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Recipes for Romance: A Dash of Salt & Pepper by Kosoko Jackson and Sugar & Salt by Susan Wiggs

14 Dec

A Dash of Salt and Pepper
by Kosoko Jackson
A Dash of Salt and Pepper was such a fun romance! The book is told in first person from Xavier’s perspective; he is an African American business grad who takes a job working as a prep chef in a seafood restaurant in his hometown after being dumped. Xavier is clever, funny and manages to be both arrogant, insecure and likeable at the same time. At one point the Gilmore Girls is referenced and the clever, fast pace witty dialogue and the charming small town New England vibe are something this book like that series does extremely well. Xavier’s boss at the restaurant, Logan, is a slightly older Caucasian divorced dad who is considered one of the town’s most eligible bachelors, but after an awkward first meeting he and Xavier seem an unlikely match despite their feelings of attraction. Can they both let down their defenses to find love or will Xavier leave his small town behind again, this time for good? Definitely an author I plan to read more from in the future. I received an advance copy of the book for review from Netgalley.

Sugar and Salt
by Susan Wiggs
Another romance featuring interracial couples, Sugar and Salt had a bit more salt in the lives of the characters then I was expecting going into the novel.  The book may feature a sugary confection on the cover, but there is a lot of depth to what is covered.  Margot formerly Margie has gone through rough times including growing up in poverty and being the victim of an assault that has left her hesitant in romantic relationships.  The book spent more time in flashbacks to the difficult periods in her life than I would have preferred, however, it added to the sense of the happiness in her life having been earned including her success at her Barbeque Restaurant, Salt.  Her love interest Jerome Sugar is nursing a broken heart from a divorce.  The complexity of their interracial relationship is acknowledged, but also does not overshadow the sweet depiction of the romance that blossoms.  Beside Margot and Jerome, the book also explores the relationship between Jerome’s mother and her first love.  This is a book that will appeal to those looking for stories of second chances and a romance novel not afraid to examine the darker parts of life and history in the US.

Both books are available in print from BCCLS Libraries or as ebooks from elibraryNJ and eBCCLS. You can read about more foodie romances here.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Imaginary Books: The Gentleman’s Book of Vices and The Princess Bride

30 Nov

I’ve seen it called literary inception. Could there be anything more relatable for a book lover than a story centered around a character’s love for literature even if those books themselves don’t exist? Two spins on this I recently enjoyed were The Gentleman’s Book of Vices and The Princess Bride.

The Gentleman’s Book of Vices
by Jess Everlee
Set in London in 1883, The Gentleman’s Book of Vices, has protagonist Charlie Price counting the days towards an arranged marriage which he needs to pay off his debts. He takes solace in his naughty novel collection and when he decides to track down the secret author of his favorite; he finds actual sparks with the author/bookstore owner, Miles Montague. Miles’s novels always end in tragedy for its protagonists; can he and Charlie make a happy life together in a time when their love is forbidden? Though the novel is fairly predictable as romances go, the charming characters made this a fun read. I liked that Charlie’s bride found her own happily ever after as well. The novel is the first in the Lucky Lovers of London series. I received an advance copy from the publisher and Netgalley.

The Princess Bride
by William Goldman
Many people may be familiar with the Princess Bride in its movie form. Terrific casting and acting has made that story a romantic comedy classic. But the novel that the film is based on is also worth a read. We read it as part of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Club and many of the group shared stories about their first reads of the book but agreed that it held up for them over the years. One difference from the movie is the framing is that of a man recounting a book he loved as a child from the perspective of the author retelling a translation of the story, compared with the movie which shows a grandfather reading the book to his sick grandson. However, Buttercup and her long suffering farm boy Wesley, still fall in love and then are tragically separated. Adventures ensue with Buttercup being kidnapped and then forced to marry. Villains and heroes turn out not to be who they seem. It is as much a love letter to fairy tale romances as it is a parody of them.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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