Taste by Melanie Harlow

The last person on earth I want to be stranded with is Gianni Lupo.

But thanks to the blizzard of the century, I’m trapped in a roadside motel room with that cocky bastard for two straight days.

With one small bed.

Some women might thank Mother Nature for delivering a polar vortex that maroons them with six feet of solid muscle, those deep blue eyes, that sexy grin–but not me. I’ve known Gianni Lupo all my life, and he’s never brought me anything but bad luck and trouble.

So when the tension between us explodes with enough fiery heat to melt my icy defenses, I should have known what the disastrous end result would be–

A big fat plus sign.

After the snow melts, I’m left with more than just memories of the night we spent keeping each other warm. And he might be a rising star on the culinary scene, but he’s got no idea how to handle this bun in the oven.

He says he wants to do the right thing, but I’m not about to spend the rest of my life feeling like someone settled for me.

But just when I think I’ve got Gianni Lupo all figured out, he gives me a taste of the man he could be, of the family we could become, of the way he could love me if I let him.

I’m terrified of falling for him.

But one taste might be all it takes.

My Review

This contemporary romance book is a sweet story about frenemies who end up in a few less than desirable situations. In the stories, they navigate life’s unsuspecting surprises and find true love in a friend. The author gives you a taste of steamy, sadness, and joy. I loved the friends-to-lovers trope and the close families and friends involved in this story. This is a stand-alone book, and it was a perfect swoony sweet read. Gianni is a heartthrob, and Ellie is too stubborn for her own good. Still, the story will have you laughing, crying, and smiling with unexpected surprises. I do love that at the end, we get a sneak of another story with the next book, Tease, to be released in June of 2022. I’ll definitely be wanting to read that as well.

Gianni is known Ellie since they were kids, and he loves to pick on her to get a reaction. Their mothers are best friends, and they have grown up together and now work together at Ellie’s family vineyard. He is the new chef for the restaurant they have opened. He is confident, a Bad boy, and cocky as heck. Gianni and Ellie bicker like a toddler, but I think secretly, they care for each other. They have a lot of history as friends and enemies. Ellie is all about her family’s business; she wants to be perfect like her mother and almost idolizes her. She doesn’t have space in her ideal life for Gianni, the bad boy, but she can dream about him.

A winter storm, an appointment that could change her life and her friend along for the ride, could get intriguing. The banter between the frenemies is terrific and slightly comical. This book gets steamy as their night doesn’t go as planned. I like the side of Gianni; we see he is fun, protective, and caring, even if he is a wild soul. Unfortunately, he kinda messes up the progress he makes with Ellie.

Life gets back to normal for a while, even though they find it difficult to be near each other. However, they both get a surprise. This book gives you a taste of happiness and a taste of misery as they decide what to do about their situation. I do love that Gianni finally came around and surprised Ellie. I love that she finally admitted her feelings. I also enjoyed the end of this book. The epilogue is fantastic and so swoony and sweet; don’t miss out.

If you would like to read Taste by Melanie Harlow you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories Friends to Lovers, Romantic Comedy, and Small Town.