Release Blitz: Taste on My Tongue by Beth Bolden ~ (Review + Giveaway)

Title: Taste on My Tongue

Author: Beth Bolden

Release Date: August 15th 2017

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

                                            

BLURB

Almost pop-star Landon Patton has just turned a corner on the worst two years of his life: dropped by his label and dumped by his ungrateful ex-boyfriend. However, his new agent's brilliant plan for Landon's superstardom doesn’t have anything to do with his music – it’s called Kitchen Wars, and it’s the hottest new reality show on TV.

Landon wishes he could have nothing to do with it.

Since the first morning he mixed flour and water, Quentin Maxwell knew he wanted to be a baker. After becoming the pastry chef at a popular LA bakery, anyone else might be satisfied. But Quen wants to call his own shots. Going on Kitchen Wars to win the money for his own bakery seems like a huge risk, but maybe it's worth it.

They’re an unlikely pair. Landon can’t even figure out how to turn an oven on, while Quentin makes his living with one. But with each passing week on Kitchen Wars, they discover what a great team they make – on set, off set, and between the sheets.

Winning should be everything, but what happens when the tastiest pairing is their own?

  Find Taste on My Tongue on Goodreads Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK

EXCERPT

When Landon walks into the studio for his first day of cooking bootcamp and sees his chef, he has to instantly revise every expectation. The man in front of him is all long lines, lean legs, and this sculpted torso that literally nobody that cooks for a living should have, all topped off by a wild curly mane that Landon’s fingers itch to touch, wide blue eyes, and a pair of lips that send his mind straight to the gutter.

It turns out there is most definitely a man out there that will interest Landon in learning to cook.

The topper is when Landon saunters over, eyes flicking over those long legs in tight jeans and the little glimpses of tattoos he sees through his mostly transparent white t-shirt, the man actually blushes.

“Landon Patton,” Landon says, extending a hand. “Unfortunately, it’s gonna be your miserable job to teach me to cook.”

The man flushes even pinker as he takes Landon’s hand. “Um, Quentin. Quentin Maxwell.”

For one rather breathless moment, they stare at each other, Quentin’s hand clasping Landon’s, his palm warm and soft and slightly damp with nerves, and Landon feels his heart start to beat faster. He feels almost breathless with the possibilities, and it’s hard to deny that Quentin looks equally blown away.

Quentin reluctantly releases his hand. “I’m a huge fan,” he adds. “Really, you should have won your season. Can’t believe you only got third place.”

Landon can definitely believe it. Third place was far better than he ever thought he’d end up. But you can say all you want about Landon—and many, many people have—he’s driven to succeed even when the cards are stacked against him.

So Landon just shrugs and leans back, all carelessly but purposefully arranged curves as he tries to figure out if the way Quentin’s fluttering his eyelashes at him means he’s actually interested in flirting or if this is just Quentin’s natural state of being.

3.75 Stars

After a third place finish on The Voice and a couple of successful albums, with the encouragement from his then boyfriend and against the advice from his management, Landon comes out to the world. But coming out puts his music career in a bit of a slump, then the boyfriend he came out for dumps him along with his record company. Now Landon's new agent convinces him that to put his face back out there in the public eye, he should join the cast of the upcoming season of the reality show, Kitchen Wars, a cooking competition that pairs a celebrity with a professional chef. But Landon's extent of cooking is boiling a mean pot of water for his French Press and microwaving stuff. Landon finally agrees and is partnered with pastry chef, Quentin Maxwell. Do Landon and Quentin have a chance at winning the competition and should they act on the mutual attraction they are feeling?

I'm torn with how to rate this book because there were things about it that I absolutely loved and other things that just didn't work. I absolutely loved Quentin. He was an amazingly sweet and caring guy. I loved that he was so patient when it came to Landon's cooking skills, or lack thereof. I liked Landon, but there were times I wanted to smack some sense into him or maybe yell at him a bit. I know he'd been hurt in the past and I understood his fear of completely trusting in Quentin's feelings for him, but it got a bit old after a while.

I loved the premise of the story and the author did a phenomenal job with the Kitchen Wars portions of the story. The writing was outstanding and I felt I was transported into the studio with the contestants. It was all so vivid and these scenes came to life before my very eyes.

What I didn't care for in the book was the author's writing style. The book is told completely from Landon's POV and is written in third person Point Of View, and it took me quite some time to acclimate myself and get a feel for the writing. In fact, at the beginning it felt like Landon was talking about himself in the third person. It was very odd and a bit awkward, but as the book progresses, I'm not sure if I just became accustomed to the writing or if it actually improved.

All in all, this was an enjoyable and entertaining read. Quentin and Landon had amazing chemistry and while I found the progression of their relationship to be a bit rushed in the beginning, they fit well together and complimented one another. The story was entertaining and filled with sweetness and laughter, as well as steamy romance. Recommendable!

*copy provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*

GIVEAWAY: WIN a $50 Amazon Gift Card!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

 

Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband and their beloved cat. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn't have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She's a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr. 

Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn't a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She's published two novels, The Lucky Charm and Getting Lucky, and a short story, Eye of the Storm. Her next novel, Summer Attractions, will be released in August 2016. 
 Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon