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Recipe for Love #1
Can't Stand the Heat
For sharp-tongued food critic Miranda Wake, the chance to spend a month in Adam Temple's kitchen to write an exposé is a journalistic dream come true. Surely Miranda can find a way to cut the hotshot chef down to size once she learns what really goes on at his trendy Manhattan restaurant. But she never expected Adam to find out her most embarrassing secret: she has no idea how to cook.
Adam's not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn't even know the difference between poaching and paring. He'll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own—teaching her what it means to cook with passion…and doing more with his hands than simply preparing sumptuous food.
Adam's not about to have his reputation burned by a critic who doesn't even know the difference between poaching and paring. He'll just have to give the tempting redhead a few private lessons of his own—teaching her what it means to cook with passion…and doing more with his hands than simply preparing sumptuous food.
344 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
31 people are currently reading
2714 people want to read
About the author
Louisa Edwards
16 books793 followersLouisa Edwards was born in Austin, but grew up in Virginia, where she started reading romance around the age of eleven. She graduated with honors from Bryn Mawr College and landed her first job in publishing as an Editorial Assistant at Berkley and built her own list of authors, earning a promotion to Assistant Editor.
Then real life romance ensued: Louisa married a journalist and moved to a small town in Ohio where she critiqued restaurants for the local paper and began writing the Recipe for Love novels, a series of contemporary romances with a strong culinary theme. Her debut novel, CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, was released by St. Martin’s Press in September 2009 to rave reviews. The second novel in the series, ON THE STEAMY SIDE came out in March 2010, followed by JUST ONE TASTE in September 2010.
The series will continue with TOO HOT TO TOUCH (on sale August 2, 2011), SOME LIKE IT HOT (November 29, 2011), and HOT UNDER PRESSURE (April 2012), a trilogy about a team of talented chefs in a high-stakes culinary competition.
Louisa recently moved back to Austin with her husband. They and their two dogs are already completely in love with it!
Then real life romance ensued: Louisa married a journalist and moved to a small town in Ohio where she critiqued restaurants for the local paper and began writing the Recipe for Love novels, a series of contemporary romances with a strong culinary theme. Her debut novel, CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, was released by St. Martin’s Press in September 2009 to rave reviews. The second novel in the series, ON THE STEAMY SIDE came out in March 2010, followed by JUST ONE TASTE in September 2010.
The series will continue with TOO HOT TO TOUCH (on sale August 2, 2011), SOME LIKE IT HOT (November 29, 2011), and HOT UNDER PRESSURE (April 2012), a trilogy about a team of talented chefs in a high-stakes culinary competition.
Louisa recently moved back to Austin with her husband. They and their two dogs are already completely in love with it!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
March 20, 2017
3.5 stars.
Good, entertaining read. Maybe a little too long. Set in New York. Plenty of food references so make sure you have had your food before you start!!
I found the ending a little bit rushed. Will I check out the rest of the series? I probably will.
Bon appetit!
Good, entertaining read. Maybe a little too long. Set in New York. Plenty of food references so make sure you have had your food before you start!!
I found the ending a little bit rushed. Will I check out the rest of the series? I probably will.
Bon appetit!
August 16, 2019
I liked:
🧁 the secondary love story featuring Jess and Frankie. Their relationship is adorably presented, except one episode (see in Disliked things).
🧁 the close relations in the restaurant, as they work together, their respect for each other, for food, and for guests, and their endeavor for perfection.
🧁 Adam, the hero: he is hot, provocative, passionate – not only in bed, but in his kitchen as well.
🧁 secondary characters: Jess, Frankie, Grant, Violet, Milo, Wes.
🧁 writing style, humor, and dialogues.
I disliked:
🧁 Proving your love with a public confession and/or self-humiliation and/or saving your loved one’s life by self-sacrifice instead of making the mistake right. I really don’t understand why couples in romances need publicity to believe in each other’s feelings.
🧁 Miranda, the heroine: she is arrogant, selfish, self-assertive, and negligent. It is unbelievable that she knows so little her own brother despite the fact that she has raised him. She is also irresponsible and unreliable writing her so-called book using only one source.
🧁 I felt that the Rob incident was totally only to prove to Miranda that Frankie loves Jess. That’s crazy.
Strongly disliked:
🧁 Adam’s song to Miranda: cheesy and exaggerated…
🧁 Culinary similes: in the first couple of pages I smiled at them forgivingly, but as the story progressed, they became too much, they were applied to everything.
🧁 the secondary love story featuring Jess and Frankie. Their relationship is adorably presented, except one episode (see in Disliked things).
🧁 the close relations in the restaurant, as they work together, their respect for each other, for food, and for guests, and their endeavor for perfection.
🧁 Adam, the hero: he is hot, provocative, passionate – not only in bed, but in his kitchen as well.
🧁 secondary characters: Jess, Frankie, Grant, Violet, Milo, Wes.
🧁 writing style, humor, and dialogues.
I disliked:
🧁 Proving your love with a public confession and/or self-humiliation and/or saving your loved one’s life by self-sacrifice instead of making the mistake right. I really don’t understand why couples in romances need publicity to believe in each other’s feelings.
🧁 Miranda, the heroine: she is arrogant, selfish, self-assertive, and negligent. It is unbelievable that she knows so little her own brother despite the fact that she has raised him. She is also irresponsible and unreliable writing her so-called book using only one source.
🧁 I felt that the Rob incident was totally only to prove to Miranda that Frankie loves Jess. That’s crazy.
Strongly disliked:
🧁 Adam’s song to Miranda: cheesy and exaggerated…
🧁 Culinary similes: in the first couple of pages I smiled at them forgivingly, but as the story progressed, they became too much, they were applied to everything.
August 29, 2010
3 stars – Contemporary Romance
I was hoping for a spicy culinary romance similar to Hot in Here by Sophie Renwick, and although this has a sexy chef hero and is somewhat steamy, the myriad details on the inner workings of running a restaurant were a tad boring at times for me. I thought the heroine Miranda was rather b*tchy, annoying, judgmental, and hypocritical, and I honestly couldn't fathom why the hero Adam was so enamored by her.
There is a sweet secondary M/M romance between Miranda's younger brother Jess, who's still struggling to abandon the closet, and Adam's sous-chef Frankie that totally steals the spotlight from the main couple. In fact, their heartwarming romance was the highlight and saving grace of the entire story, IMO.
I was hoping for a spicy culinary romance similar to Hot in Here by Sophie Renwick, and although this has a sexy chef hero and is somewhat steamy, the myriad details on the inner workings of running a restaurant were a tad boring at times for me. I thought the heroine Miranda was rather b*tchy, annoying, judgmental, and hypocritical, and I honestly couldn't fathom why the hero Adam was so enamored by her.
There is a sweet secondary M/M romance between Miranda's younger brother Jess, who's still struggling to abandon the closet, and Adam's sous-chef Frankie that totally steals the spotlight from the main couple. In fact, their heartwarming romance was the highlight and saving grace of the entire story, IMO.
August 18, 2010
Refreshing.
August 1, 2015
Can't Stand the Heat is not usually the kind of book I read. But when Mandi called out for a reviewer, I thought, why not? And I'm glad I did, because Can't Stand the Heat was a really fabulous read.
I was pulled into the story from the get go. Miranda, who I liked instantly, is my favourite kind of heroine: feisty, independent, a woman who on the outside seems prickly and hard, but is really soft as putty with a kind heart and just needs the right man to bring out that side of her nature. Miranda has a sad past. Her parents died when she was only eighteen and left to look after her ten year old brother, Jess, so she had to grow up fast and become 'the parent'. This was a huge responsibility but she rose to the challenge and took night classes and two jobs just to keep the family services at bay. Deep down Miranda is quite vulnerable, but hides it well as she sees it as a weakness.
Enter Adam, the gorgeous, sexy, sweet, adorable... ahem, hard working chef with cute dimples *my favourite kind* who has high standards and runs his own restaurant called Market. After lots of banter and eye glaring, he eventually sees behind all the bravado and falls madly in love with her. Although, occasionally he still gets a little miffed that she wont open up to him. I found Miranda and Adam's characters to be really well rounded and totally believable. The relationship between them is also my favourite kind: the 'love/hate' relationship. I love it when at first it's all 'I hate you' but really deep down it's 'I'm so hot for you I could die'. It just fuels the banter between the characters, making it all the more entertaining with the sexual tension racking up to a 10! The lead up to them getting together is timed perfectly, nothing is rushed and it doesn't take forever either. When they do get together it's hot, hot, hot! There's just enough description of the sex scenes to get you all hot and bothered, but not cringe with embarrassment, which is a total plus from me.
