- Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (Jan 2012)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1402259824
- ISBN-13: 978-1402259821
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.4 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,572,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Scrumptious
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Joe Rafferty isn't just an excellent chef but he's gorgeous to boot. When he agrees to help out at his friend's restaurant until she finds a full-time chef then he sees it as a great time to cook some food and make time with the lovely pastry chef, Marlene.
Marlene likes the look of Joe but if he thinks he's going to waltz into her best friend's restaurant - the place she's put her heart and soul into - and simply take over then he's got another think coming.
Soon their battle of wills turns into a battle of the heart but who will take home the sweetest prize of all?
-
As someone who loves both romance novels and food - I've been keen to read stories that combine the two. Unfortunately I haven't found any that do justice to my expectations and this book was no exception.
My first, and main, complaint was about Marly. I just didn't like her. She was over-confident, happy (and proud) to sleep around, quite juvenile in her reactions and not someone I could either relate to or aspire to be like. I'm all for strong, confident women in stories but Marly's casual attitude turned me off.
Joe was a likeable character who was doing his best to make changes in his life although to be fair he wasn't particularly discerning either when it came to his relationships. His character was fairly well developed and I liked him but he certainly wasn't a hero that I would swoon over. Regardless, his relationship with Marly was, for me, clouded by the fact that I wanted him to find someone better!
The story was okay but towards the end it all went a little bit ridiculous and I was a little confused as to why it had changed for no apparent reason. I also couldn't really understand much of the tension or conflict in the book. Surely a conversation between best friends, Marly and Olivia (another unsympathetic character and owner of the restaurant) would have made much of the point of the book disappear.
Overall this wasn't my thing at all. The writing wasn't terrible which is why I've given the book 2 stars rather than 1, but it was really hard to finish and I can't recommend it, unfortunately.
Marlene likes the look of Joe but if he thinks he's going to waltz into her best friend's restaurant - the place she's put her heart and soul into - and simply take over then he's got another think coming.
Soon their battle of wills turns into a battle of the heart but who will take home the sweetest prize of all?
-
As someone who loves both romance novels and food - I've been keen to read stories that combine the two. Unfortunately I haven't found any that do justice to my expectations and this book was no exception.
My first, and main, complaint was about Marly. I just didn't like her. She was over-confident, happy (and proud) to sleep around, quite juvenile in her reactions and not someone I could either relate to or aspire to be like. I'm all for strong, confident women in stories but Marly's casual attitude turned me off.
Joe was a likeable character who was doing his best to make changes in his life although to be fair he wasn't particularly discerning either when it came to his relationships. His character was fairly well developed and I liked him but he certainly wasn't a hero that I would swoon over. Regardless, his relationship with Marly was, for me, clouded by the fact that I wanted him to find someone better!
The story was okay but towards the end it all went a little bit ridiculous and I was a little confused as to why it had changed for no apparent reason. I also couldn't really understand much of the tension or conflict in the book. Surely a conversation between best friends, Marly and Olivia (another unsympathetic character and owner of the restaurant) would have made much of the point of the book disappear.
Overall this wasn't my thing at all. The writing wasn't terrible which is why I've given the book 2 stars rather than 1, but it was really hard to finish and I can't recommend it, unfortunately.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
16 reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
So de-lish!
11 Jan 2012
Format:Kindle Edition
Umm, hello, it's a book about a hot guy and food...I loved it! You can't go wrong with the combo.
Things are starting to look up for Marlene in the beginning. Her best friends cheating sorry excuse for a chef husband was finally caught in the act and fired on the spot and the man she has been lusting over since Olivia, her best friend, introduced them is coming into town. Her night takes a turn when she try's to make the move on Joe and he shuts her down. Apparently he no longer does the `sleeping around' thing. He promised his dying mother `no more sluts' and that we would finally settle down. Of course this causes a bit of a problem for a couple reasons.
One- Olivia just named Joe head chef until she can find someone more permanent.
Marlene has practically dedicated her life to Olivia and her family's restaurant Chameleon. They took her in when Marlene's family failed to be there for her and gave her a job. When it came time for college Olivia went off to chef school while Marlene stayed back to support the restaurant and worked her way up. Olivia got the education in a classroom and a crappy husband with a gambling problem while Marlene got real kitchen experience and is probably the best for the job that Olivia just gave to Joe. Having a friend that doesn't believe in you and a man who thinks your a slut and flaky is bound to make any girl upset.
Two- Joe basically just called her a slut.
Why is this a problem? Well, what girl wants to be called a slut. Guys can do it, but girls can't? Hmm... that doesn't seem right. Plus, there is nothing wrong with Marlene going after what she wants. She is a single, successful and confident woman. Why shouldn't she go after a man who she wants and who so obviously wants her?
