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    Tantalize
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    Tantalize
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    Tantalize
    Audiobook6 hours

    Tantalize

    Written by Cynthia Leitich Smith

    Narrated by Kim Mai Guest

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Are you predator or prey?

    CLASSIFIED ADS: RESTAURANTS
    SANGUINI'S: A VERY RARE RESTAURANT IS HIRING A CHEF DE CUISINE. DINNERS ONLY.
    APPLY IN PERSON BETWEEN 2:00 AND 4:00 PM.

    Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses - or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who's playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? Tantalize marks Cynthia Leitich Smith's delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 26, 2008
    ISBN9780739363997
    Unavailable
    Tantalize
    Author

    Cynthia Leitich Smith

    Cynthia Leitich Smith is the bestselling, acclaimed author of books for all ages, including Rain Is Not My Indian Name, Indian Shoes, Jingle Dancer, and Hearts Unbroken, which won the American Indian Youth Literature Award; she is also the anthologist of Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids. Most recently, she was named the 2021 NSK Neustadt Laureate. Cynthia is the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books, and serves as the Katherine Paterson Inaugural Endowed Chair on the faculty of the MFA program in writing for children and young adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Austin, Texas. You can visit Cynthia online at cynthialeitichsmith.com.

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    Reviews for Tantalize

    3/5

    472 ratings57 reviews

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    • 3/5
      There were things I guessed about this book, and things I didn't. The ending was not what I'd hoped for, but I suppose it had to go that way, maybe. There were a number of unanswered questions at the end though that do bother me, and I would have liked a bit more closure on them (without being too spoilery, what happened to everyone who ate the squirrel?)
    • 4/5
      Qunicie really does feel alone in the book and it shows how some things happen in your life beyond your control however that you can make right choices and overcome the things life has handed to you. Good book for teens, fast read, fast paced. Definitely holds your interest. I read it in less than 7 hours in between family and interuptions.
    • 4/5
      Good book, great twists at end even though a few were obvious right from the get go.
    • 4/5
      I recommend this book for fans of Twilight and similar vampire novels, but I believe it to be a little better. The leading lady is not a whiney brat and has gone through a lot in life that gives her a pretty mature outlook. Though the book feels a little rushed in the third and last part, it was still entertaining and a good read.
    • 3/5
      Quincie's family restaurant has become all the more important to her since her parents death, the restaurant is a second home, its staff a second family. So with the restaurant failing it is given a makeover, a vampire theme, but not everyone is happy with the theme nor the type of people a theme like that will attract. But Quincie has other worries, head chef and surrogate grandfather Vaggio has been murdered.Kieren, Quincie's best and only friend, not to mention first love, is about to embark on a werewolf right of passage, the outcome of which being Keiren's absence from Quincie's life, forever. With so much loss in her life it is little wonder that Quincie soon makes friends with Henry, the newly hired head chef of her family restaurant.Tantalize offers a smorgasbord of murder, mystery, unrequited love, vampires, wine and deliciously seductive food that will change the way you eat forever. An exciting story of a girl changed by her experiences, and yet still determined to hold on to who she is. A story where the good guys don't always win, the bad guys are able to destroy everything and sometimes not everyone gets a happily ever after. This is one supernatural series with bite.
    • 2/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Talesd preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.Quick & Dirty: Tantalize had great potential, but with the frustrating characters and over exaggerated moments it ended up just being an okay read for me.Opening Sentence: Lousy idea, us sitting like that on the railroad tracks.The Review:Quincie Morris has had a rough few months. Her parents were killed years ago in a terrible accident and they left her with the family restaurant. But business at the restaurant hasn’t been going well for awhile so to save it Quincie and her uncle have decided to revamp it. They are going to go with a seductive vampire theme. Just before the renovations are complete the long time chef and family friend is brutally murdered. Filled with grief over the loss of another person she loves, Quincie has to scramble to find a replacement chef before the grand re-opening. Luckily for her Henry Johnson, also better known as Bradley, applies for the job. Not only is he an amazing chef, but he pulls off the role of being a seductive vampire very well, maybe a little too well.On top of everything going on with the restaurant Quincie’s long time best friend happens to be part werewolf and he is getting ready to join a pack which will separate them forever. Kieren has always been there for