Scan barcode
carmelstrawberries81's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book felt rushed from the first chapter. Yes, we were aware of the brothers, but Kasi was new, and we just jumped right it. It takes place parallel to the book. We never get the full back story on Kasi and her father and what led her to be mad at him. Then, in the last five chapters, it's revealed that her motivation to be self-made is turned into a non-starter. Besides Trey being a backer into her project, that character felt out of place. Maybe an option for him to have a spin off, but his storyline was left dangling. The plot of the book was for Kasi to create her own film, yet the story ends, and we aren't sure if she actually completes the film or how it does once completed. They left her story dangling with her personal relationship and the relationship with her father. Overall, the boom left more questions than answers. I'm hoping the 3rd book ties it all together.
wynharper's review
5.0
I want to preface this by saying that I'm not the biggest fan of audiobooks. I have trouble processing words that are spoken to me so radio shows, podcasts and, yes, audiobooks have all been out of the question. If I can't read alongside something that is being spoken, I tend to fall behind and then I lose interest because I'm not quite understanding. Sometimes, it's a pacing issue but most of the time, I just feel like I'm being talked at and lectured no matter how much I love the subject. That is NOT how I felt here. Deanna Anthony is the voice actress behind this recording of A Tasty Dish and at no point did I feel lost while listening to her. In fact, I felt like I was at brunch with a close friend and we were having story time. Her pacing was perfect but she was so engaging with the material and really breathed more life than there already was into Kelly Cain's writing. I liked that not only was there focus on the two main characters and their journey with each other but that there was focus on the history of their friendships/families and how that has shaped their growth. I liked that we got a peek into their friends' lives. Most of all, I liked the way that neither Kasi or Declan were perfect people and were constantly examining their own personal goals and needs aside from love as they grew through the story.
When I requested this off of NetGalley, I didn't realize this was the second in the series so I am very excited to pick up the first book, An Acquired Taste (also narrated by Deanna Anthony) as soon as humanly possible.
When I requested this off of NetGalley, I didn't realize this was the second in the series so I am very excited to pick up the first book, An Acquired Taste (also narrated by Deanna Anthony) as soon as humanly possible.
theliterarylemen's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed "An Aquired Taste" and finished it looking forward to more with the Everheart Brothers. I was not disappointed! As a 5th generation Texan (on both sides of the family, thank you) and lover of cooking, baking, & cocktails, Cain's series easily grabbed my attention. But even if you're not slightly obsessed with Texas or gastronomy, her romances will have you hooked before a sexy brother can whip up some pancakes!
In this novel Cain continues to focus on parent/child relationships and how they affect other relationships in our lives. The chemistry between Casey & Declan is undeniably steamy, and the wanderlust this story invokes is almost as potent!
In this novel Cain continues to focus on parent/child relationships and how they affect other relationships in our lives. The chemistry between Casey & Declan is undeniably steamy, and the wanderlust this story invokes is almost as potent!
bookishinidahome's review
3.0
Read/Listen to this one if you enjoy:
❤️ Gordon Ramsey’s show Uncharted
❤️ Travel as part of the plot
❤️ A romance with steamy scenes
❤️ Multicultural characters
❤️ Food/restaurant/chef plot lines
❤️ Miscommunication/ coworkers to lovers
❤️ looking to diversify and read from more BIPOC authors
Audiobook Review:
Overall, I really enjoyed the narrator and the voice work she did with this audiobook and I loved that the narrator is a black woman just as the main character was to give more power to the narration of this book and the story. I felt that this was important to my enjoyment as it brought the main character more alive for my experience.
I did feel like the steamy scenes in this one were not really my cup of tea personally and I think that came down to word choice and set up of the interactions being very hot and cold between the love interests. There was one word in particular that I couldn’t get over which was the use of “nub” as an alternate name of a certain part of female anatomy.
I also had trouble with Kasi’s strong rule that she doesn’t mix business with pleasure but literally mixed them right out of the gate without really trying to avoid that mix with Declan. I wish that there would have been more tension and build up before the relationship crossed those lines she discussed she wouldn’t cross so strongly, and to build more of a reason for crossing the line other than physical.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook! I was so thankful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release!
❤️ Gordon Ramsey’s show Uncharted
❤️ Travel as part of the plot
❤️ A romance with steamy scenes
❤️ Multicultural characters
❤️ Food/restaurant/chef plot lines
❤️ Miscommunication/ coworkers to lovers
❤️ looking to diversify and read from more BIPOC authors
Audiobook Review:
Overall, I really enjoyed the narrator and the voice work she did with this audiobook and I loved that the narrator is a black woman just as the main character was to give more power to the narration of this book and the story. I felt that this was important to my enjoyment as it brought the main character more alive for my experience.
I did feel like the steamy scenes in this one were not really my cup of tea personally and I think that came down to word choice and set up of the interactions being very hot and cold between the love interests. There was one word in particular that I couldn’t get over which was the use of “nub” as an alternate name of a certain part of female anatomy.
