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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
This was a really cute romance.Nicki has always wanted to be a chef in a posh place but she has no training and has been working in a diner for the last five years cooking her own recipes.When the diner closes she has to find a new job and when she cannot get one as a chef she becomes a personal assistant to Holly who owns a 5-star restaurant.Paul is Holly's is a Cordon Bleu chef and is fed up with not being able to cook his own recipes they are all Holly's recipes.I just loved the chemistry and flirting between Nicki and Paul this was a good read and Holly made a super bad guy.
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ok, it's a novelization of a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. But it's a novelization of one of my favorite Hallmark movies. And an added bonus of a wrap up epilogue! Just some good, light hearted, romantic fun.
A true Hallmark story! A want-to-be chef named Nikki, a cook at a diner, finally gets to meet the person who she aspired to be like. Enter the chef for the elite restaurant in town whose name is Paul. After the diner closes, Nikki takes a job as an office assistant to Paul's boss, Holly. After a week or two, both Paul and Nikki make major changes and Nikki no longer is infatuated with the person she wanted to be like. Valentine's Day has made many changes in Nikki's life. See what Valentine's Day holds for her.
Great quick read by a great author.
Great quick read by a great author.
Nikki Turner has a passion for cooking, but because she is self-taught and didn't attend culinary school, she has a hard time finding a new job when Gus's Diner closes. She finally accepts a job as an assistant to award-winning chef Holly Hanson. Although Holly can be difficult, Nikki immediately clicks with handsome executive chef Paul Delucci. Working at Holly's restaurant could lead to all of Nikki's dreams come true - or could end in disaster.
"A Dash of Love" is a feel-good, clean contemporary romance based on a Hallmark movie. I missed this movie, but have seen plenty of others, so I knew what to expect. There are things that are far-fetched, but the book is a great escape and is perfect for a light, quick read. Nikki and Paul hake a great couple. Although they have different backgrounds and different cooking styles, they have chemistry both in and out of the kitchen. After a potential career-ending event for Nikki, orchestrated by her former idol Holly, Nikki can have her happily ever after if she isn't afraid to take the chance. I enjoy the epilogue which gives the reader a look at where Nikki's life is one year later. Fans of Hallmark movies or of Debbie Macomber's novels will enjoy this sweet romance.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Hallmark Publishing. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
"A Dash of Love" is a feel-good, clean contemporary romance based on a Hallmark movie. I missed this movie, but have seen plenty of others, so I knew what to expect. There are things that are far-fetched, but the book is a great escape and is perfect for a light, quick read. Nikki and Paul hake a great couple. Although they have different backgrounds and different cooking styles, they have chemistry both in and out of the kitchen. After a potential career-ending event for Nikki, orchestrated by her former idol Holly, Nikki can have her happily ever after if she isn't afraid to take the chance. I enjoy the epilogue which gives the reader a look at where Nikki's life is one year later. Fans of Hallmark movies or of Debbie Macomber's novels will enjoy this sweet romance.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Hallmark Publishing. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Heart warming, light read based on the Hallmark movie starring Jen Lilley and Brendan Penny.
I watched the movie first and then read the book. I wouldn’t normally do it in that order but in this case, the movie existed before the book was written/released.
So, if you’ve seen the movie you might be a bit disappointed that the book doesn’t continue much beyond the end of the movie. I feel like the epilogue is the only real continuation of the story beyond the movie. Want to solve that issue? Read the book first. I think you’ll give both the book and the movie a higher review if you do it that way. (Just my opinion of course)
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, here’s the summary of the storyline of the book.
Nikki is a talented cook but she’s not a professionally trained chef. When he job cooking at a diner comes to an end, she finds that it’s an uphill battle trying to find another job as a cook.
Her best friend and former co-worker gets a job working for Nikki’s idol. When Nikki visits he friend at work, she not only meets a handsome chef, she also finds herself getting a job with her idol.
This is a turning point in Nikki’s life.
Soon she starts trying out new recipes (after hours in the restaurant’s kitchen) and she starts bonding with her crush the executive chef Paul.
I liked the characters.
I loved the food descriptions.
The author kindly included one of the recipes in the book.
I wish she had also included the recipes for the waffle coated fried chicken and the peanut butter and root beef braised stew. I know, I’m being greedy but the descriptions of those recipes make you hungry! I would try either of those recipes in a heartbeat and I just may try the chili recipe that was included too.
I got to read an early e book edition of this story from NetGalley.
I recommend reading the book, then maybe making up a batch of the chili to enjoy while watching the movie.
And I also suggest that of the author isn’t totally done with her final draft, maybe she could include that peanut butter root beer braised stew recipe :)
I watched the movie first and then read the book. I wouldn’t normally do it in that order but in this case, the movie existed before the book was written/released.
So, if you’ve seen the movie you might be a bit disappointed that the book doesn’t continue much beyond the end of the movie. I feel like the epilogue is the only real continuation of the story beyond the movie. Want to solve that issue? Read the book first. I think you’ll give both the book and the movie a higher review if you do it that way. (Just my opinion of course)
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, here’s the summary of the storyline of the book.
Nikki is a talented cook but she’s not a professionally trained chef. When he job cooking at a diner comes to an end, she finds that it’s an uphill battle trying to find another job as a cook.
Her best friend and former co-worker gets a job working for Nikki’s idol. When Nikki visits he friend at work, she not only meets a handsome chef, she also finds herself getting a job with her idol.
This is a turning point in Nikki’s life.
Soon she starts trying out new recipes (after hours in the restaurant’s kitchen) and she starts bonding with her crush the executive chef Paul.
I liked the characters.
I loved the food descriptions.
The author kindly included one of the recipes in the book.
I wish she had also included the recipes for the waffle coated fried chicken and the peanut butter and root beef braised stew. I know, I’m being greedy but the descriptions of those recipes make you hungry! I would try either of those recipes in a heartbeat and I just may try the chili recipe that was included too.
I got to read an early e book edition of this story from NetGalley.
I recommend reading the book, then maybe making up a batch of the chili to enjoy while watching the movie.
And I also suggest that of the author isn’t totally done with her final draft, maybe she could include that peanut butter root beer braised stew recipe :)
Recently, I've enjoyed reading books that Hallmark movies are based on. So when I heard that Hallmark was beginning to publish books based on their movies. I requested A Dash of Love through NetGalley, and here we are!
A Dash of Love is a cute story featuring Nikki, an excellent cook who can't get a cooking job at a restaurant because she doesn't have a culinary degree, and Paul, a trained chef who runs celebrity chef Holly Hanson's kitchen. Nikki gets a job as Holly's assistant, and she and Paul quickly grow close. But when Holly proves she'll stop at nothing to save her struggling restaurant, Nikki and Paul decide to take a leap of faith and try something new.
Let's get this out of the way right away: If you've watched the Hallmark original movie A Dash of Love, you don't need to read this book. As the book is an adaptation of the film (instead of the other way around), it so closely mirrors the movie that there's really not much new except for an epilogue that gives the reader a glimpse at what happened after the film ended. A few conversations are stretched out, and the reader is given a look at what both Nikki and Paul are thinking throughout, but overall the book is so close to the film that it just feels repetitive.
So then I tried to put myself in the place of someone who hadn't already seen the film. Would I have enjoyed the book more in that case? I think so, probably. But I can't go back and unsee the movie. So here's my recommendation: If you enjoy clean romances (and this is just as clean as every Hallmark movie), and you haven't seen the movie, then by all means read the book. But if you've already seen the film, the only reason I can see to read the book is if you're dying to know what happens to Nikki and Paul in the future. (It is sweet, but it's not earth shattering. If you can borrow it from your library, then by all means do so. But is it worth your $5.99? I'd say no.) 3-1/2 stars.
Disclosure of material connection: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.
A Dash of Love is a cute story featuring Nikki, an excellent cook who can't get a cooking job at a restaurant because she doesn't have a culinary degree, and Paul, a trained chef who runs celebrity chef Holly Hanson's kitchen. Nikki gets a job as Holly's assistant, and she and Paul quickly grow close. But when Holly proves she'll stop at nothing to save her struggling restaurant, Nikki and Paul decide to take a leap of faith and try something new.
Let's get this out of the way right away: If you've watched the Hallmark original movie A Dash of Love, you don't need to read this book. As the book is an adaptation of the film (instead of the other way around), it so closely mirrors the movie that there's really not much new except for an epilogue that gives the reader a glimpse at what happened after the film ended. A few conversations are stretched out, and the reader is given a look at what both Nikki and Paul are thinking throughout, but overall the book is so close to the film that it just feels repetitive.
So then I tried to put myself in the place of someone who hadn't already seen the film. Would I have enjoyed the book more in that case? I think so, probably. But I can't go back and unsee the movie. So here's my recommendation: If you enjoy clean romances (and this is just as clean as every Hallmark movie), and you haven't seen the movie, then by all means read the book. But if you've already seen the film, the only reason I can see to read the book is if you're dying to know what happens to Nikki and Paul in the future. (It is sweet, but it's not earth shattering. If you can borrow it from your library, then by all means do so. But is it worth your $5.99? I'd say no.) 3-1/2 stars.
Disclosure of material connection: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.