Thursday, December 09, 2010

Blog Tour: Dining With Joy by Rachel Hauck

Amazon.com:

"Chef" Joy Ballard longs for a simpler life. But when a good-looking outsider arrives and spices things up, life becomes deliciously complicated.

Host of a regionally syndicated cooking show, Joy Ballard has a little secret: she can't cook. But when her show is picked up by a major network and given a prime time slot, her world heats up faster than a lowcountry boil.

Enter Luke Redmond: handsome, creative, and jobless after having to declare bankruptcy of his Manhattan restaurant. When her producers ask him to co-host the show, Joy sees Luke as her way out. But Luke sees much more than just a co-host in Joy. 

Their relationship begins to simmer on and off set. Until Joy's secret is revealed and her reputation is ruined on national television by her rival, Wenda Devine.

But could Devine's cruelty be a divine gift? Losing Luke--and her sister--forces Joy to consider where her worth really comes from. Could God be cooking up an even bigger adventure from the mess? And will Joy hang on long enough to find out?

Let me start off by saying that this is not a review. Embarrassingly I have not had the chance to yet finish the book (first time this has happened :/) So I will only be commenting on my impressions so far.

From the first page I liked Joy, a sweet girl that really cares about her family, so much so that she will pretend she can cook to continue her father's cooking show. Match her with Luke a talented chef that has fallen on some hard times with the closing of his restaurant in NYC and you are sure to get some sparks. While it's not a traditional romance I like that it rotates between each of their perspectives.

I love the sort of comedic situations that have popped up in the book so far, Joy absolutely refuses to partake in cookoffs (because she knows her secret will be revealed) but through a series of events she's forced into one anyways. I can't wait to see what other lengths she will go to, to hide her secret. From the summary copy we know she doesn't keep up the charade forever so it will be interesting to see how she is discovered and what happens next.

I also know this is part of a series and based on what I have read here I think I'm going to have to take a peek at the other books as well. The element of religion is part of this book and I always enjoy reading books of this nature to see how they are handled. And in every instance I've found that the religious aspect of the book isn't overpowering or preachy and that I really dig. It's there but in a natural way I think.

Anyhow, I can't wait to finish the book and see where it goes! Have you read any of Rachel Hauck's books?

2 comments:

  1. yes! I've read several that I've enjoyed. I also like the way she handles faith...it feels very organic to the story

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have not read any of her books but sounds like I am missing out.

    ReplyDelete

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