I expected a little more out of this romance book. I truly did not feel the characters connection with each other. They seem more of good friends than a couple in love. It just didn't gel with me at all. Like I tried to connect with the couple but I didn't see them as couple.

It’s definitely hot in the kitchen with Gwen and Logan. These two and their struggles and triumphs kept me flying through the pages. Simply wonderful,

This book is super cute. It wasn't quite what I was expecting going into it, but it was really good.

I reviewed this editorially for a publication the review does not belong to me

I wouldn't go out of my way to talk you into reading this book, but I also wouldn't discourage you from reading it if it was something you were into. I do like Rachel Goodman as an author (yes, her dialogue is a little awkward, but check out Sour Grapes!), but the romance in this story was really lacking for me. I appreciated Gwen and Logan's career storylines and loved that each of them was invested in and proud of their careers and accomplishments. I also really enjoyed the banter Gwen and Logan had before they got to together. But then, after they actually got together, they were almost never together! I would have to go back and check, but I bet I could count the number of scenes in the second half or so of the book where Gwen and Logan were together on one hand. And that's weird for a romance, right?

If this book was a skillet, it would be sizzling! Will quarterback Logan be able to win over Gwen? Read on to find out!

And food? And football? And an heart-warming love story? Well, that right there is MY recipe for sending me to heaven. And become a reader-slave to this author. Because… D A M N!! This book is completely the real deal!

“True happiness is achieved from cherishing what you have, not having it all.”

Intercepting the Chef is the first part in the How to Score series and its story focuses around two completely opposite personalities who couldn’t be more perfect to each other. And I’m telling you; Logan Stonestreet and Gwen Lalonde are THE DEAL!!! So, that’s how the story goes: Logan is a quarterback and the owner of the restaurant his deceased mother left him. Gwen, after getting fired from her job, she is forced to return back to her roots to regroup and rise up again. But she never saw coming the kind of rise she would end up doing in the end. Logan hires Gwen to be his restaurant’s executive chef – in favor of her brother who’s his best friend and co-player. These two though have a …. “lusting” past which quickly resurfaces and makes itself impossible to ignore. Bit by bit, these two lovers find themselves deep into each other’s bed and …. heart.

And man!! The connection they share and the intense chemistry that flows between them is just amazing!! No matter if they are in the same room or miles away from each other, they never leave each other’s mind; both in bad and good. Their personalities are as I said extremelly opposite. The way they live their lives and pursuing their dreams couldn’t be more different. Although, if you get a bit deeper into it, you realize that even though the way they handle things and react may not seem the same, but it actually is. Both are extremelly stubborn, obsessingly focused on getting their biggest dream, from the best in their professions and a heart shaped in tank equiped with “eternity” as its love capacity. The more their relationship and love was unfolding, the more and more I was falling in love with them. Logan’s determination to make her his for good in combination with Gwen’s tough personality and her closed-off, but capable of great love, heart, are the two ingredients that makes tis recipe a meant-to-be.

"Logan had captured my heart the first day I’d met him when I was eight years old and had never let go despite years apart and miles of distance…"

Logan’s open loving character was one of the biggest features of this book. You can’t just stop from getting all-the-way lovey-dovey over him. Although, what makes this story the magnificent gem and unforgettable piece of literature is Gwen Lalonde. This book girlfriend is destined for an Oscar. Her complexity and the thick walls she has built over the years to protect herself have created a woman and female character more real than any other. Countless times I have witnessed her constant inner battle over succeeding her ultimate goal to become one of the greatest chefs in history and the desires, dreams, HEA promises, the future her return to her home tome and back to Logan’s life have awakened in her. I never knew what her reaction to every single of Logan’s attempts to win her heart forever would be. Which only made the book 100 times more addicting than already was.

"Everything about Gwen was organic, tempting, and what I’d been missing all these years.
I was screwed."

And please, let’s not get into what all this food talk was doing it to mean. Seriously, this was the first time that my appetite was so high during reading a book. All these ingredients, the recipes, the visuals of the plates made my stomach open 24/7. The crazy thing htough was that Goodman was describing so awesome-ly the foods and scenes which were been developping in front of a stove, that sometimes I though I could both see the process and smell the plates. And I have to admit, when I was nearing the end, besides being extremelly sad that this journey was coming to an end, I was secretly wishing for some of these recipes to be in the end. Unfortunately, there wan’t any but really, how cooooool would that be, huh? A Food Playlist of shorts as I would call it.

