Burn for You by J.T. GeissingerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Three and a half stars.
JT Geissinger is an author whose name I recognise and yet, apparently, this is the first book of hers I have read.
Bianca Hardwick is a chef with her own restaurant in the heart of New Orleans. Her mother's restaurant was wiped out by Hurricane Catrina and they are struggling to make ends meet. One night Jackson “The Beast” Boudreaux storms into the restaurant threatening law suits and untold punishments because Bianca's new menu showcases Boudreaux bourbon. Jackson terrorises the staff, is obnoxious, rude and snarly and Bianca lets him know it. Shortly after eating every single dish on the menu Jackson returns to offer (well actually demand) Bianca the job of chef to a banquet he is throwing in two weeks for 300 people at his house. Ordinarily Bianca would tell him where to shove his offer but her mother is ill and she desperately needs the money. Can I just pause at this point and say how glad I am to be British? It is inconceivable to me that someone in a first world country could die just because they can't afford medical care. That a hospital would refuse to give life-saving treatment if you can't pay. Mind-boggling. Sorry, I digress.
Bianca comes to suspect that under the bushy beard and the scowl Jackson is actually not that bad (he has his reasons), so when his father gives him the ultimatum of getting married, joining the family business or losing his trust fund she agrees to marry him - but only to fund her mother's medical treatment.
This book hit so many of my favourite tropes it was unreal. A variation of Beauty and the Beast, marriage of convenience, grumpy hero, estranged family. But it's also funny. Bianca has a lexicon all of her own, her outbursts when irritated are hysterical. I am always wary about books set in New Orleans but there was none of the Cajun drawl (thank goodness). The chapters are also interspersed with Bianca's recipes for those who like that sort of thing.
Overall, this was a quirky retelling of Beauty and the Beast which made me laugh. I'll look out for more books by JT Geissinger in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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