Download or read book The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique written by Samantha Vérant and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-12-06 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A talented chef discovers how spices and scents can transport her—and, more importantly, how self-confidence can unlock the greatest magic of all: love—in this perfectly seasoned new novel by Samantha Vérant. Kate Jenkins doesn’t believe in fate. She believes in a clear vision, meticulous planning, and hard work in order to achieve her culinary dreams. On the cusp of opening her own Parisian restaurant, Bistro Exotique, she isn’t even concerned when her standoffish—and annoyingly sexy—neighbor dismisses her as a crazy American tourist or when she meets the wildly eccentric Garrance, the self-proclaimed Spice Master of Paris, who ominously warns her of the previous owner’s failures. Confident and optimistic, Kate keeps calm and cooks on. Until a series of unfortunate events derail her plans and her entire staff quits. Kate is about to throw in the kitchen towel on her lifelong dream when Garrance offers to use her mastery of scents and spices to help her, but it comes at a price: Kate must work with Garrance’s son, Charles, a world-class chef and total jerk. After Kate hesitantly concedes to the deal, she slowly learns to open her heart and mind to new concepts, not quite sure if the magic she’s experiencing comes from Garrance’s spices, from within herself, or from the growing chemistry with Charles. One thing is certain, though: her kitchen is getting increasingly hot.

Download or read book The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux written by Samantha Vérant and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-09-08 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A disgraced chef rediscovers her passion for food and her roots in this stunning novel rich in culture and full of delectable recipes. French-born American chef Sophie Valroux had one dream: to be part of the 1% of female chefs running a Michelin-starred restaurant. From spending summers with her grandmother, who taught her the power of cooking and food, to attending the Culinary Institute of America, Sophie finds herself on the cusp of getting everything she's dreamed of. Until her career goes up in flames. Sabotaged by a fellow chef, Sophie is fired, leaving her reputation ruined and confidence shaken. To add fuel to the fire, Sophie learns that her grandmother has suffered a stroke and takes the red-eye to France. There, Sophie discovers the simple home she remembers from her childhood is now a luxurious château, complete with two restaurants and a vineyard. As Sophie tries to reestablish herself in the kitchen, she comes to understand the lengths people will go to for success and love, and how dreams can change.

Download or read book Group Therapy written by BB Easton and published by BB Easton. This book was released on 2022-02-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of 44 Chapters About 4 Men (inspiration for the Netflix Original Series Sex/Life) comes a fun, forbidden romantic comedy about an inexperienced psychologist and her ultra-famous client. I am thiiiiis close to finally becoming a full-fledged psychologist. PhD? Check. Prestigious postdoc position, providing therapy to entitled millionaires and C-list celebrities whose pumpkin spice lattes cost more than my Converse and make excellent projectiles during their reality TV–worthy tantrums? Check. Letter of recommendation from my velociraptor-like supervisor? That’s going to take a miracle. Not only because my boss said I have to cure our most-prized client’s writer’s block in time for him to meet his insane deadline, but also because that client just so happens to be … Thomas F*@%ing O’Reardon. Yeah, that Thomas O’Reardon. The wickedly brilliant, achingly beautiful, devastatingly British best-selling author whose psychological thrillers line my bookshelf at home and whose face I might or might not picture while I … you get the point. Sitting in a confined space with him; inhaling the crisp, clean scent of his cologne; gazing into his broody blue eyes while trying to remember to nod and listen and come up with suggestions that don’t involve taking our clothes off … it’s torture. So, when Thomas casually asks me out at the end of a therapy session, I’m forced to make an impossible choice: say yes and risk losing my dream job, or say no and risk losing my dream guy. In a panic, I blurt out a third option—the only solution I can think of that will allow me to see this man after hours without it being considered a career-ending ethics violation: Group therapy. The only problem? I’ve never actually done group therapy. And side problem: my other clients are ... a handful. But what’s the worst that could happen? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to lose all control of the group and let it devolve into a chaotic, bloodthirsty, topless fight club. Right? PLEASE NOTE: Group Therapy is intended for mature audiences who enjoy dark humor, adorably quirky characters, forbidden love, delicious tension, explicit adult content, and infuriatingly handsome British heroes. For a comprehensive CW (with spoilers), please visit the author's website. Enjoy!

