Off the Bookshelf: A WINNING RECIPE, by Bonnie Engstrom

The full title is: A Winning Recipe for Meatloaf Magic and Love Everlasting. A mouthful, huh? Wish I had a mouthful of some of the recipes described in the book, which, per the title, features cooking quite often.

The story starts -- and throws the romantic leads together -- at a cooking competition. Kate is a control freak and Lance has some strong white knight tendencies, coming to her rescue from the start -- and maybe being just a little too friendly. At least, too friendly for a stranger ... who just happens to get on the same shuttle to the same hotel. As we find out soon, Kate has had some boyfriend issues, a guy who wants to control and dominate her life -- the kind who says she likes it when she protests his treatment. So when Lance kind of takes over from time to time, that irritates and frightens her.

I wish the author had put the winning meatloaf recipes in the back of the book -- they both sound scrumptious. This is a fast read, funny in places, frightening in others as Kate deals with some issues in her life, emotional and physical. If you like Golden Retrievers -- Kate's faithful sidekick -- and you like people who like to cook ... try it!