Reviewed by Desere
Since the world of 50 shades hit the books I have come across the "vanilla" phrase more and more. But it still amazes me that each time it has a different meaning. In Anything but Vanilla the author showed that life is about colour, flavour, everything sweet and spiced so not plain old vanilla.
The book tells the story of Sorrel, she has a business to run and nothing is going to stop her even if she has to buy the store that supplies her the deliciously sinful tasting ices. But she does not count on falling for the landlord or his delectably sweet as strawberry ice cream kisses.
Only Alex is your free spirit kind of man and goes from country to jungle hunting for plants that will save lives and staying in one place will never happen. Falling for Sorrel and her spicier than Cheyenne pepper touches will never do and soon he will have to let go and never look back, as they say when there is heat the ice cream melts, and he needs to get out before he melts to a puddle at Sorrel's feet.
The main characters of Sorrel and Alex were both kind of fun to read, I loved how Sorrel was the independent type willing to work hard towards her goals in life, I however did not like the fact that she struggled to stand up to her fiancée, but it did add spice to the read with him lurking in the background ready to stop the back and forth pop rocks fireworks between Sorrel and Alex.
Alex on the other hand I had a problem with as his inner turmoil almost made him too much of a emotional wreck to want to deal with and he just screamed "hands off baby", yet as the story progressed I could pick up the authors trail of thought and sense that he was indeed going to turn into a hero to love.
The backdrop setting was calm and serene, and I felt totally at peace whilst reading about the gardens and small town shops depicted by the author, but I could also picture the wild and bug infested jungles that the author described with vivid detail.
The dialogue was very sweet, sensual and laced with loads of references to ice cream making it a really sweet read. The sexual tension in this read was of the good and slow progressing kind building to the point of no return and sensual heat.
I recommend this read for all lovers of romances filled with words meeting the world of food of the iced and heated kind.
4/5 star review
"Melting his heart lick by delicious lick"
Reviewed by Maria
Yes, after FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, the word vanilla has taken on a whole new meaning, like 'boring' and 'predictable'. I know that Liz Fielding is a mistress of the craft of romance writing and yes, I know she can do hot, but I was wondering what was in store when I read this title. Well, I needn't have worried, Liz is a writer who knows how to make a relationship sizzle on the page, but she's still writes the kind of books you can give your teenage daughter (or your mother in law for that matter) without raising a blush. She's that reliable. And if in any doubt, remember, with the Harlequin KISS line you can be sure you won't be taken by surprise.
It's just that Sorrell Amery, the heroine of this novel, is an empress of ice cream. Cucumber ice cream, chocolate and chilli ice cream. In short, anything but vanilla....
There's not much I can say about Liz that hasn't already been said by hundreds of book critics more experienced and articulate than I am. She knows how to give a reader a good time. She can charm you and intrigue you and keep you glued to your e reader (or your book). I adore Liz's heroes, whom I visualize as tall, muscular English men with an innate sense of decency and fair play and while they may be dismissive of their heroine's often flighty appearance, once they get to know her, they are hooked forever. Alexander West will capture your heart, readers, as will Sorrell and her adorable family 'The Herbs'. Anyone remember the herbs? I do......
There's lots of lovely wisdom in there too, from 'Rosie's Little Book of Ice Cream'. It fairly made me want to rush out and buy a cornetto. Because as we all know, there's only one thing as nice as a good romance novel and a big bar of chocolate and that's a nice serving of ice cream. And yes, it can be vanilla. I'm not that particular, you know. Ice cream is ice cream, one of the nicest things in life....
Verdict? Yes, absolutely!
