Too Hot To Touch by Louisa Edwards
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I’ve never been able to understand the fascination with chefs as main characters. Maybe I’m just shallow and I’ve never been able to picture a physically fit chef (male or female). Then again, this is a novel and sky’s the limit for a reader’s imagination so my opinion is likely biased. Before all the boo-ing starts and people come at me with pitchforks and burning torches because I can’t imagine a male chef with a 6-pack of rock hard abs and sinfully good looks, let me just say this – Too Hot to Touch was alright. I’m only giving it 2 stars because the chef-with-an-athlete’s body doesn’t seem realistic to me. I’m sure it possible but I just can’t see it in my mind’s eye. Also, I’ve never met/seen one – not even on the Food Network.
Anyways, why don’t I get back to writing an actual review. This is the first book I’ve read of Louisa Edwards and like I said, it’s alright. I didn’t get chills, squeals, or dreamy sighs. The writing itself is easy-to-read, the characters are pretty normal – in the sense that they don’t really have any complex, deep, emotional issues that make or break the main couple’s relationship. You already know they’re going to get together at the beginning of the book and although most romance novels do end up that way, sometimes it can strike as both satisfying and annoying when a novel you’re reading is too predictable.
Let me break it down for you, Max Lunden, sexy male chef protagonist, comes home to help out with his dad’s restaurant in winning a national cooking competition to boost the restaurant’s declining popularity. He considers himself a free spirit, can’t stand being at odds with his Dad and younger brother (the sexy pastry chef) and also butts heads with Juliet Cavanaugh, female chef protagonist.
Juliet had a teenage crush on Max before he left home, now he’s back and the attraction is still there as they duke it out in the kitchen. They fall in love and she has parent issues so she doesn’t trust Max to stick around, trying to protect her heart in preparation for when he does leave.
Of course, love conquers and Max and Juliet work things out, confess their love to each other and its another happy ending to another feel-good romance novel. I didn’t see/feel anything special from their story and overall it’s not a book I see myself re-reading. There weren’t any memorable moments that stand out to me even though it was written adequately. Hopefully I find the Some Like it Hot better.
2/5 stars.