Better World Books August Book Drive Day 7

Today's book was Steamed by Jessica Park and Susan Conant.  I am not giving it a rave review  because Jessica mentioned both me and my hot pink Christmas trees in the acknowledgments of one of her books (Flat-Out Love- now available in e-book and paperback formats) or because she is going to take me on a Rick Springfield cruise (call me ). I am giving it a rave review because it is a wonderful mystery, complete with hot food, a hot guy and a lot of laughs along the way.

Chloe Carter dumps her boyfriend Noah when she discovers him getting to know another woman in the biblical sense.  She decides to try an on-line dating service, using the name Gourmet-Girl and accepts a date with DinnerDude. Things seem to be looking up for Chloe- a guy who shares her love of food and a date to a nice restaurant that he is looking at investing in. Quickly, she finds DinnerDude is really a dinner dud, a pompous bore who loves nothing more than the sound of his own voice. As if things couldn't get any more awkward on a first date, he ends up murdered on the men's room floor.

Chloe ends up going to the funeral and meets the sexy chef Josh Driscoll. Finally, a man who has it all- good looks, personality and a great cook.  Too bad he also has the attention of the police department, who see him as a main suspect in the murder. Chloe is determined not to keep her new man in her kitchen and out of the slammer by clearing his name and finding the real killer.

Chloe is someone you can relate to. I mean who hasn't tried to paint stripes on their walls and ended up with a hot mess? In my defense, I thought duct tape was just as good as painter's tape.  And even though her friend Adrianna is drop dead gorgeous, she's too sweet for you to hold it against her. Josh is also instantly likable (the fact that he is hot and cooks doesn't hurt) and it is fun to see  the relationships and inner workings of a restaurant kitchen through him.

There are plenty of possible suspects in this one to keep you guessing up to the last chapters. I was certain I knew who the murderer was until the real killer was revealed.  Then I wondered how I could miss some of the clues and how soon I could get my hands on the next in the series. I suggest getting all 5 in the series from http://www.betterworldbooks.com/ at the same time because once you start in on this delightful series, you won't want to stop.