Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Canada for this arc!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Enjoyed the concept of the story. Two chefs with immense talent and difficult pasts coming together to not only be a great team at work but also as real life partners.

My dislikes were the dialogue did not feel natural. It felt like too charactery as opposed to feeling like natural conversations. What was meant as cute banter fell very flat. I also feel that the main two characters did things that felt out of character? Their actions didn’t line up to what we the reader knew about them. The whole time we are led to believe how important this job is to our FMC but when she gets fired/quits she’s so flippant about it. The resolution of her missing parents was given one chapter even though we are told how important this is to her. Our MMC is supposed to be a disciplined renowned top chef but when he discovers our FMC lied about finishing culinary school he covers for her even though on the previous chapter he fired another employee for the exact same thing! Make it make sense?

Now clearly I still finished the book, and gave it 3 stars. There were some cute moments! I love the found family with the other restaurant employees (humor was strong with the side characters) and the spice scenes were good (now some of the pillow talk could’ve been better here too). The story felt strongest during the MMC reunion with his family. I felt the connection and I really cared about the outcome. It didn’t feel forced and you felt the love from his parents in those scenes. Overall this was a strong debut and with just a few tweaks I could see this author putting out even better work!

I had mixed emotions about this book. It started off really strong. Loved the strong characters and the bit of mystery but I think it needed a longer burn. The characters resolved their issues far too soon and it lead to some boredom in the middle of the book. The end was ok, not necessarily the resolution I was looking for with Eden’s family cut nice wrap up with Shangs family. Overall a decent read.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

An adorably cute book that I had trouble putting down. Perfect when not feeling good.

We love a grumpy/sunshine trope! This was a very fun read, and I felt like it hit all the markers I want in a romance, workplace romance, grumpy/sunshine romance! I really enjoyed the characters and felt they were fully developed, flawed people just trying to do their best and be their best. I also really loved this one as a fellow Rat - so good on ya for making me love my Reylo feels once again, but absolutely in a way that people not in the know wouldn't know.

Overall a pretty good quick romance read, it had aspects that reminded me of the bear, which I really liked, but I don’t know why so much of their relationship reminded me of the reylo dynamic, which normally I like but in this book due to the romance being so rushed with the insta love trope, it felt kinda forced instead of natural. I enjoyed the side characters who were quite fun to listen to as well as the detective subplot, made for quite an interesting motivation for the fmc.

If you're a fan of workplace romance, the grumpy-meets-sunshine trope blending with the "Bear" series concept, and want to scream with me "Yes, Chef!", this book is a great match for you!

Brooding, perfectionist, critical, moody Alexander Chen (a.k.a. Shang) and sunshiny, gold-hearted, easy-going, always-sees-good-in-people Eden Monroe seem like total opposites, but I loved their palpable chemistry and undeniably magnetic attraction. They're incredibly sweet together and great partners in the kitchen.

Their paths cross once again at French haute cuisine restaurant La Rouge, where Shang has changed his name to Alexander Chang. He's one of the top chefs in the industry leading the kitchen, and Eden is the brand new sauce chef, hired urgently after her predecessor quit. Eden has a big secret: she lied about her previous experience and references on her resume. She also didn't finish culinary school, where she met Alexander 9 years ago. Thankfully, Alexander doesn't recognize her, and he intends to test her capabilities in her position, which she's adamant not to lose. She needs to collect enough money for an important mission and is thick-skinned enough to fight against mean, critical people in the kitchen while keeping a smile on her face.

But she doesn't expect to become friends with the brooding chef who needs her help to create a new menu to satisfy the demanding owner Sebastian, who watches their every move like a hawk. Meanwhile, her colleague Hector is trying to replace her as sauce chef, bullying his way to get what he wants.

As Eden tries to find her way in the industry and searches for a big mystery about her past, she realizes her blooming friendship with Alexander is turning into something more intimate. Could they help each other heal from past burdens, becoming the best partners not just in the kitchen but in a relationship, and find their own paths?

