Such an enjoyable story! Very entertaining! The romance was such a slowburn with the grumpy-sunshine vibes. Plus, had enough angst to had me enthralled but never made me nervous. Definitely going to recommend to someone who’s looking for something of that description!

Not gonna lie when I first read the title I thought there might be some type of murder mystery happening here. However, it's not.

Instead we have an enemies to lovers story that includes lots of secrets.

Personally I thought this book was mid. The enemies to lovers went by really quick. The first couple of chapters we get the enemies vibes but by the fourth chapter we jumped to lovers. Personally I like a longer build up. The description makes Alexander seem like he's Gordon Ramsey but he softened up rather quickly and Eden clearly is the reason. There's a bit of good cop/ bad cop in the kitchen with them.

Overall it was a nice story about two people helping each other become the better version of themselves. We have some secrets that keep you interested to know what they are and a nice ending. I really enjoyed the diversity of characters and how Kwan showed the hidden side of some peoples lives.

This debut novel captures the stress of life in the gourmet restaurant world very vividly, which was often stressful to read, but seems very realistic. I thought the villains and supportive fellow chefs were well-drawn as characters, but I especially liked Alexander/Shang. His backstory and family dynamic were a highlight of this story. The happily ever after that was for everyone, not just the couple, was a lovely touch.

I would recommend this to any readers of romance and look forward to more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

This was a really fun, enjoyable read. Really liked the setting of fast paced kitchen and the world of haute cuisine. Eden and Shang/Alexander had really good chemistry from the start and I liked the build up of the attraction and tension between them and how that relationship developed. They each had a personal journey to go through which was interesting, with both struggling with different losses of something precious to them, and how to regain it. I liked how once they worked out the kinks of how best to communicate with one another, they supported each other throughout their respective breakdowns and there was no inevitable third act break-up. A colourful cast of supporting characters as well brought this kitchen to life, a really enjoyable debut and I look forward to more from this author. 3.75 ⭐️ rounded up.

This book was extremely cute! I thought the writing was strong and I really enjoyed the premise and setting. All fans of "The Bear" will surely eat this up as the kitchen setting is on point and the food descriptions made my mouth water. My main issue is the pacing of this book. While I have read many Reylo fan fictions and love them, I feel like this pacing is more fan-fiction that novel. The tension wasn't drawn out and the conflict was a little too early for my taste. However, that is just my opinion and people who struggle with the third act breakup will like this! Overall very cute and *excellent* spice, which is very hard to write!

A Reylo inspired romance involving chefs, say less! Knives, Seasoning, & a Dash of Love is the debut of Katrina Kwan, after years of ghost writing she's finally debuting her own work.

While this book was entertaining and enjoyable for a quick Sunday afternoon, I just don't find myself remembering it in the next couple of days let alone remembering anything about it in the next couple of years. It was a cute romance but sometimes the writing felt stunted and things seemed a bit repetitive. Also the love part was pretty much instant, Alexander was not grumpy for too long at least towards Eden. Eden has been saving for TEN years to find parents that abandoned her then when she finally does find her mom she doesn't even think about the years and not to mention loads of money she wasted on a woman who wants absolutely nothing to do with her. I thought that was pretty weird. Katrina can definitely write some spicy scenes but I think they just need to be integrated better into the story...some times it just felt they were inserted just because and not as any integral part of the plot.

Overall a so-so book that could probably use an editor but I'd give Katrina Kwan another try. There's loads of potential, it just needs to be nurtured. Thank you so much to Lake Country Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I was very excited about this title. I love workplace romance, love the dynamic described in the synopsis but I had to DNF around 60%. But I truly feel like this book could benefit from a complete overhaul by an editor. Grammar and developmental.

The beginning is okay, but it feels like Eden and Alexander have instalove out of nowhere. She spent two weeks in a class with him ten years prior and somehow just has so many clear memories of how sweet he was? It doesn’t make any sense.

Also, speaking of not making sense, Eden essentially describes her parents as pretty terrible parents - not packing lunches, not letting her watch tv, smelly backpack, late for pick up, etc - and somehow she thinks they didn’t just intentionally abandon her? And she has an issue one time with someone *who had legal access to her money* and that makes her distrust banks? What?

I really really wanted to love this book but I sadly have almost nothing positive to say. Some of the scenes and lines were amusing but that’s the extent of my enjoyment for this title.