Download or read book Homecoming King written by Penny Reid and published by Cipher-Naught. This book was released on 2021-12-14 with total page 671 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rex "TW" McMurtry’s perpetual single-hood wouldn't bother him so much if all his ex-girlfriends didn't keep marrying the very next person they dated, especially when so many of those grooms are his closest friends. He may be a pro-football defensive end for the Chicago Squalls, but the press only wants to talk about how he's always a groomsman and never a groom. Rex is sick of being the guy before the husband, and he’s most definitely sick of being the best man at all their weddings. Bartender Abigail McNerny is the gal-pal, the wing-woman, the she-BFF. She's dated. Once. And once was more than enough. Privy to all the sad stories of her customers, ‘contentment over commitment’ is her motto, and Abby is convinced no one on earth could ever entice her into a romantic relationship . . . except that one guy she’s loved since preschool. The guy who just walked into her bar. The guy who doesn’t recognize her. The guy who is drunk and needs a ride home. The guy who has a proposition she should definitely refuse.

Download or read book A Cross Country Christmas written by Courtney Walsh and published by . This book was released on 2022-10-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lauren Richmond isn't a fan of Christmas.Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy-namely, her duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom.But this December, Lauren's brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will.Unfortunately for Lauren, she's been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than ten years.Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she's stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois.She's circumspect and organized. He's flirty and spontaneous. She's convinced that people don't change. He's trying to prove to her (and himself) that he has.On this cross-country road trip, they'll both discover that history doesn't exactly repeat itself. . . but like any good Christmas carol, it does have a second verse.

Download or read book Totally Folked written by Penny Reid and published by Cipher-Naught. This book was released on 2021-07-20 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One unforgettable night leads to an unlikely shared connection, and unlikely connections never go unnoticed by the good folks in Green Valley, Tennessee. . . Jackson James follows the rules. He has to. He’s a sheriff’s deputy in a super small town with a super big personality. However, strict adherence to the law during the day has been enjoyably balanced by rakish rules at night. Jackson, typically happy to protect and serve (and serve, and serve), starts questioning the value of wayward evenings when getting laid starts to feel more like being waylaid. Could it be that Green Valley’s most eligible—and notorious—bachelor longs for something (and someone) real? Mega movie star Raquel Ezra follows only one rule: always leave them wanting more. Studio execs, reporters, audiences, fans, lovers—no one can get enough of the smart, savvy, and sexy bombshell. But when “generous offers” begin to feel more like excessive demands, years of always leaving has the elusive starlet longing for something (and perhaps someone) lasting. When Raquel abruptly returns to the quirky Tennessee hamlet, her path crosses with the delectable deputy with whom she spent one unforgettable night. Unfortunately, scandal and intrigue soon follow. Raquel and Jackson must decide which is more important: following their rules? Or, at long last, finding something real. ‘Totally Folked’ is the first book in the Good Folk series and is a full-length, small town, contemporary romantic comedy novel. TOTALLY FOLKED is a standalone, contemporary romantic comedy novel and book #1 in the Good Folk: Modern Folktales series.

Download or read book How to Make a French Family written by Samantha Vérant and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Say bonjour to a whole new way of life! Take one French widower, his two young children, and drop a former city girl from Chicago into a small town in southwestern France. Shake vigorously... and voilá: a blended Franco-American family whose lives will all drastically change. Floating on a cloud of newlywed bliss, Samantha couldn't wait to move to France to begin her life with her new husband, Jean-Luc, and his kids. But almost from the moment the plane touches down, Samantha realizes that there are a lot of things about her new home—including flea-ridden cats, grumpy teenagers, and language barriers—that she hadn't counted on. Struggling to feel at home and wondering when exactly her French fairy tale is going to start, Samantha isn't sure if she really has what it takes to make it in la belle France. But when a second chance at life and love is on the line, giving up isn't an option. How to Make a French Family is the heartwarming and sometimes hilarious story of the culture clashes and faux pas that , in the end, add up to one happy family.

Download or read book How to Be a Heroine written by Samantha Ellis and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2015-02-03 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While debating literature’s greatest heroines with her best friend, thirtysomething playwright Samantha Ellis has a revelation—her whole life, she's been trying to be Cathy Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights when she should have been trying to be Jane Eyre. With this discovery, she embarks on a retrospective look at the literary ladies—the characters and the writers—whom she has loved since childhood. From early obsessions with the March sisters to her later idolization of Sylvia Plath, Ellis evaluates how her heroines stack up today. And, just as she excavates the stories of her favorite characters, Ellis also shares a frank, often humorous account of her own life growing up in a tight-knit Iraqi Jewish community in London. Here a life-long reader explores how heroines shape all our lives.

Download or read book Natalie Tan s Book of Luck and Fortune written by Roselle Lim and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-06-11 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lush and visual, chock-full of delicious recipes, Roselle Lim’s magical debut novel is about food, heritage, and finding family in the most unexpected places. At the news of her mother’s death, Natalie Tan returns home. The two women hadn’t spoken since Natalie left in anger seven years ago, when her mother refused to support her chosen career as a chef. Natalie is shocked to discover the vibrant neighborhood of San Francisco’s Chinatown that she remembers from her childhood is fading, with businesses failing and families moving out. She’s even more surprised to learn she has inherited her grandmother’s restaurant. The neighborhood seer reads the restaurant’s fortune in the leaves: Natalie must cook three recipes from her grandmother’s cookbook to aid her struggling neighbors before the restaurant will succeed. Unfortunately, Natalie has no desire to help them try to turn things around—she resents the local shopkeepers for leaving her alone to take care of her agoraphobic mother when she was growing up. But with the support of a surprising new friend and a budding romance, Natalie starts to realize that maybe her neighbors really have been there for her all along.

Download or read book Liar s Bench written by Kim Michele Richardson and published by Kensington Publishing Corporation. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes recipes and a reading group guide (pages [254]-261).

Download or read book An Accidental Odyssey written by kc dyer and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-12-14 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An unexpected phone call derails a young woman's wedding plans and sparks an epic adventure around the modern-day Mediterranean in this “mouth-watering voyage” (Kirkus Reviews) of a novel by kc dyer. Gianna Kostas is on the cusp of a fairy-tale life. Sure, she's just lost her job, but she's about to marry one of New York's most eligible bachelors. On her way to taste wedding cakes, though, things go sideways. Shocking news sends Gia off on a wild journey halfway around the world in pursuit of her ailing—and nearly estranged—father. In Athens, she learns Dr. Kostas, a classics professor, is determined to retrace Odysseus's famous voyage. This is a journey her father is in no condition to take alone, so Gia faces a tough decision. When an unexpected job offer helps seal the deal and quash the guilt Gia feels from her disapproving groom-to-be, the journey is on. But as Gia adventures—and eats—her way around the Mediterranean, she discovers that confronting epic storms and ripped surfer dudes might be the easy part. Along the way, as she uncovers family secrets, finds heartbreak, and learns more about a certain archaeologist with a mysterious past of his own, Gia discovers that fairy-tale endings might be messy and complicated, but they can happen anywhere.

Download or read book Rebel Daughter written by Lori Banov Kaufmann and published by Ember. This book was released on 2022-02-22 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Jewish Book Award Winner • Christy Award Finalist A young woman survives the unthinkable in this stunning and emotionally satisfying tale of family, love, and resilience, set against the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Esther dreams of so much more than the marriage her parents have arranged to a prosperous silversmith. Always curious and eager to explore, she must accept the burden of being the dutiful daughter. Yet she is torn between her family responsibilities and her own desires; she longs for the handsome Jacob, even though he treats her like a child, and is confused by her attraction to the Roman freedman Tiberius, a man who should be her sworn enemy. Meanwhile, the growing turmoil threatens to tear apart not only her beloved city, Jerusalem, but also her own family. As the streets turn into a bloody battleground between rebels and Romans, Esther's journey becomes one of survival. She remains fiercely devoted to her family, and braves famine, siege, and slavery to protect those she loves. This emotional and impassioned saga, based on real characters and meticulous research, seamlessly blends the fascinating story of the Jewish people with a timeless protagonist determined to take charge of her own life against all odds.

Download or read book It s Nice Outside written by Jim Kokoris and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2015-12-08 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's. Nice. Outside. explores that universal tension between being a parent and keeping true to yourself. In this laugh-out-loud, heartbreaking, generous family novel, Jim Kokoris returns to the heartfelt writing of The Rich Part of Life. Meet John Nichols. He's 50-something years old, an ex-basketball player, ex-author, ex-philanderer, ex-husband, ex-high school English teacher. And he's father to three: two overachieving adult daughters, and 19 year-old Ethan, who will never be an adult. John's oldest daughter is getting married, and as the whole family travels from their homes in New York and the Chicago area, John is secretly preparing for a life-change that will alter his family's hearts forever.

Download or read book On the Sweet Side written by Audrey Carlan and published by HarperCollins Australia. This book was released on 2023-02-01 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Audrey Carlan comes a story of sisters, self-discovery, and a little something sweet. Baking is Isabeau Collins’ life. Back from studying under the finest chefs in France and Italy, and with a newly minted culinary degree in hand, Izzy is ready to pursue her dream: whipping up creative confections in her own custom cake shop. But her perfect plans are waylaid when two women claiming to be her half-sisters show up with a stack of letters addressed to Izzy from their late mother. Torn between launching her career and the need to learn more about her family history, Izzy makes the decision to go to Colorado to connect with the sisters she’s never known. Then Izzy stumbles across a run-down storefront in Pueblo’s funky downtown and instantly knows, with a bit of work, it’s the perfect location for her dream bakery...which means her detour to Colorado will be a permanent reroute. And with an unexpected relationship growing between Izzy and her contractor Kyson, she has yet another reason to stick around — even if there are secrets in Kyson’s past Izzy can’t quite figure out. Fighting homesickness and self-doubt, Izzy worries that she’s making a mistake. But having her sisters close and her dreams within reach, she can’t help but wonder if her riskiest move could be the most rewarding decision she’s ever made.

Download or read book Digging Up Love written by Chandra Blumberg and published by Montlake Romance. This book was released on 2021-12-07 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From debut author Chandra Blumberg comes a playful, heartfelt romance about chasing your dreams and finding love in the process. Alisha Blake works her magic in the kitchen, creating delectable desserts for her grandfather's restaurant in rural Illinois. Though Alisha relishes the close relationship she has with her family, she can't help but dream about opening a cookie shop in Chicago. She may be a small-town baker, but Alisha has big ambitions. Then a dinosaur bone turns up in her grandparents' backyard. When paleontologist Quentin Harris arrives to see the discovery for himself, he's hoping that the fossil will distract him from a recent painful breakup. Instead, he finds Alisha--and sparks fly. The big-city academic and the hometown baker seem destined for a happily ever after. But Alisha is scared to fall in love. And Quentin's trying to make a name for himself in a competitive field, which gets even more complicated when the press shows up at the dig site. For love to prevail, the two may have to put old bones aside--and focus on the future.

Download or read book Part of Your World written by Abby Jimenez and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2022-04-19 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A refreshingly modern fairy tale and instant New York Times bestseller that Love Hypothesis author Ali Hazelwood hails as "an uplifting, feel-good, romantic read." After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable. While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people. Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his? "Abby Jimenez’s words are like fairy dust... they sprinkled humor and warmth all over my life. Pick up Part of Your World if you’re looking for an uplifting, feel-good, romantic read—and for a beautiful reminder that we should always try to live the life that makes us the happiest." --Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis Book of the Month Club Best Book of the Year finalist Goodreads Choice Awards finalist BookPage Magazine Best Books of the Year Booklist Best Romances of the Year SheReads Romance Book of the Year Award nomination

Download or read book Away with the Penguins written by Hazel PRIOR and published by Bantam Press. This book was released on 2020-03-17 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Veronica McCreedy is about to have the journey of a lifetime . . . Veronica McCreedy lives in a mansion by the sea. She loves a nice cup of Darjeeling tea whilst watching a good wildlife documentary. And she's never seen without her ruby-red lipstick. Although these days Veronica is rarely seen by anyone because, at 85, her days are spent mostly at home, alone. She can be found either collecting litter from the beach ('people who litter the countryside should be shot'), trying to locate her glasses ('someone must have moved them') or shouting instructions to her assistant, Eileen ('Eileen, door!'). Veronica doesn't have family or friends nearby. Not that she knows about, anyway . . . And she has no idea where she's going to leave her considerable wealth when she dies. But today . . . today Veronica is going to make a decision that will change all of this. Readers love Hazel Prior! 'Oh I so adored this beautiful, unique book!' 'A complete pleasure from start to finish.' 'A touching, absorbing and uplifting story.' 'Tender, heartwarming and sensitively written.'