“A perfectly rendered cast of characters, plenty of mouthwatering moments in the kitchen, and a completely charming small town setting.” —BooklistTwo amazing chefs. Two very different restaurants. One recipe for love.For single mom Adah Campbell, the executive chef job at a posh restaurant in quaint South Bay, Maine is a dream come true—and the perfect opportunity to start over, far away from a … true—and the perfect opportunity to start over, far away from a home that’s never felt entirely hers. But fitting in has never been easy, and between a new town, a new boss, and the unexpectedly attractive owner of a rival café, things get off to a rocky start.
Never did free-spirited Beth Summers think she’d still be in Maine. Travel the world gathering delicious recipes and finding friends and lovers? Absolutely. Step in to run her family’s small-town café? Not so much. However, once Beth commits to something, that’s it. Soon, The Yellow House is the hottest spot in town, but Beth’s out of energy—and out of ideas for moving forward.
Until Adah Campbell walks into her life. As sparks fly, both chefs have to decide if they are willing to make sacrifices…or if it’s really too many cooks in the kitchen.
Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.
A new Carina Adores title is available each month:
The Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover
The Girl Next Door by Chelsea M. Cameron
Just Like That by Cole McCade
Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters
Better Than People by Roan Parrish
The Love Study by Kris Ripper
The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher
Just Like This by Cole McCade
Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love by Kim Fielding
The Beautiful Things Shoppe by Philip William Stover
Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish
Knit, Purl, a Baby and a Girl by Hettie Bell
The Hate Project by Kris Ripper
Hard Sell by Hudson Lin
For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes
Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert
Meet Me in Madrid by Verity Lowell
The Life Revamp by Kris Ripper
more
Oh my goodness. This book. *heart eyes* I’m going to struggle to give this book the review it deserves because I’m in a place, personally, where I’ve had to turn off my reviewer brain for a while. Such a long while, in fact, that I’ve reached beyond rusty to some as-of-yet-unnamed level of inadequacy. However, I will do my best to give this story the attention and praise it deserves.
First of all, one of my absolute favorite tropes/character combinations is grumpy/sunshine, and let me tell you, Adah and Beth fit the bill in all the best possible ways. Their chemistry was palpable, the characterization and personality development was detailed and rich, and the story made my heart melt into a delicious little puddle.
I’m the exact opposite of a chef. In fact, if you ask anyone who knows me, you’ll find out I’ve been banned from more than one kitchen due to my complete inability to do anything even remotely positive with food… beyond stuffing my face with it, of course. However, it was positively charming to read these two chefs living their best chef lives and talking about all the foodie stuffs I know nothing about. In fact, it made me want to learn to cook because Fisher did such a beautiful job of making that world seem inviting and downright delightful.
At the end of the day, this book put a smile on my face, and in 2020, that’s saying something. I can’t recommend it enough and will definitely be rec’ing this book to anyone who asks for a good romance read with charm, spunk, and seriously good vibes!
The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher
Adah and Beth are wonderful people that deserve to have a happily ever after even if it takes them a bit to work it out. Their backgrounds were so different and yet their goals and dreams similar. I liked them and their story.
What I liked:
* Adah: dedicated to her profession, a loving mother, afraid to trust, has difficulty communicating feelings, ripe for love, a woman with a tough backstory.
* Beth: positive, loving, warm, caring, open, communicates easily, excellent at what she does, an earth mother type, colorful, cheerful, everything that Adah needs.
* Pete: a wonderful son, full of life, giving, caring, a beautiful boy
* Vanessa: retired, great landlord, excellent friend, good with Pet and Adah, nice person
* The story, writing and eventual happy ending
* That the creepy dude didn’t win
What I didn’t like:
* Sean and Ric – out for the profit only and very wrong as bosses to Adah
* What Adah experienced growing up
* Having to say goodbye to the people in the story
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Carina Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Fun Foodie FF Romance. This is a lesbian romance where the two ladies are about as opposite as it gets – one is a trained chef working for a corporate restaurant group, the other is a legacy baker who took over and revitalized her mom’s shop. As a short romance, it works well in that it hits all the requirements of the genre (yes, including sex) and executes each solidly – but you’re not going to get the conflict and growth of a 100 page longer book. Though there are still significant, more complicated than Hallmarkie, conflicts here. Ultimately a fun book that hits all the right notes and even manages to highlight the particular region it features very well. Very much recommended.