REVIEW: ‘Can’t Stand the Heat’ (2009) by Louisa Edwards

From my perspective, Can’t Stand the Heat by Louisa Edwards would have been more aptly titled Can’t Stand Miranda. It’s a contemporary romance featuring a snarky food critic and a tempermental chef. While many elements in the book work, the heroine did not.

Miranda Wake is a food critic for the esteemed Délicieux magazine. She is known for her acerbic wit and caustic comments. At the opening of the story, Miranda and her editor are attending the opening party for a new restaurant. Miranda has had a few too many rose-petal-infused vodkas and starts to make a scene. The brunt of her drunken humour is Adam Temple, chef and part-owner of Market restaurant. Incensed by her belittling remarks, Adam dares her to spend a day in his kitchen and see what it’s really like to work in a restaurant as opposed to dine in one. Miranda accepts the challenge.

By the next day, pictures of them fighting have leaked all over the internet. Deciding bad publicity is better than none, Miranda’s editor negotiates a month-long stint for her in the kitchen. Miranda sees this as her opportunity to finally get a lucrative book deal and write an exposé of celebrity chefs and their staff. She doesn’t see fit to share this aspect of her work with Adam Temple, and he assumes she’s simply writing for her magazine.

In addition to Miranda, Market gains another member of staff in the form of Miranda’s younger brother, Jess. He has just dropped out of his university in Indiana, much to Miranda’s disgust. Jess is gay but is terrified of telling his sister. He soon finds himself fighting his attraction for Adam’s second-in-command, Frankie. Their relationship was the strongest part of the book.

Miranda and Adam are also attracted to one another and soon find themselves heating up more than the kitchen. But with so many secrets between them, their path to true love is not destined to run smoothly.

The most compelling part of the book for me was Jess and Frankie’s relationship. It seemed more real than Adam and Miranda’s, plus they were more sympathetic characters. Adam is a typical alpha male and likes to be in charge. He freely admits to having slept with the other investor in Market and then dumping her once the deal was through. He doesn’t seem to feel any remorse for his actions. Miranda was a bitch for most of the book and I didn’t feel her comeuppance and subsequent apology sufficiently redeemed her character. I was appalled at the way she treated Jess and Frankie when she found out about their relationship. Also, she waited until it was already too late to decide not to publish her tell-all book, and hurt a lot of nice people in the process.

On the positive side, Louisa Edwards writes well and her dialogue is strong. Despite my dislike of Miranda, I’m still curious to see what she does with the second book in her A Recipe for Love series. It will feature Devon Sparks, a TV chef who makes a brief appearance in Can’t Stand the Heat. Ultimately, though, this book failed for me as I couldn’t abide the heroine and had little respect for the hero. Grade: C

Tagged as: C Reviews, Chef, Contemporary Romance, Food Critic, Louisa Edwards, Restaurant