I really loved the atmosphere of the restaurant and kitchen. It came alive with all the different quirky characters. I'm also a bit of a foodie so this book did all sorts of things to my taste buds. The descriptions of some of the dishes had my mouth watering.
The supporting cast of characters had great personalities too and I liked each and every one of them. I enjoyed the sub-plot with Miranda's brother Jess, who falls in love with Frankie, the sous chef, who is a bit of a bad boy. Jess also struggles with how to tell Miranda that he's gay. This was the only aspect of the book I was disappointed with as Miranda's reaction to Jess's news was a pretty negative one. I was annoyed at how she handled it as it came across as though she was a homophobe, which is not how I saw her at all. In the end the explanation of why she reacted the way she did took the edge off a bit, but it still left a bad taste and I wish she had reacted more positively.
For a few weeks Miranda works in the kitchen as a hands on journalist for a book she's writing, but inevitably she begins to fall head over heals for Adam. But as with most romances, there has to be a hurdle to over come and this was no different. Her book had become a 'tell-all' about Adam and his crew and as it's not the good kind of publicity. She wonders whether to write it or not. But when Adam betrays her trust, she sends the book to her publishers out of spite, then of course they make up and she's riddled with guilt and has to fight to save her budding romance with Adam and her strained relationship with Jess.
The ending reads a bit like a hollywood rom-com, but it is satisfying all the same. Can't Stand the Heat surprised me. It's not my usual fare, but I devoured it in almost one sitting. It's warm, fun and sexy, if a little predictable. A great book to curl up with on a cold winters night with a delicious hot chocolate for a cosy girls night in.
I was pulled into the story from the get go. Miranda, who I liked instantly, is my favourite kind of heroine: feisty, independent, a woman who on the outside seems prickly and hard, but is really soft as putty with a kind heart and just needs the right man to bring out that side of her nature. Miranda has a sad past. Her parents died when she was only eighteen and left to look after her ten year old brother, Jess, so she had to grow up fast and become 'the parent'. This was a huge responsibility but she rose to the challenge and took night classes and two jobs just to keep the family services at bay. Deep down Miranda is quite vulnerable, but hides it well as she sees it as a weakness.
Enter Adam, the gorgeous, sexy, sweet, adorable... ahem, hard working chef with cute dimples *my favourite kind* who has high standards and runs his own restaurant called Market. After lots of banter and eye glaring, he eventually sees behind all the bravado and falls madly in love with her. Although, occasionally he still gets a little miffed that she wont open up to him. I found Miranda and Adam's characters to be really well rounded and totally believable. The relationship between them is also my favourite kind: the 'love/hate' relationship. I love it when at first it's all 'I hate you' but really deep down it's 'I'm so hot for you I could die'. It just fuels the banter between the characters, making it all the more entertaining with the sexual tension racking up to a 10! The lead up to them getting together is timed perfectly, nothing is rushed and it doesn't take forever either. When they do get together it's hot, hot, hot! There's just enough description of the sex scenes to get you all hot and bothered, but not cringe with embarrassment, which is a total plus from me.
I really loved the atmosphere of the restaurant and kitchen. It came alive with all the different quirky characters. I'm also a bit of a foodie so this book did all sorts of things to my taste buds. The descriptions of some of the dishes had my mouth watering.
The supporting cast of characters had great personalities too and I liked each and every one of them. I enjoyed the sub-plot with Miranda's brother Jess, who falls in love with Frankie, the sous chef, who is a bit of a bad boy. Jess also struggles with how to tell Miranda that he's gay. This was the only aspect of the book I was disappointed with as Miranda's reaction to Jess's news was a pretty negative one. I was annoyed at how she handled it as it came across as though she was a homophobe, which is not how I saw her at all. In the end the explanation of why she reacted the way she did took the edge off a bit, but it still left a bad taste and I wish she had reacted more positively.
For a few weeks Miranda works in the kitchen as a hands on journalist for a book she's writing, but inevitably she begins to fall head over heals for Adam. But as with most romances, there has to be a hurdle to over come and this was no different. Her book had become a 'tell-all' about Adam and his crew and as it's not the good kind of publicity. She wonders whether to write it or not. But when Adam betrays her trust, she sends the book to her publishers out of spite, then of course they make up and she's riddled with guilt and has to fight to save her budding romance with Adam and her strained relationship with Jess.
The ending reads a bit like a hollywood rom-com, but it is satisfying all the same. Can't Stand the Heat surprised me. It's not my usual fare, but I devoured it in almost one sitting. It's warm, fun and sexy, if a little predictable. A great book to curl up with on a cold winters night with a delicious hot chocolate for a cosy girls night in.
December 14, 2011
I don't know if it's a new trend or if I'm just really bad at picking out new books, but this year of reading has been overflowing with awful heroines. Less than ten years ago, I remember thinking that all of the heroes were jerkasses, but now the designation of jerkass has switched. It's like current authors are trying so hard to prevent their heroines (both contemporary and historical) from ending up as doormats that they sacrifice the poor womens' souls at the Altar of Plot Device. That was my problem with Can't Stand the Heat - the heroine is a heartless shrew.
But how do I really feel? Read on ...
SUMMARY:
Miranda (or as I like to call her, Beelzebub) is a biting food critic with a point to prove. She basically does to chefs the same thing I'm doing to this book, only with 100% less soul. Anyways. Miranda ends up making a bet with up-and-coming chef Adam (who's totes hot) that she can "stand the heat" in the high-stress atmosphere of a NYC restaurant. But really, all she wants to do is gather all of the restaurant culture's secrets and regurgitate them into a trashy tell-all book so her brother can afford to go back to college. As one might expect, Miranda and Adam are hopelessly meant for each other. Too bad for Adam that he falls in love with the Antichrist.
I jest! I jest! (Mostly.)
REASONS THIS BOOK ISN'T 1-STAR:
Despite what I have to say about the heroine, I didn't hate this book. It had several redeeming qualities that went a long way toward stretching my rating to 3 stars.
1. I really enjoyed learning about restaurant culture. Since I'm a struggling middle class professional, I rarely have the opportunity to go to an expensive trendy restaurant. Edwards captured the frantic hustle-bustle of the kitchen, and I believed Adam's assertions that his kitchen staff was like his family.
2. Adam could have been more fully drawn, but I liked what I did see of his character. He possesses an unflinching zest for life and lives for his job. His energy bounces off of the page when he talks about cooking, which I found refreshing in contrast to all the brooding heroes out there. He's also the most understanding BF ever. Miranda doesn't deserve him.
3. The secondary romance practically stole the book. Miranda's brother Jess falls in love with Adam's sous chef and best friend Frankie, and they are adorable together. Granted, I'm not sure I believe that Frankie, who is characterized as wild and slutty, would settle down with naive little Jess so fast, but I appreciate that Edwards didn't shy away from a same-sex pairing.
THE HEROINE FROM HELL:
So Miranda ... Miranda is ... complicated. She treats her brother like a child and refuses to listen to his wants and needs. The woman is a control freak in the worst way. I'm surprised she allowed the poor guy to pick his clothes out without her input. Her reasons for writing her stupid, tasteless book are kind of noble, I suppose, but that's all negated when she sleeps with Adam. Poor Adam really falls for the she-beast, and she does the literary equivalent of shanking him in the groin. (Fun visual, huh?)
