Book review : Breakfast in Bed by Eleanor Moran

I haven't had the time to read for such a long time, but I found the perfect opportunity to curl up with a book recently and chose 'Breakfast in Bed' by Eleanor Moran.

Take one single woman, add a passionate and fiery celebrity cook, and turn up the heat. 

Breakfast in Bed is about 31 year old Amber Price. She is undergoing a divorce from cheating husband Dom and is adjusting to life as a singleton. She is living with her best friend Milly and is about to start work as a sous chef at Ghusto, the new restaurant belonging to world-renowned chef, Oscar Retford. Amber is immediately attracted to Oscar, yet she can't forget her long history of happy times with Dom.

One man's her past, one man's the future, but who will be making her Breakfast in Bed?

I'd never heard of Eleanor Moran before I got sent this book but the plot sounded light-hearted enough for me to whizz through in a day or two. Eleanor's writing style was great - the story was fast-paced throughout and it flowed nicely. There were one or two laugh-out-loud funny moments, but sadly, nothing side-splittingly hilarious. Despite liking the author's writing style, her imagination seemed quite limited in this story and I got bored as it went on.

This book started off really well. I immediately liked Amber as she seemed to have more substance than the usual dizzy-but-harmless heroine found in chick-lit books. She came across as someone who was intelligent and down to earth, and it was a refreshing change. I also loved the fact that she was a chef, and I feel that the author really researched working in a kitchen to make the story believable.

The beginning really captured my attention, especially as I was seeing the flirty relationship between her and Oscar develop. However, as soon as the flirting stopped and the relationship began, I immediately lost interest and started finding flaws.

I didn't warm to any of the sub-characters in the slightest:

*Dom - her cheating, soon-to-be-ex husband who, despite Amber repeatedly reminiscing about how 'good, kind and sweet' he was, is an absolute bellend. I didn't like his character at all and I wanted to slap Amber stupid as she deliberated between him and her current squeeze...

*Oscar - head chef at his Ghusto restaurant with a viscious temper (think Gordon Ramsey-slash-Marco Pierre White), and he treated Amber like absolute dirt. It was easy to see the initial attraction but how she was smitten by their relationship is beyond me. Not to mention his baggage (snooty wife Lydia and spoilt brat daughter Tallullah). Urgh.

*Milly - her best friend. The poor love had far too much money and was so depressed. Bless (!) Her crush on Oscar was blindingly obvious too.

*Martha/Marsha - her other BFF. So wet I can't even remember her name. I can't understand how the three of them are friends if they think so little of each other.

Amber didn't seem to think highly of anyone except the pair of twits fighting for her heart, and as the book went on I found myself disliking her more and more. I would hate to have a friend like her. She was always letting them down and even avoided phonecalls from her parents. That's not normal where I'm from. She seemed so condescending in parts that I wanted to throw the book across the room! I was so relieved to finish it and the end 'twist' was completely expected. To me, this book just deteriorated with every chapter.

Rating : 3/10 - Eleanor Moran is a good writer and she definitely has potential. This just wasn't the book to set the world alight with keen interest for her, and it won't be a book I'll re-read (or remember!) in a hurry.

Have you read this book?

xoxo