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Konigsburg #8
Hungry Heart
Peace, love, and barbecue—with a big order of sexy on the side.
Konigsburg, Texas, Book 8
Sous chef Darcy Cunningham is less than entranced with small-town Konigsburg’s obsession with barbecue. But her future career as a chef de cuisine requires expanding her culinary horizons, so she talks the Barbecue King, a.k.a. Harris Temple, into taking her on as his apprentice.
However, learning Harris’s professional secrets wasn’t supposed to include falling for his spicy blend of smoky sexiness and laid-back charm.
Chico Burnside specializes in flying under Konigsburg’s small-town radar, but lately life has been going a little too smoothly, even for him. Hoping to shake things up a bit, he talks Harris into teaming up for Konigsburg’s first barbecue cook-off. But once shy scientist Andy Wells catches his eye, Chico’s got more on his mind than brisket. Like enticing her out of her shell to show her just how tenderly a big guy can love.
As the competition ignites, so does the romance. Until a natural disaster threatens to derail Konigsburg’s dream team before the grills even get good and warmed up.
Contains hot sauce, hot sex, and a whole lot of smokin’ action.
- GenresRomance
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2014
7 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Meg Benjamin
40 books501 followersMeg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Her newest series, the Folk, is a paranormal series from Soul Mate Publishing set in Colorado. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing). Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers. Meg’s Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com. You can follow her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/megbenjamin/), Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1) and Instagram (meg_benjamin). Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 8, 2014
I really like the way this author writes, but there wasn't much to this. I enjoyed Chico and Andy the best, but there was very little angst in either story. Mostly a lovely little romance about two couples.
April 21, 2014
Slick‘s review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
4.5 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
Sometimes you start a series and it just resonates with you and from the first book in Meg Benjamin’s Konigsburg, Texas series I felt at home. I loved the small town atmosphere, the crazy town citizens, and the down home Texas feel. While Hungry Heart may be book number eight in this series it can absolutely be read as a stand-alone story. I’ll warn you though this book is going to make you hungry for Texas barbeque complete with fixins’, some good lovin’, and a rockin’ good time.
You have to love a story when one of the heroines lives in Texas and doesn’t understand why barbeque is a big deal especially when she’s a chef. And yes, I said one of the heroines because in this book we get not one but two complete love stories. While the other three main characters are born and raised Texans, Darcy is from Nebraska and she really just doesn’t understand why barbeque is so important nor does she understand why the sides (or fixins’) don’t have to be fancy they just have to taste good. The one thing I will give her is as a lifelong Texan I don’t understand the whole bread thing either, but that’s another discussion for another day. I love the way this author handled these conversations and made it clear that there are just some things you don’t mess with and barbeque and fixins’ are some of those things. However, Ms. Benjamin from someone who lives with a man who takes his barbeque very seriously, you left out a very important Texas wood that a lot of cooks prefer and that is mesquite. That’s actually the only wood my husband will use especially for brisket. However, this book is a great story about how serious we Texans are about our state food and the quest for getting it just right.
Couple one is Darcy Cunningham the sous chef at The Rose and upscale resort on the outskirts of town. Darcy is one of those strong women who isn’t afraid of hard work and doesn’t really take any crap off of anyone. Darcy however, doesn’t get why barbeque is such a big deal and why they have to hire a caterer for this at The Rose. When she meets The Barbeque King (aka Harris Temple) she sees it as an opportunity to learn a new skill however, she’s hard pressed not to notice how devilishly handsome he is. At first glance these two seem like such an unlikely pair but in reality they have a lot in common with their shared love of good food and hard work. It was interesting to find out Harris’ connection to the area and about his life prior to becoming “the King.” I also enjoyed learning a little more about Darcy. I love that these two challenged one another yet had a healthy respect for the work the both excelled at. One thing that was certain was the chemistry between these two; it sizzled every time they were together.
