4.5-4.75 starsOk. I may be a bit biased but this book was perfect.I'm in love with food. It's not a passion that would drive me to open a restaurant, but food is a special part of me and the way I love life.To me a good time consists of one (or more) of the following: good food, a good book, or good company. This book satisfied two of those three criteria.The recipes described in this book made me slow down and read carefully. I made a careful note of every recipe, ingredient, and spice.The writing was also exquisite, and the romance was both a sensual appraisal of food and of the characters.The characters had substance. Gabriel is not only confident but he has a passion for his job and his charity that is stressed throughout the book. I even loved the secondary characters!!! (I hope Jason white and Gabriel's brother get a book!!!) Eva is down to earth, honest, and an amazing cook. Her character is one I can get behind and adore. But I'm not saying the characters are perfect. (although they almost are - but that adds to the charm of the book)The only thing I didn't like is when she's explaining what grains of paradise are, Gabriel has to stick his hands up her skirt. Sheesh. I was listening to her explanation! Can't you wait another god-damn minute before you maul her?!?! Barrett creates a really great heroine in this book who is foul mouthed, sweet, domestic, and a lot of fun. Our hero is dreamy, rags from riches, and steadfast. He is a little shallow at first but he grows. This love story uses food a foreplay as the heroine is a personal chef. There is a lot of what I call food porn in this book which is very detailed food descriptions ala Mr. Petermen's catalogue in Seinfeld. For me, these moments went on a bit too long but for other readers they could make the book a big hit!The secondary characters are great. The sexy times are very well done and frequent. I didn't need the side plot of the jealous woman and would have rather had more character development of Gabe and more real couple time but the show down with the jealous one was funny. The book dragged in few places but was overall engaging and charming. I will definitely check out more books by this writer!
What do You think about Beauty And The Feast (2010)?
A fun light read. Some parts were a bit cliche but I still enjoyed it.
—kyra2010
