“He realises now that he was missing a secret ingredient all along: a little dash of love”

If you’re a fan of work place romance with grumpy-meets-sunshine thrown in, then this book is for you!

It’s sweet & ridiculously romantic with some steamy scenes for good measure. Kwan’s dialogue is sassy, fun and at times a little cringey but it’s a rom-com, so who cares?

I felt as though the storyline rushed a little in parts, not allowing the characters to really get to know each other before they become “best friends”. The intertwined story of Eden & her parents is quickly forgotten after the first few chapters.

Overall, an enjoyable read that I would recommend to others.

I look forward to reading more of Kwan’s books in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an opportunity to read KNIVES, SEASONING, AND A DASH OF LOVE for honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC

Looking for foodie romance anyone? This was a grumpy x sunshine, workplace, enemies to lovers romance with good banter and dialoge. I liked the Chinese representation and how Chang fought the become a Michelin Chef. I think Eden and Chang's relationship progressed naturally and realistically. I also really liked that the book was set in a restaurant, a fun setting I haven't read to much of before. A quick and enjoyable read

I love restaurant settings, so for La Rouge to be the backdrop for KNIVES, SEASONING, AND A DASH OF LOVE's romance was the ... chef's kiss.

I really enjoyed Eden and Shang's story of coming together, overcoming various obstacles, and staying together.

Unfortunately, the plot fell flat for me for most of the book.

Call me old fashioned, but I enjoy the long game, the, well, longing game. So when the love interests get together too early in the book, as was the case here, the plot for a romance flips to more of women's fiction. I believe it was around the 30 to 40 percent mark they get together ... everything else became boring. At least to me.

Each character had baggage and that helped push the plot along somewhat. Eden and Shang helped each other to become better, but... something was missing once they were "together."

I am all on board with open bedrooms, but this was perhaps too focused on the very descriptive sizzle and not enough anticipation.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-copy of KNIVES, SEASONING, AND A DASH OF LOVE to review.

I rate KNIVES, SEASONING, AND A DASH OF LOVE three out of five stars.

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love didn't ever really get its footing with me. The novel is set in a Michelin star restaurant, where the chef Alexander Chen has just hired a new sous chef (Eden). It is hard to get to the things that bothered me without spoilers. I will say that this restaurant sure does give everyone time off to hang out together (like normal evening hours). There are quirks that I think in this time of so many restaurant tv shows, that most people would find a little far fetched (besides the chef and sous chef having multiple days off together). But it is a ROM COM so who cares. The whole thing felt a bit too much, like there wasn't time for the characters to get to know each other, because all the plot threads. I will absolutely read another one of Kwan's books - her dialogue is sassy and fun. Oh and her spicy scenes are just right. But this book was not a hit with me. I read an ARC

This book was a litteral chef's kiss, pun intended.
If you're a fan of grumpy male characters with a dash of sweetness this book is for you!

It has the perfect blend of spice and plot, the characters grows and you'll be swept into this story.

Right from the start I was rooting for Alexander and Eden, this book made me laugh and squeal. It was cleverly written and as a debut novel, such a hit. I'll be keeping my eyes open for Katarina because her writing really is special.

This was really fun and spicy and fulfilling to read, while also extremely Reylo-coded. If you know, you know! Also: this book WILL make you hungry. Is it lunch time yet?

Alexander is the famous French chef.
He has a lot to prove as a chinese-american chef and is known as cranky and grumpy. He falls for his inexperienced sous chef....

Love how fun this book is. Love Eden and Alexander. Love the cooking details. Also enjoy the rest of the main characters. There are some sensitive topics but they were all dealt with beautifully.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Fun contemporary romance with likeable characters and solid plot lines that backed up the character development/actions

I really wanted to like this book but I'm not sure if it was the digital formatting or if it was just the structure of the book that I couldn't really get into. It was hard to root for them or care about them. The summary made me want to care about them but the story was lacking something.

This book was honestly a little all over the place. For starters, I absolutely love the idea of a culinary romance. While I believe that the concept was great, it wasn't executed to reach its full potential. The pacing felt off, and there would be strange long halts of the main plot in order to give attention to a side plot. The romance felt very insta-lovey, so when the main couple got together, it didn't feel satisfying. Also, lots of mentioning on how tiny the FMC is. However, I do have to give the book credit for how it handled the various family-oriented discussions, specifically as it applies to their backstories. Those were the moments that truly made me feel something. Overall, it's Reylo fanfiction. If that is your thing, this may be worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this advanced copy. You can pick up Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love on August 27, 2024.

