Thursday, June 14, 2012

Review: The Perfect Dish by Kristen Painter

The Perfect Dish by Kristen Painter
Synopsis (Goodreads):
When Manhattan chef and notorious playboy Kelly Spicer realizes his recently widowed sister needs help, he turns to the most dangerous answer he knows: sorcery. Using the magic cookbook passed down through his family's generations, Kelly conjures up a recipe of chocolate-laced persuasion to enlist the only woman he thinks can pull his sister out of her grief.

That woman is Mery Black, grief counselor to the stars, who secretly thinks she's a jinx when it comes to men and love. When she lets that secret slip, her latest book deal gets canceled. Dating Kelly suddenly becomes the antidote to her damaged public persona. She vows she won't fall in love again, but little does she know she's about to do even more damage.

To his heart.
My Thoughts: I'm a little confused by this book. I *thought* the magical elements were going to be more integral to the plot but really this book could have done without the magic at all and still managed to make sense. Which is disappointing because I feel like the synopsis is a little misleading and it led me to expect something that was more of an accessory than anything.

Just to be clear, my disappoint had nothing to do with the writing - which was crisp and fast-paced - or the characters - I thought Kelly's little down home sayings were a hoot - and everything to do with my expectations going into the book. I should probably backtrack for a second and mention that Mery's obsession with the age gap between Kelly and her was a little annoying. I mean, really. Get over it, lady. Don't let a measly 12 years drag you down.

While decent, I was never so entranced by the world that I couldn't put the book down. I did enjoy it but my magical expectations weren't met and that saddened me.

And on an entirely personal note, boys named Kelly confuse me. That's my name and I'm not a boy. It always takes me a while to wrap my head around.

Author Links
| Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon | Kindle | Paperback |

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

2 comments:

  1. Ah, yes. This was the book that we started to read together and then I crapped out and decided to read something else. I was sad that there wasn't a stronger magical aspect, too. Between the synopsis and cover it seems like it should play a bigger role than it actually does (at least for the 33% or so that I read).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think there is approximately 3% magic in the entire book. According to my highly sophisticated math skills, you would have experienced 1% of that in your 33% read.

      *bows to applause*
      I'm here all week, people!

      Delete