Member Reviews
The plot is interesting and fun.
The supporting characters are great, and while I didn't love the main characters, particularly Rory, at the beginning, they grew on me by the end. I liked the banter when Rory and Jude texted, but they were most dynamic when they were with their friends/family. The end of the book was great.
I expected a little more of a spiritual angle from a Christian publisher, but overall, this is a clean, sweet read.
Review shared on Amazon and Goodreads.
Tacos for Two • Betsy St. Amant
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Rory owns a food truck but ironically she can’t cook. She is struggling to keep the food truck going that her late Aunt passed down to her. When Jude a soon to be lawyer at his fathers law firm asks for some cooking lessons and offers to pay a fair amount, Rory couldn’t turn him down. But when the Modest annual food truck festival arrives Rory is faced with some obstacles as her gets mono and finds out her former student is now the main competition.
Both owners are desperate to win but that’s not all that’s going on. Both are falling for the people they met online through a dating website.
Will there be tacos for everyone or will everything go up in smoke?
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I really wanted to like this book but honestly I just couldn’t get into it. Some parts I of the book struggled to get through. The storyline was cute but I feel that realistically these two wouldn’t work out in the end. Rory just always assumed the worst of Jude and I don’t know how he could get past that.
One of the things I did like was the online aspect of the relationship that was nice to see.
Sometimes I think there was almost too much going on that made it hard to follow along with.
Thank you to @NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review
#Tacosfortwo #NetGalley
Tacos for Two is about Rory and Jude and their rival food trucks. Even though she doesn’t cook, Rory’s aunt left her a food truck, and it is struggling. Jude wants to leave the family law firm to open his own food truck. Their town is hosting a food truck festival, and they both want the prize money. While they are in person rivals, Rory and Jude also happen to be communicating anonymously through a dating app.
This just kinda fell flat for me. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I didn’t really connect with Rory or Jude, but I did think the food truck setting was fun.
Thanks to @NetGalley and Revell for my ARC!
Anyways… two people falling in love online? BANGER. A food truck competition? BANGER. Finding out the person you’ve been talking to online is the person you hate irl and is competing against you? BANGER.
This might just be my new go-to romance. Is it predictable at times? Yeah, but I find most romances predictable. Was it a blast to read? Absolutely. If you love tacos, food trucks, and/or multiple pov romances check this book out!! There are also a decent amount of “You’ve Got Mail” references for any fans.
Both Jude and Rory were flawed in their own ways and it was interesting watching them work through those flaws from their own and each other’s points of view. This book made me want to look for more multiple pov romances.
I do wonder some about how Jude and Rory’s relationship would play our IRL and not in ✨ideal story land✨. Rory tends to make a lot of assumptions about Jude & Jude is not the best at thinking before acting. They do kind of reconcile those things as the story progresses, but I would be hesitant to say they are the perfect couple.
That said, I loved almost all of the side characters, and even the ones I didn’t like had character arcs that made them redeemable. Hannah & Alton were definitely my two favorites.
I also think I ate about 20 tacos over the time I read this ARC. So, WARNING: do not read if you do not want to crave tacos 24/7.
What??! shut up this is so cute!!
The cover sold me!! But the the food truck competition sold me. This story is perfect. If you loved YOU GOT MAIL, you will love this story too! This is a CLEAN romance but the story is absolutely fantastic!
this book was so good! It definitely had me craving food and I could not get over the sweet romance between Rory and Jude. This one was a must ready and Betsy has been added to my one-clicks!
I know they say “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” but when the cover has an adorable food truck and tacos on it, how am I not going to love it? Tacos for two was such a perfect read for a fall weekend.
The book is very similar to another fall favorite movie “You’ve Got Mail” in that two rival business owners compete while also in an online relationship with each other. They obviously don’t know it’s the other person, but their witty banter and barbs at each other is just so fun. They even make several You’ve Got Mail references in their online chats.
It was fun to watch Rory and Jude to discover their love of cooking. My husband and I love to cook and try new recipes. I mentioned several times to Patrick that I want to make pozole like they do in the book! Please include recipes in your next book, @betsystamanthaddox!
This was a total winner for me. If you love epistolary novels and tacos, this is 100% for you! I love enemies to lovers and food trucks.
I really enjoyed Tacos for Two. I loved the online dating part and the messages sent back and forth, that was a whole lot of fun! I liked both Rory and Jude and their unique struggles that we all can relate to in some manner. I also really loved a few of the side characters and their stories. I received a copy of this to review because I requested to do so, because I enjoy this author’s books, and I am so glad I did, all opinions are my own.
