"A whimsical romantic romp"

One year ago Grandam Ida's son died leaving Manhattan landmark Bloom's Deli in trouble. With the business in trouble, the family matriarch decides that a new Bloom needs to run the deli. She surprises the entire family by selecting her granddaughter, divorce attorney Julia. Shocked at first, Julia wants to refuse and remain in her safe world, but her sister Susie persuades her to at least try.

Instead of support from her so-called loved ones, Julia faces sabotage and scorn. Her uncle tries to undermine her and her mother believes that Julia is an interim until she takes over. Then there are the unaccounted for bagels that someone seems to abscond with each week. Worse is Ron Joffe, assigned by Gotham magazine to learn if rumors of Bloom's financial troubles are true, because of her attraction to him. Finally, the most absolute catastrophe of all is dealing with her iron maiden grandma. As Julia works on overcoming the plots to destroy her, she falls in love with the nosy journalist.

This lighthearted romp is a fun to read tale that pays homage to all those Manhattan romantic comedies such as Crossing Delancy. References to the city add to the tour as the Big Apple comes across as a character more than just a locale. The female lead protagonist is an engaging individual struggling with a family that has their own personal interests and agendas above everyone else including the deli that has made and kept the Blooms wealthy. Judith Arnold furnishes a warm amusing excursion of the New York archipelago.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted May 11, 2002

Nominated for 2003 RITA Best Contemporary Single Title by Romance Writers of America

Summary

Welcome to Bloom's, where food is love and everybody loves food. The Blooms have run the family deli for generations, and Grandma Ida isn't about to let a culinary mishap change that. So when her son, the president, meets an untimely demise, the iron-willed matriarch appoints her granddaughter Julia to the top seat. Nobody is more surprised than Julia. But no one says no to Ida. And once Julia's inside the inner sanctum of Bloom's, family rivalries, outrageous discoveries and piles of delicious food begin to have their way with her. Will Julia's mother find out why her husband cared more about the business than about her? Is Uncle Jay, who married "The Bimbette," stealing brunch for a hundred every week? Will sister Susie, the bohemian poet and undiscovered artist, find true love with the gorgeous blond bagel maker? Is the strudel weakening Julia's resistance to sexy journalist Ron Joffe -- a man she suspects is after some of Bloom's deeper secrets? And will Julia discover happiness reconnecting with a forgotten passion, the blessings of family . . . and good food?