New Yorker Chloe Brown is on a journey to start a new life and career as a food truck chef/ owner. When she rolls into small-town Fantasie, she catches the eye of local lawyer Lucas DiMaggio. First he was irritated that a tourist parked in his parking spot, then he was drawn to her. Chloe and Lucas might’ve started on the wrong foot, but that doesn’t mean they’re not attracted to each other.

I thought I was going to love this book, but I only liked it. Chloe is admirable for being determined to start a new after everything that happened to her in New York with her ex. She wanted to make the most of what she has and build herself up again. Romantic relationships wasn’t really part of her “new me” then enters Lucas. While Lucas has the best intentions, I found him a bit childish because of the things he did to get Chloe’s attention. Think of when you’re young and they tell you “he’s mean to you because he likes you.” Lucas’ more admirable traits is helping the locals and reminding Chloe it is her choice whatever it may be.

There are mentions of abuse/toxic relationships and infertility in this book.

I loved so many things about this book. I loved the main characters and there early back and forth banter that eventually led to deep feelings for each other. The author did a great job building this relationship and I really felt the emotions from these two characters. I loved the cast of characters and the small town charm. They played perfectly into the story. I loved the story being told from two perspectives. It allows you to dive deep into each character and their feelings while still helping the story unfold smoothly.

At one point there is a small time jump and I first I wasn't a fan, but within a chapter to two I felt the story was back on track and overall it did allow the story to be told in a timely manner. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I would have been frustrated if the story dragged on before finally getting to where it ended up.

I had read a few things about the spice level and trigger warnings. I do recommend checking the trigger warnings. As for spice level, I saw some things labeling it as a spice level one. I will take there word for that, but it was definitely spicier than my typical Hallmark read.

Overall I thought this was a great romance story and a perfect release for Valentine's Day!

3. 4 stars.

The book is a little fast paced. The character chemistry is shown since the first Moment they meet. The tention the banter Everything builds up pretty well.
I love the determination of Chloe and Lucas Attitude. I usually don't read small town romance but i do like a good book on this trope in a while.

Taco Bout Love is a very cute romcom written by Lily Kate.

This story is based in the town of Fantasie, which to me, the name says it all and you could only hope that all your dreams come true there.

We follow the love story of Chloe and Lucas where Lucas knew he had to have her, but Chloe was a little standoff-ish at first because she knew she had dreams she wanted to achieve and wanted to finally put herself first for once.

The whole town of Fantasie is was adorable and charming and the people who lived there were so heartwarming. If you like small town romcom books this one is for you!

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC to read for my honest review.

Publication Date: February 14, 2023

3.75 ⭐️! (rounded up to 4 on goodreads!)

I got this book as an arc on netgalley & while I enjoyed it, there were also parts I didn’t love.

first off, reasons why I liked/enjoyed it—the characters & their chemistry from the start. I also loved all the side characters & the homey small town vibe these people had going on. it was extremely cozy & made me smile a lot. I also appreciate that there was no third act break up. (we love when that doesn’t happen). I felt there was so much healthy communication in this book & it soothed me.

reasons why I didn’t love it—I felt certain parts just didn’t fit. I felt like the conflict was a bit out of place & almost a little to wild for the vibe of this book. it didn’t necessarily take away from the book, but it definitely affected how I felt about the book as a whole because for me it just didn’t fit entirely.. I wasn’t expecting it to be a slow burn either, but I would definitely consider it to be a slow burn novel (not that that’s bad, it’s just the synopsis makes it seem it will be more spicier, but it took a while for the spice to happen)

Grumpy/sunshine has become one of my favorite romance tropes, and Taco Bout Love brings us two of the best to fit that bill, Lucas and Chloe! I really enjoyed this book—a perfect combination of endearing and steamy! I love that, even though he was grumpy and brooding, Lucas was also thoughtful and caring about his family, his community, and Chloe! And even though Chloe was sunshine-y and charming, she was also uncertain about her future and holding on to a lot of pain from her past. The two of them together are combustible, but they’re also careful and respectful of each other. The town and people of Fantasie, Maine are also endearing, and I look forward to spending more time with them!

Taco Bout Love is a novel that has its moments very cute and fun, but that somehow something seems to be very out of place. The novel was built slowly, until it was simply too fast. the characters are nice and quite easy to like, but I couldn't enjoy the first-person narration very much. A good book overall, but unfortunately it didn't stand out much with me. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This story was so addicting. Tacos and love what could be better to read about. I loved how easy it was to pick right back up where I left off, I loved wondering what would happen next

* I was provided with an arc in return for my honest review*
This book is definitely worth every penny! Definitely a great read and highly recommend it

3/5 stars! This was a fun, quick little rom-com of a book. Chloe was spicy and silly and a badass, which I appreciated. But Lucas was pretty unlikable. His reactions to Chloe just felt kind of unrealistic. I did like their banter, although the ending was predictable.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This was a cute read. I loved the premise of the book, sometimes I wish I could just pack up and start somewhere new. Taking a chance and having the drive to prove that you can do it. Also coming to terms that their are good people out there that do want see you succeed. If we cannot heal our past, we may miss out on something beautiful. Plus, I liked the spice!

