Scrumptious

November 14, 2011
In the small but expanding niche of foodie romance, Usen’s debut rules the kitchen with lip-smacking prose and rowdy protagonists who put Iron Chef to shame. Marly Bennet has been through every boy in the bar, while Joe Rafferty scored with every female classmate in culinary school. When the two cross paths, it looks like a hookup made in heaven—until Joe says no, remembering his secret promise to his mother that he’d settle down. Meantime, Marly’s best friend, Olivia, who owns the restaurant where Marly works, has just dumped her two-timing chef husband. She needs another pair of hands in the kitchen, and Joe agrees to fill in. As Joe and Marly cook together, snipe at each other, counter the ineptitude and sabotage of Olivia’s ex, some sizzling personal chemistry ensues. The way the two keep secrets from each other is perhaps too convenient, but the pacing, emotion, and erotic exuberance all sparkle.

December 1, 2011
Marly Bennet is known for her delicious desserts and her love-'em-and-leave-'em romantic reputation. Joe Rafferty has been heating up kitchens and breaking hearts ever since culinary school. So when Marly learns that Joe will be helping out for a few days at Chameleon while Marly's best friend (and the restaurant's owner), Olivia, finds a new chef to replace her cheating, soon-to-be ex-husband, Keith, Marly figures a quick fling with the infamous Joe is on the menu. Much to her surprise, Joe turns her down. But Marly has spent years honing her skills as a pastry chef and knows how to convince a person to give in to temptation. Before long, the two are engaging in a hot romance, but when things threaten to become much more serious, it's clear someone is going to get burned. In her superbly crafted debut, Usen blends together two realistically complicated protagonists, a well-realized culinary setting (complete with mouthwatering descriptions of food), and plenty of incendiary love scenes. The resulting literary dish is a smart, sexy, simply irresistible contemporary romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)