Samantha Vérant's writing springs from a life rich with travel, a passion for wine, and the art of French cuisine. Her literary voice captures a determined exploration of the world and its many pleasures. Through her work, she opens her heart, revealing a profound love for the written word and the search for true connection. Her narratives blend a zest for life with a sophisticated palate for experience.
Exploring the complex emotions of marriage, the story delves into the protagonist's dark thoughts and desires. As she grapples with her discontent, the narrative unfolds with suspense and moral ambiguity, challenging the boundaries of love and betrayal. The protagonist's journey raises questions about the nature of desire and the consequences of wishing for an escape from a troubled relationship, leading to unexpected twists and revelations.
In this delectable novel, a chef on the rise fuels her passion for cooking while enduring the hardest challenges she’s ever faced after a debilitating injury. Everybody wants a piece of grand chef Sophie Valroux. With her once-destroyed reputation fully recovered and then some, Sophie is making her mark in the culinary world. She’s running the restaurants of Château de Champvert, the beautiful estate that she inherited from her grandmother. She and her fiancé, Rémi, are closer than ever, and she’s even bonding with his daughter Lola. Everything should be perfect. Yet, Sophie still feels something in her heart is missing. When she’s invited to cook at an exclusive event her culinary idol is attending, she thinks this could be the thing to catapult her to greater heights, maybe even bring her one step closer to her one and only dream of achieving the stars—Michelin stars. But fate has other plans for Sophie. After she accepts to cook for the Parisian elite, her world crumbles. She suffers a fall and loses her senses of smell and taste. Certain that her career will vanish if people find out, she keeps this secret to herself, not even telling Rémi. She fakes it all: the menus for every meal, the taste of fresh figs, the juicy cherries in the orchard. All she has to do is get through life—and the event—tasteless without missing a single step. Fake it ‘til you make it…right?
A disgraced chef rediscovers her passion for food and her roots in this stunning novel rich in culture and full of delectable recipes. French-born American chef Sophie Valroux had one dream: to be part of the 1% of female chefs running a Michelin-starred restaurant. From spending summers with her grandmother, who taught her the power of cooking and food, to attending the Culinary Institute of America, Sophie finds herself on the cusp of getting everything she's dreamed of. Until her career goes up in flames. Sabotaged by a fellow chef, Sophie is fired, leaving her reputation ruined and confidence shaken. To add fuel to the fire, Sophie learns that her grandmother has suffered a stroke and takes the red-eye to France. There, Sophie discovers the simple home she remembers from her childhood is now a luxurious château, complete with two restaurants and a vineyard. As Sophie tries to reestablish herself in the kitchen, she comes to understand the lengths people will go to for success and love, and how dreams can change.
"At age 40, Samantha Verant's life is falling apart. Then one day she finds 7 old love letters written by Jean-Luc, the sexy French scientist she met in Paris when she was 19. She tracks him down online, and what starts out as flirty emails transforms into pure romance as Samantha visits France to see Jean-Luc for the first time in 20 years. Reunited with her lost love in Paris, Samantha realizes that she has finally found what she was looking for all along"--Provided by publisher.
A talented chef discovers how spices and scents can transport her--and, more importantly, how self-confidence can unlock the greatest magic of all: love--in this perfectly seasoned new novel by Samantha Vérant. Kate Jenkins doesn't believe in fate. She believes in a clear vision, meticulous planning, and hard work in order to achieve her culinary dreams. On the cusp of opening her own Parisian restaurant, Bistro Exotique, she isn't even concerned when her standoffish--and annoyingly sexy--neighbor dismisses her as a crazy American tourist or when she meets the wildly eccentric Garrance, the self-proclaimed Spice Master of Paris, who ominously warns her of the previous owner's failures.Confident and optimistic, Kate keeps calm and cooks on. Until a series of unfortunate events derail her plans and her entire staff quits.Kate is about to throw in the kitchen towel on her lifelong dream when Garrance offers to use her mastery of scents and spices to help her, but it comes at a price: Kate must work with Garrance's son, Charles, a world-class chef and total jerk. After Kate hesitantly concedes to the deal, she slowly learns to open her heart and mind to new concepts, not quite sure if the magic she's experiencing comes from Garrance's spices, from within herself, or from the growing chemistry with Charles. One thing is certain, though: her kitchen is getting increasingly hot.