[.ca] The Hotel Riviera (ISBN 0312994796)

Sap:
This is a sappy, shoddily written romance whose only pleasures are the mouth-watering descriptions of the gourmet dinners and desserts the heroine serves up in her hotel in the south of France.

Revel in the Sensual Pleasures of the Riviera:
Elizabeth Adler has penned one of her warmest and most sensual novels and set it in the exquisite south of France. Lola Laforet, the endearing heroine, has been desserted by her handsome husband and left as the gourmet chef of a quaint Riviera auberge they had owned. Things become increasingly intense when police suspect Lola of her husband's murder, a handsome American ex-patriate docks his boat in her harbor, and a very Miss Marple-like guest takes a motherly interest in Lola. If you like your wine cool and your men hot, you will thorougly enjoy this romp through a maze of ex-lovers, people with secret agendas, and endearing pets who settle comfortably into your heart. Beyond all the romance and intrigue we have come to expect from Elizabeth Adler, it is the utterly delicious descriptions of the food that will delight the reader. Mouth-watering recipes will leave you wishing for your own romantic getaway to the Riviera. But beware, once you meet the delightful characters in this one, you will be sad to say au revoir.

Lola Sleeps With a Chicken - How Romantic!:
I knew right away that I was going to have problems with this book when in the very first chapter, Lola (the main character who runs a small hotel) and Jack, a mysterious stranger, look at each other through binoculars at the same time, and are able to see the color of each other's eyes! Nonsense. The story involves the mystery of Lola's missing husband, Patrick, who, being French, is naturally a complete womanizer. Lola is suspected of his murder and is helped by Jack and Miss Nightingale (a hotel guest and a retired British headmaster of a school for girls - another sterotypical chartacter), in solving the mystery of his disappearance. Naturally Miss N.'s deceased husband was a Scotland Yard Detective whose Miss Marple type wife helped him solve his big cases. Somehow one of the characters figures out exactly where Patrick is and who he is in cahoots with. How the character does this is unknown, since there is absolutely no way she could figure it out with the clues she is given. A happy ending is had by all (except the chicken). Lola has a pet chicken, named Scramble, who lives in her house and sleeps in her bed. Obviously the author knows nothing about chickens. They are stupid, dirty and smell, and you certainly can't housebreak them! Lola's house must really be disgusting. There are dozens of books with similar plots which are a lot better written. Why not try one of them?

A cozy book with a very apt depiction of the south of France:
The Hotel Riviera is a wonderful read. The author's descriptions of the south of France are very accurate. I live in Europe so I can say that! Her descriptions of gourmet foods were wonderful and mouthwatering so I was enjoying this book before I ever got to the romance. However, I was not let down by the romance between Lola and Jack or the mystery surrounding her husband. An excellent and fun read. Better than comfort food!

A Lot of Vacation for Your Buck:
Where else but in the wonderful world of books can you escape the wintry world and stay in an intimate hotel on the coast of France, where the sun shines and the moon glows over the cove? The guests might arrive by dinghy, or motorcycle or more conventional transportation. Lola, transplanted American hostess welcomes her guests and treats them to culinary wonders each evening on the terrace over looking the shimmering sea. But all is not well at the Hotel Riveria, Lola's husband Patrick having disappeared without a trace and the police (who were initially reluctant to investigate the missing husband) are now eyeing Lola suspiciously. Add to this a Queenly British guest, a naked man from an anchored sloop, a greedy millionaire on an enormous yacht, and a sleek and sexy "childhood friend" of the missing husband - as well as a couple of loving pets and the formula moves from languid vacation to international intrigue. A delightful escape/fairy tale and an author who knows how to bring a beautiful painting to life.