If you can't stand the heat..: Keith, Olivia's ex, is more pissed that he was fired than the fact that he was caught cheating in the backroom of the restaurants kitchen. Now there are mysterious and borderline dangerous things going on around the restaurant. I liked the little dash of mystery the wove along in with Joe and Marlene's story. It was so obvious Keith was behind it, but it turned out to be a little more. The only thing that seemed a little far-fetched was the little poker game in the end.
Two peas in a pod: Joe and Marlene think that they want different things, but really all they want is a sense of family, security, love and respect. Of course, a simple conversation would clear up everything, but what kind of story would the be.They both have deep rooted issues with their parents and past relationships, but they work great as a team in and outside of the kitchen. Let's just say the man is a wizard with his hands.
My Overall Rating:
4 out of 5
I liked the whole chef and restaurant thing. My dad was a chef and I always thought about doing something like that. Maybe someday...
Things are starting to look up for Marlene in the beginning. Her best friends cheating sorry excuse for a chef husband was finally caught in the act and fired on the spot and the man she has been lusting over since Olivia, her best friend, introduced them is coming into town. Her night takes a turn when she try's to make the move on Joe and he shuts her down. Apparently he no longer does the `sleeping around' thing. He promised his dying mother `no more sluts' and that we would finally settle down. Of course this causes a bit of a problem for a couple reasons.
One- Olivia just named Joe head chef until she can find someone more permanent.
Marlene has practically dedicated her life to Olivia and her family's restaurant Chameleon. They took her in when Marlene's family failed to be there for her and gave her a job. When it came time for college Olivia went off to chef school while Marlene stayed back to support the restaurant and worked her way up. Olivia got the education in a classroom and a crappy husband with a gambling problem while Marlene got real kitchen experience and is probably the best for the job that Olivia just gave to Joe. Having a friend that doesn't believe in you and a man who thinks your a slut and flaky is bound to make any girl upset.
Two- Joe basically just called her a slut.
Why is this a problem? Well, what girl wants to be called a slut. Guys can do it, but girls can't? Hmm... that doesn't seem right. Plus, there is nothing wrong with Marlene going after what she wants. She is a single, successful and confident woman. Why shouldn't she go after a man who she wants and who so obviously wants her?
If you can't stand the heat..: Keith, Olivia's ex, is more pissed that he was fired than the fact that he was caught cheating in the backroom of the restaurants kitchen. Now there are mysterious and borderline dangerous things going on around the restaurant. I liked the little dash of mystery the wove along in with Joe and Marlene's story. It was so obvious Keith was behind it, but it turned out to be a little more. The only thing that seemed a little far-fetched was the little poker game in the end.
Two peas in a pod: Joe and Marlene think that they want different things, but really all they want is a sense of family, security, love and respect. Of course, a simple conversation would clear up everything, but what kind of story would the be.They both have deep rooted issues with their parents and past relationships, but they work great as a team in and outside of the kitchen. Let's just say the man is a wizard with his hands.
My Overall Rating:
4 out of 5
I liked the whole chef and restaurant thing. My dad was a chef and I always thought about doing something like that. Maybe someday...
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Not-so-scrumptious characters
3 Jan 2012
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Chef Joe Rafferty made one promise to his dying mother - there will be "no more sluts." He's determined to keep that promise and settle down with a nice woman. But when he comes to the aid of his culinary school friend Olivia, Joe meets Olivia's best friend Marlene. Marly is the exact opposite of the kind of girl Joe knows he should fall for, but what harm is there in taking a slight detour before he gets back on the path to finding Ms. Right?
Mr. Right Now is all Marly ever looks for; she's seen enough damage caused by love and marriage, thank you very much. Joe would be the perfect candidate for a fling...if it weren't for the fact that he's trying to take over the restaurant she's put her life's blood into. If Marly wants to run Olivia's restaurant, she needs to get rid of Joe. The only problem is, the more she's around the too-sexy-for-her-peace-of-mind Joe, the more Marly wants him to stay.
Forget the frying pan - Scrumptious is all about fire. The fire between Marlene and Joe, that is. Amanda Usen's debut novel sizzles with passion, but where it really shines isn't in the romance or the love scenes, but in the food. Ms. Usen's culinary background shows; the restaurant scenes in Scrumptious are to die for. Ms. Usen's prose is effortless, light, and utterly charming when her chefs are in the kitchen.
Where Scrumptious falls short is in the characters. Marly has worked so hard to prove herself to Olivia that she's understandably crushed by the fact that Olivia brings Joe to run the kitchen. And why does Olivia do so when Marly's perfectly capable? Because Olivia and Marly - two life-long best friends - don't have a simple thirty second conversation that could have cleared up their big misunderstanding. Joe, for his part, is the typical sexy hero, but it grated on my nerves that he thinks of Marly as a "slut" for most of the book. Yes, she revels in her sexuality...just as Joe does. When combined with a few other things he does in the book, the fact that Joe doesn't see himself (or any other man) as a slut just shows him to be sexist, a trait I don't find at all attractive. Both Marly and Joe just didn't appeal to me as protagonists which made it easy for me to put Scrumptious down. As for the third major player, Olivia, she's so blind on a number of issues that I wanted to shake her - hard - frequently.
