{"id":25417,"date":"2020-05-21T08:29:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T12:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=25417"},"modified":"2022-10-11T16:58:48","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T16:58:48","slug":"review-a-taste-of-sage-by-yaffa-s-santos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/21\/review-a-taste-of-sage-by-yaffa-s-santos\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Taste of Sage by Yaffa S. Santos"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-25417\" data-postid=\"25417\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-25417 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_bbbcac8 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner gutter-narrow col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_49667e8 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_7036296 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/a-taste-of-sage-yaffa-s-santos.jpg?w=640\" title=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Taste of Sage by Yaffa S. Santos\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Taste of Sage by Yaffa S. Santos\">\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_a1982ef customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia\u2014she can perceive a person\u2019s emotions just by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a single mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she decides to take a chance and puts her heart and savings into opening a fusion restaurant in Inwood, Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines that have been a source of culinary inspiration to her.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When Lumi\u2019s eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as a sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant in midtown owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. Lumi and Julien don\u2019t get along in the kitchen&#8211;to say Lumi is irritated by Julien\u2019s smug attitude is an understatement, and she secretly vows never to taste his cooking. Little does she know that her resolve doesn\u2019t stand a chance against Julien\u2019s culinary prowess.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As Julien produces one delectable dish after another, each one tempting Lumi with its overwhelming aromas and gorgeous presentations, she can no longer resist and samples one of his creations. She isn\u2019t prepared for the feelings that follow as she\u2019s overcome with intense emotions. She begins to crave his cooking throughout the day, which throws a curveball in her plan to save up enough money and move on as soon as possible. Plus, there\u2019s also the matter of Esme, Julien\u2019s receptionist who seems to always be near and watching. As the attraction between Lumi and Julien simmers, Lumi experiences a tragedy that not only complicates her professional plans, but her love life as well&#8230;<\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_23787e9 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_2d1ea91  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16467 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3_5-hearts.jpg?resize=146%2C44\" alt=\"\" width=\"146\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> May 19, 2020<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon Impulse<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$3.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><br \/>Lumi Santana<\/strong> is hitting a rough patch. Her dreams of owning her restaurant has finally closed on her. With little money coming and no patrons, she has to shut the door of her restaurant. Bills still have to get paid so she takes a job at Dax as a sous chef. The only issue is the owner, <strong>Julien Dax<\/strong>, doesn\u2019t step out of the box and he is a bit of a jerk. It also doesn\u2019t help that Lumi finds his attractive.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Warning! Please do not read this book while hungry. The author really dives into the culinary world with actual recipes, vivid and mouth watering descriptions of the food. Of course, I\u2019m a big foodie so this is up my alley. In fact, I wanted some of those dishes that Lumi created.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The book picks up in the second half where more secrets are exposed. The characters feel good with one another. Julien is a character you have to warm up to but he is a bit guarded and he has his own issues. Once you get past it, he is sensual, deep and actually likeable.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There is minor drama with another character from the restaurant which threatens to compromise Julien and Lumi\u2019s newfound relationship. The author kind of drop the ball with this one as I think it could have been developed more. Even though readers will see what is going on a mile ahead of the actual events it could have been tighter.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed the recipes shared throughout the book. The fact that the heroine is Dominican and not ashamed to dish out flavor and diversity in her work setting makes me happy to experience in romance where diversity can be lacking. The hero being French is a nice compliment as well.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall this is a delightful romantic story with a few minor issues. You can really get absorb in the story from start to end. I look forward to more by the author.<\/p><p><em>~ Samantha<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_eb0616c customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/36klm2W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/a-taste-of-sage\/id1477040416?mt=11&amp;app=itunes&amp;at=11l88k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-taste-of-sage-yaffa-s-santos\/1133019666?ean=9780062974860\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-taste-of-sage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Yaffa_S_Santos_A_Taste_of_Sage?id=vw6qDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia\u2014she can perceive a person\u2019s emotions just by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,48,50],"tags":[148,217,238,323],"class_list":["post-25417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-harpercollins","category-reviews","category-samantha","tag-3-5-stars","tag-contemporary-romance","tag-diverse-romance","tag-interracial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f A Taste of Sage by Yaffa S. Santos - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/21\/review-a-taste-of-sage-by-yaffa-s-santos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Taste of Sage by Yaffa S. Santos - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia\u2014she can perceive a person\u2019s emotions just by tasting their cooking. 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Santos\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Taste of Sage by Yaffa S. Santos\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia\u2014she can perceive a person\u2019s emotions just by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a single mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she decides to take a chance and puts her heart and savings into opening a fusion restaurant in Inwood, Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines that have been a source of culinary inspiration to her.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When Lumi\u2019s eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as a sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant in midtown owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. Lumi and Julien don\u2019t get along in the kitchen--to say Lumi is irritated by Julien\u2019s smug attitude is an understatement, and she secretly vows never to taste his cooking. Little does she know that her resolve doesn\u2019t stand a chance against Julien\u2019s culinary prowess.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As Julien produces one delectable dish after another, each one tempting Lumi with its overwhelming aromas and gorgeous presentations, she can no longer resist and samples one of his creations. She isn\u2019t prepared for the feelings that follow as she\u2019s overcome with intense emotions. She begins to crave his cooking throughout the day, which throws a curveball in her plan to save up enough money and move on as soon as possible. Plus, there\u2019s also the matter of Esme, Julien\u2019s receptionist who seems to always be near and watching. As the attraction between Lumi and Julien simmers, Lumi experiences a tragedy that not only complicates her professional plans, but her love life as well...<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3_5-hearts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"146\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> May 19, 2020<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon Impulse<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$3.99<\/p><hr \/><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><br \/>Lumi Santana<\/strong> is hitting a rough patch. Her dreams of owning her restaurant has finally closed on her. With little money coming and no patrons, she has to shut the door of her restaurant. Bills still have to get paid so she takes a job at Dax as a sous chef. The only issue is the owner, <strong>Julien Dax<\/strong>, doesn\u2019t step out of the box and he is a bit of a jerk. It also doesn\u2019t help that Lumi finds his attractive.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Warning! Please do not read this book while hungry. The author really dives into the culinary world with actual recipes, vivid and mouth watering descriptions of the food. Of course, I\u2019m a big foodie so this is up my alley. In fact, I wanted some of those dishes that Lumi created.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The book picks up in the second half where more secrets are exposed. The characters feel good with one another. Julien is a character you have to warm up to but he is a bit guarded and he has his own issues. Once you get past it, he is sensual, deep and actually likeable.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There is minor drama with another character from the restaurant which threatens to compromise Julien and Lumi\u2019s newfound relationship. The author kind of drop the ball with this one as I think it could have been developed more. Even though readers will see what is going on a mile ahead of the actual events it could have been tighter.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed the recipes shared throughout the book. The fact that the heroine is Dominican and not ashamed to dish out flavor and diversity in her work setting makes me happy to experience in romance where diversity can be lacking. The hero being French is a nice compliment as well.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall this is a delightful romantic story with a few minor issues. You can really get absorb in the story from start to end. I look forward to more by the author.<\/p><p><em>~ Samantha<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/36klm2W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/a-taste-of-sage\/id1477040416?mt=11&amp;app=itunes&amp;at=11l88k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-taste-of-sage-yaffa-s-santos\/1133019666?ean=9780062974860\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-taste-of-sage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Yaffa_S_Santos_A_Taste_of_Sage?id=vw6qDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}