10 Reasons Why Foodie Romances Rock

I write paranormal and contemporary romances. Love my vampires and other otherworldly creatures. Got a real thing for May-December romances. But one sub-genre that always calls to me are those foodie romances, where food (preferably gourmet) plays a large role in bringing the hero and heroine together. So what’s the appeal of food in your romance? Here’s ten…

10. Remember the movie 9 ½ Weeks? The scene where she kept her eyes closed while a young, virile Mickey Rourke fed her different food from the fridge? How sexy was that!

9. If you list the top five dates couples go on, somewhere in there “dinner and a movie” is sitting pretty. Even if the people are complete strangers who might only know each other from a dating web site, food is a great common ground where they can discover similar likes and dislikes.

8. Some foods are known aphrodisiacs! Oysters, asparagus, bananas, chilies, avocadoes…the list goes on and on. I doubt we would have spent so much time researching which would turn our cranks if they didn’t work.

7. Temperamental chefs. Yeah, yeah…they can be pains in the ass, but if you get a hottie chef to lose his temper, later there’s lots of groveling and even better, makeup sex. Hello!

6. Indulge your waistline without actually indulging your waistline! Think about it. Reading about those scrumptious desserts and soul-satisfying dishes doesn’t add to your calorie count for the day. Yet, a good author can make you taste the dishes with his/her descriptions.

5. Chocolate is food. Yes, food! And there are so many creative ways to use chocolate. Painting on the body. Hiding it in strategic places. Licking it off other places. Let your imagination go wild. (And if by some horrible twist of fate, you’re allergic to chocolate, the same can be said of syrups and honey.)

4. The old classic line, “Would you care to come up for some coffee?” If he doesn’t know what she means, then maybe he doesn’t need any coffee after all.

3. Men are visual creatures. It’s easy to get him going just by spending some time sucking on a popsicle, licking an ice cream cone, swallowing a banana…you get the idea.

2. Remember the scene from Lady and the Tramp with the spaghetti? Sharing food is a great way to accidentally touch, play fork wars, or as the dogs demonstrated, end up locking lips.

1. The following morning, breakfast in bed can be exquisitely sexy. And a good reason to continue the “conversation” from the night before.

To see more food and romance in the same place, take a look at my latest release, Once Burned. Here’s the blurb:

Close to the Heat, Book 1

With a chance to win a cooking competition that will advance her career, the last thing food truck chef Pepper Joseph needs is a distraction. Except she’s got a heaping helping of it in the form of fellow chef Darien Priest, the man who broke her heart.

It’s been years, and she tells herself she’s over his betrayal, but to her irritation, she finds she still has an appetite for his steel gray eyes, clean-shaven head, and sleeve tattoos.

Darien regrets the single, juvenile act that ended it with Pepper, but he’s never found the courage to apologize. Now that they’re in close quarters, something’s steaming and it’s not just the saucepots. One, toe-curling kiss proves there’s the potential for more than just a guarded friendship, and he sets out to prove he’s grown into an honorable man.

Until he discovers she’s pulled a seasoning switch that could have ruined one of his dishes. Now it’s on. There’s ten thousand dollars on the line, but if they don’t surrender to another chance at love, one—or both—of their wounded hearts could get singed.

Best selling, award winning author, Dee Carney writes paranormal and contemporary romances. Indulge in one of her foodie romances, but if you get hungry—for love or food—don’t blame her. Visit her on the web at www.deecarney.com or follow her antics at www.twitter.com/dee_carney.