Review By Veronica

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is chef-kissed perfection, and I devoured it in one sitting.

Favourite Quote:

Eden doesn’t know how she missed him, but she had. Alexander is over by the bar, just having finished flagging down the bartender. Now that she knows he’s here, her eyes lock on to him immediately like some kind of homing beacon. Everyone else disappears, and he’s all she can focus on. Her heart skips a beat. 

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Alexander Chen is one of the most talented chefs to ever grace the culinary world of French haute cuisine. He rules his kitchen with an iron fist and fiery temper, so it’s no secret that if you can’t handle the heat, he’ll gladly toss you out with the trash. As one of the first Chinese-American chefs to claw his way to the top, he has a lot to prove and a massive chip on his shoulder.

But he wasn’t always like this. Eden Monroe, his newly hired sous chef—who may or may not have (definitely) embellished a lot on her resumé to land herself the job—knew him back when he still went by his real name, Shang. He used to be sweet and helpful and definitely not the second coming of the devil himself.

Eden won’t say anything, though, no matter how hot her curiosity burns. Especially if it could cost her this job, which she needs if she has any hope of hiring a private detective to find something she lost long ago.

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?

Gosh, it’s been a hot minute since I read a rom-com with a foodie twist to it. I forgot how much I love food talk in my books. This book is hands-down amazing! I am blown away by Katrina’s writing and her ability to create a fun, engaging story with just the right amount of spice. If you like a story with food talk that will have your stomach growling with hunger, this book will be for you. I felt like I could smell and taste the food that Eden and Shang were creating – it was so well done. The story is entertaining and hooks you right from the first chapter. 

I love it when an author takes a trope and puts their own unique spin on it. In this case, Katrina has taken the workplace romance trope and spun it so it takes place in this high-pressure, high-end restaurant environment. I loved this twist. The fast-paced, high-pressure work environment meant that we got to see these characters express heightened emotions that are often a result of being under a lot of stress. This means more drama, which we all know I love. I enjoyed just being in that kitchen with Eden and Shang and watching them work together. But it was also really wonderful to watch that working relationship change as Eden and Shang’s personal relationship developed. There is also this mystery surrounding Shang and his relationship with his boss, Sebastian, and also this mystery around what caused Shang to change into a cold and distant person. As a reader, you know that these two mysteries are probably connected, but you don’t know how. 

I adored Eden and Shang. Their characters are just so relatable and likeable. There is this grumpy sunshine feel to their relationship, which I loved. Eden is a glass half full kind of person. She tries to put a positive spin on every situation. She is also a natural in the kitchen. Watching her cook was great; her passion for food leaps from the pages. I just couldn’t help but root for her. Shang starts out as the typical broody, grumpy, don’t talk to me hero. But that soft side quickly comes out whenever he is alone with Eden. He feels that connection with her almost right away. It is pure catnip to my bookworm soul when a grumpy hero is only sweet and soft to the heroine. It just makes my heart pitter patter a little faster. Shang’s character grows tremendously in this story. When we first met him, he had lost his passion for cooking and didn’t know what to do to reignite that passion. Of course, as Shang spends time with Eden, he is going to start to remember why he loved cooking and what he really wants to do with his life. 

The romance was delicious, and it’s pretty clear that Katrina knows what makes a good rom-com. The chemistry between these two was so yummy and real. I loved their fun and witty banter. It was great seeing these two work together. But you know what makes their relationship so wonderful to me was the way they used food as a love language. Eden and Shang create dishes they think the other will love and dishes that mean something to them as a way of sharing their past with each other. It was such a unique way to build that connection between the two MCs. 

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is a satisfying and easy-to-love rom-com, and I would recommend it to any bookworm who loves books bursting with delicious food talk.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.