I downloaded this book when I was in the mood for a chef romance -- and I have no doubt this book delivers on sizzling tension, wicked banter, and mouth-watering food descriptions. Unfortunately, I couldn't get invested in the story when I picked it up, which is likely more due to my fluctuating mood than the book itself. I might pick it up again in the future, but based on the first few pages, it doesn't seem to be for me (at least right now).

Honestly, maybe it’s because I’ve been reading so many smut-filled fantasy books lately that I’d forgotten what other books are like, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

The character descriptions at the beginning were amazing, and the way the author incorporated the kitchen was truly chef’s kiss. I would give you the direct quote, but since the book is still undergoing some final editing, I’ll refrain from adding any.

If you like the classic ‘Cinderella plot’ then you definitely need to add this book to your tbr. Alexander would 100% buy Eden a brand new pair of glass slippers.

It’s also very insta lovey:

Alexander on the outside: 👹You all suck at your jobs 👹

Alexander on the inside: 😇 Eden is so pretty 😇

While I dislike insta-love and don’t typically go for Cinderella plots, I quite liked this book. It has a really good balance of all the tropes—just enough helpless FMC but still competent, and just enough asshole MMC but still likable. There are some cringe moments typical of romcoms, but not enough to make me close the book in secondhand embarrassment. Overall, this is a pretty balanced and enjoyable romance.

However, the story really falls off towards the middle. I was thoroughly enjoying the book, but around chapters 12 or 13, I found myself thinking, Nooo, what’s happening?

It felt like a complete shift in character behavior. The story did pick back up for me, but it suffered from some pacing issues. That’s why this is a solid 3 star book for me—still enjoyable but definitely not the best thing I’ve ever read. While the issues were resolved rather quickly, the book still felt long.

Also, others have mentioned in their reviews that the dialogue can be a bit cringey, and I’ll agree. But honestly, if romcoms are your jam, you probably won’t mind the occasional cringe. It’s not that bad and definitely has its cute moments.

That said, I would still highly recommend this book if you’re into cooking. I had a lot of fun discovering new foods I had never heard of before. I do wish they had included pictures of the dishes they were making or something similar.

This reads like a fanfiction written by a fledgling 15 year old… girl needs an editor. It falls into the trap that is Mary Sue as heck and suffers telling the story vs showing it problem. I would not recommend, however I did finish so it gets 2 stars.

Knives, Seasoning, & A Aash of Love gives you all the sweet rom com feels. With two chef mcs this book mixes grumpy x sunshine and workplace romance so perfectly. The dynamic between Eden and Alexander made this book so fun to read and nearly impossible to put down.

I love the development of these characters. Not only are they facing their own challenges while supporting eachother, they truly build together. Their chemistry is so beautifully written. The friendships from the supporting characters added so much to their story.


Kwan address some harder topics with such grace and sensitivity. You are really shown some struggles in the culinary world, including racism and burn out. One of the best aspects to this book is seeing the mcs and the supporting characters supporting eachother through these issues.

Katrina Kwan’s debut novel is a satisfying and spicy novel filled with lots of delicious tension!

The book focuses on Alexander Chen, one of the most talented chefs in the industry and his newly hired sous chef, Eden Monroe. Eden… maaaay have embellished her resumé a bit (ok a lot) to get the job, but she was desperate. Alexander is extremely hard working and expects nothing but perfection in his kitchen and quickly finds himself butting heads with Eden more frequently than anyone else. There’s definitely something spicy cooking up between them, but is it loooove?

The writing style is just so witty and fun in this book! Katrina does an excellent job of setting up the plot and it shows in how well the story flows. Plus, the chef-y details are accurate which makes me, a culinary management graduate, quite happy.

Eden and Alexander have EXTREME amounts of chemistry. Like, woah. Spicy!!! I was expecting my kindle to catch fire at points. The pair of them work SO WELL together both on the line and off.

Plus, the side characters are all very well fleshed out and add to the overall enjoyment of this book! I just love this book you guys. It’s soooo good.