Overall: This is a sweet, angsty, steamy romance you can easily get addicted to! Especially if you're a foodie who enjoys the romance-in-workplace concept, your name is written all over this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for sharing this lovely romance book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I love a food/restaurant-based book and this was no exception. Parts of this felt very ReyLo coded, but it's possible I've read too much fanfic. The pacing felt a bit fast in my opinion but I liked that there wasn't a second half break up. The plot felt relatively predictable but the characters really sparkled. I loved the cast of friends, the MMC's parents and all the food details.

RIYL The Love Hypothesis (It felt like the characters in this book would 100% be friends with the characters in that one somehow)

Fun and flirty and not afraid of the spice! I thought that the parts in the kitchen (think Bear) were the most effective. The romance happened a little fast and could've done without the two epilogues. Overall, a good read, 3.5 stars.

An adorable read! I started it thinking it would be another cute romance book (and it was) but i couldn't put it down. I read the whole thing in one sitting and that's how you know that a book is good (becuase I just couldn't put it down, needing to read what happens next).

Lovely read!

This book kind of felt like two stories mashed together. The beginning had a very different feel to the latter half and I much preferred the beginning.
I did read to the end but I had lost some interest by the finish.

I absolutely loved this book! Katrina Kwan's writing style flows so beautifully that I didn't want the story to end. It was impossible not to fall in love with both main characters, and even the side characters were a lot of fun. This book was steamy both in and out of the kitchen.
A spicy rom-com perfect for fans of The Bear :) A great debut novel!

This was so cute?!

I loved the banter and the communication.. the whole friendship group was just so adorable and i loved how they wasn't any unnecessary 3 act break up.

Just a book of fluff and fun and laughs..

My heart broke for Eden, when she found her dream.. but i also thought it was pretty realistic and amazingly written that sometimes dreams dont work out .. and that is fine!

Thank you netgalley for giving me this arc!

A rom com set in a kitchen. I didn't think I would love this one as much as I did. But who would have thought a restaurant kitchen would be a great setting for a rom com.

This was a fun romantic story that I didn't realize was Reylo fanfic. I found that out after reading the book, but it did not change my experience of enjoying the story.really enjoyed the devoured this book in a weekend

I loved this book! This was perfect for my recent vacation. A fun and romantic read with great character depth.
Also perfect for fans of the tv series "the bear" who wish it would come with just "a dash of" spice!
Now I need to practice my kitchen skills.
This will be an easy summer sell.

This book is a charming romantic comedy with a focus on the culinary arts. It's like a love story involving Gordon Ramsay - except he's a bit kinder and more eloquent Overall, it's a good read and I would definitely check out more books by this author. The ending tied up the story nicely and I was satisfied with how it all came together.

This book was amazing and I devoured this book in just a few sittings! I loved the character development and how the story progressed.

Okay, this honestly might be one of my favorites of the year. Definitely top ten. This was super quirky and cute, all of my favorite things. It was just pretty light, highly entertaining and I just really loved it

This was a very fun read! It is based on a Reylo fanfiction though, so know that going into this one.

Alexander (Shang) and Eden are well written characters and I enjoyed the time that we got in both of their POVs. There was sometimes jumpiness in the narration where I was uncertain of how much time had passed between scenes. If you suspended disbelief a bit, it didn't impact the story.

I enjoyed the progression and conflict between our characters - they usually talked through things, so the 3rd act strife didn't feel annoying or overwhelming. The secondary characters were also very fun, and I'm happy that they made as much of an impact as they did.

Rated 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

Headlines:
Head chef and sous chef
Secrets
Plates and feelings sizzling

I'd heard a little buzz about this one and I have a weakness for romance in the professional kitchen. Knives, Seasoning and a Dash of Love did not disappoint. Alexander was the head chef and employed Eden as sous chef. Eden had a host of secrets and lies (including her CV) but Alexander did too.

These two in the kitchen had some clashes early on, mostly in style of running a kitchen but they also had 100 oz of chemistry. Alexander was charismatic in his gruff shouting, life stresses but mostly in his internal draw to Eden. Eden was sweet, gifted in the kitchen and a great friend to all.

The background family stories to these two were great plot devices with a richness and value that was enjoyable following to their culminations. I loved where this story ended up, the freedom they found in life and in each other.

I love it when a grumpy MMC becomes happy in the right relationship. If you like that too, try this.

**Content warning: the MMC experiences racial slurs**