On the Steamy Side

On the Steamy Side - Louisa Edwards

336 pages

Rating: 2/5

When Lilah Jane Tunkle fled her dull life in Virginia for the bright lights of New York City, she didn’t expect to wind up a nanny to a gorgeous celebrity chef’s ten-year-old son. Working for the delectable Devon Sparks is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, especially after Lilah gets a tantalizing taste of his perfectly seasoned kisses …

Devon’s not sure he can handle one more surprise ingredient in his life—he quit his popular TV show, his culinary reputation is on the line, and now the son he barely knows is back for seconds. Lilah’s Southern sass is supposed to keep the boy in line, but soon enough she’s teaching Devon a thing or two about homespun food…and turning up the heat.

 My Thoughts:
 I bought this book on my kindle for the Dewey's Read-a-thon.  The third book in the series, Just One Taste, was recommended by a friend.  I was so excited about a cooking romance series that I spent at least 20 minutes trying to decide which one I would buy.  I settled on On the Steamy Side due to the description.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

I'm not sure if I did not enjoy this novel because I was expecting too much or if I actually just didn't like it.  But either way, I didn't enjoy reading it at all.  I found myself skimming many parts, just so I could get to the end.  I did not connect with any of the characters.  I found both main characters annoying and frustrating.  There was a side story that I had no clue why it was put in.  And I felt that most of the language and kitchen scenes were put in only for effect.  Edwards tried to re-create a kitchen atmosphere in which the chefs were hardcore and rough around the edges.  But instead, it just seemed almost vulgar to me at times.

Lilah was supposed to be a character who came to New York after being the good-small-town-girl.  I got the idea that this story was supposed to be out-of-character for her; but because I never really got who she was at the beginning, it did not seem realistic to me.  Being a Southern girl myself, I did not get the Southern charm from her either.  Instead, she seemed a little too small-town for me.  Perhaps it was because Edwards spent a lot of time on Devon insulting her and then did not add much detail to the story when they actually became friends and worked together.  And Devon, to me, just seemed like a jerk.  I never really understood his character beyond him being an ass.  Even towards the end when he connects with his son, it seemed so out of character for him that it didn't make sense to me.

Ultimately, I didn't really enjoy the novel so I gave it a 2/5.  I finished because I wanted to see how the characters ended up, but I probably will think twice before picking up another one of Edwards' books.  I would only recommend it to those who aren't phased by language and only want a quick romance fix.