Texas Cooking (Texas Hill Country Series #1) [Paperback]

Lisa Wingate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2003

No one is more surprised than Colleen Collins when she's offered a job writing fluffy magazine articles about rural Texas cooking. But after only a few days in the charming little town of San Saline, the big-city reporter is falling for the local residents, and finding it impossible to resist the infuriating True McKittrick, a local boy-made-good whose mere presence makes her feel alive...and at home.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Collie Collins has come out of a Washington, D.C., newspaper scandal depressed and minus a job and a boyfriend. Her friend sends her out on a free-lance magazine assignment to Texas writing about two things she knows to next to nothing about: small town life and cooking. She ends up in San Saline, Texas, where the pace is slow and where, as the "Yankee," she's the butt of many jokes. But she becomes enamored of the small town and one of its leading residents, True McKitrick. The prodigal town son, True is an enigma; yet he and Collie connect despite clumsy matchmaking tactics on the part of some townspeople. When Collie learns that she's now a hot item in D.C., she has to make a hard decision: return to her fast-paced life or stay in an enchanted town with a man she has only known a week. Wingate's empathic writing style is beautifully suited to this contemporary romance in which the simple life is portrayed as heroic and romantic. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

[a] beautifully written mix of comedy, drama, cooking and journalism... -- Dallas morning News, September 28, 2003

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451411021
• ISBN-13: 978-0451411020
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #404,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lisa Wingate is a magazine columnist, inspirational speaker, and the author of a host of mainstream fiction novels, including the national bestseller, Tending Roses, which is currently in its fourteenth reprint. Her books have been featured selections for Doubleday and Literary Guild book clubs, selected for The Reader's Club of America, and have garnered LORIES Best Fiction and Reader's Choice Awards, and been nominated for the ACFW Book of the Year Award. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Lisa loves sharing with readers via Facebook, Youtube, and her website. More information about Lisa's novels can be found at www.Lisawingate.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing contemporary romance novel, January 11, 2004

By 

Involved Parent "Take the time to think" (New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Texas Cooking (Texas Hill Country Series #1) (Paperback)

I first read "Tending Roses" by Lisa Wingate and absolutely loved it. I picked up "Texas Cooking," not expecting a contemporary romance novel, but found that I really enjoyed it! I am not much of a romance reader, many times I find they revolve around the heroine and hero finally having sex. Mrs. Wingate avoided writing an explicit chapter(s) while still capturing the jolt one feels when reading about the physical attraction between a man and a woman. I was thoroughly pleased with the path the heroine had to take to get to the typical ending. I say typical, because the reader will determine the outcome of the book as it does follow the romance novel outline. Girl meets boy, boy is infuriating but interesting, girl falls for boy, girl must make life changing decision, girl and boy part, girl realizes mistake and they get together to live happy ever after. BUT!!!! That is the beauty of this genre... predictable to a degree, feel good book that takes you away from every day worries. Lisa Wingate throws in a few of her own twists, creating a tale of love, choices, and a whole new reason to visit Texas!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BOOK YOU'LL WANT TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE, October 14, 2003

By 

Shelley B - See all my reviews

This review is from: Texas Cooking (Texas Hill Country Series #1) (Paperback)

I bought Texas Cooking in the Dallas airport as I was flying back home (east coast). I'm a transplanted Texan, so I can relate to Collie's difficulty deciding between the closeness and slower pace of small town life and the excitement of urban living. Lisa Wingate does a great job of portraying both sides of the coin, while at the same time creating a memorable love story, fantastic secondary characters, and humor that will have you rolling on the floor. Texas Cooking is funny, but it also examines life, love, and friendship in a deep, insightful way. I dog-eared pages so I could go back and read them again, then I went out and bought several more copies to share with friends. Great book, talented author, unforgettable story, much deeper than typical chicklit; in fact my husband read it in two days and loved it, also. My only complaint is that it doesn't seem to be available in hardback. That's a shame, because it is one I will save and reread often.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, will make you laugh, June 25, 2004

By 

Crazy Reader (Mn. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Texas Cooking (Texas Hill Country Series #1) (Paperback)

This book is refreshing! It's got a good story line, it's one of the funniest books I've read in a long time and it's romantic without detailed sex. I thought it kept moving and was interesting. There's one part where you want to hit 'Collie' over the head and tell her to stop running from the truth of her feelings, but that's also part of what makes the story interesting. I'm looking forward to reading more of Lisa Wingate's books. I hope she keeps writing for a long time.