Deep Dish (edition 2008)

Gina Foxton's local television cooking show, "Fresh Start," has been cancelled due to circumstances waaaaaaaaaaaay beyond her control. Fortunately, talent scouts from The Cooking Channel are in town and they're ready to offer her a new national show. But there's a catch. She has to out-compete Tate Moody, host of "Vittles," a shoot-em and grill-em cooking show popular with both men who like to hunt and women who like to watch Tate's abs, pecs, and glutes. What follows is something like a cross between "Survivor" and "The Next Food Network Star" with a hint of Pride and Prejudice thrown in.

Really, two and a half stars. I can sum up my review in one word: predictable. That's really all I need to say. You probably read my synopsis and know exactly where this book went. It's still a fun beach read, and there were some funny parts that made me do this almost-silent-giggle-snort-thing, but there are better books out there. The characters are just stock characters from any mediocre chick-lit novel. I really couldn't wait to finish it and move on to the next book. One other thing--whenever she referred to Tate Moody as just Moody, I flashed onto Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter. I don't know if that would be a wide-spread problem for readers of chick-lit, but it was a distraction for me.

This wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't great or even that good. Read Savannah Blues by the same author instead. You'll laugh out loud and fall in love with the main character. ( )

Mary Kay Andrews' books do adhere to a formula -- feisty Southern girl who's passionate about her work encounters trouble with both men and work, which is satisfactorily resolved by the end of the book. But she does it so well! In Deep Dish, Gina, a young woman with a regionally popular public tv cooking show, gets her big chance at national stardom on "The Cooking Channel." The catch is, she must best hunky good ol' boy Tate Moody, also a cooking show host, in a "Survivor"-style contest held on Eutaw Island (a barrier island off the Georgia coast). Engaging characters, plenty of humor and a strong sense of place make this a very enjoyable book for anyone (well, probably mostly women) tired of gloom and doom or mystery and mayhem. ( )

Gina Foxton is the host of a local cooking show, Fresh Start. Her show is going to be cancelled when her sponsor pulls out. When she finds out the Cooking Channel is looking for a southern cook for a new show she is really excited. However, there is one thing in her way, Tate Moody, a host of his own show, Vittles. Tate's show is popular not only with men, but women. It looks like she has a lot of competition, but Gina needs the new show or she is out of a job. This was a cute romance. Though the romance didn't happen right away. I really enjoyed the book and thought Gina Foxton was a cute character. ( )

I was hoping this would be a great read. I love cooking, and I love food, and I love books about Southerners who cook and eat food. Call it a strange weakness of mine.

This was not an entire flop, but I had major issues while reading the book. There's not enough background to make the characters entirely likeable, the sister was annoying, and the heroine had no relatable qualities to make her appealing. The hero, however, was quite tasty, and I would have liked to have gotten to know him better, but the author wouldn't let me. ( )

A cute story, well narrated. ( )