Review: Accidentally Engaged

Accidentally Engaged was my first Farah Heron novel. I admit I do own a copy of her debut, The Chai Factor, but, for some strange reason, haven't gotten around to reading it yet. After absolutely devouring her latest though? I'll be moving it up the queue.

Here's the book's description:

Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciated that Heron set this novel in Toronto. Too often us Canadian readers find that our authors are encouraged to set their stories somewhere in the US because it's more "relatable" or some such nonsense. I know a lot of American readers who don't care one way or the other so I'm hopeful that soon we'll see even more Canadian cities, and small towns, featured in books published in the US. 

Reena was an absolutely delightful character. She was funny and smart and I constantly found myself wishing we could get together for a beer. (Mmm some of the beer she and Nadim had sounded sooo good.) She by no means had her life figured out and I could definitely identify with that. I was rooting for her the entire way through and hoped she'd find her Happily Ever After for herself (but also, of course, with Nadim because they were just too cute). 

The storyline with the cooking show Reena and Nadim enter was too fun. Food was a big part of this story and will leave you craving bread and delicious meals while you're reading. Me included even though sourdough isn't my favourite kind of bread and a lot of the spices Reena used aren't ones I like. But there we have it! Back to the show. I think it was also more enjoyable for me because I love wholesome cooking shows. Great British (or Canadian) Baking Show? (As it's called over here...Great British Bake Off is the title back in England.) I adore them and they've been a balm during the last year. It was really nice to escape into that kind of cooking competition world, at least a little, in Heron's novel.

Even though this is, technically, a rom com, Heron packs a lot into the story that isn't as lighthearted as a romance may suggest. And I am HERE for it. Reena not only has to deal with overbearing parents but she also has job loss and a spotty relationship track record. Plus, she and her sister have a very complicated relationship and both women have mental health issues that are in various stages of being addressed. Heron has her characters being quite open about most things - even for a story that is full of (sometimes ridiculous) secrets - and I appreciated that. I like my rom coms with a heavy dose of real life and am glad to see more of those being written.

Accidentally Engaged was a delight from start to finish and I definitely recommend contemporary readers check this one out. Farah Heron has given us a smart and entertaining novel that will get under everyone's skin, in the best possible way, and also have everyone craving bread!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HBG Canada/Forever, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Skinny Bitch Gets Hitched

I read Kim Barnouin's first novel, Skinny Bitch in Love, last summer and absolutely adored it. I was thrilled when I learned there was going to be a second book in the series. I finally got around to reading Skinny Bitch Gets Hitched last week (well after the publication date of  May 6) and I loved it. I think I liked the first one more but this second installment was really enjoyable.

Here's the synopsis:

For the second time in just a few short months, Clementine Cooper's professional reputation hinges on one restaurant review. Clementine's No Crap Cafe is poised to score the Holy Grail of publicity - a mention in the New York Times Sunday travel section - if Clem's veggietastic lasagna can bowl over the food critic.
Clem has no time for distractions. Or surprises. But when her meat-eating millionaire boyfriend Zach Jeffries shocks her with a sweet and romantic marriage proposal, of course she says yes! Now she has to plan the most important menu of her life while fending off her domineering future mother-in-law's extravagant plans for the wedding.
As if there wasn't enough on her plate, Clem decides to open a second restaurant on her parents' farm,Clem's No Crap Outpost, against Zach's advice. Just when she needs his support the most, Zach grows distant. The only person who really seems to understand is Clem's friend and biggest competition, the cute vegan chef Alexander Orr. Putting out fires in the kitchen is easy, but in her relationship? Suddenly, her time with Alexander feels...hotter...than usual, and Clem starts to wonder if the charming carnivore she's engaged to is really the man she should spend her life with.

One of my problems with this book was that it seemed like Simon & Schuster really rushed it to publication. On the minor end: there was one word that were only half italicized (perhaps because there was emphasis on the one part but why have the whole word be italicized in every other mention of it?) and another that had missed the first letter being italicized. There were other, more troublesome, issues, too. There seemed to be quite a bit of repetition. I expect there to be some information given in the second book of a series that I already know because I read the first book. But what I don't expect, or want, is that information told to me again...and again. There was something to do with Alexander (silly me didn't note the page number) that was mentioned at least twice throughout the novel in almost the exact same way. Finally, I had a really hard time following the time line of this novel. Sometimes it was very clear when weeks went by but other times (especially for the epilogue), I had zero idea when it was taking place. I think that contributed to the rushed feeling I had. Those are some specific(ish) examples but, as a whole, I felt the story to be a bit rough and I think the author and editor(s) needed to spend more time on it.

Enough negativity! I really did like this book. I liked it because it's full of a great cast of characters. Clem, our heroine, isn't going to be for everyone. Not just because of her personality (she can be stubborn and mouthy) but because of her age, which, I suppose, plays a large part in her personality. She's, I think, 25 and I know some people might find that they can't relate to her (just like I can't really relate to the mom characters I read). I like that her BFF, Sara, was still very involved in her life. As much as I wanted to strangle Dominique, Zach's mother, I liked that she was a good match for Clem. They're a similar type of woman, strong and used to getting what she wants, and I'm happy with how their relationship ended up. I adored Keira, Zach's step-sister. She was around 19 or so, and had a great personality and was just so much fun to read about. I'm also glad Alexander was around a little bit in this book (even if I'm not totally sure it was necessary) as I have a bit of a soft spot for him! Oh, and I loved Aunt Jocelyn just as much as Clem did. She was the older, wiser, confidante Clem needed and she had a fabulous personality.

