Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
McCoy (The Good Ones Are Taken) brings lots of spice but little sense to this underwhelming contemporary. Ambitious Kendra Porter hopes that her plan to open a speakeasy/supper club in or around Washington, D.C., will finally free her from the shadow of her older brother, a successful restaurateur. Sparks fly when her brother's lifelong best friend, BJ, offers his expertise in historical preservation to help Kendra find a landmark location that will enhance the ambiance of her new venture. The pair are obviously mutually interested in each other from the jump, leading to a hot and heavy "friends-with-benefits situationship." When Kendra confesses that she has real feelings, however, BJ insists that, as his best friend's sister, she is "off limits." It's an old trope, and McCoy does little to make it feel fresh or even believable: there's no indication why Kendra's brother would object to the relationship and, indeed, it turns out he doesn't. The result is a flimsy conflict that can't drive the plot forward with any urgency and serves to make both protagonists look bad, especially BJ, who comes across as undependable. This doesn't work. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Kendra Porter returns home to Washington, DC, from her world travels, ready to open the Prohibition-themed restaurant she has meticulously planned. She hopes her family will be as supportive of her concept as they were of her brother, who just opened his own successful restaurant. Unfortunately, her extensive plans and prospectus fail to convince her relatives of her concept's viability, although her brother and his best friend, university professor Ben Stephens, respect Kendra's dreams and try to help her get it off the ground. Kendra and Ben discover a mutual attraction that Ben is hesitant to explore, lest his relationship with her family suffer. However, her quest for a restaurant location happens to align with his research in architecture, so they end up spending a lot of time together. Kendra understands his concerns about family perception, but Ben's mixed signals make her hopeful and concerned in equal measure. Lots of details regarding food, family, and secondary characters round out the story. VERDICT McCoy's (The Good Ones Are Taken) talent for crafting steamy scenes, deft hand with dialogue, and mouthwatering food descriptions will make this a popular title.--Nicole Williams
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