title: The Slowest Burn
author: Sarah Chamberlain
publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
publication date: September 24, 2024
pages: 336
peppers: (3 on this scale)
warnings:
blood, alcohol, non-using alcoholic, fainting (This is the first time I remember seeing "vasovagal syncope" in a book. I feel seen -- as I am writing this review with one hand, my other in a sling because I broke my clavicle Thursday during a vasovagal syncope episode. Alas.)
summary: Widow Ellie gets hired to ghostwrite celebrity chef Kiernan's cookbook. She's organized and trying to get him to work with her, but he's impulsive and non-responsive. They'll have to find a way to work together.
tropes:
- slow burn
- enemies-to-lovers
- opposites attract
- cooking, in more than the kitchen
- bad childhoods
- he doesn't want a relationship
- trying to keep it casual
- ignoring oneself and doing for others
- fat cat
- one bed, sort of
- reader and non-reader
- awareness of romance tropes
what I liked:
- great main characters
- great side characters
- lots of cooking, food descriptions
- lots of cookbooks (I wrote my college honors thesis on cookbooks!)
what I didn’t like: N/A -- a fun read
overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)