Quincie and she has been secretly in love with him for years. She doesn’t know what she will do without him and their relationship has felt stressed ever since Bradley showed up. Can they manage to save their friendship and possibly become something more or will Quincie end up falling for the new seductive chef and forget all about Kieren?There were honestly two different Quincie’s present throughout the story. One I really liked and the other one drove me crazy. At first I liked her and felt really sympathetic towards her because she has lost so much. I also felt that her relationship with Kieren was very well done. Her insecurities about her feelings for him and the dynamics of their relationship made her a much more interesting character. She felt like a normal girl dealing with normal teenage problems. She was a sweet caring girl that you could rely on and root for. Unfortunately, that Quincie was only present for a short period of time. In the rest of the story she is a whiny, naïve teenager that I found really frustrating. There is a reason that explains why she changed so much that I’m not going to talk about since it would spoil things, but it just made her so unlikeable. Being inside her head was annoying and it really overshadowed the good parts about her. Overall, I ended up not really enjoying her character which was disappointing because she had a lot of potential.Kieren was my favorite character. He is such a sweet guy and I couldn’t help falling for him. He is smart, loyal, kind, and very protective of the people he cares about. Being part wolf has caused him to be very cautious of how he acts and who he will let close to him. His relationship with Quincie started when they were just kids. They have been friends forever but neither one of them has had the courage to take their relationship further. They have great chemistry, but they also complement each other really well. I thought Kieren was a great love interest!There is a love triangle in the story and the other love interest was Bradley, the new chef for Sanguini’s. He is mysterious, interesting, and sexy, but his character felt overdone to me. Nothing about him felt realistic and I never really connected to his character. He was there for Quincie when she needed someone to talk to and he seemed to genuinely care about her. They also had some intense attraction between them, but I never felt the appeal of Bradley. He was just an okay character for me and I wish I would have liked him better.Tantalize was a fun story full of action, romance, and mystery. I listened to this on audio book which is a first for me, and I actually really enjoyed it. I thought that the narrator did a really good job making the book more interesting and I think she did a great job with all the different character voices. The book flowed well, but I felt that nothing really happened for a large portion of the book. The action does pick up about half way through, but it caused the ending to feel rushed. For the most part it was a pretty predictable plot, but there were a few things that took me by surprise which left me intrigued enough to want to read the future books in the series. I realize that this is a paranormal story, but it is set in the real world, so I wanted it to feel more believable. The story as a whole felt over exaggerated at times and while listening to it I can honestly admit I had quite a few eye rolling moments, especially at the end. I feel like most of this review has been pretty negative because this book really had a lot of problems. But in the end it was still entertaining to listen to while I was driving, so I would recommend giving it a try if it sounds interesting to you.Notable Scene:“I’m calling to urge you to be careful. The victim…”“Vaggio,” I said, glancing at his birthday picture. “Hi name was—““Mr. Bianchi was an older man, but he was in good health. A the time of the crime, he may have had his guard down. The perp—““Perp?”“The murderer, the shifter. It’s probably someone he knew. Which means—““It’s probably someone I know, too.”FTC Advisory: Candlewick Press provided me with a copy of Tantalize. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 4/5
      Completely infuriating in a great way!
    • 3/5
      To get ready for Diabolical, I'm going through this series again. Actually, I've only read the first two. When I read Tantalize several years ago, I thought it was completely hilarious. I enjoyed all of the puns and silly things, like the various kinds of weres (were-armadillo, ha!). At that time, I did think the ending was pretty lame and awful.

      Ironically, I'm now kind of going the other way. Whereas before I noticed the silly, light humor, the puns and such things, I now focus on the darkness and violence that I guess didn't bother me before. From my research this is the beginning of Cynthia Leitich Smith's gothic series, and I suppose I can see why. There are monsters lurking under the skin of just about everyone. Of course, the bit of humor on the top does help.

      Quincie, aka Quince, does not make a great main character. She's kind of a dope and she does not trust her best friend nearly enough. She is easily swayed by arguments and does not think to do any research on her own. Also, I could definitely have done with a few less mentions of her beige thong; I get it already. On a side note, if my parents named me Quincie, I would be so pissed. Pretty much the only thing consistent from my first read is that I still think Kieren's the best character.

