Book of the month - Recipe for Love - SASHA WAGSTAFF

 

Why did I pick this book as my Book of the Month?

There are a couple of Authors that I used to read before I started my blog and joined Twitter that I absolutely adored and Sasha is one of those two. Her books remind me of a young and modern version of Jackie Collins. She always has the fabulous locations, the passion and the gorgeous leading Men and Ladies. All Sasha’s books hook me in straight away and make me miss big chunks of my day because I have my head stuck in the book!

Synopsis

Summer in a luxurious Italian villa should be a taste of heaven, shouldn’t it?

Talented, passionate and notoriously private, Italian chef Rocco Disanti never talks to journalists. So why, when Cassia Blake has just three months to organise her wedding, has he suddenly granted her magazine an exclusive, all-access interview?

Against Cassia’s better judgement, she hands the wedding planning over to her frosty mother-in-law, and flies out to Italy to spend time with Rocco. But Rocco isn’t exactly looking forward to Cassia’s arrival. Persuaded to do the interview to help publicise his business, he has enough on his plate with his fiery girlfriend, wedding-obsessed sister and fiercely protective grandmother. And now it seems as if someone is trying to sabotage his restaurants too…

Cassia’s summer in Sorrento is shaping up to be a recipe for disaster. But could it also be a recipe for love?

My Review

Yet again Sasha has written a book that hasn’t disappointed me. The leading Lady in this book is Cassie and as always is a very strong likeable character. It is always very evident that Sasha has researched her locations and themes for her books which only adds to the enjoyment of the story and makes it seem so much more real. The men are alway gorgeous and Rocco is certainly that! Great little twists and mystery to the story that keeps you wondering to the last chapter!

Beautifully written and flows so easily. Wonderful descriptive text of the location and surroundings that help you picture where you are and helps you feel you know that place or person. Mouth watering (slightly seductive!!!) descriptions of the food that will raise your eye brows!!!

Thank you Sasha, you know how much I adore your books and Recipe for Love has been as fantastic to read as your other three. (Changing Grooms, Wicked Games and Heaven Scent)

 

I asked Sasha the following questions:-

 1) When you write your books you include some amazing locations, in Recipe for Love you have places in Italy and also Vegas – in the name of  research do you get to go to these places to get local knowledge?
Actually, I am lucky enough to have already visited most of the places I write about. I spent a lovely anniversary weekend in Rome a few years ago and we have been to Vegas several times as it’s my husband’s favourite place on earth! I spent many a happy summer in France with my parents so that was easy to write about in Heaven Scent and oddly enough, the only place I haven’t been to is Sorrento, but I knew the book should be set there. My parents have been there a few times and I did A LOT of research using books, the internet and anyone else I could find who had been there. The brilliant Gemma Burgess suggested that I liaise with her good friend Lydia Mansi who is married to a guy from Southern Italy. His family own a restaurant business so Lydia was a fantastic contact for all things Italian and Recipe for Love is peppered with her authentic tales and interesting bits of info.

2) What comes first for you, the location or the lead character or the theme – i.e. weddings, perfume or food?

I would say that my initial idea stems from the theme for me. I definitely wanted to write a book about perfume and the food theme was something that’s been on my mind for a while. But then very swiftly after that, my male lead tends to takes shape. With Changing Grooms, Tristan came to me first…I had this idea of a tortured artist lamenting the loss of his muse and with Wicked Games, Ace, the racing driver who was being manipulated by his father, was very clear in my mind. Similarly, gorgeous French Xavier the perfume-maker was a strong mental image, as was Rocco in Recipe for Love. It comes to me as bullet points usually like this: Rocco, Italian, chef, rides a motorbike, wears a leather jacket, intense. Then once I have my male lead, I match him to a female lead (a phase which takes quite a while as I like my heroines to be quite strong-minded and individual) and I go from there. 

3) Do you buy yourself something wonderful as a permanate reminder of launch date for your book -  I know some Authors buy jewellery etc?

I don’t, actually! Headline, my publishers are lovely and they always send me beautiful flowers and my husband is great at buying me a meaningful gift when a new book comes out. For the release of Heaven Scent, he bought me a huge bottle of Tiffany perfume – marking both the perfume theme and also my love of Tiffany’s, which was great.

4) How do you manage to juggle two gorgeous little girls and still have time to write fabulous books?

First of all, thank you for the gorgeous and the fabulous. And as for juggling…well, it’s tricky to say the least! But that’s the same for any working mother. I’m very lucky because I have a wonderful mum who steps in when I’m desperate and she looked after each of my girls when they were a few months old so that I could write.  The girls are both at nursery now so I have three clear writing days a week so it was only the first bit that was tough, really. There are times when I am itching to write when I have the girls at home with me, but I make a quick note if it’s an idea that might slip away and then I focus properly on my girls – at very least until they go to bed!

5) When will we see your 5th book and could we have a sneaky insight of a theme or location?

Ah, my 5^th book. I apologise in advance for being ambiguous, but all I can say about that at the moment is that I’m currently working on some new ideas and that they are rather different to my previous novels. Oh and I can probably say that I am very, very excited about them! Watch this space…

6) What has been your favourite book that you have read in the last 12 months?

I have read a number of books over the past 12 months that I’ve really enjoyed. Along with everyone else, I LOVED Jojo Moyes ‘Me Before You’ which was thought-provoking, emotional and brilliantly funny and I also read ‘Before I Go To Sleep’ by SJ Watson recently. This is not a genre I usually read, but I thought it was an excellent novel. I am reading ‘The Light Years’ by Elizabeth Jane Howard at the moment which was a recommendation by the fabulous Gemma Burgess again; it’s a wonderful family saga with complex, interwoven relationships. Oh and Caitlin Moran’s ‘How To Be a Woman’, which had me laughing out loud and totally envying her cool life.

 

Recipe for Love is available in hardback and Kindle fomat now and will be available to purchase in Paperback on 10th May .

Click below if you would like to purchase any of Sasha’s books via Amazon.

Sasha Wagstaff Books

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