Island Heat by Sarah Mayberry

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Title: Island Heat
Author: Sarah Mayberry
Series: Mediterranean Nights #10
Published by: Harlequin Mediterranean Nights
Release Date: March 11, 2008
Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 Backlist Reader Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 Monthly Key Word Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo
My rating:

Blurb:

It's been eight years since Tory Sanderson has seen Ben Cooper - eight years since she found out he seduced her to win a bet with some classmates at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, and eight years since she got her revenge....

After fulfilling her dream of publishing a cookbook of island recipes, Tory is thrilled when she's invited on a Caribbean cruise as a guest lecturer. But excitement turns to anxiety when she finds out that Ben, who is now a celebrated restaurateur, will join her as the guest chef.

Ben accepted the guest chef gig in order to enjoy a week of Tory sweating it out in the kitchen. But once the heat starts to climb, getting even turns out to be the last thing on his mind. In fact, picturing a future with Tory in his kitchen might add just the right amount of spice to his life....

My Review:

3.5 stars — OK, I haven’t read any other books in this series, but can I get a pet peeve out of the way?  The series is called Mediterranean Nights.  This book takes place in the Caribbean.  *Marge Simpson growl*

I will admit that while this book was easy to read, it took me awhile to invest in either character, and particularly in them as a couple.  I found their antics to be juvenile and petty at the beginning.  I realize that there was history, I totally get the hurt, and the addition of the things that had just happened with Ben prior to the cruise (which I wasn’t expecting at all)…but it just didn’t feel like enough to excuse their sniping.  Maybe I just don’t get that level of competition?

Mostly I really wanted to see Ben more fully understand how hurtful what he did in the past was to Tory.  He sort of got it, but I didn’t always believe it.

There was a LOT going on in this book, and maybe if I’d read the whole series I would have appreciated certain elements more.  Specifically the whole pendant thing.  Reading as a standalone story, it was intriguing, but obviously lacking a lot of details and hard to invest in.  I get that it’s probably meant to entice readers to then read the whole series, but I’m not sure I’m *that* interested.  I wish I knew the outcome for Tracy though.

I loved how once we got past a certain point we got to see more of Tory’s compassionate and empathetic nature.  I loved the way she felt for anyone who became a part of her life.  The story with her brother also caught me totally off guard, but I enjoyed the storyline.  It *kind of* took away from the general romance, but I don’t know how much I care?

Ben was okay, but I think I had a harder time getting past his earlier attitude and actions than I did with Tory.

And as I mentioned, it took me a LONG time to invest in them as a couple.  Once I did feel their chemistry and their feelings I enjoyed it, but I wanted something pulling me in earlier on I think.

So yeah…not my fave Sarah Mayberry, but still had some great humour and emotions as I’ve come to expect.