Katie Cravens is living her dream life. As the face and CEO of Pasta Pronto, a low-calorie frozen line of pasta, she is the epitome of a successful, organised businesswoman who is in control of everything around her. That is until her company faces a quality control issue at the same time she realises her fiance is cheating on her. With her life crashing down around her, her focus shifts towards rebuilding her company. Enter Luca Caramelli, co-owner of Ristorante Caramelli in Rome, whom she must convince to partner with her to regain her customers and get her business back to where it was, if not better than it was. However, Katie isn’t sure she can work with the arrogant Luca once she travels to Italy to meet him.
Pasta Wars is a light, romantic comedy with just the right amount of tension between the main characters to make the story interesting. It was fun watching the relationship between Luca and Katie unfold amid their cultural and gastronomical differences. (LEK)
Andi Cutrone has just moved back to New York City after breaking off her engagement with Andrew in New England. Now a professor at Brooklyn University alongside (and thanks to) her best friend Maggie, Andi is mostly content being single, and stuck dwelling on her failed engagement. That all changes one night, at a work-related cocktail party when she meets Devin - a sexy escort who she can't help but feel a spark for. Andi somehow manages a barter with Devin; she will teach him how to write, and he will teach her how to feel sexy and be a better lover. Is it just his "professional" charm or is there something more to their agreement? As therapeutic as their meetings may be, things quickly get complicated. This witty and humorous book really made me question my own body issues like Andi and I feel like I worked out my issues as she did. This book actually left me feeling better about myself, though possibly not the intention of the author, it was a nice bonus. I did not expect the ending either and appreciated the venture away from the chick-lit cliche. Lorello put a nice spin on what I thought this book would be about and her writing was very enjoyable. (AV)
