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clevergirl216's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
Joy is the host of Dining with Joy. She got the gig when her she was working as associate producer on her father’s cooking show, Dining with Charles. When her father passed away the show became Dining with Joy. Dining with Joy has started to become wildly popular. The network TruReality has picked up the show for another season. There is just one problem…Joy can’t cook!
Chef Luke Redmond was the owner of a Manhattan restaurant. That all changed when he had to file bankruptcy. Luke receives an opportunity to still be in the cooking business but on a slightly different scale. Luke is the new co-host of Dining with Joy.
Wenda Devine is the host of the show Cook-Off and Joy’s rival. Her main goal is to destroy Joy. Will Wenda win?
Rachel Hauck is a new to me author. I like the concept of this book. I could not wait to check out Dining with Joy as I love the Food Network Channel. Joy was a simple down to earth woman. It seemed like Joy did not care too much for the spotlight. This surprised me a bit as Joy hosts her own cooking show. Despite Joy and Luke sharing a kiss early in the story, I wasn’t feeling the chemistry right away between them. Once I got to know Joy and Luke better, I thought they made a good couple. The romance was sweet. There was a few times where I felt the story moved slowly but overall, I liked this book. I would dine again with Rachel Hauck.
Chef Luke Redmond was the owner of a Manhattan restaurant. That all changed when he had to file bankruptcy. Luke receives an opportunity to still be in the cooking business but on a slightly different scale. Luke is the new co-host of Dining with Joy.
Wenda Devine is the host of the show Cook-Off and Joy’s rival. Her main goal is to destroy Joy. Will Wenda win?
Rachel Hauck is a new to me author. I like the concept of this book. I could not wait to check out Dining with Joy as I love the Food Network Channel. Joy was a simple down to earth woman. It seemed like Joy did not care too much for the spotlight. This surprised me a bit as Joy hosts her own cooking show. Despite Joy and Luke sharing a kiss early in the story, I wasn’t feeling the chemistry right away between them. Once I got to know Joy and Luke better, I thought they made a good couple. The romance was sweet. There was a few times where I felt the story moved slowly but overall, I liked this book. I would dine again with Rachel Hauck.
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun, quick read. The food sounded yummy and the characters were pretty believable.
stephanywrites's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great book! I thoroughly enjoy Rachel Hauck's writing style and the main character totally stole my heart. :)
blackngoldgirlsbookspot's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't surprised at how much I enjoyed this story after having read so many rave reviews. Dining with Joy is a wonderful story that will appeal to both readers of Christian fiction and foodies alike. It's not only a romance but a story of a woman discovering what God wants for her and having the courage to pursue it!
I really liked the characters especially the handsome cowboy turned chef, Luke and Joy's nieces. While Lyric and Annie-Rae weren't main characters we still get to know them. I couldn't help but feel for them as kids growing up with their parents out of the picture. I know a few people in my own family who had to deal with that and I know how important a strong relationship with an extended family is.
Rachel Hauck did a great job with this book. It got a little slow for me about midway through but it picked up and I loved how it ended. I'm really looking forward to reading the other books in this series and more from Rachel in the future!
I really liked the characters especially the handsome cowboy turned chef, Luke and Joy's nieces. While Lyric and Annie-Rae weren't main characters we still get to know them. I couldn't help but feel for them as kids growing up with their parents out of the picture. I know a few people in my own family who had to deal with that and I know how important a strong relationship with an extended family is.
Rachel Hauck did a great job with this book. It got a little slow for me about midway through but it picked up and I loved how it ended. I'm really looking forward to reading the other books in this series and more from Rachel in the future!
amycbooks's review against another edition
2.0
2.75 out of 5 stars
Overall I liked the book enough to finish, which is saying a lot because I wanted to quit reading several times.
This is your typical run of the mill romance story, so if you are looking to pick up a book that won't really shock you with the out come then this book is for you.
I did like Joy...most of the time. She was outgoing, loved her family, was willing to work hard. However, her constant battle of whether she should tell the truth just became annoying after the first 30 pages. Seriously, you're an adult, DON'T TELL LIES!
Luke was a decent leading man. I liked his willingness to pursue Joy however...he turned on her way to quickly when something happened that was completely out of her control. Seriously??? You say you love this girl???
Although the writing was decent and the plot was fairly interesting it took far too long to get where she was going. If you say something is going to happen on the back of the book and it takes until the last 75 pgs to get there...that is too slow. The seriousness of the "lie" just was stupid. Seriously, I don't think it was that big of a deal. And along those lines, it was never Joy's fault although EVERYONE blamed her for everything. Lastly, the jumpy feel of every scene just brought me out of the story. One minute we are having this sweet moment and cut to the next day...WAIT, how did that moment play out????
Lastly the ending was not really an ending. We get no resolve on how things played out and the ending was pretty much the ending to "Leap Year" minus the snarky Scottsman.
Overall I liked the book enough to finish, which is saying a lot because I wanted to quit reading several times.
This is your typical run of the mill romance story, so if you are looking to pick up a book that won't really shock you with the out come then this book is for you.
I did like Joy...most of the time. She was outgoing, loved her family, was willing to work hard. However, her constant battle of whether she should tell the truth just became annoying after the first 30 pages. Seriously, you're an adult, DON'T TELL LIES!
Luke was a decent leading man. I liked his willingness to pursue Joy however...he turned on her way to quickly when something happened that was completely out of her control. Seriously??? You say you love this girl???
Although the writing was decent and the plot was fairly interesting it took far too long to get where she was going. If you say something is going to happen on the back of the book and it takes until the last 75 pgs to get there...that is too slow. The seriousness of the "lie" just was stupid. Seriously, I don't think it was that big of a deal. And along those lines, it was never Joy's fault although EVERYONE blamed her for everything. Lastly, the jumpy feel of every scene just brought me out of the story. One minute we are having this sweet moment and cut to the next day...WAIT, how did that moment play out????
Lastly the ending was not really an ending. We get no resolve on how things played out and the ending was pretty much the ending to "Leap Year" minus the snarky Scottsman.
carlalaureano's review against another edition
4.0
I'll probably come back here and waver between 4 and 5 stars for a while, but either way, it was fantastic! Funny with plenty of romantic tension. And who can resist a man who can cook?
bookworm_mommy's review against another edition
3.0
My favorite of the 3 in the series. I feel like Joy truly experienced some growth. She was a character I could root for.
cjanette's review
2.0
Didn't really enjoy this as much as the second book since I spent most of the book yelling at the character to just tell the truth. It was so incredibly frustrating and that ruined what would have otherwise been quite enjoyable.
zanzarr's review
3.0
Well, it took me a while, but I've finally finished this book (which I obtained through first reads) and I have to say I'm...undecided. I'm not sure if I liked, loved, or hated it. I just know it took me way more time than usual to get from the first page to the last page. Maybe it's because I've been busy or maybe it's because the book just wasn't that appealing. From what I gather the writing was decent the concept interesting, but for some reason I couldn't just sit down and really get into it. I plan on rereading it once I have some extra time on my hands and revising this crappy and unhelpful review. Until then I give it three stars for effort.