Posts Tagged With: chefs

Book Review: King of the Kitchen by Bru Baker

Reviewed by Nikyta

KingoftheKitchenTitle: King of the Kitchen
Author: Bru Baker
Heroes: Beck & Duncan
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 200 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 06, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Rising kitchen talents Beck Douglas and Duncan Walters have been on the foodie paparazzi radar for years, since their status as heirs to two of the biggest celebrity chef empires around makes them culinary royalty. Beck is known for his charm and traditional food as cohost of his uncle’s popular TV cooking show, while Duncan earned himself a reputation as a culinary bad boy, both for his refusal to work in his father’s restaurants and his avant-garde approach to cooking.

They’re also heirs to a food rivalry that could put the Hatfields and McCoys to shame, and when they’re photographed in the middle of a heated argument, the press goes wild with speculation. Damage control ensues, with a fake friendship engineered by PR cronies that leaves both of them secretly pining for more.

Beck chafes under his uncle’s micromanagement, and Duncan’s relationship with his homophobic father becomes even more tenuous when Beck and Duncan start getting closer. It’s hard to hide their chemistry on national television when Duncan joins Beck’s cooking show, but they won’t be able to take their relationship—or their careers—to the next level without breaking a few eggs.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Early Review: In the Distance by Nikka Michaels & Eileen Griffin

Reviewed by Nikyta

{EEB8C335-52AD-4057-8FE3-8DA4E98AB89B}Img100Title: In the Distance
Author: Nikka Michaels & Eileen Griffin
Series: In the Kitchen #3
Heroes: Tyler and Trevor
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 104,230 words
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: June 15, 2015
Available at: Carina Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Tyler Mitchell has worked hard to rebuild his life after his family kicked him out. A culinary student and sous chef who spends his spare time volunteering with kids, he’s happy enough even though he has no time to consider a relationship.

Trevor Pratt is finally getting over losing the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but it’s taken screwing every cute guy in Manhattan to get there. He’s vowed to repair the friendship he broke along the way, but that’s hard to do when his friend’s new employee catches his eye. Despite being warned to stay away from Tyler, Trevor turns on the charm.

Romance is a terrible idea. Trevor is ten years older and a relentless playboy. Tyler is still unsure of his place in the world. Neither of them is ready for life-changing love, but as things heat up, their chemistry in the bedroom might just take that decision out of their hands.
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Categories: 4.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Book Review: Just Desserts by Mary Calmes

Reviewed by Nikyta

JustDessertsTitle: Just Desserts
Author: Mary Calmes
Series: Tales of the Curious Cookbook
Heroes: Boone & Scott
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 102 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: April 29, 2015
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Boone Walton has tried hard to create some distance between himself and his past. He’s invested in his new life, his New Orleans art gallery, and his friendship with Scott Wren. Things finally seem to be settling down to normal, and Boone couldn’t be happier.

Chef Scott Wren wants much more than normal with Boone. He wants to raise things to the next level, but Boone is terrified—and not because of the ghost in Scott’s apartment or Scott’s relatives. No, Boone’s past is about to pay him a visit, and the only thing that can get between Boone, Scott, and a hinky recipe for chocolate mousse found in a curious cookbook is the river of pain Boone had to swim across to get to this side of The Big Easy. There’s a secret behind the ingredients, though—one that might reveal the trust and love that have been missing from Boone’s life.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2015 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Love You Senseless by Susan Mac Nicol

Reviewed by Susan65

1Title: Love You Senseless
Author: Susan Mac Nicol
Series: Men of London #1
Heroes: Gideon Kent/Eddie Tripp
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 160 Pages
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing
Release Date: October 9, 2014
Available at: Boroughs Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: One of London’s up-and-coming chefs, Eddie Tripp has just the right recipe to drive tragedy from the mind of Gideon Kent—and leave him senseless with desire.

THE MEN OF LONDON
From Soho to Norwich, there’s no escaping love.

A TASTE OF FOREVER
An award-winning chef with his own restaurant and an inexhaustible passion, Gideon Kent once had everything. Then came tragedy. It stole more than Gideon’s home. He hasn’t cooked since.

Until Eddie Tripp. Fun-loving and vivacious, the Norfolk redhead’s a real up-and-comer in Gideon’s kitchen—and other places. Slim where Gideon’s broad, easy-going where Gideon is growly, he and Gideon seem polar opposites, and yet Eddie conjures flavors that would tempt anyone with a taste for perfection. The sauce of love is already simmering, and this pair is about to dine on the most delicious dish they’ve ever prepared. Because Eddie’s been Gideon’s missing ingredient all along.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Published in 2014, Susan65's Reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Book Review: Unicorns and Rainbow Poop by Sam Kadence

Reviewed by Nikyta

Unicorns and Rainbow PoopTitle: Unicorns and Rainbow Poop
Author: Sam Kadence
Series: Vocal Growth #2
Heroes: Dane/Bas
Genre: M/M Contemporary/Young Adult
Length: 260 pages
Publisher: Harmony Ink
Release Date: November 6, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Ex-boyband member Dane Karlson is struggling to overcome an eating disorder and a body dismorphic disorder. His fall through a glass table puts him in rehab and on the road to recovery. Then a friend dies. When depression causes him to lose ground, he calls for the only person he trusts—former bandmate Tommy. But Tommy doesn’t know how to help. He begs his friend Sebastian “Bas” Axelrod to aid them through the emotional struggle.

