Review: Warm cooking and loving in a cool fall New England town!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 19, 2012
I was blown away by how much I liked this book and now I am waiting impatiently for the next book in the series. Oh, wait, this one hasn't been released yet and I am asking for the next book? Yes, I am!Deep Autumn Heat starts off the Star Harbor series about the four brothers Grayson. Cole, Val, Seb and Theo round out the cast of brothers who have looks that will melt you into a puddle! And if Seb wasn't enough in this book...he's a twin to Theo, who gets his book next. Seb is a big time chef who has worked hard. He has an upscale restaurant, Helena, in New York, looking to open another one in Boston and debuting a new show on The Cooking Network. On top of the world, he heads home to Star Harbor for the boys' annual Labor Day weekend. Labor Day weekend is a time for honoring their father and spending time together.Lexie Meyer owns the local diner. While she is a transplant from California, Safe Harbor is her home. Her signature dish is her coconut cake, which she never will reveal the recipe for. Buster's her line cook, who watches out for her and there are several employees we meet over the course of the book. One nasty character is the owner of a restaurant in the next city who seems to be stalking Lexie for her coconut cake recipe. When nasty notes keep appearing on the restaurants back door, Lexie thinks she knows the culprit, but doesn't do much.When Lexie and Seb meet, sparks fly! Seb immediately puts Lexie in a temper and keeps goading her. When he shows up one morning to shadow her, she can't believe a well known chef could learn anything from her. In the end Seb challenges her to a cook off, spurring all their competitive spirit.But underneath all the passion is a stalker out to get Lexie. While attraction keeps pulling them together, the threat to Lexie brings out all of Seb's protective instincts. When push comes to shove, the two pull together while still holding onto old fears from the past that will push them apart.The author described the emotions of the two characters splendidly. I felt the fear that was taking over Lexie's life. Seb didn't fight the attraction long and grew to love Lexie. I just felt the slow transition to fling to something more deep in my heart. I loved the characters, how they bent to each other and grew as their emotions changed.The cool autumn air was overheated with the sizzling attraction rolling not from the chef's grill, but from the two lovers burning for each other.  I leave you with that comment and an excerpt from Deep Autumn Heat below.