A Taste of You

From the author’s website:

She didn’t know how hungry she was?. . .?Beautiful and talented Catherine Kelly is intent on starting over as a food photographer in Chicago. With her painful past buried over 2000 miles away, she’s focused on her career and is hungry for little else. Until she meets William Lambourne, a wealthy bachelor with arresting blue-grey eyes filled with enough tragedy to match her own. William urges Catherine to step out from behind her camera and fully taste all that life has to offer, stirring an appetite in her she never knew she possessed—and it’s one only he can satisfy.

He couldn’t wait to feed her . . .?A gourmand who takes great pleasure in food and in women, William Lambourne is rich, powerful, and gorgeous—and as talented in the kitchen as he is in the bedroom. Longing for a woman to truly savor, William finds his match in Catherine. From the moment he meets her, he is determined to discover the perfect recipe to unlock Cat’s resolve, awaken her senses, and make her his own.

Theirs is a meal worth savoring . . .?William is as mysterious as he is passionate, but as Catherine begins to fall for the stormy-eyed billionaire, she knows she must reveal her own dark secrets. But first, William must win Cat’s heart to ensure their pasts don’t undo them. Book One in The Epicurean series, A Taste of You will leave you ravenous for more of Cat and William’s story!

This book gets high marks on the hot meter for two reasons: food and sex.  The description of the food was almost as sexy as William.  Seriously.  I wanted to smack Catherine every time she didn’t eat for some asinine reason.  At least they’re asinine to me because the way this food is described…you do not turn it down.  The only reason I’m not giving it a higher rating is because Catherine can be a bit annoying at times (and not just because of skipping food).

I get she’s a widow who carries a lot of guilt and is trying to rebuild her life, but why does she fall into every pitfall women fall into when faced with these kind of relationships?  For instance, some woman approaches you at a party and makes a snarky remark about something the guy gives you…guess what, even if she might be telling the truth…don’t listen to her.  I find that if a woman is straightforward with you, then there may be truth to it.  If they give you backhanded compliments or try to warn you off “as a friend” even though you’ve never met they’re lying, jealous beasts.

William comes off a bit too arrogant and cocky at first, if not out and out crude and pushy.  I mean alpha male is extremely sexy, not lying, but there does come a point where it gets stalker scary and he almost goes there.  I mean taking control in certain situations is fine, but getting into my apartment when I never gave you a key is just creepy.  Then again, he does cook for her and brings gooey dessert things…nope, still creepy.

However, Catherine does have a backbone and isn’t above telling William when he’s being overbearing, and he does listen and tries to be better.  There’s no change in his personality really, rather it’s his understanding of how relationships should work that improves.  That was a nice change of pace.

I love her friend Ben, even if he does ruin perfectly good food with shellac for photos 😉  And we all need that friend who nudges us toward the wild and naughty side from time to time right?

I’d label this book a definite erotica.  There may not be any real extreme sex going on, but what it lacks in the “danger” area it more than makes up for in the seduction of the senses.

*eGalley provided by Premier Digital Publishing