I liked the cast of characters and this couple, and look forward to the rest of the stories and the series.

Overall, this book was well developed. I think i just wanted a little more from the characters. It’s nice to see more m/m historical romances, but i wanted a little more depth

This book takes us inside the world of a British department store in the early 20th century. It captures the luxury and wonder of the era. There is so much history in this book. Trips to the Franco-British Exhibition, discussions of racist archeologists, sensible dress, suffrage, and the Olympics. It gave it a great sense of time, but I feel like the romance really took the backseat to the historical aspect of the novel.

Overall, it was a good read, but I would have loved more development of the relationship and characters,

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

This well written romance includes a unique background and a favorite trope. Henri Newbold is a gourmand for The Royal Tea Room at Hartridge & Casas Department Store. Nicolas Kavafis is hired as wait staff for The Royal Tea Room. It's instant heat between Nico and Henri, but still not acceptable in the early 1900s for two men to become lovers. The ups and downs of their relationship instills fear for Henri's reputation as a gourmand. Nico isn't afraid of his feelings and wants more from Henri. A man in love is willing to make sacrifices. When a most unpleasant "gentleman" threatens their reputations, Henri finally realizes that love is worth fighting for. This MM romance reads at an even pace with a lot of heat. Kudos to a first book with Dragonblade Publishing.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Hartridge & Casas is the Edwardian shopping palace where every department serves its customers luxury, and, behind the scenes, serves its employees romance and intrigue. After training under the famed Escoffier, Henri is now Head Chef at the Royal Tea Room - the jewel in the crown of the newly opened department store. With his sights set on one day opening his own restaurant, Henri has no time for distractions but his resolve is shaken when Nico, a charming and gorgeous new waiter, appears. However, the interfering adventurer Lord Ockley is determined to have Nico all to himself. When he can't, he threatens to expose Nico and Henri's relationship, risking not only the destruction of their careers and reputations, but possibly even worse.
A new author to me & it certainly won’t be the last book I’ll read by him. A well written even paced book with lovely characters. I loved both Henri & Nico who were perfect for each other & I loved their journey to a HEA & was routing for them all the way through. I also loved the supporting cast of secondary characters. The villain was horrid & I just loved his comeuppance. An engrossing read which I read in a couple of sittings & I look forward to the rest of the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This book immerses you in early 1900’s England. There, set among the excitement of a new century we find the newly opened Hartridge & Casas department store. A store where you can find the wonders of the world and have a bite to eat at the Royal Tea Room. It is in the kitchens of the Royal Tea Room that you will find Henri and Nico the subjects of this tale. Despite the advancements made in this new century their love is still illegal and must be hidden in the shadows. What will Henri and Nico give up to be together? I loved visiting in Henri and Nicos world and their fight for love.

Thank you, Dragonblade Publishing, for allowing me to read Catering to Love early!

A very good time in book form.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get into it – there were just a lot of descriptions and a lot of different characters being introduced – but towards the midway point things started to turn around, and I got really invested in the two main characters and their romance. Both Henri and Nico were great characters (even if I wanted to kick Henri a couple of times), and I ended up loving many of the side characters as well.

I’ve read from this author before, so I knew I could expect some really beautiful writing, and this book did not disappoint in that department. Even if the story started out a little slow for me, I still appreciated the effort that was put into creating an atmospheric and interesting backdrop to the romance, which definitely did a lot for the overall impression of the book. All in all I thought this was a lovely and well-written book with a very satisfying conclusion, even if it took a little while to get going.

The author sets himself a daunting task in this wonderful historical MM romance and, in large part, succeeds. The story is set in a Harrod's/Selfridge's type emporium in London in 1908. The MCs are a guarded French-trained chef (Henri) and a more carefree waiter of Greek descent (NIco). The owners, one A British Lord and the other of Spanish descent are a (probable) MM couple as well. The author brings in the Olympics, the Franco-British Exhibition (the White City), The star of the current production of Lehar's The Merry Widow (complete with high kicks and table dancing), Oscar Wilde via a Lady Bracknell figure ("A handbag!") and a deliciously nasty villain. And of course, lots of amazing food! The author has done a good deal of research. Somehow he manages to juggle all of these historical events which makes the first half of the book delightful as all of the these things are swirling around the developing love interest between Henri and Nico..

If the first half is Oscar Wilde, the second half is more Dickens as the odious Lord Ockley makes things extremely difficult for the lovers. The second half narrows the focus to the lovers and the novel does seem to lose a bit of steam in this part. Perhaps it would be nice to see more of "Gabs" and "Lady Bracknell." When the lovers do get together, there is a nice level of steam (mid-to-low--which I love!). The emphasis, as it should be, is on the romance here which involves Nico helping Henri realize that he can have the love he wants as well as fulfill his career dreams.

Kudos to the author for choosing this challenging historical setting and incorporating the research so that it becomes an integral part of the story and not just a backdrop. There do seem to be alot of happy gay couples (and many sympathetic non-gay folks) here and the danger of exposure may be downplayed a bit, but, hey, this is a romance--and it takes you away to magical place and time. Who wouldn't want to visit the Tea Room at Hartridge and Casas! I will be hard-pressed not to try to seek it out the next time I go to London! Five enthusiastic stars!

