I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this, and I'm so grateful because it was so good! I'd been watching The Bear, so a steamy novel with "Yes, Chef!" vibes was exactly what I was looking for. I happened to see a mutual on IG post about this, and immediately came to request the arc. I didn't know anything about the author and didn't know what to expect, but I'll definitely be reading more!

Things I liked: AAPI representation! Also enjoyed the enemies to lovers aspect. This was also spicier than I thought it was going to be! Looooved the cover.
Things I could have gone without: the mentions of the difference in their size.

Overall this was a solid debut novel, and I will definitely seek out more from this author!

I love watching cooking shows so I was excited to read this story about a romance between two chefs at a trendy restaurant. Alexander Chen (aka Shang) is the head chef at La Rougue and Eden Monroe is his new sous chef. They are a wonderful grumpy/sunshine couple and I enjoyed seeing them grow close as they cook delicious meals and handle daily crises in the kitchen.

Shang is one of the most talented Chefs in the world and he demands perfection from his staff. Eden is a people person who laughs easily and has a way of bringing calm to the kitchen when things get hectic. She knew Shang when she went to Chef school for two weeks several years ago but he doesn’t remember her. I wondered why she had to leave Chef school after only two weeks and this is revealed later in the story. Shang also has issues from his past. He is Chinese-American and has to deal with discrimination in the food industry.

Shang is under pressure from the owner of La Rouge to come up with a new menu but he is feeling burned out and has lost his passion and taste for food. He is struggling to come up with new dishes until he asks Eden to help him which was my favorite part of the story and I got hungry reading about their dishes like Eden’s molten chocolate dessert.

There is a lot going on in the story, between Shang and Eden’s past issues and present drama and there were times when I could barely keep up with it all. It felt like the story moved a little too quickly through some of these issues, like Eden’s past. There were wonderful work friends and family members along with a few villains and it was spicy when things started heating up in the kitchen between Shang and Eden. The ending was happy and satisfying. I recommend this to readers who would enjoy a story about chefs who find the recipe for love. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Lake County Press for the advanced copy of this book.

This has to be the most Reylo fanfic-y book out of all the “used to be a Reylo fanfic” books currently published, and I mean it both as a compliment and an admonishment. Alexander and Eden are ridiculously cute. I really liked their dynamic. The book was fun and breezy.

However, I keep oscillating between enjoying their interactions immensely, and being on edge of unabashed frustration from all the matching names that are taking me right out of the story. [Freddie = Finn. Peter Drenton = Poe Dameron. Rina = Rose. Hector = Hux. Sebastian = Snooke. Parsons = Plutt. Palton = Palpatine. Patty = Phasma. Mitchell = Mitaka. Bea = Bazine Netal. Maxine Kendo = Maz Kanata. Amy Henski = Amylin Holdo. Jane = Jyn. Cass = Cassian. PLEASE, WHY ALL THE NAMES MATCHING THE STAR WARS MATERIAL EXCEPT THE LEADS AND THE SKYWALKERS. AHSNNABAJAHAH EXPLAIN.]

Five stars because the book was fun and I support all fellow Reylos in their creative pursuits, but in my heart, I’m taking half a star off because of the search&replace feeling I got from supporting cast’s names. I think it was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fanfiction origins of the novel, and it might have worked for some people, but it did not work for me.

I never expected the Reyloism of my life to be a hinderance when reading a book, but here we are.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

*contains spoilers*

i love workplace romance but have yet to read one with a professional kitchen setting until now!

knives, seasoning, & a dash of love is about eden, who lands a job as the new sous chef for alexander chen, the most talented chef in the culinary world, but little does he know, she lied on her resume to get here. bits of their history together start to unravel as they work together in the kitchen leading up to reveal each other's backstory. reylo fans should definitely give this book a read!

the book started off great however, i wish we got more scenes of eden and alexander in the kitchen alone, eden helping him with the new menu and alexander providing her the formal training she needs. i think by doing so, the insta love could have a better chance of working alongside the plot. spice scenes were okay, but not memorable. i didn't really enjoy the amount of times their size difference was being mentioned. overall, i think this is a decent read. i enjoyed their backstories that sparked their character development and the coworkers are the best! freddie gives good advice, peter is just straight-up hilarious, and rina is down-to-earth! i am excited for what Katrina kwan has in store next!

thank you netgalley and lake country press & review for this arc!

