Tempting Donovan Ford

A Family Business #1

by Jennifer McKenzie

There's sizzle in this kitchen!

Chef Julia Laurent has poured everything into her late mother's restaurant. When the time is right, she'll buy it herself. Before she can, though, the Ford family swoops in and acquires it out from under her! Suddenly Julia has a new boss—the sexy and intriguing Donovan Ford.

Donovan and his family are legends in the restaurant business, so Julia will go along with his plans…for now. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Julia remains focused on her goal of owning this place. Donovan has the power to help her—Julia simply has to convince him that he wants to.

Genres: Harlequin, Romance

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Reader, writer, romantic.
Not necessarily in that order.

Jennifer McKenzie lives in Vancouver, Canada where she enjoys being able to ski and surf in the same day—not that she ever does either of those things. After years of working as a communications professional and spending her days writing for everyone else, she traded in the world of water coolers, cubicles and high heels to write for herself and wear pajamas all day. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, eating chocolate, trying to talk herself into working off said chocolate on the treadmill or spending time with her husband.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable and pleasant romance between chef Julia and bar-owning businessman Donovan. Their conflict is meek and mild as Donovan's family buys the restaurant Julia'd hoped to. Her "cheffing" there is linked sentimentally to her deceased mother's own chef's career culminating in La Petite Bouchée's kitchen. Julia and Donovan's conflict revolves around her trust and belief in tradition over his modernizing trend. Part of the ho-hum nature of the novel was how reasonable these two were. Even when they start an affair, all is proper and talked over. I appreciated the mautre adultness of their characterization, but I can't honestly say the novel thrilled me, or is memorable, or original. Nevertheless, a pleasant enough read. (Glad to see a category set in Canada, though ... more of those, please!) If you'd like to read an extensive review, please follow the link:

http://missbatesreadsromance.com/2015...

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Harlequin, via Netgalley.

[Kate Vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chef Julia Laurent loves her restaurant, having taken over as executive chef after her mother's illness and death. She plans to buy the place, as soon as she has the money and investors in place. But before she can do so, The Ford Group in the guise of older brother, Donovan, buys it. Julia is crushed, but hopes to be able to buy it again after Donovan says he just wants to upgrade and improve it and then sell it. So Julia harbors hope that her dream will be just a bit later than planned, but a dream nonetheless. So she sets about making lemonade from the lemons of Donovan's interference, as any good chef would.

But life continues to throw her curves when her attraction for Donovan and his for her interferes with his family's decision to keep the restaurant and Julia as head chef. But she doesn't want to be an employee. Her reaction to this news? Resignation and leaving--for Paris, of course. Will she stay there? Work there again? Or crawl back to Vancouver and somehow save up the money needed to buy back HER restaurant? The surprise ending isn't such a surprise after all.

[Harlequin Books]

"A nicely paced story, stellar conflict and plenty of sexual tension make this a must-read. Donovan is so sexy, it’s no wonder Julia (and readers) can’t resist him" (RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars).

Miniseries: A Family Business

[Wendy W · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few pages when this story seemed to drag. Toward the end the heroine became too wishy washy. I really would have like to give it maybe a 2.5.