If you want a fun, engaging romcom that features food (and who doesn’t want that!) and spice then I HIGHLY recommend you check this book out! It’s amazing. You won’t regret it!

Thanks to Penguin Random House, NetGalley and Katrina Kwan for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

RATING AND OVERALL THOUGHTS:

3.75 stars. This book is like a dessert that has lots of sweetness and spicy topping but suffers from a pinch too much salt.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD

---

“Just because things are hard right now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on you. You were there for me, and now I’m going to be here for you.”

“In the end, it didn’t even matter how much he sharpened his knives or how well he seasoned his dishes. He realizes now that he was a secret ingredient all along: a little dash of love.”

WHAT I LOVED:

- I did actually really like all the characters. They were played off really well. I love how the MCs were two sides of the same coin in both personality and their trauma.
- I love how they both took care of each other at their lowest. Some of the best moments were during these scenes.
- I always love found family and this cast was amazing.
- Loved the descriptions of food. It made me *so hungry*.
- Alexander/Shang’s pinch point was given the proper attention except for the uncle. The dialogue on that was a bit weird I think. The sentiment was there though.
- I loved that they opened up their own restaurant and that it was featuring all their comfort foods. I am proud of myself for calling it early that they would open a restaurant together.
- The descriptions of depression and the feelings of being worthless hit hard. Really both of their emotions during their lowest moments were so raw.
- The multiple epilogues and the bonus chapter were just so cute!

WHAT I DISLIKED:

- The instalove is fine, its the lack of the plot afterwards that was a problem. It was like a mozzarella stick that half the cheese filling fell out while cooking. Empty pockets of cheese filled with air. I also thought the progression of their relationship had happened over a longer period of time but it was like less than two months. I think it could’ve benefited if there had been more time that passed even if it was mentioned in passing.
- There was absolutely no reason to have that many scenes with the doctor to talk about STI’s and contraceptives. Honestly none of that was needed. More time was spent on this than Eden’s own backstory coming to a head.
- There were more sex scenes than needed (again empty air), the dialogue during it was cringe.
- Eden’s pinch point could’ve been solved for muchhhhhhhh cheaper and faster. Like girlypop didn’t think to put out ads in the newspapers in her town, do an Ancestry test, social media scouring, actually go to her hometown, *anything* before hiring a hot shot PI? Like Hector did some sleuthing on her without hiring a PI and dug up dirt. On top of that it was so anti-climatic during it.
- I didn’t like Eden deadnamed him not once but *twice* during an argument. Sure there is the argument that he truly didn’t want to be called Alexander but at the time he didn’t *know* that and not respecting his wishes was too much. I feel like she was forgiven to quickly for that. Maybe I took this personally since I struggle still with people not making the switch to call me by my middle name, a name that has always been there.
- There were a lot of chapters that were just mindless padding and added nothing to the story.
- Can authors stop with the redhead disses? Its 2024. I am not even a redhead.
- I also need all authors to remove *mewl* from their lexicon.
- As much as I love Sebastian and Hector getting their just deserts, the confrontation with them had the same energy as trying to be explosions in the background as the MCs walked off.

WHAT I AM NOT SURE ABOUT/WANTED MORE OF:

- This had just as many health code violations as Ratatouille.
- The MMC smokes. Just ew. This is just a personal ick.
- It needed editing. Especially with transitions to a new scene. It was abrupt several times and I had to reread just to reorient myself. Like one moment they were in the car and then it jumped to him being in his own bed without even a simple, “And they walked into her apartment where she explained xyz to him before he went home.” It happened multiple times.
- Not sure how they spent a bunch of time without jobs after quitting La Rouge with no income coming in and then being able to just buy a restaurant and fix it up but sure, okay.

High end restaurant story. High energy is needed to keep the kitchen in good working order. But Alexander is burnt out, tired of the stress. The owner is demanding and uses ultimatums to keep the kitchen is upheaval. Lying is immediate dismissal. The new sous chef adds calm to the kitchen and let a romance begin. A cute story, good setting and interesting interactions.

Rating: 3.5 (rounded up)
Did you catch up on all the episodes of 'The Bear' and need to get your next fix with a "little dash of love?" Gather here!

