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Taste the Love
Two rival chefs must enter a marriage of convenience to secure a land deal in this deliciously charming romcom, perfect for fans of Meryl Wilsner and Ashley Herring Blake.
Six years ago, eco-chef Alice Sullivan and her culinary-school rival almost gave into the burning tension between them. But those kisses? Just the heat of competition boiling over. Sullivan never expected to see Kia after graduation . . . until Kia crashes back into her life with a plan to buy Sullivan’s beloved Portland greenspace.
Kia has worked hard building her social media empire as the big-hearted glitter-bomb queen of the food-truck scene. Now she’s one step away from opening a foodie utopia for underrepresented culinary talents. But Kia’s plans catch the attention of a bulldozer-happy food conglomerate, and now both Kia and Sullivan’s dreams are on the line. When a legal loophole turns out to be the only way to save what they each love most, they’re left with one pull off a very public fake marriage to obtain the deed to the land and keep their old rivalry under control.
As the line between fake and real love blurs, can Kia and Sullivan set aside their differences and find the perfect recipe for happily ever after?
Six years ago, eco-chef Alice Sullivan and her culinary-school rival almost gave into the burning tension between them. But those kisses? Just the heat of competition boiling over. Sullivan never expected to see Kia after graduation . . . until Kia crashes back into her life with a plan to buy Sullivan’s beloved Portland greenspace.
Kia has worked hard building her social media empire as the big-hearted glitter-bomb queen of the food-truck scene. Now she’s one step away from opening a foodie utopia for underrepresented culinary talents. But Kia’s plans catch the attention of a bulldozer-happy food conglomerate, and now both Kia and Sullivan’s dreams are on the line. When a legal loophole turns out to be the only way to save what they each love most, they’re left with one pull off a very public fake marriage to obtain the deed to the land and keep their old rivalry under control.
As the line between fake and real love blurs, can Kia and Sullivan set aside their differences and find the perfect recipe for happily ever after?
364 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2025
16 people are currently reading
5726 people want to read
About the author
Karelia Stetz-Waters
11 books767 followersKarelia Stetz-Waters remembers a time when happy endings romantic love was a holy grail she thought she would never find. Stories about lesbians all ended tragically. At seventeen, she was certain the best she could hope for was to die nobly for the woman she loved (who would never love her back, of course). Four years later, she saw her true love across a crowded room, and they have been together for twenty-plus years.
Knowing that happily-ever-after is possible for everyone, Stetz-Waters has made it her life’s mission to craft happy endings about women finding true love with other women. She is also on a quest to spread “cliteracy” across the country, using her work as a romance writer to teach readers about female sexual anatomy, desire, and pleasure.
When she’s not shopping for model clitorises or writing love stories, she’s teaching writing at a community college in rural Oregon where her students inspire her every day with their bravery, creativity, and perseverance. She also teaches for the Golden Crown Literary Society Writing Academy, a creative writing program for queer women. It’s been her honor to mentor writers who are now her peers and colleagues. Karelia also loves to garden, draw, and play with her pug-mix, Willa Cather.
Karelia has a BA in Comparative Literature from Smith College and an MA in English from the University of Oregon. She is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
Knowing that happily-ever-after is possible for everyone, Stetz-Waters has made it her life’s mission to craft happy endings about women finding true love with other women. She is also on a quest to spread “cliteracy” across the country, using her work as a romance writer to teach readers about female sexual anatomy, desire, and pleasure.
When she’s not shopping for model clitorises or writing love stories, she’s teaching writing at a community college in rural Oregon where her students inspire her every day with their bravery, creativity, and perseverance. She also teaches for the Golden Crown Literary Society Writing Academy, a creative writing program for queer women. It’s been her honor to mentor writers who are now her peers and colleagues. Karelia also loves to garden, draw, and play with her pug-mix, Willa Cather.
Karelia has a BA in Comparative Literature from Smith College and an MA in English from the University of Oregon. She is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
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July 17, 2025
Two rival chefs in love, marriage of convenience and a dream land to save.
Everyone thought Sullivan and Kia hated each other in culinary school, but they shocked them all by sharing a kiss in the graduation ceremony. After that, they went in separate ways and never saw each other again. Until Kia finds herself buying the land Sullivan has promised her family she’d save, to build a place for food truck owners.
When a fast food company also tries to buy the land, Sullivan and Kia decide to marry to ensure they are the ones getting it first. Kia is the lesser of two devils, but it’s still breaking Sullivan’s heart. Especially because Sullivan is starting to fall in love with the woman who is about to destroy her heart.
Taste the Love was, on paper, the perfect book. But the execution didn’t manage to live up to the amazing premise. First, I loved how Sullivan and Kia met. I adored the idea of two rivals who don’t hate each other, but love to compete to be the best, while also helping each other get better-it made me want to read that story instead.
The premise of Kia and Sullivan not being able to fall in love because they both wanted the same land for different purposes, while having to work together to ensure at least they were the ones getting the land, and not the fast food chain, could have worked as an obstacle if it didn’t have so many plot holes.
Firstly, it was very frustrating that Sullivan always blamed Kia for buying the land, when the fast food company would have bought it if it wasn’t for Kia’s help. Sullivan didn’t have the money to buy the land, so blaming the person who was buying the land when she wouldn’t be able to afford it didn’t make sense to me.
On top of that, if Sullivan’s dream was to ensure the land her grandfather loved was safe, it didn’t make sense that she, being a responsible thirty something year old, decided not to open the letters of the association who owned the land.
Because of that, I was frustrated about Kia spending the whole book apologizing and blaming herself when, in a way, was half-saving the land. Kia could have let the fast food chain buy the land and find another place for food trucks, leaving Sullivan to fix it herself (and she didn’t have the money to stop the deal). While Kia wouldn’t have preserved it, at least she would have made a better space than a fast food company would, and they could figure out a way to preserve part of the green places and use the others for the food trucks.
The most annoying part was that I figured out the solution at the beginning of the book. It was completely out of character that Sullivan hadn’t figured it out. I felt Sullivan spent the whole book pitying herself because Kia was destroying her dream and there was nothing she could do to preserve their love and her beloved land, but taking no action to save it herself.
Lastly, the whole fight with the food company felt unrealistic. Of course a big company can use its money and power to buy the judges and destroy the main character’s lives. But they weren’t being subtle, they used flat villains to blackmail the main characters outside court. They could have recorded the whole thing and make it viral, taking into account Kia was an influencer.
Premise aside, the book was too slow and the inner monologues were repetitive, they kept going through the same feelings for so long. The pacing of the romance was all over the place. Basically they were in love from the beginning, only that it took Sullivan some time to realize it, and then they couldn’t be together because of the whole land thing. I wanted to see why they were so obsessed with each other and see the progression in their feelings, instead of repetitive monologues and a sudden change of heart.