      Ultimately, I was a little less into the book on this read-through, but I am still curious to find out what will happen in the later volumes. Although not perfect, Cynthia Leitich Smith does seem to be setting up an interesting world here.
    • 2/5
      Behind-the-scenes restaurant settings fascinate me, as do vampires, so this book and I should have been a good fit. Unfortunately, I should have quit reading when the chilled baby squirrels were served, but I kept right on. Then the dog was killed (one of my least favorite authorial cheap tricks), and the final confrontation was marred by lines like "I had loved him enough to let him go." Any further comment from me would be an attempt to reproduce via text the sound of me retching, so I'll stop here.
    • 3/5
      It was... okay. I was not too impressed, but I can't really say it was that bad either. The idea was different, which was refreshing. I feel as if more explanation was needed- why did the city just accept vampires but nowhere else did? Why wasn't Quincie even a tiny bit phased when she discovered the truth? The characters just seemed flat, and I found it impossible to connect to them. I wasn't bored though, and it was an easy read. I guess we'll see what the sequel is like.
    • 4/5
      Quince has been orphaned…Left to the care of her Uncle D (Davidson), who is her Dad’s baby brother. She was also left with her Mom’s restaurant, which had been her Grandparent’s Legacy. Quince has decided to remodel and re-open with a vampire inspired theme. In walks Brad who appears to have the chops to pull it off. Now that the opening is looming, there are a rash of murders that appear to be the work of Weres…and her best friend, Kieran, is suspect number one!HOLY COW…this book moved fast. I was so engrossed I didn’t realize the story had ended and I was reading the Acknowledgements. LOLThis had a really good love triangle…or maybe it was an unrequited love triangle?? Quince and I fell so completely under Bradley’s spell, neither one of us knew exactly what was going on, until it was too late. Poor Kieran tried to tell us. Notice how I included myself in that?!? My only complaint would be how easily Bradley seemed to give up? But I’m not convinced he has…need to get into the next book in the series to see if he really did give up.The restaurant setting was different. I can see where some readers might (did) get turned off. Personally I thought it was a great setting/tool to effectively get the reader from point A to B. Can you tell I’m trying not to give away major plot points? Anyway, as someone who loves to cook and has fantasized about working in a restaurant, I loved the Sanguini’s setting.Over all I enjoyed this book. Time flew so fast…good thing I started it on a day off with not a lot of chores to do…dinner did not get made though. Not a ton of character development because the characters are constantly reacting to their surroundings. But there were a lot of twists and turns and betrayals which always makes for an engrossing read as far as I am concerned. I hope we get into Kieran’s backstory a bit more in the next book. Him I would love to learn more about.
    • 1/5
      Again, it could have been a whole heck of a lot better. I found it chaotic for the most part, not that well written, with more of an "ick" factor than anything else. It was unclear at first if the existence of vampires and werepeople was common knowledge, though it appears that it is in Smith's world. It is simply that they still aren't very well liked, for the obvious reasons, so no one exactly advertises if they happen to be one. My biggest problems with this book, apart from the vulgarity, as that a)Quincie becomes a vampire, through food tasting and wine, no less. How lame was that? And how stupid could she get? Did it not seem odd that Brad and Uncle D were practically shoving the wine down her gullet? Questionable behavior for anyone, especially a guardian? So, she was practically drunk for 3/4 of the book and being turned into a vampire. Which leads to problem b)Kieran (spelling?) did a bang-up job saving her from being turned. Yeah, swell attempt there you push-over. Surely he could have seen that there was something very wrong with his friend, if only from her being inebriated the majority of the time. Or was he just too self-absorbed in his own issues to try and pay attention to what was happening to his friend? Whatever the case, how incredibly frustrating!A sequel is coming out next spring, Eternal, but what can there be to write about? She ruined the characters and sorry, but I have read enough about vampires struggling against their damned natures and failing to last me a lifetime. Find a new idea, seriously, because this one has been done to death. No pun intended.
    • 1/5
      Whatever world these characters live in, I'm glad I'm not a part of. Teenage alcohol use and nobody cares; it's even encouraged. Death is embraced; murdering someone in your own family - no problem. Your boyfriend won't confide in you about anything but expects to run your life for you. Just a whackadoo world and again I'm glad it's not mine.
    • 3/5
      Although this was a good read, it was missing something for me. I felt like the story was a little drawn out and the ending was rushed. Although I did find myself liking the character of Quincie.
    • 4/5
      Cute paranormal young adult story. An enjoyable, easy read that I wouldn’t mind reading again. I enjoyed the main character and her conflict.
    • 2/5
