Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Opposites come together for a spicy surprise.

 

Bradford “Tully” Tolliver has everything—money, a great car, a beautiful condo, and a promising career as one of Portland’s hottest young lawyers. Sure, he puts in long hours and has no social life to speak of, but who needs romance when corporations pay top dollar for his expertise? He hesitates when a colleague asks if her cousin can live with him, but the arrangement will last less than a year, and then the cousin—Sage Filling—will return to his tiny hometown.

 

But Sage is handsome and intriguing, and his cooking makes Tully swoon. Sage has obligations back home, though, and Tully has offers he might not refuse from a persistent—and very wealthy—ex. Since Tully and Sage each have a full plate, can they make room for a side of love?

 

Book Review

‘A Full Plate’ is the perfect title for this hilarious, exciting, suspenseful, and very emotional story about two men who think they are too busy to handle anything else – until they meet. They soon realize they might just have to find a way to either pile more onto their current plate, so to speak, or to find a new one altogether. While the story looks deceptively simple at first glance - rich guy helps out man in financial difficulties - the quirky characters and some unexpected twists and turns make it interesting, not to mention the delight coming from reading about all the brilliant food!

Tully is an interesting contradiction – he is a lawyer with absolutely no worries about money who works in corporate law, a field he never really wanted to get into. But when his family disowned him for being gay he desperately needed money, and corporate lawyers are known for having a high income. Tully still remembers being poor, so when Sage comes to live with him and is in constant need of money, trying to earn enough to pay his family debts, Tully can relate on some level. Tully enjoys his status as a lone wolf, yet he doesn't mind Sage's company. I found these contradictions really interesting and definitely wanted to find out more. The changes as he begins to think about what he is up to and as he gets to know Sage and his family are slow, but once he decides what it is he wants? Watch out world!

Sage is a little more of an enigma in the beginning, but the fact that he is in trouble yet willing to work hard to fix things made me feel for him immediately. He is a brilliant chef, but because he has no education, all he can get is a job at a diner. Sage is a man with hidden depths and anything but boring. No wonder Tully is intrigued! Sage’s father's death and the loss of the family restaurant has hit him hard, but all he can think of is how to hold his head above water. It takes the relationship with Tully and the man's eternal optimism for Sage to begin to believe in himself.

Tully and Sage’s relationship develops slowly. Sage is bi and, at first, Tully isn’t sure whether Sage might return his interest. Both men are hesitant about getting involved because their lives are so different and their acquaintance only temporary - or so they think. But once they get going, they are very hot together. Tully’s ex is a total slime ball and his attempts to get Tully to work with him were not only annoying, but also added a level of suspense to the proceedings that kept me yelling at Tully to wake up and smell the BS. As you can see, I was very involved in this story – and not just because of the food.

If you like quirky characters with unusual back stories and a few surprises up their sleeves, if you think an uneducated chef with lots of talent and a wealthy lawyer with unfulfilled professional needs could make a good couple, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read about a slow-burn romance that gets very intense, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. The food descriptions are mouth-watering, the characters fascinating, and the plot kept me turning the pages.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 206 pages/50873 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	17-April-2018
Price	$4.99 ebook, $9.99 paperback, $9.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-full-plate-by-kim-fielding-9482-b