Quite a sweet story about two people getting their second chance at love after circumstances kept them apart 10 years previously. Jack and Jillian met at university in Seattle when they were 19 and after being friends for awhile they got together and spent one amazing night together but then Jack's dad died suddenly and he had to return to the family ranch in Texas to take over.

They both go their separate ways but still manage to end up in the same field - Jillian cultivates her own chilli's and creates spice mixes, rubs and sauces that she sells online alongside her podcast while Jack has his own YouTube channel grilling BBQ. He's a BBQ champion in Texas (not that I knew this was a thing!) and is quite successful on his channel as well as running the ranch.

Their managers get them together with Jillian calling in to Jack's show to offer some advice and whatnot for the spices to use on his BBQ and from there they decide to spend a week filming together at Jack's ranch.

What he's yet to learn about her is that she had a horrific accident several years prior that left her with a severe anxiety around groups of people - any size group will send her into a panic attack. When Jack finds out he is respectful and keeps her safe and within about 2 days she seems to shed most of this fear and starts joining the large family for meals - which seems a little ridiculous to me but maybe she just needed the right people to ease her back into being around people again.

The dialogue between Jack and Jillian felt a little clunky and forced at times. I know people can be understanding but Jack is above and beyond the average person which felt a little far-fetched at times. It's told in a third party POV so we get both sides but I would have preferred a dual POV - I think this would have elevated the story that bit more. I enjoyed it overall and I'm glad they got their happily ever after, but the ending did feel a little bit rushed. Also, reading this book will make you hungry so have snacks on hand!

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Jillian is a podcaster and also a grower of chilies, the hybrid kind. She is also a person who served a traumatic occurrence does not travel too far from her home and also has most items delivered. Her producer has an opportunity for her in Texas with a man who is a rising star on Facebook. It also happens that they dated ten years ago in college until he left to take care of the family's ranch when his father got ill. After making it there and then having their first show everything is taking off. I enjoyed the story but I found Jillan's character to be the stronger character overall and Jack’s character was not as strong just willing to let her go once again and not take help from his siblings who all were willing to help and once again the woman moved to be with the man instead of him moving for her and helping her. Other than that it was a good book.

Sugar and spice and everything nice. It's a good start to a series! It's my first time reading a book by Gigi Templeton. It's a nice second chance romance with a good balance amount of sweet and spice. The romance was slow burn but there's a HEA.

The story felt a little formulaic and rather predictable. However, it still a joy to read from front to end. The banter between Jack and Jillian was very fun to read and filled with chemistry from the very beginning.

The main reason why I picked this up is that it was marketed as a second chance romance between a barbecue master and a hot pepper horticulturist. I was not disappointed. Will definitely continue with the series!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the arc copy. All opinions are my own.

What a great way to begin February! This book was perfection. I loved the characters and their second chance at love. It was fun and interesting to read about their careers and backstories. I appreciated how they were kind to one another. Great spice as well! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I will look for more books by Gigi!

Spiced right was my first book by Gigi Templeton and it was really enjoyable! It follows Jillian, an agoraphobic podcaster with an intense interest in growing chillies/peppers and creating her own line of spices. Following a traumatic experience, Jillian relies on outside support as she lives alone in her home. It was refreshing to see a woman aware of her trauma but also being confident in accommodating her triggers and daily troubles to make her as comfortable as possible.
Her producer and friend arrange for Jillian to call in to a popular barbecue web show hosted by ex-flame Jack Reed. Their chemistry is off the charts. Desperate to reunite with Jillian and capitalise from their success, Jack invites her out to his ranch to partake in his show in person as well as offering her own segment.
Anxiety riddled Jillian accepts the offer and journeys to the Reed ranch unprepared for the instant flirtation and chemistry between herself and Jack.
It was really cool reading about their cooking and food interests as well as reading about Jillian’s trauma and how she slowly opens up to Jack about her experience.
It was an emotional rollercoaster, but it was very enjoyable. There were lulls where I felt a little bored, but it never took long for the plot to pick back up. I hope the other Reed family members have their own book so we can get a glimpse of Jack and Jillian and their happily ever after. I will definitely be interested in reading Gigi’s other books!

A sweet southern second chance romance.

Jack and Jillian originally met in college but Jack had to leave for personal reasons, returning to his families ranch in Texas. In the years that have passed, they have both lived separate lives but never forgot the time they shared together. In the current day, Jack is still on his families ranch but is also a champion pitmaster with a successful YouTube channel whilst Jillian is living in Seattle, running her own business creating hot sauces/dry rubs and podcast.

The two are reunited on a live show when its suggested they work together to grow their businesses and social media following. Jillian takes a trip down to the Texas ranch to create some more in person content after the initial success. As they get to know each other(and Jack's huge family!) once more, Jillian begins to open up about her past. She has been through a lot since she last saw Jack but he is the perfect understanding gentlemen as she opens up to him about her past.