I also had trouble with Kasi’s strong rule that she doesn’t mix business with pleasure but literally mixed them right out of the gate without really trying to avoid that mix with Declan. I wish that there would have been more tension and build up before the relationship crossed those lines she discussed she wouldn’t cross so strongly, and to build more of a reason for crossing the line other than physical.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook! I was so thankful to obtain a copy to read in advance of its release!
jennthebookworm's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
The story of the Everheart Brothers of Texas continues in the second installment of Kelly Cain's three-part series, "A Tasty Dish." Kasi, an ambitious movie producer is striving to create a name for herself in an industry where her father's reputation looms large. Much like Declan and his siblings, Casey finds herself overshadowed by her film producer father, who has blackballed her latest project in an effort to force her back into the family business.
Determined to make her movie her way, Kasi teams up with Declan, and together they navigate a path filled with obstacles, twists, turns and the ever-present Flynn Everheart. As they face their share of trials and tribulations, their relationship deepens, and the heat between them intensifies. Kasi is all work and some play, and really isn't looking for anything serious. Meanwhile, Declan is all in with all the feels. In contrast to the first book, the author has turned up the spiciness in "A Tasty Dish," adding a full pepper to the mix. This book is full of family drama, fun BFF's, laughs and spice. Both Kasi and Declan have major daddy issues. Kasi's kind of cause her to be a jerk at times. She tends to speak first and think later. It happens more than once. She also has gut reactions that aren't always mature (who blocks their business partner for a week??) and get her into trouble. This wouldn't be such an issue if she had some redeeming qualities, but I found her almost unlikeable at the beginning and only towards the end did I kind of feel like she could be a good person.
One notable improvement in this sequel is the relocation of the food recipes to the end of the book, allowing readers to enjoy them without interruption from the main story. While the pacing of this book picked up considerable compared to the first book, there are still mini cliffhangers, which drive me bananas. Once again, the absence of the male protagonist's point of view is once again felt, leaving readers longing for more insights into Declan's thoughts and feelings. I would have really liked it, particularly in this book. Declan's relationship with Flynn is so complicated and important to who he is, it would have been beneficial to his character to have a bigger voice.
All in all, A Tasty Dish is a delectable blend of romance and ambition and I cannot wait to read what's in store for Weston in Book Three. I gave it a 3.5 star overall rating, bumped up to a 4 because there are no 1/2 star emojis.
Head over to www.feedthebookworm.com for more reviews and fun!
Determined to make her movie her way, Kasi teams up with Declan, and together they navigate a path filled with obstacles, twists, turns and the ever-present Flynn Everheart. As they face their share of trials and tribulations, their relationship deepens, and the heat between them intensifies. Kasi is all work and some play, and really isn't looking for anything serious. Meanwhile, Declan is all in with all the feels. In contrast to the first book, the author has turned up the spiciness in "A Tasty Dish," adding a full pepper to the mix. This book is full of family drama, fun BFF's, laughs and spice. Both Kasi and Declan have major daddy issues. Kasi's kind of cause her to be a jerk at times. She tends to speak first and think later. It happens more than once. She also has gut reactions that aren't always mature (who blocks their business partner for a week??) and get her into trouble. This wouldn't be such an issue if she had some redeeming qualities, but I found her almost unlikeable at the beginning and only towards the end did I kind of feel like she could be a good person.
One notable improvement in this sequel is the relocation of the food recipes to the end of the book, allowing readers to enjoy them without interruption from the main story. While the pacing of this book picked up considerable compared to the first book, there are still mini cliffhangers, which drive me bananas. Once again, the absence of the male protagonist's point of view is once again felt, leaving readers longing for more insights into Declan's thoughts and feelings. I would have really liked it, particularly in this book. Declan's relationship with Flynn is so complicated and important to who he is, it would have been beneficial to his character to have a bigger voice.
All in all, A Tasty Dish is a delectable blend of romance and ambition and I cannot wait to read what's in store for Weston in Book Three. I gave it a 3.5 star overall rating, bumped up to a 4 because there are no 1/2 star emojis.
Head over to www.feedthebookworm.com for more reviews and fun!
brandece1's review against another edition
2.0
A Tasty Dish is the second book in this series that I'm fairly certain will be a three books series. I read the first one a while ago and was not the biggest fan of it, but I really like to finish series I start, and I also like to read at least 3 books by an author before I decide if the author is for me or not. So with that said I went into a this book with high hopes, but in the end I didn't really care for it either. I will say that I was looking forward to the other brothers stories. But this one did so many of the same things the first book did that I just didn't like. For example this series is suppose to be about three brothers and it is BUT these books are not told from the brother perspective, but from their heroine's only. I didn't 100% care for the heroine, she was pretty unlikable IMO; very spoiled and entitled. I did like what we saw of Declan, but he didn't feel flushed out to me. As far as the relationship between MC's it was okay IMO, there was so much back and forth, and they seemed more like spoiled hormonal teenagers than adults. I will say that I did like they storyline, and I did like that this was taking place at the same time as the first book. And I did like the secondary characters. I will read the last book in this series and just like this one I will go into it with high hopes. I really want to love these books.
meromenesko's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I read this book and didn't listen to the audiobook - I didn't find either of the main characters super likeable. I am enjoying it as a series book but not as a standalone
deidrelj's review against another edition
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
I did not feel as connected to (or invested in) this couple as in the first book of the series, but it was a decent continuation.