Thursday, June 6, 2013

Book Review: "My French Vanilla" by D.L. Kelly



My French Vanilla

Synopsis: 

Just-divorced Suzy Simmons celebrates the event with Margaritas and her best friend, Jackie. While they lounge on her deck, drinking and planning their future full of good looking rich men and swanky vacations, Suzy mentions that she'd like to take the cooking class at the community college, taught by Chef Robert Donvier, and Jackie agrees to tag along. The Chef turns out to be a gorgeous, brown-eyed hunk with a slight French accent, and soon things are simmering between him and Suzy. 
When he asks her to be his assistant for a local cook-off, she jumps at the chance to be with the handsome, sexy, and oh yes, rich, Chef Robert. The two become inseparable, and their love making is frequently enhanced by items from the kitchen. Before they can officially become a couple, Robert and Suzy must resolve issues with their former partners and in their private lives.



Review: 
4 Vanilla STARS


This was a refreshingly new type of love story. First, the female character was not a mid-twenties girl and much less a virgin and the guy wasn't in his late 20's either. Suzy was in her early 50's, recently divorced with a kid in college and Robert was in his late 40's and 'half' FRENCH! I'm a sucker for accents, British mainly.. but just imagining a hot, Corvette-driving, rich and very talented CHEF with a slight French accent??? 0.0 *Melt*

As you can see from the synopsis, Suzy and her best friend/aunt, Jackie, enrolled in a  'personal enrichment' class at the Community College.  Which is where Suzy met Robert who was the instructor. 

"Jacqueline Werner?" Jackie grinned and I elbowed her. "Tell him. Jackie," I hissed. "No way", she whispered back, raising her hand. "He can call me Zhak-leen any time he wants!"

Suzy and Robert quickly developed a hot and  romantic relationship. Robert was very attentive towards her. You could easily tell he genuinely wanted to take care of her. But of course, there were other things, that stirred up the plot.
  
I honestly found myself smiling through most of the story line and at other times giggling from the inner dialogue Suzy had and the banter between the characters, which, FYI, were very down to earth. 

"I wanted to tell you, I've enjoyed having you in this class. And Jackie too. As you can see, most of the other students are on Medicare."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about him. I felt so silly, so... ninth grade! Did he get my email? Did he like me? He didn't ask to come in when he brought me home... was that bad?" 

"Mmm, this is lovely," I commented as I took a sip. "I really like this." 
"And I really like you. You're lovely. And you're really good at this eye rolling thing, I see."
"You don't know me yet. Maybe I'm a real bitch on wheels. You might change your mind."

OMG I have to mention all the delicious recipes in this book!! Which of course shouldn't come as a shock given the main character was a very famous chef.. but still.. wow! delicious! I wish I knew how to cook like that. *sigh* Oh! and you can bet I will never look at a strawberry sundae the same way thanks to D.L. Kelly.. once you read this, you'll know. *wink* But just so you can imagine what I mean, Robert and Suzy got quite inventive in the bedroom and in... other.. places.. like counter tops? :)

"He ran his index finger around the side of the plate and held it to my lips. I did what any red-blooded America woman would do. I sucked it. Hard."

"He kissed me with enough heat to melt the North Pole."

This was a relatively short book, I believe it's actually less than 200 pages..?  It's fast paced so everything seemed to happen very quickly. But maybe too quickly? They met and bam! fell in love. I think this was what mainly caused me to lack connection to the book at certain times. Other than this, I really don't have any "complaints". 

I consider "My French Vanilla" to be a good and interesting book with an entertaining story line and very fun characters!! If you're in the mood for a short and light read with quite the steamy scenes, then this is a book for you.

"Mmm, tastes like French vanilla. How appropriate!"















About the Author:
D.L. Kelly


(D.L. Kelly is the one on the right)

I've been a writer since I was 13--I just didn't know it then--when Sister Helen Thaddeus read my short story aloud in class. I was embarrassed, but I thought, "This might be something I'm good at!" Along the way, I've been occasionally told that I am. You can be the judge....
Writers have always been my heroes. I started with Stephen King, and remained loyal to him although I've picked up many more along the way, too many to list here...
I've spent almost forty years as a Registered Nurse, the last decade in the ER, and my advice to nursing students and new nurses is always that life is stranger than fiction. Nothing you can possibly image can be as bad as things you see coming in the ER door...
I use writing as an escape from the horrors of real life. People dying and disfigured from cancer, a wife shrieking because her forty-two year old husband went out to mow the grass and dropped over dead, and recently, people running in a marathon being killed and maimed by shrapnel....never mind...let's go to a happier place...
I like my fictional characters to be basically happy, and although they have problems to deal with, they usually can solve them and remain intact, both physically and mentally. I enjoy reading about flawed individuals, but I can't write it myself. Yet....



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