Rachel Goodman beyond surprised me. And this book is the perfect start for any Goodman newbie out there. The deliciousness this book oozes will make any reader -literally – hungry for more. Which means the recommendation is a complete no-brainer. The “I loooooooooooooooooooved this book” covers only the 1/100 of the impression it left in me. What are waiting for guys? GO READ IT!!! It’s worth every second of your time.

So my galley was a bit messed up, and it didn't read correctly. But besides that, I just couldn't get into this story for some reason. The characters just weren't pulling me in and I didn't finish it.

I’m all for reading a good foodie romance so when this popped up on my radar I had to give new-to-me author Rachel Goodman a try. This actually combines a few tropes that I think were perfect together! Sibling’s best friend + sports + childhood crush + foodie. That all together makes me just burst with sweetness and the author did a wonderful job at building the plot here around all that.

Logan is Gwen’s brother best friend since childhood and even now they play for the same NFL team. There was definitely a childhood crush going on that never went any farther but they were still very good friends as well and have an ease around each other that comes from that familiarity of growing up together and having their families so entwined. Gwen went on to become a chef but after a betrayal from her ex-boyfriend (and renowned chef) she has come back home to try and get her life back on track and maybe lick her wounds under the radar.

Logan gives her the perfect opportunity to do so as the head chef of his new restaurant. A star quarterback starting to feel the pressure of years in the NFL, he’s looking for something more and a restaurant honoring his mother’s memory is close to his heart.

Chemistry, banter, comfort… INTERCEPTING THE CHEF had all of that and more. It’s a great foodie romance with a light and sweet feel. I loved that Gwen was the one that got away for Logan and he gets to have another chance. Gwen seemed the more aloof of the two and I wish I would’ve seen more of a connection from before because at times I felt like Logan wanted her more than the other way around. But I think that was just her quirky personality coming through. I really did enjoy them together and I loved seeing how Logan was tentatively getting inside her walls.

The writing and the characters kept me turning the pages and I’m certainly going to be reading more in this series.

I enjoy a restaurant setting, but I wasn't very engaged by this book.

5 Wonder Bread stars!!

And food? And football? And an heart-warming love story? Well, that right there is MY recipe for sending me to heaven. And become a reader-slave to this author. Because… D A M N!! This book is completely the real deal!

Intercepting the Chef is the first part in the How to Score series and its story focuses around two completely opposite personalities who couldn’t be more perfect to each other. And I’m telling you; Logan Stonestreet and Gwen Lalonde are THE DEAL!!! So, that’s how the story goes: Logan is a quarterback and the owner of the restaurant his deceased mother left him. Gwen, after getting fired from her job, she is forced to return back to her roots to regroup and rise up again. But she never saw coming the kind of rise she would end up doing in the end. Logan hires Gwen to be his restaurant’s executive chef – in favor of her brother who’s his best friend and co-player. These two though have a …. “lusting” past which quickly resurfaces and makes itself impossible to ignore. Bit by bit, these two lovers find themselves deep into each other’s bed and …. heart.

I enjoyed this book so much. It's full of food and football goodness all around. Read my full review at Scandalicious Book Reviews.

Gwen and Logan have known each other since childhood. When Logan decided to open a restaurant to honor his mother's legacy he lucks into hiring Gwen. Gwen feels this glorified NFL steakhouse is beneath her training but beggars can't be chooser. The play a cute game of cat and mouse with each other as they dance around their feelings. Can they find their way to each other, I think yes.

Good character building wrote in dual POV

Gwen Lalonde has just had a career crushing blow thanks to her boss/love interest. Jealousy - even over work and recognition is never pretty. Now she is back in her home town using her Cordon Bleu training as the executive chef at the newly opened restaurant of her brothers best friend. Stonestreets is the dream and now reality of Logan Stonestreet and that of his deceased mother. Logan's new chef...who also happens to be NFL teammate and best friend Chris Lalonde's little sister...is stubborn, bossy and very very good at her job.

