Book Review: Recipe for Love by Sasha Wagstaff

Summer in a luxurious villa in Sorrento and a rare interview with an amazing Italian chef should be a taste of heaven shouldn't it? For Cassia Marini it looks more like being a recipe for disaster...
Cassia should be excited about her trip to Italy, Rocco Disanti is one of Italy's most talented chefs, and the trip gives her the opportunity to research her own Italian heritage. But she's in the midst of her own wedding plans and handing this over to a frosty mother-in-law doesn't seem like the greatest idea. It gets worse as she arrives and realises that Rocco is less than thrilled about the interview, her summer break in Sorrento is looking less than promising. But maybe the unlikely ingredients of a hint of romance, a chance to find out more about her past and space from her own relationship, will combine to make an altogether more convincing dish!

I have really enjoyed Sasha Wagstaff's previous books so I was excited to receive her latest one, Recipe for Love. Sasha did not disappoint, Recipe for Love is a great read and would base the perfect book to take on holiday. The vast majority of the book is set in beautiful Sorrento. I went on holiday there myself a few years ago and it is the perfect location to set a book like this; glamorous, beautiful and very romantic.
Cassia Marini is passionate about food and is highly respected as a writer for Sumptuous magazine. Her latest assignment is to shadow Rocco Disanti, chef extraordinaire at his family's estate in Sorrento. It will also give Cassia the chance to look into her dead father's past; he was Italian and adopted but never got the chance to discover the identity of his birth parents. Spending the summer in Sorrento would be perfect but the problem is that Cassia has just got engaged to Finn and going away means leaving the wedding planning to her awful mother-in-law. The other problem, which Cassia is less than happy to admit is that she thinks that being away from Finn might be a good thing as it will test whether she is making the right decision or not but what happens if absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder?
Sasha Wagstaff packs so much into her books and they are always highly glamorous from start to finish. Recipe for Love has romance, lust, family secrets, passion, lies, curses and of course lots of lovely food. I loved that aspect of the book but I have to say that it made me very hungry when reading it!
Cassia is a really good character and I enjoyed her interactions with Rocco Disanti. My other favourite character was Diana, Carissia's mother. She is a successful actress struggling to come to terms with getting older plus protecting her daughters from past events that she she has tried to shelter them from.
I apologise if this review is a little scatty but there was so much that I enjoyed about this book. Sasha Wagstaff has a knack of grabbing your attention at the beginning and then continuing to hold it with a fast paced story full of plot twists and turns.
I would recommend any of Sasha Wagstaff's books, they are pure escapism.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Many thanks to Headline Review for sending me a copy of the book to review, Recipe for Love is out now!

Book Review: Heaven Scent by Sasha Wagstaff

When Cat Hayes impulsively married a handsome, penniless French waiter in St Tropez, she didn't realise she'd be widowed in just a few weeks. Neither did she know that her late husband was actually Olivier Ducasse, heir to the Ducasse perfume empire.

Invited by the Ducasse family to their glamorous French mansion, Cat finds the family in chaos. What's more, she's regarded with suspicion and hostility, especially by Olivier's playboy cousin Xavier. Will she run for the hills as her high heels can carry her? Or will she realise that she's exactly what this mixed-up family truly needs?

I knew that I was in for a treat when this  book arrived as I really enjoyed Sasha Wagstaff's last book Wicked Games. I think that Heaven Scent is even better and each page was a pleasure to read.
Cat Hayes has been widowed after only a few weeks of marriage; she thought she had married a penniless waiter but in fact had tied the knot with Olivier Ducasse who was heir to a huge perfume empire. The Ducasse family want to meet Cat, however, they have no intention of welcoming her to the family, instead they want to ward off any claim she may have on Olivier's part of the business.
Stranded at the beautiful Ducasse chateau in France after her passport disappears, Cat has never felt more unwelcome or stupid. Why did Olivier lie about his identity and how naive must she have been to fall in love with such a man?
The actual Ducasse family were my favourite part of the book. The author gives each individual member their own story line but she expertly links them so that the plot flows effortlessly. Delphine Ducasse is the matriarch of the family and is not interested in getting to know Cat, business comes before everything for this woman but at what cost? Guy is Delphine's son and is in charge of the company, he lost his beloved wife two years ago and is now struggling with his grief plus raising his twin teenagers Max and Seraphina who seem determined to get into as much trouble as possible. Xavier is Guy's oldest son and is well known as a playboy. He used to be the 'nose' of the business but events in the past have meant that Xavier has  not created a new scent for years; it seems that nothing will convince him to work for the Ducasse empire. Leoni Ducasse is Olivier's sister and one of the most diligent and hard working members of the family; it's just a shame that nobody takes her seriously or appreciates all she does. Leoni can't even bear to be around Cat; who is this woman her brother apparently loved enough to marry?
So as you see Cat has a lot on her hands with this ambitious, powerful family. However unwelcoming they have been, it is in Cat's nature to try and help those in need. She is soon helping the twins deal with the loss of their mother, offering ideas to the business which could do with a fresh perspective and unwittingly reigniting Xavier's passion to create a much needed new scent.
I found the relationships that Cat formed with each family member very interesting, especially those between her and Xavier. Was she wrong to view him purely as a spoilt playboy and how can she possibly have feelings for the cousin of her dead husband?
Heaven Scent is my favourite read of the summer so far. It is glamorous and fast paced with believable characters who you quickly become attached to. It was fascinating to read about the world of perfume and the intricate way in which a scent is created, Sasha Wagstaff's research into this shines throughout the book. Heaven Scent had me gripped from start to finish, I can't wait to read what Sasha Wagstaff writes next.

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is out now. You can follow the lovely Sasha Wagstaff on Twitter, she is @SashaWagstaff.

Dot Scribbles rating: 5/5

Book Review: Wicked Games by Sasha Wagstaff

Debonair and dynamic, millionaire Judd Harrington has returned from LA a glittering success. But as he stares across the valley at Lochlin Maguire's beautiful country house, all he can think of is revenge.
Meanwhile Judd's arch-rival has troubles of his own. Lochlin's record label is losing major talent to an unknown competitor, his wife Tavvy is distracted and he can't seem to see eye to eye with his son Shay.
Ubenknownst to Lochlin, his talented singer daughter Iris has fallen for irresistible racing driver Ace Harrington in LA. Ace is under orders from Judd to break Iris's heart. What he hadn't bargained for was losing his own in the process. Can he go against his father's wishes? Or will Judd's wicked games ruin love's young dream?

OK, I am sorry to be really gushing but I thought this book was brilliant! Let me give you an idea of what Sasha Wagstaff has packed into her story: Love, glamour, revenge, rock stars, LA, New York, London, racing drivers, affairs, greed, domestic abuse, record deals, beautiful mansions, power and rivalry. Phew, quite a lot isn't it, I couldn't put it down, I just wanted to know more and more.
The characters that Sasha Wagstaff has created are really believable as well, although Judd is the bad guy she does not make Lochlin out to be Mr Perfect either. But Judd has to be one of my favourite villains of the year, he is just vile, at first I thought that she had created a stereo-typical bad guy, womanising and demoralising others but as the book goes on you start to see that he is really vile and hell bent on revenge. By pitting the two families together Sasha Wagstaff is able to bring in several story lines which keep you turning the pages but they all come together so it doesn't get confusing at any point.
I really did love this book, I'm going to check out her previous one Changing Grooms as I imagine it will be just as good!

Many thanks to Helena at Headline for sending me a copy to review, Wicked Games is published today.