I really, really enjoyed this book. It's the first ARC I've gotten from NetGalley that didn't feel like work to read. It doesn't hurt that I am a huge Reylo fan and thoroughly enjoy those fanfics, which is how this book began. Granted, I did not read this when it was a fanfic but there are so many fanfic elements to it so it still gives those vibes. I absolutely adored the little hints of Reylo throughout and had fun figuring out which characters were which. It was such a fun read.

Outside of the Reylo-ness, the story was very cute and heartwarming. Both of the main characters went through a lot before the story began and during the book. The author did a wonderful job of character building and showing their growth along the way. The side characters also added a lot to the story and had their own personalities where they can be stiff and generic in other books.

My only gripe is I felt their relationship moved too quickly. Every person is different and every relationship is different, but it all felt a little rushed, especially the big steps they took in chapters 36 and 38. However, that's just my old fashioned opinion.

If you are a Reylo, you absolutely need to read this book. Even if you aren't and have no clue what that means, I still recommend this book. If you like romances that are on the more realistic side, that are heartwarming and frustrating at the same time, this is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

KNIVES, SEASONING, AND A DASH OF LOVE by Katrina Kwan is a mouthful of a title, though it fits this love story about chefs. It's a sweet and spicy insta love with grumpy/sunshine. There is a cast of memorable supporting characters, and some very moving, serious, sad backstory. Luckily there's a Happily Ever After -- more than one, in fact! It will make you consider cooking, or at least make you want to eat. If you like "The Bear" or Great British Bake-Off, you'll get into this. It's like if Ali Hazelwood wrote cooking instead of STEM. A very exciting debut!

#bookrecommendations #romance #romancereviews #romcom #romancebookstagram #romancelandia #contemporaryromance #conromcom #romancereccomendations #aapiromance #23for23 #cookingromance #chefromance

Knives, Seasoning & A Dash of Love is a wonderfully heartwarming book.

I absolutely fell in love with these characters from the offset.
It's beautifully written and has a fantastic concept of enemies to lovers in the fierce and competitive culinary world. With some scary bad-guys to boot.

Grumpy verses sunshine dominates throughout. And it's beautifully done.

A must for any rom-com fans.

I just reviewed Knives, Seasoning, & A Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan. #KnivesSeasoningADashofLove #NetGalley

i loved this debut so much! it's such a sweet found family, grumpy sunshine romance with a restaurant as the setting. if you like the bear, you'd definitely love this book. i think shang and eden had so much connection and history and the way they brought the best in each other was so amazing to read about. i also liked the past traumas that were explored for both characters. the epilogues were beautiful too. thank you netgalley for the arc!

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I did enjoy this light hearted read on two completely different people being attracted to each other. Alexander Chan runs his kitchen like a well oiled machine and is one of the most talented chefs in the culinary world. Eden Monroe needs this job as sous chef to save money, but she got there by maybe exaggerating her resume.

The playfulness of the development of their relationship was fun to see where it was going to go.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy!

Knives, Seasoning, & A Dash of Love is a fun, punchy and fanfic-nostalgic read.
Like the patrons of La Rouge and their fine dining plates, I devoured this book. Kwan's delightful twists on the reylo universe were delectable and even as someone who knows very little compared to some of the "fic fanatics," it was a clear and fresh retelling.
From the shared stresses of running a restaurant to their individual threads of trauma, Eden and Alexander come together in a firecracker of a romance. I loved Eden's ability to swoop in and charm even the wariest of foes, and Alexander's prickly-at-first-but-actually-as-gooey-as-chocolate-lava-cake, persona.
Even with two staller main characters, the side crew threatened (in the best way) to steal the show. From the restaurant crew to Alexander's family the entire cast was the perfect balance between laugh out loud chaos and sweet as pie relationships.
The spice was plentiful and fun and I look forward to anything else Kwan may decide to bless us with in the future.

This book deal with depression and racism. I enjoyed the overall portrayal of the restaurant business. It was a quick read. She's saving money after being betrayed by someone who was supposed to protect her. He's living life on a loop and feels bored with his career. They have a past but he doesn't connect the dots.



****************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.**************

The Bear made me read it.

