Beautiful gay romance between a cancer-stricken top chef who would rather die than lose his tastebuds and a young doctor who answers the ad to accompany him on a 2-week foodie extravaganza. Just when he thinks his life is over following a throat cancer diagnosis, Miller meets Clancy, a young doctor about to join his father’s plastic surgery practice in LA. The tasting trip is his parents’ congratulatory gift to him, but the true gift is the love that blooms in the face of impending tragedy. Will Clancy, whose passion is actually oncology, be able to convince Miller that it’s worth taking the chance to live and that his value as a compassionate friend and family member is just as important as his ability to create art through his cooking?

This book is a gift to foodies with its lavish descriptions of the meals they enjoy on their journey and proof that love, in all its glorious variety, can blossom when you least expect it. Strong cast of supporting characters including Sloan, Miller’s best friend and ex-wife, his other best friend and renowned chef, Greg, and Clancy’s parents. Sexy scenes, but not overly graphic, this is a highly recommended purchase for public and college libraries.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Carina Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A charming, solid book. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, especially the emotional relationship between Clancy and Miller and the deft way the author introduced and expanded Miller's health issues and decision-making.

I'm glad I discovered that this author has written a few books that don't involve suspense and FBI agents. The samples I've read of those books seemed well-written and interesting but I really don't like suspense or violence (there's too much IRL).

The only thing I didn't love was the food and restaurant detailb it was too much for me. I knew it would be a central component of the story so I feel guilty admitting that. But it was too much. I am not much of a foodie, so I ended up skimming page after page. Which I don't like to do because it seems disrespectful of the author's efforts. The author *did* make the flavors sound appealing, even to me, though. So if you ARE a foodie you'll love it. And be hungry for the duration.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

This unbiased review was provided in exchange for an advanced reader copy via Netgalley.

It’s probably more of a 2.5 but I’m rounding up.

I was very excited to read this book because I’ve really enjoyed the author’s two previous trilogies and I wanted to see how her attempt at a standalone romance novel would turn out (especially without the suspense elements). I’m so sad to say that it didnt live up to my expectations.

The one thing you’ll consistently see me saying about this author’s books are that they are very fast paced and I always end up finishing them pretty quickly. However, this one turned out to be very slow paced and though I couldn’t figure out the exact reason, I had quite a bit of trouble with the writing style. I just kept wanting to put it down but I persevered and managed to finish it. As the main premise of the book is the two MCs on a culinary tour, we get some beautiful, mouth watering and delectable descriptions of amazing food and wine and it was a delight to read. As I’m pretty unaware of most of the high end food mentioned, I instead enjoyed reading about the different kinds of wines and the yummy and decadent desserts. The locations of the culinary tour covers some wonderful places across America and I almost felt like I was traveling alongwith them. This journey was definitely the best part of the book. The book is also pretty emotional towards the last third, because one of the MCs is sick and refusing treatment, and I ended up shedding a lot of tears. But I still didn’t have an easy time reading it. I had a tough time differentiating between the two POVs which usually doesn’t happen to me, and that’s probably one reason it took me a while to get through.

The romance is instalove because it all happens in ten days, but it was believable and definitely felt brought on by the heightened circumstances. I really liked Clancy, who is a complete foodie and his heartfelt appreciation of all the food he is introduced to was great to read. He is also a very compassionate doctor and I could totally feel how much he wanted to be an oncologist. Miller on the other hand is a famous Michelin Star chef and while I could understand some of his reasoning behind not wanting treatment, it was mostly rubbish. As someone who has an amazing family and a great group of friends, I found it callous that he didn’t want to give anyone even the chance to say goodbye. There was a lot of push and pull between the two of them, mainly because Miller has resigned himself to die and doesn’t wanna get close but Clancy doesn’t let him go. I liked the development of their friendship and love story but the writing style made me feel a bit detached from them. Sloane is Miller’s ex-wife but she plays a significant part in his life and this book and I actually liked getting to know more about their friendship over the years too. Both their families are also wonderful and supportive and it was nice to see all characters being so loving towards each other.

To conclude, this is probably my least favorite of Layla’s books. Without the suspense elements of her other books, this one felt very slow paced and took me a while to get into the groove. The love story is emotional and I liked it, but it’s not something I consider memorable. However, if you like reading about amazing food and wine, you might like this book. I would definitely suggest not going into this book hungry.

It hurts so good! I was super nervous at the onset about the illness related piece of the storyline and when I read a review that reminded me Carina PRESS promises a HEA I felt much better about the whole thing.

This is different than what I’m used to from Layla Reyne with her romantic suspense series. Dine With Me is suspenseful in a slightly different way I suppose - less threat of violence and more threat of emotional upheaval. It pulls at your heartstrings for all the good and sad reasons. A unique story with a great cast of characters that I enjoyed throughly.