Also, it was mentioned several times that Sullivan had a masculine lesbian vibe that made all the guys fall for her back at school. Like, what?
Finally, I didn’t quite enjoy the audiobook. It didn’t really bring the characters to life and I kept losing attention and having to go back and relistening to it.
I could get going but I think it’s more than enough. I loved the idea of the book and I enjoyed the beginning, but the execution could have been better. I couldn’t stand Sullivan, the pacing was off, the drama wasn’t realistic and the story had way more pages than it needed to be.
Overall, I’m annoyed because I loved the premise and the cover but the story didn’t live up to them. I would have rather read the story of them falling in love while being rivals in culinary school.
🎧Read as an audiobook
I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Everyone thought Sullivan and Kia hated each other in culinary school, but they shocked them all by sharing a kiss in the graduation ceremony. After that, they went in separate ways and never saw each other again. Until Kia finds herself buying the land Sullivan has promised her family she’d save, to build a place for food truck owners.
When a fast food company also tries to buy the land, Sullivan and Kia decide to marry to ensure they are the ones getting it first. Kia is the lesser of two devils, but it’s still breaking Sullivan’s heart. Especially because Sullivan is starting to fall in love with the woman who is about to destroy her heart.
Taste the Love was, on paper, the perfect book. But the execution didn’t manage to live up to the amazing premise. First, I loved how Sullivan and Kia met. I adored the idea of two rivals who don’t hate each other, but love to compete to be the best, while also helping each other get better-it made me want to read that story instead.
The premise of Kia and Sullivan not being able to fall in love because they both wanted the same land for different purposes, while having to work together to ensure at least they were the ones getting the land, and not the fast food chain, could have worked as an obstacle if it didn’t have so many plot holes.
Firstly, it was very frustrating that Sullivan always blamed Kia for buying the land, when the fast food company would have bought it if it wasn’t for Kia’s help. Sullivan didn’t have the money to buy the land, so blaming the person who was buying the land when she wouldn’t be able to afford it didn’t make sense to me.
On top of that, if Sullivan’s dream was to ensure the land her grandfather loved was safe, it didn’t make sense that she, being a responsible thirty something year old, decided not to open the letters of the association who owned the land.
Because of that, I was frustrated about Kia spending the whole book apologizing and blaming herself when, in a way, was half-saving the land. Kia could have let the fast food chain buy the land and find another place for food trucks, leaving Sullivan to fix it herself (and she didn’t have the money to stop the deal). While Kia wouldn’t have preserved it, at least she would have made a better space than a fast food company would, and they could figure out a way to preserve part of the green places and use the others for the food trucks.
The most annoying part was that I figured out the solution at the beginning of the book. It was completely out of character that Sullivan hadn’t figured it out. I felt Sullivan spent the whole book pitying herself because Kia was destroying her dream and there was nothing she could do to preserve their love and her beloved land, but taking no action to save it herself.
Lastly, the whole fight with the food company felt unrealistic. Of course a big company can use its money and power to buy the judges and destroy the main character’s lives. But they weren’t being subtle, they used flat villains to blackmail the main characters outside court. They could have recorded the whole thing and make it viral, taking into account Kia was an influencer.
Premise aside, the book was too slow and the inner monologues were repetitive, they kept going through the same feelings for so long. The pacing of the romance was all over the place. Basically they were in love from the beginning, only that it took Sullivan some time to realize it, and then they couldn’t be together because of the whole land thing. I wanted to see why they were so obsessed with each other and see the progression in their feelings, instead of repetitive monologues and a sudden change of heart.
Also, it was mentioned several times that Sullivan had a masculine lesbian vibe that made all the guys fall for her back at school. Like, what?
Finally, I didn’t quite enjoy the audiobook. It didn’t really bring the characters to life and I kept losing attention and having to go back and relistening to it.
I could get going but I think it’s more than enough. I loved the idea of the book and I enjoyed the beginning, but the execution could have been better. I couldn’t stand Sullivan, the pacing was off, the drama wasn’t realistic and the story had way more pages than it needed to be.
Overall, I’m annoyed because I loved the premise and the cover but the story didn’t live up to them. I would have rather read the story of them falling in love while being rivals in culinary school.
🎧Read as an audiobook
I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 12, 2025
It's a modern marriage of convenience! Taste the Love is a cute contemporary sapphic romance about rival chefs from culinary school who meet again years later and get married to stop a big food corporation from buying a developing a piece of land with a rich ecosystem and endangered species. One of them is a chef at a fancy but sustainable restaurant, the other runs an award winning food truck, but the chemistry between them is undeniable.
Despite the quick wedding, this is more of a slow burn and while it's a bit sexy it's also very sweet with characters who genuinely like and respect each other. And winning against a giant corporation with illegal intimidation tactics is super satisfying! I do love a romance where a lot of the conflict is external to the couple and that's the case here. I enjoyed it and would recommend it! The audio narration is good with distinct voices for characters that make sense. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Despite the quick wedding, this is more of a slow burn and while it's a bit sexy it's also very sweet with characters who genuinely like and respect each other. And winning against a giant corporation with illegal intimidation tactics is super satisfying! I do love a romance where a lot of the conflict is external to the couple and that's the case here. I enjoyed it and would recommend it! The audio narration is good with distinct voices for characters that make sense. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
July 4, 2025
“Taste of Love” is a lovely and heartwarming story about chefs Alice Sullivan and Kia Jackson. Their training together ended with hot kisses in the kitchen, but then they took different paths. Sullivan opened a restaurant and Kia bought a food truck and became an influencer traveling around the country. Until Kia returns to grow her business. To do this, she needs land. Unsuspectingly, she wants to buy the very forest that has been in Sullivan's family for a long time. Things get pretty messy and eventually Kia and Sullivan have to decide whether to enter into a fake marriage to stop a real estate giant from buying the forest.
I had trouble getting into the story at the beginning, although I don't know if it was the content or Sullivan's narrator. I didn't really warm to her until the end. The way she disguised her voice for Sullivan somehow didn't suit me. I didn't like that. Kia's narrator, on the other hand, I liked very much. The emotions were conveyed well by the narrator and I sympathized or rejoiced with her.
Unfortunately, it took a while for the plot to grab me, even though I really love the “fake dating” trope. But from halfway through the audiobook, I found it really entertaining and the pace very enjoyable. The love story developed slowly and there was a nice slow burn. And the tension between the two, oh oh! They had a good chemistry!