Awww this was cute. I love Historical M/M romance and I'm always glad to see more of it out there. I really liked the characters. I wanted Ockley to be more evil though. I'm very interested to read more if this is going to be a series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

An enjoyable and entertaining LGBT+ historical romance set in the Victorian period. It's well developed, I rooted for the character and the story kept me reading.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Rating: 4.25/5✩
Spice: 1/5🌶

Henri is the Head Chef at the Royal Tea Room he has always been about his business until one day he see’s Nico the charming and gorgeous new waiter enter his dining room.

Right away I was drawn to Nico, Nico was such a sweetheart and he knew exactly what he wanted since the beginning and he was determined to get it. He knew that Henri and him had connection and he wanted to breakdown those walls to get to know the real Henri not head chief/boss Henri.

Catering to Love is a beautiful Victorian LGBT+ romance that is definitely worth the read. Joshua Ian is a phenomenal author and I can’t wait to read more of his work.

Quotes:
“Nico, I meant what I said. For whatever bastard I maybe, it’s you that I want. I don’t care that we haven’t spent a night together.” ~Henri

Nico kissed him again, repeatedly. “You should know,” he said in between kisses, “how easily I would share my bed with you, Henri. And my body too.” ~Nico

My Review
I Received an ARC from NetGalley. Book comes out September 6th 2022
I enjoyed this book once I got past the lengthy descriptions that threatened to bore me to tears. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the setting of the scene as well as knowing what the characters wore. I just thought it was a little much. Reader, be warned this is a slow-burn romance so you will be waiting a while before Henri and Nico move beyond the attraction they both felt upon meeting.I adored the side characters. They made for some truly funny moments in the story. Hartridge & Casas were fabulous bosses. The way they treated their staff had me cheering. May I never meet a Lord Ockley in my life. He was much too annoying. Nico and Henri were sweet together, though I wished Henri would’ve talked to Nico about his fears and worries instead of running away. I felt like hitting him more than once, but like I said, great story.It was the first time I’ve read an M/M historical but it wouldn’t be the last.Would I read more from Joshua Ian? Yes. Would I continue the series? Without a doubt. I want to see who would be the next couple.

Until next time peace and happy reading.

I really enjoyed this book. Despite the pacing being off in several places - I had to go back and reread pages because I couldn't figure out when the characters had gotten together (less than ideal in a romance novel) - the story was really charming and I had a lot of fun reading.

Catering to Love is a love story set in the early 20th century, with the backdrop of the Summer Olympics and the historic Franco-British Exhibition. It is set in the Hartridge & Casas department store where Henri is the head chef at the Royal Tea Room. He is work focused and determined to one day open his own restaurant. His focus is more than a little bit shaken when he meets one of the new waiters, Nico. They start off a bit shakily, but their attraction is undeniable. But when a meddling lord who can't take no is threatening to expose their relationship, Henri must decide if he cares more about love or his reputation.

This is a very cute story about the two main characters falling in love and figuring themselves out. I really liked how this book went about the story, given that it's set in a time when they had to hide their relationships. I really liked that they were still surrounded by supportive people who understand them and care about them. This all to say, I really enjoyed the side characters. The romance is (for the most part) a more quiet one, as Henri and Nico spend a lot of time in public, meaning there's not much affection they can show. I liked the historical elements of this, the events that were taking place at the time really made the story feel more anchored to the time period. There's not much here that happens, in terms of plot so going into this don't expect much action and happenings, this is more of a slice-of-life story.

In terms of the main characters, while I really liked them, this is where I felt the book was slightly lacking. Truthfully, I did really like what I saw of them, but I definitely wish there was more. More about them individually, about their personalities and their wishes and motivations and all of that. They were likable and I enjoyed reading about them, but it did feel a little bit like this was an episode, a chapter of a bigger story. It felt like there should have been more introduction to them perhaps? Or more information about them sprinkled in throughout the story. There was some establishing of the characters, of course, they were fleshed out for the purposes of the romance, but I just wish we saw more of them.

That mentioned, the romance was sweet and I enjoyed it but I felt like their conflicts felt repetitive after a while. Of course, I understand the issue in question could not get solved immediately, which is why it kept resurfacing. I am absolutely fine with that, but their conversations felt the same. I have no issue with rehashing the same problem, but I would like to see some variety in how it plays out. It all boiled down to Henri being unsure about their relationship, Nico saying Henri is afraid, Henri not wanting to admit it and instead saying something hurtful and Nico walking out (several times).

Long story short, my wish for more character backgrounds and the repetitiveness of their arguments are what brought my rating down, even though I enjoyed reading the book. I like the ending, I will always be happy with queer characters getting a happy ending over whatever other option. I think it was done well, even though it seemed a tad bit unrealistic. But hey, I'm not complaining. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a quick, sweet, historical queer romance with a happy ending! :)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

This was so nice to read, there are not enough M/M historical romances around, I look forward to reading more.

The book is set in 1908, and is predominately set in a restaurant.
Henri is the chef, when he falls for a waiter who takes his breath away, Nico.
However, Nico has another admirer, a man who is willing to ruin both our gents for his own gain.
Can they survive in the years before they were legally allowed to love, read on .
It’s very good, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it just as much as I did.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

I’m quite the stranger to romance novels, but once I got into this book, I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one evening - and it was wonderful! There was a dinner scene with a rich family that I really enjoyed; and a some great surprises throughout the book! It was at times sexy, at times very fun, and contained more interesting characters than I thought a “romance novel” would have. I honestly enjoyed this book - definitely pick up or download a copy when it’s available!