This was a cute rom com! I don't read many with cooking premises and so I was intrigued not just by the romance and chemistry but the setting and the job as well.

Would recommend for those looking for a little angst and a lot of banter.

All she has to do is fly under the radar. It's just a shame that she and her new boss butt heads more often than they fulfill orders. But what happens when things finally boil over, and they discover the feelings between them are spicier than they ever imagined?

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan is a sweet and spicy workplace romance that will make you hungry and thirsty! The characters were interesting, the workplace dynamic created great drama, the plot was mostly believable and the spicy scenes were HOT!

I enjoyed the spice in these 2 characters, Workplace romance always adds an air of taboo to the story. Making out in the walk-in freezer and sneaking around on their day off. I enjoyed those scenes.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Country Press & Review, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is a spicy contemporary romance debut by Katrina Kwan.

When Eden fakes her way into a sous chef position at upscale restaurant La Rouge, she didn't know she'd be working for a former culinary school classmate. Alexander Chen is a force to be reckoned with inside his kitchen. He expects perfection and will stand for no less. When he doesn't recognize Eden, she realizes she doesn't recognize the nice guy she knew back in school.

Eden is a resilient character who, although short in stature, stands up to Alexander when no one else will. She's determined to last at La Rouge and save enough money to search for her parents. Alexander is a man with anger issues, who has lost his passion for cooking. Together, they make a great team...until owner Sebastian shows up. Rina, Freddie, and Peter, other kitchen workers, are great side characters.

This was spicier than I normally read, I'm more of a Hallmark-esque reader, but there a few spicy scenes. I would say it's maybe a three out of five on the spice scale. Not extremely graphic, but not closed-door either.

All in all, this was a great debut romance. If you enjoy a good kitchen story, banter, and interesting characters, then this is for you!

Thank you to @PenguinRandomHouse and @NetGalley for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Alexander urgently needs a sous chef. Eden desperately needs a job- even if she has to lie on her resume a little. Neither of them expect to see each other, reuniting years after meeting at culinary school, especially since Alexander has changed his name, become an almost celebrity chef, and seemingly has no memory of Eden. In the heat of the kitchen, both struggle to balance family drama, workplace subterfuge, and the spark of romance between them that neither can ignore.

"There’s something ravenous in her eyes. Something seductive and dangerous. It’s pure, unadulterated hunger. They’re both chefs. They should know."

I had a good time reading this! Alexander and Eden were enjoyable to read, and I appreciated the amount of characterization they were given. Both had interesting, complicated backstories, which isn’t something I can say for a lot of fluffy romance books. The romance itself was very sweet and fast paced, and the plot prioritizes their relationship (to its benefit and detriment, depending on what you’re looking for as a reader). I’m not personally drawn to the fluffy romance genre, so most of my critiques are just a matter of taste. Events unfold very smoothly for the main cast, and the climax is settled cleanly and easily. The love interests fall for each other quickly and their issues are resolved just as fast.

That being said! This book absolutely has an audience that’s not me. I would definitely recommend this for romance readers who love a true HEA with very few conflicts. Even more so, I would recommend this to fans of The Bear, especially the ones who wish Carmen/Sydney spent their time a little differently in the kitchen lol.

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is a grumpy-sunshine, workplace romance and a wonderful debut for Kwan. I really enjoyed to story and the broody MMC only got squishy for the FMC, I also enjoyed that Eden worked hard even under false pretense to try and get head and held her own without backing down. The only thing I didn't care for was the third person POV but that's such a personal preference. I think many will enjoy this romance. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Loved this spicy chef romance by indie-turned-trad-published author Katrina Kwan! This book wasn't out for very long under indie publishing before it got pulled for traditional publishing, and I was so excited to get an ARC of this!

If you like The Bear but want more romance, look no further! I loved the two main characters, Eden and Alexander, and the struggles the two of them went through. They both had very singular issues to sort through, which made for some great angst and conflict between the two but also made for fantastic character development and relationship building.

The side characters were fantastic comedic relief but also showcased some really great friendships. I loved how easily these characters welcomed Eden into the fold.

The romance was great, although it did progress a bit too quickly for me. I tend to like a bit more slow burn, and this was pretty hot and heavy pretty quickly. I also felt like they fell in love extremely fast. I did like the angst and conflict between the two and felt like the struggles in the relationship were realistic, if maybe a tad dramatic. I enjoyed how the conflict was resolved and the two made up and laid plans for the future.