Thank you Carina Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm not a foodie, but I don't feel like it dimmed my enjoyment of this book at all. The food and the places meant nothing to me, but that didn't keep me from getting invested in Miller and Clancy's story. Miller's journey through the story was particularly heartbreaking but the slow evolution of his personal identity was very fulfilling. The fact that this is a romance novel "HEA-guaranteed" took a little of the drama out of it, but it was still a very poignant story. The tone was very melancholy for most of the book for obvious reasons, but that almost made their slow slide into love even better. Much slower paced than most of the author's books, it wasn't my favorite of hers, but still a very good read.

This was a cute short book. Clancy and Miller were good main characters but the story had some plot holes. Also Clancy's parents were just too much, they were so disgustingly sweet and happy I just wanted to skip over them because they were too make believe. The epilogue was cute even though we already knew that Miller would beat an advanced stage cancer that had already spread with a low survival rate.

This was my first book by Layla Reyne and I'll definitely be going back to read some of her backlist. Really enjoyed this one, a really sweet, romantic read. Loved all the food descriptions, if you're not hungry when you start this book you'll certainly be hungry when you've finished.

This was such a great book. The food descriptions make you drool and the lovely relationship building throughout the book make this a perfect pair. Clancy and Miller are very passionate and sweet and have a bond that is so profound. I loved the journey they go on and the message it brings. Would recommend.

I got to read the NetGally ARC of this story. This is my honest review.

This is a good romance. It takes place over a short span of time, but feels longer due to all the delicious details. The author maintains good tension throughout, walking the line between Miller's choices with enough delicacy that I didn't actively want to punch him. His choice is fine, but keeping it a secret is awfully selfish and self-serving when he habitually puts others before himself otherwise, and that's why I give it four stars rather than five. Miller makes the same argument over and over, and the author disappointed me when we don't get to see him called on that. Cancer doesn't excuse you from being kind to the people who have always supported you wholeheartedly and whom you adore.

I accepted this ARC with some trepidation; I stopped reading the author's most popular series because one of the protagonists did stupid things when he 's supposed to be smart. Thank goodness Miller was just mired in the horror of what cancer treatment would/could do to him.

‘Dine With Me’ is as much as a tribute to food as it is to romance: two weeks with an ailing celebrity chef (his self-imposed last rites, so to speak) and a foodie doctor on the verge of a career shift.

Layla Reyne takes a different direction with ‘Dine With Me’ and by turning to gastronomy, automatically helped keep the pages turning as I lapped up the descriptions of food as much as I did of the growing tension and stark differences between Clancy Rhodes and Miller Sykes—one with an unfailing optimism for human life and the other, with a fatalistic view of life as well…because of their work and what they love most doing. In essence, their chance meeting when Clancy signs up for the food tour becomes a slow burn of smouldering looks, helpless moans and tingly feels over gourmet dishes, with some (un)timely intervention of family and friends on both sides.

Reyne walks the thin line here when it comes to relationships; Clancy’s unusual—and frankly, rather unbelievable—family situation enables him to accept Miller’s own without difficulty. I found the circumstances and the plot a bit more conveniently serendipitous and a bit more far-fetched than I liked, and struggled with the small niggle bits that had to do with characterisation.

It is difficult to reconcile Clancy’s eager, enthusiastic puppy-dog demeanour with that of a 30-year-old doctor who’d seen too much in oncology, though it does play off nicely against Miller’s stoic and gruff behaviour as he wrestles with his own mortality. Still, it all comes to an end rather quickly where I’d hoped Clancy could have played a bigger part in Miller’s journey to recovery. Reyne focuses instead, more on food and the present rather than Clancy/Miller’s relationship changing past the tour, then hops to conclusion a few years down the road that tells more than shows the hard journey to their HEA.

Still, there’s a bit more poignancy and a lot more of the struggle for acceptance of change as the sobering thought of mortality lurks around the corner—it’s just slower-paced though, and if food’s the thing that revs your engine, ‘Dine With Me’ offers something unusual and different.

I loved Clancy and Miller, even though going in I knew it was going to be sad the growing relationship between them brought me a lot of joy. They were very engaging characters and they were surrounded by a loving cast of secondary characters that gave them so much support. I liked how realistic the expectations were, there was no last minute miracle cure. All in all this was a poignant but ultimately satisfying read.

3.5 stars

Not having ever read a Layla Reyne book before, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not entirely sold on the writing style (there is something lofty about the prose I didn't care for), but I can't fault the storyline or the sheer poignancy of two men falling in love when one of them is hellbent on dying.

Both characters felt real: Clancy with his honesty and determination to break through Miller's shell, and Miller, stoic, scared, but convinced playing martyr is the right, the only, thing to do.

I was not entirely sold on the relationship Miller had with his ex-wife. She was a great person, but overly present in the story.

As difficult as it was watching Miller refuse treatment when every second counted, the ending was a (realistically)p happy one.

The epilogue elevated this story from something potentially maudlin to something sweet, something to savor.

Foodies, like myself, will rejoice at all the talk of food. Prepare to work up an appetite!

