Review: A Tablespoon of Temptation (A Recipe for Love #1)

 A Tablespoon of Temptation (A Recipe for Love #1)

by Kelly Collins

Blurb:

She’s a woman who values honesty. He’s a man telling a lie. Will the truth bring them together or tear

them apart?

Danielle Morgan doesn’t need a recipe for love, she needs one for life. Hounded by her best friend to find a man or a hobby, she chooses the latter. After all, a hobby won’t break her heart. Perusing the aisles of a flea market, she purchases a box of books with one that promises to unlock what her heart desires. Right now, all she wants is to keep her job and stay ahead of her mounting debt. That is until she meets James, the hot new construction lead at Luxe resorts. Dating a coworker is against her rules, but James is a temptation she can’t resist.

After a failed attempt at marriage, James Parks is happily wedded to his career as CEO of Luxe Resorts. His job doesn’t complain when he gets home late, and it’ll never take half of everything. Working undercover as the construction lead is his only passion until he meets Danielle Morgan. The last person he should date is a woman who works for his company. But like a decadent dessert, the more he tries to resist, the more he wants her. Will finding out his true identity sweeten the deal or leave a bad taste in her mouth?

Do they have the right ingredients to create something magical or are they a recipe for disaster?

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating:  4.25 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

So I decided I would take the chance on a new series because it looked interesting and there was mention of cookbooks and baking in the description and since that’s my second favorite hobby—to reading of course—I figured it was a match made in heaven. Kelly Collins was also a new author to me but I figured what the heck and I was thrilled with the choice because I really enjoyed this story.  The story took us on a journey through one woman’s attempt to master not just a recipe for love, but an attempt to overcome her biggest fears and find love with a man that terrified her on so many levels and find her comfort levels in a new challenging job.  Danielle is looking down the tunnel of possible unemployment, bothered by her bestie to find a hobby or a boyfriend, and just not wanting to deal with life, Danielle wants a break.  When she finds a strange cookbook full of strange recipes and orders on the “proper “way to use it, she doesn’t think anything about it except using it to get her friend off her back.  But then her world changes drastically.  James and his company have taken over the resort hotel when Daniella works and he never imagined he would find himself drawn to his employee, especially when he is working incognito and she doesn’t know the truth of him. Soon they are becoming much closer than friends and coworkers, but the secret of James’s true identity hangs between them and when it comes out the disaster left behind could be bigger than either of them can overcome.  I liked this story mainly for the characters, because to be brutally honest the plot has been done, but the hilarity and well written characters made the story worth reading.  Danielle was smart, witty, and just that little bit of a disaster that made her human, with vulnerabilities and traits that made her relatable.  I loved seeing her struggling with the cake recipe again and again, learning more and more as she went, and slowly coming to understand the life lessons the cookbook author was trying to impart with her recipe.  She had a few issues for sure when is came to trust and that made James’s job that much harder in the end, but his willingness to work for her heart made him better.  James seems like the typical blue collar guy struck rich in the beginning but we slowly see his issues go much deeper as we learn about his family life and youth, coming to like him even more.  I enjoyed seeing him work to overcome Danielle’s fears and slip through her defenses to steal her heart.  He was the perfect sweet and loving tough guy with a marshmallow center. Book two should be very interesting as we see James’s sister Allie meet her match and then I hope the series continues to entertain me.

*eARC provided by publisher (via NetGalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.