Menu for Romance Review

Cater to your craving for fabulous fictional fare with Menu for Romance, where a party planner finds herself torn between the contractor and the cook. After eight years of unrequited love, Meredith Guidry makes a New Year's resolution to find someone new and end her single status before the year's over. And when she meets a handsome contractor on New Year's Day, it seems like her prayers have been answered.

Executive Chef Major O'Hara has forsworn relationships, knowing he could never saddle the woman he loves with a family situation like his. But when it seems he's about to lose Meredith Guidry to another man, he realizes he must concoct a menu for romance to win her back.


After reading The Stand In Groom by author Kaye Dacus earlier this year, I was eager to continue on the journey with her well-crafted characters.

As with Stand In Groom the cover for this one was very nice. Very contemporary and fun. That’s always a plus with me. If the cover isn’t great I probably won’t pick it up.

This story is about Meredith Guidry and Major O’Hara. If you read the first book, you’ll remember, Meredith as Anne’s cousin who runs the event center after Anne left to start her own wedding consultant business. Major is the longtime chef who has a great relationship with the Guidry family.

As with the first, this book centers around the close knit family dynamic that I fell in love with in Stand in Groom.

The author did a great job creating conflict and drama. You’ll find that page after page you’ll be eager for Major and Merideth to figure out how crazy over each other they are. As with the first book, it’s easy to fall in love with the well crafted characters in this series. I still wish I could join in on their weekly family dinners.

Something else worth mentioning is the setting. The Bonneterre setting was so strong it played out like its own character. So much that I wish I could visit.

Even after the book concludes, you’re left satisfied to know she has a massive amount of potential for future books with this cast of cousins and siblings.

Overall—great read. I’d definitely suggest this author to friends and family!

STAND IN GROOM REVIEW

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Stand-In Groom
Barbour Publishing, Inc (January 2009)

by
Kaye Dacus


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kaye Dacus is an author and editor who has been writing fiction for more than twenty years. A former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kaye enjoys being an active ACFW member and the fellowship and community of hundreds of other writers from across the country and around the world that she finds there.

She currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, which she co-founded in 2003 with three other writers. Each month, she teaches a two-hour workshop on an aspect of the craft of writing at the MTCW monthly meeting. But her greatest joy comes from mentoring new writers through her website and seeing them experience those “aha” moments when a tricky concept becomes clear.


ABOUT THE BOOK

When wedding planner Anne Hawthorne meets George Laurence, she thinks she's found the man of her dreams. But when he turns out to be a client, her "dream" quickly turns into a nightmare. Will Anne risk her heart and career on this engaging Englishman?

George came to Louisiana to plan his employer's wedding and pose as the groom. But how can he feign affection for a supposed fiancee when he's so achingly attracted to the wedding planner? And what will happen when Anne discovers his role has been Stand-In Groom only? Will she ever trust George again? Can God help these two believers find a happy ending?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Stand-In Groom, go HERE

What they're saying about it:

“Dacus pulls off a delightful story that places readers in the heart of the South with the debut of the Brides of Bonneterre series. Readers will enjoy this look at how lives are transformed through devastating events and how forgiveness is the key to a promising future. Nothing is as it seems in this heartwarming story.”
–Romantic Times, 4-Star Review

“Absolutely delightful! I enjoyed Stand-In Groom from cover to cover! Ms. Dacus’s clever story and wonderful prose will draw you away to a place deep in the heart of Louisiana, surrounding you with the scents, sounds, and sights of the deep south. A story filled with romance and intrigue, betrayal and forgiveness, I found myself laughing, crying and rejoicing right along with the characters.”
–M.L. Tyndall, author of The Falcon and the Sparrow and the award-winning Legacy of the King’s Pirates series

“Stand-In Groom is as sweet, beautiful, and chaotic as a perfectly planned wedding. Anne is a bright and wounded heroine you’re going to care about for a long time. George is a hero to capture your heart. Kaye Dacus will take you along for a fun, poignent ride in Stand-In Groom.”
–Mary Connealy, author of the Lassoed in Texas series and Of Mice...and Murder

SABRINA HERE:

I loved this book. Mostly because Dacus did a marvelous job in creating a memorable cast. There are so many rich characters to fall in love with in this series I found myself wishing I could join in on their weekly family dinners.

It was obvious the author would be able to continue the series by taking us on a journey through the lives of these fun cousins/siblings.

Also, something worth mentioning—you could tell the author was educated in writing/literature. She did such a good job in staying within the rules of good writing. For a first book, it was much more polished than most. I also loved loved loved the cover. Barbour did a great job with this one. :) Hope to see more like it from them.

Overall, can’t wait to read the next one and I've definitely added this writer to my list of favorites. Stop by later this month as I’ll be having another drawing for books. This one will be included. :)