I really enjoy a good women’s fiction story. I especially enjoy them when there are plenty of facets to keep the interest up and tied to the story.
This upcoming release is a great example of a heartwarming story with some surprising twists that keep those pages turning. Continue on for my full review.
Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden
Publisher: Berkley (January 9, 2024)
ISBN-13: 978-0593440216
OVERVIEW:
American chef Georgia May Jackson has one goal—to run her own restaurant in Paris. After a grueling decade working in Parisian kitchens, she is on the cusp of success. But in one disastrous night, Georgia loses her sous-chef position, her French boyfriend, and her sense of taste! Renowned for her refined palate and daring use of bold flavors to create remarkable dishes, Georgia is devastated to discover her culinary gift has simply…vanished.
When she receives a surprising invitation from her estranged mother, Georgia flees to a small island near Seattle hoping the visit will help her regain her spark in the kitchen. As she tentatively reconnects with her mom, a free-spirited hippie eager to make up for her past mistakes, Georgia realizes there is something about the enigmatic island she just cannot piece together. Good luck charms start appearing in the oddest places. Her neighbor is a puzzlingly antagonistic (and annoyingly handsome) oyster farmer. And her mom keeps hinting at a mysterious family legacy.
With the clock ticking and time running out to win her dream job in Paris, Georgia begins to unravel some astonishing secrets that make her wonder if the true recipe for a charmed life might look—and taste—very different than she ever imagined.
Recipe for a Charmed Life by Rachel Linden Review
There are so many interesting pieces to this story. We experience fabulous locales—tough family relationships; plus a lot of complexity with the characters.
The author does a wonderful job developing multilayers for each of the characters that include secrets and interests that have us buying into the story. Some of that I felt was hard to come to grips with especially when we’re talking family dynamics. But that did lead to a lot of intrigue within the story.
What I thought was fun and interesting was a little bit of a family specialty with magical touches. It became an important piece of the story as our main character dealt with her struggles, family pains, personal tragedy, and so much more.
Balancing everything out is helped by an unexpected romance with the grumpy hottie, of course. Interesting dynamics there too!
Overall, Recipe for a Charmed Life is a wonderful story of family and life sprinkled with the magic of love.
4 STARS!!
Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.
Hi! I’m Chris! Just a Midlife Wife sharing about life’s journey; screaming and kicking through it while supposedly aging gracefully…
Focusing on healthy living, low carb & keto, things I am loving right now, and life in general.