The plot of Scrumptious mostly revolves around misunderstandings and the characters growing up. However, in the last quarter of the book the plot takes a turn into something strange, unnecessary, and way too over the top. I won't spoil it by saying what happens, but I feel like Ms. Usen jumped the shark a bit in the end. Still, Ms. Usen's skill at bringing the culinary world to life should not be overlooked. While Scrumptious didn't hit the spot for me, I would give another one of Ms. Usen's foodie romances a try in the future.
Mr. Right Now is all Marly ever looks for; she's seen enough damage caused by love and marriage, thank you very much. Joe would be the perfect candidate for a fling...if it weren't for the fact that he's trying to take over the restaurant she's put her life's blood into. If Marly wants to run Olivia's restaurant, she needs to get rid of Joe. The only problem is, the more she's around the too-sexy-for-her-peace-of-mind Joe, the more Marly wants him to stay.
Forget the frying pan - Scrumptious is all about fire. The fire between Marlene and Joe, that is. Amanda Usen's debut novel sizzles with passion, but where it really shines isn't in the romance or the love scenes, but in the food. Ms. Usen's culinary background shows; the restaurant scenes in Scrumptious are to die for. Ms. Usen's prose is effortless, light, and utterly charming when her chefs are in the kitchen.
Where Scrumptious falls short is in the characters. Marly has worked so hard to prove herself to Olivia that she's understandably crushed by the fact that Olivia brings Joe to run the kitchen. And why does Olivia do so when Marly's perfectly capable? Because Olivia and Marly - two life-long best friends - don't have a simple thirty second conversation that could have cleared up their big misunderstanding. Joe, for his part, is the typical sexy hero, but it grated on my nerves that he thinks of Marly as a "slut" for most of the book. Yes, she revels in her sexuality...just as Joe does. When combined with a few other things he does in the book, the fact that Joe doesn't see himself (or any other man) as a slut just shows him to be sexist, a trait I don't find at all attractive. Both Marly and Joe just didn't appeal to me as protagonists which made it easy for me to put Scrumptious down. As for the third major player, Olivia, she's so blind on a number of issues that I wanted to shake her - hard - frequently.
The plot of Scrumptious mostly revolves around misunderstandings and the characters growing up. However, in the last quarter of the book the plot takes a turn into something strange, unnecessary, and way too over the top. I won't spoil it by saying what happens, but I feel like Ms. Usen jumped the shark a bit in the end. Still, Ms. Usen's skill at bringing the culinary world to life should not be overlooked. While Scrumptious didn't hit the spot for me, I would give another one of Ms. Usen's foodie romances a try in the future.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Hot chefs, good food, good story!
1 Jan 2012
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Marlene Bennett is the pastry chef at Chameleon, a restaurant owned by her childhood friend, Olivia. When Olivia's husband Keith is caught in the cold room with his pants down and fired, Marlene thinks this is her chance to take over the line operation. Instead, Olivia brings in hunky chef Joe Rafferty. Marlene and Joe strike sparks from the beginning but they both have issues with trust and it takes some time for them to connect. Marlene resents his being at the restaurant and Joe judges her by her easy- going relationships with other men at the restaurant.
When several things go wrong in the restaurant, Joe thinks Marley is still trying to undermine him, but eventually they realize that something more serious is happening. Olivia cannot seem to get it together and waffles about whether she should bring Keith back or sell the restaurant. Joe and Marlene have to work together (other than just in bed) to achieve their hearts desire.
I always enjoy a book about foodies. There is so much that goes on in the back that we do not ever see and it is a lot of work for the staff to keep it that way. Marlene and Joe are both dedicated to their work and very similar in their personal life. It is interesting that Joe denigrates Marley for being sexually active when he is the same. On the other hand, Marlene gives him grief about his relationship with his father and she has a terrible one with her own father. Both characters have to let go of the baggage if they want to be together. External issues add to the stress on the relationship but the ending is satisfying and realistic. This was an enjoyable book and I look forward to future offerings by Ms. Usen.
When several things go wrong in the restaurant, Joe thinks Marley is still trying to undermine him, but eventually they realize that something more serious is happening. Olivia cannot seem to get it together and waffles about whether she should bring Keith back or sell the restaurant. Joe and Marlene have to work together (other than just in bed) to achieve their hearts desire.
I always enjoy a book about foodies. There is so much that goes on in the back that we do not ever see and it is a lot of work for the staff to keep it that way. Marlene and Joe are both dedicated to their work and very similar in their personal life. It is interesting that Joe denigrates Marley for being sexually active when he is the same. On the other hand, Marlene gives him grief about his relationship with his father and she has a terrible one with her own father. Both characters have to let go of the baggage if they want to be together. External issues add to the stress on the relationship but the ending is satisfying and realistic. This was an enjoyable book and I look forward to future offerings by Ms. Usen.
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