Reality TV Mixed with Appetizing Recipes ? Yum!!
Mary Kay Andrews delights her readers with a delicious mix of behind-the-scenes reality TV moments and some really yummy (sounding, anyway - I haven't quite tried anything yet, but I'm going to!) recipes!! Gina Foxton is the star of her very own reality TV cooking show and having a romance with her producer, Scott, and is just about to take a summer hiatus from filming when she finds out that her show has been cancelled by the producer - and all because Scott was caught having a fling with the producer's wife!
Gina has no idea where her career is headed but she's very sure that she's through with Scott until he gets her a chance to go up against hunky Tate Moody in a reality TV "Food Fight!" where the winner will have their own show on the Cooking Channel.
Initially, the two competitors get on each other's nerves. Tate thinks Gina's culinary viewpoint of "fresh and healthy" meals sounds boring - he'd much rather go hunting, "kill something & cook it" for his rustic man's man cooking show "Vittles". Gina thinks Tate is a "roughneck" but she hears that the ladies love him (including her little sister Lisa!) and once she meets him, she must admit he is kind of cute. The book takes another romantic turn as we wonder if Tate will feel the same way about Gina.
Gina also finds herself "nose to nose" with Tate's adorable dog, Moonpie - she doesn't mean to let him out of his cage, causing all sorts of trouble on the set - but that's just for starters; the main entrée of this "food fight" involves limited ingredients in the kitchen and an island out in "the sticks" - at least Tate seems to be in his element, he's used to rustic living, but all Gina's got is a golf cart and she doesn't know how to hunt!
Those who love food and the Food Network will certainly have a lot of fun with this novel, as you can imagine the stars of some of your favorite shows going through the antics they come up with to get an episode "in the can". Andrews also gives the ingredients of some of the recipes prepared on "the show" and I am looking forward to the tomato soup chocolate cake!
This was a fun story and Mary Kay Andrews serves it up "southern style" and sets the background vividly and give us lots of personalities that help out the main characters as they go about their battle. At the end of this tale, we find out just who wins their own cooking show and find out if romance is going to be their "just dessert"!