This book was really sweet and fun. It was fast paced, but didn’t make me feel like I was missing important parts of the story; everything still felt complete. The pace of the book kept my attention the whole time and I found my self invested in not just Eden and Shang’s romance, but also them as characters. They were both dealing with their own past traumas and I liked that they were both able to support each other in when their respective worlds were falling apart. Their personal conflicts were something that I could greatly relate to and I thought they were handled very well. They had fantastic communication and I found it refreshing that there was no third act breakup. Although there were times of conflict, the book still felt lighthearted. I loved that we were able to see their future in the last few chapters and that the story didn’t just end with them once they got together; it’s nice to have that bit of extra, especially with how sweet it was. I also really loved the bit of reflection from the first chapters in the epilogue. We came full circle and the story felt truly complete.

This book was super cute! Having read a few books that were published fanfic, this one stands out to me. I loved the character's dynamics and as a sucker for cooking media, this one hit DIFFERENT!

Kwan does an excellent job writing cute scenes that diverge into spicy and back into the drama seamlessly. As mentioned before, this was fanfiction before publishing but it took me a bit longer to catch onto that fact than some of the others I've read. The addition of the Asian rep really added another layer of depth to Alexander's character. I think that shows you how well Kwan is at making these characters her own and adding flavor and HEAT!

I would recommend this book highly to fans of Reylo, grumpy x sunshine, cooking dramas, and spicy scenes. Sometimes all you need is a dash of love ;)

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review! <3

A workplace contemporary romance that sizzles on the page--chef's kiss! Eden and Alexander/Shang are a delightful couple, and the culinary setting feels detailed and vivid (and real enough to stress me out... I could never work in food service!).

"Knives, Seasoning, & A Dash of Love's" prose and pacing veers at times towards more what I would expect from literary fiction rather than a contemporary romance, but this isn't a complaint--just a note that readers will find slight deviation from the standard recipe here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

My heart is full after reading Knives, Seasoning, & A Dash of Love.

Readers who comfort watch Food Network or can't wait for the next season of The Bear will find much to love in the drama and romance between chefs Alexander & Eden.

The heat is definitely not just in the kitchen. The spice is Hot Ones Da Bomb burn level. I was left thirsty for more and more.

KSDOL also had me invested in our main characters' personal growth outside of their romantic relationship. I appreciated seeing their career, friendships, and past trauma all get time on the page. There was conscious effort to ensure these characters felt as real as possible. No one was perfect & life isn't magical, but Alexander & Eden chose to do the work for their happiness.

Thank you Netgalley & Lake Country Press & Review for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Knives, Seasoning & a Dash of Love made me fall in love with chef romances.

Alexander Chen is the head chef at a cutthroat fine dining restaurant, La Rouge. His need for perfection and control means he runs a tight ship in his kitchen. Eden Monroe is Alexander's new sous chef, who maybe accidentally on purpose... embellished.. her resume to get the job.

Kwan truly has a way with words, I was so lost in this book I felt like I was standing there watching it unfold around me. The chemistry between Alexander and Eden was INTENSE. However, it did feel like the romance was a bit too quick. There wasn't a big build up to it.

The way Kwan depicted the Asian family dynamic made me feel like I was looking at my life on paper. As an immigrant our name is one of the strongest connections we have to our cultural identity when we are away from our homes. Seeing some of Shang's experience mirror my own real life ones was an emotional moment I did not expect to be having.

The one thing that stopped this from being a 5 star book though is it did start losing me a bit in the final few chapters. I liked that there wasn't an aggressive amount of drama in this book though.

I have been reading quite a lot of dud romance books, but this one finally got me out of that slump!

Thank you to NetGalley & Lake Country Press for this ARC!

Ahhh I found it! The book that could take me out of my book slump!

Contemporary books aren’t usually my cup of tea, but the premise intrigued me, a Reylo inspired Chef RomCom? Definitely worth a try. I found myself engaged from the first page. The first chapter does well to catch and garner your attention with questions and secrets sprinkled about the characters introduced to make you eager to read more.
As a big fan of Gordon Ramsey shows (currently binging Kitchen Nightmares) as well as personally working in the food service industry for over ten years all the real life food service industry nods and references both serious and humorous kept me interested and amused throughout the story.

I adored Eden. She is a perfect blend of feisty and softness. One that may seem all sweet but don’t underestimate her wit nor ability to stand up for herself or others. Some of her verbal clap backs made me genuinely laugh.
Shang is a stoic, grumpy, celebrity chef yet with plenty of mystery and secrets about him. He is head chef at a famous popular restaurant with accolades and Michelin stars what else could he want right? But life is not all that. The character development he goes through is *chefs kiss* I don’t want to spoil things but honestly the change is so good.
The romance blossoming between our leads was by far one of the best parts of the Knives Seasoning, And A Dash Of Love. Right from the beginning the chemistry was clear and natural, it was so cute to see them fall in love and grow together.
The side characters are memorable (Peter is my fave which didn’t surprise me especially whom he’s based off) the friend trio were a real highlight. And when I say I *despise* a certain two characters I mean it. The bad guys I wanted to kick their shins and shout profanities at as badly as Eden wishes to.
My only complaint is that being Reylo/SW inspired characters sometimes it seemed a little cliche and predictable characters and events happening, but there is also plenty of different aspects Katrina made her own.