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Miranda starts to hedge on publishing her book, which is a collection of biased half-truths and bold lies fed to her by one of Adam's disgruntled ex-employees. Sadly, Miranda has the moral compass of a hell demon, so she randomly jumps to all sorts of awful conclusions about Adam to justify publishing it. First, she basically claims that Adam prostituted himself out to fund the restaurant because she couldn't be bothered to ASK why his ex-girlfriend is a part owner. Then she allows the ex-employee to convince her that Adam's kitchen is an all-around orgy that would make the Health Department flee in terror. But the worst is when Miranda discovers that her brother is A) gay and B) hooking up with Frankie. Her reaction is disturbingly homophobic, despite her constant assertions about being an open-minded liberal, and she acts like some poor victim because Jess didn't turn out the way she wanted. She repeats over and over that she wants Jess to get married and have kids and that this thing with Frankie is just a phase and she totally isn't homophobic, BUT ... Good golly, Miss Molly! The woman is unbearable! Naturally, Miranda finds a way to blame poor Adam for Jess's sexual preferences. He exposed Jess to Frankie, after all, and then he knew that Jess was gay and decided to be a decent person and allow Jess to come out on his own. Essentially, Miranda swears to destroy Adam because he refused to throw her brother out of the closet. So she publishes the book. Actually publishes the book. All because she thinks the money will put Jess in college and get him away from Frankie.
The mind. It boggles.
Somehow, Miranda does a very small amount of groveling and everyone, including Adam, Jess, and Frankie, welcome her back with open arms. The ending was very rushed and strange. Adam didn't even make her work for it. I don't know why. It isn't like she committed a one-time mistake. She acts like a terrible person for the entire book, but he believes she's actually good. I doubt the relationship lasted a year after the book.
But how do I really feel? Read on ...
SUMMARY:
Miranda (or as I like to call her, Beelzebub) is a biting food critic with a point to prove. She basically does to chefs the same thing I'm doing to this book, only with 100% less soul. Anyways. Miranda ends up making a bet with up-and-coming chef Adam (who's totes hot) that she can "stand the heat" in the high-stress atmosphere of a NYC restaurant. But really, all she wants to do is gather all of the restaurant culture's secrets and regurgitate them into a trashy tell-all book so her brother can afford to go back to college. As one might expect, Miranda and Adam are hopelessly meant for each other. Too bad for Adam that he falls in love with the Antichrist.
I jest! I jest! (Mostly.)
REASONS THIS BOOK ISN'T 1-STAR:
Despite what I have to say about the heroine, I didn't hate this book. It had several redeeming qualities that went a long way toward stretching my rating to 3 stars.
1. I really enjoyed learning about restaurant culture. Since I'm a struggling middle class professional, I rarely have the opportunity to go to an expensive trendy restaurant. Edwards captured the frantic hustle-bustle of the kitchen, and I believed Adam's assertions that his kitchen staff was like his family.
2. Adam could have been more fully drawn, but I liked what I did see of his character. He possesses an unflinching zest for life and lives for his job. His energy bounces off of the page when he talks about cooking, which I found refreshing in contrast to all the brooding heroes out there. He's also the most understanding BF ever. Miranda doesn't deserve him.
3. The secondary romance practically stole the book. Miranda's brother Jess falls in love with Adam's sous chef and best friend Frankie, and they are adorable together. Granted, I'm not sure I believe that Frankie, who is characterized as wild and slutty, would settle down with naive little Jess so fast, but I appreciate that Edwards didn't shy away from a same-sex pairing.
THE HEROINE FROM HELL:
So Miranda ... Miranda is ... complicated. She treats her brother like a child and refuses to listen to his wants and needs. The woman is a control freak in the worst way. I'm surprised she allowed the poor guy to pick his clothes out without her input. Her reasons for writing her stupid, tasteless book are kind of noble, I suppose, but that's all negated when she sleeps with Adam. Poor Adam really falls for the she-beast, and she does the literary equivalent of shanking him in the groin. (Fun visual, huh?)
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Miranda starts to hedge on publishing her book, which is a collection of biased half-truths and bold lies fed to her by one of Adam's disgruntled ex-employees. Sadly, Miranda has the moral compass of a hell demon, so she randomly jumps to all sorts of awful conclusions about Adam to justify publishing it. First, she basically claims that Adam prostituted himself out to fund the restaurant because she couldn't be bothered to ASK why his ex-girlfriend is a part owner. Then she allows the ex-employee to convince her that Adam's kitchen is an all-around orgy that would make the Health Department flee in terror. But the worst is when Miranda discovers that her brother is A) gay and B) hooking up with Frankie. Her reaction is disturbingly homophobic, despite her constant assertions about being an open-minded liberal, and she acts like some poor victim because Jess didn't turn out the way she wanted. She repeats over and over that she wants Jess to get married and have kids and that this thing with Frankie is just a phase and she totally isn't homophobic, BUT ... Good golly, Miss Molly! The woman is unbearable! Naturally, Miranda finds a way to blame poor Adam for Jess's sexual preferences. He exposed Jess to Frankie, after all, and then he knew that Jess was gay and decided to be a decent person and allow Jess to come out on his own. Essentially, Miranda swears to destroy Adam because he refused to throw her brother out of the closet. So she publishes the book. Actually publishes the book. All because she thinks the money will put Jess in college and get him away from Frankie.
The mind. It boggles.
Somehow, Miranda does a very small amount of groveling and everyone, including Adam, Jess, and Frankie, welcome her back with open arms. The ending was very rushed and strange. Adam didn't even make her work for it. I don't know why. It isn't like she committed a one-time mistake. She acts like a terrible person for the entire book, but he believes she's actually good. I doubt the relationship lasted a year after the book.
March 24, 2014
PRAISE THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER. Glad I'm done with this one.
At about 30% in I knew this book would end up with only two stars by me. Hell right now, I feel so angry I may just lower it to 1.5.
Seriously. I cannot rememberdisliking hating a heroine as much as I dislikehate Miranda Wake. She is a hypocritical, judgmental, homophobic, idiotic woman. My aversion towards her manifested itself from the beginning of the book. Something about her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She is too self-righteous, too arrogant and not an ounce of charm that would make any of these negative traits tolerable. No matter how much the author tried to make me like her I just couldn’t. Also, I do not understand how is it that Adam got infatuated so fast. She’s so damn insufferable and stupid. I could see from a mile away how her plan to write a tell-all book would blow up in her face.
One of my biggest problem with her? She acted as if her 19-year-old brother is incapable of making decisions. I have an 18 year old sister and let me tell you, if I even insinuated she had bedtime while she was under my roof, she would laugh in my face. Didn’t help that she dissed one of the members of my favorite couple in this book.
No, I did not like or care much about the main couple, mostly because of her. In fact I wished so badly that she didn’t get a HEA. She didn’t deserve it. Adam did, not her.
The language of the book is clunky. I got the feeling the author was trying to force feed me her impressions of the characters and not allow my own impressions to flourish. Let it be said that while I love foodie books, I felt that the narration kept hitting me over the head with all the food metaphors. Please, stop. We get it. Adam (the hero) is a chef. Food is his passion and his passion shines through to the point of coating every interaction with food references, even the supposedly painful moments. It got annoying real fast.
Examples:
And many, many more.
I found myself putting this book down a lot, especially during the sex scenes. I just did not care about the main characters enough to control my SQUIRREL! attention span. Tumblr and vegan recipes kept taking my attention away. When I wasn’t distracted, I cackled over gems like these:
NSFW after the jump...!
Now that we are in the subject of Adam, let me tell you, he is the best part of the book. Kind, funny, sexy and loyal. Not to mention he’s a kick-ass chef. He’s everything Miranda doesn’t deserve.
The secondary characters were fantastic. You couldn’t help loving them and cheering for them and even maybe wishing they would skin Miranda alive. The only other good thing I can tell you about this book is that it gives you the recipes of the featured drinks/dishes.
Overall, Can't Stand The Heat is like drinking a glass of flat coca cola thinking it was fresh; completely and utterly disappointing.
At about 30% in I knew this book would end up with only two stars by me. Hell right now, I feel so angry I may just lower it to 1.5.
Seriously. I cannot remember
One of my biggest problem with her? She acted as if her 19-year-old brother is incapable of making decisions. I have an 18 year old sister and let me tell you, if I even insinuated she had bedtime while she was under my roof, she would laugh in my face. Didn’t help that she dissed one of the members of my favorite couple in this book.
No, I did not like or care much about the main couple, mostly because of her. In fact I wished so badly that she didn’t get a HEA. She didn’t deserve it. Adam did, not her.
The language of the book is clunky. I got the feeling the author was trying to force feed me her impressions of the characters and not allow my own impressions to flourish. Let it be said that while I love foodie books, I felt that the narration kept hitting me over the head with all the food metaphors. Please, stop. We get it. Adam (the hero) is a chef. Food is his passion and his passion shines through to the point of coating every interaction with food references, even the supposedly painful moments. It got annoying real fast.
