Reviews

A Full Plate by Kim Fielding

a_reader_obsessed's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 Hearts

As the Desires line goes, this was overall a win for me.

Just like the blurb says, Tully and Sage live together as a matter of convenience. Sage needs a rent free place to save money to help his family and Tully benefits by having delicious home cooked meals awaiting him on a daily basis. These two have vastly disparate lives with different goals and responsibilities, but despite the stark divide in their social status and upbringing, they slowly develop a friendship and eventually fall in love.

This has absolutely no flash and bang (and sadly no smex either). However, I was mostly ok with that ;)

Perhaps to add in a little conflict there is an annoying ex which I suppose serves to drive the point home just how much Tully and Sage are meant to be despite what they perceive as insurmountable problems, that such roadblocks are simply inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

Narrated by Kenneth Obi, he continues to deliver a solid performance and I have no complaints. This was obviously a sedate romance which I’m finding I prefer to the crazy silly ott ones at the moment. Each definitely has their place depending on one’s reading mood and preferences. Apparently, this fit my romance requirement at the right time!

Thanks to the author/publisher for the audio in exchange for a honest review


dwolfe347's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

papercranestitches's review against another edition

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4.0

This book proves what a good writer can make of a category romance - it wasn't flashy, but it did give me the warm fuzzies.

I have to admit that I missed that sex a bit, though. What was there was pretty soft-focused, fade-to-black, and mostly off page. I was also bummed that Sage and Tully's
Spoilerwedding
was off page too. I mean, I get it, but I live for those moments, so I'm always sad to be without them.

crtsjffrsn's review against another edition

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3.0

Bradford "Tully" Tolliver is one of Portland's hottest up and coming lawyers. And he's fine with his life as it is. So he hesitates to agree to let a colleagues cousin stay with him for a while. And when Sage shows up on his doorstep, he's not sure if he made the right choice. Sage is incredible--he can cook, he's clean, he'll stay out of Tully's way...and he's super hot. But he's also straight. Or at least that's what the picture of his girlfriend he has in his bedroom has to mean, right? But maybe there is more to each of these men than the other realizes...or is even willing to acknowledge. Kim Fielding, as always, delivers a fun, sweet, and entertaining tale about two men who might misunderstand themselves just as much as they misunderstand each other.

hartd's review against another edition

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4.0

(I bought this audiobook long before I heard anything about the problems at Dreamspinner. Please don't consider my review an endorsement of their recent practices.)

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. I wasn't wild about Kim Fielding's Dreamspun Beyond title, Ante Up, even though I usually enjoy her books. But this one is pretty good. It isn't earth-shattering, but I liked it.

The plot is very similar to her book Housekeeping, but the characters are somewhat different.

Tully, a hard-working corporate lawyer, acquires a roommate, Sage, who is very talented at cooking and is going through a rough time. They become friends right away and slowly fall in love.

There's no real conflict between them, just a big misunderstanding which gets resolved before their romance really gets moving, and a complication in the form of Tully's ex. He's a super-rich tech guy, and I found him pretty amusing, in how divorced he seemed from normal human life. But he isn't written as a mean-spirited caricature or anything.

SpoilerThe misunderstanding was pretty contrived, because I can't believe Carrie wouldn't tell Tully about Sage's family, or that he was gay. This is not gay-for-you.


As is usual with this author, the story is about two men finding not just each other, but their places in the world. It's a really solid HEA, and as is also usual with me & this author, I got a little teary at their happiness.

I have one more of these Dreamspun Desires books from this author to listen to, and I'm feeling optimistic about it.

the_novel_approach's review against another edition

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4.0

~ 4.5 Stars ~

If I were reviewing a novel by anyone but Kim Fielding, I would say that this is a rehash of a fairly commonplace trope—the rich, sophisticated city boy helping the brilliant yet under-educated, poor country boy, and would be rather unimpressed with the whole finished product. However, when dealing with an author who can take a tired trope and breathe life into it in a way that so few can, then one must acknowledge how delightful the final story turns out. A Full Plate is a sweet romance from start to finish, with two characters who are not only easy to like but also interesting enough to keep me fully invested in their relationship.

Tully has the life he has always wanted. Perhaps it’s not as exciting as he had hoped, but it still keeps him on his toes, well compensated, and aiming for loftier goals such as making partner one day in his firm. When he agrees to help out a colleague by giving her cousin a place to stay, little does Tully realize that his life is about to change, and just about everything he held as important is going to shift. He will not only be delighted by his new roommate’s culinary skills but will be transfixed by his inner and outer beauty as well.

Sage has a great deal to be grateful for, and finding a place to bunk for the next year while he sends every dime he makes back home is just the tip of the iceberg. However, along with that gratitude comes a heap of sadness and loss, and a few secrets as well. All Tully knows is that Sage is slowly getting under his skin, but whether or not the man is gay, available or even interested is not so apparent. Before long, Tully will have some serious choices to make, career-wise, and what to do about his growing attraction to Sage will figure prominently amongst them.

Author Kim Fielding writes characters like no one else I know. Perhaps it’s because her men are so down-to-earth, their dilemmas plausible and their attraction less insta-love and more slow burn. Then again, maybe it’s due to her characters being written intelligently, multi-layered and thoughtful. They can be found wrestling with everyday decisions that feel realistic and genuine. Whatever the reason, Tully and Sage captured my interest immediately. With just a touch of angst and some rather hefty life hurdles to overcome, these two men becoming a couple worked together so beautifully.

I admit the solution to the problems that arose were rather transparent and left no room for any doubt that there would be a happy-ever-after, but it was the sweet pathway to that resolution that made this story so worthwhile. Romance can be downright boring if the characters are one dimensional and the plot too focused on lust rather than developing lasting love. Watching these two men grapple with their attraction and knowing theirs was a relationship with an expiration date made this story that more compelling a read.

A Full Plate takes us on a journey where one man stays the course and the other discovers that changing direction can be the most fulfilling thing to do when it means that love is waiting just down the road.

Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach

ladydewinter's review against another edition

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3.0

This is a sweet book and a nice and quick read. It was a good book to start my vacation with, although it wasn't particularly memorable tbh. But if you're in the mood for a romance with very little tension and lots of delicious food, this might just be the right thing.

digthewriter's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5 rounded up - trying to be nice.

I was quite unimpressed, basically just skipped some chapters to get to the really sappy ending.

It left me wishing I'd never purchased the audiobook which is surprising b/c I love this author. Have loved everything by them so far.

So bored.

achillespatroclus's review

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

anitalouise's review

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4.0

Lovely little sweet read about Sage, a guy who is struggling to make ends meet to take care of his family and Tully, a wealthy lawyer who is a friend of Sage's cousin. Like all of the Dreamspun reads, this is like gossamer threads of sugar spun lightly over these two guys. Sage needs a place to live in Portland for part of the week while he works as a cook. Carrie, his cousin, works with Tully and asks him to let Sage live with him for a while until he gets on his feet. Through meals and shared confidences, Sage and Tully move from friends to lovers. This hummed along at a rather low boil (hah!). Up until the end, this was a solid 3 or 3.5 but so liked the way the author ended it that I just swooned and uppped it to a 4. Classic Dreamspun read with strong writing, low to mid heat and a sweet HEA. Solid secondary characters particularly Carrie and Eddy. Nice homey feeling about small towns and acceptance.