Susan is trying to save the last restaurant in the family business and moves with her spendthrift father and directionless sister from London to Edinburgh. But when her ex, now a celebrity chef, turns up in Edinburgh to open his own restaurant the stakes become even higher. A story of family and expectations and love. It had me rooting for Susan. A perfect read for a weekend or vacation.

I received an ARC of this book via Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Description

Susan Napier’s family once lived on the success of the high-end restaurants founded by her late grandfather. But bad luck and worse management has brought the business to the edge of financial ruin. Now it’s up to Susan to save the last remaining restaurant: Elliot’s, the flagship in Edinburgh.

But what awaits Susan in the charming city of Auld Reekie is more than she bargained for. Chris Baker, her grandfather’s former protégé–and her ex-boyfriend–is also heading to the Scottish capital. After finding fame in New York as a chef and judge of a popular TV cooking competition, Chris is returning to his native Scotland to open his own restaurant. Although the storms have cleared after their intense and rocky breakup, Susan and Chris are re-drawn into each other’s orbit–and their simmering attraction inevitably boils over.

As Chris’s restaurant opens to great acclaim and Susan tries to haul Elliot’s back from the brink, the future brims with new promise. But darkness looms as they find themselves in the crosshairs of a gossip blogger eager for a juicy story–and willing to do anything to get it. Can Susan and Chris reclaim their lost love, or will the tangled past ruin their last hope for happiness?

My thoughts

I’ve never read a book by this author before but the cover was sweet and – when I’m not reading or watching telly – I’m probably cooking or eating, so a book about all things food (which a pinch of romance thrown in for good measure) definitely appealed to me.

The descriptions of food are so rich and detailed you can’t help but feel a bit hungry. The culinary setting was nice to read plus the descriptions of Edinburgh were so beautiful, Moore has a talent for transporting a reader somewhere with words (I’ve been to Edinburgh myself but all I remember is watching Braveheart with my friends who we stayed with, drinking vodka out of an egg cup – don’t ask – and rain. Lots and lots of rain). I could’ve read pages and pages of description alone.

Whilst I liked the descriptions of food and places in this book, I’ll admit, I wasn’t crazy about the characters. I couldn’t argue with Susan wanting the restaurant to survive, and I liked her determination to get things done, but – as a character – I didn’t really care for her. This also extended to the rest of the characters in the book, I just found myself annoyed by or disinterested in the characters in this book.

I’m all about past lovers reuniting through some kind of circumstance but – with the very different lives of Chris and Susan – they actually spent a tiny amount of time in each other’s company so the romance just didn’t feel real (or very romantic) to me.

Saying that, I still enjoyed the book – though it didn’t stir up much emotion for me.

All Stirred Up will be published on 8th September 2020.

Synopsis:

Susan Napier’s family once lived on the success of the high-end restaurants founded by her late grandfather. But bad luck and worse management has brought the business to the edge of financial ruin. Now it’s up to Susan to save the last remaining restaurant: Elliot’s, the flagship in Edinburgh.

But what awaits Susan in the charming city of Auld Reekie is more than she bargained for. Chris Baker, her grandfather’s former protégé–and her ex-boyfriend–is also heading to the Scottish capital. After finding fame in New York as a chef and judge of a popular TV cooking competition, Chris is returning to his native Scotland to open his own restaurant. Although the storms have cleared after their intense and rocky breakup, Susan and Chris are re-drawn into each other’s orbit–and their simmering attraction inevitably boils over.

As Chris’s restaurant opens to great acclaim and Susan tries to haul Elliot’s back from the brink, the future brims with new promise. But darkness looms as they find themselves in the crosshairs of a gossip blogger eager for a juicy story–and willing to do anything to get it. Can Susan and Chris reclaim their lost love, or will the tangled past ruin their last hope for happiness?

Review:

This book was a delightful read. You quickly learn to love the character of Susan and the unknown suspense between herself and Chris definitely keeps you intrigued. Pardon my pun but this book was a recipe for success! It had everything possible for me to love it, particularly all the food references and how restaurant related it is. I love TV shows like Masterchef and Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares so I was definitely eager to see elements of my favourite shows in a book. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. The food descriptions are so descriptive it will have you salivating.

