So a friend of mine on Twitter read Season for Scandal upon my recommendation and FLIPPED OUT (well, for her she flipped out) and put it on her “Wow” shelf on GoodReads. I, being a nosy sort, wanted to know what else was on that shelf, and happily seeing it didn’t require me to remember my GR password (seriously I have no idea what it is), I had a look.
Anyway, one of the eight books on that shelf was Delicious. I had never read this book, but you know how I feel about food and expressing love through food and showing your research through food. I had to read it. (I am not surprised that my friend G loves this book, too- she is also a historical cooking nerd.)
I am so glad I did.
Verity is the cook for a gentleman, Bernie Somerset. Her food is famous, and she’s infamous for being known to have had/is having an affair with Bernie. But he dies (possibly from too much French food), and his brother Stuart inherits everything, including Verity.
Stuart and Verity had met once before ten years ago- she came to see him, and he saved her from some muggers, and she knew who he was, but he didn’t know who she was, and they have one night of the most amazing sex either one has ever had.
Stuart is a rising political star- a bastard that got legitimatized by act of Parliament, and he has serious imposter syndrome because of that. He’s found the perfect wife in Lizzy Bessler: she’s of the right rank, and not scandalous, and sure, there’s no passion there, but passion in wives is just so damned inconvenient! When he takes possession of Bernie’s properties, Verity cooks him amazing food, but hides her identity- she doesn’t want him to know she was the mystery Cinderella he banged that one time.
Verity is fascinating. She’s got a really intricate backstory, and her determination to live her life on her own terms by finding an occupation she both enjoys and excels at is great. Stuart is a stick in the mud who’s afraid to live life out loud because then people might look at him closely and find things to criticize.
His first night in his inheritance, he gets notice that that the standard is a 12 course meal. That will not do, so he demands a 3 course meal. Verity feels that this is ridiculous, but THEN he only eats one bite of each course! (The fact that she doesn’t march out and beat him with a spoon at this point is a testament to her restraint). But it’s not because he didn’t like the food, but because he liked the food TOO MUCH. He does not want to be a man of strong likes and passions.
They slowly circle around and towards each other, having liaisons in the dark and involving Stuart’s bathtub (he’s modernized his London house so there’s pipes, and no one has to carry buckets of hot water up and down the stairs for him, THE DECADENCE).
What I (eventually) liked about this is that it’s a slow, slow burn, but like the lobster in the pot, I didn’t realize how hot it was until it was far too late. The storytelling switches from 1892 (the present) to 1882 and fills in the bits and pieces of the backstories of Verity and Stuart. The present day plot is fairly simple, as is the 1882 plot, but Thomas weaves them together in a pleasing cord of… okay my metaphor got away from me. It took me a while to get invested, but once I was in, I WAS IN. There’s a beta couple and an examination of the damage one causes by making wild assumptions, an illegitimate child or three, and everyone trying to figure out, “How do I live the life I want when everything seems to be set in stone the moment I was born?”
This is a story of two people who have been punished by society for actions that weren’t necessarily their own, and who tried to make the best of it, and got a second chance at working their shit out, while surrounded by delicious, delicious food. Do not read while hungry.
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Thoroughly agree. Love this book, and would encourage you to also read Private Arrangements – another great book by Sherry Thomas
Since you like foodie historical books you’ll definitely like Miranda Neville’s debut, Never Resist Temptation! Heroine is a pastry chef and Omggggg were the descriptions delicious. You’ll need to have profiteroles on standby.
I loved this book, but, then I love everything she’s written so far. My favorite, though, is The Luckiest Lady in London.
Sherry Thomas is bae.
This is my favorite Sherry Thomas book (and the only one still on my bookshelf). This is definitely not a book to read if you’re hungry! Ah, yes, that bathtub scene ….
Yeeeeesssss, food-centric historical romance! I read one recently that I thought was going to be awesome but I felt like the execution did not live up to the concept. I shall devour this immediately.
Delicious was my gateway to Sherry Thomas and it absolutely blew me away. I am not automatically entranced by food descriptions (though I was addicted to Gourmet magazine for years), but I found Thomas’s prose just luscious–so sensual and layered with meaning. The tension of emotion leashed by iron restraint is one of my favorite catnip flavors as well. So glad to see it reviewed here.
Ditto, Pam G. Delicious was also my gateway and I am now mainstreaming pretty much all Sherry Thomas. Just finished a couple re-reads.
There’s another book I love with a heroine who is a cook, undercover in the hero’s home; Banquet of Lies by Michelle Diener. Lots of food descriptions.
This book is an amazing feat of writing and plotting and fooooood. I always describe it as being like the movie Babette’s Feast with sex and romance and angst and UST. Genius book.
Read this review this morning, downloaded a sample, then bought the book. I just finished, having taken time to make a fresh peach dessert, and to boil a lot of potatoes (the food of my people, as I like to tell the husband). I may use some potatoes in salad nicoise. Or fry them in butter with lots of roughly chopped onions. Or make a soup, or a Dijon-dill potato salad. I am so Hungry! I feel like I spent the day reading food porn. Now I must go to the grocers for garlic and basil and fresh mozzarella. I feel the need to channel Verity and make some perfectly seasonal caprese salad. (As we used to say in the Museum biz -those of us who were cynics- about anomalous artifacts, materials or ideas: “if they woulda had them, they woulda used them”).
My first Sherry Thomas, too, and it made me a diehard fan. Not to push the metaphor too far, but her books are dense, complex and chewy – very satisfying.
This was my first Sherry Thomas, too, and it made me her perpetual book slave. One of the many things I like about Thomas is the way some of her characters show up in other books–but it’s subtle and she doesn’t overdo it the way some authors do. It was wonderful to see some of these characters show up in Not Quite a Husband, for instance.
Great review. Reminded me how much I loved this book.
I recollect that Thomas moves brilliantly between “then” and “now”, although I also seem to remember being flummoxed at one stage about why the mind-blowing one-nighter wasn’t ever extended. And now it’s so long since I read it, I’ve forgotten the reason.
Thomas did encourage me to do some reading on food of the era – for the wealthy. It’s a wonder that any of them could move after some of the meals.
I have this book in paperback, I picked it up a few years ago (it had a different cover than the one I see pictured here, it was the back of a woman in a green dress, no man in the picture), and I loved it! It was my first book (and definitely not my last) by Sherry Thomas. The bathtub scene blew me away, and got me interested in more erotic historicals.
Well, I’m sold. Just bought it! Dare I ask what other gems are on your friend’s “WOW” shelf?
I got this from my library this morning and it will be finished soon. I read most of her books but missed this one somehow.
Yet this is not reinvention; rather, Sherry Thomas is writing old skool romances with new skool sensibilities in a marriage of no amount of convenience but one guaranteed to bring hours and hours of reading delight. Perversely, you’ll love and thank her for wrecking your heart.
I want to see your friend’s “WOW” shelf!