I liked the combination of the themes of cooking, conservation, nature, food truck and a great group of friends. I'm definitely a big fan of Sullivan's best friend Nina!!! Too bad she's already married so there won't be a book about her. She's a great character, so beautifully sarcastic yet endearing.
Overall, I liked the story about Kia and Sullivan, even though it took me a bit to get into the plot. My issue with Sullivan's narrator is probably just a matter of taste, but I still recommend it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and forever for providing a review copy.
I had trouble getting into the story at the beginning, although I don't know if it was the content or Sullivan's narrator. I didn't really warm to her until the end. The way she disguised her voice for Sullivan somehow didn't suit me. I didn't like that. Kia's narrator, on the other hand, I liked very much. The emotions were conveyed well by the narrator and I sympathized or rejoiced with her.
Unfortunately, it took a while for the plot to grab me, even though I really love the “fake dating” trope. But from halfway through the audiobook, I found it really entertaining and the pace very enjoyable. The love story developed slowly and there was a nice slow burn. And the tension between the two, oh oh! They had a good chemistry!
I liked the combination of the themes of cooking, conservation, nature, food truck and a great group of friends. I'm definitely a big fan of Sullivan's best friend Nina!!! Too bad she's already married so there won't be a book about her. She's a great character, so beautifully sarcastic yet endearing.
Overall, I liked the story about Kia and Sullivan, even though it took me a bit to get into the plot. My issue with Sullivan's narrator is probably just a matter of taste, but I still recommend it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and forever for providing a review copy.
July 15, 2025
Taste the Love by Katelia and Faye Stetz-Waters
Sapphic contemporary romance.
Alice Sullivan and Kia Jackson have been rivals since culinary school as well as secretly liking the other. They ended up walking away at the time and reconnecting years later over a food truck, and piece of land. A surprise marriage proposal starts the relationship down the path of cooking and love.
🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narration is performed by Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb. Both do a great job with the performance and angst and other emotions of the story. Good variations on the different voices, with the exception of a young child, but those are always difficult to get the right tone.
I listened at 1.5 and slightly higher so I could read along with the ebook.
Overall I liked the audiobook to hear the two women and secondary characters come to life.
I’m not comfortable with conflict so it took me a bit to appreciate the couple and their angst. Once they had common goals, it moved better for me. Hardships and the threat from outside caused problems (communicate!) and promises.
Hea. So happy.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Publisher Hachette Audio.
Sapphic contemporary romance.
Alice Sullivan and Kia Jackson have been rivals since culinary school as well as secretly liking the other. They ended up walking away at the time and reconnecting years later over a food truck, and piece of land. A surprise marriage proposal starts the relationship down the path of cooking and love.
🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narration is performed by Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb. Both do a great job with the performance and angst and other emotions of the story. Good variations on the different voices, with the exception of a young child, but those are always difficult to get the right tone.
I listened at 1.5 and slightly higher so I could read along with the ebook.
Overall I liked the audiobook to hear the two women and secondary characters come to life.
I’m not comfortable with conflict so it took me a bit to appreciate the couple and their angst. Once they had common goals, it moved better for me. Hardships and the threat from outside caused problems (communicate!) and promises.
Hea. So happy.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and Publisher Hachette Audio.
October 13, 2025
dnf i was not feeling a THING about this. from the beginning the plot was ridiculous but i didn’t like these characters one bit nor did i like them together and im so disappointed. ill stick to their backlist for now!
thank you to netgalley and forever for the arc
thank you to netgalley and forever for the arc
April 25, 2025
i’ve previously read & loved karelia stetz-waters’s books satisfaction guaranteed and behind the scenes, so it only made sense to pick up her newest work, co-written with her wife! unfortunately, i have come to regret this decision.
reading the beginning of this was rough for me. i know that characters need room to grow and change over the course of the work (otherwise, what’s the point? especially in a romance – a genre which is intrinsically character/relationship focused), but man… kia was hard to swallow. her thoughtlessness and disregard for the people around her was both hard to read about and confusing in terms of character traits, considering the fact that she was also very concerned with the welfare of the people around her. i realize this sounds very contradictory, and believe me, it was. she spent a lot of time trying to look out for disenfranchised and marginalized people (such as a mother and her trans daughter who run a food truck together) while also having very little regard for the reality of what making a change meant to them. i was genuinely flabbergasted by the fact that she told these vulnerable people to pack up their lives and follow her to the promised land – ahem, taste the love land – without a done deal in hand. yes, i understand the whole point is it was “basically” a done deal. but the fact of the matter is that it was not a done deal, and to me it felt… flippant? like, her fucking livestreams fucked with these people’s lives in a major way. i spent a lot of time thinking about me’shell and her daughter, but i actually have no idea how they fared while kia and sullivan spent all this time on the lawsuit. idk. it came off very immature to me, especially from someone who’s thirty years old! like, girl! get it together!
don’t get me started on sullivan, either – a whole ass thirty-five year old adult who threw out MULTIPLE letters from the neighborhood association because “who sends important stuff in the mail except the IRS and the bank”. baby, get serious. i’m eight years younger than you and i get plenty of other important stuff in the mail, so i know your millennial ass should know better! i cannot take her weepiness about “why did no one tell me in person :(” shit seriously when they sent her letter after letter about it. sure, maybe someone should’ve mentioned it. but don’t act like they didn’t try at all!
the plot was fine, i guess. it wasn’t quite enough to get me on board after that rocky start – i need to see some real character development to come back from that, and i don’t really feel like we got that. little things rubbed me the wrong way throughout the narrative, too – like kia and her assistant using AI to message her fans back. to be fair, this isn’t discussed a lot, so i’m not 100% sure what exactly the authors meant to express here – but this lack of clarity doesn’t really help me. if it’s not generative AI that kia is using, i would appreciate it if that was made more clear, or if it could be excluded altogether (since it was only brought up a few times). regardless, is this really necessary to include? especially in this day and age, and especially in a book that’s meant to highlight environmentalism? also, brief side bar, why was it necessary to invent a new social media platform (u-spin)?? other people in the book used instagram, and u-spin wasn’t ever really explained, so i’m kind of baffled by this random invention. it felt unnecessary.
had to edit this and come back to one more thing — the way that sullivan was described sometimes really bothered me. on two separate occasions, kia described her as having “lesbian swagger / sexy masc lesbian vibe” then immediately followed these statements by saying how all the guys fell for sullivan and she dated so many men in their program. maybe i’m the friend who’s too woke, but this was off-putting to me as a lesbian. you can express that sullivan is both bisexual & masc without painting her as this, like, almost-but-not-really-forbidden-fruit to men because she “looks” like a lesbian? it smacks of something weird to me.
i’m sorry that this review is largely a list of complaints. i wish it wasn’t – like i said, i’ve been a big fan in the past, so i’m actually very disappointed that i didn’t love this one. if you’re someone who really enjoys marriages of convenience or influencer characters, you’ll probably like it a lot more than me. hopefully my next try with this author will be more successful (or i can just reread behind the scenes, my beloved).