Examples:
“Christ, getting personal info out of her was like trying to peel a tomato without blanching it first.”
“This was a woman coming apart like an overcooked sauce, separating into an ungodly mess right before his eyes.”
“…the lines of tension in Miranda’s face softened, melting like sugar into caramel.”
“He liked the way Miranda moved as if she were swimming though melted chocolate, sort of boneless and effortful.”
“Miranda wilted before their eyes, like greens under hot bacon dressing.”
And many, many more.
I found myself putting this book down a lot, especially during the sex scenes. I just did not care about the main characters enough to control my SQUIRREL! attention span. Tumblr and vegan recipes kept taking my attention away. When I wasn’t distracted, I cackled over gems like these:
NSFW after the jump...!
Now that we are in the subject of Adam, let me tell you, he is the best part of the book. Kind, funny, sexy and loyal. Not to mention he’s a kick-ass chef. He’s everything Miranda doesn’t deserve.
The secondary characters were fantastic. You couldn’t help loving them and cheering for them and even maybe wishing they would skin Miranda alive. The only other good thing I can tell you about this book is that it gives you the recipes of the featured drinks/dishes.
Overall, Can't Stand The Heat is like drinking a glass of flat coca cola thinking it was fresh; completely and utterly disappointing.
September 21, 2009
Just discovered this new author. Her debut book is fantastic. Combining two of my favorite things: romance and food, Edwards writes a wonderful story between a chef and a food critic, with lots of chemistry and sparks! Oh! And there are tons of great secondary characters that I am hoping to meet up with again in the next Louisa Edwards' books.
November 26, 2011
Because of the mixed reviews of this series I umm'd and aarr'd as whether or not to get it but I am glad that I did.
It has been described as a bit of fluff and yes that is true but you know what?.....it was good fluff. When you are in the mood to read a well written, light, easy, relaxing sort of book then this is for you. In fact I would compare it to a Harlequin sort of story but with more steam. The sex scenes are a lot more graphic than a Harlequin but would not be considered an Erotic...... there was enough content there to keep me happy as I do like to read about the sex scenes on the page and not be left to my imagination :)
We basically had 2 love stories being told but I get the impression that 1 of those we will be following throughtout the series. We have the main story revolving around Adam & Miranda and then we have Jess & Frankie (M/M romance) which was really well written and as their relationship is fairly new I am looking forward to reading more about them. I am also hoping to read more about some of the other characters we met - I know we are going to get more on Devon & Wes but I would like to read more about Grant.
I will definately be looking out for Ms Edward's other novels.
It has been described as a bit of fluff and yes that is true but you know what?.....it was good fluff. When you are in the mood to read a well written, light, easy, relaxing sort of book then this is for you. In fact I would compare it to a Harlequin sort of story but with more steam. The sex scenes are a lot more graphic than a Harlequin but would not be considered an Erotic...... there was enough content there to keep me happy as I do like to read about the sex scenes on the page and not be left to my imagination :)
We basically had 2 love stories being told but I get the impression that 1 of those we will be following throughtout the series. We have the main story revolving around Adam & Miranda and then we have Jess & Frankie (M/M romance) which was really well written and as their relationship is fairly new I am looking forward to reading more about them. I am also hoping to read more about some of the other characters we met - I know we are going to get more on Devon & Wes but I would like to read more about Grant.
I will definately be looking out for Ms Edward's other novels.
September 15, 2009
This should be two 1/2 stars because though I loved the first half, the second half killed the book for me. I would not re-read, but I'll be getting the sequels.
This was very good for a debut author and lives up to its goal - it's a romance about food culture in New York. However, I had some serious problems with a couple (three) of the plot points, the first two are minor but the third is a doozy. I'm going to have to get spoilery to discuss those, so if you've got firm plans to read the book, you might want to skim over the rest of this review for now.
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Problem One: I've read a lot on chef culture, and one of the plot points is that Miranda can write a gossipy tell-all about kitchen staff. So, basically, "Heat" without the interesting bits on food. I didn't think it was believable that a publisher would care about the dirt about kitchen staff, let alone kitchen staff for a relative unknown (the chef hero was basically the sous-chef for a Bobby Flay type).
Problem Two: Anyone who is really into food culture is going to be able to source all the insights into kitchen culture. Most are lifted from "Kitchen Confidential." The stuff on food sourcing is all from Alice Waters. I'm all for pushing those two sources to a wider audience, but I'd like to see some original observations. As I read through this, my mental cross-reference was binging all over the place, but never landed on "new information."
BIG PROBLEM THREE: I think the heroine's reaction when she finds out her brother is gay was a totally unnecessary bone thrown to homophobes, and the placement in the story-line made me burn up with anger DURING the first full sex scene between the heroine and the hero. As a friend and supporter of gay boys and men everywhere, I was horrified by the heroine's behavior and felt that the author could have make the same point with the same emotional reactions without making me want to kill the heroine.
I loved it that this book's secondary romace was between the heroine's gay brother and an older man. She wrote some sections from the gay brother's POV. I'm overjoyed about that, too. She talked about the struggle to come out of the closet, even when you're pretty sure your family will be supportive. Hooray to that! The exclusion of gay characters from contemporary romance should have died long ago. The realistic and fully-fleshed out gay characters were one of the reasons I loved the first half of this book. Gay men are so often ignored in straight contemporary romance, and I was really hopeful this would help change that. I hope Candy reads this book and talks about hetronormativity on the Smart Bitches blog, because holy damn does that discussion need to take place.
On the plus side, the book is tightly plotted, the secondary romance is charming - dealing with gay romance without stereotyping or fetishizing it (Jess saved the book for me, frankly), the food is lovely, and it's very well researched (even if I could name every source, I know she's using good ones), and the author clearly enjoyed writing it. I could have done with the Susan Andersonesque swear-words-as-mood-emphasisers but hey, it's the authors voice. Like I said, I'll read the next one and hope that no displays of latent or active homophobia make me want to tear main characters' hair out.
This was very good for a debut author and lives up to its goal - it's a romance about food culture in New York. However, I had some serious problems with a couple (three) of the plot points, the first two are minor but the third is a doozy. I'm going to have to get spoilery to discuss those, so if you've got firm plans to read the book, you might want to skim over the rest of this review for now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Problem One: I've read a lot on chef culture, and one of the plot points is that Miranda can write a gossipy tell-all about kitchen staff. So, basically, "Heat" without the interesting bits on food. I didn't think it was believable that a publisher would care about the dirt about kitchen staff, let alone kitchen staff for a relative unknown (the chef hero was basically the sous-chef for a Bobby Flay type).
Problem Two: Anyone who is really into food culture is going to be able to source all the insights into kitchen culture. Most are lifted from "Kitchen Confidential." The stuff on food sourcing is all from Alice Waters. I'm all for pushing those two sources to a wider audience, but I'd like to see some original observations. As I read through this, my mental cross-reference was binging all over the place, but never landed on "new information."
BIG PROBLEM THREE: I think the heroine's reaction when she finds out her brother is gay was a totally unnecessary bone thrown to homophobes, and the placement in the story-line made me burn up with anger DURING the first full sex scene between the heroine and the hero. As a friend and supporter of gay boys and men everywhere, I was horrified by the heroine's behavior and felt that the author could have make the same point with the same emotional reactions without making me want to kill the heroine.
I loved it that this book's secondary romace was between the heroine's gay brother and an older man. She wrote some sections from the gay brother's POV. I'm overjoyed about that, too. She talked about the struggle to come out of the closet, even when you're pretty sure your family will be supportive. Hooray to that! The exclusion of gay characters from contemporary romance should have died long ago. The realistic and fully-fleshed out gay characters were one of the reasons I loved the first half of this book. Gay men are so often ignored in straight contemporary romance, and I was really hopeful this would help change that. I hope Candy reads this book and talks about hetronormativity on the Smart Bitches blog, because holy damn does that discussion need to take place.
On the plus side, the book is tightly plotted, the secondary romance is charming - dealing with gay romance without stereotyping or fetishizing it (Jess saved the book for me, frankly), the food is lovely, and it's very well researched (even if I could name every source, I know she's using good ones), and the author clearly enjoyed writing it. I could have done with the Susan Andersonesque swear-words-as-mood-emphasisers but hey, it's the authors voice. Like I said, I'll read the next one and hope that no displays of latent or active homophobia make me want to tear main characters' hair out.