These two butt heads but both remember the crush they had on one another as teens - crushes that were never acted on. Logan works to get Gwen to trust him and come out of her kitchen and break down the walls around her heart. For Gwen, trust is hard to give. She doesn't want to be seen as the girl who keeps her job because she is in a relationship with the boss. But will that fear keep her from the relationship they both need? Logan is a NFL quarterback and has suffered some pretty bad injuries but keeps playing to chase his dream and that of his father. Everyone has dreams they strive to accomplish, but are these dreams achievable? Read the newest book by Rachel Goodman - Intercepting the Chef to find out!

Gah! This story, I couldn't stop reading it. Rachel Goodman certainly knows how to write on hell of a book.

Intercepting the Chef was such a fun and entertaining read. I love sports romances. And I love food, so this book was the perfect combination. What I loved about this book is that there was a lot of football AND cooking it. The main characters didn't just have those jobs, we got to see them in action. If you don't love football or find it boring, you probably won't like this book.

I had a hard time really connecting with Gwen. She felt a bit standoffish. But she does address this towards the end and I ended up liking her more for it Logan was wonderful and I liked him right from the start. The plot was fun, the pacing was on point, and the secondary characters were all well developed and enjoyable.

I can't wait to read more from Goodman. This is the third book of hers I have read and they have all been sold 4-star books for me. Keep em coming, Rachel!

***3 Stars***

The combination of food and football, two of my favorite things outside of rugby, reading and music, was what grabbed my attention and had me wanting to see how things would play out for Gwen and Logan. And though I found their journey, both as couple and separately, interesting I didn’t become as emotionally invested in it all as much as I thought I would.

Logan is the NFL’s golden boy who has brought an ailing team back to life. He’s been groomed for it since he was born and is determined to achieve the ultimate prize. What I liked about Logan was that he viewed his celebrity as part of his job as the QB and not as a right. He acknowledged that it did garner him certain perks, but he didn’t abuse it.

Gwen has spent her entire life with one goal in mind. Becoming a chef and running her own restaurant, but after the rug is unexpectedly pulled out from under her, that goal appears almost impossible. I’m of two minds when it comes to Gwen in that I admired her, but didn’t always like her. I admired her passion for food and cooking and her drive to be an acclaimed chef since that road is extremely rough, but I didn’t care for how she looked down on anything she deemed ‘pedestrian’. Her tendency to keep her emotions contained was understandable, but it made her feel cold and distant and I had a hard time truly connecting with her, even in the end.

With my tepid feelings towards Logan and Gwen separately, it should come as no surprise that I didn’t become fully invested in their romance, but there were some facets of it that I enjoyed. I actually loved their more playful interactions because it at least gave me a glimpse into who they could be if they allowed their walls to fully drop. I also liked how they forced each other to take a long hard look at where they were currently at and what they wanted their future to be.

Although this book didn’t give me the emotional gut punch I wanted, I still found it to be an interesting read. Each step in Logan and Gwen’s personal journey’s were well thought out and I liked seeing how they dealt with everything tossed in their way. The descriptions of the food made me hungry and the details of all things football made it easy to envision all that was happening on and off the field.

This is a sweet read. I would not say that I was jumping for joy over it. In regards, to the foodie aspect of this book, it was good. I wished that the descriptions of the dishes that Gwen made were more descriptive. Details are everything when it comes to foodie books. They can make me the reader be transported with all of the savory dishes and leave my mouth watering. I did not experience this.

Although, I must admit that the food was the second reason I wanted to check this book out. The first being the word "Colorado". I can't help myself when I hear this word as I live in Colorado. I feel loyalty to have to check out a book or an author who is from Colorado or resides in the state.

Logan is not one of those ego-manic athletes. He is a nice guy. He may be over his head owning a restaurant but luckily he has Gwen. Yet, I do wish that after Gwen saw how much of a nice guy Logan is that she would have given him a little more slack. Yet, I kind of understand where she was coming from as she was dumped in a harsh way in her last relationship. Not a fan favorite but I am interested to see what the next book in this series is all about.