I love this town! This family!

This book was adorable. Lucas and Chloe are characters you will fall for. Chloe’s past makes it hard for her to trust but Lucas does not give up in anyone he cares about and that includes Chloe. And his large family. And the entire town. He will go to any length to protect them all as well.

The town will also have you falling for them from Josie and Finn (we must know their story), the Donovan brothers, the DiMaggio cousins, Ruby and Chuck, Trevor, to Lily and Grandma DiMaggio. I hope we get to revisit this town soon and these people soon!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this story.

(2 stars)

A typical small-town romance, a little too typical if you ask me.

From the blurb, I expected the book to be a cute, small-town romance with enemies-to-lovers-esque themes and more content on the FMC's food truck. These expectations unfortunately weren't met. At all.

Right from the beginning, I started noticing the unoriginality of the content. Now I'm a big fan of small-town romances and have read my fair share of grumpy-sunshine books. And the characters just seem like an amalgamation of all these characters I've read and enjoyed (a lot). The unoriginality carried to the dialogues and language. At some point, it became difficult for me to differentiate which POV I was reading because of all the repetition and it all just blended.

Where I was expecting enemies-to-lovers, I read about instalove (I do not like instalove). Where I was expecting more taco business, it didn't start till wayyyy too late in the book.

All of this took away my motivation to just pick up my phone and continue reading the book. This was probably the longest I took to read a book this year (yes, despite it being just February).

I would've enjoyed Josie's story more, as she and Finn seemed weirdly dynamic and had some really great witty banter.

Thank you Netgalley and LK Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this ARC especially after reading the description. Everything from the cover, to the synopsis, to the tropes, promised this to be an instant favourite of mine. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Right from the get go, Lucas is cringy with his instant hard-ons each and every time he is around Chloe, like get a grip man, it is getting embarrassing! His instant infatuation was incredibly annoying and meant that there was no room for a relationship to organically form; after only having had 2 or 3 brief conversations with her, he says something like, "there's only one girl I want and she's adamant on leaving." but the annoying part was that the first meeting was her not even speaking to him because he insulted her truck, the second conversation was him walking her to the bar where again, they barely spoke and the third conversation was him acting like a tool trying to interrupt her coffee date with his Golden Retriever brother, Noah. Like, how on earth had he established that's the only girl for him or that she was dead set on leaving? He didn't know anything about her or her story.

Then, the next plot flaw was that from the get go, the writing tried to reveal everything all at once. Within 25% of the book, it was clear that this was going to be a series, and that the next story will likely be about Josie and Finn. Personally, I prefer when this is hinted at throughout the book without it being so obvious. Like, rather intrigue me by weaving little bits throughout the first book that makes me demand a follow up - instead, this felt like, "you're getting a follow up book, whether you care for these characters or not."

While I get the small town vibe and characters were a big part of the story, too many characters are introduced at once so it's hard to build a relationship or fondness with them before they all start to merge into one because there is little to no character development before the next character is introduced.

But this was sort of the writing style from the get go - the author keeps none of her cards to herself, making for incredibly predictable and boring writing. Another example of this is how soon it is established thay Lucas does probono work - this would have been an amazing plot point, later in the book, if the author stuck with painting him as the broody, grump who seems like an ass but is really a cinnamon bun that you're forced to love because he actually does have a heart.

The writing was repetitive and clunky; within one chapter the lead, Chloe, compares her nipples to radio antennas just for the strange quilting lady to make the exact same comparison a heartbeat later. How do two very different characters, different age groups, different backgrounds draw the same comparison?

And lastly, Chloe Brown is one of the FMCs in the Talia Hibbert Brown Sisters series. Given that both these books are in the same genre and both have cartoon covers, it was hard not to always think of Talia's main character each time Chloe's name is shared; even though they're incredibly different. I think given that both books will share the same audience, it would've been better to have a different last name to allow for fandoms and fan arts to form.

I wanted to press my lips to hers, to tell her that whatever she was running from was as good as gone. That I’d protect her, make her mine, ease the worry that flitted across those emerald gems—at least for as long as she’d have me.