An exciting journey through the universe of food and restaurants from the personal perspective of an award-winning chef, “Dine With Me”, by Layla Reyne, features two great male heroes who connect through more than culinary and taste.
Miller is a great, original, wounded hero, his drama poignant and real. He’s a mixture of largeness and gentleness and his talent as a chef is so alluring… That he desires to run his own restaurant with “kindness, civility and attentiveness” says so much about his fascinating personality.
Clancy is a great hero too, a nerd, intelligent doctor, and an eager foodie, too.
The romance between the chef and the doctor is tender and sweet, flourishing in a journey through a landscape of Miller’s special, important food places
I loved that there is no miracle cure and the medical issues seem well-researched.
Even with the subject being food, and all the lovely descriptions of courses and ingredients, eating so much in a meal felt sometimes a bit tiring.

This one got me right in the feels. I generally don't love the sad ones because of reasons, but I can't resist a Layla Reyne book ever and I am super glad that I didn't let this one pass me by. Miller is a chef and he's facing some pretty heavy stuff and he links up with Clancy to do a tasting tour of wonderful restaurants. First, reading this made me wicked hungry!!! So I recommend reading with some snacks (and tissues) handy.

I felt like I was on their journey with them and that is the work of an amazing author, being able to whisk the reader away to different locations.

This was a brilliant read and I'm glad that I dove in!

This was my first Layla Reyne novel and I really enjoyed it! One of my favorite things about romance and the Carina HEA guarantee is the journey to the HEA. I was really worried about Miller in spite of the HEA guarantee, so well done on keeping up the suspense. I also enjoyed that both Miller and Clancy were surrounded by loving friends and family members who were such great characters as well. The food descriptions made me soooo hungry and I would absolutely visit a restaurant like Chess if it existed. Thanks for such a satisfying read!

This story has everything that a romance novel should have. When Clancy and Miller meet, they are on a foodie adventure of a lifetime. Miller has decided that he wants to revisit all of his favorite restaurants and he takes Clancy along with him. There’s an instant connection between the two men because Miller realizes quickly that Clancy is non-nonsense and genuinely interested in the experience.

Reyne has made an art of writing sexual tension. This book is a really long, slow, tasty build up. The instant chemistry is written marvelously and the relationship might be fast but it feels real enough to be tantalizing and enjoyable. The first kiss is a scorcher, and I was just about as invested in the relationship as Clancy was by that point!

Some of this made me tear up… but I can forgive the author for that because we all know going into a Carina press romance that there will be a happy ending.

This subject matter might be difficult for some people. There’s a lot of Miller contemplating his existence as he struggles to come to terms with an illness that could be not only career-ending but life-ending. Please keep that in mind when choosing this book. The end is worth it… the struggle these two characters deal with is heart-achingly worth it.

I AM NOT OKAY.

*ugly cries*

THIS BOOK, Y’ALL. THIS BOOK.

This definitely was angsty but sad tears turned to happy tears at the end, so that’s good, right?? I KNOW Carina Press promises a HEA/HFN at the end of all of these books, BUT STILL I DOUBTED. I’ve read romance books that bent the meaning of what a HFN meant, but this one ends 100% in a good place and I would definitely count it as a HEA.

THAT SAID. This isn’t an easy read. Miller is an award-winning chef and he has a health diagnosis that could change that for him forever. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation because there’s no telling what the future brings.

He’s having a bit of a last hurrah, by eating some of his favorite foods at his favorite places across the United States. But that kind of travel takes money he doesn’t have.

In comes Clancy. He’s a doctor who is getting his first real vacation in 12 years and his parents have decided to really spoil him with a trip of a lifetime. Miller needs funds to travel, and Clancy’s mom has a job that allows her to have a private plane, and swanky hotel reservations at the ready.

This story takes place only a little over a week, maybe two, but the romance never feels forced. This story is a rollercoaster of emotions and I absolutely loved reading Miller and Clancy slowly start to fall for each other. And also, there’s a certain trope we all know and love in this book - what happens when all the rooms are booked for the holidays and the characters are forced to share a bed?

This book will make you hungry. VERY hungry. It’s not all just fine dining, and I am just hankering to eat everything I can get my hands on whole reading this book. BE PREPARED. I think I adore the farmers market meal the most, because of how impromptu the whole affair was, and we got to see Miller and Clancy in a more relaxed setting that wasn’t at a restaurant or anything. It was just the two of them alone, learning more about the other.

DINE WITH ME is a book that stays with you. This is a different kind of story that Layla Reyne’s usual romantic suspense, but no less wonderful. The love interests are so precious and even all the secondary characters are the absolute BEST?? It’s so rare to find a book where you love everyone, but this is that book. This is a story of laughs and so much love, even when the world seems dark and there’s no way out. I highly recommend this book!

This book will be released in e-book and audio, I think? But I so desperately wish this could be released in mass market paperback as well because I love this book so much and it makes me sad there’s no physical edition coming out for it. That’s probably my only complaint.

There is a content warning in the book, but it is kinda of vague, so I’m just going to say straight out that the character has been diagnosed with cancer and the cancer is in its advanced stages with the character not wishing to receive treatment for much of the book.