I think there was already a challenge for me going into this book because I really am not a fan of third person, especially when its romance. I think its so special and fun to feel like I'm really diving into the character(s) head, hearing their most inner thoughts and feelings from first person perspective. However, Kwan's third person writing did make me feel connected and involved. The tension between Eden and Alexander is undeniable, and watching them clash makes the spice that more enjoyable and rich. Although not my personal favourite, still a great workplace romance read.

Grumpy x Sunshine workplace romance. It's a sweet angsty steamy romance that you can easily fall right into. Especially if you're a foodie, who enjoys a nice sweet workplace romance. With a brooding perfectionist, Alexander Chen, he's the sunshine, golden retriever, and easy going personality... while Eden Monroe is the opposite. Their paths cross once again at a French Haute cuisine restaurant where Alexander Chen formally known as Shang is working as one of the top chefs and leading the kitchen, and Eden is their new sauce chef from her recent departure from her predecessor. Where she lied on her resume to acquire the role, and references on her resume. While Alexander tests her ability and capability in the kitchen, as he doesn't recognize her from culinary school 9 years prior, they become friends. She is thick skinned and on a mission to collect as much money as needed to complete a mission. Honestly their magnetic attraction and palpable chemistry was enough for me.

I loved the two main characters' dynamics and chemistry. I believed their attraction to each other, and the feelings that they eventually admit to. It's been a while since I've read a book where the main character lies about their qualifications, pretty sure the first romance and definitely the first chef! The food and restaurant environment wasn't as big a part as I was expecting, but still very interesting to read and experience the different perspectives based on experience not talent. This is the first book I've read by Kwan, and I can't wait to read more - I already have The Last Dragon of the East on my TBR!

I recently read a lot of books that were written in first person, so seeing this was in third person, was a real delight!
It was also very much in favour of the characters, especially for Alexander and especially in the beginning, because that 3rd person brought the grumpiness of him so much more to light.

I liked the characters, the setting was nice, the general plot & subplot too AND there was no 3rd act breakup, which I definitely loved.

However, I had a couple of issues with the book.
The pacing, while generally fast, was at the same time inconsistent throughout the book and not very clearly to follow from a reader’s standpoint. The story was moving from day to day and suddenly it seemed like we skipped several weeks without any sort of hint and? Idk, felt weird.

The relationship between Eden & Alexander developed veeeeery quickly and very suddenly, similar to the friendship between her and the other chefs. Again, I feel like the story skipped several weeks without making the reader aware, so it felt like one day they met and the other they were best friends.

The tone and in parts language were also inconsistent throughout the book. I feel like the author tried to bring in some humour or some sort of cute couply stuff into this, but for me it felt just off. Alexander started calling Eden “sweetheart” out of the blue and that just didn’t make sense for him as a character to do so.
Similar case with the language during sex scenes.
It just was *off*.

I was also missing a certain structure. Rather than a natural development of everything. First, the romance, then Alexander’s subplot, then Eden’s subplot, then the happy ending for everyone.
This could have been better handled.

I saw that the author had other books coming out, which sound interesting, so I will keep an eye out for those!

why didn't i read this before? 😩

this gets 5⭐ for giving me back the feeling of "wow i cant put this down, i need to keep reading"
it gets 5⭐ for being so wholesome and handling all delicate topics as good as it did, like, this book might honestly have one of my favorite "3rd act break up"'s ever
and it gets 5⭐ just because

ugh i am already dreading the book hangover this is gonna give me 😩

This was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed this well balanced grumpy sunshine contemporary romance. I absolutely loved the Chinese-American representation. The spice was just right. I really liked the character development between Eden and Alexander. I'll be looking for more from this author.

So cute and sweet, but with a lot of emotion and struggle. Parts were tough to read being the mom of a kinder kid, but I did appreciate the depictions of depression.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Knives, Seasoning and a Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan!

I love when a grumpy x sunshine pairing are so different but have such great chemistry! A really fun workplace romance with likable characters

I didn't hate this, but it was really slow for my liking.
I liked Eden, but I felt that her plot line fell a little flat.
I liked Shang, too, but found his plot line was a little more interesting.
I think this book focused more on the spice rather than the plot, which is great for those who prefer that!
I usually prefer a bit more plot so I think that's why it fell a little flat for me.
I've been obsessed with Hell's Kitchen lately, so I liked the fact that the main characters were chefs, and a lot of the scenes took place in restaurants!

