ONE MORE TASTE - Melissa Cutler
One and Only Texas , Book 2
St. Martin's
ISBN:  978-1-250-07187-3
October 2016
Contemporary Romance

Near Dulcet, Texas - Present Day

Knox Briscoe wants revenge.  A family feud over thirty years ago ousted his parents from the ranch and sent them into their own private hell.  Now Briscoe Ranch has become a luxurious and popular resort, providing a decadent lifestyle for all of the Briscoes -- except Knox's family.  Living just scant miles away from the ranch, Linda and Clint Briscoe scratched out a living just to raise their three kids and make ends meet, while Clint's brother, Ty, and his family never wanted for anything.  Today, Knox is sitting in his dad's old 1985 Chevy truck just outside of the resort.  The truck suddenly died, and Knox is sure his dad's ghost has stopped the vehicle from touching Briscoe property.  Fitting, but just his luck.  Knox is on his way to a very important meeting on his first day as one of the new owners of the resort.  His uncle Ty and the Briscoe Resort are in financial trouble, so when Ty asked Knox for help, Knox saw his chance to make his Briscoe relatives pay and avenge his father's death.

Emily Ford, in charge of catering at Briscoe Ranch Resort, is a five-star chef without any accolades to her name.  She doesn't have a celebrity following; she's an unknown.  But she cooks like a dream, having the ability to discern a person's personality and prepare just the perfect dish for each individual palate she cooks for.  Her dreams were about to come true after Ty Briscoe promised her a new restaurant, until he sold out to Knox!  Now those dreams are about to fall apart.  But maybe she can still save the day; she will just cook Knox the best meal ever, starting with chilled peach soup; the man so needs peaches!

ONE MORE TASTE is what Knox wants once he gets a sample of Emily's cooking.  He is attracted to the woman, but he can't afford to open a new restaurant with an unknown chef at the helm.  Instead, he'll bring in his own celebrity chef.  And that's only one of the changes he has in mind. Briscoe Ranch Resort is in financial trouble, and Knox plans to turn that around.  He'll bring in new personnel while he shows the world what a scumbag his uncle Ty really is.  With these plans in mind, Knox makes a deal with Emily:  she will be his personal chef for one month.  If she can prove to him that her cooking is on par with the finest chefs, he will consider her restaurant proposal.

ONE MORE TASTE is a complex novel, full of secrets and dynamic characters.  We meet all the Briscoes:  Grandma June, who drives around the resort on a hot pink scooter; Knox's uncle Ty, his daughters, Carina and Haylie; Knox's mother, Linda, and a host of supporting secondary characters, including a haunted pick-up truck and a killer fish!

Knox and Emily are at odds from the first time Emily dumps her decadent peach soup over Knox's head!  They tip-toe around each other, both trying to deny the attraction that sparks between them.  Knox is a successful businessman, a multi-millionaire.  Emily is a no-name chef.  She ran away from home at sixteen, lived on the streets, and then worked her way to a place where she is finally safe.  Their passion is sizzling and their romance difficult, coupled with the problems of business and personal crises that abound.  Briscoe Ranch Resort has a reputation for being a magic place where people fall in love and stay in love, and Knox and Emily are about to learn there can be a magical happily ever after for both of them.

ONE MORE TASTE is the second novel in Melissa Cutler's One and Only Texas Series , following ONE HOT SUMMER (April 2016), with the third novel, ONE WILD NIGHT, due out in March 2017.  ONE MORE TASTE stands alone, but you won't want to miss the entire series; it's great fun!

From the very first page when Knox's old truck drives itself into a lake, a fish dunks him, and Emily douses him with chilled peach soup, you will not want to miss a second of ONE MORE TASTE!

Diana Risso