I absolutely loved this book. Not because I love cooking shows or because I can relate as a curvy girl myself but because she gave us all hope of a happy ending.
Chelsea gets her big shot after a celebrity chef is involved in a scandal. She is going back to her hometown, bought a house and is going to have her own show out of her house. That means the best appliances that money can buy.
She has car trouble on the way and is helped by a handsome young man Bryce that looks familiar. Chelsea finds out he is trans and she knew her in school. They become quick friends that turns into lovers. Bryce has a large family, and I already knew some on the characters from a previous book called You Again featuring Kate, Sutton and their daughter. Chelsea is welcomed into the family with open arms.
I have not read many books with trans characters and thought that Ms Rey handled the subject very well.

This is a story about Chelsea Boudreaux who is a chef on a Food tv show. She has recently moved back to her hometown of Duchesne, LA. Chelsea went to culinary school in the northeast and lived and worked in NYC for her same tv network. Now she’s been offered her own show and she’s very happy. Chelsea has battled her weight her whole life and feels that her mother looks down on her for being overweight. Bryce Cormier is a trans man, who began transitioning at 19. Bryce works at a nearby university and is happy with his life but looking for a long term relationship.

Chelsea and Bryce went to high school together in Duchesne, so when they meet up for the first tine they each recognize the other. They begin a slow friendship that turns into a romance and an HEA.

I have mixed feelings on this book. I liked the premise and the setting. I enjoyed reading a book with a trans man in it. I would have liked it a lot more with several changes:
-more angst
- more emotion and background on Chelsea’s weight issues and hang ups. And her relationship with her mother.
-more emotion, thought process and background on Bryce’s decision to transition. His family supported him 100% which was great. I would have liked to know more of his teenage thoughts.
-And a completely different cover that represented a curvy chef. I’m thinking Rachael Ray or Ina Garten. It’s a little sus to me for any super skinny chef to exist, hopefully chefs taste test their own cooking!

ARC received from Net Galley for a voluntary and honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for access to this arc.

First off I need to address the cover. It’s cute, it makes it clear that cooking is a part of the plot but it does not look like Chelsea is described *numerous times.* She talks *numerous times* about being a queer fat femme (she’s not bothered now by her curves but, while she was growing up, did suffer from her nitpicking mother’s comments). The “stick” (another reviewer’s apt description, IMO) on the cover is not Chelsea. If an author is going to have a heroine who needed therapy to overcome the issues with her self image that were caused by her mother, then let’s show that heroine as she (now proudly) is. There is also a verb used I got tired of reading – smirk. The word smirk is in the book 35 times. That’s a lot of smirking.

There is wonderful Queer/fat representation in the story. Chelsea is a fat (remember, her term) and attracted to women who are masc of center (term used in the book) as well as attracted to trans men, Bryce is a trans man who has dated both gay and straight, Jada is bisexual, a show staffer is NB, Bryce’s sister and her soon to be wife are lesbians, there are other fat characters, gay characters, and college students with whom Bryce interacts professionally who ask about LGBTQIA+ groups on campus. Everyone is treated with respect and a trans sensitivity reader read the MS. At one point after he appears on Chelsea’s show as well as with her on a Queer friendly TV show discussing transgender issues, Bryce mentions some nasty DM messages in his social media feeds but that’s about it for nasty trolls. This is a book high on acceptance.

Unfortunately, it’s also a book that is low on romantic relationship angst or conflict. Bryce and Chelsea are almost immediately attracted to each other. They are soon in a relationship, having sex (with consent and asking for what the other wants/expects), and seeing a forever for themselves. Chelsea talks about the implosion of her most recent lesbian relationship due to her hectic work schedule then and Bryce talks about the problems with starting relationships as a trans man in a small town but these are discussed as past tense rather than continuing problems. The few issues they have are mostly worked out by the 2/3 mark of the book which leaves … not much to keep a reader’s interest before one conflict that is quickly resolved . There is a little about Bryce realizing what he wants his limits to be as far as being in the spotlight of Chelsea’s fame. The story is also low on most other conflicts as Chelsea’s show is an instant hit, her agent is being besieged by people who want her to guest on another cooking show, be on the previously mentioned Queer TV show, to be featured in a magazine article, etc.

