Tasteless

by India Lee

For seven seasons, The Somervilles were America's favorite reality TV family. The nation watched as Olive and Warner and their six children lived the American Dream, running the family-owned restaurant that made them famous. That is, until off-camera scandal drove the once-wholesome family towards cancellation. Luckily, all of the Somervilles moved onto successful careers in food and fashion -- except for one. Rye Somerville has always shied away from the camera, and now that her family's show is over, she can finally live a quiet, drama-free life while working at her humble family restaurant.

But little does she know, the spotlight is coming back for her -- in the form of a very tall, very handsome and heinously cocky celebrity chef.

Infamous chef, Sam Laurent, has charmed both the restaurant and entertainment industry despite his love of casual controversy. With a tongue as sharp as his knives, Sam has made a career out of not only his innovative cuisine, but the contentious sound bites he constantly provides the media.

So when Sam is commissioned to give the Somerville restaurant a posh new makeover, Rye finds her slow, peaceful life suddenly threatened. And to make matters worse, Sam isn’t the type to back down from having things exactly as he wants it. With compromise out of the picture, Rye is intent on winning the battle, even if it means reluctantly stepping back into the spotlight… and tumbling deep into the complicated, backstabbing world of money and fame.

ebook

First published August 28, 2014

About the author

India Lee is an author of young adult and women’s fiction themed in the world of media and entertainment. She is a lover of fashion, entertainment, shoes, good food, coffee, jetsetting, mild debauchery, and dogs.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great one by India Lee. I loved seeing Gemma, Damien, Gavin, and Zoe again, not to mention some others from the Hidden Gem series. Rye and Sam's story was captivating. Lee has a way about her writing that really keeps you invested. My big problem with this was it look so long for them to get their stuff together and finally be together. Even towards the end it seemed like they were still having problems then everything was hunky dory on the last page. Regardless though, it was another hit by Lee and I know when her books come out they won't disappoint.

[Rochella · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I was nearing the end, I was kind of enjoying the book, but was already feeling set on giving it 3 stars. However the ending caught me a bit off guard and was totally adorable, so eventually I felt it deserved 4 stars.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. Loved the characters. No insta-love. Not by a long shot. And we get to see characters from India's Hidden Gem series. You don't have to read those books to read this one, but there are spoilers if you plan on reading the Hidden Gem series someday.

The story is told from two perspectives, both Sam's and Rye's, so we get to see both sides which I really enjoyed. Besides the amazing celeb reports at the beginning of the book that had me cracking up, my absolute favorite was a particularly hilarious and sexy scene scene near the end.

Per her usual, India has a great balance between infuriating her readers and making us say "Awwww". It's a talent. I look forward to the next book India writes.

P.S. - If this is your first time reading something of Lee's and you enjoy this book, I recommend you check out her other books. Her HDU series is my fav, but the Hidden Gem series is really good too. If you're into fame, celebs, and romance, India is the girl for you.

[Mae · Rating 1 out of 5]

Characters inconsistent, relationship told rather than shown, wonky pacing, badly in need of a copyedit. I really liked the HDU books, so this was a real disappointment.