He has a hungry mind.
Bad-boy chef Wes Murphy dreads his final semester cooking class—Food Chemistry 101—until he meets the new substitute teacher. Dr. Rosemary Wilkins is a feast for the eyes, though her approach to food is strictly academic. So Wes decides to rattle her Bunsen burner by asking for her hands-on advice—on aphrodisiacs . . .
She’s got love down to a science.
Rosemary is a little wary about working with Wes, whose casual flirtations leave her hot under the collar. But once they begin testing the love-enhancing power of chocolate, oysters, and strawberries, it becomes scientifically evident that the brainy science nerd and the boyish chef have some major chemistry together—and it’s delicious . . .
Louisa’s Edwards has outdone herself with Just One Taste. In this romance surrounded by everyone’s favorite thing—food—Louisa pits The Scientist vs. The Conman.
The Truth-Seeker vs. The Truth-Bender.
And that’s where the chemistry and fun of Just One Taste kicks off. So, Five Things To Love About Just One Taste.
1) Through the eyes of scientist Dr. Rosemary Wilkins, clinic terms for body parts have never sounded oh-so-very-sexy. This woman is all business and focus in search of the truth about aphrodisiacs. Is there something to them? Or not? She knows there’s been discounted information about them in the past, but she’ll do whatever it takes to uncover the truth. While Rosemary may sound a little on the stiff and un-fun side, I found myself laughing out loud with her. For all the socially awkward, shy folks out there with a few neuroses—you will fall head over heels in love with Rosemary. But if you’re thinking she’s a simpering miss hiding in the corner—think again! Whatever challenges cross Rosemary’s path, she attacks them with full force. Whether it’s digging out scientific mysteries or getting over a few internal dragons.
“Rosemary squeezed her eyes shut and let gravity do its work, every muscle braced for the inevitable panic-induced freak-out. Shellfish were dangerous!”
2) Wes Murphy was raised pulling cons. It’s become second nature to look at people, analyze them and see what he can gain from them. He hates this part about him, but no sooner can he stop breathing can he turn off this automatic filtering of information of what he can get out of people. Rosemary is no different. Chem 101 will not be a cakewalk…but if he can romance Rosemary a bit, then she’ll pass him. And he knows he can bend and swindle her feelings around to meet his will. It’s not arrogance and blind faith in Wes that leads us to believe this right along with him, but the fact he’s accomplished risky challenges in the past. But Wes can’t stomach pulling off a
charade for even a day. He wants to change. He likes Rosemary, enjoys seeing her tight bounds unwound with each challenge he sets before her.
One good question would probably get her going, Wes thought. But when he sat up and raised his hand, he knew deep down that he didn’t deserve the grateful look she shot him. As much as he wanted to tell himself he was heroically stepping in to save her from the humiliation brought on by her absentminded-professor routine, he couldn’t. Because Wes had never been very good at lying to himself. And when he looked into his delectable new teacher’s blue eyes, he saw more than a brilliant beautiful, painfully awkward woman. He saw someone who held his grade–his future–in the palm of her little hand. Shit, Wes, what are you doing? Don’t be that guy.
3) Rosemary isn’t blind. She’s extremely smart. While she doesn’t want to believe it, she feels she’s only being flirted with to bump Wes’s grade. And I *LOVED* that. I was expecting part of their conflict to be built around Wes taking advantage and Rosemary falling for it and them sorting through the repercussions. That wasn’t it all! What happens instead—no, I’m going to tell, you’ll have to read it *wink*—is so much better! (it is a bit of a spoiler to say so, and I don’t do spoilers. that’s why I’m withholding.)
4) The Food. Oh, my gosh, the food. Louisa has really outdone herself in researching different foods and presenting them through their aphrodisiac study in an interesting way. I’m telling you, if my high school books were written this way, I would have been a straight-A student! It’s a smooth blend of food history (we do have a scientist for a heroine!) flirty banter, and edge of your set sex appeal to see where the aphrodisiacs will lead these characters! Will Rosemary fall for the hype surrounding chocolate covered strawberries and Wes’s cute urgings or will eating raw oysters be the end of her?
5) You can’t mention the Market Trilogy without talking about Frankie and Jess. This romance has been sizzling the Market kitchen up and down through Can’t Stand The Heat and On The Steamy Side. Last we saw them, these two were on the friz! Jess wanted Frankie, but Frankie wouldn’t commit, knowing he’d let Jess down in the long run. These two pick up right where they left off—starting with Wes locking them up in the locker room where they will hopefully straighten out their troubles. But things are never easy for these two and it takes a lot more than a few confined minutes for their troubles to comes to a happily ever after. It’s been a lot of fun watching Frankie and Jess come into themselves around their relationship. This book alone is worth the cost to see them come to a conclusion.
