Book Review & Giveaway: A Taste of You by Irene Preston

A Taste of You
by Irene Preston
M/M Contemporary
Fated Desires Publishing
Expected Release Date: 15 March 2015
5 Stars

Blurb:

Hell’s Kitchen has nothing on the flames Giancarlo and Garrett ignite at Restaurant Ransom...

Garrett Ransom is America’s hot chef du jour. He has a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York City, a hit reality TV show, and a new man in his bed every week. Yes, he secretly thinks his business partner, Giancarlo “Carlo” Rotolo, is hotter than a ghost pepper, but he would never jeopardize their friendship with a fling. Then Garrett overhears some juicy gossip among the crew and realizes he’ll have to break Giancarlo’s cardinal rule, no banging the staff - for Carlo’s own good, of course. Just a taste of Carlo should be plenty. Long-term relationships aren’t on Garrett’s menu.

Giancarlo’s been in love with Garrett forever. He’s sure Garrett will eventually realize they are destined to be more than business partners. But when Garrett installs his latest boyfriend as their new chef d’cuisine and announces plans to leave Carlo in New York while he opens a second restaurant on the west coast, Carlo is forced to re-evaluate his life.

Can a high-strung British chef and a nice Italian boy from Brooklyn find the perfect fusion of fine-dining and family-style?

Review:

Garrett and Giancarlo have been best friends since college and for the past ten years have been business partners too in the upscale restaurant, Ransom. They each have the same golden rule: no romantic entanglements with anyone at work and for the most part that seems to work.

But Carlo has been in love with Garrett forever and his heart breaks a little bit more each time Garrett has the new lover of the week, or the night. He seems to have a different man on his arm each time Carlo sees him. With his successful television show, Ransom Me, doing well out in California, Garrett wants to open a new Ransom restaurant on the West Coast. It means they would hardly see each other and Carlo becomes increasingly morose as the day of Garrett's departure draws nearer.

He doesn't think he'll ever have a chance with Garrett, so he decides that he needs something just for himself, not anything to do with Garrett, so he decides to take up his cousin Joey's offer to open a family style restaurant with him.

Garrett is jealous of all the time Carlo is spending away from Ransom and he overhears some of the staff gossiping about a man Carlo would have no chance with. That annoys Garrett even more, any man would be lucky to have Carlo and he decides it's time to break their cardinal rule. He will go after Carlo and show this other man what he's missing, unaware that he is the man Carlo wants.

This book was wonderful from start to finish. We had a bit of everything, there was angst, there was humour, there was romance, there was passion, both in the kitchen and out of it. Food plays a major part and you could tell these two characters love their restaurant, despite the hard work involved.

The main story was between Carlo and Garrett, but the side characters were well drawn too, everyone had their part to play. The love scenes sizzled hotter than anything they ever cooked at Ransom, made all the more poignant I think, because Carlo had been waiting years to get his man. Everything Carlo did, he did for Garrett, but for a while Garrett was too dense to see it. Thankfully he woke up. I adored both of them and wanted so much for things to work out between them. They were perfect for each other.

A well-written, sensual romance that will leave you smiling at the end.

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