Tracie Banister

My biggest complaint when I read romance is that the will they/won’t they goes on too long for my taste. And I’m not just waiting for the romp in the bedroom/garden/water because if that was the case I would just pick up more erotica. I’m looking for the relationship adventures; the dates, meeting the friends/family, seeing how well they treat each other, etc… and In the Swim of Things by Tracie Banister, she really delivers all of those events that I look for in a romance, including humor, which was such a wonderful bonus!

Kyra and Declan have a one night stand, but he’s not in the right headspace so Kyra moves on. Which is awesome! No waiting around and she goes on to live her life while still being friends with Declan. Then she meets Cade. Here is where Banister fooled me a bit since I thought for sure Cade was going to be more involved in the development of the resort, but the amount that he was involved in happened to be perfect. Kyra realizes that Cade is involved with her sworn enemy, but they handle it well and they don’t let it simmer and ruin their relationship. What growns up acting like reasonable adults?!? That was so refreshing.

A lot more fun, sweet, and sexy things happen not only between Krya/Cade/Declan, but the other characters in the book which adds lots of wonderful layers to the novel. Plus, the world of professional mermaids and all the gorgeous costumes, underwater scenes, meet and greets, and party scenes that come along with that makes me want to be part of their world. Then there’s the humor, which I always love to find in a romance, is found in spades, especially when it comes to Slater.

I was really impressed with In the Swim of Things and I’m excited to read some of Banister’s other books including Izzy as Is, Mixing It Up, and Twin Piques.… (plus d'informations)

It took me a little while to get into Mixing It Up as I didn't instantly warm to the main character of Cecily Sinclair, but there are so many other colourful characters that it wasn't long before I found that I was really enjoying it.

Cecily doesn't really need to work as her family are super-rich, but Cecily has a passion and flair for cooking; something her Grandmother looks down her nose at. Cecily is the star of a TV cooking show, Serving Romance, but when a new CEO joins the station he brings new ideas with him. It isn't long before Cecily is forced to share the stage with guest chefs and that's not a problem at all until one of the guests is her ex-boss, Dante Marchetti. Dante was Cecily's boss when she was training and he'd leave her quivering in fear like a jelly if her dishes didn't come up to his satisfaction. Now Cecily is the star, will Dante cope with taking orders from her?

There is so much friction between Cecily and Dante that they become an overnight sensation and the station decides to make Dante a more permanent feature so a new show is born: Mixing It Up. With such a fine line between love and hate, tempers flare and passions soar between Cecily and Dante. There are some great scenes between the pair of them, and Dante often had me in kinks of laughter with his naughty Italian humour.

Putting the cooking show to one side for a moment, I have to say that I loved Cecily's crazy family particularly her quirky cousin, Dina. Dina is certainly a free spirit and isn't afraid to raise her grandmother's eyebrows - in fact with both Dina and Cecily refusing to conform to their privileged upbringing, granny Bernadine's eyebrows must be permanently raised.

Mixing It Up is difficult to read without your tummy rumbling and your mouth watering as each dish is described in delicious detail. I really wish it had been a scratch and sniff book to see if the delectable cooking aromas I was imagining matched up to real life. Anyone who loves The Great British Bake Off and other popular TV cookery shows, will love this book - it almost made me want to reach for my apron and whip something up in the kitchen...almost!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.… (plus d'informations)