Stir Until Thoroughly Confused by Heather Wardell

Stir Until Thoroughly Confused
Heather Wardell
Contemporary Romance
Createspace / January 2011

Mary's given up everything, including an unsatisfying marriage, to become a chef. But the career comes with a side dish: Kegan, her sexy but controlling new boss.

They're soon in a relationship, and in all-too-frequent arguments, and when it becomes clear they can't work together and be together Mary faces a dilemma: keep her dream job or her dream man?


What would you do if you had to make a choice between the two things that matter the most to you – one you would keep and the other let go of? For me, I guess it would depend on what those things were and for Mary, they are both something she couldn’t live without. Finally free from an oppressive marriage, she is taking back control of her life and following her dreams of becoming a chef in an upscale restaurant. Her love for cooking is a passion that runs deep for Mary so when she sees an opportunity to work for one of the hottest restaurants in town, she seizes it and plans on dazzling her future boss in her interview. She dazzled him alright but one look at Kegan, the intense and sexy owner of Steel and Mary finds herself caught up in an attraction that inevitably leads to romance. With both of them focused and driven on reopening the restaurant after a horrible fire and starting the new restaurant Magma, sparks soon lead to clashes as Kegan struggles to rein in his need to control everything within his realm – including Mary. Deeply in love and knowing that there’s no one else for them but each other, things start building to a boiling point where a decision must be made and the responsibility falls on Mary. Unable to do it, Kegan asks Mary to choose – do they keep their relationship purely business or does she leave the perfect job and only career she’s ever wanted by putting Kegan first and choosing love.

This is an amazing story filled with deep sighs, intense moments and an emotional level that keeps you glued to the book. Once I began, I didn’t want to stop because the author had me so involved in what was happening. There was that constant buzz that thrummed through me as I felt things building with both the sexual tension between the Kegan and Mary and the energy generated from two highly passionate people who struggled at times to rein it in. Honestly when I think of this story, I see an image of a pot sitting on a stovetop slowly simmering with the occasional bubble as time goes on. The longer it heats, the hotter the temperature until it’s suddenly at a fevered pitch and borders on out of control. That was one of the things that most impressed me about the way the author wrote her book – she managed to maintain that level of intensity and interest through the entire series without me once thinking “Good gosh stop already” because it was just too much. She gave it that flow where I didn’t feel I was being jerked around, stirred up only to be dropped flat. To me, that shows talent and it made reading the book a great experience for me.

I really felt that Mary and Kegan were incredible characters because I could identify with them so well. I enjoyed that the struggles they faced were “real” and I was shown the highs and lows that come when two people try to adjust to each other. I loved the tenacity of Mary. For someone who had been stifled for years, she came out of that marriage roaring and adamant that she was not only going to survive but thrive. I loved the level of commitment she showed to both her job and Kegan because without a doubt, he was difficult to deal with at times. She stuck it out, believed him when he shared he was trying to change but also stood her ground when it became too much. Mary was a character who got better and better because you could see her develop into this strong and empowered woman who went from doormat to assertive. I felt for her as she struggled to make her decision because it had to be painful but once she made up her mind, she never looked back. You can’t help but cheer for her.

I will admit my first impression of Kegan wasn’t favorable. As the story opens, you learn that he laid the responsibility of deciding their future onto Mary’s shoulders and my thought was “Wow what a cop out. What kind of guy is she involved with?” I didn’t hold onto that very long though as Kegan enter the story and made me catch my breath when Mary described this incredibly sexy man that would make any woman’s knees weak. The man is passion personified and completely driven by it. He is used to having everything under very tight and heavily controlled grip so it wasn’t a surprise to learn that it was a constant struggle for him to manage his attitude and overstepping of boundaries. I love a flawed man, especially one who has the humility to admit he has a problem and honestly attempts to work on his weaknesses. He is wonderful with Mary, attentive, devoted and treats her the way a woman should be treated… all except for when they’re working together and his need to dictate surfaces. By the end of the book and being totally absorbed in his energy, I completely understood why Kegan couldn’t make the decision because it must have driven him nuts. Oh and my review wouldn’t be complete without this final report … Kegan knows how to kiss, like “OMGSH catch me because I’m swooning” The man attacks everything in his life with a fierce intensity and I spent nearly half the book wishing I could have been on the receiving end of one of them.

What more can I say than I really enjoyed this book and it completely satisfied my romance cravings. STIR UNTIL THOROUGHLY CONFUSED is definitely a book romance lovers should read and I hope each person loves it just as much as I did. Happy reading!


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