I was on board after watching the tv show The Bear and I thought it would be interesting reading a romance between a chef and his sous chef. And I was right, if Knives, Seasoning, & A Dash of Love is something, that is a fun and light read.

But even if it was a good read I felt like some parts of the plot were rushed -the part about Eden's parents felt flat at the end- and I didn't enjoy how much the male character mentioned how tiny/small/petite she was. And this is a very personal opinion but I don't feel like reading smut without it helping the plot in any way.

Overall it was a good read but nothing special.

Thanks to the publisher and author for the e-ARC.

Thank you to Lake Country Press and Review and Katrina Kwan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! When I saw this book on my Twitter feed, I knew I wanted to read it! This romance novel is a hallmark movie wrapped in a bow!

Where to start? Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is all that and a bag of chips (or the whole menu)! Kwan did an amazing job with her debut romance novel! The plot was *chefs kiss*, the characters were *chefs kiss* and the romance was *chefs kiss*!

The characters are so well developed, I was hooked from the beginning! How could you not fall in love with our sunshine main character, Eden, and love/hate our other main character Alexander/Shang? This author does an amazing job describing our characters; their likes and dislikes, their ambitions, fun little quirks, and so on. The great amount of detail spent on each character helps develop this story so well!

I loved watching these two characters grow and experience their chemistry together! I also really admire that Kwan has both characters go thru highs and lows; just like any other relationship. We see both characters go thru a dark and twisty time, but then we see how supportive the other is. They are present for the good and bad moments and the support and love never changes. It shows honesty and a realistic relationship!

My only negative to this book was that it wasn’t as quick of a read as I had hoped for. I was hooked for a majority of the book, but when we get to Alexander/Shang’s big plot twist, it seemed to go on for chapters upon chapters. Then we get to Eden’s plot twist and it finishes as soon as it starts. We spent maybe a chapter or two delving into her side of the story. The build up didn’t match and the balance wasn’t there between the two. Those pieces made me really just want to hurry up and finish the book, and that was slightly disappointing since the rest of the story is so good!

Over all, I enjoyed this ARC read and can’t wait to see what Katrina Kwan comes up with next!

Something's wrong with top Seattle chef Alexander Chen's world. He's not quite sure what that is. In the kitchen he's a perfectionist and major pain the ass to work with, but find his passion for food is waning. Enter Eden Monroe, the new sous chef who upsets his restaurant and outlook on life in the best possible way. The characters in this novel were great and I loved getting to know all of them (even the antagonists). I was rooting for Alexander and Eden from their first contentious meeting. The climax of Eden's personal quest was quite devastating, although it was pretty much what you expected from the moment she revealed what her quest was. I'm also glad we got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Chen in detail. They were positively delightful.

Katrina Kwan’s debut romance novel has hooked me from the first page. I fell in love with the characters, loved the tension between Alexander and the way their relationship evolved.

I’ve read a lot of contemporary romances in the past two years and this one was really refreshing for a couple of reasons: the rhythm and openness of the relationship was different from what I’m used to. I liked that they recognized their attraction early on, that they chose to give it a go, actually planned some of the steps that are usually incidental. They talked openly about stuff, consent was always present during the sex scenes and I loved it.
I also really enjoyed the fact that when they both screwed up, they both ended up acknowledging it and apologizing for it. The only thing I didn’t like was one of the tropes towards the end, and maybe the multiple epilogues that felt like obligatory steps.

Overall, this was a breath of fresh air and a sexy one at that.

Literal chefs kiss (hahahahha) I loved this book so much! 🩷

This is literally the most heartwarming and soulful debut! Filled with lots of love and laughter, Kwan is an amazing storyteller, bringing to life vivid characters and drool-worthy food. Her writing brings up important topics as well as furthering our connection to the characters through those topics.

I love love love the character development for our two chefs and how well written it was. Each had their own challenges from their past that was thoughtfully and realistically handled. The love and support from one another and then their friends were everything to me. (peter my drama queen 😩🫶🏼)

In particular, I felt the most seen with Alexander’s character and his challenges as a Chinese-American paving his career in an industry that isn’t always inclusive. These topics were highlighted and wonderfully handled and I loved that it was included. His personal growth from very scary (and hot) head chef to what he becomes with Eden is just so amazing.

