FEEL THE HEAT (Hot in the Kitchen #1) by Kate Meador-a review

About the Book: May 7, 2013

IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT . . .
Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time managing her family’s Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she’s tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she’s cooked up a recipe for disaster . . .

. . .

GET INTO THE BEDROOM
Jack Kilroy’s celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili’s oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he’s even more aroused by how unimpressed this beautiful, funny woman is with his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his bitch fork-wielding fan base. Now as he’s about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions – and turn up the heat in his kitchen?

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REVIEW: FEEL THE HEAT is the first storyline in Kate Meader’s new Hot in the Kitchen series. This particular story focuses on British celebrity chef Jack Kilroy and Lili DeLuca- an aspiring photographer who has put her career on hold to help keep the family business afloat. But the Italian eatery is bleeding money. When Lili’s television producer/sister Cara brings Jack Kilroy’s show to the States, the family restaurant is first on the agenda and what ensues is a cook off where power, seduction and sabotage make for ugly bedfellows and dangerous relationships.

I must say, that from the beginning, the storyline is very reminiscent of a couple of Chef Gordon Ramsey’s television shows where a family restaurant and its’ bickering siblings become fodder for the tabloids and television ratings. The story is filled with jealous family members; a patriarch too set in his old ways to see past the olive oil on his hands; and a heroine who had the ability to upset the balance of everyone and everything with whom she came in contact. In this, the storyline premise is built as Lili and Jack dance around their feelings and emotions for one another. And in the end, just about everyone will become a victim of the couple’s relationship disaster.

There are several potential storylines developing as the secondary characters are introduced. Jack’s sister in particular drops a bombshell that will definitely have to be addressed.

The relationship between our leading couple is filled with the push and pull of the unknown. Jack’s reputation in the tabloids continues to push at Lili’s heart, while Lili’s need to break free of her family and the memories of the past must be accomplished before she is able to live the life that she once dreamed.

If you like a storyline with heat both in and out of the kitchen, FEEL THE HEAT is a quick read for the romantic heart in all of us.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy