Well, this romance wasn’t my cup of tea. It was fun, but the food and the recipes as well as travel made it a decent read. I’m not criticizing the book, just saying I’m not that much of a romance reader. I am hoping to try some of the recipes. ( )

After reading the first book in the series (A Table by the Window), I had to read #2 to find out what happened to journalist Juliette and her Memphis-based immunologist boyfriend Neil. Would their long distance relationship survive? Does she open the Portland restaurant with her brother Nico? And what about the mystery she discovers about her late French grandmother? Thankfully, this book isn't the corny romance novel it might seem. With numerous recipes and delicious food descriptions sprinkled throughout, it was a page-turner. On a trip to France, Juliette discovers a hidden packet of letters written by her grandmother, who was a young bride and new mother as the second world war engulfs Paris. Just as I thought Juliette would learn the final secret of her grandmother's past, the book ends. I will soon be reading book #3 in hopes that the family's mysterious legacy is revealed, Juliette finds the man of her dreams, and the family restaurant continues to be successful. All with more recipes! ( )

Reservations for Two is the second book in the “Two Blue Doors” trilogy. I wasn’t able to get my hands on the first volume, A Table by the Window, before I started reading this installment. When I first started reading, I wondered if I should wait to get a copy of the first novel. However, Juliette and Neil pulled my quickly into their story.
Juliette is a food-writer turned restaurateur, soon to open her own place with her brother Nico in Portland. Neil is a scientist living in Memphis. The only thing they are sure about is that they love each other. Neither is in a position to pull up roots and move across the county. Not only is the new restaurant keeping Juliette in Oregon, but her mother is rapidly deteriorating from ovarian cancer. I never did get how they met, and I think that’s probably in the first book.
They are headed to France and Italy where Juliette is not only spending time with her extended family, learning more about cuisine and her relatives. One of the things that has sent her on this trip is the knowledge that the man she called Grandfather was not her biological ancestor. She’s hoping that some of the family, especially a grand-aunt suffering from dementia, can provide some information.
None of the family seems to have the answers. Yet Juliette finds a treasure-trove of letters between her grandmother, her great-aunt, and even the man who may be her ancestor that were written in the late 1930s and through the 1940s. She photographs the letters into her laptop so handling them doesn’t make them crumble.
Juliette doesn’t have much time to read them with all the things that are on her plate. But beginning about halfway through the book, she starts to dive into her grandmother’s past.
I was pulled quickly into the story. Before I reached page 20, I felt as if what happened in Book One no longer mattered. Reservations for Two is a great read until the end. Then the story just ends; it just stops. I went to turn the page and was greeted by a Reader’s Guide. I was so irritated that I wanted to throw my paperback copy across the room. There’s not conclusion to what’s happening now. There are a few clues as to what Book Three will bring, but I have to wait until May 2016 before it will be published.
I have mixed emotions about whether I would recommend this book to my friends. I LOVED the plot and characters, but that abrupt ending did me in. I hate to inflict that on any reader. ( )

Reservations For Two by Hillary Manton Lodge Pure Delight 5 Stars ( )

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Hillary Manton Lodge!

Thank goodness there doesn’t appear to be an absolute need to read the first book in this series in order to read the second… however, I get the idea from other reviews that you really should read the first one before you read this one so don’t follow my example.

Reservations for Two is the second book in Hillary Manton Lodge’s Two Blue Doors series

OK… right away I want to mention that it is totally unfair to be reading a book about chocolate chip cookies… when there is nowhere I can go and get them!

However, the story is just as delectable as the cookies sound!

It’s an intriguing and entertaining story about long-distance love and all the challenges that come with it. And Hillary doesn’t gloss over anything. There are real hardships but you can see love shining right through them!

Lodge also deals with some mysterious family secrets through a series of letters – which just adds an extra layer of interesting to what was already a great story!

Definitely not one you want to miss! As long as you read the first book… first.

Review © JCMorrows 2015 ( )