This book wasn't my cup of tea, but if you like food and spice, this is definitely for you!

I think this book really suffers from an identity crisis. It's not frivolous enough to be a cute rom-com and not serious enough to be a good romance. It has too many inconsistencies overall.

I'm going to give some weak spoilers here. Probably.

First, he's this hot shot Michelin chef who is known for his iron fist and never acts like it. (Maybe at the beginning when he's balls deep in another woman).

She is his sous chef that he immediately breaks all the kitchen rules for (and he never clocks that she has zero experience). Sigh.

They have a one paragraph discussion over the power dynamics then just go full on dating. That's enough for me to be done here. The subplots were too thin to even mention, they just filled space and didn't really add anything. Not to mention there were like three epilogues.....that I can't remember already.

If they weren't in a high pressure French kitchen, this could have been flirty and fun. If there wasn't this deep need to manufacture drama and trauma, it may have worked. Most of the elements are here but it needs a lot of polish and a clear direction. It just misses for me.

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan is a delightful romcom set in the kitchen. I'm a sucker for workplace romances and the cooking background is a bonus. Eden and Alexander are fun and sometimes exasperating characters but I enjoyed the ride as they made their way.
This is a debut novel and so I will look forward to future efforts by Katrina Kwan. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book which is available now.

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher, and author for a copy of this book!

All opinions are my own and freely given.

I love Eden so much. I also loved Shang/Alexander. A friend recommended this book for those who loved the Bear and honestly I agree. If you love chefs and found family and the food industry ~ read this! Also read if you love romance! :)

Quote I Liked:

“Love can find a person in many different ways, he thinks. There’s no one-size-fits-all. For some, it takes time, like a pot of water slowly coming to a boil over an open flame. For others, it can happen in a single look. In a simple smile from across the room. Or, in their case, during dinner rush over a plate of the chef’s special. But whatever the case, he knows what love looks like when he sees it. And because the world is so much brighter and more colorful now that he has it, he’ll hold on to it—no matter the time or place or universe.”

i had an exceptional time reading this. "Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love" has romance and found family within a fast-paced restaurant environment that is so fun to read. the one critique i have is: how could he possibly not remember her? that's just a turn of events that isn’t fitting and it sorta hurts that he never clues in. other than that, it heavily reminded me of a ‘No Reservations’ or ’Sweetbitter’ and if you are a fan of those, you’ll certainly be a fan of this book. thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Katrina Kwan for providing this eARC!

Wonderful story, great character development, great writing! Highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I am always here for a restaurant workplace romance especially when there are grumpy sunshine vibes. Let me tell you, those vibes did not disappoint.

I also enjoyed the found family the MMC and FMC made for themselves as they each had family issues which were solved in different ways.

However, this only got 3 stars from me as the third of the book just drug on so long. It was easy to see what was going to happen - there was no read to make it take so long.

I thought that this was a great read. I love books that have chefs. Alexander is the head chef he just got a new sous chef Eden. They work in French Cuisine. Alex and Eden are complete opposites, Alex has a short temper and Eden is calm. Will they be able to keep the heat just in the kitchen or will they be acting on their feelings. I had been reading a lot of dark romances, so this was a nice breath of fresh air with this cute cheesy romance.

This book was so good! I love romance novels that have stories that include chefs. This book was so good from beginning to end. Great story of a head chef (Alexander) and his new sous chef Eden. They work in the culinary world of French Cuisine. Alexander is a demanding head chef with a very short temper and isn't afraid to show it. Eden is so calm and controlled, the complete opposite of Alexander. They both have an insane attraction to one another. Each has their own secrets. This was a great story with good character development of all the characters. Wonderful writing! I've never read a book by Katrina Kwan and I look forward to reading another book by her.. I also purchased the Audiobook of this, so when I couldn't read I could listen to it. Excellent narration from Alison Deon, Derek Kwan and Davin Babulal.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sweet and spicy romance. A very special thank you to Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Very cute romance, takes on serious issues but does so with levity and humor as much as possible. The main couple is very cute and have excellent chemistry. Conflict is believable considering the characters' life circumstances and the industry they work in. Would recommend.

I’ve been on the hunt for a cutesy romance and this was it! I love a good workplace romance, and add in the fact that the workplace was a restaurant, and u loved it.

Thought this was a sweet romance. I liked the characters and the setting and story.