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!

Great story line and fantastic characters. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book. I think the plot was well paced and that the story takes places over a good amount of time. I also love that the author made the fmc's depression seem real and relatable. She done the same with the love and I enjoyed how all the loose ends were wrapped up and we get to see a glimpse into the future.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.

This one was cute! It was the perfect pallet cleanser I needed.

As someone who used to work in a kitchen (granted, not one as grand as this one), it felt realistic and really took me back. I like the main characters. I loved their interactions and their backstories.

The only part that had me frustrated was when Eden tried to push Alexander about his name when he wasn't ready because she thought she had a right for it, but the next chapter had her immediately feeling guilting and wanting to apologize, so it evened out quickly haha

Overall, this is a sweet read and if you want a cute little rom-com, this is the perfect one!

This is a fun foodie rom-com that delivers a touching and delicate love story in the midst of a fancy restaurant kitchen. Nothing earth shattering here, but a sweet guilty pleasure of a read.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

i had an exceptional time reading this. "Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love" has romance and found family within a fast-paced restaurant environment that is so fun to read. the one critique i have is: how could he possibly not remember her? that's just a turn of events that isn’t fitting and it sorta hurts that he never clues in. other than that, it heavily reminded me of a ‘No Reservations’ or ’Sweetbitter’ and if you are a fan of those, you’ll certainly be a fan of this book.

"Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love" by Katrina Kwan is a sizzling workplace romance that left me hungry for more. Alexander Chen, the brooding celebrity chef with a chip on his shoulder, and Eden Monroe, his fresh-faced but overqualified new hire, heat up the kitchen with their fiery chemistry and clashing personalities. This novel serves up a delectable mix of high-stakes culinary drama and emotional spice, as Eden's bubbly demeanor challenges Alexander's iron-fisted control in the kitchen. What I loved most is how Kwan masterfully blends intense workplace tension with a heartfelt romance, all while exploring the complexities of identity and ambition. The dynamic between Eden and Alexander is both steamy and compelling, making this book an irresistible treat for anyone who enjoys a romance with a side of kitchen drama.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this quick read about a celebrity chef and his novice employee turned love.

This was a sweet weekend read where you can ignore your responsibilities and be drawn into the web that is professional kitchens, where the pressure to perform, and maintain a facade at all costs come together in a workplace romance.

This is an example of a “lie” at the beginning of a relationship being able to be worked with well. The stretched truth becomes a catalyst for side characters to create tension. The two main protagonists are able to work around it in a lovely example of our MMC, Shan, being soft, forgiving and curious for Eden, our FMC.

To me, much of the story is informed by the insidious nature of systemic racism within an (imaginary example of) industry, it caused me pause and to consider the power of a name. Shan - Alexander gave so much of himself, including his mental health. I would have liked to see more explicit discussion around both elements.

With thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and the author, Katrina Kwan for the eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

A fun, workplace romance book! The plot flowed smoothly and the characters were fun to dive into. If you’re a fan of The Bear, I’m sure you’ll love something more light hearted like this!