I absolutely enjoyed Tacos for Two. The characters were great and their interactions with each other. It was a fun read.
What a fun read. This has a lot of “You’ve Got Mail” elements to it which made it fun to read.
Both Rory and Jude are trying to find their way in this world. The both are suck and feel like that can’t escape, except one of them makes a move it effects the other in a negative way. From the beginning I was interested to see how the author would work this out with a happy ending. Who would compromise because either way someone had to give up something. Or would they?
Guess you’ll have to read it to find out.
A copy of this book was given to me by the publisher. All opinions are my own
I stopped reading this book once I realized that the hero would be creating a business in direct competition with the heroine's current business but keeping it secret even after receiving cooking lessons from her. The main characters weren't appealing, the villain was a caricature, and I found the descriptions of the I stopped reading this book once I realized that the hero would be creating a business in direct competition with the heroine's current business but keeping it secret even after receiving cooking lessons from her. The main characters weren't appealing, the villain was a caricature, and I found the descriptions of the food and Latinx characters to be inauthentic.
If you like romance, comedy, and food, then this book is for you! I loved this story! This book was upbeat, a lot of fun, and interesting throughout! Rom-coms are my current favorite genre and this is a great must-read edition that everyone should read! In this book, Rory and Jude are in competition with each other to win a contest that would allow each one to benefit from the rewards. Even as they race to out do each other, they each encounter tons of obstacles. I can not say enough about this hilarious book! I highly recommend this book and know you will not be disappointed!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.
Rory is doing her best to keep her inherited business afloat. She enters a contest that will give her recognition and money. Jude is trying to leave one job for another one. He agrees to help Rory with the contest and food truck. If they succeed then they will be able to continue working for toward their dreams, if not then it is back to the drawing board.
I received a copy to read, the review is mine.
Tacos for Two by Betsy St. Amant is a great read! I really enjoyed the premise of the book. It's about a food truck contest between a chef who can't cook and a lawyer who can. Rory owns a food truck that she inherited from her aunt but she doesn't cook. She enters a contest for the best food truck because she needs to support her family. But when her cook/friend gets sick and she has to take over and learn how to cook. She also has a relationship with an anonymous man she communicates with through email and texting on an online dating app.
Jude is a lawyer who doesn't want to be but wants to be a chef. So he also enters the contest so he can prove himself to his father. He discovers that his competition is also the women he emails and texts every night on the same online dating app.
What do you do when it's all up to you. Tacos for Two is a great story of enemies to friends and to love interest or triangle? There is conflict, interesting secondary characters and surprises. A fun read.
I received this book from the author/publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
In a modern reworking of You’ve Got Mail, Rory Perez and Jude Worthington butt heads in real life over cilantro and taco recipes, while online, ColorMeTurquoise and StrongerMan99 DM their way to love, or something like it.
I'm not sure what to say about this book...it may be rude, but my review would basically be summed up to 'meh'. In all honesty, there was very little about both Rory and Jude that I liked, which made it difficult for me to put up with all their drama. Jude was often arrogant, presuming, and oblivious at times; while Rory was proud, impulsive, and easily offended. There was way too much conflict and doubt between Rory and Jude over the course of this story for it to have been resolved so quickly and neatly—especially considering it felt like Groundhog day the way these two fought and then called a truce.
There are plenty of people that will enjoy this story - die-hard You've Got Mail fans, maybe, or those that want a clean, Christian-influenced romance novel. If I had known there would be Christian undertones, I would have skipped it altogether. I like at least one, if not many more, sex scenes in my romances. And drinking a beer after a hard day won't send you straight to hell...And may I say, I wouldn't eat any of the tacos described in this book. They sounded basic at best.
Before I conclude this review, I can't leave out the most egregious error in this book is attributing the smash hit "Bye Bye Bye" to the Backstreet Boys. Might have wanted to Google that one before publication day, Betsy.
I enjoyed reading Tacos for Two, a foodie contemporary romance set in a small town in north Texas. Rory believes she’s a terrible cook, and she has inherited her aunt’s food truck business called Salsa Street. Her sweet cousin, Hannah, has Down’s syndrome, and needs Rory’s financial support to help pay for her assisted living accommodation.
Rory relies on Grady, her friend and loyal chef, to keep Salsa Street going. Grady and his wife, Nicole, are like family, and Rory is working full-time with Grady in the truck to keep Salsa Street afloat. The annual town food truck festival includes a contest with a cash first prize that would fix Rory’s financial problems.