‘It takes her another week. She feels guilty, taking so much time, but it’s not like depression has a start and end date.’

When I started Knives, Seasoning And A Dash Of Love I wasn’t expecting to find a quote that moved me like this. I was expecting a light fluffy rom com contemporary read, and I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across this sentence that both moved me and made me feel seen. It is so much more than a chef contemporary novel and I highly recommend reading it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this E-ARC.

This book was a cute love story between two characters who both had some growing and healing to do. Although the romance progressed really fast in the beginning, I enjoyed Eden and Alexander/Shang's chemistry and the way she brought out a softer side to him. Grumpy/sunshine is one of my favorite tropes, and Alexander is most definitely a moody grump. I would have loved a bit more development of both character's backstories, and some more "dates" on the page of Eden and Alexander getting to know each other, but overall it was a cute read.

It was a decent read for me but there were way too many spicy scenes and I don’t really have problem with the spicy scenes but those scenes were so unnecessary and didn’t align with the ongoing plot. Also I felt that the book was repetitive 2-3 times but apart from these things I really enjoyed it. One of the positives of this book is the dialogues between the characters were natural and it was with a perfect pace. Also I loved the side characters and the found family concept. This book also includes the themes such as family, regret, friendship, etc.

Meet Alexander Chen, one of the most talented chefs to ever grace the culinary world. Now meet Eden Monroe, his newly hired sous chef who may or may not have (definitely) embellished a lot on her resumé to land herself the job.

Eden is hilarious and I relate to her way too much. Wonderfully written!

Knives, seasoning & a dash of love is a really cute story, We have these 2 chefs, one has been a celebrity chef for a long time and it's a the edge of a break down the other one, the new sous-chef who might have embellish her resume to get the job!

Both of them fit perfectly together, she soothes his sharpen edges. Both of them have baggage and they are there for each other, no pressure just someone to hold you while you break!

4.5 stars!!

I absolutely loved this book! As a former chef, I found the characters incredibly relatable, and the portrayal of kitchen life, both hectic and rewarding, was spot-on. The slow and satisfying build-up of the relationship between the main characters felt authentic, highlighting the challenges of early-stage romance. The book’s depiction of depression was poignant, and the struggles within the Asian family resonated with me. Lastly, the supporting cast of friends added depth and warmth to the story. Highly recommend!

Eden is talented in the kitchen. Circumstances lead to her dropping out of culinary school and she's found herself in somewhat difficult times. She decides to cook up her resume and unexpectedly lands a gig as the new sous chef for the somewhat grumpy, yet incredibly talented, Alexander Chen.

The secrets of their shared history unfold, adding an extra layer of flavor to the plot. I must say, those layers of backstory truly seasoned their character development.

What makes this book an absolute treat is the supporting cast – the coworkers. They're the secret ingredients that spice up the story with their humor, camaraderie, and culinary expertise. It's like dining at a vibrant, bustling restaurant, where every character brings a unique flavor to the table.

Now, for the sour note – the crass language. Some might relish a bit of spice, but I prefer my romances on the cleaner side. I understand it adds a certain realism to the story, but it can be a tad too much for my taste.

In sum, "Knives, Spices, and a Sprinkle of Romance" is a flavorful journey through the world of culinary passion and the art of crafting both food and relationships. If you're into sizzling romance with a side of kitchen chaos, this book is your perfect dish!

This was pretty good. It definitely felt like a romcom version of Hell’s Kitchen. I enjoyed how Katrina didn’t just include romcom level drama she also included many real examples of how it feels to be a minority. Especially a minority in a cut throat competitive environment where expectations are high. Eden also had trauma and past experiences she was dealing with. So I appreciated how Shang (Alexander) and Eden grew together as a couple. They weren’t always honest but they seemed realistic and flawed.

I think this book had everything from funny banter, many steamy moments and real life struggles. But I did feel that there was a bit of a disconnect for me. The story just felt like it had everything but there was just something missing. Maybe it was that it just almost had too much. The romance felt like it happened very fast and everything always kind of was quickly resolved and never left us a chance to really catch our breath to where it felt a little bit over the top.

Overall this was a decent romcom that would be perfect for fans of cooking like Hell’s Kitchen mixed with some romance.

Thank you Lake Country Press for providing me with an eARC.