      Quincie and her uncle are turning their restaurant into a vampire theme, hoping to intrigue visitors to come from all over the country. One night while Quincie is alone in the back room her family friend and chef of the restaurant is murdered, leaving them close to opening night with no one to cook for them. That's when her uncle hires the odd Brad who tries to bring a twist with him in the kitchen. Is Brad who he says he is? And why is Kieren becoming more distant, even when Quincie knows they should be together?I have to start off by saying that I loved Eternal, book 2 of Tantalize. I didn't know it was book 2 when I read it and honestly if I had read this first? I most likely wouldn't have read it.I never really knew who Quincie was. No backstory was given for her other than her parents died. But what else? Who is she?The plot was left to be desired. I didn't know what was going on half the time and when I did get it, I didn't want to. It was just so weird, and not in a good way weird.The love interests both had no depth either. Kieren is the love of her life, but Brad comes in and she's all lovey on him? It seemed her relationship with Kieren was forced the whole time.I didn't root for anyone, I didn't really get into this book at all.And trust me, it really disappoints me to say that. Book 2 is one of my favorite books!If you skip this one, and read book 2 I promise, it will be worth it. Just pretend this book is a starter to making an amazing second one. That's what I'm doing...denial? Maybe. But I can't help it!
    • 3/5
      Somewhat lacking in genuine romantic elements despite its title, Tantalize offers a fun concept with a splash of paranormal. Although there were dark elements to the story, the upbeat narration and fast-paced writing style kept Tantalize from being a downer. The murder-mystery elements were great, and I liked that even though the killer’s identity was pretty obvious, there was a surprise twist that I never expected. I did not find Quincie to be a terribly great protagonist; she was too gullible and easily defeated. Though her narration makes her out to be a strong person, Quincie really isn’t very bright—she is oblivious to her surroundings and completely screws herself over. The other characters, like Quincie’s best friend and not-quite love interest, were forgettable and easily blended into the background of the storyline. Despite the bland characters, I did have a good time reading Tantalize. It was a quick read, and concept of a vampire-themed restaurant was fun. *shrug*(Originally posted to 365 Days of Reading)
    • 2/5
      Couldn't finish the book. It definitely had it's share of quirky characters but the story just didn't seem to be heading anywhere.. or rather it wasn't heading anywhere I wanted it to go and the author couldn't seem to give me a payoff for patiently waiting..and waiting.. so in the end (or rather BEFORE the end) I gave up.
    • 2/5
      This book was not good. Even that is an understatement. I didn't even finish it. I read most of it, but then I decided it was just useless. My time was worth more to me than the idea of finishing a book. The characters were contrived, the plot was more than boring, the vampires were stereotypical and flat, the love interest was uninteresting and the main character was annoying. Honestly, please don't waste your time. This is just another author quickly throwing together a vampire book, assuming that she can dupe us readers into believing that it's another Twilight. Well, this reader wasn't duped. I RETURNED THE BOOK!
    • 3/5
      Quincie and her uncle are going to re-open the family restaurant with a vampire theme. But it looks like real vampires are killing off the prospective customers. When the chef is killed, the newly hired chef seems just too good to be true. And maybe he is!Weird goings-on in this vampire/werewolf eating tale.Fit the list? Maybe
    • 4/5
      Quincie Morris has a lot on her mind. Since the death of her parents three years ago, Quincie and her Uncle Davidson have been running the family restaurant Fat Lorenzo’s. With the completion taking away business they decided to change the restaurant into Sanguini’s, a restaurant built around a vampire theme. When the head chef, and good friend Vaggio is murdered in the restaurant kitchen, Quincie’s best friend, Kiernan, a hybrid werewolf and the boy of her dreams, warns her that real vampires may be involved. While the police investigate Kiernan and the werewolf connection, Quincie must get the restaurant ready for its grand reopening, and hope that whoever killed Vaggio doesn’t come back for her.I was surprised by how quick a read this was. Tantalize has a well developed story and world. Quincie is a likable character who is in love with her best friend, but worries that he will be leaving soon. As the likable new chef, Henry Johnson, gets closer to Quincie, she must try to choose between her old love, and a possible interest in the slightly older Johnson. Full of surprises this book was a fun read.Cynthia Leitich Smith did an excellent job with her characters and her plotting. I can’t believe how fast I was drawn into this novel. While it still suffers from the Twilight vampire and werewolf phenomenon, it was still interesting and unique.Recommended for those who like paranormal fiction, vampires, and werewolves.
    • 2/5
      The best part about this book is the cover. I have a tendency to pick books up off the shelf at a bookstore based purely on the cover, and this was one of them. I was drawn to it. The story wasn't worth it though. It was a disappointment. Everything was cookie cutter, including the ending. I could have predicted what happened. This book came out on the tail feathers of Twilight with the hope that those that were reading the teenage vampire books would buy it, I don't recommend it.
