Two real chefs. One phony engagement. Is it a winning combination or a recipe for disaster?Playboy restaurateur Raffe Washburn is tired of living in his rich father’s shadow. An upcoming culinary contest could finally prove that talent is behind his success, not his inheritance. He won’t let anything stand in the way of his winning… not even the couples-only rule. Chef’s assistant Sarah Thomas … assistant Sarah Thomas can hardly believe Raffe wants her as his partner. It could be the big break she needs. While she’s confident she can keep up with him in the kitchen, she has no idea if she can keep up the happy couple charade…
As the competition heats up, so does their mutual attraction. Before the final round, Raffe and Sarah may discover that the recipe for success often comes from unexpected ingredients…
If you like sizzling chemistry, dramatic culinary contests, and tasty treats, then you’ll love this witty kitchen tale from USA Today bestselling author Leighann Dobbs and Lisa Fenwick.
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A great beach read.
This story was so much fun to read with a blend of rom-com and drama movies. Dobbs incorporates multiple layers into the story with Sarah and Raffe pretending to be engaged so they can participate in a televised cooking challenge, Veronica trying to sabotage their chances at winning, and ulterior motives for all of the characters. Sarah is desperate to find her brother who she’s hoping to use her winnings to send to rehab but only if she’s able to locate him first. Raffe is hoping to prove himself and the challenge could be his ticket to doing just that. There’s one catch to their plan that provides romantic comedy elements to the story: the challenge is only for couples married or engaged. This immediately sets up the circumstances for the two of them to spark a connection. First, they have to start with getting along in the kitchen.
The only thing connecting them is their friends that are engaged but as the competition heats up, the chemistry between them does the same. While romance is in the air, the story isn’t without its drama with someone working to sabotage their chances but doing so in a way that sets seeds for them to turn on each other. The story has as much drama as it does humor which strikes the perfect balance for fun storytelling. Sarah is driven by the search for her brother who she thinks may be on the island and who she hopes to help by winning enough money to get him into rehab.
Various perspectives are woven throughout which gives insight into Sarah, Raffe, Veronica, and TJ. The competition gives a variety of characters for Raffe and Sarah to interact with such as couples Rob and Brian, Kim and Dave, and Tony and Gina. The couples are all different with their own problems and goals in hopes of winning money. These range from marital problems to one couple being homeless which puts the couples against each other, but instead of working against each other, they form friendships with each other that help creates connections. The story delves into sabotage but Raffe and Sarah reach out to their fellow competitors in a way that creates heart within the story. Raffe helps two other couples which are actions that provide a little insight to the character. Dobbs and Fenwick have a way of capturing the main characters through their strengths, faults, and goals that create well-rounded people that you can relate to. Can’t Stand the Heat has a sizzling plot with sabotage, vengeance, romance, drama, and lots of food.
The story was good, but a cliffhanger.
A fun, easy to read book. Really enjoyed it.
Vivid imagery takes you to the locations described. “True to life” reactions by the characters to different situations. Fun and easy to read.
I enjoyed reading this book and all the twist and turns. It is a great read.
Fun read!
It’s a brilliant book, to say it’s about a cookery competion while accurate is is totally beside the point. It is about relationships, hearing from both sides of the story, and allot of things that the characters are missing and the author is telling you. It is simply brilliant!
good book
A feel good story!
Fun chic lit
You have to track all the twists and turns and the who is who is against who. I didn’t pay attention at the beginning as to who Tanner was. It matters, somewhat. I just didn’t know his why. But, that did not matter enough to go back and figure it out.
Like clean romances? This is clean. I really appreciated that.
Like humor ? I got some good laughs along the way.
Like figuring out mystery characters? You’ve got some chances, and I enjoyed them.
Like misinformation and twists? Karma? Turnabouts? They were all fun.
I really don’t know why this story was written. Nothing was resolved. I was left disappointed and wanting. I guess you have to buy the next. But I’ll pass.
Cute book, easy read, enjoyed the plot & food!
I am not a fan of reality shows, but this was an interesting premise. Easy to read. Will be interesting to see if any of the characters survive for another book.
Predictable
I love all the Leighann Dobbs books I’ve managed to find 🙂
The charters were just Blah, they were never really developed by the author, so you couldn’t really get behind them. I couldn’t even force myself to thin there was chemistry between the charters.
The different situations were also a bit to unbelievable to me. I mean seriously, if that kind of stuff was happening in a competition you would let someone know. Not ignore it and just continue.
There was so many charters and none were developed.
Just not a very good read.
Fun rom-com type series… enjoyed the cooking background!
If the author is Leighann Dobbs, the book is sure to be a winner. Every writing adventure she is involved in makes a great read!