Bas, an openly gay high school student who’s recently lost his grandmother, is trying to survive his last few months of school before escaping to Stanford. Having just lost the only person in his family to care for him, he is victim to the cruelty of the others. His younger brother bullies him, and his parents are suing him for his gran’s inheritance. When Tommy calls, Bas can’t help but run to his side.

Together Dane and Bas find a middle ground, supporting each other through the lows, dancing together during the highs. They build friendships and plan for the prom and graduation, thinking positively as long as they are together.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: In the Fire by Eileen Griffin and Nikka Michaels

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: In the Fire
Authors: Eileen Griffin and Nikka Michaels
Series: In the Kitchen #2
Heroes: Ethan Martin/James “Jamie” Lassiter
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 93,000 words
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: November 3, 2014
Available at: Carina Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Because the way to a man’s heart…

Eight years ago, the world was their oyster. Until, that is, competing chefs Ethan Martin and James Lassiter’s hot and heavy relationship fizzled after Jamie left for an internship in Paris. Even though Jamie’s career has taken off since his return to the States, with his own television show and a lot of fame, his feelings for Ethan have never quite gone away.

Ethan’s culinary career has developed more slowly, but he’s almost saved enough to buy the restaurant where he works and re-open it as his dream spot, Bistro 30. If only he could get the sexy chef who loved him and left him out of his mind.

But when someone starts sabotaging the restaurant and a fire threatens to take away everything Ethan holds dear, his only option is to rely on Jamie for help. Back in close quarters, the two men will have to find a way to work through their past if they hope to save the restaurant and their future.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Book Review: Heart by Garrett Leigh

Reviewed by JustJen

1Title: Heart
Author: Garrett Leigh
Heroes: Seb Wright/Dex
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 204 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: October 27, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Cornish pastry chef Seb Wright dreads the summer tourist season. The cash injection to his artisan fudge pantry is more than welcome, the extra work, less so. Then one summer, a shadowy Good Samaritan catches his eye. Irish Traveller Dex is bewitching, a beautiful sullen enigma who turns Seb’s world upside down until he disappears in the night, vanishing like a mystical summer rain.

Twelve months later Dex is in the midst of a dark storm. A slave to his master, ‘Uncle’ Braden, he spends his days cleaning caravans and his nights working in Braden’s other businesses. His short summer with Seb seems a lifetime ago. Lost in the savage violence of the murky underworld, he doesn’t dare dream he’ll ever find his way back, until one night, a brutal crime opens the door for a chance escape. A new life beckons, old faces emerge, and immersed in the heady vibe of London’s East End, new love begins to heal his fractured heart.
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Categories: 5 Star Ratings, Book Review, JustJen's Reviews, LGBT, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Temptations of Desire by Tempeste O’Riley

Reviewed by Nikyta

1Title: Temptations of Desire
Author: Tempeste O’Riley
Series: Desires Entwined #3
Heroes: Alexander James Noble/Dal Sayer
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 200 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: September 22, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press and Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb: Alexander James Noble is a gender fluid gay man who gave up on finding Mister Right a long time ago. He’s not asking for much, though. He just wants a guy who loves all of him and appreciates his feminine form too.

At the local LGBTQ center where Alex regularly volunteers, he meets Dal Sayer, an officer of the Milwaukee PD. Because he’s been rejected one too many times, Alex doesn’t trust the huge cop and the interest he shows in him, but once Dal sets his mind on something, he goes all out. Pushing aside his preconceived notions, Alex opens up just a little and soon caves.

From their first date—while dealing with his father’s failing health and his parents’ demands for him to settle down and have children—Dal never takes his eyes off his goal of making Alex his. But proving to Alex he isn’t like all the men who couldn’t see him for who he truly was and only wanted to hide him away is harder than he thought.
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Categories: 4 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Book Review: The Saucy Minx by Manda Olie

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: The Saucy Minx
Author: Manda Olie
Heroes: Jack & Chris
Genre: M/M Contemporary/Paranormal
Length: 60 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 29, 2014
Available at: Dreamspinner Press
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: With a touch of the magic that gives his recipes a culinary kick, Jack Killian has been running his restaurant, the Saucy Minx, for nearly a decade—almost as long as there’s been a spell out there promising to knock him off his feet should he ever meet the other half of his whole. Each day Jack delights his clientele by magically imbuing his food with taste and emotion, even as he slowly loses hope that the man of his dreams even exists.

But when he hires a new dessert manager, his whole life turns upside-down, because his dream man does exist—and he just strolled into the restaurant on someone else’s arm. While conducting business as usual, Jack struggles through what it means when destiny hands you the perfect man on a platter you’re not allowed to touch. Continue reading

Categories: 3.5 Star Ratings, Book Review, LGBT, Nikyta's Reviews, Published in 2014 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment