Hot and Bothered (Hot in the Kitchen #3) by Kate Meader-Review, Promotion and Giveaway

Hot and Bothered (Hot in the Kitchen #3) by Kate Meader-Review, Promotion and Giveaway

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Hot and Bothered
Hot in the Kitchen #3
by Kate Meader
Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic romance

Paper copy Release Date: January 27, 2015
Hot and Bothered

Amazon.com / Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Although her baby boy keeps her plate full, Jules Kilroy is ready to take her love life off the back burner. Despite a bevy of eligible bachelors, it’s her best friend, Taddeo DeLuca, who’s fueling her hormones with generous servings of his mouth-watering Italian sexiness. But Jules learned her lesson once before when she went in for a kiss, only to have Tad reject her. She’s vowed never to blur the lines again . . .

After a lifetime of excuses and false starts, Tad has finally opened a wine bar, a deal made even sweeter when Jules joins his staff. Lovers come and go, and he’s had his share, but friendships like theirs last forever. Still, ever since he tasted her luscious lips, he can’t stop fantasizing about what could be. Then she signs up for an online dating site—and the thought of his Jules with another man makes Tad’s blood boil. Even if he gets burned, Tad can’t stop himself from turning up the heat this time.

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: HOT AND BOTHERED is the third installment in Kate Meader’s contemporary, adult Hot in the Kitchen erotic romance series focusing on the DeLuca/Kilroy family. This is Taddeo DeLuca and Jules Kilroy’s storyline –a friends to lovers scenario. HOT AND BOTHERED advances the series approximately eighteen months to two years. Although HOT AND BOTHERED is the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone without too much difficulty. Any important information from the previous storylines is added where necessary.

The premise follows single mother Jules Kilroy and her friendship with Taddeo DeLuca. It has been eighteen months since she gave birth to her son Evan and she has decided it is time to get back out into the world of dating-her only problem-she is in love with her best friend Tad DeLuca-a man with a reputation for the ladies. As Jules’s sisters in law help with her foray into the online dating websites, Tad finds himself becoming over protective and a little more than jealous when his best friend begins to see other men.

Tad is a man who wants to prove himself worthy of his family and friends but a heartbreaking loss ten years earlier finds Tad wallowing in guilt, self doubt and any excuse not to get close to the woman that he loves. Words will be said in anger and Tad’s relationship with Jules will die a slow death-one heartbeat at a time. Their pasts continue to haunt their present and in this the emotional pull of helplessness, guilt and moving on is always a reminder of what was and what could have been.

The secondary and supporting characters include all of the previous storyline couples as well as everyone at DeLuca’s restaurant, family and friends. Because the storyline advances the series eighteen to twenty four months, we are given another look at Jack and Lili’s relationship as well as Shane and Cara-their struggles and expanding families. Kate Meader’s world of Hot in the Kitchen takes the reader behind the scenes at a family run restaurant-the people, their lives and their loves.

HOT AND BOTHERED is an emotional read; a sexy storyline about two people who continue to ignore the elephant in the room-they are in love with one another but heartbreak and the fear of the unknown is holding them back.

Reading Order and Reviews
Feel The Heat
All Fired Up
Hot and Bothered

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

excerpt

 

 

“I’ll walk you up,” he said, slipping his jacket on so it was clear to both of them he would be on his way as soon as his chivalrous duty had been performed. Because people put on jackets to, you know, go outside.
“You don’t—”
“I do.” He tucked his hand under her elbow, the touch electrifying his every cell once more. He didn’t let go of her arm as he guided her up to the second flight.
He took the key and opened her door. No problems with the door knob.
“I’ve got it from here,” she said, still avoiding his eyes. Good girl, look away. If she had any sense of self-preservation, she would close the door and send him packing because he was this close to pushing her against the wall and banging her boneless.
“How did your date go tonight?”
Fuck. The self-preservation thing goes both ways, bischero.
There was that flare of anger again. He wished she’d come right out and say what she was mad about.
“I didn’t know Cara was going to bring Darian.”
“So, a pleasant surprise. A doctor.” Merda, that came out sarcastic, which, to be honest, he meant it to be. Judging by the freeze-his-nuts stare she aimed his way, she took it in that same spirit.
“Think I don’t have it in me to date someone smart like that?”
“Don’t use that card, Jules. You have it in you to get anyone you want. I just don’t think that guy’s right for you.”
“Why?”
Because he’s not me.
None of those idiots understood the first thing about her. Tad did, though. He knew that sometimes she felt dumb because the words on the page refused to cooperate for her. He knew that she had spent her childhood wishing that someone, anyone would see her. He knew she had fought like a tigress to get here so she could provide the best life possible for Evan.
Tad had been there from the beginning, shoulder at the ready for her tears, hand outstretched so she could crush it while delivering Evan. Fancy diplomas, fat bank balances, a McMansion in Schaumburg—none of these things qualified them for shit where this woman was concerned.
“He’s just looking for a housewife to support him and pump out his kids while he does his important job.”
“Wow, you got all this from watching me flirt with him?”
He could feel his teeth mashed together like a trash compactor and he spat out the next words with trouble. “Conor’s no good for you either, so you can forget about that.”
“What’s his problem, then? He owns his own bar, saves people from burning buildings… Oh, is that it?” She kicked off her shoes, an angry smirk crinkling the corner of her mouth as one of the heels hit the leg of her coffee table with a satisfying thud. “You don’t think guys who save lives are good enough for me. You’re not exactly saving any lives when you pair that silky Pinot with the aged manchego.”
As insults go, it was pretty tame, but the sharpness in his chest registered the unintended blow. Saving lives was the last thing he was qualified for.
“I’m just trying to look out for you, Jules.”
“That’s a neat trick. You move your lips and Jack’s words come out. I’ve already told you I don’t need another brother.”
She might not need a brother but she needed a protector. Someone who could be with her through the tough times, who understood the meaning of sacrifice and family. Someone not like him.
But he could be her friend. “What happened to get you so upset tonight?”
Her brows drew together over eyes sparking with determination. “I realized I have to take what I need and fight for what’s mine.”
Whoa, if he wasn’t turned on before, he sure as hell was now. Mine. He loved how that sounded on her lips, even though he had no idea what she was yammering on about. She was grabbing something by the balls—her destiny, perhaps, and he was man enough to say, she had him by the balls as well.
The smoky lines around eyes dark with emotion hit him like a shot of moonshine. Every hair, and more, stood to attention at the sight of her Cabernet-red lips in that beautiful bow shape that would look so perfect trailing scorching kisses across his chest and beyond. Warmth washed through his veins. The edge of desire rose up to meet him and he embraced it fully.
He was only human.
She padded toward him, showcasing the sultry sway of her hips even without the sparkly fuck-me heels. Her eyes turned to shadowy emeralds like the pupils had swallowed the usual sea-green brightness. He recognized that look. He had seen it the other night in the wake of his kiss. Except for one difference: Juliet Kilroy, his friend, hot MILF, was now seducing him.
She brushed by him and closed her fist over the doorknob. Looked like her difficulties with the open/close thing were a thing of the past. Drawing the door ajar a few inches, she speared him with a look that might have flattened a lesser man.
“I’m giving you a choice. You can walk out this door and pretend there isn’t something happening between us or you can stay and give me what I need.”
His cock thickened and grew achy. “What do you need, Jules?”
“You. Inside me. All night.”
Oh, sweet Jesus.
He held her green tilty gaze, aiming to infuse his next words with cut-the-bull clarity. “I’m not like the others, those men you’ve been dating, the ones who slobbered all over you tonight. I’m not boyfriend material.”
“That’s not what you offered, though, was it?”
Leaning past her shoulder, he pressed the door shut, the snick short and final.
Inevitable.
“That’s not what I offered.”


 

 

Interview-RED

TRC: Hi Kate and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information.

Kate MeaderWould you please tell us something about yourself?

Kate: Well, I’m originally from Ireland and I’ve lived in Chicago for over twenty years. I have degrees in law, history, and library science, and I write about hot alpha men and the women who can match them quip for quip.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Kate: I’m huge fan of romance with humor, so when younger, I loved sexy, sprawling comedic romances and women’s fiction from Maeve Binchy and Jilly Cooper. These days, major influences are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jill Shalvis, Rachel Gibson, and Jenny Crusie.

Hot and BotheredTRC: HOT AND BOTHERED is the latest release in your Hot in the Kitchen contemporary, romance series. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Kate: The series follows the lives and loves of the DeLucas, an Italian-American restaurant owning family and the sizzling chefs who love them. HOT AND BOTHERED is a friends to lovers story that gets its kick start when my heroine, Jules decides she’s ready to take her love life off the back burner and start dating. And that gets my hero, Tad, all riled up because he’s been crazy about her forever. So he embarks on a plan to keep her
close by having her use her culinary skills in his wine bar kitchen, by sabotaging any date she’s on, and by offering her an alternative—a sexy fling to scratch her itch.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

Kate: There are three books planned in the Hot in the Kitchen series—FEEL THE HEAT, ALL FIRED UP, and HOT AND BOTHERED. All are written and now available in both print and ebook.

Hot in the Kitchen series

TRC: What challenges or difficulties (research, logistics, background) did you encounter writing this particular series?

Kate: None, really! I mean, it’s food after all. I watched a lot of cooking shows and online videos to get the behind-the-scenes of working in a professional kitchen. I also cooked a lot of the recipes used in the books.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Kate: Characters first, always.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Kate: It all comes down to writing characters that people can identify with, whether it’s a princess or a single mom down on her luck. As long as that character is acting in situations that make sense to that character—and us—the reader will want to get on board that train. Usually, I find writers fail if they establish a character and then have them make decisions that make no sense. Not necessarily a dumb decision, but one that’s not in keeping with the traits of that person.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Kate: A lot of people don’t know I have a masters degree in medieval history. I studied medieval nuns and holy women who used their connection to God to find new paths to empowerment in their community. Medieval nuns were probably the first feminists!

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Flirting with FireKate: I’m working on a new series called Hot in Chicago about a family of firefighting foster siblings and their blazing hot love interests. The first full-length book, FLIRTING WITH FIRE, comes out in March 2015.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Kate: Just thanks for having me!

TRC: Thank you Kate for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on all of your success.Congratulations on all of your success.

About The Author

FOLLOW: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

Kate MeaderKate writes contemporary romance that serves up delicious food, to-die-for heroes, and heroines with a dash of sass. FEEL THE HEAT, the first in her Hot in the Kitchen series from Forever/Grand Central is now available, with Book 2 in the series, ALL FIRED UP, following in November 2013.

Originally from Ireland, she cut her romance reader teeth on Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills and Boons thrown in for variety. Her stories are set in her adopted home town of Chicago, a city made for food, romance, and laughter – and where she met her own sexy hero.

 

giveaway

There are TWO (2) ways to WIN

Giveaway #1

The publisher is offering the complete set of Hot in the Kitchen books-Feel The Heat, All Fired Up and Hot and Bothered by Kate Meader.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2

To celebrate the paper back release Kate’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of HOT AND BOTHERED to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

1. If you have not previously registered at The Reading Cafe, please register by using the log-in at the top of the page (side bar) or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Please LIKE us on FACEBOOK and click GET NOTIFICATIONS

4. Please FOLLOW us on Twitter for an additional entry.

5. Please FOLLOW us on GOODREADS for an additional entry.

6. Please FOLLOW us on TSU for an additional entry.

7. Follow Kate Meader on Facebook.

8. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada only

9. Giveaway runs from January 27-31, 2015

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All Fired Up by Kate Meader- Review and Q&A with the characters

All Fired Up by Kate Meader-Review and Q&A with the characters

All Fired Up Banner

All Fired Up
Hot In The Kitchen #2
by Kate Meader
Release Date: November 5, 2013

All Fired Up

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble /

ALL FIRED UP (Hot in the Kitchen #2) by Kate Meader

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 5, 2013

Her sweetest mistake . . .

Cool as a Chicago winter, private events planner Cara DeLuca is a model of self-control . . . until she meets the one temptation she can’t resist: Shane Doyle. The sexy, Irish pastry chef is too hot, too sure, too young, and after a crazy night in Vegas-her new husband. While at first Cara wants nothing more than a way out of her sham marriage to Shane, she soon finds that beneath his farm boy demeanor lies a man who can match her drive, both in and out of the bedroom. How can the wrong guy feel so deliciously right?

. . . Tastes so, so good

Shane has carefully structured his career and life around one goal: connecting with the family that doesn’t know he exists. Marrying a woman with more issues than a magazine stand wasn’t part of the plan, but melting Cara’s icy exterior is so worth the detour. Now as the annulment date nears and long-buried secrets are revealed, Shane will have to fight for the one thing guaranteeing the perfect life he craves . . . the current Mrs. Shane Doyle.

••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: ALL FIRED UP is the second storyline in Kate Meader’s contemporary romance Hot in the Kitchen series focusing on the lives and loves of the DeLuca family. This is Cara and Shane’s story and follows approximately one year after Feel The Heat in which we were first introduced to the DeLuca clan. As Lili and Jack prepare for their upcoming wedding, Cara sets into motion an annulment that will see her soon disconnected from the man she married in Las Vegas. The world building continues from the first novel and we get another look at the DeLuca family as their prepare for another celebration.

The premise focuses on Cara DeLuca and her attempts to steer clear of her new ‘Vegas husband’ Shane Doyle-the sexy Irishman who is now the new pastry chef for her future brother’s-in-law restaurant. But luck is not on her side when she discovers that her new neighbor is none other than the man himself-Shane Doyle- and her emotions and body are betraying her with every encounter.

As the storyline develops so too do the romantic and sexual feelings between our leading couple. But Cara believes that Shane was a mistake and she ensures that no matter how she feels their secret marriage will never be revealed.

Shane is a man with a past-although everyone has a secret or two-Shane’s secret will affect everyone in the DeLuca family including his boss Jack Kilroy. His dark past and secrets will force Shane to push away the woman with whom he is falling in love and when the truth is finally revealed, everyone will believe that Shane has manipulated them all.

ALL FIRED UP is a heartwarming storyline about two people from opposites side of the track but two people who probably have more in common than not. Both have strived to be the perfect children and siblings but in the end, found themselves alone with their inner turmoil and demons. The reader is pulled into a story of how one man has affected two young boys and the results were completely different yet similar in many ways.

If you are a fan of contemporary romance storylines with a little bit of heat and a whole lot of heart than All Fired Up is the perfect read.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

________________________________________

Lightning round Q&A with Cara DeLuca:

Caraa. I’d never be caught dead in…Gah! I’m trying not to limit myself.
Line-dancing, rugby matches, terrifying motorcycle rides – bring it on!

b. On a Friday night you can find me…mulling over my Lean Cuisine options
with a glass of Montepulciano

c. One thing my family and friends would be surprised to know about me is…I
want marriage and children more than anything despite all my snarky, defensive
comments to the contrary.

d. What happens in Las Vegas…follows you home!

e. My favorite Italian word is…amore. What else?

•••••••••••••••••

Lighting round Q&A with Shane Doyle:

Shanea. Boxers or briefs? Can I go commando?

b. No matter what I always…leave the ladies laughing and wanting more

c. On a Friday night you can find me…fantasizing about my neighbor-wife,
Cara, who lives across the hall

d. What happens in Las Vegas…is the start of the most exciting, frustrating,
and sexy six weeks of my life

e. My favorite dessert is…Bella Donna. Chocolate devilry with a basil-lemon
filling. Decadent, sweet, tart, and Italian. Just like my woman.

about the author

FOLLOW: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook

Kate MeaderKate writes contemporary romance that serves up delicious food, to-die-for heroes, and heroines with a dash of sass. FEEL THE HEAT, the first in her Hot in the Kitchen series from Forever/Grand Central is now available, with Book 2 in the series, ALL FIRED UP, following in November 2013.

Originally from Ireland, she cut her romance reader teeth on Catherine Cookson and Jilly Cooper novels, with some Mills and Boons thrown in for variety. Her stories are set in her adopted home town of Chicago, a city made for food, romance, and laughter – and where she met her own sexy hero.

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Feel The Heat (Hot in the Kitchen #1) by Kate Meader-a review

FEEL THE HEAT (Hot in the Kitchen #1) by Kate Meador-a review

Feel The Heat

About the Book: May 7, 2013

IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT . . .
Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time managing her family’s Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she’s tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she’s cooked up a recipe for disaster . . .

. . .

GET INTO THE BEDROOM
Jack Kilroy’s celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili’s oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he’s even more aroused by how unimpressed this beautiful, funny woman is with his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his bitch fork-wielding fan base. Now as he’s about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions – and turn up the heat in his kitchen?

••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: FEEL THE HEAT is the first storyline in Kate Meader’s new Hot in the Kitchen series. This particular story focuses on British celebrity chef Jack Kilroy and Lili DeLuca- an aspiring photographer who has put her career on hold to help keep the family business afloat. But the Italian eatery is bleeding money. When Lili’s television producer/sister Cara brings Jack Kilroy’s show to the States, the family restaurant is first on the agenda and what ensues is a cook off where power, seduction and sabotage make for ugly bedfellows and dangerous relationships.

I must say, that from the beginning, the storyline is very reminiscent of a couple of Chef Gordon Ramsey’s television shows where a family restaurant and its’ bickering siblings become fodder for the tabloids and television ratings. The story is filled with jealous family members; a patriarch too set in his old ways to see past the olive oil on his hands; and a heroine who had the ability to upset the balance of everyone and everything with whom she came in contact. In this, the storyline premise is built as Lili and Jack dance around their feelings and emotions for one another. And in the end, just about everyone will become a victim of the couple’s relationship disaster.

There are several potential storylines developing as the secondary characters are introduced. Jack’s sister in particular drops a bombshell that will definitely have to be addressed.

The relationship between our leading couple is filled with the push and pull of the unknown. Jack’s reputation in the tabloids continues to push at Lili’s heart, while Lili’s need to break free of her family and the memories of the past must be accomplished before she is able to live the life that she once dreamed.

If you like a storyline with heat both in and out of the kitchen, FEEL THE HEAT is a quick read for the romantic heart in all of us.

Copy supplied by Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

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