by Chloe Blake
Series: Deliciously Dechamps #2
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Kimani Romance
Publication Date: July 1st 2018
Source: ARC received for review
Rating: ★★★1/2
Italy is the perfect place for new career beginnings—at least that’s what chef Danica Nillson hopes. But one look at sexy single dad Antonio Dante Lorenzetti, and her plan to keep romance out of her kitchen goes up in flames. The millionaire restaurateur wants stability. Not unbridled passion that makes him lose his senses. Is this beautiful, talented and headstrong chef the one he’s been waiting for?
A Taste of Pleasure is another case of love at first sight for me—I mean, look at that cover! I was even more excited when I read the blurb and found out that the story was set in Italy. I love Italy and I would love to visit it again sometime in the future, but I digress.
The story starts with Danica and Antonio meeting, flirting, and later spending an amazing night together at the wedding of their mutual friend. Fast forward a year later, Dani’s career is in the shitters, so she decides to follow her mother who’s a supermodel to Italy and ends up meeting Toni again, who turns out to be the nephew of her old mentor.
It’s hard not to love Dani. She’s strong and smart, and she works so hard to prove herself in the kitchen. But she has always been in the shadows; up until she quitted, Dani was the ‘ghost chef’ in the restaurant she worked, and she had never gotten the credit she deserved. I empathized with her struggles, and I admired how she stood her ground and said “enough”. Dani has a lot of insecurities that made her real and relatable. Most of the issues she has stemmed from the relationship she has with her mother. Francesca is a supermodel, and Dani is described as a woman who is a size 16, so they clash a lot.
Toni gives out sort of a reformed rake vibe to me. He’s sexy and he knows it, but that’s not all who he is. He’s devoted to his mother and daughter. I love that he’s head over heels with Dani, and I love the part where he compares her to Botticelli paintings. Dani and Toni working together in the kitchen is a force—Dani’s cooking and Toni’s wine pairing expertise make a really great team. I love how Toni's daughter Sophia connects with Dani. Toni's mother and her kitchen tests are also a delight. The whole kitchen atmosphere reminds me of Laura Florand's books. The food descriptions were mouth-watering. They made me hungry, especially for pasta.
Another aspect that I enjoyed in the story is Dani’s bond with her mother. Their relationship is complicated, but I really felt that Francesca loves her daughter in her own way, and I love that they cleared the air between them in the end.
The only downside of reading this is that I wish I had felt more of Dani and Toni’s evident chemistry, and I’m also tired of the evil ex trope. But overall, A Taste of Pleasure is a quick and fun read. It’s surprisingly real smutty too, and that’s always a plus for me.
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About Chloe Blake:
Chloe Blake can be found dreaming up stories while she is traveling the world, or just sitting on her couch in Brooklyn, NY. When she is not writing sexy novels, she is at the newest wine bar, taking random online classes, binge watching Netflix, or searching for her next adventure. Chloe has published two erotic novels under the pseudonym Chloe Blaque. Readers can find out more about Chloe and her books from her website at www.chloeblakebooks.com.
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