ARC Review & Giveaway: Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris

 

Taste the Heat (A Love & Games Novel #1)
Publisher/Publication Date:  Entangled Bliss, July 8, 2013 
Format, Source: e-arc, Publisher

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef. One combustible kitchen…

When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she can’t afford to taste. Colby can’t wait to leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas.

Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. Disillusioned by his past, he knows he should be focusing on finding the perfect mother for his daughter. But when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason can’t say no.

As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility
of getting burned?
 

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

 

 

 
My Thoughts

Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris is an amazing, passionate love story. I loved the premise of Colby having a childhood crush on Jason and a chance to live her dream of being with him years later. 

Harris’ depiction of the characters’ intense emotions along with the struggles associated with becoming a blended family were well-developed. Both the characters and their situations were believable. Jason is hesitant to get involved with Colby, because he doesn’t want a relationship to have a negative impact on his daughter, Emma. Emma just wants her father to be happy and her matchmaking attempts are priceless. I just loved the sly tactics that Emma used in her matchmaking schemes. Colby had a hard time trusting due to the untrustworthy men of her past. Her thoughts can be described as irrational and self-centered at times; yet, I liked how Colby evolved as she reflected on her feelings/behaviors and reconsidered her position on various issues.  The supporting characters were also well-written as they helped Jason and Colby resolve issues from their past so they could move on. 

At one point, there were just some events and misunderstandings that put Jason and Colby’s relationship on unstable ground, and at times it seemed that a happy ending was a little out of reach.  The ending was touching but similar to another book that I read recently. Then--in the end… Well, if you’d like to know how the book ended, I recommend reading Taste the Heat. 

Rating-4.5/5
 
I received an e-arc of Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris from the publisher for an honest review, thank you.
 
About the Author

 

Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama's favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living

in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life's problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste the Heat is her adult romance debut. She's the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers! Find her at RachelHarrisWrites.com
 

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