This was a beautiful workplace read that personally sent me back to when I was in catering and met my partner. Not too much spice and quite a descriptive read. I enjoyed the plot and the different characters and their relationships.

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love
Book: Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love
Author: Katrina Kwan
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love is an entertaining debut novel by author Katrina Kwan. The characters were well-developed, and the story had me engaged the entire time throughout. It was refreshing to read about both an FMC as well as an MMC who were vulnerable and who were navigating their emotions in their respective lives and scenarios. I appreciated this as we normally see only one main character’s true feelings throughout a story, and it is usually female characters that this is portrayed from. All characters in the story were relatable and had their humorous moments which I also enjoyed.

It was also fun to learn more culinary terminology throughout and follow along with how the characters navigated their careers in the kitchen, as well as their coworker romance. The romance was portrayed tastefully, and I was rooting for them to have a happy ending from pretty much the beginning!

I enjoyed this book so much I had to pick up a physical copy! I would recommend it to anyone looking for a lighthearted contemporary romance.
It is more emotionally charged than I thought it would be, and I appreciated the depth of the writing that was put into the story.
I look forward to Katrina Kwan’s future books, and I will be following along with her author journey as this was one of my favourite reads of this year!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an ARC Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love.

Friends to enemies to lovers.
Found family.
3 spice scenes. 1 make out scene.
Alexander has sacrificed everything to make his spot in the restaurant world. Which has made him lose sight of happiness.
Eden is the new sous chef but has to hope he doesn't remember her from their past. She is so close to saving enough money and this 3 Michelin star restaurant is her key.

I thought their fears and hardships were real and understandable. Eden may have been a little delusional but I understood her denial and hope.
Shang and Eden complement each other and each give each other pieces of themselves that were lost. Shang's conversation with his uncle was powerful and showed having to work to repair damaged relationships, while others come more easily. Their coworkers seem to accept Alexander/Shang as soon as he puts forth the effort to spend time with them and know them. I loved how everyone came together at the end and made their own family unit.
I felt the presentation of each struggle was done very well and you felt the emotions of the characters and were rooting for them to find their happiness.

Absolutely charming! I thoroughly enjoyed Knives, Seasoning and a Dash of Love and will be looking forward to more about Shang and Eden. I will also look for the previous book because Katrina Kwan wrote such a great read I need to try another.

Thanks to #netgslley, the publisher, #randomhousecanada and the author @katrinakwan for this ebook to read. Review opinions are my own.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada; all opinions expressed are exclusively my own.

This is a fun read, especially if you're a fan of kitchen romances (the comparison to the movie No Reservations is extremely apt). It's sweet and spicy with notes of deeper themes running throughout, and very much chock full of found family vibes. Really, if you liked No Reservations, you're probably going to like this!

For sensitive readers, this book contains references to past child abuse and neglect as well as traumatic events. It also contains depictions of racism, misogyny, and graphic sexuality.

This is a delightful romance novel with heartwarming family themes that make it an easy and enjoyable read. The romance is as passionate as the cooking, and no romance novel would be complete without a nemesis, which this one delivers perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Alex Chen is one of the hottest chefs in the area of French haute cuisine, but his love for food is waning. When Eden Monroe joins his kitchen, he finds that the adorably perky sous chef is sparking his interest, not just for food but also in her. But Eden has a secret: she never finished culinary school. If she's found out, her career would be over, and she'd never get the money she needs to find her family. Can these two chefs navigate the kitchen and their growing feelings, or will everything implode?

I absolutely loved this book. Kwan does an excellent job of building incredibly likable characters and putting them in a high-stakes setting while building a beautiful romance. She does a great job of building the tension as the stakes grow, and I was so worried, she would break my heart with an awful third-act breakup. Spoiler alert: thankfully, there isn't one (I hate them so much!). Instead, readers get a great story about two characters finding themselves and learning what is important. I highly recommend this read!

Eden Monroe just landed an incredible job as a sous chef at one of the most prestigious restaurants. It is an amazing opportunity, however she may have embellished on her resume, and now she is working for an incredibly talented chef with an even more impressive temper. She’s going to do everything she can to fly under the radar, so that she can keep her job and save money she desperately needs to hire a private detective. Except she keeps finding the attention of her hot boss, who seems to have a soft spot for her.

I enjoyed sweet, hard-working Eden and the group of friends that she cultivated at work. There were even elements of Alexander and his soft spot for Eden that I enjoyed. However this story lacked a sense of place and time that I found far more distracting than I typically do. I also found both main characters’ secondary challenges to be somewhat juvenile, with Alexander blaming his boss for his own choices and Eden’s naivete about what she lost and her obsession about saving the money to find it. I was rooting for them to find love and peace, but I won't be in a hurry to read the sequel.

