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dollycas's review against another edition
5.0
Dollycas's Thoughts
Most times we don't know that a book series is ending or has come to an end. The author is informed and sometimes they have the option of continuing the series on their own, but most of the time the reader is left in the dark. Social media has changed that some, in that the authors can stay in touch with their readers and give us a heads up. Even when we get a heads up the characters/authors are usually left without a chance to wrap up their stories.
Julie Hyzy blogged back in December that Foreign Eclairs would be the last book in this series and explained why. This is one of my very favorite series so I was sad, but after reading her post I am thankful for the nine adventures we did have with Ollie.
Hyzy does not have Ollie leave us quietly either. This cozy crept right into the suspense/thriller genre and when I reached the final word all I could say was WOW!!!
The story started with a bomb explosion in Wisconsin so I was immediately on high alert. From there I just held on tight.
In D.C. Ollie and head usher, Peter Everett Sargeant, are holding interviews for a new chef, first son, Josh isn't visiting the kitchen as much, and Gav is off on assignment. Then Ollie is attacked on her way home, she is okay, but her purse was stolen. Then a White House staffer is found dead after she was clearly tortured. Agent Neville Walker, the new head of the Secret Service, thinks the two events may be connected. Another bombing solidifies his thinking. After a little investigating it is determined the Armustanian terrorists are to blame and Ollie may be the target. Ollie doesn't have much time for cooking this time as she is trying to save her life and maybe others. She also needs to figure out what is going on with Josh. Definitely not a woman with time on her hands.
The story starts with a slow build but soon we are going at breakneck speed just hoping our protagonist is alive at the end. I started this story in the evening. Thankfully I found the perfect stopping point so I could sleep. Good thing too, because when I picked it up the next day there was no putting it down. Things got really intense and the pages just flew. There were the normal things we come to expect in this mystery series, Bucky and Ollie in the White House kitchen planning meals, Ollie butting heads with Sargeant over the way the kitchen should be run, and Ollie and Gav still adjusting to married life and him being gone so much. But this being the last installment written by Hyzy, she had to tie things up but still leave the door open a crack just in case someone else is hired to continue the series. She did it in an amazing way and true fans will understand. I hope this is that last we see of Ollie as I don't think anyone else could do this character justice.
So we say good bye to our behind the scenes access to the White House and I say thank you to Julie Hyzy for giving us so many wonderful stories and some truly memorable characters.
This book gets my first Paradise Rating of 2016!
Most times we don't know that a book series is ending or has come to an end. The author is informed and sometimes they have the option of continuing the series on their own, but most of the time the reader is left in the dark. Social media has changed that some, in that the authors can stay in touch with their readers and give us a heads up. Even when we get a heads up the characters/authors are usually left without a chance to wrap up their stories.
Julie Hyzy blogged back in December that Foreign Eclairs would be the last book in this series and explained why. This is one of my very favorite series so I was sad, but after reading her post I am thankful for the nine adventures we did have with Ollie.
Hyzy does not have Ollie leave us quietly either. This cozy crept right into the suspense/thriller genre and when I reached the final word all I could say was WOW!!!
The story started with a bomb explosion in Wisconsin so I was immediately on high alert. From there I just held on tight.
In D.C. Ollie and head usher, Peter Everett Sargeant, are holding interviews for a new chef, first son, Josh isn't visiting the kitchen as much, and Gav is off on assignment. Then Ollie is attacked on her way home, she is okay, but her purse was stolen. Then a White House staffer is found dead after she was clearly tortured. Agent Neville Walker, the new head of the Secret Service, thinks the two events may be connected. Another bombing solidifies his thinking. After a little investigating it is determined the Armustanian terrorists are to blame and Ollie may be the target. Ollie doesn't have much time for cooking this time as she is trying to save her life and maybe others. She also needs to figure out what is going on with Josh. Definitely not a woman with time on her hands.
