Review/On The Steamy Side/Louisa Edwards/St. Martin's Paperbacks

Title: On The Steamy Side
Author: Louisa Edwards
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: March 2, 2010
Print ISBN: 978-0312356460
eBook ISBN: 978-1429939003
Length: 336 Pages
Format:  Print
Purchase:  Amazon          Barnes and Noble



Blurb:

She’s Never Met A Man So Mouth-Watering


When Lilah Jane Tunkle fled her dull life in Virginia for the bright lights of New York City, she didn’t expect to wind up a nanny to a gorgeous celebrity chef’s ten-year-old son. Working for the delectable Devon Sparks is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, especially after Lilah gets a tantalizing taste of his perfectly seasoned kisses . . .


And He Can’t Resist Her Down-Home Spice

 Devon’s not sure he can handle one more surprise ingredient in his life—he left his popular TV show, his culinary reputation is on the line, and now the son he barely knows is back for seconds. Lilah’s Southern sass is supposed to keep the boy in line, but soon enough she’s teaching Devon a thing or two about homespun food . . . and turning up the heat.




My Review:

I really liked this book by Ms. Edwards.  The writing was tight and the dialogue was witty and sharp.  The characters were very well done and were a joy to read.  This is the second book in the "Recipe for Love Series" and it was a superb sequel to Can't Stand The Heat (A Recipe for Love). 

The main female character in this book, Lilah "Lolly" Tunkle, was a great character.  She was determined to change her life and moved to New York City to do so.  She grew up in a small town in the south and had been raised by her aunt and uncle.  She's good looking, charming and is very selfless.  She has a great capacity for love and it really makes her character like able.  She also has gumption and resolve.

The main male character of Devon Sparks, was also a joy to read.  He was an extremely successful chef but somewhere along the line his love of cooking and love for food got lost.  He also was blessed with model looks but cursed with a vile temper and has some family ghosts in the closet.  He also has a small son that he has barely seen and that almost no one knows about. 

Due to circumstances that take place during the story, Devon gets temporary custody of his son Tucker.  They are virtually strangers but with Lilah's help, they start to form a relationship.  There is also the drama taking place in Devon's career, which involves a two week stint as a replacement chef at the restaurant "Market" that we were introduced to in the first book. 

I don't want to give away spoilers as there are still many people who have not read this book yet.  I will say that there is a happy ending and also a clue towards the next book in the series, Just One Taste, which is due out on August 31, 2010.  I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to catch up with some of my favorite secondary characters in this series again.

One other feature of this series that intrigues me is the fact that Ms. Edwards places at least 3 recipes in the back of each book.  The recipes are always for food items that are mentioned in the book and there is on in particular from this book that I am going to try myself and that is the recipe for "Delmonico Pudding".

I highly recommend this book!

My Rating:  5 out of 5 Crowns