Intercepting the Chef is the first book in Rachel Goodman’s new ‘the How to Score Series’. This is also the first book I’ve read by this author, so going in I didn’t know what to expect in terms of writing and story development. The story pleasantly surprised me; I really like the characters and the journey they make.

“You can’t spend time worrying about the what-ifs or the what-could-have-beens. True happiness is achieved from cherishing what you have, not having it all.”

Gwen Lalonde is back in Denver, the city she left to become a chef. After the breakup with her boyfriend (and boss), she had no other choice then to return home, to start all over. Cooking has always been her passion – thanks to her chef father – and Gwen is very good at what she does. Too bad the industry is dominated by men, and not all take her hard work serious, even take it for granted. Unable to find a position at an upscale restaurant, Gwen starts working at Stonestreet’s, a new restaurant owned by a famous NFL star. Gwen doesn’t have time for love, isn’t even thinking about it, but Logan is a bit hard to ignore.

“Overstepped your bounds?” Logan asked with a sly grin that killed my anxiety and stirred something else entirely warm and deep in my belly. “Wasn’t aware you’d ever played by the rules, Gwen.”

Logan Stonestreet is the star quarterback of the Blizzards and has been with the team since he got drafted. The Super Bowl is still on his ‘to-do’ list, but Logan is slowly starting to think about activities besides his beloved sport. His late mother was a great cook, and to honor her memories he decides to open a restaurant, where people can eat simple, tasty dishes. Logan’s life is busy enough as it is, with all his obligations, but he can’t shake the feelings he starts to have for his executive chef. He senses she wants him as well, but she doesn’t want to give in.

“No flowery perfume or hair so overdone I was afraid to mess it up. Everything about Gwen was organic, tempting, and what I’d been missing all these years. I was screwed.”

Logan and Gwen are both people passionate about their jobs; football and food. Logan isn’t looking for a woman, but he’s open to the idea of falling for Gwen. Gwen on the other hand doesn’t want a relationship. Not in the foreseeable future and certainly not with the man she works for. After all, she’s still dealing with the aftermath of the breakup with her ex. However, feelings can’t be denied, and soon Gwen and Logan start something. They try to keep it light and casual, but from all sides comments are made and not everybody is happy with them being together. But this is a Romantic story, so Logan and Gwen ending up together is a given fact.

Intercepting the Chef is my very first book by Rachel Goodman, and I like her author voice. Gwen and Logan are lifelike characters with realistic responses to what life throws at them. Some side characters have other interests then the couple’s growing relationship, but most of all it’s the story of two people trying to figure out a life and relationship that works for them. The one thing in Intercepting the Chef that didn’t work for me where all the details about Logan’s football and Gwen’s cooking. I get that their profession is a big part of their lives, but I wanted more of them spending time together (not just the sexy part).

“My whole life I’ve been searching for purpose, for a place where I felt settled yet still free, and it took coming home for me to understand that passion and love don’t have to be mutually exclusive.” A flush colored her cheeks as she intertwined our fingers. “I love you, Logan, and that scares me most of all.”

I love the story of Gwen and Logon, I give Intercepting the Chef 4 stars.

Intercepting the Chef is a story for foodies and sports enthusiasts alike. Rachel Goodman pairs the hot quarterback with the brainy, passionate chef and easily takes readers from the field into the kitchen.

When talented chef Gwen Lalonde loses a prominent position, along with a relationship she thought was stronger, she heads back to Denver to lick her wounds and rise again. As the executive chef at Logan Stonestreet's new restaurant she plans to add her signature touch to the dishes created in memory of his mother. Even though Gwen refuses to be thrown into the spotlight as an opportunist using her feminine wiles to get to the top, Logan is determined to explore the chemistry between them.

Gwen and Logan are like opposite sides of the same coin. While Logan throws his health to the wind in order to put everything he has into leading his team to a Super Bowl victory, Gwen is scared to risk everything for her dreams. Rachel Goodman takes readers through their simmering passion as they learn to find happiness and more than just satisfying futures. Banter between the sassy chef and suave footballer lends the story a humorous edge that breaks up the detailed football language peppered regularly through the story. The How to Score series is just ramping up and I can't wait to see what's next. Hopefully food will still be intertwined within the plot!
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*