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
reading the beginning of this was rough for me. i know that characters need room to grow and change over the course of the work (otherwise, what’s the point? especially in a romance – a genre which is intrinsically character/relationship focused), but man… kia was hard to swallow. her thoughtlessness and disregard for the people around her was both hard to read about and confusing in terms of character traits, considering the fact that she was also very concerned with the welfare of the people around her. i realize this sounds very contradictory, and believe me, it was. she spent a lot of time trying to look out for disenfranchised and marginalized people (such as a mother and her trans daughter who run a food truck together) while also having very little regard for the reality of what making a change meant to them. i was genuinely flabbergasted by the fact that she told these vulnerable people to pack up their lives and follow her to the promised land – ahem, taste the love land – without a done deal in hand. yes, i understand the whole point is it was “basically” a done deal. but the fact of the matter is that it was not a done deal, and to me it felt… flippant? like, her fucking livestreams fucked with these people’s lives in a major way. i spent a lot of time thinking about me’shell and her daughter, but i actually have no idea how they fared while kia and sullivan spent all this time on the lawsuit. idk. it came off very immature to me, especially from someone who’s thirty years old! like, girl! get it together!
don’t get me started on sullivan, either – a whole ass thirty-five year old adult who threw out MULTIPLE letters from the neighborhood association because “who sends important stuff in the mail except the IRS and the bank”. baby, get serious. i’m eight years younger than you and i get plenty of other important stuff in the mail, so i know your millennial ass should know better! i cannot take her weepiness about “why did no one tell me in person :(” shit seriously when they sent her letter after letter about it. sure, maybe someone should’ve mentioned it. but don’t act like they didn’t try at all!
the plot was fine, i guess. it wasn’t quite enough to get me on board after that rocky start – i need to see some real character development to come back from that, and i don’t really feel like we got that. little things rubbed me the wrong way throughout the narrative, too – like kia and her assistant using AI to message her fans back. to be fair, this isn’t discussed a lot, so i’m not 100% sure what exactly the authors meant to express here – but this lack of clarity doesn’t really help me. if it’s not generative AI that kia is using, i would appreciate it if that was made more clear, or if it could be excluded altogether (since it was only brought up a few times). regardless, is this really necessary to include? especially in this day and age, and especially in a book that’s meant to highlight environmentalism? also, brief side bar, why was it necessary to invent a new social media platform (u-spin)?? other people in the book used instagram, and u-spin wasn’t ever really explained, so i’m kind of baffled by this random invention. it felt unnecessary.
had to edit this and come back to one more thing — the way that sullivan was described sometimes really bothered me. on two separate occasions, kia described her as having “lesbian swagger / sexy masc lesbian vibe” then immediately followed these statements by saying how all the guys fell for sullivan and she dated so many men in their program. maybe i’m the friend who’s too woke, but this was off-putting to me as a lesbian. you can express that sullivan is both bisexual & masc without painting her as this, like, almost-but-not-really-forbidden-fruit to men because she “looks” like a lesbian? it smacks of something weird to me.
i’m sorry that this review is largely a list of complaints. i wish it wasn’t – like i said, i’ve been a big fan in the past, so i’m actually very disappointed that i didn’t love this one. if you’re someone who really enjoys marriages of convenience or influencer characters, you’ll probably like it a lot more than me. hopefully my next try with this author will be more successful (or i can just reread behind the scenes, my beloved).
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2025
Everything was complicated. Beautiful things hurt the world, and were still beautiful.
Gosh, this book. It made me feel like that 'girl who is going to be okay' meme. Hands clasped, looking up, smiling wistfully. This was SO cute. Not perfect in every way, but so good in every way that counted. I COULD NOT stop smiling while reading this.
This is a chef/foodie romance, second chance, between two women who were rivals at a prestigious culinary school. Beneath their rivalry was a lot of good-natured camaraderie, respect, and an attraction that led to a few kisses at the end of their time in school. But in the years since, they've lost touch. Sullivan owns an eco-conscious restaurant near her family's land in Portland, and Kia has gone on to be a food truck enthusiast and food influencer. Now, years later, Kia's plans to build a food truck haven clashes with Sullivan's determination to conserve the green, forested area near her family's land. And when an even bigger problem pops up for both of them, the most expedient solution seem to be a fake marriage and relationship. Look, I'm someone who can get really picky about arranged/fake marriages in contemporary setting, because I want it to be at least a little bit believable. And not only did this all seem pretty plausible, the entire situation and how it came together was so so FUN. I loved this.
The characters are so so good. I'm IN LOVE with Kia; she's cute and sweet and funny and an absolute whirlwind of charm and energy and good intentions. When she makes mistakes and inadvertently causes harm in the beginning, I sort of expected her to be stubborn and double down? But her immediate contrition and her resolve to apologise and do better was SO sweet, and made me like her even more. And I was pretty much in love from the moment she was described as dressing like a Fresh Prince rerun. LOL. That's so cute. I really liked Sullivan as well. She's a little bit older, a little more stern and strict, and she takes her values about the environment and her family land really seriously. They sorta have a grumpy/sunshine dynamic? But Sullivan does have a sense of humour, and she's completely susceptible to Kia's vibrant energy. It was so lovely to watch her fall for it. (And in the beginning, when she still couldn't forgive Kia for a few things, it was a little agonising. HOW CAN YOU BE MEAN OR COLD TO KIA, IT'S LIKE KICKING A BUNNY.)
I really liked the foodie aspects of this, and all of conversations about conservation, waste, all the great things and not so great things about food trucks, the things they offer and the type of waste they generate. And I'm glad we got a little into how difficult and expensive it can be to be eco-conscious in the food industry. Like I said before, the fake marriage/dating aspect was perfect for me; I really liked all the little moments they spent getting to know each other, planning how to be around each other, the few moments where they had to lay it on for the public. Like in any good fake marriage romance, it felt genuine the whole time, especially when they started arranging thoughtful little dates and outings for each other. I even liked the courtroom aspect, and all the little hurdles they had to jump. We also had a lot of conversation about influencing, and the toll it can take if you're constantly curating your life. I really enjoyed that, though it did get a teensy bit preachy.
This could have easily lost me, and almost did lose me, in the third act conflict. It was just the kind of drama that had me thinking 'oh god, I'm over it' practically as soon as it had started. There was sooooorta an element of 'a friend trying to get between the couple', which is something that I really don't enjoy reading in romance. But I love the way it was resolved, and by the time it ended, I was actually glad that the couple went through those exact circumstances, because it made their relationship feel stronger and more genuine in the end. Which is exactly what you want from a third act conflict!
Other things I loved: Kia's assistant (she was hilarious), every time a snake appeared, Sullivan's friend-group. I have to emphasise how much I just adore Kia as a character. I'm on my knees. Sullivan is the tall, sexy butch of my dreams, and somehow my favourite character was STILL the cutesy femme. Kia's power...
One thing I wish had been different:
Listened to the audiobook as read by Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb, and I really really enjoyed it. This is something of a rom-com, and the narrators really added to the quips and the comedic timing. I probably liked Sullivan's narrator a teensy bit more, but only because I thought her voice for Kia was cuter. Lol. CAN YOU TELL I LOVE KIA. I'm really happy I read this. I bought the author duo's first book together a while back and never got around to reading it, and this invigorated me to do so ASAP. Definitely recommended, if you want something light and funny and foodie-focused.
☆ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an audio review copy! I am voluntarily leaving a review.
“At first, love makes you look at each other; then it makes you look out together.”
Read
November 8, 2025⭐️⭐️½ — I really wanted to like this one, but it didn’t quite pull me in the way I hoped. The writing has warmth and a genuine sense of heart, and you can tell the authors put care into the themes of love and connection. But the pacing felt uneven, and the characters never fully came alive for me. I stopped around 20% in because it just wasn’t holding my attention, even though I could see what the story was trying to do. With a bit more emotional build-up and focus, it might have landed better. Overall, it’s a sweet idea that just didn’t fully click for me, not bad, just not quite my taste.
Read
July 21, 2025I think this story will appeal to fans of friendly rivals with a grumpy x sunshine pairing. I read Second Night Stand and think if you enjoyed that book you’ll enjoy this one as well. I think the narrators did well to provide clearly distinct voices between the two point of views.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever for a copy of this ALC and eARC.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever for a copy of this ALC and eARC.
September 16, 2025
As cute as the romance would probably come across to someone else, I just couldn't get behind it because the Black woman, Kia, spends the entire book apologizing to the other fmc, Sullivan while Sullivan practically gets to lord this acting like she doesn't have shit she's done wrong to Kia. Even if I decide to overlook that, the plot was so cartoonish I actually laughed at some points.
July 15, 2025
I'm finally DNFing this. I made it 38% and I'm so bored out of my mind. the AI was the last straw.
My actual biggest qualm with this book is the elitism of one of the main characters. this book has two female chef main characters who both went to the same fancy culinary school and one of them decided to open a food truck and one of them opened a super fancy restaurant. The one with the fancy restaurant has this horrendous view about food trucks and I just was put off by it from the very beginning. as someone who has worked in restaurants specifically back of house for the last 14 years I have seen this attitude and it is disgusting. The fact of the matter is that food trucks create some intensely unique and amazing food and no one is less than for working at or owning a food truck versus working in a brick and mortar establishment. The stereotype about food trucks being dirty is just that a stereotype. A lot of the time food trucks and food stands are places where people can get their foot in the door or they are run by immigrants or people just want to travel and move around and share their food.
so I was originally going to DNF just because of that and then on top of that the food truck owner is also not a great person and that was annoying. she is an influencer which I have recently found out that I just don't like books where the main characters are social media famous. I don't like it I think that it's unrealistic and ridiculous and often extremely problematic. so anyway this food truck owner has made a bunch of dollars essentially and now has an assistant and AI system responding to comments on her posts and that's what really sealed the deal for me. this general normalization of using AI for things that people can do is problematic.
on top of me not liking either one of our main characters I just didn't care about the story at all. The one super elitist character is also like extremely elitist when it comes to the environment and is of the belief that individuals with single-use plastic are really the cause of the climate crisis and not billionaire companies and billionaires which again is another problematic take. I just don't understand where or how shaming individual people for using plastic cutlery or paper plates is helping anything. let's put some pressure on the people that are actually contributing to the climate crisis.
I also felt zero chemistry between our characters. The book starts in this graduation ceremony for their culinary school and they're the only two women and I guess so the speaker makes some sort of joke about their rivalry and so one of them decides to just kiss the other, no conversation no consent no nothing, on stage in front of all of their peers and it's looked at as a positive experience. that is wild to me. wild.
anyway, I'm calling it quits. I don't think that there's necessarily a single thing about this book that I liked in the 38% that I finished and that is unfortunate.
My actual biggest qualm with this book is the elitism of one of the main characters. this book has two female chef main characters who both went to the same fancy culinary school and one of them decided to open a food truck and one of them opened a super fancy restaurant. The one with the fancy restaurant has this horrendous view about food trucks and I just was put off by it from the very beginning. as someone who has worked in restaurants specifically back of house for the last 14 years I have seen this attitude and it is disgusting. The fact of the matter is that food trucks create some intensely unique and amazing food and no one is less than for working at or owning a food truck versus working in a brick and mortar establishment. The stereotype about food trucks being dirty is just that a stereotype. A lot of the time food trucks and food stands are places where people can get their foot in the door or they are run by immigrants or people just want to travel and move around and share their food.
so I was originally going to DNF just because of that and then on top of that the food truck owner is also not a great person and that was annoying. she is an influencer which I have recently found out that I just don't like books where the main characters are social media famous. I don't like it I think that it's unrealistic and ridiculous and often extremely problematic. so anyway this food truck owner has made a bunch of dollars essentially and now has an assistant and AI system responding to comments on her posts and that's what really sealed the deal for me. this general normalization of using AI for things that people can do is problematic.
on top of me not liking either one of our main characters I just didn't care about the story at all. The one super elitist character is also like extremely elitist when it comes to the environment and is of the belief that individuals with single-use plastic are really the cause of the climate crisis and not billionaire companies and billionaires which again is another problematic take. I just don't understand where or how shaming individual people for using plastic cutlery or paper plates is helping anything. let's put some pressure on the people that are actually contributing to the climate crisis.
I also felt zero chemistry between our characters. The book starts in this graduation ceremony for their culinary school and they're the only two women and I guess so the speaker makes some sort of joke about their rivalry and so one of them decides to just kiss the other, no conversation no consent no nothing, on stage in front of all of their peers and it's looked at as a positive experience. that is wild to me. wild.
anyway, I'm calling it quits. I don't think that there's necessarily a single thing about this book that I liked in the 38% that I finished and that is unfortunate.
July 30, 2025
This is a cute romance, but don't read it when you're hungry!
Sullivan and Kia are former culinary school rivals who meet again when Kia is planning to buy "the bois," a forest that borders Sullivan's house and restaurant; this beloved land has ties all the way back to her grandfather. Kia wants to turn it into a food truck community, much to the eco-friendly Sullivan's horror. But then the evil Mega Eats corporation swoops in and steals the land from both of them. Kia determines that marriage is the only way to save the forest.
Of course, Sullivan and Kia have always sort of loved each other and had chemistry since their culinary school days, and--of course--Mega Eats will soon demand that they prove their marriage is real, forcing the two into closer and closer confines.
Obstacles abound, too. Kia is a food truck girl with a massive social media following while Sullivan's ex burned her by loving social media attention more than her. Sullivan is cautious and environmentally conscious.
The two both have groups of good friends, giving us a wonderful, diverse set of side characters. The banter is lively, there's plenty of sexual tension, and oh the food references. So delicious! I wanted every delicacy Kia came up with via her truck!
This story is easy to read. It's funny while still covering serious moments. As always, Karelia and Fay give us a well-written and sweet tale. There's not too much miscommunication even though there's a variety of bad decisions made at times!
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Forever in return for an unbiased review.
Sullivan and Kia are former culinary school rivals who meet again when Kia is planning to buy "the bois," a forest that borders Sullivan's house and restaurant; this beloved land has ties all the way back to her grandfather. Kia wants to turn it into a food truck community, much to the eco-friendly Sullivan's horror. But then the evil Mega Eats corporation swoops in and steals the land from both of them. Kia determines that marriage is the only way to save the forest.
Of course, Sullivan and Kia have always sort of loved each other and had chemistry since their culinary school days, and--of course--Mega Eats will soon demand that they prove their marriage is real, forcing the two into closer and closer confines.
Obstacles abound, too. Kia is a food truck girl with a massive social media following while Sullivan's ex burned her by loving social media attention more than her. Sullivan is cautious and environmentally conscious.
The two both have groups of good friends, giving us a wonderful, diverse set of side characters. The banter is lively, there's plenty of sexual tension, and oh the food references. So delicious! I wanted every delicacy Kia came up with via her truck!
This story is easy to read. It's funny while still covering serious moments. As always, Karelia and Fay give us a well-written and sweet tale. There's not too much miscommunication even though there's a variety of bad decisions made at times!
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Forever in return for an unbiased review.
June 11, 2025
*A big thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me an ARC, this in no way affects my honest, and unbiased review*
Another 'enemies' to lovers, rivals at that too.... but not really, as per usual. I don't see how they're rivals at all, one is a food truck influencer and the other has a brick-and-mortar restaurant. That's two VERY different things and venues, and paths in life, like what are they rivals in? food? Just having a trope to have a trope is lazy.
The ending felt incredibly rushed, like all the lawsuit court stuff was just shoved into the end, which was the whole reason behind the fake marriage, but was maybe 2pgs near the end.
Chunky writing throughout. I didn't like either MC.
I liked the recipes at the end.
Another 'enemies' to lovers, rivals at that too.... but not really, as per usual. I don't see how they're rivals at all, one is a food truck influencer and the other has a brick-and-mortar restaurant. That's two VERY different things and venues, and paths in life, like what are they rivals in? food? Just having a trope to have a trope is lazy.
The ending felt incredibly rushed, like all the lawsuit court stuff was just shoved into the end, which was the whole reason behind the fake marriage, but was maybe 2pgs near the end.
Chunky writing throughout. I didn't like either MC.
I liked the recipes at the end.
August 14, 2025
book rating: ••.5
audiobook rating: •••
‘there's always a golden glow around the beginning because no matter what happens later, everything begins with love.’
it's cute! i appreciate their pretending to be wives moments in here (since it's marriage of convenience). the side characters are so funny. also, i love how they didn't give up the restaurant sullivan owned. but i just can't with some of the scenes (especially the pasta one...)
for the audiobook, it's well narrated (especially both narrators). its fun to hear! but i hope that while narrating this and they saw the punctuation marks, it's their sign to stop for a few seconds then proceeds the next sentence.
ps: i'm intrigued to read second night stand since the side character(s) in this book are the main characters 😳
───────────────────────
pre-read/listen:
just me reading a sapphic book just to balance to my current read 🤭
thank you to netgalley, forever and hachette audio for automatically accessed and providing me with an arc and alc of this book in exchange for an honest review
audiobook rating: •••
‘there's always a golden glow around the beginning because no matter what happens later, everything begins with love.’
it's cute! i appreciate their pretending to be wives moments in here (since it's marriage of convenience). the side characters are so funny. also, i love how they didn't give up the restaurant sullivan owned. but i just can't with some of the scenes (especially the pasta one...)
for the audiobook, it's well narrated (especially both narrators). its fun to hear! but i hope that while narrating this and they saw the punctuation marks, it's their sign to stop for a few seconds then proceeds the next sentence.
ps: i'm intrigued to read second night stand since the side character(s) in this book are the main characters 😳
───────────────────────
pre-read/listen:
just me reading a sapphic book just to balance to my current read 🤭
thank you to netgalley, forever and hachette audio for automatically accessed and providing me with an arc and alc of this book in exchange for an honest review
July 5, 2025
Rating: 4 stars
Taste the Love was filled with a lot of refreshing elements. It subverted stereotypes: Sullivan is a masc pan woman who has men falling at her feet. Kia is a Black lesbian woman who is allowed to sport bright and mismatching clothes, keep her hair in an afro, cook ridiculous concoctions, wear her heart on her sleeve and still be portrayed as smart, professional, and never too much.
I would call the romance grounded and gentle. If you're looking for a fast-moving spice filled story, this won't be for you. But Sullivan and Kia help each other grow and reach for their dreams, and they left me feeling optimistic about the state of life and love.
To nitpick, some of the metaphors used in the book didn't work for me and some of the language felt forced (the characters said "IRL" more than I've ever heard anyone ever use that acronym). And there's something I can't quite put my finger on that left me feeling slightly disconnected from the story, but overall there was much to love!
Taste the Love was filled with a lot of refreshing elements. It subverted stereotypes: Sullivan is a masc pan woman who has men falling at her feet. Kia is a Black lesbian woman who is allowed to sport bright and mismatching clothes, keep her hair in an afro, cook ridiculous concoctions, wear her heart on her sleeve and still be portrayed as smart, professional, and never too much.
I would call the romance grounded and gentle. If you're looking for a fast-moving spice filled story, this won't be for you. But Sullivan and Kia help each other grow and reach for their dreams, and they left me feeling optimistic about the state of life and love.
To nitpick, some of the metaphors used in the book didn't work for me and some of the language felt forced (the characters said "IRL" more than I've ever heard anyone ever use that acronym). And there's something I can't quite put my finger on that left me feeling slightly disconnected from the story, but overall there was much to love!
September 6, 2025
This was a fun, second chance, dual POV, Southern Sapphic interracial romance between two rival chefs who shared a hot kiss when the graduated culinary school only to go their separate ways. The two only reunite when they have shared goals to help save a building from corporate takeover, the catch is they have to get married in order to do it. Cue the forced proximity, marriage of convenience shenanigans. It was sweet, heartfelt and spicy and I loved the banter and all the food descriptions. It was also good on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Farrah Rochon or Karmen Lee. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 8, 2025
Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I love the premise of this book (and as a PNW resident I’m a sucker for a story set here!). There’s something fun about chefs and the dynamics of kitchens.
This book was slow at times, but I did enjoy it. Overall I’d give it 3.75 out of 5 stars.
I felt like the slow burn was slightly too slow for me but I would still recommend it.
I love the premise of this book (and as a PNW resident I’m a sucker for a story set here!). There’s something fun about chefs and the dynamics of kitchens.
This book was slow at times, but I did enjoy it. Overall I’d give it 3.75 out of 5 stars.
I felt like the slow burn was slightly too slow for me but I would still recommend it.
dnf-2025
August 18, 2025DNF @ 10% - sad to report this has been very boring for the entirety of listening to the audiobook.
ARC provided by netgalley.
ARC provided by netgalley.
July 15, 2025
Lovely read by this dynamic duo! I loved getting to revisit Lillian and Izzy from Second Night Stand as well. I loved how Kia and Sullivan had amazing chemistry and a sweet connection that even when things were rough, both shined through with any negative thoughts or reactions. I loved how as time went on, both were able to think and dream of ways to blend their dreams and lives. The supporting characters were great and the unsavory ones were well put in their place. Entertaining, engaging and exciting read! Recommend!
July 17, 2025
I really wanted to like it but DNF- honestly because of the badly used AAVE and I couldn’t separate Kia’s voice from Sullivan’s.
maybe I’ll try again when I’m in a better mood.
maybe I’ll try again when I’m in a better mood.
August 17, 2025
Audio-ARC for review from NetGalley
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Amazing!! It's an exciting and inspiring story. The perfect rom-com that keeps you at the edge of your seet until the very end.
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Amazing!! It's an exciting and inspiring story. The perfect rom-com that keeps you at the edge of your seet until the very end.
July 4, 2025
✨ Just finished Taste of Love and I swear it fed my soul and my hopeless romantic heart.
Two rival chefs forced into a fake marriage for a land deal?? Say less. It’s enemies-to-lovers but with actual chemistry, food descriptions that made me hungry, and just enough soft vulnerability to make me feel things I wasn’t ready for.
It’s sweet, funny, queer, and honestly the kind of comfort book I want to crawl inside and live in for a while. If you’re into sapphic love stories with bite, banter, and kitchen heat (in every sense), this one’s for you.
Two rival chefs forced into a fake marriage for a land deal?? Say less. It’s enemies-to-lovers but with actual chemistry, food descriptions that made me hungry, and just enough soft vulnerability to make me feel things I wasn’t ready for.
It’s sweet, funny, queer, and honestly the kind of comfort book I want to crawl inside and live in for a while. If you’re into sapphic love stories with bite, banter, and kitchen heat (in every sense), this one’s for you.
August 21, 2025
First, thank you to Karelia Stetz-Waters and Fay Stetz-Waters, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me early access to this audiobook! All opinions in this review are my own.
This book wasn’t quite for me…
This is a story about Alice and Kia two passionate chefs who graduated together. After they went their separate ways. Until kia wants to grow her company but for this she needs land.
But a estate company wants the land aswel… The only way to get it was to bundle up with a fake marriage until it wasn’t so fake anymore.
This book was meh. I just could not get into it and I could barely get thru it with like 2h of audiobook a day. The narrators just didnt tickle my fancy. The immediate making out wasn’t my vibe I just didn’t enjoy this as much as I would have wanted to. What also pissed me off a bit was the characters using AI in the book. Like come on guys as an author would you really wanna promote that?
IDK If im just being picky but this want it in my opinion.
This book wasn’t quite for me…
This is a story about Alice and Kia two passionate chefs who graduated together. After they went their separate ways. Until kia wants to grow her company but for this she needs land.
But a estate company wants the land aswel… The only way to get it was to bundle up with a fake marriage until it wasn’t so fake anymore.
This book was meh. I just could not get into it and I could barely get thru it with like 2h of audiobook a day. The narrators just didnt tickle my fancy. The immediate making out wasn’t my vibe I just didn’t enjoy this as much as I would have wanted to. What also pissed me off a bit was the characters using AI in the book. Like come on guys as an author would you really wanna promote that?
IDK If im just being picky but this want it in my opinion.
October 15, 2025
My kingdom for a contemporary sapphic romance that actually has conflict in the relationship. I don’t know why I keep reading contemporary sapphics when they’re all so “meh” for me, but hope springs eternal, I guess.
Alice Sullivan and Kia Jackson were rivals in cooking school, pushing each other to constantly be better. They had one kiss—at graduation—and then didn’t see each other for ten years. Kia went on to become an influencer with a successful food truck and brand deals, while Sullivan opened a sustainable restaurant in Portland, OR, right near her house.
Kia is back in Sullivan’s life, trying to develop a plot of land in her neighborhood known as the Bois, which borders Sullivan’s property and is incredibly important to her. Sullivan opposes Kia’s plans, but when a fast-food corporation puts in a higher bid, Kia and Sullivan must work together to make sure Kia gets the property since, as Sullivan says, she’s the lesser of two evils. The only way they can ensure Kia gets first bid on the land is to make her a legacy owner in the neighborhood—and that means she has to marry Sullivan.
Karelia and Fay Stetz-Waters make it a point to write well-adjusted, emotionally mature characters. That seems to be their thing. They don’t write people who are deeply messed up or don’t know how to communicate—and I think that might be why I’m not wowed by their books. This is their second novel (I’ve read both), and while they were fine, I was deeply bored by the romance. I was more interested in the land-use plotline and wanted to know more about Sullivan’s best friend, but the primary romance was a snooze. I didn’t really buy into any of the tension because they so clearly wanted to bang, and I didn’t believe the act-three low moment—there’s just no way these people would end up in a misunderstanding that bad.
If you’re into cozier books (aka, your brain hasn’t been rotted by decades of alpha romances), you might like this one. The writing is solid from a craft perspective, and I did enjoy how authentically Portland the book felt, since the authors live there. It just wasn’t for me. 2.5 stars.