April 9, 2010
The cover of this book caught my eye - I don't know why but I think it's really sexy. I think it's the bare feet and long jeans (sorry, Hannah, I know how you are about feet!). Maybe it's that the model looks tall - you know how I am about tall men.
Miranda Wake is a food critic. She's apparently very good at what she does, and has a reputation as a tough cookie. Adam Temple is a chef who's finally opened his own restaurant. At the press soire a few nights before the grand opening, Miranda has a few too many drinks and starts to insult Adam, who replies with a challenge to come into his kitchen to see what it's like from the other side of the table. He doesn't expect her to accept, but she does. The PR people for both Miranda and Adam love it - all the free publicity - and the challenge turns into Miranda spending a month in Adam's kitchen. Miranda plans on writing a tell-all book about her experiences in the kitchen, using the proceeds from the book to finance her younger brother Jess's college tuition.
After a very prickly start, Adam and Miranda realize they're attracted to each other. The scene where he takes her to his home to teach her to cook was soooo sexy! I really liked Adam's character and didn't want Miranda to publish her book. Every time she started having second thoughts, I thought to myself "Don't do it! Don't do it!".
This book had an unexpected secondary romance that I absolutely loved - Miranda's younger brother Jess. He's 19 (I think) and comes home from college due to an unexplained difficulty. As it is revealed that Jess is gay, the romance that blooms between Jess and Frankie, Adam's very good friend/manager, was a delight to read. Miranda's reaction to the relationship was realistic and the events that followed had me rivited. I think I liked the Jess/Frankie storyline as much as I liked Miranda/Adam's!
I thought the very end of the book was a *teensy* bit over the top in a spectacular way, but other than that I really, really enjoyed this book - I give Can't Stand the Heat 4 1/2 stars.
Miranda Wake is a food critic. She's apparently very good at what she does, and has a reputation as a tough cookie. Adam Temple is a chef who's finally opened his own restaurant. At the press soire a few nights before the grand opening, Miranda has a few too many drinks and starts to insult Adam, who replies with a challenge to come into his kitchen to see what it's like from the other side of the table. He doesn't expect her to accept, but she does. The PR people for both Miranda and Adam love it - all the free publicity - and the challenge turns into Miranda spending a month in Adam's kitchen. Miranda plans on writing a tell-all book about her experiences in the kitchen, using the proceeds from the book to finance her younger brother Jess's college tuition.
After a very prickly start, Adam and Miranda realize they're attracted to each other. The scene where he takes her to his home to teach her to cook was soooo sexy! I really liked Adam's character and didn't want Miranda to publish her book. Every time she started having second thoughts, I thought to myself "Don't do it! Don't do it!".
This book had an unexpected secondary romance that I absolutely loved - Miranda's younger brother Jess. He's 19 (I think) and comes home from college due to an unexplained difficulty. As it is revealed that Jess is gay, the romance that blooms between Jess and Frankie, Adam's very good friend/manager, was a delight to read. Miranda's reaction to the relationship was realistic and the events that followed had me rivited. I think I liked the Jess/Frankie storyline as much as I liked Miranda/Adam's!
I thought the very end of the book was a *teensy* bit over the top in a spectacular way, but other than that I really, really enjoyed this book - I give Can't Stand the Heat 4 1/2 stars.
October 23, 2009
Wonderful debut novel and new series. If you enjoy a good contemporary romance with snappy dialogue and steaminess than pick this one up! There are two storylines, the main one featuring Adam and Miranda and the secondary one featuring Mirandas brother and the sous-chef. ***Possible spoiler*** Now this was a male-male relationship which is a bit out of my comfort zone but seemed to work well with the storyline as it also is a coming out story for Jess, the brother. I wasn't expecting that so maybe thats why it threw me off a bit. Nothing really graphic with them but a few scenes of foreplay type action. ***End***
Overall, this was a very well written book, especially considering this was a new author. I likes how Miranda and Adam had sexual chemistry and tension right away but didn't immediately jump into bed together, it built up a bit...until cooking lessons at his home and you know where that leads ;) The cast of off beat characters are wonderful and I look forward to them poppin up in future books. The way the author described the cooking scenes, well, I almost feel like I could poach an egg :) It will definitely make you hungry. A solid four and a half stars! I can't wait for the next!
Overall, this was a very well written book, especially considering this was a new author. I likes how Miranda and Adam had sexual chemistry and tension right away but didn't immediately jump into bed together, it built up a bit...until cooking lessons at his home and you know where that leads ;) The cast of off beat characters are wonderful and I look forward to them poppin up in future books. The way the author described the cooking scenes, well, I almost feel like I could poach an egg :) It will definitely make you hungry. A solid four and a half stars! I can't wait for the next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2009
Food critic, Miranda Wake thinks she knows everything there is about find dining. She considers herself to have an excellent palette. While attending the celebration of new Manhattan restaurant, Market by Chef Adam Temple, Miranda critics Adam. He challenges her. He tells Miranda that she won’t last a day in his kitchen. Miranda takes Adam up on his challenge. What Adam soon learns is that Miranda may not be belong in a kitchen but she belongs with him…in his bed!.
From start to finished, I devoured and enjoyed every moment of this book. Miranda and Adam worked well together like…honey and cayenne pepper…a little sweet and a little spicy with an end result to make you say “Wow”. Chef Adam Temple really knows his way around both the kitchen and the bedroom. Miranda and Adam ignited a fire that just couldn’t be put out. I am excited to see that Devon Sparks from One Night Stand, a cooking show with be the main feature in the next Recipe for Love novel titled On the Steamy Side. He was briefly introduced in the last part of this book. If you love cooking, whether it be in any form, either by watching or doing than you will love Can't Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards.
From start to finished, I devoured and enjoyed every moment of this book. Miranda and Adam worked well together like…honey and cayenne pepper…a little sweet and a little spicy with an end result to make you say “Wow”. Chef Adam Temple really knows his way around both the kitchen and the bedroom. Miranda and Adam ignited a fire that just couldn’t be put out. I am excited to see that Devon Sparks from One Night Stand, a cooking show with be the main feature in the next Recipe for Love novel titled On the Steamy Side. He was briefly introduced in the last part of this book. If you love cooking, whether it be in any form, either by watching or doing than you will love Can't Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards.
April 11, 2015
"The dress was nice. Servicable. The shoes were a decadent indulgence. Red satin with black lace overlay, peep toe and wickedly sharp heel. Every time she put them on, she felt just teeniest bit vampy." p. 6
I almost gave up on this romance. First of all, I had just finished a contemporary romance by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In my brain, it is hard to compete with Ms Phillips. Edwards wasn't coming even close.
I was having trouble with Miranda, the main female character. She wasn't as likeable as I wanted her to be. Her opponent/lover, Adam was just fine - in many ways. The chemistry was just a bit off for me.
However, I persevered and I am glad I did. There is another relationship in this novel which saved the story for me. When Jess meets Frankie the sparks fly and Edwards' tale started to work for me. I wanted to find out if all the lovers were going to get a Happyily Ever After.
I am not sure that I will pick up another book by Edwards. This turned out fine, but there are lots of romance writers out there. I will, however, be always grateful to her ability to include relationships that don't always appear in standard romance novels.
I almost gave up on this romance. First of all, I had just finished a contemporary romance by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In my brain, it is hard to compete with Ms Phillips. Edwards wasn't coming even close.
I was having trouble with Miranda, the main female character. She wasn't as likeable as I wanted her to be. Her opponent/lover, Adam was just fine - in many ways. The chemistry was just a bit off for me.
However, I persevered and I am glad I did. There is another relationship in this novel which saved the story for me. When Jess meets Frankie the sparks fly and Edwards' tale started to work for me. I wanted to find out if all the lovers were going to get a Happyily Ever After.
I am not sure that I will pick up another book by Edwards. This turned out fine, but there are lots of romance writers out there. I will, however, be always grateful to her ability to include relationships that don't always appear in standard romance novels.
May 4, 2011
I didn’t bother to finish it.
