2024 the best of deep throat review

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(as of Dec 02, 2024 07:54:28 UTC - Details)

In this sumptuous novel, Barbara O’Neal offers readers a celebration of food, family, and love as a woman searches for the elusive ingredient we’re all hoping to find. . . .

It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for—the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is—and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001NBEWMC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam Discovery (December 8, 2008)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 8, 2008
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 692 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 466 pages
Reviewer: Katie Bradshaw
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Unexpected Delight
Review: I LOVED this novel.!! So unique, so moving,and so lovely!!!Part romance, part mystery and part great novel,I will keep this book handy; not just for the recipes, but so I can reread it when I want.BTW, I was absolutely thrilled with the ending.

Reviewer: dcbooklover
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Surprisingly complex, like a good mole
Review: In this food lovers' novel, Elena Alvarez is an accomplished Santa Fe-trained chef with Mexican roots and a Southwestern flair to her elegant food. When she is offered the opportunity to become the executive chef at a new restaurant in Aspen, Colorado, owned by a Hollywood director who dabbles in the restaurant business, Elena jumps at the opportunity. But the process of opening the restaurant and developing the menu turns out to be more challenging than Elena expected. She must deal with Ivan, the surly former executive chef who has been demoted to her sous chef and who, despite his culinary brilliance, is battling alcohol and personal demons. She also must deal with her intense attraction to Julian Liswood, her boss and, as a Hollywood hottie, someone Elena believes to be totally out of her league (as well as a father to a 14-year old troubled teen). In addition, Elena has physical and emotional scars from a catastrophic car accident from her childhood and both pose obstacles to her ability to realize her dream of running her own successful kitchen.This is the first book I've read by Barbara O'Neal and I was surprised by how much depth and complexity there was to both the plot and characters. I adore books about food, cooking, chefs and the like so the book was a natural draw for me but I was expecting it to be more light-hearted and so its deeper, more complex approach was a welcome surprise. The characters, particularly Elena and Ivan, are deeply scarred but strong and passionate and determined. The book is filled with funny and insightful glimpses into professional kitchens and cooking in a way that is inspiring, rather than intimidating. The dishes created and remembered in Elena's kitchen were so vividly described I could almost taste them. Overall, a very impressive and enjoyable read.

Reviewer: tori m
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An Inspiring Read
Review: I found this book thought inspiring and it touched my heart. I think it was very well written and, although I wanted it to go on to reveal the things that would happen next to the characters, the author wisely left the conclusion up the readers' imaginations. A really great book!

Reviewer: dirocker
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: One of my favorite authors
Review: I loved this book. It was a story of trauma, loss, personal growth and love. The characters were well developed and I didn’t want the story to end. Well done!

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent
Review: A warning, you might not want to read this if you are hungry. The descriptions of the food and the recipes are so good you can a!most taste and smell the food. I live in New Mexico and have come to love the food, the people and the culture. The author shares the love of food and place and describes it much better than I could. This is a beautiful book; I enjoyed every word and it will stay with me. There are some ( subtle) political points, some sad and some funny. I loved this so much.

Reviewer: C. Wall
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Sensual and provocative
Review: This is the story of Elena Alvarez, chef, and her quest to exorcise her ghosts and guilt. Her goal is to make a name for herself in the food world, training all over the world, and becoming executive chef at a new restaurant in Aspen. She makes some poor choices along the way (who doesn't) but the reader is swept along in her journey. The author uses sensual prose to describe the foods Elena creates, and even includes recipes for the adventurous to try. The ex is steamy but not vulgar. O'neal's characters are flawed, yet believable.Elena's struggle caught my interest and kept me reading to the end.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Intriguing story... senseless sexual content
Review: I thought the storyline of a critically injured middle aged woman, finding a new challenge of being hired as executive chef at a new restaurant was thoroughly engaging. However, it would have been even more engaging without the detailed sex scenes. The story didn’t need these details to be compelling.

Reviewer: Deborah H Johnson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I’m still crying…
Review: What a wonderful story- we can do hard things when we let those who love us in. Love the book.

Reviewer: Lobina
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Eine bewegende Lebensgeschichte, ein bisschen Mysterium, viel Liebe zum Kochen und eine Romanze.Für mich gelungene Unterhaltung.

Reviewer: Nicola
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: If ever there was a book I wanted to crawl into because of its sumptuous, seductive descriptions of food, then it was this one! Don't let the somewhat frothy chick-lit style cover fool you, because this isn't frivolous, not one little bit. What it is is the perfect mixture of romance, food and a little bit of a ghost story on the side. Believe me when I say that I devoured every single page.Successful Chef Elena Alvarez has her scars. The sole survivor of a horrific car accident twenty years earlier, she is still facing up to the ghosts of the past. After being fired by her on-off lover from her current restaurant job, she is offered a second chance to start over- setting up a new restaurant in Aspen. Can Elena let go of her past to make her new life work? And more importantly, can she trust enough to have another chance of love?As I have said, this is a great novel- despite what I think are some unfair critiques by publishers on the Amazon US site! If I'd paid attention to them then I never would have read this at all, which would have been a real shame. The plot flows remarkably well and the characters are all developed into believable people with flaws and quirks that make this story a bit different from the typical run of the mill romance. Even flashbacks to the past are successful and not at all tedious, thankfully! I also enjoyed the seductive Mexican recipes included in every chapter- particularly tamales and the delectable sounding hot chocolate which left me drooling. Definitely one I will try soon. Sometimes stories with recipes included in the actual chapters don't work very well, but these were a success and a nice tie in to the current aspect of the plot.For me, this book loses half a star merely because in comparison to the rest of the story I felt the ending a bit too abrupt... or maybe I just didn't want it to end at all?! If you enjoy foodie fiction and sensual romance then this is a book you definitely shouldn't miss. I'm looking forward to see what else this author has came up with. Highly recommended.**NB: If you enjoy books with a foodie theme then I would also suggest books by Judi Kendricks and Anthony Capella- sensational foodie romances!

Reviewer: Margit Flierl
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: It's just cooking and soft Porn. Not enough for a good read.

Reviewer: Northern Rockies
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I like this author but this is not her best work. First, why did she choose to make the main character Spanish but white? Seems contrived and unnecessary. Also, the big cooking challenge is the stupidest way for a woman to establish authority over an insubordinate male employee ever. Really who cares since they’re both great chefs? If he’s judged in the contest as the better chef she’s still his boss. The author should’ve written a more realistic scene where the main character reprimanded that chef on the spot for sexual harassment and fired him later if he didn’t improve.... there are still lots of good scenes possible involving longing, temptation, regret, anger, frustration etc. Why are these conceptions of women having to prove themselves in arbitrary and ridiculous ways being perpetuated. Crazy and not helpful for a world of women who may think they have to put up with sexual harassment if they work in a male dominated industry. Yes it’s fiction but we have a responsibility to the younger generation. But I do like that the main character has been badly injured and struggles to excel in spite of that; I enjoyed that good plot theme.

Reviewer: LEP
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I wholeheartedly agree with what Nic, previous review says. This is not frivolous chicklit, it's an indepth story of a fight back to happiness and a letting go of the ghosts of the past. It is about a chef and as such is very foody and has receipes for various New Mexican dishes throughout. I would agree that the end is perhaps a little rushed. (A little quibble, why is the dog on the front cover nothing like the descriptions of the delighful Alvin, who is a Chow mix and not a labrador as pictured?)Irecently read a previous book by B O'Neil, which was good, however, I couldn't put this one down until I'd finished it.