Talented chef Meg Delaney hasn’t spoken to her cheating ex-fiancé, Matt Midland, for two years. Ditching him at the altar after blurting out “I can’t” instead of “I do” would sour any relationship. But now, just as Meg is finally ready to bury the hatchet, she learns closure is permanently off the menu. And the kicker? Matt’s brother, Kyle, is back in her life, stirring up feelings that are equal parts guilt and lust.
Meg was the best thing that never happened to Kyle. He couldn’t make a move on his brother’s girlfriend -- even if Matt didn’t value her nearly enough. The situation is even more complicated now that Meg’s bestselling aphrodisiac cookbook has spawned a legal battle with the Midlands. Maybe he should stay away. But love, like family, plays by its own rules. And the one woman he shouldn’t want might be the only one who’s perfect for him.
Good book with a nice mix of romance and grief. It had been two years since Meg left her fiancé at the altar after finding out he had cheated on her. She's finally ready to bury the hatchet and goes to see Matt at the hospital where he is having minor surgery. Meg runs into her ex's brother at the hospital and learns that Matt has died. Kyle has always had a thing for Meg but buried his feelings while she was with Matt. Now that Matt is gone, so is that reason to keep his distance. But there are other things that complicate the situation.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I liked the way that Meg decided to close the Matt chapter in her life by visiting him in the hospital and ached for her when she found out about his death. There were times that I thought her grief was a little excessive, considering that they'd broken up two years earlier, but on the other side, they had been together for a long time. Kyle's grief and conflicted feelings were understandable. He and Matt had been brothers, but not always friends. Because Kyle and Meg had also been friends, they were able to connect over their shared grief. But there is also an underlying attraction, one that Kyle has felt for years and that is (mostly) new to Meg.
I liked the development of the relationship between Meg and Kyle. They had a lot in common, including a somewhat quirky sense of humor. The scenes with the LARPers and Kyle helping Meg prep a catering job were pretty funny. Because they knew each other so well, they were also able to open up about their memories of Matt, both good and bad. Those moments were sweet and heartbreaking. I loved the way that Kyle was so sensitive to Meg's moods, fears, and dreams. I had great hopes for something special between them.
However, their developing relationship was complicated by the legal battle initiated by Matt and Kyle's mother over the photographs in Meg's cookbook. My opinion was that Sylvia was way out of line with her demands and her attitude. Everything that was revealed about Matt made him look like a self-centered jerk. His attitude toward Meg and her cookbook was obnoxious and I didn't think he (or his mother) deserved one penny from Meg. I ached a bit for Kyle since he was caught in the middle. He was torn between his love for Meg and his love for his brother, complicated by the guilt he was carrying over his actions. I had high expectations for him, and unfortunately, he did not fully live up to them. I hated what he did at the end and still don't understand how Meg could forgive him so easily. I liked seeing Meg develop enough backbone to stand up for herself, but then she backslid at the end. Matt's attitude toward her cookbook was more than enough, in my opinion, for her to stick to her guns. I think she gave up too much at the end - a token should have been sufficient. I'm happy for Meg and Kyle that their relationship worked out - forgiving Kyle for what he did was nice, but I don't know that I would ever be able to really forget and trust again.
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