There were a couple of things I didn’t like. You are introduced to a number of characters such as relatives and in-laws quite fast and all at once and it was confusing initially. It did make sense over time but it had me a little frustrated at first. Also there was something about the ending that I didn’t like. Readers of the book will know exactly what I’m talking about but i’m not going to spoil it for others just because of my opinion. I feel like that could have been saved perhaps for a sequel and was a last minute addition that didn’t need to be there. The book was well written and flowed easily making it easy to read. The Scottish characters were hard to understand, as I’m from Australia I’ve not met anybody with or read a Scottish accent before so some of the words I had to guess were meant to be other words and sort of figure out the sentences for myself, which I was mostly successful at, but as the reader it’s not my job to be doing that.

I’ve given much thought to my rating and i’ve decided not to penalise the terrible ending. Some may like that.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my review.

3/5 Stars

I've been on something of an Austen re-telling binge lately and this book was an adorable modern version of Persuasion. I didn't go into it fully realizing that's what it was (I saw chefs and Edinburgh and knew I had to read it) but I was so pleased by it! The family relationships were pulled off with skill and the romantic mains were likable while still being realistically flawed.

If you enjoy second-chance romances and a culinary setting, this book might be your thing. Plus I loved the setting of contemporary Edinburgh and it made me want to visit and perhaps be one of those annoying tourists the characters are always complaining about.

However, I had several complaints about the book that kept it from being a five-star choice. First of all, it took me a long time to get used to a novel told in the present tense. I’m not talking about the present as a time period, but using present-tense verbs. I kept getting caught up with noticing what seems like the wrong tense for a novel when a character stirs the batter or looks at another instead of saying she stirred or looked. It felt like I spent half the novel getting taken out of the mood and setting and getting annoyed at the verb tense.

Also, the main character, Susan, has really irritating family members. Her father is a real dope who blew through his father’s legacy of great restaurants because he was too lazy to keep track of the business. And he and her sister both spend money like water. Apparently, he’s spent a fortune on botox and plastic surgery while not noticing that the money was just about all gone. The older sister is totally self-centered and snobby. The younger sister is a hypochondriac mess. Susan is the only normal person. It’s never clear why she didn’t step in to rescue the family restaurants earlier give that we’re told that she is both a pastry chef and has a business degree.

Another complaint is that she and the love interest, Chris Baker, hardly spend any time together. He is now a celebrity chef from an American TV show that capitalized on his good looks and Scots accent. He has good reason to despise Susan - at least from what he knows. And she has good reason to despise herself for hurting him. But now he’s a famous chef opening a restaurant and she’s desperately trying to rework the last restaurant left from her beloved grandfather’s legacy.

Once the book got past featuring the obnoxious family members and got more in to how Susan was trying to rescue the restaurant and the characters who are going to help her do that, I enjoyed the book a lot more though I would have still liked more interactions between Susan and Chris. It is now ten years past their original affair. Don’t they need some time to see if they can love the people that they have grown to be now, you know, in the present tense?

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

BROOO, I'M SO HYPE FOR THIS BOOK. I KNOW THAT'S NOT A PROFESSIONAL WAY TO START A REVIEW BUT LISTEN THIS BOOK CAME THRU OK.

The first thing you need to know is this book is DRAMA. Half the characters are the most high-key high maintenance you've ever seen. When they say "Jane Austen retelling," they mean it. It's nuts.

Also, the food writing comes through. I actually showed up for the food so I was very excited.

All Stirred Up came, saw, and conquered. It doesn't skimp on anything it promised. It delivers a heaping dish of 5 Michelin Stars. It is chef's kiss approved. Round of applause on this one, ladies and gents.

All in all it was a good read but nothing exciting.
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I would recomend it if you're looking for a light read.

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Thank you to @netgalley, Alcove Press, and Brianne Moore for providing me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Yup. Nope. I gave this a go and I wasn't a fan.

The pacing was too slow for me and at least ½ the novel was based on the restaurant remodel that I care less about and could have easily found something similar on the Food Network/DIY channel if I wanted a bite, there was barely any interaction between Chris and Susan until ⅓ mark and by then I was no longer invested in their relationship, the side characters were annoying as fuck, and the tedious details on what was being done to save the family restaurant just about put me to sleep.

This culinary second chance romance novel nearly made me weep in displeasure and was an utter waste of time and energy. I had skimmed more than what was actually read and I was left with no desire to make it to the big finale. So with that being said, off to my drop pile you go!

Brilliantly done cover. The initial bits are slightly hard to follow with the constant to and fro in the timelines but then the plot catches pace and gives this Jane Austen feel to it. Would love to see it being made into a movie.

This is an interesting modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. The book was written in third person, which isn’t my favorite for a love story like this, but it worked. I really enjoyed all the behind the scenes of watching a restaurant work to make a new name for itself. I liked both Susan and Chris, and some of the side characters are fun too.

