Friday, March 29, 2013

Love on the Line by Kimberly Kincaid

Violet Morgan puts the personal in personal chef, catering to clients who want the full cooking experience rather than a culinary drop-and-dash. But when her brother’s police detective partner is injured in the line of duty and needs help during recovery, she makes an exception. Violet lost her father to the job seven years ago, and worries for her brother’s safety every day. The last thing she wants is to get up-close with her brother’s career-cop partner…again.

For Noah Blackwell, being a detective isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s a legacy. So when he’s forced to take mandatory leave and deal with the trauma amnesia keeping him from identifying his shooter, it’s a literal case of adding insult to injury— and now he’s got to deal with an unwanted culinary caregiver on top of it. Never mind that he and Violet shared a steamy, secret kiss last New Year’s Eve. She rejects everything related to the job, and Noah’s not about to be distracted from recovering his memory and getting back to what he does best. No matter how pretty Violet is.

Despite their differences, Violet and Noah share a surprising bond in the kitchen that grows into something neither of them expect. But as Noah heals and their feelings for each other extend from the kitchen to the bedroom, Violet knows she must make an impossible choice. She may wear her heart on her sleeve when it comes to food, but can she risk it all to put love on the line?


Type: Contemporary romance, Novella
Heat: 3 out of 5 (steamy but not super detailed)
Rating: 4 out of 5

Love on the Line was a very cute read and just what I needed to lift my spirits and make me smile on one of our lovely rainy winter weekends here in North Carolina. It had all of my favorite elements... lovable characters with a complicated connection, passion with just a bit of inner turmoil, humor, love and cooking!

Kimberly's warnings to not read this one when you're hungry are spot on. OMG I drooled over all the yummy cooking and was kicking myself for not having anything delicious in the house to snack on while I read. So stock those pantries before you dive into this one. LOL

Violet and Noah were excellent characters and perfect for each other despite the fact that he is extremely dedicated to his job as a police detective and she never wants to be with a man who puts his life on the line every time he goes into work. After he's injured on the job he needs someone to come in and help him at home and she's always in need of more clients now that she's a personal chef and so the two are smooshed together for a spell. Thank goodness.

Violet is one of those heroines I pretty much instantly loved. She's passionate about cooking, is open and honest and really just puts it all out there on the table. And Noah? He's a bit grumpy but sexy as hell, fierce and has a bit of a vulnerable side going on. He was pretty damn delicious grumpiness and all in my opinion. 

One of the best things about these two was that they didn't play games with each other. They were who they were and they didn't try to change the other or manipulate them into doing what they wanted. They were just good together. Bits did get steamy and deliciously so but scenes aren't extremely detailed.

There were some awkward moments with her coming over every evening to cook for him and them having to deal with his injury, the brewing passion between them and just life in general. My favorite moments were when they cooked together. There's something so sexy and intimate about spending time together creating something. It was fun seeing her spark his interest in cooking (and omg he totally cooked for her one time and it was so sweet!). It also added a whole lotta humor. This one's a little long to quote but it had me rolling. It still sends me into giggles reading over this part of the story.
Finally, when the chicken had gone into the pot to simmer and there was a decent coating of flour on the countertop where Noah had ambitiously tried his hand at mixing dumpling dough, Violet reached into her collapsible cooler to unearth a bag of frozen peas.
"Hold on just a second. What are those?" Noah pointed the spoon at the offending bag with a wary jab. 
Violet stifled a laugh. "They're peas, Noah. I promise they won't hurt you."
"But you already put one green thing in the pot." He jerked his chin downward toward the burner, and dammit, it was impossible to tell if he was kidding. 
"Oregano's an herb. It doesn't count," she said, but Noah shook his head, and oh my God, he was serious. 
"Yes it does. It's green. And you used a lot."
Violet's head snapped up, indignant. "I didn't use a lot. And the peas add a fresh layer of flavor to this dish."
"Nope. I'm not buying it. Nothing tastes better with peas in it." He turned back to the stock pot, stirring the contents like nothing doing, and Violet's composure evaporated right along with the fragrant puff of steam lifting up from the stove. 
She jammed both hands to her hips, grinding her boots to the linoleum. "You are so rigid, it's infuriating!"
Noah's ear-to-ear smile froze the breath right to her lungs. "I know, but you're really cute when you're irritated, and it's kind of worth pissing you off."
They really were just a cute couple. I liked how Kincaid handled Violets fear over Noah's safety on the job, how he slowly began to remember what really happened when he was injured and I loved how things ended between them. I would have liked a little more time with them though but I'm a greedy reader and that's just how I am. Novellas never quench my thirst completely but this one definitely put a smile on my face and left me wanting to pick up anything else Kincaid has to offer in the future. If you're looking for something sweet and light hearted that will give you a chuckle or two you need to grab a copy of this one.


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Have you read Love on the Line? What did you think? 
Do you have a favorite cop or cooking read? 

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