The problem was, that I could see author trying to make this book good. I could see places where author tried to be funny, where she tried to make her heroine sassy, smart and strong, and where she tried to make main male character look as hot, dark, tough guy. And the key word here is “tried”. Instead of sinking in to the world she created, I felt like audience in TV show, where signs are shown when they should laugh or applause. I can see funny things myself. There is no need to point them to me. And there is no need to describe characters to me all the time. I can make conclusions from their actions. Unfortunately, my opinion was different from author. Where she described her heroine as smart-mouthed and independent, I saw disrespect, rudeness and overconfidence. As for male character, the only interesting thing in him was his dimples.
The problem was, that I could see author trying to make this book good. I could see places where author tried to be funny, where she tried to make her heroine sassy, smart and strong, and where she tried to make main male character look as hot, dark, tough guy. And the key word here is “tried”. Instead of sinking in to the world she created, I felt like audience in TV show, where signs are shown when they should laugh or applause. I can see funny things myself. There is no need to point them to me. And there is no need to describe characters to me all the time. I can make conclusions from their actions. Unfortunately, my opinion was different from author. Where she described her heroine as smart-mouthed and independent, I saw disrespect, rudeness and overconfidence. As for male character, the only interesting thing in him was his dimples.
September 11, 2009
The mix of foodie passion, vivid flavor descriptions, and love scenes that made me blush made for a fabulous read. I look forward to the next one in the series!
March 7, 2010
My favourite part of this book was Jess and Frankie.
May 30, 2011
First book in the Recipe for love series. Miranda and Adam make a sexy couple. All those cooking lessons, counter tops and sexy pillow talk!!
Loved it! Great beginning to a great series.
Loved it! Great beginning to a great series.
August 9, 2018
I stopped reading at 17%. The heroine was too whiny for my liking.
August 29, 2010
Author has a good writing style, but I immensely disliked the heroine doing stupid or inconsistent things to create conflict.
STORY BRIEF:
Miranda lost her parents in a car accident at age 18. Since then, she has been supporting herself and her younger brother Jess. She is a restaurant critic with a wicked tongue. She drinks too much at the opening of the new restaurant Market and says something to the owner Adam. He dares her to spend a day in his kitchen. The next day, he regrets it. Miranda realizes an opportunity and discusses this with Adam’s financial backer who agrees to let her spend a month in the kitchen so she can write a magazine article. Adam grudgingly allows it. Miranda soon realizes she might be able to write a book with a sleazy gossipy tell all spin. A book publisher is interested and gives her an advance.
A second story is about Jess who had a college scholarship to Brandewine, but quit school and moved back in with Miranda. He wants to work and go to NYU instead. He gets a job as a waiter at Adam’s new restaurant and has some interesting interaction with another employee there.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I loved the secondary characters and story about Jess and Frankie. Jess is new to the gay world. Frankie’s a dog, regarding his sleeping with others. I wanted more about their story. I loved one of the sex scenes with Miranda and Adam (pages 233-234). His reactions were wild and desperate while she was pleasuring him.
I also enjoyed the idea of Miranda writing descriptions for the restaurant’s menu (the opposite of her critiquing job). Page 322: “By switching a couple of words and adding a vivid adjective or two, she’d turned a boring-sounding dish into something everyone wanted to try. Adam swore she could make a vegan order the rib eye, the imagery she evoked was so tantalizing.” However, this was the only statement (told and not shown). I would have loved seeing examples of this.
CAUTION MILD SPOILERS:
I did not like three of Miranda’s actions. Adam promised someone he would keep a secret. Miranda was mad that Adam didn’t tell her the secret. Yet at the same time Miranda was keeping a much worse secret from Adam. Her inequity bothered me. I did not like her reaction to finding out that her brother was gay. She was not bigoted, but her actions in that scene were. Then I was bothered even more with her action that caused the big misunderstanding and crisis in the story. It was stupid on her part, and the results were mean. She fell in love with a man she knew was good, yet she was willing to do something to ruin his reputation and career? And the motive was nothing compared to the harm she would cause. Her motive was to get some extra money to pay her brother’s college tuition. But he didn’t need it, and he never asked her or expected her to pay. I blame the author who should have come up with something better to create a plot crisis. The rest of the writing was good. The author has a nice writing style, but I want her to give more thought to sources of conflict, causes and effects.
DATA:
Story length: 344 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 24. Setting: current day New York City, NY. Copyright: 2009. Genre: contemporary romance.
STORY BRIEF:
Miranda lost her parents in a car accident at age 18. Since then, she has been supporting herself and her younger brother Jess. She is a restaurant critic with a wicked tongue. She drinks too much at the opening of the new restaurant Market and says something to the owner Adam. He dares her to spend a day in his kitchen. The next day, he regrets it. Miranda realizes an opportunity and discusses this with Adam’s financial backer who agrees to let her spend a month in the kitchen so she can write a magazine article. Adam grudgingly allows it. Miranda soon realizes she might be able to write a book with a sleazy gossipy tell all spin. A book publisher is interested and gives her an advance.
A second story is about Jess who had a college scholarship to Brandewine, but quit school and moved back in with Miranda. He wants to work and go to NYU instead. He gets a job as a waiter at Adam’s new restaurant and has some interesting interaction with another employee there.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I loved the secondary characters and story about Jess and Frankie. Jess is new to the gay world. Frankie’s a dog, regarding his sleeping with others. I wanted more about their story. I loved one of the sex scenes with Miranda and Adam (pages 233-234). His reactions were wild and desperate while she was pleasuring him.
I also enjoyed the idea of Miranda writing descriptions for the restaurant’s menu (the opposite of her critiquing job). Page 322: “By switching a couple of words and adding a vivid adjective or two, she’d turned a boring-sounding dish into something everyone wanted to try. Adam swore she could make a vegan order the rib eye, the imagery she evoked was so tantalizing.” However, this was the only statement (told and not shown). I would have loved seeing examples of this.
CAUTION MILD SPOILERS:
I did not like three of Miranda’s actions. Adam promised someone he would keep a secret. Miranda was mad that Adam didn’t tell her the secret. Yet at the same time Miranda was keeping a much worse secret from Adam. Her inequity bothered me. I did not like her reaction to finding out that her brother was gay. She was not bigoted, but her actions in that scene were. Then I was bothered even more with her action that caused the big misunderstanding and crisis in the story. It was stupid on her part, and the results were mean. She fell in love with a man she knew was good, yet she was willing to do something to ruin his reputation and career? And the motive was nothing compared to the harm she would cause. Her motive was to get some extra money to pay her brother’s college tuition. But he didn’t need it, and he never asked her or expected her to pay. I blame the author who should have come up with something better to create a plot crisis. The rest of the writing was good. The author has a nice writing style, but I want her to give more thought to sources of conflict, causes and effects.
DATA:
Story length: 344 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 3. Total number of sex scene pages: 24. Setting: current day New York City, NY. Copyright: 2009. Genre: contemporary romance.
March 23, 2011
I expected to enjoy this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. There's a great storyline here. The heroine makes some really dumb choices, but in the end, I understood why, even though I didn't agree. She was making decisions like the 18 yo that had to take care of her 10 yo little brother and they weren't necessarily the right or mature ones, but that had always been her relationship with him...she cared and nurtured his life above all else. I loved the sub-story of Jess and Frankie... a lot of honesty there which was really heart-warming. Just a beautiful book...and now I feel the need to do some creative cooking!!
Full review reposted from my Smitten with Reading blog...
My Review:
When Miranda was 18 yo, her parents suddenly died leaving her responsible for the life and raising of her 10 yo little brother, Jess. From that moment on, every decision she has made about her life has centered around making his life better.
Adam's entire dream is tied up in the opening of his new restaurant, Market, so when a wise-ass (and slightly drunk) food critic starts sniping during his open house the night before opening, Adam's temper gets the best of him. He suddenly finds himself agreeing to host Miranda in his kitchen for a month.
Miranda is a harsh food critic born with a great palate, which is how she became a restaurant critic, but that doesn't mean that she actually knows anything about cooking. She needs more financial stability so has been trying to sell a book to supplement her restaurant critic income. She can't pass up the opportunity to spend a month in Adam's kitchen knowing that it will make a great "tell-all" book. But when she starts to develop feelings for Adam, she begins to question her ethics and methods and just how badly she wants to have this book published. But then life throws her for a loop when Jess, her little brother, drops a bomb about his personal life and she decides that protecting him is worth any sacrifice- including sacrificing Adam and his restaurant.
