Secret Service Agent Griffin Keller always gets his man. And his woman. In pursuit of an international counterfeiter known only as “The Artist”, Griffin stumbles across paintings stolen from the White House and swapped with forgeries. His only clue to the thief’s identity–a dish towel from the White House kitchen.White House pastry chef Marin Chevalier desperately needs a date to her cousin’s … cousin’s society wedding. Unfortunately, her busy schedule leaves her little opportunity to meet eligible men. When a sexy Secret Service agent shows up in her kitchen—and just about everywhere else she goes—Marin believes she’s finally met the perfect date. But when a series of frightening accidents and near misses plague her, Marin must rely on Griffin as more than just her “plus-one.”
As dead bodies begin to pile up around Marin, Griffin is convinced she’s the link to The Artist. Too bad the curvy chef has gotten under his skin like no other woman. When the clues finally fall into place and Griffin realizes Marin is not the suspect, but instead the target, he’ll risk everything in his arsenal to keep her safe.
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Marin is the White House pastry chef, a job she really loves. Griffin is a Secret Service agent assigned to protection detail at the White House. When several well known paintings in the White House are discovered to be forgeries, it’s obviously an inside job. Someone has to be helping the thieves swap the paintings out. When Marin might have accidentally seen the bad guy, and attempts are made on her life to keep her from identifying him, Griff is determined to protect her no matter what.
I am super excited about the start of this new series Men of the Secret Service. The first book has the perfect name Recipe for Disaster because well it is based around a pastry chef and a mystery that is happening at the White House. This book is a romantic mystery and it had me captured from the start. It was one of those books that sometimes I had to stop and think at times and get centered in the middle of reading it…but that did not take away from the book at all.
Chef Marin is someone I would love to meet in person (and taste her food) but in this book she is brilliant. I love watching her interact with agent Keller and then try to figure out who is doing the theft and murders. Throw in the side “talents” of Ben and Adam…oh those two men who I am hoping have their own book. Yep this is one book I highly recommend. Romance,Suspense and did i say Romance.
Twisty turny plot. White House setting with behind-the-scenes views. Well matched protagonist and her steamy agent. Tightly written and ended way too soon. Loved this book!
Best contemporary romantic suspense novel that I have read in quite some time!
Now to hang onto my patience while waiting for book 2 in the series.
I do like a good romantic suspense story and Washington DC as a setting is always promising and the added element of being set in the White House was interesting. I have to say that Solheim delivered when it came to tidbits about the White House (so much so that I was curious as to how she did her research). In my opinion, it was fairly clear early on who was involved in the crime being investigated but there was still a bit of a twist at the end to keep it interesting.
Marin displays wildly vacillating feelings towards Griffin throughout the course of the book. I think this was supposed to reflect the mixed signals she was getting from him, but it really just kind of ultimately annoyed me. And honestly, I’m not sure if I entirely was won over by Griffin and I kind of felt like Marin let him off the hook for his dickish behavior a bit too easily.
From the attention payed to Griffin’s FBI colleagues, I’m guessing they’ll be getting their own books and I’ll likely check them out as well.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
What a fun start to a new series by Tracy Solheim. I picked this one up and read it quickly. Marin was a sweet, fun character that ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, which leads to us finding out just how strong she really is. Griffin shows up in her life, and seems to be around every time something goes wrong. I love the food aspect of this, the descriptions of Marin’s creations made me want to get up and bake. The secondary characters, especially Griffin’s best friends, provided additional interest. I found myself giggling at some of their conversations.
I enjoyed this start to a new series, and can’t wait to see which of Griffin’s friendsgets the focus next!
#RecipeforDisaster #NetGalley
WOW! I loved reading Recipe for Disaster by Tracy Solheim, the first book in her Men of the Secret Service series. The title is fitting since our heroine Marin Chevalier is the Pastry Chef for the White House where her godmother is the first lady. Marin comes from a wealthy family that owns hotels around the world. She is a strong person who gives the impression that she can take care of herself. Her biggest problem at the moment is finding a date for her cousin’s wedding but her busy schedule does not allow her much chance to meet eligible men. Secret Service Agent Griffin Keller, our hero, is Alpha all the way. He always gets his man and woman. While chasing after an international counterfeiter, Griffin encounters paintings stolen from the White House and swapped with forgeries; his only clue to the thief’s identity is a dish towel from the White House kitchen. When Griffin appears in Marin’s kitchen, and everywhere else, Marin thinks she has found the perfect date. However, as near misses and scary accidents start occurring along with bodies piling up Marin convinces Griffin that she’s the victim, not the suspect and relies on him to help her stay alive.
I really loved reading this book and didn’t want to put it down. It grabbed me, not wanting to let me go. I loved the strength and intelligence of Marin and the caring heart Griffin discovered beneath his gruff exterior. Ms. Solheim wrote a wonderful story for these two and I enjoyed seeing the connection these two created. I highly recommend this book to other readers and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
I really enjoyed Marin & Griffin’s story. This romantic suspense is action packed with plot twists that will keep you guessing. Recipe for Disaster is a great start to this series. I look forward to Ben & Adam’s stories!
I voluntarily read & reviewed a complimentary Advance Reader Copy.
Good, fun romance with intrigue that holds together well, and make sense. Mix this with good character development, and you have a very enjoyable 2 hours of reading a story that reminded me of watching a Gerard Butler movie.
I loved the characters and their realistic relationship, not only with each other, but their friends & coworkers as well.
I really appreciated the honesty in their dialogue. So many books have people misunderstanding each other to the point that I want to scream with all the drama that comes from ppl not wanting to just be upfront And honest.
Not my usual genre but I gave this a chance and it did not disappoint.
Thank you.
Great suspense and romance, keeps you guessing.
Enjoyed the story and characters.
I had to read it in one day.
“Recipe for Disaster” (nook) is the second book I’ve read from Tracy Solheim. I also rated the first book as 5 stars. I read “Recipe for Disaster” in one day, staying up until 3 a.m. to finish. Well worth it.
This is a new to me author and one I’ll definitely be reading more from.
I was gripped from cover to cover
The action and detailing within the pages is exquisite and not to be missed.
I have read two of the secret service books and loved the build up
Great characters; very well developed.
This is the first book by this author that I have read. I loved it. Action packed, suspenseful. First in a series but can be read as a standalone. I didn’t want to put it down, but life did call at times. Can’t wait until the next one. Marin is the White House pastry chef and her aunt is the FLOTUS. People around Marin are dying unnaturally. Agent Griffin Keller is investing the art thefts of White House paintings that are being replaced with very good fakes. A White House dish towel is found with the art, leading Griffin to believe Marin is involved. Added to that the exchanges of the paintings take place near hotels that Marin’s family own around the globe. There is an unexpected twist to the story. It is a must read.
I would not recommend this book
This was an OK mindless read. The main characters were a little frustrating because both were so bull headed. Fascinating descriptions of the white house and how it works…I wonder if they were accurate?