Couple two is Chico Burnside and Andy Wells both of whom we met in previous books. I’ve always been very curious about Chico and we learned quite a bit about this very interesting man. It was very interesting to see a softer side of him and I loved how off balance he felt around Andy at first. Andy is also a returning character although some might not remember her. Working for the Texas Department of Environmental Quality she had a small part in an earlier book in this series. This was almost a beauty and the beast type of love story. Not that Chico is ugly but he’s a big man, ex-Army Ranger and ex-pro Wrestler so he’s a huge guy and is quite intimidating. Andy is one of those women who prefers to blend into the background and has a hard time dealing with the attention the two of them draw when they are together. However, it’s evident early on these two have some real feelings for one another. I really loved how Andy defends Chico around her brother and her ex-husband. Without much family of her own, it was fun to watch Andy around Chico’s large and loud family.
When Harris and Chico team up for a barbeque cook-off these two couples wind up spending a lot of time together getting ready for the competition. In doing so, they host quite a few cook outs which brings out many of the couples from the previous books. It’s always interesting catching up with old friends. As the competition gets close the team suffers a major set-back but friends and family rally around them to help. An incident at the competition threatens the team’s entry adding more excitement to this story.
I very much enjoyed this book; the two couples were mature and although their relationships progressed fairly rapidly they didn’t play games. Yes, there was a little uncertainty at times but that’s pretty much common in most new relationships. They all worked together very well forming a unique bond that will no doubt continue into future books. Hungry Heart is one of those books that was simply enjoyable from beginning to end; it was easy to like these characters, the plot was interesting, the dialog smart, and most of all we get two sexy love stories in one book. Oh, and barbeque…we get lots and lots of Texas barbeque and that makes it one delicious book!!
4.5 STARS
Review copy provided for an honest review
Sometimes you start a series and it just resonates with you and from the first book in Meg Benjamin’s Konigsburg, Texas series I felt at home. I loved the small town atmosphere, the crazy town citizens, and the down home Texas feel. While Hungry Heart may be book number eight in this series it can absolutely be read as a stand-alone story. I’ll warn you though this book is going to make you hungry for Texas barbeque complete with fixins’, some good lovin’, and a rockin’ good time.
You have to love a story when one of the heroines lives in Texas and doesn’t understand why barbeque is a big deal especially when she’s a chef. And yes, I said one of the heroines because in this book we get not one but two complete love stories. While the other three main characters are born and raised Texans, Darcy is from Nebraska and she really just doesn’t understand why barbeque is so important nor does she understand why the sides (or fixins’) don’t have to be fancy they just have to taste good. The one thing I will give her is as a lifelong Texan I don’t understand the whole bread thing either, but that’s another discussion for another day. I love the way this author handled these conversations and made it clear that there are just some things you don’t mess with and barbeque and fixins’ are some of those things. However, Ms. Benjamin from someone who lives with a man who takes his barbeque very seriously, you left out a very important Texas wood that a lot of cooks prefer and that is mesquite. That’s actually the only wood my husband will use especially for brisket. However, this book is a great story about how serious we Texans are about our state food and the quest for getting it just right.
Couple one is Darcy Cunningham the sous chef at The Rose and upscale resort on the outskirts of town. Darcy is one of those strong women who isn’t afraid of hard work and doesn’t really take any crap off of anyone. Darcy however, doesn’t get why barbeque is such a big deal and why they have to hire a caterer for this at The Rose. When she meets The Barbeque King (aka Harris Temple) she sees it as an opportunity to learn a new skill however, she’s hard pressed not to notice how devilishly handsome he is. At first glance these two seem like such an unlikely pair but in reality they have a lot in common with their shared love of good food and hard work. It was interesting to find out Harris’ connection to the area and about his life prior to becoming “the King.” I also enjoyed learning a little more about Darcy. I love that these two challenged one another yet had a healthy respect for the work the both excelled at. One thing that was certain was the chemistry between these two; it sizzled every time they were together.
