Series:
Once Upon a Wedding (Book 6)
When a cooking competition turns personal
A pair of chefs will feel the burn…
What's the recipe for success? For single mom Karina
Mistry, it's the head-chef position she's chased for years. But her boss has
one more hoop for her to jump through. The new head chef will be chosen…via a
reality cooking-show competition! Four weeks, eight meals, two competitors and
everything on the line. Losing this job would be crushing. But losing to Chef
Aneel Rawal, the man from her past she's never forgiven? That's not an option.
It's time for Karina to sharpen her knives, turn up the heat…and watch the
tension simmer!
Terrific not-quite-enemies-to-lovers story. The
competition angle intrigued me. Karina is the sous-chef at a restaurant, in
line to move up to the executive chef position. Then she discovers that her
boss decided to turn the interview into a reality show competition. Her rival
is Aneel, a fellow chef she faced in another competition years earlier with disastrous
results.
I liked Karina and Aneel. Karina is a single mom who
wants the promotion to make a better life for herself and her son, Veer. She is
intense, talented, and determined. She's not happy about competing with Aneel
as she blames him for her loss in the earlier competition. I loved her close
relationships with her family and their influence on her life. Aneel wants to
advance to the executive chef position from his current role. He's more laid
back when it comes to his work, but the intensity is still there.
The tension is tight between Karina and Aneel when the
competition begins. Karina still holds a grudge against him, while he resents
her accusations. But when they put the past aside, they work amazingly well
together. There were sparks of attraction during their first competition that they
ignored in the aftermath. Those sparks flare up again as they spend time
together. Karina initially fights those sparks, not wanting to let go of the
past. However, when Karina needs help, Aneel steps up to support her. I loved
watching their teamwork.
I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. Their
interactions during the competition are fun, a little snarky, yet supportive
and realistic. I especially enjoyed watching them get closer as Aneel helped Karina
with her catering efforts. Each has baggage from the past that they must deal
with before they can move forward, including a surprise revelation that I never
saw coming. I loved the ending and how the competition worked out.
I love the author's depictions of the characters' close
family relationships. The love and support are always there, along with a
willingness to provide a kick in the pants when needed. I enjoy the glimpses of
Indian culture, and especially enjoyed Karina and Aneel's efforts to replicate
her mother's chai recipe. The inclusion of couples from previous books added extra
enjoyment to the stories. There are some heart-melting scenes with Aneel and
Karina's son, Veer.
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