3.5/5 ⭐️s
🌶️🌶️ - medium spice

LOVES:
- The mysterious/secretive elements are intriguing though I felt like the reveals fell a little flat
- I feel pretty neutral about Shang/Alexander as a character on the whole, but something I did really love about him was the way he handled Eden during her crisis moments 🖤
- I love the little family they end up with and the way they work together as a team to create something great
- The ending was cute 🥰

CRITIQUES:
- There are quite a few random things throughout that don’t feel super realistic and are kind of frustrating to me
- Smoking 🤢 it will always be a 👎 for me
- It’s hard to really feel the connection between the main characters sometimes. At times it felt right, but at other times it felt a little forced or not developed enough.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book and there were some moments that I really liked. It fell kind of in the middle for me as far as ratings go.

This was cute but there wasn’t much for me to set it apart from other romances. I’m sure other people will read different things into it than I did, but it was just a sweet filler read for me. The relationship was really well written though and I did enjoy it.

I was interested in Alexander/Shang’s experience of racism in the cooking industry. It felt real and grounded in real life racism. It’s so important to talk about this sort of thing. I felt for him a lot.

There was a little too much sex for me, so if you like your books spicy this is a good one. I did worry a bit about the dynamic between Eden and Shang. I’m not sure I’m into Boss/employee relationships especially when he’s gifting her so much expensive stuff at the start of the relationship. I really had to suspend my discomfort especially at the start to be comfortable with it.

Cute, spicy romance. Nothing special for me, but fun anyway!

Great story line and fantastic characters. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book. I think the plot was well paced and that the story takes places over a good amount of time. I also love that the author made the fmc's depression seem real and relatable. She done the same with the love and I enjoyed how all the loose ends were wrapped up and we get to see a glimpse into the future.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.

This one was cute! It was the perfect pallet cleanser I needed.

As someone who used to work in a kitchen (granted, not one as grand as this one), it felt realistic and really took me back. I like the main characters. I loved their interactions and their backstories.

The only part that had me frustrated was when Eden tried to push Alexander about his name when he wasn't ready because she thought she had a right for it, but the next chapter had her immediately feeling guilting and wanting to apologize, so it evened out quickly haha

Overall, this is a sweet read and if you want a cute little rom-com, this is the perfect one!

This is a fun foodie rom-com that delivers a touching and delicate love story in the midst of a fancy restaurant kitchen. Nothing earth shattering here, but a sweet guilty pleasure of a read.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

"Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love" by Katrina Kwan is a sizzling workplace romance that left me hungry for more. Alexander Chen, the brooding celebrity chef with a chip on his shoulder, and Eden Monroe, his fresh-faced but overqualified new hire, heat up the kitchen with their fiery chemistry and clashing personalities. This novel serves up a delectable mix of high-stakes culinary drama and emotional spice, as Eden's bubbly demeanor challenges Alexander's iron-fisted control in the kitchen. What I loved most is how Kwan masterfully blends intense workplace tension with a heartfelt romance, all while exploring the complexities of identity and ambition. The dynamic between Eden and Alexander is both steamy and compelling, making this book an irresistible treat for anyone who enjoys a romance with a side of kitchen drama.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this quick read about a celebrity chef and his novice employee turned love.

This was a sweet weekend read where you can ignore your responsibilities and be drawn into the web that is professional kitchens, where the pressure to perform, and maintain a facade at all costs come together in a workplace romance.

This is an example of a “lie” at the beginning of a relationship being able to be worked with well. The stretched truth becomes a catalyst for side characters to create tension. The two main protagonists are able to work around it in a lovely example of our MMC, Shan, being soft, forgiving and curious for Eden, our FMC.

To me, much of the story is informed by the insidious nature of systemic racism within an (imaginary example of) industry, it caused me pause and to consider the power of a name. Shan - Alexander gave so much of himself, including his mental health. I would have liked to see more explicit discussion around both elements.

With thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and the author, Katrina Kwan for the eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

A fun, workplace romance book! The plot flowed smoothly and the characters were fun to dive into. If you’re a fan of The Bear, I’m sure you’ll love something more light hearted like this!

Eden lies to get her job as sous-chef happy that Alex doesn’t remember her from her short lived time at culinary school. Although he has some concerns about her, Alex quickly sees her talent and skill, and is drawn to her. His softer side comes out almost immediately and they start to grow closer. Hampered by a difficult co-worker and a slimy owner, the two work through their challenges to come together in a healthy way. Really enjoyed!

If you are a fan of workplace romance this book is definitely for you. This is a great book for readers to lose themselves in. I was absolutely hooked from the first page. Katrina’s writing flows extremely well.

This was a fun, slightly spicey (and not just in the kitchen) workplace romance. The characters were likeable, the first half of the was wonderful but after Eden and Alexander got together everything felt very surface level, the conflicts were realistic for the story BUT there was literally immediate resolution that didn't feel appropriate for what we knew about each of the characters. It was also hard to imagine where the book was taking place. Having grown up and lived in both areas mentioned, for decades I couldn't picture either town which felt a little odd. I kept trying to figure out which restaurant(s) could have served as inspiration because I want to go there and eat everything!

Alexander was an absolute cinnamon roll who absolutely met his match with Eden and it was so fun to follow along.



Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada | Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for my review!