ARC Review: Luscious by Amanda Usen

This was my first book by Amanda Usen and while I didn't love it I did find it enjoyable. I liked the characters and the world she has created though I did have some issues with some of it. At times I found myself really irritated with some of the characters, especially the heroine Olivia. Let me explain.

Olivia is just getting out of a horrible marriage. She was married to a man that did nothing but bring her down and blame her for everything. Not only did he bring her down and almost ruin her business but he was also verbally abusive. Because of the way her ex treated her Olivia has problems accepting her worth. She thinks she's crap and now that her best friends have come to help save her restaurant she feels like she is in the way. So she decides(a bit drastically I might add) to just leave. She tells everyone she is going to visit her parents but in reality she is ducking out. She just splits without a single goodbye. The only person who has a clue is Sean, her lawyer/old high school friend/crush.

Sean has been harboring a crush on Olivia ever since they were freshman in high school, but due to the circumstances of his home life he kept his feelings to himself. Then when he came back to town after college in hopes of finding Olivia and making his move, she was in a relationship. Now with Olivia's divorce finalized he knows it's his chance to finally make his long awaited move. The only problem is Olivia is leaving for Italy and he doesn't think she's coming back. But luck is on his side when it turns out a client of his needs him to deliver important paper to Italy for him. Sean jumps at the chance to spend a week with Olivia convincing her of his true feelings and that she needs to stay back in New York.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Olivia and Sean. I thought Sean was totally sweet and amazing. He was such a great hero. He really cares about Olivia and he just wants to make her feel good and special, unlike her cheating ex. I also like that he is willing to fight her battles for her and is constantly willing to defend her. He just wants to take care of her and I found that so sweet.

As for Olivia, I liked her but she was very annoying at times. I understand that she is getting out of a horrible marriage, but I felt like she let people walk all over her. She doesn't have any backbone, especially when it comes to her parents. She just lets her mother dictate what she is going to do and does it without complaint. I hated that. I also couldn't stand the fact that her parents hated Sean for no good reason at all. They were rude and disrespectful to him for no reason. It really annoyed me.

Even though I had issues with this book, I still enjoyed it a lot and I look forward to reading more from this author. I like how she is able to blend cooking with her book and make is seem fun and exciting. I definitely got a couple recipe ideas after reading this book.

**ARC copy provided by NetGalley**

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