Always forward. Never back. I’ve lived my life to that mantra. The past should stay in the past, buried along with the discomfort and heartache.Always forward.I’m at the top of my game, dubbed as Australia’s most popular celebrity chef by Voyeur magazine. I’m the youngest chef to ever get a Michelin Star. I’ve travelled the world, thrown everything I have at my career, and I have zero regrets. … I have at my career, and I have zero regrets.
Never back.
Then I receive an invite to a reunion. Suddenly that past I’ve buried comes flooding back: the girl I waited for; the girl I protected; the girl I loved with every inch of my soul; the girl who got away…
The girl who didn’t care.
The girl who used me then left me for someone else.
Now I’m going back. Even though I promised myself I’d never think about that heartless b!tch again.
Tensions flare when Brad is faced with his first love and the reality behind her leaving in this emotionally heart wrenching standalone. Taste: Beautiful Series, six. Containing new and extended scenes from A Beautiful Taste in this updated novel.
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Some tastes are bitter some are sweet and some are like life…. a combination of both
Taste is the sixth and last book in the Beautiful series by Lilliana Anderson. This is another wonderfully written story by the author in this series. The characters of Dakota “Cody” Morgan and Bradley Rae are both well developed and have a lot of depth and emotion to them. There are also characters from the other books in the series that pop up and help move the story-line along.
Cody has been in love with Brad since she was thirteen and he was sixteen. But as she is so young he stays away from her, cutting off their friendship and crushing her. Three years later and they start their friendship up again along with some romance. But it was not a true course for a reunion between these two or a future together. Cody disappears on Brad without a word which leaves him upset and confused, as he had waited for three years to be close to her, keeping all other boys away from her during that time. Now she is twenty-three and working as a waitress while Brad has become a successful and very hot chef. When they have a reunion at a regatta Brad wants to know why she left. What Cody finally shares will rip your heart in two and make you shed more than a few tears. Brad is supportive, loving and there for her. If Cody can finally deal with things then she and Brad may finally get that HEA they were always fated to have.
I read an advanced copy of this book and am leaving a voluntary and honest review. My opinions are all my own.
Brad And Dakota’s Is A Painfully Beautiful Story Of True Love Persevering Over All Else!
This is book six in the Beautiful series. It is celebrity chef Bradley Rae and Dakota Morgan’s story. It reads perfectly as a stand-alone, but Brad plays a supporting role in book five of the series, Star, and that book provides additional details on his background as well as a peak at his life in a period not covered here. Characters from previous books in the series pop up. Elliot and Paige are present from Forever, book two – Elliot, a personal trainer, is Brad’s best friend from their teen years. Movie star Jonathan Masters and Sandra Haegan from Voyeur Magazine are mentioned from book five. Matiari and Marcus Bailey are also referenced from books three and four.
Dakota Morgan – or Cody – finds herself at age twenty-three working the same job she has had since age fourteen. She waitresses full time now and helps with other odd jobs at her parents’ club. The Syndney Kayaking Club is their life, and one day it will belong to her. It was there that she first saw the love of her life, Brad. She was thirteen, he sixteen. He had been angry when her father, Coach Morgan, informed him of her age. Brad stopped speaking to her and kept himself surrounded by a steady stream girls, yet for the next three years he wouldn’t let her move on. At sixteen she had reason to believe they could finally have a future together, but tragedy threw their fated reunion off course. Seven years later, she dreads the possibility of seeing Brad again at the club’s fundraiser. She knows he deserves answers, but talking about it would take tremendous courage.
Bradley Rae, twenty-six, is Syndey’s own celebrity chef. Featured in magazines, newspapers, and occasionally on television, he travels internationally for guest gigs and to research trends. Keeping his menu fresh is critical for success, but he loves being home and working as head chef at Quay, one of Syndey’s most popular dining destinations. The restaurant is like family and he loves cooking because it comforts him. Although Brad wasn’t wanted by his parents, he was raised from age ten by his great Aunt Ruby, who had patiently loved and nurtured him until her death. He began cooking at age sixteen, when he quit school and began an apprenticeship. It was the same year that Aunt Ruby had signed him up for kayaking at the club to keep him out of trouble and instill discipline. The same year he met Cody. He had never loved another woman. It would be so much better if he could, but the answers he never got still eat away at him and prevent him from letting go. He needs answers so that he can be free of the past.
Brad and Dakota’s love had been forbidden, yet stood the test of time only for the couple to be cruelly ripped apart once again. Their reunion is raw and emotional, but the answers are stunning and unexpected. Although they both recognize their love for one another and a desire to be together, they need to deal with the aftermath of their separation and accept what happened. Dakota worries about protecting her secrets, and Brad deals with tremendous guilt. They are both blessed with hearts that love deeply, enabling them to accept whole-heartedly. Brad’s Aunt Ruby plays an important role in his life, and their love for one another gives him great strength as an adult, despite her passing. Brad and Dakota’s is a painfully beautiful story of true love persevering over all else. The couple earns their tearful HEA … but there is a hint at the end that their story isn’t yet over?!?
There are a few issues that may bother some readers. First, there several typos. *Spoilers* Second, Brad wasn’t entirely honest with Dakota about his relationship with Ruby. A line had been crossed a year ago, and Ruby very recently tried to kiss him. Even if he never intended to allow it, he toyed with Ruby and led her on with his body language, granted before Dakota returned but it was still dishonest. Beyond that, it is even worse that he chose to speak to Ruby about his troubles with Dakota. A line was crossed, Ruby was recently interested, he hadn’t been forthcoming – he had no business talking to Ruby, whose motives and judgement might not be impartial. And if he were sincerely a good friend, he wouldn’t burden Ruby, a girl that likes him, with the details of his love life – especially when her personal life is crashing. Considering the sensitive issues involved, it was especially careless. Although he admits fault to some of this, he didn’t recognize all of it.
Brad and Dakota’s story is a story of true love, guilt, and acceptance. It is nicely written. The plot is fairly simple, though the subject matter is deep. The characters are well-defined. Both Brad and Dakota are fiercely protective. Dakota’s story is harrowing, and Brad’s is a wonderful illustration of the power of nurture triumphing over that of nature. Aunt Ruby is memorable in her limited role. The POV alternates between Brad and Dakota. I rate this book four stars.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.