The Carnivore Catastrophe by Meika Macrae Published by Independently Published on September 11, 2023
Genres: Clean & Wholesome Romance
Series: Pecan Bay Predicaments #1
Pages: 393
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Buy on Amazon
A meat-hating novelist is FORCED into the Texas steakhouse biz…by her main character! This calls for an Emergency Ladies Brunch - SOS mimosas with a side of pancake fiascos with friends, please!
Five books into her Francesca series, Beatrice Quincy’s publisher threatens to drop her like she’s a sizzling steak. She gets it. Her main character is nothing but a glorified harlot and she’s feeling dry-aged about her leg-parting ways herself. Romantic emotions are too hard to swallow upon discovering her late husband’s shoebox full of Tiffany’s receipts for jewelry that never wound up on her own plate. If she can’t remember romance anymore, how can she write about it?
But the looming career bomb is nothing but bad timing. Now that she’s inherited a steakhouse, she needs to sell it ASAP. Not only is it a financial sinkhole, she doesn’t eat meat!
On a desperate whim to save her career, she flings out a book proposal based on her own carnivore crisis. But the only way she'll be able to write this story is if she actually runs the steakhouse. But there’s a whole new problem gnawing on the Bobby, her childhood crush, owns Bobby’s Brisket and seems dead set on chasing her restaurant out of town.
With all her hopes pinned to the upcoming neighborhood Fall Festival, her friends in Pecan Bay are shredded between Beatrice and Bobby, not to mention concerned about Beaz’s current life choices. Their advice is charbroiling Beaz’s brain. ( Love ya, ladies, but how about a mimosa to go this time, please?!) Worse, her twin college-age boys know their meatless mum excels at blind-tasting tizzy fits.
The deeper she digs herself into a flambé of her creation, the more she thinks she should write romance off for good, both on the page and tucked inside the innermost menu of her own heart…
My Thoughts
Meatless in Pecan Bay ~ Meika’s debut is, without a doubt, a feel-good, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy that is not to be missed. Thank you, Meika, for sending me the ebook to review.
It is a joyful and raucous novel about writer Beatrice Quincy, sickened by romance and meat. Beatrice is a vegetarian by inclination, but the book combines humor with heart and provides mouth-watering descriptions of Texas cuisine.
Beatrice is a very complex character, and she goes through some tough times, with her story taking many unexpected turns. Despite being both a vegetarian and an author, she is forced to run a steakhouse. Her attempts to reconcile her professional and private life amidst unexpected, obstacle-strewn detours are funny and inspiring.
The supporting characters in Carnivore Catastrophe are delightful. An intriguing twist is added when Beatrice develops a relationship with her childhood crush, Bobby. Drama With Bobby running a competing business, they are natural rivals.
One thing this novel does well is show how important a friend can be. Her Emergency Ladies Brunch scenes are entertaining, humorous, good for camaraderie (and mimosas), and a pleasure to read about.
But collectively, The Carnivore Catastrophe is a book that makes you laugh out loud, makes your mouth water for something decent, and finally, perhaps most importantly, reminds us about the value of friendship and self-realization. It’s a tasty read; it’s not to be missed.
About Meika Macrae
Meika writes fiction that’s fun, romantic, and never forgets the importance of Emergency Ladies Brunches. SOS mimosas please!
When she moved to Dallas, Texas in 2021, she encountered the splendors of southern hospitality for the first time. From that THE CARNIVORE CATASTROPHE, Book One in The Pecan Bay Predicaments Series, was born. Book Two, VACATION HANGOVER, will be available to preorder in winter 2023, in addition to a new series that takes place in far-off places.
Meika was chosen to be Indie Author of the Month in August 2023 on Mrs. Bennett’s Bookshelf. In Issue 39 Autumn 2023 of Evening Street Press, you can find Meika Macrae’s YA comic crime short story “A Dictionary of Dads.” The novel on which it is based under the same name is COMING SOON.
In 2007, she was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished Crime Novel in Canada for EGO TENDERLOIN. Hats worn include a commercial writer/producer for radio and an international correspondent for the Tico Times in Costa Rica.
She has a BA in history from the University of British Columbia and continues to search for fun historical facts to this day. Home is a hard place to define other than her mother’s current home in Montana because she’s lived in far too many cities across North America, satiating impractical whims.
Connect with her on: http://www.meikamacrae.com, where you can sign up for a free monthly e-Zine and be eligible to win occasional giveaways that include books and merch.
