Review: My review: The Winemaker's Dinner: Dessert
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 3, 2013
Dessert is said to be the best part of the meal, and in this case I must say I agree.  If I could I would go to every single place I could and leave a 6 star review, obviously I can only leave a five.I was lucky enough to not have to wait for book 3 to come out, I received a copy shortly before it was released and didn't have to wait to find out what happened between Jaden and Ivan.  I happened to stumble upon this series when a follower on Twitter told me that I absolutely needed to check out this series.  At first I thought maybe it was just someone trying to promote the author's work.  While there is obviously nothing wrong with that, I wasn't sure I was going to love this series.  I absolutely loved every second of it.  This series just seemed to get better and better with each book.  With most series books I find myself losing interest as the series progresses but this series was great until the very end.  I read this series in the course of less than one weeks time which for me as I am looking back can't believe and shake my head in disbelief that I loved a series so much that it consumed my entire waking moment and now has my husband giving me a dirty look as I am typing this review since I pretty much ignored him the entire week.  This is one series that I will read again and again, and anyone that says that men cannot write erotica are sorely mistaken.  Dr. Ivan is an amazing writer having written this last installment of the book solo.  While you might expect to find a book full of just rapid fire sex, sex, and more sex, what you don't expect to find is characters that are very well developed and are at the turning point in their lives.  (Believe me there is plenty of hot steamy sex in this installment)This book picks up about six months after that dreaded night that ripped Ivan's world apart, the night when Jaden said she couldn't marry him.  The reader watches as Jaden just goes through the motions of her job as a host on her cooking show.  Gone is the fire that once drove her, gone is the smile and the girl full of life.  In her place sits a broken woman who would do anything to get Ivan back.  Jaden never stops in her mission to try and get Ivan back texting, calling, and emailing him on a daily basis all of which go ignored.  So when the show ends for the season, Jaden picks up her belongings and heads for a two month stay back in Miami putting herself right back into the path of Ivan.Ivan is broken, even if he didn't voice this his actions speak volumes.  Gone is the light in his eyes and his bright lively world is broken and dark in the wake of Jaden's betrayal.  He has sex with nameless and faceless women over and over again trying to get over the love of his life.  He even has a darker side within him now 'The Beast' and the beast must be fed.  The beast wants his next fix, he wants sex with women and when the beast takes over Ivan cannot stop it, but when all is said and done, Ivan is left even more broken than the time before.Jaden spots Ivan before he spots her and so becomes the game of avoidance, both unsure what they will say to the other when they finally meet.  Ivan goes on ignoring Jaden's constant attempts to get a hold of him, that is until he finds himself hitting rock bottom one day in a bathroom with a woman (yes that's a public bathroom), more the point is that he finally decides he must face what has been haunting him all these months.  After this moment I had high hopes for them getting back together especially after he finds out the truth about what happened that night of Jaden's betrayal.  I really thought at this point they were going to be getting back together, and I found myself on the edge of tears when Ivan left without so much as a goodbye face to face having seen Damian and Jaden in the paper from an event the previous evening.I had my moments where I wanted to throw my Kindle and give up after this, but I kept going because I really hoped they would find their way.  Sometimes the biggest challenge is learning to forgive yourself in order to get stronger and make a decision about your future.  That happens to both characters in this story Jaden learning to forgive herself, and Ivan finding what he thinks is closure.  Although at one point I didn't like Ivan's idea of moving on without Jaden in his life.  It isn't until his parents come to visit and his ex returns to the picture does Ivan really begin to reevaluate his decision with keep Jaden out of his life.  I think his dad said it best in his advice to Ivan, What's the one thing you can't find in anyone else?I truly loved the conclusion to this series, and I hope that Dr. Ivan will continue to write more books in the future.  He really gives an insight not only into what he practices but also gives a fresh view for us women as to how the male orgasm works from a man's point of view.  I found this series refreshing and original, and I have met a lot of "book boyfriends" over the past few months so it's finally nice to see that there are real men out there that are true romantics at heart and understand what a woman really wants.  I hope you will read and enjoy this series as much as I did, and even though I'm a little sad the story ended, I enjoyed the ride!