REVIEW: The Secret Ingredient by Nina Harrington

The Secret Ingredient by Nina Harrington: Lottie knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she’d see Rob Beresford again someday. Dee was her very best friend, and she’d most likely be marrying Rob’s stepbrother someday. However, she wasn’t prepared to see him now. At an art gallery where she was contracted to make all the food. Of course, he didn’t remember her from Eve, not even if he’d almost ruined her career – he thought she was an art critic. It was awfully nice to see the look on his face when he’d realized how far he’d stuck his foot in his mouth after making a crack about the food before he’d even tasted it, just to find out she was the baker. Maybe seeing him again like this would be fun after all.

Rob was back in London with his mother for a high-profile art show. It had been eight years since her very public breakdown, so he had to be here for her to make sure it didn’t happen again. Keeping his eye on the reporters and critics was a very important part of his job, even if Adele had begged off with a head cold. That was his justification for approaching the gorgeous woman staring at the one piece of artwork that caught the darkness in his mother. That she turned out not to be a critic after all was his mistake for assuming – and the baker who shared a shop with his brother’s girlfriend no less, just what he needed.

As it turned out, Adele showed up on her own, and the unfortunate combination of champagne and cold medicine made it necessary to find a quick exit. Lottie felt she had to help – against her better judgement – but only because Adele was involved, not for Rob’s sake. When she offered his mother refuge to avoid any backlash in the press, Rob was gobsmacked but he couldn’t turn her down. He just wondered if the price of her kindness would be too high for him to repay.

Rob found himself wanting to get closer to this woman who succeeded in a business she took up after giving up a completely different life. He wanted to tell her all his secrets and troubles. But that was something he couldn’t afford. He had his own burdens, and that meant not being tied to one place for long.

Lottie resisted Rob as long as she could. After all, he fired her after his fling wrongly accused her of her mistake in the kitchen. She rose above it, but it could have derailed her career for good. However, she found that he was different from the man she remembered. And once she found out what really happened back then, she had a different perspective on things.

Maybe life has a way of bringing people together at the right time. When the people around them are ready to let them go.

Again, the KISS books do NOT disappoint. This is a sequel to Trouble on Her Doorstep, and it features Sean and Dee quite a bit. It was lovely to see Lottie and Rob again, and to read their love story was the ‘icing on the cake’. 🙂

If I have one nitpick, I think the book would’ve profited from more contractions. There were a lot of “I have not”s, and it could’ve been, “I haven’t” instead. Sometimes it distracted me from the story. Otherwise, I loved it 100%! (so 99%)

Highly recommened – KISS books rock!

Book Info:

Published April 1st 2014 by Harlequin KISS

Lottie’s top tips for dating:

1. Ignore all advances from inappropriate men. Celebrity chef and notorious heartbreaker Rob Beresford can certainly flirt, but that doesn’t mean his intentions are honorable!

2. Keep your cool. Rob is not a safe bet, so don’t let him see that he gets you hot under your apron!

3. If 1) and 2) fail, indulge in a wild fling with said inappropriate man. Because remember, wild nights with no strings attached are this man’s specialty!

But Lottie is about to discover that Rob has a few secret ingredients to add to the mix, which could make her throw her tips out the window forever!