Vivi and her half-sister Natalie have just moved to the US from France in search of a dream. Vivi, a chef, wishes to open a bistro in New York and hopes to make a huge success of it. Natalie is running from a scandal caused by a relationship gone bad and has come along to start a new life and fund Vivi’s dream with their father’s inheritance.

Anthony, a widower, runs an Italian restaurant across the street from Vivi’s. She’s intrigued by him and his wonderful hands. As both are chefs, they clash from the beginning on how things should be prepared and made But while they are clashing, something bigger is building there. And while Anthony may not be ready for another woman in his life yet, sometimes a person can’t avoid love even with the best laid plans.

The stepsisters find they have issues to work through in their relationship with each other and many problems to overcome in setting up a new restaurant in a country fairly new to them. Both Vivi and Anthony go through cold feet phases in the mating ritual they go through. But in the end love overcomes all. I completely enjoyed Just A Taste and how Deirdre Martin made this romance realistic. Everything from arguments over whether something contained butter or shortening, to making up over the kitchen island was completely delightful in this story. I Joyfully Recommend Just a Taste as I loved Vivi and Anthony’s quest for love and think you will too.