Review: Contemporary Romance with Depth
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2013
After losing her job as a chef in an upscale restaurant due an unfortunate accident involving a birthday cake and a hot guy (it's not what you think), Jill finds that landing another job as lead chef in any local establishment is nearly impossible.  Her actions with the hot guy have labeled her within the industry and she's been bouncing from one job after another when it turns out the restaurants don't want her for her talent in the kitchen but the talent they want from her in the bedroom.  Broke, jobless, and almost destitute, Jill tries to avoid the blind date that her bestie, Mel, has set her up on.Chet Castle, the brother to Mel's fiance is a very rich, highly successful business man that needs a good woman in his life.  When Mel decides that Jill is the perfect person for Chet, she doesn't realize that Chet is said hot guy that got Jill fired from job number one.Both Jill and Chet cave and decide to humor everyone by going on the blind date; only for each of them to discover who the other is.  Chet automatically assumes that Jill is only after his money and says as much before their date even really begins.  Jill, however, is a very strong woman.  She's been abused by those in the one industry that she really loves and has such passion regarding and just can't take it anymore.Walking away from Chet is very hard on Jill since she's felt a connection to him since the incident that got her fired.  Feeling the same way about Jill, Chet can't let her escape from him again; especially since he finally located her after a year of looking and wondering who and where she was.  His proposition is simple:  She become his personal chef and coordinator for the many fundraisers/dinners he'll be hosting over the summer.  She will live in his mansion and get her life back together.  When the set time period is over, Chet will then assist her with starting her catering business.The attraction they feel towards one another is like nothing Jill or Chet have ever felt before, but....Chet is Jill's boss and he's not looking for a real relationship and Jill isn't looking to be a playboy's play toy.  Will they explore their feelings and just with it or, when the time period of their contract ends, will Jill walk away for good?This is one of the best written novels I've had the privilege of reading.  Christine Warner is an excellent teller of stories.  It is so easy to get lost withing the pages of Bachelor's Special; her writing style is fluid and moves along at such an even pace.  There aren't any slow or overly fast sections of this novel.  There is a bit of humor thrown in for good measure and it's placed appropriately in the scenes.  There isn't any part of this novel that I didn't like, felt was unnecessary, unneeded, or a time waster.  Everything that happened was crucial to the story.Jill is a very likable heroine.  She has a style that is 1950's throwback and pulls it off terrifically.  She's strong and independent; wanting to make sure she starts her catering business on her own, not from handouts, pity, or charity.  You can definitely tell that Jill loves to cook.  You sense it in the descriptions of her facial expressions, her mannerisms, and from the reflection we get from Chet's point-of-view.  It's not hard to complete engulf the feelings that each character portrays.Chet is likable from the beginning, even when he divulges that he isn't relationship material and just wants to get into Jill's pants.  We see his attitude toward relationships change the longer he's around Jill.  You completely understand why he's hesitant and had a hard time changing how he feels about long-term relationships.  If you dated a woman who had both hands in your bank account, leaving no hands available to do anything else, you might be a tad leery, too.Bachelor's Special is an absolutely wonderful novel that has you rooting for the power couple, even though there are so many obstacles in the way - two of them being Jill and Chet, themselves.Please Note:  This novel has adult content and mature themes.Review Copy Courtesy of the Publisher: Entangled (Indulgence), in exchange for an honest review.