Review: Banquet of Lies by Michelle Diener

Originally, I thought this book was a romance story with a little bit of detective work mixed into it. Turns out, it's a detective story with a little bit of romance mixed into it. Even though my presumptions were wrong, it's still a good book with a very different heroine. Gigi is a lady of the upper crust who has traveled far and wide with her father. She's a little unusual because she is well educated, well traveled, hangs out with cooks and the below stairs staff, collects recipes and is a small time spy with her father. She's not exactly "in the know" with what they are running for other people but she knows it is political and important. It's also deadly if they get caught. 

The story opens with her father's murder. Gigi knows that the murderer is coming after her next so she goes underground by going below stairs. She takes the job of french chef to Lord Jonathan Aldridge who cannot abide English cooking any longer. Since Gigi is hidden in plain sight, she can keep a watch on her home and work to find the murderer before he finds her. 

I don't read detective or mystery books. They are just not my thing so I have to admit that the being chased constantly by someone in dark alleys or late at night or in a market started to really stress me out. When I read novels, it is to take a trip to a different place and time with a romance that is sigh worthy. I rarely have to worry about my heroine who has (once again) ran out into the back alley in the rain for a secret meeting without any protection but it definitely added a little bit of tension to the story.

What I thought worked in this book:
* The Food! All the talking of French food which I loooovvee. Creme Brulee, Beef Bourguignon, Brioche. Oh man. Made me wish the French restaurant in town hadn't closed up. 

* The heroine is genuinely likable. There are a lot of books out there where the female character is vapid or flat out irritating. Gigi is actually someone I'd want to hang out with. She's a strong woman, maybe a little head strong, but not in a grating way. She hangs out with the below stairs staff and genuinely cares for them. She interacts with the upper crust, political people, czars and ambassadors and holds her own with them.

* The reveal. I've never read a scene quite like it and I really, really enjoyed how it played out with all the characters together in one scene. All I can tell you is that its fast paced, heart warming and funny.

* The hero doesn't know what's going on but never seems like he's out of control of the situation. I liked Lord Jonathan. A lot. I wish we could have seen a little more of his alpha side. We know he led a battalion and we know he is a take charge kind of guy. He handles each situation calmly. He's never out of his depths. We know he desires Gigi but it just never goes anywhere.

Which leads me to what I didn't like about the book:
* I would have liked to have seen more develop between Jonathan and Gigi. The chemistry between them was there but the fruition of that chemistry didn't make it into the book. I would rate the heat on this book as kisses. Barely kisses. There were definite sparks but it was secondary to the story. There's not a lot of tension going on here and there should be. He was fooling around with his staff and he should be struggling with that issue a little harder, in my opinion.

* This is the closest I will come to a spoiler and it's my biggest gripe: It really, really bothered me that we don't know what happens to the butler, Edgars. It's just left up in the air at the end of the story. We walk away from him and that's it. Maybe it will come out in the next book because we don't really know how Jonathan and Gigi work out either. We know they will but it all ends up in the air.

With all that being said, I still liked the book. I already downloaded the previous book in this series to read. The author also hinted at a book with Lord Wittaker and I'd like to read that one too.

Banquet of Lies: 6 out of 10