Bottom Line: Cute read. There are no steamy scenes in the book if you are looking for a fun second chance romance.

**I received a copy of All Stirred Up from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore is a fun read.
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Susan and Chris reignite their interest in each other after having to work together in order to make a restaraunt successful again in Edinburgh. Susan helps people find positions they fit in and Chris is a celebrity TV chef. It is the story for second chances.
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What I liked: I enjoyed the food world and the story line. I liked the fact that Moore didn't skimp around food descriptions or the processes of cooking.
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What I didn't like: I somehow felt a little detached from the read. I can't quite put my finger on why. I didn't like Susan's family, even thought everything was well-written. I think I found them a bit frustrating and I feel like they took away from Susan and Chris' story. I also was left searching for Susan and Chris throughout the book. Even until the last bits of the book I didn't get enough of them. But, I suppose that is more realistic. They ended their relationship badly the first time and I suppose it would take time for them to be in the same page again. It just wasn't what I was expected.
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All in all it was a good read but nothing exciting.
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I would recomend it if you're looking for a light read 😊 ⭐⭐⭐ 3 /5 Stars!
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Thank you to @netgalley, Alcove Press, and Brianne Moore for providing me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore is a fun, easy read. A loose retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen, this book is well written and is a nice escapist food-centered story. This book isn't as steamy as other romances I've read, and the plot is more centered on the main character, Susan, her restaurant journey, and her family. If you're into light romance with just PG-level kissing, this is for you. Susan's love interest, Chris, really doesn't come in hot as a pivotal character until maybe halfway through the story. I wish more time was spent having them reacquaint themselves. I did enjoy how much of the book was focused on food and Susan's development of her restaurant. I love a good food description, and this book is full of them. Yum.

I did have some misgivings about the plot and characters. First off, every single person in Susan's family is a horrible snob. Ugh. I wasn't sure if the multitude of classist remarks were supposed to be funny and endearing, but I was not a fan. If Julia was my sister I would continuously gag. Is an unlikeable family an element of Persuasion that I'm not remembering? Also, this book is rife with reinforcement of basic heteronormative stereotypes regarding relationships that just made me roll my eyes. There's also a moment of drama towards the end of the book that I think blames the victim, and then makes light of it by quickly "solving" the "problem."

All in all, All Stirred Up is a cute, quick read if you're looking for something escapist and low-stakes.

*I received a free digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

It was a fun read! I feel like it took a while for the main characters to get back together though and I wanted more contact between them. I also wanted to know what the gossip writer had on Philip but I don't think it was ever expressly stated.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Susan Napier is tasked by her incompetent father to take over the family restaurant empire. Unfortunately, this happens after closing all bit the original restaurant. Now, she needs to revamp it and make it successful or the family will lose it all. The story is an interesting look at family dynamics and the restaurant industry.

I really struggled with this book. Reading a book which so callously begins with people losing their jobs (given the current economic situation) did not feel good. It made it difficult to commit to the characters and the rest of the story when the beginning was so cruel.

A sweet story inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion. There are some adorable and believe characters that you’ll root for. I only wish some others were more developed like Lauren. A heartwarming read that will bring a smile.

This was my first time reading Brianna Moore.Overall,I thought it was an easy reading.Not challenging,which I loved because our heads are already so full of thoughts.I love watching cooking shows and all so I loved the food element in the book.It wasn't mind blowing but it was fun and light.

Okay this one was so cute! I actually read another YA that was very similar to this one :) Susan Napier's family lived on the success of the restaurants who were started by her grandfather. Her family inherited bad luck and worse management has brought the business to the edge of financial ruin. Susan is now confronted with her ex boyfriend who also wants to open his own restaurant,

I thought this was a really cute story, I liked the family dynamic and how it all came together in the end. I think this is kind of a second chance romance book, which I really enjoyed :)

I was so excited to receive this ARC from Alcove Press!
This modern retelling of Persuasion does a great job of staying close to the characters that we know and love while adding in some new twists. Rich girl whose family owns a famous restaurant scorns poor cook working there. Poor cook moves to America, becomes a famous chef, and moves back to open a restaurant right around the corner from her family's last chance to save their business. The main character Susan holds it together for her sister's who deal with the grief of their lives in very different ways. In a very Austen fashion the slow burn between Chris and Susan takes most of the novel but in a realistic way. She isn't pining over love lost, she accepted her fate and tries to do better by her family.
This book comes out September 6, 2020 and I would read it again!

Fun romance combining food and second chance at love with a Scottish setting and a nod to Jane Austen. Perfect light reading.