Couple two is Chico Burnside and Andy Wells both of whom we met in previous books. I’ve always been very curious about Chico and we learned quite a bit about this very interesting man. It was very interesting to see a softer side of him and I loved how off balance he felt around Andy at first. Andy is also a returning character although some might not remember her. Working for the Texas Department of Environmental Quality she had a small part in an earlier book in this series. This was almost a beauty and the beast type of love story. Not that Chico is ugly but he’s a big man, ex-Army Ranger and ex-pro Wrestler so he’s a huge guy and is quite intimidating. Andy is one of those women who prefers to blend into the background and has a hard time dealing with the attention the two of them draw when they are together. However, it’s evident early on these two have some real feelings for one another. I really loved how Andy defends Chico around her brother and her ex-husband. Without much family of her own, it was fun to watch Andy around Chico’s large and loud family.
When Harris and Chico team up for a barbeque cook-off these two couples wind up spending a lot of time together getting ready for the competition. In doing so, they host quite a few cook outs which brings out many of the couples from the previous books. It’s always interesting catching up with old friends. As the competition gets close the team suffers a major set-back but friends and family rally around them to help. An incident at the competition threatens the team’s entry adding more excitement to this story.
I very much enjoyed this book; the two couples were mature and although their relationships progressed fairly rapidly they didn’t play games. Yes, there was a little uncertainty at times but that’s pretty much common in most new relationships. They all worked together very well forming a unique bond that will no doubt continue into future books. Hungry Heart is one of those books that was simply enjoyable from beginning to end; it was easy to like these characters, the plot was interesting, the dialog smart, and most of all we get two sexy love stories in one book. Oh, and barbeque…we get lots and lots of Texas barbeque and that makes it one delicious book!!
August 27, 2017
I liked the Chico and Andy storyline and wish they had had their own full length book.
August 6, 2016
I adored this book. Loved the drama, intrigue, and romance between Darcy and Harris. You could feel the sparks flying between these two.I also adored the romance between Chico and Andy, the whole opposites attract is always enjoyable and humerus. This is the first book in the Konigsburg series that I have read and now I cannot wait to go back and read the ones I have missed. I really enjoyed the great detail Meg used to bring to life small town living and all that goes with it-both good and bad.If you live in Texas its pretty much a given that you have to learn to love brbq and all the fixins that go with it and definitely the proper way to prepare it! I was really surprised that Mesquite wood did not get brought up-since after all that is really the only way to cook your brbq!
Disclaimer: I received a free E-Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
Disclaimer: I received a free E-Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
April 26, 2014
I've read the entire Konigsburg series, I really like the way Meg Benjamin writes.
This story fell a little flat for me. Someone else described it as a lovely little romance and that pretty much sums it up. It may have been better if she focused on just one couple instead of both - there wasn't a whole lot of conflict.
Still an enjoyable read (I've been going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars - so a solid 3.5) but not the best in the series.
This story fell a little flat for me. Someone else described it as a lovely little romance and that pretty much sums it up. It may have been better if she focused on just one couple instead of both - there wasn't a whole lot of conflict.
Still an enjoyable read (I've been going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars - so a solid 3.5) but not the best in the series.
May 8, 2014
Love&Food is great duo when it comes to choosing a book for romance readers. And Hungry Heart is one of the kind. To be honest I usually love to watch those kind of movies but sometimes I rather reading than watching. Writing was well as story. I really love the story and I really felt their hunger :) Before Hungry Heart I never read Meg's work but from now on I can't wait to find a time to read all of them :) Also I'M HUNGRY!!! I need a Steak with a Barbecue Sauce!
July 8, 2015
I loved this book. The characters were interesting and I was hooked immediately. It has a nice blend of humor and electricity between the characters. This is Book 8 in her Konigsburg, TX series and even though I have not read the other books in the series yet I had no problem picking up this book and reading it as a stand-alone. I highly recommend it.
January 2, 2016
More food in the eighth Konigsberg novel - this time barbecue. Too bad it's not scratch-n-sniff. Once again, many of our old favorite characters are back in supporting roles as their friends overcome adversity and find romance in this Hill Country town. All easy reads, charming, reasonably well-written, and lots of fun.
March 2, 2015
Enjoyed the book, but the parallel love stories were a bit too parallel considering the differences in each couple. Would have preferred focusing on one or the other.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews