Book Review: Together at the Table

Together at the Table by Hillary Manton Lodge
Genre: romance,
Publisher: WaterBrook
Date: May 3, 2016
Reviewed by: Lori Twichell
Fiction Addict Scorecard: A

Juliette D’Alisa is having a rough time of things. Her mother passed away and she and her boyfriend called it quits. She’s trying to move ahead and not focus too much on the past, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about her family and she’s not completely sure about where her future lies. It’s not been the easiest of journeys. Thankfully, she has a family who stands by her – that hasn’t changed.

She is in a relationship with the handsome and charismatic Adrian, the Sous Chef at the restaurant she owns with her brother. Adrian is sweet, considerate (and did I mention handsome?) as well as highly talented in the culinary arts. It seems like a perfect pairing. But something is still missing and niggling at Juliette. She thinks it might be the mystery of her grandmother’s secret husband, so she plans to move forward with that investigation as soon as she gets through the holidays.

But then something throws a monkey wrench into the works. Neil, the man she loved, but broke up with, moves to Portland for a short term work engagement. Suddenly he’s in front of her all the time and the old chemistry is there. This launches a series of events that turns Juliette’s world completely upside down. And to put a cap on it, another unexpected disaster befalls her family.  Juliette needs to get away and get her mind straight.

This is the third book in the Two Blue Doors series and like the previous two, this one engaged, delighted, and entertained. By this outing, I felt like I was a part of the D’Alisa clan – and that’s no small feat coming from an only child that really hasn’t had a huge family around her! I absolutely love this series!!

Oh and if you’re a foodie, this is the PERFECT book for you. Seriously. Set with a restaurant backdrop, there are a ton of mouth-watering recipes that anchor the food to the emotions in the story. And as with the first two, if a recipe is discussed in the chapter, Lodge shares it at the end of the chapter. I seriously have about five that I’m looking at from this book! The French toast with orange ricotta is a MUST try for me and the homemade tomato soup is calling my name. I love that I can share a little of the story with my family through these recipes.

This is a fabulous series that would be a great gift for any reader or food lover on your list!