Bella Moore thought she had everything she ever wanted. The host of a hit reality show, she’s at the top of her career. So when her show goes on hiatus for six months and she finally has downtime, she decides to return to her roots and visit her sister in Cherry Lake. What she doesn’t expect is to love the town and the temporary chef position she’s taken on at the Lake Hotel. Jake Woods is … Woods is focused on his son and his job as the local fire chief. Things are moving along nicely until the new chef at the Lake Hotel almost burns the place down. Jake knows that Bella inherited a mess from the chef before her and he’s keen to help her.
After weeks of working together in tight quarters, Jake and Bella can’t ignore the sparks between them. But Bella’s stay in Cherry Lake is only temporary and Jake still hasn’t recovered from losing his wife a few years ago. They’ll have to decide whether or not the flame between them can survive without the heat of the kitchen.
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Another good read based in Montana….Book two in the Moore Sisters series is so totally different and that is cool because these sisters are the opposite as day and night. In Valentine kisses we get to know Bella the chef of the family. Masterchef as a matter of fact. Yep that one from the tv show. She has come home to rest and relax only that is not something she can do as an ADD person and one who had to help people if she sees they need help. Then she meets the hot fire chief Jake when she sets her sister’s oven on fire. YEP. What a wonderful and fun read based in my second favorite Montana town, Cherry Lake.
I enjoyed reading the Watson Brothers series, so jumped at the chance to read an advanced reading copy from netgalley.com. I did not read the first book in this new series, so was a bit disoriented by characters that must have been introduced in the first book, but just casually mentioned here. The book starts with a Prologue, but it really is a quick summary of the story. This might have changed in the released copy. Those are the only cons.
This endearing story is about Bella Moore, an overachiever, who loves to cook and worked her way up from burger joints and caterers to winning Masterchef and getting her own show. However, her producer, suspecting burnout, has ordered her to take a break and rented her a lovely cottage in the small town of Cherry Lake, where one of her sisters has bought a hotel. Widower, Jake Woods is the fire chief, and they meet in not so great circumstances- he rescues her from a grease fire that she accidentally starts in the old, needing renovations, kitchen at the hotel. There is an instant spark between them, but her only being there temporarily and wary of men, after she had been used by hanger ons and his need to protect his son and his heart, have them keeping their relationship on the friend level, until they can’t deny that there could be so much more. Will Bella realize that it is time to find a new dream and make it work? Will Jake be able to handle her “star” status?
The characters are well developed and the conflicts real. Well worth the read.
Valentine Kisses by Ann B. Harrison
The Moore Sisters of Montana Book #2
Bella Moore, sudden sensation on the small screen, has had her cooking show put on hiatus to prevent her from burning out. She is a dynamo in and out of the kitchen and doesn’t take sitting down easily so soon finds she is cooking at the Lake Hotel for her sister who has just lost her chef. When there is a fire in the kitchen she meets Jack Woods, fire chief. There is instant attraction but both realize they are too dissimilar and live too far apart to really make a long term connection. That doesn’t stop them from spending time together and that time they spend leads to caring and sharing BUT can her glitzy high profile job mesh with his small town job? And, what about his son and his father and her job and…well…the list is endless.
This is the second story in the series and was a fun easy read. I had trouble seeing what the two main characters saw in one another but did enjoy reading their story and really liked Jack’s son Cory and Cory’s relationship with Bella. I look forward to seeing what will come next in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3-4 Stars