-dual pov, small town vibes, “enemies” to lovers, forced proximity for a bit, both Chloe and Lucas are 30+ (love me some older characters!!)
-Chloe Brown needs a fresh start and drives her (barely surviving) taco truck to the town of Fantasie and straight into Lucas Donovan’s parking spot 🌮
-their chemistry was really good and I enjoyed their banter a lot 😊
-I would note that the book mentioned a handful of times of how hot Chloe was and how much she turned Lucas on 🥲 she’s a whole chef for goodness sake!!
-also wished Chloe’s success with the taco truck was written about more
-there’s spice for those who are interested 🤭🔥
-thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this ARC

I received Taco Bout Love by Lily Kate from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I read the synopsis and thought that this would be a cute read. Unfortunately, I didn't get far into the book before I realized that this book wasn't for me. I like cheesy romance books but I didn't enjoy the writing or the characters. I felt like the characters could have used some more work to be fleshed out, they were a bit weak in my opinion. I usually don't mind small town stories but this one was not believable and I think that's what annoyed me.

Thank you NetGallery & LK Publishers for this ARC e-book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This was my first book by Lily Kate. It was such a cute small town, rom-com that is perfect for any taco lover this Valentine's Day!

Chloe and Lucas had an insta love connection that I loved. At times it honestly felt like too much, but I know many of you will love this! I am not fully sure if this one was supposed to be enemies to lovers per se, but there was definitely some off-putting vibes that had these two unable to be together at first. For this reason I give it 3 stars.

Was definitely a cute read, and will be looking for more if this author's works in the future!

Lily Kate delivers a sweet but spicy rom com set in a small town in Maine! I really enjoyed the dual pov and grumpy/sunshine aspect.

Chloe - a girl from NY who is trying to open her own food truck business who doesn’t want to need help from anyone or be a burden.
Lucas - a grumpy lawyer with a soft side.

The main characters (Chloe and Lucas) had depth. Their chemistry was good, but sometimes it felt too insta-love.

Overall, a cute and quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley & LK Publishers for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

Overall pretty cute slow burn,spicy romance.
Buuut the main characters were kind of odd.
I think it’s suppose to be enemies to lovers but it was more like not a great first impression to some weird reasons they can’t be together and then are together but are still trying to figure out if it’s too fast. I dunno.
I wanted more of the side characters and would love a book of Josie and Finn. I hope that one is next.
Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for an eARC.

TLDR: Taco Bout Love is a great cozy romance read- a perfect start to the month of February for those looking to read some romance books for Valentine’s Day! A cozy small-town romance read that will leave you falling in love with the characters.

Premise:
Taco Bout Love features Chloe Brown, an upstart dessert taco truck owner, looking for a new start in a quaint town called Fantasie- a town that promises to make your dreams come true. Running from a failed relationship and looking to avoid any reminders of her past, the promise of dreams coming true in Fantasie is too good for Chloe to pass up. Having just scrapped together enough money to buy her run-down truck, Chloe’s truck breaks down in the parking spot of Lucas Donovan- the CEO of the town’s law-firm. Lucas and Chloe are instantly attracted to each other- but with small town rumors flying and Chloe running from her past relationship, will Chloe allow herself to fall for the charming small-town lawyer?


Review/Thoughts:
Taco Bout Love was such a cute and heart-warming romance! It was a fairly quick read (only took a few hours.) The book has some nice tropes in it: forced proximity, possessiveness, “let me take care of you when you’re injured,” and found-family vibes.

The book was overall a very cozy read. It had some very heart-felt moments between Chloe and Lucas. Lucas as a MMC was such a great character- very charming and very swoon-worthy! Lucas cared very deeply about Chloe’s boundaries and just showed her that he cared for the sake of caring about her- it was such a great romance to read! With that being said, I did feel as though the beginning of the book felt a bit disjointed when Chloe and Lucas first met- the dialogue between them and Lucas’ inner dialogue felt a little forced. However, the chemistry between them turned into a wonderful tension that I actually found myself enjoying! The small-town vibes was so excellently done- Lily Kate wrote such a beautiful little town in Fantasie that it makes me want to visit! The imagery was so precise and well-described that I could picture myself in this quaint little town.

The spice in the book was good for a romance/rom-com book like this. I found that of the few spice scenes, only one read a little cringey due to the word-choice. Otherwise, I found that the intimate scenes in the book were done pretty well and weren’t too explicit for a cozy rom-com book such as this.

Overall, this book was such a great romantic-comedy read! Romance readers will absolutely love Lucas Donovan!


Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest review of Taco Bout Love by Lily Kate- publishing on February 14th, 2023!

Taco Bout Love by Lily Kate is fun and cute rom-com about love, family and finding your true direction.

This grumpy/sunshine trope is set in a small town, Fantasie, where everyone knows and looks out for each other (and most are related).

Told in the dual perspectives, this novel will have you falling in love with the town, the characters and dessert tacos.