Customer Reviews

Texas Cooking (Texas Hill Country Series #1)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

What a delightful book. Collie Collins discovers another side to life in San Saline, Texas when she arrives to start writing a series of articles on cooking. Previously Collie was a high powered reporter but through a series of events, lost her job, was dumped by her boyfriend and betrayed by people she trusted. So she finds herself in San Saline, a small town in the hill country of Texas, trying to find her way. She meets True, The Tractor Man. As with many things in San Saline, he is not what she expected. In San Saline, she begins to discover things about herself as well as the others in town. This is a heart warming story about taking chances and risks in your life. Will she find out the event in True's past that changed him and brought him back to San Saline? Will she ever return back to her previous life in the fast paced world in D.C.? Does she want to go back to that life, or has she truly found something special in San Saline? The story moves along, is funny, and touching. I think you will enjoy it, and it made me long for a spring day in Texas filled with rolling hills covered in wild flowers....come on and stop for a visit in San Saline...you may not wish to leave anytime soon...

I do enjoy reading the occassional romance novels ~~ but when it starts getting to be too descriptive of the private acts of the bedroom ~~ it's not usually my favorite part of the book and oftentimes, ruin the book for me. I am relieved to report that Lisa Wingate have a contemporary romance novel ~~ and it's clean enough that if I had a daughter to read it ~~ I can allow her to read it! Wingate makes romance fun!

This book focuses on Collie, a hotshot media reporter who had been fired in a scandal back in Washington, D.C. Her best friend from college, Laura Draper, sent her on an assignment for one of the numerous magazines that Laura is in charge of. So Collie heads to San Saline, Texas, broke, jobless and boyfriendless. And there, Collie discovers a world that she has never known of ~~ where peacocks wake you up in the morning to gazing at the starlit heavens of a Texas evening. Instead of focusing on her articles, Collie finds herself making friends left and right ~~ and falling in love with True, a true cowboy.

It may sound simple and sweet ~~ but sometimes, you just need those times to read those books. This book and Lone Star Cafe are just perfect for summery readings or for those long winter nights when the snow is blowing hard against the roof ~~ then you can nestle among your blankets and read of a romance novel that is just clean fun!

3-7-05

Texas Cooking is the best book I have read in just about forever. I've read romances for years, but it's been a long time since I've found an author I was really excited about. I seldom bother to post book reviews, but this story deserved one.

Once I picked the book up, I couldn't put it down. I felt like I knew (and liked) every one of the characters and I could picture the wonderful little town of San Saline. Collie's relationship with True was so realistic, and I commend an author who can make a love story believable and compelling without having to rely on tons of hot sex or ridiculously out of control physical attraction. Collie and True really did "fall in love", emotionally, spiritually, and physically, and being a part of it as a reader was absolutely magic. True was a fantastic, realistic, flawed, slightly wounded hero with an outward strength and an inward emotional side that made him impossible to resist. This book is so much more than just a romance novel. It's a story about life, love, people, friendship, and all of the things that really matter. Many passages were so profound, I had to stop and read them over again. I've since gone back and read Lisa Wingate's other two books, and both of them are fantastic as well. I have a new favorite author. I can't wait for the sequel to Texas Cooking to come out! BRAVO!!!

Texas Cooking is a fantastic mix of romance, down-home food, small town people, and good clean humor. The hero, True McKittrick is to die for. Rather than being too perfect or too alpha like a lot of romance heros, he is very real, as are all of the secondary characters in the charming small town of San Saline. Lisa Wingate has a way of writing humor that had me rolling in the floor, and a way of writing insightful commentary on life and love that had me reaching for a highlighter so I could remember phrases. The book is inspirational, without being heavy-handed. You can't help rooting for Collie and True to end up together, and the book is an absolute can't-put-down page turner. I can't wait to read the sequel, and until then I'm going to go back and read her other books. It is great to read something that is romantic and fun, but also uplifting. Bravo! What a find!

Colleen Collins was down and out, living in her home in D.C., in the throes of depression with the loss of her boyfriend and her job as a journalist. The company she was working for had a big lawsuit against them, and tried to blame Collie for part of the problem.

Then a few months later after wallowing in misery, she is offered an assignment in Saline Texas, and takes it. There she finds new adventures and discovers what Texas living is like. First of all, she rents a car right from the airport, and gets lost along the way. And not only that, but her car breaks down too. So not knowing what to do, she sees a place up ahead, "True the Tractor Man," tractors. Of course True tells her how to get to Hawthorne House, where she will stay for the next several days there. She and Mrs. Hawthorne strike up an instant friendship-and Mrs. Hawthorne knows everyone in town there, including True and his whole history.

As Colleen meets True again, the two begin to fall in love. But True has his own complex set of issues and is a little afraid of getting too close. He puts out his own paper each week, and doesn't really do a very good job. This is also where Colleen comes in, but True resents her at first trying to help, and making fun of her journalism skills-that is until he sees what she does with the paper.

A few days go on, and Colleen falls in love with the people there, but is in a dilemma when the lawsuit back home gets out of control, and she is wanted back for reporting again. And not only that, but she is wanted at the Post, a huge newspaper, where she will have a bigtime job there, and make piles of money-but she really isn't sure this is what she wants any longer now. There is a contract to be signed at this firm for 2 years at least, and Colleen is definitely not into this idea, even though she has returned home. Her heart is still in Texas, and she has a terrible decision to make.

Once she was a top reporter, now Colleen Collins (Collie) is reduced to taking a friend's charity and accepting a fluff piece about Texas cooking for a magazine. She can not cook, is not from Texas, and hates small towns. Yet, she has little choice, so heads off to the Texas hill country. However, it is not as bad as it was expected to be, despite car troubles and infuriating sexy cowboys. Before long, Collie finds herself learning a few basics, like how to cook and cope, and a few other truths of life. The little town might be full of quirks, but she finds a beautiful wisdom that makes her feel alive and at home. Then, Collie gets a once in a lifetime chance to regain all she has lost. Her heart says one thing, her head another.

**** This heartwarming book perfectly captures rural Texas. It really is much like Mayberry as the author depicts. Texas Cooking is filled with warmth and wisdom and laughs. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore

Just a few months ago, Colleen Collins worked as an investigative reporter for American Business Dailey in DC. Now she is unemployed but needs money so Coleen accepts a freelance assignment from a friend at Southern Women's magazine to write a series of articles on food and culture.

Colleen accepts the meaningless assignment though her self-respect is in the toilet. She travels to San Saline, Texas in the heart of the Hill County, but feels lost in the middle of Nowhere without gas until True the Tractor Man rescues her. As she and True become acquainted under the auspices of local matchmaking led by the aggressive Ladies' Sunday Supper, they fall in love. However, she is a big city reporter while he is a small town CEO with the elderly preacher Malachi Simmon encouraging her to take a chance on love.

This engaging relationship drama focuses on the heroine as she struggles to decide what she truly wants in life. Her dilemma is simple as she thought she was contented with her DC job and her boyfriend, but finds she is having fun and love in the Hill Country. So will readers due to the eccentric support cast and a delightfully opposites lead couple that will send fans of contemporary tales enjoy the taste of TEXAS COOKING.

Harriet Klausner