Adam has built his kitchen up, pulling his kitchen staff from the cream-of-the-crop that he has worked with in other restaurants. They are a motley crew with more than a bit of irreverence, but their chemistry as a group works. They are family in every sense of the word, but can they handle a new member in the mix when Miranda joins them?
I expected to enjoy this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. There's a great storyline here. Miranda makes some really dumb choices, but in the end, I understood why, even though I didn't agree. She was making decisions like the 18 yo that had to take care of her 10 yo little brother and they weren't necessarily the right or mature ones, but that had always been her relationship with him...she cared and nurtured his life above all else.
I loved the sub-story of Jess and Frankie... a lot of honesty there which was really heart-warming. Just a beautiful book...and now I feel the need to do some creative cooking!!
Full review reposted from my Smitten with Reading blog...
My Review:
When Miranda was 18 yo, her parents suddenly died leaving her responsible for the life and raising of her 10 yo little brother, Jess. From that moment on, every decision she has made about her life has centered around making his life better.
Adam's entire dream is tied up in the opening of his new restaurant, Market, so when a wise-ass (and slightly drunk) food critic starts sniping during his open house the night before opening, Adam's temper gets the best of him. He suddenly finds himself agreeing to host Miranda in his kitchen for a month.
Miranda is a harsh food critic born with a great palate, which is how she became a restaurant critic, but that doesn't mean that she actually knows anything about cooking. She needs more financial stability so has been trying to sell a book to supplement her restaurant critic income. She can't pass up the opportunity to spend a month in Adam's kitchen knowing that it will make a great "tell-all" book. But when she starts to develop feelings for Adam, she begins to question her ethics and methods and just how badly she wants to have this book published. But then life throws her for a loop when Jess, her little brother, drops a bomb about his personal life and she decides that protecting him is worth any sacrifice- including sacrificing Adam and his restaurant.
Adam has built his kitchen up, pulling his kitchen staff from the cream-of-the-crop that he has worked with in other restaurants. They are a motley crew with more than a bit of irreverence, but their chemistry as a group works. They are family in every sense of the word, but can they handle a new member in the mix when Miranda joins them?
I expected to enjoy this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. There's a great storyline here. Miranda makes some really dumb choices, but in the end, I understood why, even though I didn't agree. She was making decisions like the 18 yo that had to take care of her 10 yo little brother and they weren't necessarily the right or mature ones, but that had always been her relationship with him...she cared and nurtured his life above all else.
I loved the sub-story of Jess and Frankie... a lot of honesty there which was really heart-warming. Just a beautiful book...and now I feel the need to do some creative cooking!!
September 1, 2011
Hmmm, this is the second book I've read recently where I liked everything about the book except the heroine.
Things I liked:
The Hero. Adam was a great construct. Lovely, a good philosophy about people, cooking and life -- I just liked the guy.
The scenes around the restaurant, the kitchen, the sous-chefs and line chefs -- all the personalities in and around Adam were great. The author did a bang up job of making you feel like you were in the middle of the kitchen and part of the controlled chaos of a busy restaurant.
The secondary romance was sweet without being cloying.
Things i didn't like:
The big grovel. Cringeworhty.
The heroine. At first I just felt she was a bit prickly and judgmental. The set up of her making a bet with Adam to be in his kitchen felt a bit cheap. But I went with it.
And then my opinion of her dived a bit to where I felt she was frankly stupid. Here she is a supposed trained journalist who was taking one source (a disgruntled worker of all people) and using their word as gospel. She believed and wrote about everything he told her without once independently corroborating what he was saying.
And then my opinion of her fell some more to where I felt she added dishonor to her stupidity. She was getting to know and work with these people and yet any moment was planning to stab them in the back. Not just them but Adam too, the guy she was sleeping with by then.
But seriously, by the end, my opinion had plummeted to the basement where I thought she was a selfish, horrid, bigoted bitch. She is a supposed NYC living liberal and yet when her brother comes out to her and she discovers he is in love with an older man, her first reaction is to call the other guy a pervert (but we're told she's not bigoted) and then she insists her brother is just confused (but she's not bigoted) and then she's worried about the lifestyle he's trying to align himself with (but her brother insists that's not really her talking). Um...yeah....no. If your first reaction to someone coming out to you is that they are a) being seduced by a pervert and b) they are confused and will snap out of it and c)they are trying on a lifestyle then I think your liberal card must be revoked.
I felt the entire book I was being told how hot, wonderful, warm, loving and caring Miranda was and yet what I was being shown was this selfish, stupid woman who didn't deserve any of the people around her.
Thankfully the sum was better than the parts and won't put me off looking up the follow up books.
Things I liked:
The Hero. Adam was a great construct. Lovely, a good philosophy about people, cooking and life -- I just liked the guy.
The scenes around the restaurant, the kitchen, the sous-chefs and line chefs -- all the personalities in and around Adam were great. The author did a bang up job of making you feel like you were in the middle of the kitchen and part of the controlled chaos of a busy restaurant.
The secondary romance was sweet without being cloying.
Things i didn't like:
The big grovel. Cringeworhty.
The heroine. At first I just felt she was a bit prickly and judgmental. The set up of her making a bet with Adam to be in his kitchen felt a bit cheap. But I went with it.
And then my opinion of her dived a bit to where I felt she was frankly stupid. Here she is a supposed trained journalist who was taking one source (a disgruntled worker of all people) and using their word as gospel. She believed and wrote about everything he told her without once independently corroborating what he was saying.
And then my opinion of her fell some more to where I felt she added dishonor to her stupidity. She was getting to know and work with these people and yet any moment was planning to stab them in the back. Not just them but Adam too, the guy she was sleeping with by then.
But seriously, by the end, my opinion had plummeted to the basement where I thought she was a selfish, horrid, bigoted bitch. She is a supposed NYC living liberal and yet when her brother comes out to her and she discovers he is in love with an older man, her first reaction is to call the other guy a pervert (but we're told she's not bigoted) and then she insists her brother is just confused (but she's not bigoted) and then she's worried about the lifestyle he's trying to align himself with (but her brother insists that's not really her talking). Um...yeah....no. If your first reaction to someone coming out to you is that they are a) being seduced by a pervert and b) they are confused and will snap out of it and c)they are trying on a lifestyle then I think your liberal card must be revoked.
I felt the entire book I was being told how hot, wonderful, warm, loving and caring Miranda was and yet what I was being shown was this selfish, stupid woman who didn't deserve any of the people around her.
Thankfully the sum was better than the parts and won't put me off looking up the follow up books.
July 7, 2012
(July) 2.5* - whew, finally finished (can't remember the last time it took me 5days to read a book -I kept putting it down in favor of something else)! I can't really say I enjoyed this book -I found the beginning boring and draggy, and I never felt a real connection between Miranda and Adam. And while I liked Jess and Frankie, there wasn't a real connection there either - most of what I would have liked to see - the emotional connection - happened off screen (so to speak). I honestly don't know the last time I disliked a heroine this much. We never learn how such a young woman (she's 26) becomes a major food critic for a major foodie magazine. She's over-the-top in her obnoxiousness - she thinks of herself as a food critic - no, an author - no, a journalist... She decides for absolutely no reason she is going to write a behind the scene book about a restaurant, but then decides she's going to turn it into a bitchy, shredding, horrible book that will destroy the careers of people she knows nothing about. Her source is someone who is not part of the internal "gang" at the restaurant but somehow he seems privvy to all sorts of private information that the others, who are very close, don't seem to know about each other. But the worst is how she reacts when her brother comes out to her. I realize that might be a shocking thing, but her reactions were so soul crushing for her brother (who at almost 19 she refers to as a baby) that it made me hate her even more. (and btw...how is it her under age brother can go to an after hours bar w/the rest of the crew?) I loved Adam, and every so often the book picked up its pace a bit, but overall this book was a real disappointment. However...there were glimmers of "hey, this is not that bad" - enough that I might give this author another try - I gather she writes two series, not sure if I'll read another in this one or try a different one (all her books I think are kitchen-related). I also wish there had been less kitchen information (if all her books read like cooking lessons I'll never make it through - boring!).