“𝐸𝒹𝑒𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝒿𝓊𝒹𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻𝑜𝑜𝒹... 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎'𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝓌𝑜 𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓇𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒.
𝒮𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓇𝒶𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝓅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹.
𝒜𝓁𝑒𝓍𝒶𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓈--- 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁--- 𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝒶 𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓀, 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉.”

As someone who wants an IV drip of grumpy x sunshine every day if I could, this story did the trick. I enjoyed the tension between the two main characters from the beginning to the point I wish it lasted a bit longer (but I also understand the direction since this story wasn't just about the romance, there was so much more to unpack here). Also, I would NOT classify this book as an enemies to lovers (in case you are going into this book excited about that trope). I enjoyed the workplace in the romance in the restaurant setting to the point I think I will be seeking out more books with that trope to itch that itch again. There is also a lot of spicy talk between the two characters so if that is your thing, extra points. The play on "hunger" for food and each other was played so beautifully between them.

The details the author put into selling the setting with the food descriptions had me feeling like I was watching a behind-the-scenes documentary of a haute cuisine kitchen always maintaining that balance of chaotic harmony. Honestly, I am warning you about reading this at night without a snack because I was absolutely in pain from craving everything they were making. The cultural cuisine references also made me so happy! So much of our culture is in the food and the author did an amazing job representing that while making it fun to read about.

Aside from the romance and food, the story also hits on some heavy topics related to cultural identity and abandonment issues. The book represents thought topics to focus on, but I felt like some of the issues just got rushed and resolved towards the end. I would have appreciated more focus on these heavy topics rather than feeling like it was being swept to get to an ending. Also, this is more of a personal reading preference, but having dual POVs that alternated often with a 3rd person POV was a bit jarring to start. Eventually, I got used to the writing, but it was an interesting take.

Overall, this was my first read from this author and I'm looking forward to more things from her! And thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.

If this book were a dish, it'd be white rice with plain chicken breast. Healthy, nutritious, but profoundly bland and unexciting. No salt, no seasonings, no flavor. Food but not a meal.

The book was structed in alternating POVs between Eden and Alexander, our two main characters, and written in 3rd person in such a way that I could hear Sir David Attenborough in my mind narrating everything in his world-famous nature documentary style. Needless to say, I struggled to get into this book.

And going back to my culinary analogy, just like chicken and rice can be plain and tasteless or insanely flavorful and mouthwatering depending on how they're prepared, this book too had the ingredients for a delicious meal but failed on the execution of the dish.

First, it went too hard on the insta-love. Second, it presented serious issues that were barely explored—just exploited as plot devices and promptly swept under the rug once they'd served their purpose. Third, it was simply not properly set up to provide the emotional journey it intended to deliver. And fourth, and least important, there were some seriously outdated pop culture references (which could have been fun in the right context, but felt cringe here).

Eden had some abandonment trauma that was seriously deep seated but conspicuously ignored. Alexander had his own emotional issues that got barely acknowledged until it was needed for the plot to move forward. They both had significant baggage and needed some real help from a therapist, but their struggles came and went and never got properly addressed.

I like lighthearted books, I like angsty books, but they're distinct and separate for a reason. You can't make light of emotionally heavy experiences that leave behind deep wounds just as you can't cheapen serious experiences just to throw in a little drama into an otherwise cheery and cute story. You end up with something weird and unpleasant, like adding salt instead of sugar to a cup of coffee.

More time should have been dedicated to explore and delve into the events that'd scarred our protagonists and how it'd affected their adult lives, since their own personal struggles were the one thing that negatively affected and almost ended their relationship. I needed more insight into their psyches, so that when it finally came time for them to confront and overcome their issues, there would have been a sense of victory and accomplishment. Either that, or a lighter obstacle should have been picked for them to conquer if it wasn't going to be developed properly.

In the end, there were knives, there was love, but the seasoning was sadly missing.

I enjoyed the spice in this one. 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 definitely enjoyed those scenes.

Other than those scenes, the story felt inconsistent. It seemed like the main characters changed personalities and motivations frequently. The MMC definitely had the “grumpy for everyone but her” thing going. But even that didn’t last. And the FMC had a lot of unresolved trauma that seemingly just resolved itself in the end. The ending was very rushed.

I wanted to enjoy this one, and I really liked the setting. But it ended up not being my favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley for my review copy.