I liked the behind the scenes look at the restaurant industry in this book. It was fun to read about Clem working in and running her restaurant's kitchen (though, my god, do I hate the name Clementine's No Crap Cafe). I suppose I liked it, in part, because I always enjoy reading about jobs and such that I have no experience with. I hate cooking. I can make enough so I don't die but I just don't enjoy it (though I will happily make a cake or muffins) so reading about a bunch of characters who live to make food for themselves and others was neat.

Skinny Bitch Gets Hitched was a really fun, perfect for summer, chick lit novel. Kim Barnouin has written a great second novel in her series that was enjoyable, even if I liked the first one more. If you like food, weddings, and chick lit, check this one out!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: Delicious!

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Delicious!, Ruth Reichl's first work of fiction. The synopsis reeled me in but the book ended up being so much more than I expected. I really loved this novel because it ended up having much more depth than I anticipated.

Here's the synopsis:

Billie Breslin has traveled far from her California home to take a job at Delicious, the most iconic food magazine in New York and, thus, the world. When the publication is summarily shut down, the colorful staff, who have become an extended family for Billie, must pick up their lives and move on. Not Billie, though. She is offered a new job: staying behind in the magazine's deserted downtown mansion offices to uphold the "Delicious Guarantee"-a public relations hotline for complaints and recipe inquiries-until further notice. What she doesn't know is that this boring, lonely job will be the portal to a life-changing discovery.
Delicious! carries the reader to the colorful world of downtown New York restaurateurs and artisanal purveyors, and from the lively food shop in Little Italy where Billie works on weekends to a hidden room in the magazine's library where she discovers the letters of Lulu Swan, a plucky twelve-year-old, who wrote to the legendary chef James Beard during World War II. Lulu's letters lead Billie to a deeper understanding of history (and the history of food), but most important, Lulu's courage in the face of loss inspires Billie to come to terms with her own issues-the panic attacks that occur every time she even thinks about cooking, the truth about the big sister she adored, and her ability to open her heart to love.

Billie was a really interesting character. She was such a meek and withdrawn character, which are not exactly characteristics that make for a great heroine. However, I could tell that she wasn't going to stay that way forever and I was eager to find out how she was going to grow as a person. Slight side note: I was also excited that she was in her early twenties. This is a New Adult novel that I could get behind! Even though Billie was young, she had some life experiences that no young adult should ever have to deal with (there's a twist in there that I sort of saw coming but I was still shocked when I learned the truth!). Part of her growth as a person had to do with actually dealing with those experiences instead of running away from them. My heart went out to her as she dealt with her feelings but I knew it was for the best. And it was. The person she becomes by the end of the book, complete with a lovely surface makeover – new clothes, make up, and hair – is wonderful. I found myself wishing I could be her friend!

The part of the novel I wasn't expecting had to do with Lulu's letters and how much World War II history was woven into the story. It wasn't the typical sort of WWII info you might find in a novel. Instead, it focused on the (American) home front and what the average family had to do to help with the war efforts. Because this was such a foodie novel, a lot of this had to do with food rationing, which was super interesting to read about. It also touched on how the women would have felt when they kept the factories, and everything else, running while the men were off fighting. I always knew it would have been tough but hearing about how Lulu's mother dealt with it really made an impression. I don't think this book would have been nearly as strong had it not been for Lulu, the puzzle surrounding her letters, and the WWII history.

If you're looking for a really good, well told novel, pick up Delicious! I really enjoyed Ruth Reichl's novel and I think many others would too. It has a little bit of everything and the foodie in you will love hearing about all of the shops, restaurants, and dishes Billie encounters.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Random House of Canada, in exchange for an honest review.*

Guest Post: Cindy Arora

Welcome to my second stop for the tour of Heartbreak Cake by Cindy Arora! I reviewed the novel earlier this week (my review is here) and I thought it was really sweet! Today Cindy was kind enough to stop by with a great guest post. I was curious to know how she made her novel stand out when there are all sorts of baking themed chick lit novels out there. I hope you enjoy her post!

When I set out to write HEARTBREAK CAKE, my desire was not to just write about a bakery, but to write about the food world as it stands today. These days, in the world of Twitter, Facebook, food blogs and Pulitzer Prize winning food writing, it can be said that chefs and food people have a certain level of celebrity panache—but  with that also comes a newfound level of accountability.

Here in Los Angeles, food culture has reached a new level of cool. People who are interested can get their daily dose of food gossip from media outlets. People follow with interest when new restaurants open, old favorites are closing, when chefs have tantrums or when they change their seasonal menus. Much like celebrity magazines or online news channels, people who love food and want to be in the know can easily find out “who’s who and what’s what” with the click of their mouse or iPhone.

I come from years of working in the food industry in one form or another—I’ve been a coffee girl, fromager, baker’s assistant, cocktail waitress and ornery breakfast slinger. The last 10 years, I worked as a food writer and publicist, so I was able to get behind the scenes and see how the media has become a huge part of the food industry. It also allowed me to witness how small the world is and how one’s reputation can and does precede you! So play nicely!

HEARTBREAK CAKE is set in a bakery, and there’s plenty of talk about cake, cookies and pie. But at the core of the book, it’s about the unique dynamic of the food community and how the main character, Indira Aguilar, must delicately weave her way through it in order to save her business while also trying to get over heartbreak with the wrong guy, deal with family issues, and also meet a great new guy.

When I created all of the characters, I pulled from different parts of the food world to play important roles for the heroine and her merry band of friends—the city Farmers Market, the luxury resort hotel on the California coast, a national award winning chef who works on a food reality television show, a French patisserie, and the media (blogs, newspapers, social media). They all affect Indira and the decisions she has to make in order to find the right journey for herself.

It’s a tough time for Indira, but nothing a little heartbreak cake, some laughs and good friendships won’t help her get through!

Thanks so much for having me here to talk about HEARTBREAK CAKE! It’s been a real pleasure. You can learn more about me and my book at www.cindyarora.com.