As always, the good stuff comes first: I LOVED this book. When I got the book, I had no idea I was delving into an existing universe of extra-humans and one food inspector. I had no problems finding my way, the book explains things very well and in a lovely way.
Essentially it's a love story, between an extra-human and a human with very special abilities - a profound sense of right and wrong, personal strength, stubbornness and disregard of "proper protocol" if the situation requires it. It's also a story of an "underdog" who is more capable of changing the status quo than most people would think - which I like very much!
I started to read yesterday evening and just now finished it, relishing every page and wanting to read more about Keith and Gunther.
The book, or as I should say, the collection of stories, which is made up of one novella and a bunch of short stories, is written and edited really well. The writing draws the reader into the story, the characters have depth and gain your sympathies, the world building is nicely done - all in all I need more stories from this world.

Now to the not so good (I can't say it's really bad, it just needs a warning / heads up): nowhere on the cover or in the blurb did it mention that a) explicit, detailed sex scenes were coming, b) a fair amount of expletives is strewn throughout the book and c) the first story deals with human cannibalism in somewhat gory description.
I didn't mind all these things, as I'm an adult and can deal, but from the cover and description alone this book would have appealed to my teenager self and I'm fairly certain a lot of other young people would think so too. I don't think this book is entirely appropriate for an underage audience, at least not without a warning of some kind.

Review Tagline: You'll have trouble not falling in love with Special Agent Curry and his bite sized stories.

My Thoughts: Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector is a novel made up of collected stories that revolve around Special Agent Keith Curry. Once a chef, now Keith is an agent of the NATO Irregular Affairs Division where he specialises in food inspectors and investigations.

Grilled Cheese and Goblins is an incredibly fresh look at urban fantasy. Not only is the book a m/m romance, but it blends fantastical elements with food health and safety administration.

I mean, what? Who would even think to mix the two? Better yet, why would you?!

I'll tell you what, Kimberling has merged the two to create such a nuanced and different world! With investigations ranging from searching for human protein, illegal magical inclusions to food, contaminated blood supplements, and world saving blintzes, Grilled Cheese and Goblins is such a unique urban fantasy.

Not only is the concept of the stories engaging but so are the characters. The main character Keith is in some ways a tough character. Do not get me wrong, I loved Keith but he plays things close to his chest. There's a sarcastic nonchalance that comes through the romance of the story and in ways he interacts with people. The best representation of this, is his relationship with his cat. If you read the novel, keep your eye out for the cute moment where Keith absolutely refuses to acknowledge that he adopted a cat.

Gunther the other main protagonist, a trans-human snow goblin, and romantic lead of the story, is a wonderful counter to Keith's distance. While reading you get the feeling that Gunther wants and he wants hard. Later, he loves and loves hard. I also adored how close Gunther was to his family! The cute (but horrifying) pictures of baby snow goblins plus how close he was to his parents, were really endearing.

Throughout the book it was so great seeing the romance transition from the beginning of the novel to the end. As the book is a collection of short stories, we are treated to snippets and moments from the years the pair are together. I'm not usually the biggest fan of compiled stories or anthologies but I really enjoyed Grilled Cheese and Goblins. The time jumps were really great; I enjoyed seeing Keith and Gunther experience the holidays, moving in together, and other milestones they passed over the years. I also really loved seeing the emotional growth of Keith as he came to terms with a few things about himself and the larger world he lives in.

I won't ruin anything but the last story of the novel, 'Bring Out Your Best,' was such an entertaining and sweet way to finish of the book. Seeing the moment where Keith takes a huge emotional step had me closing the book with a sappy smile.

Best Bits:

*I loved how bite sized the stories were. Puns, that I offer no apologies for, aside the stories were so easy to read. I would find myself devouring story after story as the larger world pulled me in.

*The world building is so vivid! The depth and detail that Kimberling has put into this book is staggering. I loved seeing all the other realms and the different characters who inhabited them.

