The Secret Ingredient

Blades (Crazy Old Money) delivers a saucy romance full of lovely characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal, blending an inviting, homey locale with scrumptious descriptions of Italian cuisine. Marcella Dawes, a celebrity chef, is visiting Longport, N.C., to write an Italian cookbook. Her temporary neighbor, Max Piccarelli, is a plastic surgeon who performs reconstructive surgery for children in distant locales on behalf of a nonprofit. He also happens to be a skilled cook and one of Cella’s biggest fans. When the two of them meet after Max’s dog sneaks onto Cella’s rented property, their connection and attraction is instantaneous. Over the course of four weeks, Cella is drawn into the world of Max’s picturesque hometown and his storied culinary family history, especially that of his late aunt, who founded the legendary Piccarelli Italian restaurant. Their inevitable love affair seems destined to be brief: the demands of fame draw Cella away from Longport just as Max begins letting himself fall in love. But neither is going to give up easily. The slow burn sometimes feels a little too slow, and the ending is Hallmark-sweet and predictable, but snazzy Cella and sweet Max carry the story. Romance-inclined foodies will love this contemporary. (BookLife)