Discover love in all its flavors in this fun, food-infused romp through Paris that is as crisp, sweet, and smooth as the perfect macaron.
“A perfect escape. This romantic and engaging story has a delightful humorous touch. Cram’s lovely writing brings Paris and its many treasures to life. I truly felt like an armchair traveler…what a delight!” – .
Amy Maroney, Author of The Miramonde Trilogy
Paris may be for lovers, but cookbook author Genna McGraw is definitely not looking for love. She’s looking for escape and she's looking for a good runny Brie to pair with a smooth Bordeaux. Where better than Paris?
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna goes to the City of Light to get away from her philandering husband and write a “crossover cookbook/guidebook” that matches Parisian sights such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre with recipes for bistro-style French dishes. All goes well…for a while. Genna dabbles in romance with dishy French lawyer Pierre Leblanc and makes friends at her French class with Colorado transplant Marsha Renfrew.
And then there’s big, blunt Bill Turner from Australia. Does he really eat crocodile steaks for tea?
But when Genna’s family crashes her new life in Paris, a crisis forces her to choose how she wants to live. Will she have the courage to embrace an uncertain future and risk losing everything?
Selected Reviews
"A deliciously charming story with a vibrant Parisian setting. A BRONZE MEDAL and highly recommended!" - The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Cram (The Muse of Fire) serves up a deliciously inspiring romance. When cookbook author Genna McGraw learns of her husband’s infidelity, she hightails it to Paris, where she spends six months researching her newest project, a travel cookbook pairing recipes with Parisian landmarks. Genna quickly hits it off with a group of friends who encourage, assist, and inspire each other. Among them is Australian widower Bill Turner, who quickly becomes Genna’s love interest. Things get a little sticky when Genna’s adult children, Becky and Michael, unexpectedly show up in Paris, as neither knows about their father’s infidelity and instead think it was their mother who betrayed the marriage. Cram pulls off the familial conflict with more quirky humor than heartache, as the usually sour Becky is quickly won over by Bill, and Michael falls for Tessa, Genna’s protégé in the kitchen. Loaded with wit and charm, Cram’s bighearted romance successfully balances unassuming characters and raw passions. This fabulous jaunt through the City of Lights will leave readers breathless and longing for more from Cram. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Cram's passion for Paris is apparent on every page, and the book is chock-full of rich descriptions of famous landmarks like the Louvre and mouthwatering dishes such as bouillabaisse ...Genna is an intriguing hero: a woman who has experienced motherhood and switched careers midlife, leading her to the place she's always wanted to live, with surprises around every corner and an open mind to receive them ... A vivid tale" - Kirkus Reviews
A delicious feast for foodies and Francophiles ~ Paris has never tasted better! – Patricia Sands, Author of Drawing Lessons
Take a dash of travel, stir in some flirtation, and add a pinch of sparkle to a woman's life after she leaves her husband to write a cookbook on the other side of the world. Set in the bustling bistros of Paris, this book adventures into the deep cauldrons and heady filled chalices of true love. - Cathleen With, award-winning writer of Having Faith in the Polar Girls' Prison
Book Club Questions
- Love Among the Recipes is billed as a light, optimistic read—funny, quirky, engaging. Do you agree? How would you describe it?
- Although the novel’s tone is upbeat, several serious themes are presented—surviving divorce, taking second chances, dealing with grown children, finding self-fulfillment. Several readers have recognized the poignancy of Genna’s dilemma. What theme(s) intrigued you the most?
- There are many food references throughout the novel and links to recipes at carolcram.com. Which recipes appealed to you the most? Which dishes have you tried?
- Have you or anyone in your group traveled to Paris? If so, how does Genna’s experience of the City of Light compare to yours? What enchanted you about Paris? What disappointed you? And, of course, did you enjoy any memorable meals while in Paris? Why were they memorable?
- While much of the book centers around Genna’s experiences as a newly single woman, there is a strong thread about motherhood. Her two grown children, Michael and Betsy, show up in Paris and in their various ways help and hinder Genna’s quest to make a new life for herself. What did you think of Genna’s parenting? Do you have a “difficult” child such as Betsy in your life?
- Love Among the Recipes is a novel about a “woman of a certain age.” She has grown children and a thirty-year marriage on the rocks. How do her experiences compare to your own or to women in her age group that you know?
- Think about Genna’s decision to escape to Paris after her husband Drew cheats on her. She sometimes agonizes about whether she should give Drew another chance. Should she have stuck around and tried to make the marriage work? Why or why not?
- Does Genna find what she needs by the end of the novel? Would you have preferred a more conventional, romantic ending? Why or why not? If you were to write the ending for Love Among the Recipes, what would happen?
- Which of Genna’s two romantic interests interested you? Classy, good-looking, and cultured Pierre Leblanc or big, bluff Bill Turner who seems like a bumpkin, but with impeccable taste in wine?
- Humor plays a central role in the novel. What are some moments in the novel that struck you as funny?
- If, like Genna, you could leave your current life and go anywhere in the world to do whatever you wanted for six months, where would you go and what would you do?