Review: Must. Read. Period.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 9, 2013
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I fell in love with Taste the Heat. I've been wanting to read one of Rachel's books for a while now, have my eye on her Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, just haven't had the time. So when the opportunity to take part in the Taste the Heat blog tour presented itself, I read the blurb and just new this would be a book I was going to love so I jumped at the chance and I'm so glad I did. It's a perfect combination of ingredients that make for a book that captured my heart and will stay with me for a while. What's not to love? Great characters, sweet romance, a little bit of food and the perfect setting. Recipe for perfection? Yeah, I think so!I love it when a book is told in dual POVs. Especially when a love story is involved. You really get more insight into their feelings, struggles, thoughts and makes it easier to relate and become emotionally invested in both sides of the story. Both Jason and Colby had equally warranted reasons for wanting to close themselves off from love and future possible heartbreaks. Both burned by love in completely different ways. One through tragedy and one through the loss of respect of her hero, her dad.I enjoyed Colby's character. Coming home after 12 years was hard for her. Facing disappointments from her past, she endured and blocked at first the painful memories so that she could come support and help her family get their restaurant back on track. She's smart and talented and independent. And also very real. Though all the characters were.  After reconnecting with Jason, her brother's best friend and the guy she's been crushing on since childhood, he helps her to tackle those trust issues that others broke within her years ago.Can we talk about Jason for a moment? First I'd appreciate it if we didn't let this get back to my other book boyfriends, you know how sensitive they can be. But Jason stole my heart. Completely. He's perfection in both a fictional sense and a very real one. Forget the fact that he's a incredibly hot firefighter (hello fantasy!) who can cook...you want to know what got me right from the start? He's a widowed single father. Hello heart you may start beating again at any time. He's not just a regular single dad though, that young lady has him wrapped around her little finger and he'd do anything to make her happy. Yeah he's set the bar pretty much out of reach for any other guy real or fictitious for the future.The supporting characters were all equally as great and made the book all the better. It always seems to be the little ones that steal the show when I'm reading and in this case 11 year old Emma was fantastic at that. She was adorable and quite the evil genius! Between Emma and Colby's sister Sherry, both having match making stars in their eyes, Jason and Colby didn't stand a chance. Cane and Sherry were both characters I wanted to see more of and I'm guessing, and hoping, that the rest of the series will be their stories. *Fingers crossed*I adored Taste the Heat and I adore Rachel Harris. This book easily earned her a place on my very short auto-buy authors list. The story was sweet and delicious and I couldn't put it down. I cannot recommend this book enough, it's definitely a must read! I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!Sheri @ Tangled Up In Books