Title: Delicious Romance
Author: Stephen L. Vasilas
Publisher: LitFire Publishing
ISBN: 978-1640454163
Genre: Romance
Pages: 292
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert
Hollywood Book Reviews
We never know when the love of a lifetime will come our way, appearing at any time in our lives. The spark of romance can occur with two hearts at just about any age and with the characters in Delicious Romance, young love does become the love of a lifetime when the spark of love ignites at the tender age of ten. This story focuses on the emotional first love of central characters Tony Cross and Annie West Roberson, following the journey their blossoming, innocent young love takes as they make their way through school and life while discovering both themselves and enduring love.
Tony and Annie, each a unique and engaging personality made for intriguing characters to follow. Tony comes across as loyal, gallant and somewhat reserved, while Annie is precocious, dedicated and selfless. Both come from well-liked and well-respected families who also operate restaurants in their home town. Aside from loving one another, Annie and Tony also share a desire to cook, especially Tony who wants to become a great chef like his father. This consequently plays out through the story with scenes of the couple cooking delectable recipes with the ingredients and cooking well demonstrated.
Undoubtedly, it was their initial meeting on the beach in Pine Lake that ignited the spark. Their lives eventually deeply intertwined as their love comes into full bloom. As the story progresses, Annie and Tony go through the paces of a budding romance, although quite young, they are inseparable and as they grow so do their feelings for one another. However, fate throws a cruel twist into the midst of their burgeoning romance by way of a horrifically destructive tornado, the results of which inexorably alters the lives of Tony, Annie and their families. Tony suddenly finds himself bereft of his family, suddenly orphaned and takes drastic measures to ensure that he does wind up in an undesirable position, separated from Annie. What follows is a story that reaches into the depths of true love moving from innocence to adulthood replete with the twists, turns and second chances that both life and love can bring.
Ultimately, Delicious Romance turned out to be a very good read; the story was absorbing and contained great action and several intriguing plot twists. Also, events flowed at a good pace. I found myself easily absorbed into this character-driven read, curious about where events would lead, especially considering the ages of the characters of Tony and Annie. I particularly liked the diary-like narratives that come from Annie’s perspective throughout the story, as they add depth to the read.
Albeit, author Stephen L Vasilas does well in portraying a tale that encompasses the endearing, heartwarming and churning emotions of love However, there is a point of contention with the book and that is the need for editing, throughout the story. There are multiple issues ranging from issues with spelling, grammar, as well as display issues, but the issues do not completely hamper the read, and once attended to should make Delicious Romance a worthy romance read.