A Taste of Sage | By Yaffa S Santos

by · May 20, 2021

 

 

 

Book Review | Contemporary Romance
A Taste of Sage
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Published: May 19th, 2020
Lumi Santana is a chef with a gift: she can perceive a person’s emotions by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she puts her heart and savings into opening her own fusion restaurant in Upper Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines she is inspired by. When her eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. After he goes out of his way to bake a tart to prove her wrong in a dispute, she is so irritated by his smug attitude that she vows to herself never to taste his cooking. But after she succumbs to the temptation and takes a bite one day and is overcome with shocking emotion, she finds herself beginning to crave his cooking and struggling to stay on task with her plan to save up and move on as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Julien’s obsessed secretary watches with gnashed teeth as they grow closer and becomes determined to get Lumi out of her way permanently.     (Goodreads)    

 

 

 

 

 

My thoughts

 

 

 

 

Narrative and Plot

 

 

 

 

A Taste of Sage is all about food in case you happened to miss the gorgeous cover and the title. The story is told by both Lumi and Julien. Both of them keep the narrative compelling to read. There is a recipe at the end of every chapter for every delicacy mentioned by the main characters.

The plot however, does not offer a lot of variety. Keeping in view, that this is a story that celebrates food and the genuine love for it, the book spends a considerable amount of time on it. And that shows. But the rest of the plot doesn’t exactly match that exquisite setting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characters and Conflicts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lumi and Julien as individuals are strong characters. Their ideologies and approach towards food is consistent. Their personal growth is great to read. However, the chemistry between Lumi and Julien felt a bit forced.

The book takes its sweet time to move forward in the first half. But in the latter half it just moves abruptly. And all of that feels a bit unrealistic. There were a few moments when the couple looked adorable and romantic but the pacing seemed to be a bit problematic.

The book features Dominican cuisine considering Lumi’s background. The relationship between Lumi and her family seemed well developed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

 

 

 

In simple words, A Taste of Sage is a delicious read for a foodie. But if you’re going in for the romance, keep your expectations low. This is a one time read for me. But unlike me, if you’re a devoted cook you might want to go into the book now and then for those awesome recipes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get your book here : Amazon_IN Amazon_US Book Depository

 

 

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