is teetering. He needs to find work-life balance. (Yes, this supposedly exist in a parallel universe.) Anna needs to come to terms with her fathers death; she is closed off emotionally. Raine needs to decide if she wants to be a columnist or a "real" writer. Ross needs to decide if being duplicitous is worth the price he will eventually pay.

("Romance") There is suppose to be a romance triangle "brewing" (and the author even uses several coffee imagery here) between Finn and Raine and Ross. However, this is probably the weakest part of the book. Finn and Raine have some "chemistry," but they never go thru anything together that would cause their romance to blossom. The closest thing to a "reason" we get is that they both "looked hot in their jeans," albeit on different occasions. Ross supposedly has a crush on Raine too, but that has to be put on hold because of his career. He takes her on "dates," but these are almost always to leverage (if not outright use) her as a ticket to get into events he wouldn't be invited to w/o her.... This could have been built into a solid love triangle, but never was.
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The book is very readable; sentences flow smoothly, and the plot moves fluidly along. Plots and sub-plots are interwoven well--(and thank God there are some, I've read too many books lately that just hammer on one plot line for the entire 300+ pages--don't try it if you're not Hemingway, and who is!) So, if you're looking for one more "fun summer read" before the official start of fall, "reach" for this. Read more ›

More About the Author

Janice Horton escaped a city-chic lifestyle and a career in corporate brand placement to live in a remote cottage on the side of a hillside in Scotland. Previously traditionally published and now writing as an Indie, Janice writes fiction with humour and heart and a hint of tartan. When not writing novels, Janice writes lifestyle articles and has had work published in national and international magazines. She has also been involved in BBC Scotland's 'Write Here Write Now' incentive. Janice is a regular blogger and you'll often find her partying on Facebook and Twitter. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist's Association and a Featured Author and Associate Editor at the innovative online magazine Loveahappyending Lifestyle.

Janice says:
I am a regular blogger and you can find me at: www.janicehortonwriter.blogspot.co.uk
I have an Author Facebook Page at:
https://www.facebook.com/JaniceHortonAuthor
I'm also on Twitter: @JaniceHorton