Frankly, I got a bit bored reading this book. Yay for the rep and how sensitively this is handled. Good for Chelsea that her professional dreams are coming true. Yippee that Chelsea and Bryce find each other. But everything needed some spice, some zip, some flavoring. Yes, I’m making puns based on the cuisine Chelsea is showcasing. I don’t need or want a ton of angst and conflict in my stories but this book shows me that I need some and I didn’t get those here. C+

I enjoyed this book. Chelsea is a woman after my own heart. She is independent and strong. And a chef to boot! She moves back home after a scandal catches up to her boss and becomes the star of her very own show. A little bad luck turns into good luck when her knight in shining armor shows up. Bryce is a trans man. He went to school with a Chelsea pre transition. He is caring and genuine. Just a perfect individual.
They have their ups and downs but it is truly a great love story.
I didn’t like the cover. Chelsea is a “fat” and proud person it seems but there is skinny person on the cover. Just doesn’t make sense to me.
All in all a good quick read!

Get ready to meet Chelsea, a chef who’s finally landed her own cooking show and moves back to her small home town in Duchesne to shoot it. It’s here she runs into Bryce, a trans guy she’d known of from high school who is an academic advisor at the local college.

I was so excited for the premise of the story - both with the food focus, and having great representation with a trans inclusive relationship.

I think for me, however, the book fell a little flat. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Rey’s previous books, but something about this storyline just didn’t grab me. Everything felt a little easy with Chelsea and Bryce’s relationship - they kind of got together quick and that was that for the most part. Of course there was a little of the usual relationship drama, but it still felt a little lacking, and Bryce was a little bit of a super Mr. Nice Guy, on the edge of boring.

Also, I have to address the cover. I loved that this book featured a proud curvy chef; perhaps if the cover embraced the traits of the main character as well, it would enhance the message even further and feel more cohesive to the story.

Not a win for me, but a quick read none-the-less if you want a “quick and cosy”.

Unfortunately this book wasn't meant for me. I like books with straight people as a couple. Hopefully someone else will enjoy this book

This is a sweet slice of life style book about a chef who moves back to her hometown to launch a cooking show and falls in love with a transgender man who she knew pre transition in high school. This is a standalone sequel in a series, though you don't have to read the first book first- I haven't read the first book and was able to follow everything.

I love that this book shows a queer couple in the deep south who are out, proud, and supportive. I loved that both their romance arc, and the plot outside the relationship were fairly low stakes. The book really is following their life through the first few months of their relationship, hence the "slice of life" comparison.

There were some moments of the story that felt rushed and glossed over- for instance, the FMC returns from a trip were both parties were anxious about her return, yet their reunion was skipped and we went to the next week. There were some other instances like this, where an upcoming event was mentioned then completely skipped. It really felt like the town could have been fleshed out a bit more as well. However, this book is a standalone in a series, so maybe the setting was developed more in the first book.

This has a strong pluses for me going into it. It is a stand alone sequel to You Again featuring two of my favorite Rey characters, Kate and her precocious daughter Harper. Kate’s brother Bryce (who appeared in You Again) is a trans guy and works as an academic advisor at a nearby college. He loves small town country living and is especially tied to the community that supported his transistion including his sister and extended family. Chelsea Boudreaux left town for culinary school. She is returning 15 years later to Duchesne, Louisiana and is getting to host her own Food Network cooking show. She describes herself as fat, queer and femme. It is her brand and style.

I liked the characters and their diversity. But their interactions seem more lust driven than romance. They are intimate fairly early without expectations of feelings. I love the cooking show aspect of the story but Chelsea’s past needs some work. I’m not sure what brought her back to her home town. She doesn’t have any friends or previous connections only her judgmental mother. I get there can’t be any flash backs to high school because that would have been pre-transition for Bryce but I’m still missing the draw for her. Bryce is a simpler character, very sweet and people pleasing. And the banter and conversations between the couple are honest and fun. But there were times I was waiting for something to happen to make things more interesting.

I was happy to return to Duchesne and if the author wants to write another book about Madison (or other characters) I’m going to line up to read it. This one just didn’t tick all my boxes. Also hate to be negative about a cute cover. But if the character is proudly fat, why isn’t that depicted on the cover as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Roux for Two is another great read by Aurora Rey. Chelsea and Bryce are well written main characters and you can't help but root for both of them. If you are looking for a sweet love story that is an easy read with little angst this is a good choice.

