Humpday Hello for Short Soup

Humpday hello to all from our kitchen to yours!  Brrrr, it's cold in here - nearly 20 degrees this morning when I left for work.  All I wanted to do was burrow back in bed and read with my cup o'joe!  Fortunately, the day flew by so I could run home and catch you up on some must reads for 2013.  Our GIBC met this weekend - boy do we have some amazing things planned this year.  Stay tuned, dear readers, for 2013  bookclub features, very cool guest postings and contests too!  Woohoo!!!

Lest you thought I had forgotten what time it is before we move on to the tasty book we have this week - let's take a moment to check out this eye candy in the kitchen!  Mmmmmm.  

SHORT SOUP, Colleen Kwan, Escape Publishing, Dec 2012

Contemporary multicultural romance

A story about best friends, childhood dreams, and the healing power of Chinese food…

Toni Lau and Dion Chan were connected from birth — first via their parents’ jointly-owned restaurant, then via their bone-deep friendship. But children grow up, and Toni leaves their sleepy hometown looking for more than it can offer.

Now Toni is back, raw with the knowledge that not all childhood dreams come true. Dion is on the brink of realising that both his own ambitions and his childhood friend have the power to derail all of his hard work. But loving Toni — and winning her love in return — has always been on his wish list. Can Dion really put her on the back burner while frying up his chef dreams? Or is it possible that together they can come up with a recipe for happiness?

BUY LINKS:    Escape Publishing   Amazon

Served up like the feast that it is, Short Soup should be placed on a Contemporary romance readers TBR list for this year.  Deliciously sexy, emotionally satisfying, this story invites the reader to sit down and sate their senses as Toni and Dion take a classic friends to lovers story and give it a fresh and sensual twist.

Colleen Kwan has a knack for understanding timing. The romantic timing of Toni and Dion has always been off, despite that, their friendship has endured for two decades.  Once best childhood friends, the pair are now in the same place, at the same time, both single and on the precipice of starting new lives.  Do they dare to take the plunge or let it pass?  Dion, thankfully, has hit his stride and goes for what he has always wanted - the whole package: friends, family, career, love.   Short Soup flows beautifully and has just the right blend of emotional highs and lows to captivate and entertain.  The ebb and flow of back story with current story mingle so that the reader feels very much like they are hearing about this romance from the characters as if they were friends chatting at lunch, catching up and delving into their current states.

The characters are strong but even more entertaining are the relationships between the families. Love and work, friends and family, competing internal and external forces all vie to bar this pair from their happily ever after.  Toni has to work to overcome her perceived failures in her marriage.  Dion fights to prove his ambition and success to his father. Somehow, when they come together though it all falls away.  The romance is sweet but not bland - like the short soup it's named for - deceptively simple with complex flavors guaranteed to stick with you long after the treat is gone.  Dion's sexy playful side roars to life as he woos his best friend and it's like watching water sizzle in the pan, steam nearly lifts off the page!

RATING: FIVE Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries!  This story has received our Ultimate Indulgence award!  This book was given to us by the author for an unbiased review. Many thanks.