Taste the Heat (Entangled Bliss) by Rachel Harris on July 8th 2013
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, General
Pages: 220
Goodreads
Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris
One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef. One combustible kitchen...
When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother's best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she can't afford to taste. Colby can't wait to leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas.
Fire captain Jason Landry isn't looking for love, either. Disillusioned by his past, he knows he should be focusing on finding the perfect mother for his daughter. But when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can't help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason can't say no.
As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn't as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?
Okay, I’ll admit it. The one line in the blurb that drew my attention. I’m pretty sure you can guess it, too. “Sexy fire captain.”
I read about this one on Sheri‘s tour post and the conversation went something like this:
Me: Sexy fire captain??
Sheri: Wendy, go rob a kid’s piggy bank and BUY THIS NOW!
Me: OKAY!
Don’t worry. No kids’ piggy banks were robbed in the making of this review. =)
First of all, holy wow, I loved the writing in this book! Taste the Heat takes place in New Orleans and Rachel Harris makes it come to life in your mind! The tastes, the smells, the whole atmosphere just envelopes you! I’ve never been there but now I know I need to visit! (Hmm, the ADA — American Dental Association — conference is there next year!)
Anyway. The characters — seriously EVERY single one swept me away. Yes, I picked it up for the sexy fire captain but I loved not just him but everyone! But we can start with my love for him first. =)
Jason Landry. Eeeeep Jason, Jason, Jason!! *flails* okay, I’m done. For now. =) Jason is the ultimate good guy. He is charming, thoughtful, friendly, a great cook and the most loving father. He’s had some tragedy in his past but he doesn’t let that destroy him. He takes that experiences and uses it to fuel the things he works toward and it’s the reason and passion behind the things he’s accomplished. You just look at him and think, wow. Amazing.
Colby Robicheaux has had a crush on Jason, her brother’s best friend ever since she can remember. They grew up together. But now that she’s back home she thinks she may still like him. A lot. Too bad she’s sworn off men. I really loved Colby. She’s a really strong character – you can tell she had to deal with a lot and all on her own, too, but she didn’t let that stop her from pursuing her dream and opening her own restaurant in Vegas. I really admired her strength!
She and Jason fit so well together, I loved watching them together! It was so natural and also was incredibly sweet. My favorite character though, really had to be Emma, Jason’s daughter. Spunkiest little 12 year old ever! If I had a child, I’d love for her to be just like Emma!! And Jason with Emma? Oh, my heart. It was just the cutest.
“But when he caught Emma doodling a heart around a boy’s name, he’d lost it. Not one of his finer moments for sure, but when did his tree-climbing daughter start caring about things like makeup? And who the hell was this Brad kid? Did he know that her father was trained in hand-to-hand combat?”
The FOOD aspect is amazing. There was so much yumminess described! I loved how it worked into the story and how thoughtful Jason was when he planned meals for Colby. It definitely left me with a hankering for spicy food! And… chocolate. If you guys know what I mean by that. =)
Besides Jason and Colby’s growing relationship, the book also had a family focus and I loved how you could see the close ties Colby had with her siblings even though she’d been gone for so long. Colby’s relationship with her parents is also discussed and there was a moment when I realized I was getting choked up. I liked that there was a more serious element in there.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with the same instructions Sheri gave me — go buy this and read! Seriously, I loved it and after I finished I was just grinning all over the place. =) You will too!
My Rating: 
Great review Wendy! Wasn’t this book just the greatest? I am so excited for Cane’s story next! But yeah. Jason completely stole my heart.
Wendy!!!
I LOVE this review!! Thank you so much for reading, and for loving it (he he). I adore you so your opinion means a lot. You had ME grinning all over the place 😉
xoxo
Rachel
Fabulous review! I really liked this book too and loved all the characters! What is not to love about Jason and swoon over? I also adored Colby and Emma. Emma was definitely a highlight of the book. I can’t wait to read Cain’s story. 🙂
This does sound awesome! I’m excited to read it soon! Great review hon!
I’ve seen a lot of good things about this book, I want to read it soon! I love cute father/daughter relationships in books!