Book Review: Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck, Thomas Nelson, publisher

If you enjoy cooking shows, clean romances, and southern settings, Dining with Joy is a good choice. Joy Ballard is the comedic host of a local cooking show, which the producer convinced her to take over after her father's death. One major problem, despite the fact that Joy grew up watching her father cook and develop recipes, she was NOT a true foodie. Joy's kitchen cabinet containing Pop Tarts and Spaghettios is reflective of her talent for cooking. After three years, the producer retires and Wild Woman productions takes over -not knowing Joy's secret. Hunk Luke Redmond moves south after having to close his restaurant up north, and joins the newly syndicated show as co-host. Jealous host of a cook-off show, Wenda Devine, seeks to trap Joy into revealing the truth. In the process, Joy learns Truth about God's love and goodness.
At first I was extremely skeptical about the premise that someone who grew up watching her father cook could not actually follow a recipe. Then I remember times I forgot a boiling egg and it redecorated my kitchen, or mixed up corn syrup and corn oil and had disintegrating frosting (okay, I was 12), and I opened my mind a bit more. Would Luke be able to save Joy? Would he get his restaurant back? I found myself rapidly reading this light romantic fare to discover the answer, and ended up enjoying the book.
This book was provided by Thomas Nelson publishers for the purpose of review. The opinions are my own.