I really enjoyed Roux for Two.
I laughed, I learned things and I said "aw" mentally, a lot.
This was my first romance with a trans character as a love interest and it was fantastic.
It was written with sensitivity and fun, hot scenes and cute kids.
Super sweet, low angst and easy to read.
The only thing that could have made it better is if there were some of Chelsea's recipes included.
I received an advance copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I appreciate the diversity of the characters and their interactions. Bryce and Chelsea made a wonderful couple with strong chemistry. I was pleased to see the family and friend support which is so important to creating a strong story for all types of couples. This is my first story by this author, but it will not be my last!

I loved the cooking show aspect of this and found the characters very likable. A sweet romance with small town vibes.

Chelsea had little confidence because of overbearing mother who puts her down. She gets a chance after a scandal to show her mother that she is a success when she gets a chance to film her Southern cooking in her hometown Duchesne, Louisiana. Bryce is a college academic advisor who loves his family and hometown and I love that this is a character from a previous book that I was hoping will get a story it’s nice to see the author gave him his own love story. This was such a sweet romance with little angst I enjoy the characters Chelsea and Bryce have sweets moments I like that Chelsea friend Jada help her see she had everything in her reach enjoy the cooking aspect.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

I’m sure there are people who will enjoy this book. Unfortunately I was not one of those people. There was little conflict, and the characters seemed too sweet and personality-less.

I loved the concept of the cooking show and had a lot of fun reading about it. I just want to know why the cover features someone super skinny when the main character is not.

Sorry to say this was not my favorite book by Aurora Rey. I liked the two MCs and the premise seemed interesting but the story just didn't hold my interest. The sex scenes were pretty spicy and I liked to see the trans and curvy lady representations.
Beyond that the interactions of the MCs just were surface level and there's no real talk of feelings until 80% into the book. Their scenes together seem rushed to me and feel incomplete and I just didn't feel the evolution of their relationship. It was an ok read though but wasn't quite to the level I have seen from Rey in the past.
I will say that I wish the cover was more representative of Chelsea. It's great to see a bit of diversity in the book and I love the cover itself but it doesn't feel like a good depiction of the character it's meant to represent.
Overall it was an ok if boring read but I'll continue to look out for future books by Rey because I've definitely enjoyed her past releases.

The blurb of this book says it all: It turns out love is like a good gumbo—what seems simple is complex, and the best results require a bit of courage. And like all the recipes say...First, you make a roux.

What seems like a simple task, and maybe the first, when you write a book is to have an engaging story, fun characters, and of course, it needs to be well-written. For me, this book only ticks the well-written box. I'm sorry to report that this book was just boring. The first 15% actually annoyed me. When writing a plus-sized character (which I'm all for) this is the way to do it in my opinion. It felt a lot like fat shaming. The cover played a big role in that as well. You have a somewhat confident curvy woman as your main character and you put some sort of stick in the cover? Sorry, that just doesn't fly….
The courage aspect was available, writing a trans character like this isn't something you see too often and I think that's done well.

Do you know what all recipes say? Season! This book definitely needed some seasoning. Don't get me wrong, not on the intimate parts, there is plenty of innuendo and sexy time.
The story and the characters are flat and never really held my attention. I couldn't wait to finish it. It was just boring.

This book was the perfect small town vibe. I'm not usually a fan of the insta-love sort of trope, but I feel that these characters really worked to end up together. They had their own obstacles to overcome before they could really commit to one another and I appreciate the authenticity of that story line. Seeing Chelsea get more confident in her own skin with Bryce's help was really sweet, and I feel like her insecurities hit home for a lot of people. The conflict with her mother, her views on her appearance and her general lack of confidence in herself are all incredibly relatable and I think these point were all addressed well throughout the story.

The romance plot was sweet, I loved the cooking show aspect of things and all the secondary characters just melted my heart. Thanks for this awesome read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with this ARC, however all opinions are my own.

Now, in terms of the representation, I loved Roux for Two. Every character had such an energy to them and nobody was ever othered.

However, I feel like that’s all that Roux for Two had going for it. I finished this book a few hours ago and somehow forgot the characters names already?? This book was fun, don’t get me wrong, it just wasn’t memorable at all.

They got together too early in the book imo. There was NO pining, no angst. I love a light and fluffy romance as much as anyone, but this book had nothing else going for it.

Harper was my favourite character though. She was an absolute icon.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly recommend if you’re looking for a sweet romance with low angst. This is the first book I’ve read that featured a trans main character. Absolutely loved this novel/the plot.

Thank you Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the ARC

I just adore cooking romances or mysteries. And this romances was good. I enjoyed the storyline.
I just reviewed Roux for Two by Auroa Rey. #RouxforTwo #NetGalley
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