The epilogue(s) was very cute, although I'm not sure it was really needed.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this novel and will definitely be reading more from Katrina Kwan. I am excited to see how her writing improves with time, although it's already pretty great! I'm looking forward to her take on fantasy coming up next!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I just loved this workplace romance so much! Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for this ebook. If you are a Foodie and love romance all in one, this book is definitely it. Alexander (aka: Shang) is a Grump but with Eden coming along to make him bearable is so cute! They learn the hard way that family and love can make everything better in the long run. Such a great book.

Loved everything about this book, amazing . Definitely enjoyed the banter, the romance . The set up was really fun and engaging.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Alexander Chen is an established haute cuisine chef who has already received 3 Michelin stars. He runs his kitchen with an iron fist, quick to rise to temper and does not put up with mistakes or incompetence. His staff are afraid of him and as a result he loses his sous chef and without much time to interview a new sous, he offers the job to the person who seems to have the most experience - Eden.

Eden knows Alexander from culinary school a long time ago, but she didn't get to study there long so it's no surprise he doesn't remember her. But this works in her favour as he has no idea she lied on her resume. Luckily, she's a good chef with good instincts and an incredibly quick learner.

Almost from the start, the two of them click even without seeming to realise and Eden takes some of the edges off Alexander. She's not afraid to stand up to him and she helps to bridge the gap between him and the rest of the chefs in the kitchen, telling him that people respond much better to positive reinforcement. Alexander is amazed to find out she's right!

It doesn't take long for the two of them to acknowledge their feelings for each other and one night after a few drinks, things start to get hot and heavy between them but Alexander wants to do it right - he's never felt like this about anyone.

I loved both characters, they both had pasts they needed to reflect on and find closure about. With the support of the other, they're both able to achieve this and it helps them both to realise what it is that makes them happy and what they want from life. Eden helps Alexander realise he's lost his passion for cooking and food in general and that he needs to allow himself a chance to relax and find something that makes him happy again.

I thought they balanced each other out really well and even though they have a big argument early on in their relationship, they're actually able to reflect on it like well-rounded adults and realise they both said things they shouldn't have. Plus there is no third act break up!

I'd have preferred to have the story told in first person dual POV rather than a third person narrative but it worked as we still got to see things from the perspective of each character.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This was a beautiful workplace read that personally sent me back to when I was in catering and met my partner. Not too much spice and quite a descriptive read. I enjoyed the plot and the different characters and their relationships.

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love
Book: Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love
Author: Katrina Kwan
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is an entertaining debut novel by author Katrina Kwan. The characters were well-developed, and the story had me engaged the entire time throughout. It was refreshing to read about both an FMC as well as an MMC who were vulnerable and who were navigating their emotions in their respective lives and scenarios. I appreciated this as we normally see only one main character’s true feelings throughout a story, and it is usually female characters that this is portrayed from. All characters in the story were relatable and had their humorous moments which I also enjoyed.

It was also fun to learn more culinary terminology throughout and follow along with how the characters navigated their careers in the kitchen, as well as their coworker romance. The romance was portrayed tastefully, and I was rooting for them to have a happy ending from pretty much the beginning!

I enjoyed this book so much I had to pick up a physical copy! I would recommend it to anyone looking for a lighthearted contemporary romance.
It is more emotionally charged than I thought it would be, and I appreciated the depth of the writing that was put into the story.
I look forward to Katrina Kwan’s future books, and I will be following along with her author journey as this was one of my favourite reads of this year!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an ARC Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love.

Friends to enemies to lovers.
Found family.
3 spice scenes. 1 make out scene.
Alexander has sacrificed everything to make his spot in the restaurant world. Which has made him lose sight of happiness.
Eden is the new sous chef but has to hope he doesn't remember her from their past. She is so close to saving enough money and this 3 Michelin star restaurant is her key.

I thought their fears and hardships were real and understandable. Eden may have been a little delusional but I understood her denial and hope.
Shang and Eden complement each other and each give each other pieces of themselves that were lost. Shang's conversation with his uncle was powerful and showed having to work to repair damaged relationships, while others come more easily. Their coworkers seem to accept Alexander/Shang as soon as he puts forth the effort to spend time with them and know them. I loved how everyone came together at the end and made their own family unit.
I felt the presentation of each struggle was done very well and you felt the emotions of the characters and were rooting for them to find their happiness.