Eden (sunshine bb🥹) brings a whole new meaning to “knife wife”. She’s incredibly talented as a chef and I love how she balances out Alexander and brings out the best in him professionally and personally.
I loved our side characters and how they brought the best kind of chaos with them. They were the best supporters and so sweet and kind to our dummies in love.

While the spice isn’t a grease fire, it certainly is hot and steamy ❤️‍🔥😏🔥. I absolutely loved the chemistry between Eden and Alexander and the way they gravitated into each others orbit whenever possible. They are so perfect for one another, being patient and understanding to each other’s own personal issues.

Thank you Katrina for this ARC! I am so honored and happy to receive it and can’t wait to get my gremlin hands on a physical copy to stare at forever😂🩷

Thank you to Lake Country Press/Xpresso Book Tours for sharing an advance reader's copy with me in exchange for an honest review! I was so excited when I saw this book cover because it instantly drew me in. I had yet to read a chef/kitchen romance story but I love the idea because it reminds me of a Hallmark movie.

Alexander Chen is a famous chef who hires a sous chef, Eden Monroe, who may or may not actually be qualified for the job. And it doesn't help that she realizes that she knew him from back when she went to culinary school for all of two weeks. She remembers though, that back then, he went by the name Shang and was sweet and friendly. On Eden's first day working at La Rouge, the restaurant where Alexander is the head chef, she realizes that Alexander is way different from the charming Shang she remembers. But Eden needs this job. Even though she's unqualified, her work ethic and raw talent allow her to be successful at her sous chef position. But she finds herself butting heads with Alexander at times due to their different styles of interacting with the other kitchen help. Alexander realizes, through Eden, that he doesn't have to be so uptight and strict with his staff.

This book is so different from what I usually read. I don't normally choose contemporary romance books because they are so similar to other books in the genre. But this book was so unique. The way Kwan wrote made me feel like I was right there in the kitchen with Alexander and Eden. And the relationship development between them felt very natural. My only complaint with this book is that I feel like the 5-year time skip at the end was unnecessary. It was kind of a cute way to wrap up the story of their relationship, but I felt as though it didn't add much.

Overall, such a cute story and I'd absolutely recommend it to those looking for a cute romance with a HEA.

Knives, Seasoning, & a Dash of Love is a spicy workplace romance, grumpy x sunshine relationship with family drama and great character growth set in the high-stress culinary world.

While there were a few things I didn’t necessarily like—the instalove, the miscommunication, the double-standard of lying on a resume, the cardboard villains—there were many things I did like.

Eden and Alexander/Shang are great leading characters. They’re both Incredibly talented and good at their jobs, which makes the kitchen scenes really great, but they have their flaws. Both have unresolved family drama, but they’re each able to grow and work through their issues. Their relationship has some bumps, but they overall complement each other, and their HEA is really fun.

I also loved learning about the culinary world: the high stakes, the sabotage, the egos, and, of course, the amazing food! The kitchen scenes create tension while still being fun and allowing readers to learn more about Eden and Alexander as well as the secondary characters.

Knives, Seasoning, & a Dash of Love has some flaws, but overall, it’s a great debut for Kwan!

I hate to DNF, but I DNF'd this at 33%. I feel like this started off strong, but then quickly turned into instalust and all their thoughts were about how cute their love interest was, what their skin would feel like under their hands, etc etc. I know I'm in the minority for this book, so perhaps it just wasn't for me. Knowing this was Reylo going in, I was hoping for tension and banter, but I didn't get any of that.

Thank you to Lake Country Press & Review and Netgalley for this ARC!

First off, a big thanks to the publisher/author for the e-ARC, I tried my best to do the book justice and give a fair review 🙂

The book started out well, both the MCs have strong personalities and a never back down attitude this really avoided any kind of major miscommunication between them which is always appreciated. I also learnt a lot of stuff about the culinary world which I hadn’t expected, the romance was cute with many aww moments as well.

Things that I didn’t enjoy too much was the number of times their size difference is mentioned like I get it she’s petite and he’s huge, there were also one too many spicy scenes like it wasn’t helping the plot in any significant way but some of y’all might like that XD

Overall it was a light fun read, good choice to pick up when you don’t want any deep dramatic stuff. Straight forward characters and easy to read story.