The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume by Lisa Rumsey HarrisMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to Review
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Description: With her love of sweaters, goofy hair, and awkward manners—not to mention her family curse—Treasure Blume knows love is not in her future. That is, until she matches wits with Dennis Cameron, a divorced chef with a six-year-old daughter. Full of mischief, mayhem, and laugh-out-loud humor, this is an unlikely love story you’ll want to read over and over again!
My thoughts: Treasure Blume was named appropriately, she is a treasure. Some would find her a treasure in the rough because she doesn't make a good first impression. In fact, many people take an intense dislike to her at first glance. She has lived with this condition all of her life, it is her family legacy. She has inherited the family "gift".
Once people get over their first impression, they discover that she has a kind heart and a lot of love to give. Not everyone would devote their time to children and old ladies, but that is where Treasure is in her element.
Love has never been a strong suit for her. In fact, the story begins with a blind date. I was glad for her that she makes a bad impression to begin with, because the date was a complete loser. It is pretty fun though. It sets the setting for the rest of the book.
Her romance with the male "lunch lady" is wonderful. I enjoyed their unique dynamic and the love and devotion that they have to their family and friends. Her increased confidence makes for a physical transformation that was great to read about.
This is a clean and fun read.
Side Note: When the Lisa Rumsey Harris contacted me about this blog tour, she discovered from my profile that I am a lunch lady. She thought it would be fun to get my perspective because the main male is a "lunch lady" or as he prefers to be called " lunch daddy".
I actually found in some ways I had things in common with him. He went to work in his daughter's school kitchen to be closer to her and to be home when she was home. I happen to work at my kid's Junior High. I love watching them at lunch. I also love keeping an eye on them. Right now my 7th grade son is at the school and I talked him into being a student helper, so the ladies that I work with could get to know him and keep an eye out for him too.
Being a lunch worker was not my first choice when I considered going back to work. Just as it wasn't his ideal job. He is actually a chef, I cook for my family. A little different perspective there. I took the job because of the hours and work schedule. I am home when my kids are home.
I wish that we could have the leeway that he had in coming up with menu's. He didn't like the food that he served to the kids, and did something about it by finding meals that were nutritious and more gourmet than typical cafeteria food. Right now, the food that children receive in school is highly mandated by the federal government. Everything we serve has to fall within certain caloric and nutritional guidelines. If we do not comply, we loose Federal funding which would drastically raise the cost of lunches and make it harder for families to afford.
Overall, I think that the author did a great job at capturing some aspects of working in a school kitchen and the feel of a "lunch lady" job.
About the Author: Lisa Rumsey Harris is from Downey, Idaho, where she grew up writing stories and riding horses. She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English from BYU, where she now teaches writing classes.
As a writer, Lisa won the Brookie and D. K. Brown Memorial Fiction Contest with her short story, “Topless in Elko.” In 2005, her short story “The Resurrection of the Bobcat” won a Moonstone Award in the same contest. She also writes personal essays. “Honor in the Ordinary” won the Heather Campbell Brown Essay contest in 2006, and was published in Segullah. Segullah has also published her essays “I Look Like My Sister” and “Custodian of My Emotional Suitcase.”
Lisa lives in Orem, Utah, with her multi-talented husband, her two adorable sunshine daughters, and her ancient Siamese cat.
Thanks for the great review, and the unique perspective, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great book indeed. I reviewed this from a teacher's perspective. Interesting to hear it from your perspective. I wish with all my heart that the lunch people could serve the food they want as well. I have found myself thinking about this part of the book from time to time--especially when my daughter complains yet again about the lunch food!
ReplyDeleteThat's the wonderful thing about fiction, you can have your school lunchroom serve anything it wants! Actually, the food isn't that bad. I eat it every week day. Sometimes I wonder if we're the taste testers, who have to try it first to make sure it's acceptable for the students. :)
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