Jude is a lawyer who doesn’t want to sit the Bar exam and continue working at the family law firm with his ruthless father and self-absorbed brother. Jude’s grandmother was influential in establishing the town, and his father is the wealthy patron who regularly donates funds to support the town. Jude has a love for cooking, and he wants to learn how to make the tacos he loved from his childhood. Jude gets the bright idea to ask Rory for cooking lessons in order to remember their housekeeper’s traditional recipe plus gain the skills to open his own taco food truck.
The meet cute between Rory and Jude is fun, and the cooking lessons are hilarious. When Grady becomes sick with mono, his wife Nicole steps up to help Rory with Salsa Street. Trouble arises when Rory learns Jude is her competition for the food truck prize, and we see the enemies-to-more trope playing out in the story. For a lawyer, Jude wasn’t smart in not predicting how Rory would react to learning she was training her competition. But, considering how Jude’s family steamroller people to get what they want, it’s not surprising that Jude didn’t think through all the implications of paying Rory for cooking lessons.
A fun and rocky romance develops against the backdrop of their adorable and anonymous online messaging relationship. In real life both Rory and Jude are emotionally shuttered and slow to trust, but online they’re emotionally vulnerable with each other and moving from friends territory to something more. I loved the ending of the story and all the twists and turns along Rory and Jude’s path to happily-ever-after.
Being an Aussie, I loved learning more about traditional Mexican and Tex Mex food. Jude loved cilantro and Rory hated cilantro. I’m with Jude on this point, and in Australia cilantro is known as coriander. The minor characters were delightful, adding charm and many hilarious moments. I recommend Tacos for Two to readers who like fun foodie contemporary romances with a light faith element.
What a cute romance about a couple who is competing to win a contest in a food truck contest. But there is much more to this story than either character can imagine.
Rory Perez has inherited her late aunt's food truck and she is responsible for her cousin as well. The only thing, and it is a big one, is she can't cook and she has tried to learn, but it is just not her thing.
Jude Strong works with his dad and brother in a very prestigious law firm. He has no interest in law and enjoys cooking and is toying with the idea of opening a food truck. Jude also cannot stand the constant high handedness from his family and would like to just break free and do what he loves.
This story of Jude and Rory, who are enemies to lovers, are quite a fun couple to watch. Both are stubborn and have much to lose if they do not win the contest. There is another glitch that is going as well in the story, and the scene in the restaurant when Rory finds out was a wowzer. This was a fun one.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
I really loved the side characters in this novel! Grady, Nicole, and Hannah shined in nearly every scene they were in. I loved their interactions with Rory and Jude, and I loved their interactions with one another. I especially loved Hannah. I really appreciated that the author portrayed her with independence and honesty and kindness.
As for the romance . . . I had high hopes and even higher expectations because I adore You’ve Got Mail. I liked Rory and Jude when they were online, messaging back and forth. Their messages were my favorite parts of the book because it’s where the magic happened. Personally, for me, I felt Rory and Jude lacked some of that magic in person. Rory was so busy being offended and Jude was so busy being distracted or clueless that I struggled to root for their connection.
But I still recommend this book for fans of contemporary, clean romances! There are plenty of You’ve Got Mail references to make fans happy, and enough food truck discussion to make readers want to eat their weight in street tacos.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. All expressed opinions belong to me.
Tacos for Two was a welcome break from my most recent reads that mostly included several suspense novels and a World War 2 novel. I actually enjoyed them all but sometimes a reader needs a little levity and romance to lighten things up a bit. Tacos for Two did that for me.
The primary characters are Rory and Jude who have connected through an online dating service. The only catch is that they must communicate only through messaging until it is time for them to meet and decide whether to continue the relationship. Their online conversations have been an encouragement and have convinced both parties that the other is exactly the person they need. Little do they know that they have been interacting in real life for awhile and their face-to-face encounters are, shall we say, less than encouraging.
A food truck competition takes center stage with Rory and Jude as strong competitors. Both have equally important reasons they want to win and readers will have a difficult time deciding which side to root for. Plenty of friendly rivalry, unexpected obstacles, and a few hijinks make for a fun read. Character development is excellent. I especially like Rory’s cousin Hannah, a young woman with Down’s Syndrome who is quite talented in her origami hobby and frequently speaks her mind with surprising wisdom.
I thoroughly enjoyed Tacos for Two and would recommend it to all lovers of its genre.
I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.