I enjoyed how seamlessly they rekindled their friendship and relationship as the story progressed. I felt the amount of spice sprinkled throughout was the perfect amount. All the talk of the food definitely made me hungry whilst reading! Jack and Jillian were truly meant to be together and i'm glad they found their way back to each other!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy to review.

What a fun second chance romance! I really enjoyed this cowboy and his darlin', even though I generally don't like third person narrative. I do think this book would be a 5-star read for me if it were told in first person by each character, but that's just my preference. With that said, I really enjoyed this sweet romance.

If you love cowboys, flirty banter and second chances - this is a book for you. I loved the flirting, I loved the budding romance grounded in friendship rekindled, and I adored the food centric storyline. Not to mention, the spice was good.

And what's more, the FMC finally getting redemption and her HEA with an ending I absolutely hate in my romance books, in this case - made me ecstatic.

For a laugh out loud, giggling and kicking your feet sweet cowboy romance, this really hit the spot.

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Spiced Right.

This book was something I wasn’t expecting because I don’t typically read second-chance storylines too often due to the angst we usually see there, but considering that this novel was fairly low-angst, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a very fast read for me and I found both Jack and Jillian’s careers very interesting.

Overall, the banter, the characters and their relationships helped to make this an interesting and enjoyable romantic read.

⭐ - 4/5
🔥 - 2.5
🧮 - would recommend
💜 - Tropes: second chance love, friends to lovers
📚 - Standalone or series: This an interconnected standalone, book 1 in a series

I'll admit it, I picked this one up because the cover and title grabbed me first! Then reading the blurb, it seemed like the perfect read to cozy up with.

Jillian - I just wanted to hug her so bad! The things this woman has gone through absolutely tore my heart apart. I respected the way the author wrote her experience with the traumatic event. It's something that not everyone realizes happens. Her situation was handled with care in my opinion. The focus on her mental health, understanding, and empathy went a long way for me with this story. I loved Jillian's resiliency. Through the motions of putting her life back together, she falls back into her passion. Something that has helped her create a name for herself while also being able to sustain her need to be isolated. I loved the way she met Jack again. The idea behind them coming back together was wonderful. This wasn't just about lovers spurned and sent away from each other. This was life circumstances keeping them apart. The way the sparks flew between them from the moment they heard each other's voices was hot! I loved it.

Jack - His dedication to making sure his family was taken care of after so much heartache was commendable. He took the chance to stay at home and take over after a familial loss. A loss that is incredibly hard regardless of our age. I loved that when he too had stuff that was taking over his life he fell back into his passions. Which was cooking. His appreciation for Jillian and the way her business has taken off was wonderful to see. He saw her as an equal and maybe elevated her a little more. I appreciated how he took care of her needs when it came to her limitations and boundaries. He's truly a cinnamon roll-type character. Who doesn't love a cowboy with a heart of gold?

Their conflict and realization that they needed to part again was routine to me. It wasn't angsty, which I don't think was needed like it is in other books. this one seemed almost natural. The reason for coming back together once again so made my heart happy! They got their happy ending in all the best possible ways.

The one aspect that took me out of the story at times was the (in my opinion) overuse of their names when they were talking to each other. In natural open dialogue, we don't communicate by using each other's names constantly.

If you're looking for a story with low angst, cinnamon roll-type cowboy, some spicy content (of a few varieties!), and just an overall good story, this is perfect.

What a good start to a series by Gigi Templeton. A sweet and spicy romance, where two people, Jillian and Jack, find their way back to each other after years apart. They met in college but due to an emergency, Jack has to rush back home, leaving Jillian with the memories of a perfect night together. Ten years later, Jillian is a hot pepper queen with a podcast and Jack is a BBQ king with a cooking show. I mean, what a perfect reason to get together and create something special for their fans. And oh boy, the connection is real, and I don't mean just in the kitchen! Each of them do have their history to tend with, especially Jillian who has enochlophobia, and this does put a wet towel on their fire at times. But I definitely enjoyed seeing how they worked around it all.

There are a lot of minor characters but it was easy to keep up with all of them. And having the setting at Jack's ranch with his horses and big family was a plus. The book does feel a bit predictable and it does get a bit sappy. But I found myself rooting for them regardless and the ending was very sweet. This book won an award for best banter between characters, and while I did see how it won, it did take it a bit far in certain scenes. And the only other thing I felt was a tad redundant was Jillian's negative view of herself and her situation. I understand the reasons, but Jillian jumped right in with Jack, and I feel like if she was really truly against having a future with him, she would have had some serious reservations about taking even one step forward.

This is definitely for anyone looking for a sweet romance to fall into. And I would love to read the other books in the series, especially if they have to do with the characters we meet in this first book. I am grateful for the opportunity to read this!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆
Jillian Parks has built her world of hot sauce. She grows and blends peppers to make new flavors that tempt buyers to her website.

Jack Reed found his true love when he was in college, but a family emergency had him leaving school and her behind. Now, 10 years later, she is calling his show.

When Jillian calls into Jack's cooking show, their banter makes the fans of the show go crazy. Jillian decides to go to Texas for a week to do several shows with Jack. Each show is fun and flirty, and the fans are loving it. Her sales are going through the roof.

Jillian tells Jack about her past, which is heartbreaking, and Jack takes it upon himself to help her overcome her fear of crowds by having her join his family for meals.

Jillian and Jack were each other's first loves, and the feelings are resurfacing. Can Jillian make a life change and move to Texas or will both of them be heartbroken forever?

I enjoyed this story and was hoping Jillian and Jack would end up together. As their story unfolds, you will see that they belong together. This story is filled with painful pasts for both Jillian and Jack. Jack has a large, loving family that accepts Jillian from the first meeting, a family that she didn't realize she needed. I hope you give this one a chance and that you enjoy it too. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I liked this book but didn’t love. There were parts I enjoyed but other parts that felt flat. I think there was a lot of potential but over all something was missing for me.

This was definitely a fast read with a happy ending. Some parts were a little slow but the end really picked up speed. Jilly had a heartbreaking past and some healing to do. I love a good second chance romance with a twist. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I would recommend this book.

Thank you Montlake and NetGalley for the advanced copy of Spiced Right. However I DNF'd the book at ~35%.

I typically enjoy rancher romance books, but in my opinion I felt as the stereotypical typical Texas culture was laid on very thickly. Maybe this would not be noticed by other readers, but for me I found that it took away from my enjoyment and desire to keep reading. I would consider picking the book up again some point down the road, but do not have any objective to in the near future.

3.75⭐️

I requested this Netgalley read a while back and decided to go in blind without rereading the synopsis. So, based on the cover, I didn't know what to expect. The cover does not match the story (IMO), which is fine because we don't all judge a book by its cover 😉.

I didn't know what to expect, but it was a pleasant surprise. Some bits were a little over the top or cheesy/cringy, but the plot does take place over a week, so things do progress quite quickly. The tropes covered in this book are not my faves, but this cowboy had me swooning, and as a southerner, I read all his parts in my head in a southern drawl 😀.

Tropes:
🤠 Second chance
🤠 He falls first (the second time)
🤠 Surprise pregnancy
🤠 🌶🌶🌶

🚨 Trigger Warnings
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🛑 Miscarriage
🛑 Death of a parent
🛑 Crowd trampling/fear of large crowds

Spiced Right was a nice surprise with a bold witty cast of likeable characters giving them a relatable quality add a strong storyline with a intense subject matter that pulls on the heartstrings and off the chart chemistry between the hero and his leading lady making this much more than just another second chance romance as this was the first time reading anything from this author I look forward to exploring future books in this series and any backlog she may have.
I received a advance readers copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

I don't know if it was just me being a non-American but the banter on this book all flew right over my head.

At first I found myself smiling when they were on their first phone call during his show – I was excited for them - but after a while, their so-called effortless "repartee" just felt too trying hard, too forced, and too... fake. It's like when you're on a date and you're constantly trying to be witty and charming, which gets exhausting to keep up with.

The writing itself is too complicated for me. Too many words that I don't feel belong in everyday conversation.

I may just not be the right audience for this book though.

I was excited to read this book although the cover was very misleading. It seemed like a fun romance though, but after reading through the book I had to DNF . I wasn't connecting with the writing style or the character of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Spiced Right (Spiced Right, #1) by Gigi Templeton
This is the first book I have read written by Gigi Templeton - I hope to read many more. This is a fantastic second chance romance. Jack Reed and Jillian Parks both have so much baggage after ten years apart they could take a trip around the world. The are perfect for each other if it weren't for a few problems. Their witty banter and sexy vibes will keep you reading. The family and friends are all wonderful and I want books on them all. There is angst, strong attraction, tragedy. recovery, lots of laughs and tears (both kinds), lots of spice and plenty of heat to get us to a HEA.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Great world building Page-turner Tragic Entertaining Realistic Funny Wonderful characters Tear-jerker Romantic Happily Ever After Easy-to-read Steamy.

This was definitely a cute read with a happy ending. Some parts were a little slow but the end really picked up speed. Jilly had a heartbreaking past but love the college sweethearts being brought back together and a miraculous surprise at the ending! I would definitely read this as a series if each family member got their own book! Definitely recommend and I think it’s a short read