Review: Absolutely Delicious!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 5, 2011
The Barn Dance was a sweet, quick, whirlwind romance for the reader. To the characters it's been a long 6 year romance filled with longing and regrets. Six years ago Mindy and Leo came together in a mass of sweaty arms and legs. She proclaimed her love and he didn't reciprocate. When he woke she was long gone. Running from the man she assumed didn't love her and only wanted her for some hot romp in the hayloft of his fathers barn. Fast forward six years to when Mindy comes back to town desperate for a job after getting fired from her last. She takes a job against her better judgement cooking for Leo's father and his crew of cowboys...Leo included. Problem is...Mindy can't cook. To save her job she agrees to go to the annual barn dance with Leo if he'll show her how to make his buns (giggle). With Leo's father promising to fire her for bad cooking OR getting involved with Leo...Mindy isn't sure it's worth the effort. Until Leo saunters into the kitchen looking all kinds of yummy himself.Leo has been in love with Mindy for years, it's time she knows.I found this novella to be well wrote and I loved every line of it. Extremely hot scenes that had nothing to do with Leo's famous buns. Well, ok, they did. I enjoyed the location the majority of it took place. The kitchen of course. Although I'm thinking some disinfecting needed to be done in there after some of the steamyness. The Barn Dance is your classic case of misunderstanding. I found Mindy's reaction to Leo's un-proclamation of love to be a bit over the top, but I guess some girls are just that. How many young guys say I love you right away? Not many. The ones that do generally don't mean it and only want in a chicks pants anyway. So would it have even mattered if he'd said it? Plus she was wearing totally inappropriate clothes for her job the majority of the book. She seemed a bit high maintenance. Leo. He's a cowboy. Need I say more? Ok, ok, he's a HOT cowboy. With a tormented soul for letting her get away from him 6 years ago.I loved how the recipe for Leo's buns (ok I just love saying that) was real and I do plan on trying them out at some point. They sound yummy. I loved the idea of a love story basically being built around a recipe. It was reminiscent of another book I read awhile back, Sweet As Sin by Inez Kelley. For the kitchen aspect alone. Otherwise completely different books. I find book centering around cooks, bakeries and restaurants to be fun reads. Something about the innuendo you can use while cooking I think.Even though it's named The Barn Dance, we don't ever get to see that and for that I am a bit saddened. It ended very abruptly and I felt a bit left out to hang. I wanted more. I guess that means I connected with the characters emotions if I wasn't ready to give them up.The Barn Dance is not only a great read but a cookbook as well. A twofer! Leo and Mindy will suck you in and give you buttery goodness and steamy sexyness. Food AND sex? A winning combination for this reader!I give The Barn Dance by Camryn Rhys 4 stars!Nikki- Ramblings From A Chaotic Mind