Absolutely charming! I thoroughly enjoyed Knives, Seasoning and a Dash of Love and will be looking forward to more about Shang and Eden. I will also look for the previous book because Katrina Kwan wrote such a great read I need to try another.

Thanks to #netgslley, the publisher, #randomhousecanada and the author @katrinakwan for this ebook to read. Review opinions are my own.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

This is a fun read, especially if you're a fan of kitchen romances (the comparison to the movie No Reservations is extremely apt). It's sweet and spicy with notes of deeper themes running throughout, and very much chock full of found family vibes. Really, if you liked No Reservations, you're probably going to like this!

For sensitive readers, this book contains references to past child abuse and neglect as well as traumatic events. It also contains depictions of racism, misogyny, and graphic sexuality.

This is a delightful romance novel with heartwarming family themes that make it an easy and enjoyable read. The romance is as passionate as the cooking, and no romance novel would be complete without a nemesis, which this one delivers perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Alex Chen is one of the hottest chefs in the area of French haute cuisine, but his love for food is waning. When Eden Monroe joins his kitchen, he finds that the adorably perky sous chef is sparking his interest, not just for food but also in her. But Eden has a secret: she never finished culinary school. If she's found out, her career would be over, and she'd never get the money she needs to find her family. Can these two chefs navigate the kitchen and their growing feelings, or will everything implode?

I absolutely loved this book. Kwan does an excellent job of building incredibly likable characters and putting them in a high-stakes setting while building a beautiful romance. She does a great job of building the tension as the stakes grow, and I was so worried, she would break my heart with an awful third-act breakup. Spoiler alert: thankfully, there isn't one (I hate them so much!). Instead, readers get a great story about two characters finding themselves and learning what is important. I highly recommend this read!

Eden Monroe just landed an incredible job as a sous chef at one of the most prestigious restaurants. It is an amazing opportunity, however she may have embellished on her resume, and now she is working for an incredibly talented chef with an even more impressive temper. She’s going to do everything she can to fly under the radar, so that she can keep her job and save money she desperately needs to hire a private detective. Except she keeps finding the attention of her hot boss, who seems to have a soft spot for her.

I enjoyed sweet, hard-working Eden and the group of friends that she cultivated at work. There were even elements of Alexander and his soft spot for Eden that I enjoyed. However this story lacked a sense of place and time that I found far more distracting than I typically do. I also found both main characters’ secondary challenges to be somewhat juvenile, with Alexander blaming his boss for his own choices and Eden’s naivete about what she lost and her obsession about saving the money to find it. I was rooting for them to find love and peace, but I won't be in a hurry to read the sequel.

3.5/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️ - medium spice

LOVES:
- The mysterious/secretive elements are intriguing though I felt like the reveals fell a little flat
- I feel pretty neutral about Shang/Alexander as a character on the whole, but something I did really love about him was the way he handled Eden during her crisis moments 🖤
- I love the little family they end up with and the way they work together as a team to create something great
- The ending was cute 🥰

CRITIQUES:
- There are quite a few random things throughout that don’t feel super realistic and are kind of frustrating to me
- Smoking 🤢 it will always be a 👎 for me
- It’s hard to really feel the connection between the main characters sometimes. At times it felt right, but at other times it felt a little forced or not developed enough.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book and there were some moments that I really liked. It fell kind of in the middle for me as far as ratings go.

This was cute but there wasn’t much for me to set it apart from other romances. I’m sure other people will read different things into it than I did, but it was just a sweet filler read for me. The relationship was really well written though and I did enjoy it.

I was interested in Alexander/Shang’s experience of racism in the cooking industry. It felt real and grounded in real life racism. It’s so important to talk about this sort of thing. I felt for him a lot.

There was a little too much sex for me, so if you like your books spicy this is a good one. I did worry a bit about the dynamic between Eden and Shang. I’m not sure I’m into Boss/employee relationships especially when he’s gifting her so much expensive stuff at the start of the relationship. I really had to suspend my discomfort especially at the start to be comfortable with it.

Cute, spicy romance. Nothing special for me, but fun anyway!