Rating: 
Summary: Delicious Medieval Sequel to Brides of Virtue Series
Review: Setting - France - Medieval era --- Once again the author returns to the Brides of Virtue Convent, where the reader is introduced to Julia, of Childress. Julia is a young woman of 18 who through amazing efforts of fortitude and resiliency has achieved the position of head chef of some fame at the abbey with her very delectable dishes. As it happens, two knights from the count of Grandaise stopped on their way home. Knowing the count's peculiar affliction they reported back to him the discovery of a chef with such an amazing talent, that even the count whose sense of smell was so profound, would be able to eat these heavenly inspired dishes. Griffin, the count, was forced to live with a steel band around his nose to prevent the abundant, decaying and surrounding odors from assailing his senses. Having hired and fired so many cooks, Griffin decided to discover himself if this cook was as good as described. Disguised, he snuck into the convent's kitchen and stole samples of the dishes Julia had prepared especially for the Duke of Avalon's visit. (The description of this event was hilarious!) Griffin, thought he'd died and gone to heaven -- he was so astonished -- and he knew at once he had to procure this chef at all costs.The abbess, realizing what a 'treasure' she had in Julia, had tried repeatedly to convince her to take vows in an attempt to keep her in the convent kitchens. She wasn't about to let Julia go without a fight. Enamored and bewitched by the heavenly food he'd sampled, Griffin was unwilling to be intimidated by the abbess. Cunningly, he negotiated a princely sum in the presence of the visiting 'greedy' bishop and duke so that the abbess was overruled and compelled into allowing Julia to be loaned to Griffin for a term of one year. At the end of that time, Julia was to be returned to the convent - maidenly intact - and ready to take her vows. This was not a problem until Griffin discovered that the 'chef' was quite a 'dish' herself! Unfortunately, while all these negotiations were going on, Julia was fuming as her ideas of what she wanted in life were decidedly different from what was being discussed. Julia wanted marriage and a family, not the convent, and she was just stubborn enough to get the sensitive nosed count to realize she's just the 'dish' he's been waiting for his entire life! I found this new addition to the Convent of the Brides of Virtue series to be a most interesting and 'delectable' novel, and only wish that it came with a cookbook attached of the recipes on the fabulously described dishes that had my mouth watering! The old adage of ...the way to a man's heart was through his stomach... was certainly proven here in this delightful tale. As I have come to also notice in her writing, along with the very interesting characters, there are the villains set in the background trying to make trouble and avenge what they perceived to be wrongs done to them. Peppered thoroughly with Ms. Krahn's pearls of wisdom on 'husbands', coupled with a lot of common sense, this could be used as a guide on sustaining the growing pains one endures in making a marriage work! Truly, this was a most delicious book in this thoroughly entertaining series. --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---
Rating: 
Summary: Save your Money....
Review: This book was so bad it prompted me to write a review (my first review). This story was so unbelievable I felt like crying...I wanted to read a good book, and instead, I bought this. I don't know anything about this author, but I think she jumped the shark with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Book should say: DO NOT READ ON A EMPTY STOMACH!!
Review: This is book #3 in the {{BRIDES OF VIRTUE}} series but I do not think this is a series you have to read in order. In fact this is the first one I read. This book is for the Epicureans Romance Readers out there and more. BK certainly did her share of research for the culinary delights in this story. Being as my occupation is Director of Catering I always like to read books with Food in the storyline this one does not dissapoint. Julia is a young women who has been in the convent since the age of 10. She has always been headstrong and independent, not really the attributes one would equate to a Nun in Medieval times, the Head Abbess assigns Julia into the Kitchen at a early age to keep her out of making trouble in the convent. Julia takes to the Kitchen like a "duck-to-water" becomes irreplaceable. One evening (during very bad weather) 2 knights traveling through the area stop at the convent to get something to eat (after being told in the nearby village that they will find exceptional faire there) well of course they have a dinner TO DIE FOR and unbeknownst to the Abbess these 2 knights Count has a peculiar ailment............ He has a uncanny disability to pick up every scent there is GOOD AND BAD and he becomes so overwhelmed that it makes him deranged hence he is named "THE BEAST". Because of this ailment he can not enjoy food especially food made from awful cooks that don't know what flavors compliment each other. So when they come upon this convent with Food OUT OF THIS WORLD they try to find out who the cook is, the Abbess knows she has a treasure in her cook so she doesn't allow them to meet Julia. The 2 Knights go away not knowing who the cook is but they are fairly tripping over themselves to return to the Count to tell him of their find. I don't want to get to lengthy about the book description since the 2 previous reviews (as well as Amazon synopsis) does a fine job in telling what the story is about. When you get down to it I ENJOYED this book there is humor, betrayal, mystery, a feud, the physical attraction is sensual...... all the things that makes reading Historical Romances so lively. Griffin and Julia are a good couple to watch come to their feelings. BK does a excellent job in describing each meal in such detail that you can just taste the buttery crust in Julia's tarts and pasties. Griffin's ailment is rather interesting and I could say the same for the way Julia learns to get around it. There are some secondary characters in the book that add to the overall wholeness of the story. Good Job Ms. Krahn!!! Respectfully Reviewed
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