30 Apr A Taste of Greek Summer by Mandy Baggot
Escape to Corfu for a feast of romance and fun
*****
#Blogtour
How lucky am I to be back in Corfu twice in one week with a second blogtour of a book set on that most romantic of Greek islands!
There’s something in the Greek air that just draws me to that place in my imagination, and I’m never disappointed to find myself among the bougainvillea and olive trees.
When English food writer Lydia meets Corfiot chef Thanos, sparks fly from more than the cooking pot. But will their sizzling hot romance stay on the front burner in the face of various obstacles?
Lydia had been a professional cook. But when her mentor Mario died suddenly of a heart attack, and her boyfriend Patrick betrayed her to further his own career, she stopped cooking altogether.
Now she writes restaurant reviews for a magazine. Though her job doesn’t fulfil her, it helps her feel secure, so when her madcap friend Caroline suggests a few weeks in Corfu to produce a Greek supplement for the magazine, she’s initially reluctant to go.
But Caroline is persuasive, and the rest, as they say, is ancient history …
Meanwhile, in Corfu, chef Thanos has just been fired from his job for moonlighting. With a much younger brother, Onassis to care for, he is at is wit’s end.
Fortunately, like Lydia, he too has a champion in the shape of his redoubtable old neighbour Ismena, who has looked out for him since his parents died and is determined that he should make the most of his talents.
Ever more inventive in her ploys to help Thanos show off his cooking skills, Ismena’s efforts bring him and Lydia together.
Will Thanos find his confidence? Will Lydia rediscover hers? And can there be a happy ending for either of them given the tragedies in their past?
I loved this story – it’s so redolent of Corfu with its sunny beaches, flowery villages and charming tavernas. It really made me feel I was there, savouring the stifados and partaking of the baklava.
It has a great cast of characters – Lydia and Thanos are both lovely people – each with challenges, of course, but all the more interesting for that.
The folk around them add colour and interest to the narrative, too – the well-meaning efforts of Caroline, Onassis and Ismena (along with her mad cat) to keep Lydia and Thanos on course for a happy ending are hilariously fun – even if they are often more hindrance than help.
Funny, emotional, with a well-paced and believable plot, lots of passionate romance and a simmering backstory waiting to come to the boil before the final resolution – this is the perfect romantic read for sunny days.
A Taste of Greek Summer by Mandy Baggot is published by Embla Books in paperback and ebook
About the Author
Mandy Baggot is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer best-known for her laugh-out-loud romantic comedies featuring strong heroines, gorgeous heroes and always that happy-ever-after!
Follow her on Twitter @mandybaggot
Find her on Instagram @mandybaggot
Thanks to Embla publishing for inviting me along on this blogtour.
Catch up with the rest of the tour through the links on the poster
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