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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “This (audio) book was pretty good- it’s Cal and Penny’s story. HOWEVER, I do think that some parts were unnecessary, and you could really tell that the writer was setting up a series. I think that if I had not heard the audio this book would have received a 3, but since I did hear the audio,...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Nice characters. Nice romance. Plot has little conflict.”
Annette N wrote this review Monday, August 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This is the first in Mallery's Buchanan family series. Cal is the oldest son, who's been arm-twisted by his nasty grandmother into coming back to the family company to save the flagship restaurant in the chain. He needs to hire a fabulous cook, but the best available is his ex-wife who is now in a position of power. She puts in her contract that she doesn't have to deal with grandma. I read this book in a binge with a lot of other Mallery books, but they all made distinct impressions. The hero and heroine have to deal with past mistakes, with present complications, and with family--especially nasty grandma who just hates to be nice to anybody. I've known a few people like that, but not many, thank goodness. This is just a nice, straightforward romance with the only suspense element what grandma will do next. I liked it a lot.”
Gail Dayton wrote this review Friday, October 24 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This (audio) book was pretty good- it’s Cal and Penny’s story. HOWEVER, I do think that some parts were unnecessary, and you could really tell that the writer was setting up a series. I think that if I had not heard the audio this book would have received a 3, but since I did hear the audio, and got to hear the characters through the reader, I am giving it a 4. This is the first book in the series, and I will probably listen to the rest of the series. Brothers Walker and Reid and sister Dani get their own stories. Those who love reunited stories or second chances, this one will work for you!”
Cindy ♥ W wrote this review Sunday, July 20 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Reviewed for AAR in 2006, I gave it a B grade and a Warm sensuality. I had high hopes for this series but none of the others worked as well for me as Delicious. "Seattle and fine restaurants seem to go hand in hand in my mind and make a rather delightful setting for romance. But a romantic dinner for two with fine wine is hardly the scenario you will find in Delicious since its focus is on the fast paced business behind the ambiance and excellent dinner fare. And there is an additional element of intrigue – this tale features a formerly married couple who reunite as co-workers. Cal Buchanan grew up amidst power as a member of the illustrious Buchanan family known for their restaurant empire. Expectations were high that Cal would one day run the family dynasty but the manipulative nature of his grandmother, as matriarch of Buchanan’s, had eventually caused Cal to leave the family business far behind. Now the owner of a prosperous coffee house chain, Cal has no desire to help his grandmother when she asks him to return and rescue their flagship restaurant, The Waterfront, from its growing reputation for bad food and worse service. But family loyalty calls and Cal agrees to manage the operation for four months and starts taking steps to salvage the legend. First on his agenda is finding an imaginative chef with trusted name recognition to run the back operation and create a menu that is both delectable and memorable. After working years to prove herself, Penny Jones has garnered a reputation as a chef of some renown. Marriage to Cal Buchanan had once made her feel she wasn’t good enough to make it in their world but her culinary talents have proven otherwise. Penny can’t help but feel excited that her ex-husband now has need of her talents and is willing to pay for them as well. As she prepares to see Cal for the first time since their divorce three years ago, Penny determines to act purely as the professional chef she is and forget that he once broke her heart and trampled her fragile dreams. But she is still unprepared for the effect Cal has on her when he shows up for their meeting looking better than ever and as belligerent as well despite his need for her culinary skills. Since Cal needs Penny’s name to dig the Waterfront out of its hole, he comes with a competitive offer that will benefit both her career and the failing restaurant. He wants to tell her that there are five chefs who can do the job as well but he can’t truthfully do so. And he should have anticipated that she wants much more than a job as a chef – she wants an opportunity to build her future. He can only grit his teeth and attempt to keep a lid on his anger as she negotiates hard for her services and receives most of what she wants including her name on the menu, complete control in back, and four weeks vacation which she will take in late summer. Penny aspirations for the future include more than fame – most importantly it includes a family. After years of wanting a child, Penny has decided to embrace the concept of single parenthood and is ecstatic about her planned pregnancy. Fearing this bit of information may keep Cal from hiring her, Penny remains silent about the baby she is carrying. After all, he knows when she is taking her four week vacation and assures herself that theirs is a new-millennium relationship wherein her parental status will have nothing to do with their ability to work together. As the chemistry simmers between Cal and Penny, neither will admit it, even to themselves. Cal doesn’t believe in do-overs in personal relationship but he may have to reconsider his stand since Penny seems so different now and it’s not just the change in the size of her breasts. He doesn’t recall this air of confidence she carries so easily and she’s certainly gotten tougher in their years apart. And on Penny’s part, she can only hope that her attraction to Cal is nothing more than pregnancy hormones swirling out of control. This is not a romance that moves in big swings – rather there is subtleness to it and while the interplay between Cal and Penny is definitely sexy, it remains understated. Cal and Penny operate as equals with a shared tendency to push but ultimately they must learn to compromise – an overused phrase certainly but effective in this scenario since compromise involves both their jobs and personal relationship. As both learn to respect the other on a new level, they finally begin to dig into the problems and misunderstandings that caused their breakup. Delicious is the first of the Buchanan series which features the four Buchanan restaurants and siblings Cal, Reid, Dani, and Walker. All appear in this first entry with Reid playing the part of Penny’s best friend. Gloria Buchanan, the family matriarch, is not a character I look forward to revisiting - she is just too mean and petty and more than a little unrealistic. Regardless, this is a series I plan to follow and I am already anticipating Walker and Reid’s stories. You will definitely want to check Mallery’s website – it has a delightful summary of this series complete excerpts from all four books and planned release dates. Walker’s book Irresistible is scheduled for July 2006. Not only is this a story of a divorced couple reunited, it is a story of a man learning to love and risk his heart for the first time. There is a high level of interaction between Cal and Penny throughout beginning on page three, just as I like it, and their relationship remains the primary focus with no suspense in the mix. Besides a rather abrupt ending and the evil grandmother, I enjoyed Delicious and it left me wanting more of Cal and Penny. I hope they make some significant reappearances throughout the series." ”
Lea AAR wrote this review Tuesday, June 17 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I really ejoyed this book. I listened to it through my iPod and I enjoyed every minute of it. Cal and Penny have been divorced for three years and are together again when Cal needs Penny to be the chef at his restaurant. The tension grows when Cal tells Penny that he'll be the General Manager for a while and they are constantly together. Of course the emotions are flying on Penny's side since she's pregnant with someone else's baby.
Indoorkitty wrote this review Thursday, March 27 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I really liked these characters. Penny was smart and witty and made me laugh. Cal was great as well. Susan Mallery really developed these characters well and her subcharacters were just as great. You really got to know the Buchanan's and come to love their family. I listened to this book and when it was done I really wanted to go out to a nice restaurant and get something to eat! ”
“http://violeteyeddreamz.blogspot.com”
literaryvampiress wrote this review Sunday, March 4 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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