With the "Two Blue Doors Series"--author Hillary Manton Lodge offers a time-spanning family saga--heirloom recipes, family secrets…and a chance for love (see my reviews)

A Table by the Window 

The youngest heir to a French-Italian restaurant dynasty, food writer Juliette D’Alisa has spent her life negotiating her skill with words and her restaurant aspirations. When her brother Nico offers her a chance to open a restaurant together, she feels torn—does she really have what it takes? Should she risk leaving her journalism career?

After the death of her grandmother, Juliette discovers an antique photograph of a man who looks strikingly like her brother. As the truth behind the picture reveals romance and dark secrets, Juliette struggles to keep the mystery away from her nosy family until she can uncover the whole story.

Inspired by her grandmother’s evolving story, Juliette resolves to explore the world of online dating. To her surprise, she finds a kindred spirit in Neil McLaren, a handsome immunologist based in Memphis, Tennessee. With a long-distance relationship simmering, Juliette faces life-shifting decisions. How can she possibly choose between a promising culinary life and Neil, a man a world away in more ways than one? And is it possible her Grandmother’s story can help show the way?

MY REVIEW:  An irresistibly delicious blend of fabulous food and romance, "A Table by the Window: A Novel of Family Secrets and Heirloom Recipes" is a feast for fans of foodie fiction. Author Hillary Manton Lodge offers up delightful characters in an appealing and involving story line, topping off this treat of a tale with ravishing recipes scattered throughout the book. Juliette D'Alisa liked her job as a newspaper food writer in Portland, Oregon, but her dream had always been to run a restaurant. Having grown up in a French-Italian family of restauranteurs, her whole life had revolved around family, friends, and food. She knew food and the restaurant business inside out, and when her brother Nico asks her to manage the new eatery he plans to open, she must decide whether or not to make a bold move forward. Still mourning the recent passing of her beloved grandmother, Juliette discovers a mystery from her grandmother's past that will have her seeking resolutions to her own personal issues. Online dating leads to a promising relationship with a doctor based in Memphis, Tennessee, but while the miles between them prevent them from growing closer? "A Table by the Window" is a sweet and succulent blend of past and present and food and romance. You will be well-served by this thoughtful, tasteful tale of sweet romance and the temptation of food, glorious food. "A Table by the Window" is Book One in the "Two Blue Doors" series.

Book Copy Gratis WaterBrook Press Via Blogging For Books 


 

Reservations for Two

A culinary concoction of taking chances and finding love in the most delectable places

Food writer-turned-restaurateur Juliette D’Alisa has more than enough on her plate. While her trip to Provence might have unlocked new answers to her grandmother’s past, it’s also provided new complications in the form of Neil McLaren, the man she can’t give up.

Juliette and Neil find romance simple as they travel through Provence and Tuscany together, but life back home presents a different set of challenges. Juliette has a restaurant to open, a mother combating serious illness, and a family legacy of secrets to untangle – how does Neil, living so far away in Memphis, fit into to her life?

As she confronts an uncertain future, Juliette can’t help but wish that life could be as straightforward as her chocolate chip cookie recipe. Can her French grandmother’s letters from the 1940’s provide wisdom to guide her present? Or will every new insight create a fresh batch of mysteries?  

MY REVIEW:  Author Hillary Manton Lodge once again offers up a fictional feast in "Reservations for Two: A Novel of Fresh Flavors and New Horizons", Book Two in the "Two Blue Doors" series. Peppered with recipes, seasoned with sentiment, and rich in romance, this sweetly poignant story spans both continents and generations. Juliette D'Alisa took a leap of faith when she gave up her job as a food writer and pursued her dream to run a restaurant with her brother. A photo found in a cookbook that had belonged to her much-loved grandmother will send her on a journey through Provence and Tuscany, seeking answers to past mysteries and clues to finding the key to her own personal happiness. Accompanying her on her taste-filled travels is Neil McLaren, the long-distance romance she can't resist. As letters from long ago lead to new revelations, questions about the future can't be ignored. Can Juliette's restaurant life in Portland somehow merge with Neil's medical career in Memphis? If not, is there a new love waiting to capture Juliette's heart? Love, family, friendship and a deep appreciation for great food, fine wine, and other treasures for the senses converge for foodie romance lover's treat of a read.