The story starts with a slow build but soon we are going at breakneck speed just hoping our protagonist is alive at the end. I started this story in the evening. Thankfully I found the perfect stopping point so I could sleep. Good thing too, because when I picked it up the next day there was no putting it down. Things got really intense and the pages just flew. There were the normal things we come to expect in this mystery series, Bucky and Ollie in the White House kitchen planning meals, Ollie butting heads with Sargeant over the way the kitchen should be run, and Ollie and Gav still adjusting to married life and him being gone so much. But this being the last installment written by Hyzy, she had to tie things up but still leave the door open a crack just in case someone else is hired to continue the series. She did it in an amazing way and true fans will understand. I hope this is that last we see of Ollie as I don't think anyone else could do this character justice.
So we say good bye to our behind the scenes access to the White House and I say thank you to Julie Hyzy for giving us so many wonderful stories and some truly memorable characters.
This book gets my first Paradise Rating of 2016!
alesia_charles's review
5.0
I've enjoyed this series a lot, and I'm sorry the author had to walk away from it.
(That had nothing to do with politics, by the way - read her blog entry if you want the basically financial details and info on the tribulations writers sometimes run into.)
(That had nothing to do with politics, by the way - read her blog entry if you want the basically financial details and info on the tribulations writers sometimes run into.)
canada_matt's review against another edition
4.0
In the latest White House Chef novel, Hyzy offers an interesting spin to a common theme. Olivia Paras is enjoying life as the Executive Chef in the White House, even though things are a little busier than she might like. Down one chef and on the search for a replacement, Paras is committed to ensuring that the First Family never goes hungry or dreads mealtimes. On her way home one night, Paras is mugged, but is able to make it to safety and can offer some assistance in identifying her attackers. With this information, it is soon determined that these were henchmen working for a factions within Armustan, a small republic whose touted leader remains in a US prison after a foiled attack at the White House in a previous novel. Paras was central in overturning that plot and sending said leader to a life behind bars, leaving the mugging as a likely attempt at revenge. After learning of her ordeal and completing a mission outside of DC, Secret Service Agent Leonard 'Gav' Gavin returns to his wife to offer support and protection. Paras and Gav soon realise that that attack was only the beginning of the Armustanian attempts to target her. When one member of the White House Team is murdered, all eyes look to Paras to determine if she might be next. This means keeping her safe and in hiding until the threat can be neutralized. Of course, this is easier said than done, with the outspoken Chef Paras always wanting to play the Jessica Fletcher of the 21st century and be in on all the action to bring down a criminal. Hyzy takes the reader through the usual twists and turns before landing things in a high-octane sprint to the finish, at which time a major cliffhanger leaves everyone wondering how everything plans out. A great read for all those well-versed in the series.
If I had to call Hyzy anything, it would surely be my guilty pleasure author. The novels are not complex pieces of fiction, but their premise and the means by which she tackles the issues is insightful and highly entertaining. I cannot say enough about her work and how well she integrates one book to the other. While the cast of characters changes, sometimes removing favourites for new faces, the stories never get old and the drama is never too much that I want to toss a book to the side. Add to that, the insinuation of delectable treats, all of which are outlined at the end of the novel, and you have a successful series, great author, and easy to digest content. I look forward to seeing where all of this goes and how Hyzy will spin things to keep her readers happy. I am still holding out for a crossover between her two series, but that's just my own curiosity to see how it would play out.
Kudos, Madam Hyzy on another successful novel. You have all the ingredients to create wonderful stories, which you can seemingly whip up with ease.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
If I had to call Hyzy anything, it would surely be my guilty pleasure author. The novels are not complex pieces of fiction, but their premise and the means by which she tackles the issues is insightful and highly entertaining. I cannot say enough about her work and how well she integrates one book to the other. While the cast of characters changes, sometimes removing favourites for new faces, the stories never get old and the drama is never too much that I want to toss a book to the side. Add to that, the insinuation of delectable treats, all of which are outlined at the end of the novel, and you have a successful series, great author, and easy to digest content. I look forward to seeing where all of this goes and how Hyzy will spin things to keep her readers happy. I am still holding out for a crossover between her two series, but that's just my own curiosity to see how it would play out.
Kudos, Madam Hyzy on another successful novel. You have all the ingredients to create wonderful stories, which you can seemingly whip up with ease.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
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