Book Recommendation: Reservations for Two by Hillary Manton Lodge

Hi everyone, Kara here. I don't know about the rest of you in the southern hemisphere but we have had a rotten winter in our house. For the last six weeks we have done back to back colds, flus, tummy bugs and general misery. In the midst of all the horribleness I found myself bunkered down with the perfect "comfort read", Hillary Manton Lodge's Reservations for Two, the second book in her Two Blue Doors Series, which is split between France, Italy, Portland, and Memphis.

Back Cover Copy

 Juliette and Neil find romance simple as they travel through Provence and Tuscany together, but life back home presents a different set of challenges. Juliette has a restaurant to open, a mother combating serious illness, and a family legacy of secrets to untangle – how does Neil, living so far away in Memphis, fit into to her life? 

 

As she confronts an uncertain future, Juliette can’t help but wish that life could be as straightforward as her chocolate chip cookie recipe. Can her French grandmother’s letters from the 1940’s provide wisdom to guide her present? Or will every new insight create a fresh batch of mysteries? Food writer-turned-restaurateur Juliette D’Alisa has more than enough on her plate. While her trip to Provence might have unlocked new answers to her grandmother’s past, it’s also provided new complications in the form of Neil McLaren, the man she can’t give up. 

My thoughts

At the moment, there's a bit of a thing for writing series where all the books can also stand alone. This is not that. You absolutely need to have read the gorgeous first book in the series, A Table by the Window, to understand what is going on in Reservations for Two. 

This book combines many of my favourite things in a romance - multiple countries (who doesn't love an armchair visit to France and Italy?!), a historical and contemporary thread, challenging family dynamics, a heroine you cheer for, and twists you don't see coming. And it's a foodie novel so there are recipes for any of the mouth watering creations that show up in the pages! If you're a romance or contemporary fiction lover you really need to add this series to your shelf. I can't wait of the final instalment of Juliette's adventures (hopefully they involve another trip to France!) in April 2016.

Anyone else had any recent "comfort reads" they would recommend?

Kara Isaac lives in Wellington, New Zealand. Her debut romantic comedy, Close To You, is about a disillusioned academic-turned-tour-guide and an entrepreneur who knows nothing about Tolkien who fall in love on a Tolkien themed tour of New Zealand. It will be an April 2016 release from Howard Books. When she's not working her day job as a public servant, chasing around a ninja preschooler and his feisty toddler sister, she spends her time writing horribly bad first drafts and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in New Zealand. She loves to connnect on Facebook at Kara Isaac - Writer and Twitter @KaraIsaac