    • 1/5
      The ending was totally unsatisfying, not to mention telegraphed. Vampire books are a dime a dozen these days. Don't bother.
    • 3/5
      This book is about food and vampires, so I thought it sounded interesting. I mean the two things don't usually go together all that well. Overall it was a mediocre read, nothing fantastic but okay.Quincie's parents are dead and she and her uncle run a restaurant that was previously owned by her parents. Only thing is the restaurant isn't doing well, so Quincie and her uncle decide to redo the restaurant into a kitschy Italian Vampire restaurant name Sanguino's. Unfortunately a few week before opening the lead chef is murdered in the kitchen and it looks like it was done by an animal. The police are all over Quncie's best friend, a werewolf name Kieren, but he swear he wasn't involved. Then a new chef turns up and Quincie is stuck juggling school, work, and the task of turning the new chef into a passable vampire chef. While all this is happening the police are still struggling to figure out who murdered the original chef and are getting increased reports of disappearances.Everything about this book was mediocre. The characters are kind of halfway characterized but not very engaging; there weren't any character in this book that sparked my curiosity or made me want to know more about them. The plot was very predictable. The writing was straight-forward but didn't deliver any of the sensual description for food or otherwise that I expected given the title. The development of a vampire menu was a main point in the book, yet the food was treated in a very cursory way. The world itself (and the inclusion of vampires and were-animals) was never really developed and was very limited in scope, basically we rarely see outside the restaurant.That being said, the book was nothing special but was somewhat amusing. It is a very quick read, so I didn't feel like the book was a waste of time...it just wasn't anything all that interesting or special.I probably won't read any more books by Smith. There was just nothing in this book that felt at all creative, inspired, or even engaging. The book didn't offend me either and was an okay read, but just kind of blah.
    • 3/5
      This isn't the type of book I would normally be interested in, but I was stuck with nothing else available to read. Though this book isn't exactly short, I found myself getting through it easily in one sitting. However, don't take that the wrong way - this was only due to how shallow and lightly written it was. All of the characters and events are either uninteresting and halfhearted (lacking in emotion, hurriedly described, and completely lifeless) or are so blatantly unrealistic that it is ridiculous. Were-armadillos?? (In this book, Were-wolves are not the only "Were" creatures). I laughed out loud when they were first introduced to the story.All the scenes seem very stilted, scripted and planned out carefully. They are written in a lofty, unfeeling way that seemed to distance the reader entirely from the story.I hated how cliche and uninventive this book was. The main reason I disliked it, however, was simply due to its corniness. A very cheesy, unimaginative book.Don't waste your time.
    • 3/5
      While the concept sounded good, a vampire themed restaurant with campires and werewolves and a love triangle but it ends up being somewhat of a letdown, for me at least. I didn't see that Quincie was falling in love with the vampire, interested, a little attracted but not really falling for her. The reason the vampire is attracted to her didn't really come through and it all seemed to be a bit "must try harder" to me.Some of the details were a bit interesting, like the concept of a vampire themed restaurant caught my interest. However the menu was kinda sparse and the descriptions fell a bit flat.It's not the worst thing I've read but I have no real urge to hunt up the sequel.
    • 1/5
      Didn't really like this teen vampire book. Half the time I felt like I had picked up the sequel without reading the first one beforehand. A little too unbelievable and the plot was too rushed. It did have a promising plot and themes.. but it fell flat to me. I'd actually give it 1.5 stars.
    • 2/5
      Tantalize is predictable, somewhat entertaining, but just kind of 'blah' overall. I think it could have been great, but the characters were so shallow that it was difficult to care what happened to them one way or the other. If I had cared more, then the ending probably would have left me upset and scratching my head, but as it was, I wasn't very affected by it. I did enjoy the more traditional vampire aspects of the book, since it's been awhile since I've read about some juicy evil vamps. She left it so that there could have possibly been a sequel, but it's one I would skip.
    • 4/5
      This was a solid and different take on the YA vampire paranormal novel- certainly no Twilight but really all the better for it. The story moves fast with most of the shock kicking in late (you know her best friend is a werewolf early on). This book certainly leaves you craving a second helping- which doesn't seen to forthcoming sadly much like another beloved vampire tale- Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Both are very much reccomended as a sweet taste.
    • 2/5
      I tried to read this book but just couldn't get into it. I found the plot to be boring an predictable. I ended up giving this book to a friend who really enjoyed the twilight books. Even she said it was just ok. Would not have bought this book on my own.