*Bring your son to work day. So funny! Incredibly strange out of context but seriously, read the book and find out. One hint though: leprechauns.

*'The Little Golden Book of Goblin Stories' - this small story was just so sweet <3 I honestly finished the story with such a huge smile.

Recommendations: If you're interested in reading something different, then Grilled Cheese and Goblins is for you. Not only does the book present a really unique premise but the romance of the story is sweet and entertaining.

If you think you need a little magical health and safety in your life, Grilled Cheese and Goblins is it!

Title: Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector!

Publisher: Blind Eye Books

Author: Nicole Kimberling

Pages: 317pp

Price: $15.95 (Paperback)

The Hook: Keith Curry is a food inspector with the NIAD. Never heard of them? Good. Because unless you are an extra-human entity -- fae, goblin, vampire, witch, whatever -- you are not supposed to know a darn thing about NATO's Irregular Affairs Division. It is the NIAD's sworn duty to protect those non-human beings who secretly reside on Earth, and to keep the general public from finding out and flying into a full-blown panic.

And Keith loves his job. He understands that many people even within the NIAD consider his department a bit of a joke -- but it's not. Imagine what would happen if the guaranteed blood supply for all the vampires living in the United States turned bad, or was poisoned, or the production facility had to be shut down due to contamination? Or, what would happen if a diner that has been designated fae-safe turns out to have an iron problem? What if some of those magical supplements necessary to keep goblins alive on Earth suddenly started to appear in mundane supermarkets? What would happen to ordinary people who accidentally ate goblin food?

The Analysis: Grilled Cheese and Goblins chronicles some of Keith's more memorable adventures, both alone and with his boyfriend-turned-fiance, Gunther Heartman. For example, trying to figure out what a heavy metal band has to do with an underground cannibalism ring and a missing vampire. Or, digging into attacks on NIAD agents and discovering links to a mass pixie kidnapping. Or starting out on a case involving tainted blood packs and uncovering something much bigger and much nastier that leads to a secret military base in Colorado and sentient space planes.

(Gunther, by the way, is a goblin who was given human form in utero. He looks like a super model, adores his parents, eats cigarettes, chugs kerosene, and serves as a member of the NIAD's elite strike force. He's a sexy badass with a sword who likes to cuddle.)

Kimberling's world-building is wide-ranging and imaginative. She draws on every possible myth, fairy tale, or folk tale for inspiration -- but her monsters are never typical, and they are never just monsters. The vampires of this world are more definitely not sexy, and Keith meets at least one who is deathly afraid of humans. And, while goblins traditionally lead a human hunt on the solstice, they are also devoted family members and wonderful singers (really).

The characters are also well-rounded, with hidden depths that come out over the course of the book. Gunther is not just handsome and brave. He is also fiercely loyal to Keith and proud of Keith's work in the NIAD; he does not take it well when anyone speaks ill of his boyfriend. Keith himself comes across as average: middling attractive with a seemingly boring job. But personal tragedy drove him to the NIAD and he knows the importance of his work; and while he starts out thinking of extra-humans as monsters, his attitude evolves over time until he comes to see them as people, too -- different people, but still people with their own needs, thoughts, and cultures.

The Verdict: Grilled Cheese and Goblins is the first collection of the Keith Curry stories: "Cherries Worth Getting," "Cookie Jamboree," "The Little Golden Book of Goblin Stories," "Magically Delicious," "The Most Important Meal of the Day," and "Bring Out Your Best." Most of these have been published elsewhere, but the novella "Bring Out Your Best" is new to this anthology.

And it is a fun collection. There's action, mystery, magic, and even a bit of hanky panky. This is just the thing to beat back the blahs on a rainy afternoon.

Recommended to fans of Astrid Amara, Devon Monk, Helen Harper's The Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic, The Ledberg Runestone by Patrick Donovan, and Jake Bible's Black Box Inc. series.