Book Copy Gratis WaterBrook Press via Blogging for Books 


 

Together at the Table

In this follow up to A Table By the Window, Juliette D'Alisa continues searching for the full story about her grandmother's past and for her own chance at lasting love.  

Juliette feels on top of the world when her and her brother, Nico's restaurant opens to rave reviews. But that feeling is short-lasted, when in a bittersweet series of events, her mother falls ill and her romance with Memphis immunologist Neil McLaren abruptly ends in anger and tears.

Three long months later, as autumn sweeps into the Pacific Northwest, Juliette feels that she’s finally on the cusp of equilibrium--the restaurant continues to thrive, and her family is closer than ever. She and sous-chef Adrien are seeing each other, both in and out of the kitchen. Just when she thinks her world might stop spinning, a trip to the waterfront brings a chance encounter with a familiar face from her past.

Rather than dwell on her personal life, Juliette throws herself into work and research. After reading her grandmother’s letters from war-torn Paris, she still wants to know the full story-- and she’ll travel across countries and oceans to find it. But even Juliette can’t outrun the man who stole her heart. As she finally uncovers the truth about her family history, what will it mean for her own search for love?

REVIEWS


“Juliette is beautiful, smart, talented, and comes from a rich culinary heritage. She’s also lost, confused, switching careers, and unlucky in love. A Table by the Window is a book for anyone who’s ever dreamed of owning a restaurant or becoming a chef or falling in love with a wonderful man. This is a story of hope and renewal, of love and understanding when it’s needed the most.”
—Suzanne Woods Fisher, award-winning, best-selling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series

“An endearing, smart, must-read novel! A Table by the Window is a delicious tale that had me slowing down so I could savor it longer. Major props to Hillary Manton Lodge not only for taking me on a beautiful journey alongside Juliette, but also for making a non-foodie like myself want to take up a new hobby.” —Katie Ganshert, award-winning author of A Broken Kind of Beautiful and The Art of Losing Yourself

“Lodge has created yet another sumptuous story—full of intrigue, humanity, tantalizing tastes, and true love, in its myriad forms. She gracefully leads us into kitchens, restaurants, and hearts, not to mention sensorial visits to France, Italy, and the tensions of WWII Paris. Poised on a knife’s edge, Lodge left me yearning for her next story and for time in the kitchen to test some of her tempting recipes.”—Katherine Reay, author of Dear Mr. Knightley and Lizzy and Jane

“With a palate of rich characters, vibrant flavors, and vintage-inspired romance, Hillary Manton Lodge’s Reservations for Two is a feast for the senses. From the fragrant lavender fields of Provence to Tuscany’s golden hills, Lodge takes the reader on a journey that is about both discovery and coming home. It’s très chic and enchanting—a recipe of amour for the reader’s heart!” —Kristy Cambron, author of The Butterfly and the Violin and A Sparrow in Terezin

“Endearing, witty, delectable. Hillary Manton Lodge’s second installment in the Two Blue Doors series is as delicious as her first—even for a non-foodie like me! I especially appreciated the seamless transition from Juliette’s current life and travels to her grand-mère’s WWII past, a captivating angle that added the perfect hint of mystery.” —Melissa Tagg, author of From the Start

“Food writer Juliette D’Alisa adores her temperamental trilingual family of restaurateurs, but she could do without their bossy skepticism of her online love interest who’s so unlike them. Rainy, windy Portland has never felt quite as warm as it does when Juliette navigates long-distance romance, career decisions, and a genealogical mystery. A delectable tale from Hillary Manton Lodge, A Table by the Window includes recipes that are like a warm welcome to the D’Alisa family table.” —Meg Moseley, author of Gone South and When Sparrows Fall

HILLARY MANTON LODGE

 

HILLARY MANTON LODGE is the author of six novels, including the critically acclaimed Two Blue Doors series and the Plain and Simple duet. In her free time, she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, graphic design, and finding new walking trails. She resides outside of Memphis, Tennessee with her husband and two pups.  She can be found online at www.hillarymantonlodge.com.