September 7, 2009
Miranda Wake is a food critic hungry to write a book. And when the opportunity to spend a whole month inside premiere restaurant, Market, presents itself, she's definitely not about to say no. She wants to learn what really goes on behind the scenes and Adam Temple, the chef of Market, isn't about to stop her. But she didn't bank on was Adam founding out that while she might be a food critic, she doesn't know how to cook. Adam's resigned to have to put up with Miranda until this crazy dare is over. But when he founds out she can't cook, he's determined to give her a few private lessons. And if things get a little hot, well, if you can't stand the heat, get out of kitchen!
Can't Stand the Heat is a steamy contemporary romance. From the beginning, the chemistry between Adam and Miranda was sizzling hot and great to read. I think they are awesome together. Adam's a very passionate person while Miranda's more on the practical side and they balanced each other beautifully. While the circumstances they meet under isn't the greatest, but certainly the funniest, they see past that and find someone they could deeply care about in each other.
There's a secondary plot line which is Jess's dilemma. Jess is Miranda's little brother and he just left his college and showed up at Miranda's unannounced and unwilling to completely explain what happened that made him leave. Jess has a big secret to spill to his big sister but he's not ready yet. I really liked reading about Jess. He's a broke college student who's dealing with something big and I think he does it admiringly. I really doubt another 20-year-old could have done it as well. And his story only added more realness to the story.
Can't stand the heat is a funny, lovable story about two unlikely people falling for each other. The plot, characters, and setting comes together to form a wonderful, light-hearted, culinary romance that is a blast to read and I can't wait for the next Recipe for Love novel!
Can't Stand the Heat is a steamy contemporary romance. From the beginning, the chemistry between Adam and Miranda was sizzling hot and great to read. I think they are awesome together. Adam's a very passionate person while Miranda's more on the practical side and they balanced each other beautifully. While the circumstances they meet under isn't the greatest, but certainly the funniest, they see past that and find someone they could deeply care about in each other.
There's a secondary plot line which is Jess's dilemma. Jess is Miranda's little brother and he just left his college and showed up at Miranda's unannounced and unwilling to completely explain what happened that made him leave. Jess has a big secret to spill to his big sister but he's not ready yet. I really liked reading about Jess. He's a broke college student who's dealing with something big and I think he does it admiringly. I really doubt another 20-year-old could have done it as well. And his story only added more realness to the story.
Can't stand the heat is a funny, lovable story about two unlikely people falling for each other. The plot, characters, and setting comes together to form a wonderful, light-hearted, culinary romance that is a blast to read and I can't wait for the next Recipe for Love novel!
October 27, 2009
Can’t Stand The Heat By Louisa Edwards
Contemporary Romance – September 2009
3 ½ Stars
Can’t Stand The Heat is the first book in the Recipe for Love series by Louisa Edwards. Her Recipe for Love series centers on the lives of the cooking staff at a NYC Restaurant.
Miranda Wake is a tough food critic who gets the opportunity to spend a month alongside head chef Adam Temple in the kitchen of his hot new NYC restaurant. She hopes to write an expose about what really goes on behind the scenes but finds a lot more is cookin’ besides food!
Miranda and Adam are characters that you will find endearing and you will easily become invested in their lives. They are both interesting characters and have great appeal as a couple, especially in the beginning where their initial animosity develops into a great bit of chemistry! The only quibble I had was that I found some of Miranda’s choices rash and difficult to believe.
But along with Miranda and Adam there is a whole kitchen full of fascinating characters that you want to learn more about and made me glad that there will be more books in the Recipe For Love series.
This book is a great mix of contemporary romance mixed with the love of cooking. As someone who loves both cooking and romance I am very pleased to find an author who does an excellent job of mixing the two together. If you love a good romantic story with a fun twist this is a book you will find hard to put down before reaching the very end.
Reviewed by Mary from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
Contemporary Romance – September 2009
3 ½ Stars
Can’t Stand The Heat is the first book in the Recipe for Love series by Louisa Edwards. Her Recipe for Love series centers on the lives of the cooking staff at a NYC Restaurant.
Miranda Wake is a tough food critic who gets the opportunity to spend a month alongside head chef Adam Temple in the kitchen of his hot new NYC restaurant. She hopes to write an expose about what really goes on behind the scenes but finds a lot more is cookin’ besides food!
Miranda and Adam are characters that you will find endearing and you will easily become invested in their lives. They are both interesting characters and have great appeal as a couple, especially in the beginning where their initial animosity develops into a great bit of chemistry! The only quibble I had was that I found some of Miranda’s choices rash and difficult to believe.
But along with Miranda and Adam there is a whole kitchen full of fascinating characters that you want to learn more about and made me glad that there will be more books in the Recipe For Love series.
This book is a great mix of contemporary romance mixed with the love of cooking. As someone who loves both cooking and romance I am very pleased to find an author who does an excellent job of mixing the two together. If you love a good romantic story with a fun twist this is a book you will find hard to put down before reaching the very end.
Reviewed by Mary from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club
February 12, 2012
Over a month later, I finally finished this book. In the beginning, I wasn't a huge fan of the heroine but in the end I really enjoyed the story as a whole.
Our romantic tale starts with a food critic, Miranda, and a chef, Adam, with a new restaurant - of course, they begin at odds, but the more time spent together, the harder they start to fall for each other. The cuisine lingo got a bit tedious at times, but was interesting because you could tell it was well researched.
My favorite part of this book though was the secondary plot between Miranda's little brother, Jess, and Adam's best friend & sous chef, Frankie. Jess is gay, but hasn't come out to his sister but ends up developing a pretty serious relationship with Frankie. Jess' progress emotionally through the whole book between feelings of inadequacy with Frankie to shame with the rest of the world, especially his sister & how he worked through it all was so inspiring & a true treat to read.
Even though it took a while to get into it, I enjoyed this book & look forward to the next story of the ever cocky frenemy chef, Devon.
Our romantic tale starts with a food critic, Miranda, and a chef, Adam, with a new restaurant - of course, they begin at odds, but the more time spent together, the harder they start to fall for each other. The cuisine lingo got a bit tedious at times, but was interesting because you could tell it was well researched.
My favorite part of this book though was the secondary plot between Miranda's little brother, Jess, and Adam's best friend & sous chef, Frankie. Jess is gay, but hasn't come out to his sister but ends up developing a pretty serious relationship with Frankie. Jess' progress emotionally through the whole book between feelings of inadequacy with Frankie to shame with the rest of the world, especially his sister & how he worked through it all was so inspiring & a true treat to read.
Even though it took a while to get into it, I enjoyed this book & look forward to the next story of the ever cocky frenemy chef, Devon.
March 18, 2010
This book received 3 stars because it's in the middle between a 1 and a 5. There were parts of this book that were truly 5 stars. The subplot with Miranda's 19 year old brother and one of the cooks at the restaurant was lovely on many levels. I never warmed to Miranda. She was arrogant on more levels than surface. But what I actively disliked was the idea that a journalist would not bother to check sources and could send her book to a publisher and have some person on staff print pieces of the book on the internet within a few days of sending the unedited, unread manuscript to the publisher. Edwards is a published author, since I am reading her book. She knows that it doesn't work that way. Even the economic meltdown blame books came out after the economy had melted down not while it was happening. I will definitely read the next book because of the elements of brilliance but stupidity as a plot point doesn't sit well with me. I'm hoping it doesn't get used again.
February 6, 2017
This is the first book I have read by Louisa Edwards and she most definitely did not disappoint. I loved how she incorporated food within the story. The main characters were actually very realistic and I can picture people in my life exactly like Adam and Miranda.
I cannot wait to read more books in this series.
I cannot wait to read more books in this series.
September 21, 2009
Full disclosure: the author is a dear friend from my singing days at Bryn Mawr and this is the first time I've ever read a romance novel. What a treat! For anyone who loved Poppy Z. Brite's Liquor series, I think Louisa's A Recipe for Love series will be right up your alley. I couldn't the book down and once missed my bus stop and another time just looked up in time. Fun, crackling prose, this romp of a book was exactly what I needed. Can't wait for the next one.
December 20, 2013
I don't usually like adult contemporary romance because they focus too much on sex and too little on emotional connection. But this one had everything in just the right measure. I loved the main story between Miranda and Adam (and I'm seriously craving the rose-petal-infused-vodka), and I also loved the subplot of the romance between Miranda's brother and Frankie. An adult contemp that stands out from the rest!
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