Book Review: All Fired Up (Hot in the Kitchen #2) by Kate Meader

All Fired Up

By Kate Meader

Release Date: November 5, 2013

Source: Netgalley

Summary: Her sweetest mistake . . . 

Cool as a Chicago winter, private events planner Cara DeLuca is a model of self-control . . . until she meets the one temptation she can't resist: Shane Doyle. The sexy, Irish pastry chef is too hot, too sure, too young, and after a crazy night in Vegas-her new husband. While at first Cara wants nothing more than a way out of her sham marriage to Shane, she soon finds that beneath his farm boy demeanor lies a man who can match her drive, both in and out of the bedroom. How can the wrong guy feel so deliciously right?

. . . Tastes so, so good

Shane has carefully structured his career and life around one goal: connecting with the family that doesn't know he exists. Marrying a woman with more issues than a magazine stand wasn't part of the plan, but melting Cara's icy exterior is so worth the detour. Now as the annulment date nears and long-buried secrets are revealed, Shane will have to fight for the one thing guaranteeing the perfect life he craves . . . the current Mrs. Shane Doyle.

Review: Mmmm as soon as I read that this one was about a girl falling for a pastry chef, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. A guy who not only knows his way around a kitchen, but can make some mouthwatering pastries? Count me in!

Cara De Luca is the queen of self-control. As a party planner, Cara is dedicated and focused, and isn't afraid to let anyone know that. One night in Vegas, though, and Cara finds herself married to the gorgeous, not to mention Irish, new pastry at the restaurant she's an event planner for. Cara is determined to fix her little mishap, but when Shane moves in across the hall, she finds it harder and harder to resist his Irish charm. With deep secrets of her own, Cara isn't ready to let anyone in, let alone the young, attractive chef who drives her crazy. What Cara doesn't know, though, is that Shane is hiding some pretty deep secrets of his own and may be more perfect for her than she had realized. 

Gah, Shane. Shane, Shane, Shane. Seriously, can you get more perfect? He's young, caring, an award winning pastry chef, and let's not forget the whole Irish factor. I'm surprised Cara had even a hint of self control when she was around this guy. 

While the romance is all fun and dandy, what I loved about this book is that it dealt with some real issues, both personal and emotional. Cara is recovering from an eating disorder that absolutely no one knows about, so trying to cope with that part of her life is extremely difficult. Shane, on the other hand, is dealing with the memories of an abusive father and is trying to cope with his family ties. Little do they know that their relationship with each other may be just the cure to handling their problems. 

I've got to say, though, I wasn't that big of a fan of Cara in the beginning. I guess just like everyone else in her life, I felt like she was stuck up and annoying. But as the story went on, I really grew to like and care about her. By the time her relationship with Shane was heating up, I was rooting for her to finally be happy both with herself and with Shane. So if you read this one, don't write Cara off right away. She has so many secret emotions that once you see that side of her, she's impossible not to like. 

Well there was definitely some heat in the kitchen in this one. I absolutely loved Shane and, like I said, Cara really grew on me. There was passion but also real emotions, which is the perfect combination in any romance. Not to mention I was dying for a slice of cake whenever they talked about Shane's job, which was quite often. But I'm not complaining here! The pastry chef aspect just made Shane even more yummy than he already was. If you're looking for a romance to heat up your holidays, I'd definitely check out All Fired Up!