Alice Sullivan and Kia Jackson were rivals in cooking school, pushing each other to constantly be better. They had one kiss—at graduation—and then didn’t see each other for ten years. Kia went on to become an influencer with a successful food truck and brand deals, while Sullivan opened a sustainable restaurant in Portland, OR, right near her house.
Kia is back in Sullivan’s life, trying to develop a plot of land in her neighborhood known as the Bois, which borders Sullivan’s property and is incredibly important to her. Sullivan opposes Kia’s plans, but when a fast-food corporation puts in a higher bid, Kia and Sullivan must work together to make sure Kia gets the property since, as Sullivan says, she’s the lesser of two evils. The only way they can ensure Kia gets first bid on the land is to make her a legacy owner in the neighborhood—and that means she has to marry Sullivan.
Karelia and Fay Stetz-Waters make it a point to write well-adjusted, emotionally mature characters. That seems to be their thing. They don’t write people who are deeply messed up or don’t know how to communicate—and I think that might be why I’m not wowed by their books. This is their second novel (I’ve read both), and while they were fine, I was deeply bored by the romance. I was more interested in the land-use plotline and wanted to know more about Sullivan’s best friend, but the primary romance was a snooze. I didn’t really buy into any of the tension because they so clearly wanted to bang, and I didn’t believe the act-three low moment—there’s just no way these people would end up in a misunderstanding that bad.
If you’re into cozier books (aka, your brain hasn’t been rotted by decades of alpha romances), you might like this one. The writing is solid from a craft perspective, and I did enjoy how authentically Portland the book felt, since the authors live there. It just wasn’t for me. 2.5 stars.
July 12, 2025
Thank you Hachette Audio and Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters for the Audiobook ARC of Taste the Love!
Taste the Love is a fun, unique sapphic romance novel that follows two ex-classmates from culinary school. When development ambitions brings Kia into Sullivan's back yard, their reunion is far from magical. However, a major corporation's play at domination quickly shifts their relationship and priorities.
With a unique marriage of convenience and a focus on food and environmentalism, Taste the Love brings a lot to the table. (heh) It takes a little bit to get rolling, but once it does, the plot picks up as well as the chemistry.
The plot is a little on the silly side, so I wouldn't go in expecting the most realism ever, but it was definitely entertaining and I was really pleased with how everything ended. Also no third act breakup, just some tension - thank you so much! I'm so sick of third act breakups just for the sake of it!
I listened to the audiobook and loved both of the narrators - Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb - and their unique style. It really helped me picture each of them and just how different they are through vocal tone alone.
Overall loved this and glad I got to listen. Thank you again to Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters and Hachette Audio for the ARC Audiobook. Taste The Love comes out in just a few days on Tuesday, July 15th!
Taste the Love is a fun, unique sapphic romance novel that follows two ex-classmates from culinary school. When development ambitions brings Kia into Sullivan's back yard, their reunion is far from magical. However, a major corporation's play at domination quickly shifts their relationship and priorities.
With a unique marriage of convenience and a focus on food and environmentalism, Taste the Love brings a lot to the table. (heh) It takes a little bit to get rolling, but once it does, the plot picks up as well as the chemistry.
The plot is a little on the silly side, so I wouldn't go in expecting the most realism ever, but it was definitely entertaining and I was really pleased with how everything ended. Also no third act breakup, just some tension - thank you so much! I'm so sick of third act breakups just for the sake of it!
I listened to the audiobook and loved both of the narrators - Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb - and their unique style. It really helped me picture each of them and just how different they are through vocal tone alone.
Overall loved this and glad I got to listen. Thank you again to Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters and Hachette Audio for the ARC Audiobook. Taste The Love comes out in just a few days on Tuesday, July 15th!
July 18, 2025
I enjoyed this book for the most part. There were some elements that I struggled with. This is a sapphic marriage of convenience between Sullivan, a pan restaurant owner, and Kia, a lesbian influencer food truck owner. They went to culinary school together and had a bit of a rivalry going on. And now they're reconnected. Kia is hoping to purchase a plot of land...land that Sullivan's family has owned for a long time, and she doesn't want food trucks to destroy it. Unfortunately, Kia has been livestreaming about it (which made little sense to me, who livestreams about a deal before it goes through?), and a big fast food company sweeps in and tries to take the land. Enter the marriage of convenience; between them, they can team up and fight the good fight. At least it's an enemy she knows, and they can work together to ensure the land isn't completely destroyed. We spend time with them fighting the push and pull of their feeling as well as dealing with the court case with the fast food company. I feel like the book was a little too long. Some elements could have been shortened or cut out to make it a little stronger. Kia seemed to be all over the place with her thoughts, and for someone in her 30s, it seemed a little more suited to someone younger. For both of them, really. I did enjoy their relationship overall. The passion they had for their work, the vision they had, and wanting to do it together. I loved that they didn't listen to the other people in their lives and stayed true to themselves and each other, not buying into unnecessary drama.
Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb were great. I loved their performances in this dual narration. It was always clear whose POV we were in and which character was speaking. Each character's voice was distinctive.
Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb were great. I loved their performances in this dual narration. It was always clear whose POV we were in and which character was speaking. Each character's voice was distinctive.
July 15, 2025
This story revolves around the two chefs Kia and Sullivan in the trope of Marriage of inconvenience,
I Liked how the story came into being, their chemistry, the rivals to lovers journey.
This Book is a warm hug of a romance, wrapped in kitchen heat and queer joy. The chemistry between both the characters is magnetic, the emotional growth is tender and authentic, the spice was hot and INTIMATE !!! I love how the author used food as a love language, because hello? its my love language too, it made every meal feel like a moment of intimacy and passion.
However, i will be honest fully, i was about to DNF this book because the way the story picked up in the start was a little, messy, confusing and a bit hard to focus on, BUT.. as i kept reading and gave this book a chance, from about 40% of the book, the story started getting interesting, funny, intense and i am GLAD! that i did not stop reading it. it was hilarious, the One Bed trope, the fake marriage trope. it was al so lovely.
If you love slow-burn tension, strong but vulnerable women,, this one’s for you.I would suggest NOT to DNF it but give it a chance, and read it...
Highly recommend for fans of:
👩❤️👩 Sapphic romance
🍲 Foodie love stories
💬 Witty banter
🌈 Queer joy
👩❤️👩 Found family
💍 Marriage of inconvenience
I Liked how the story came into being, their chemistry, the rivals to lovers journey.
This Book is a warm hug of a romance, wrapped in kitchen heat and queer joy. The chemistry between both the characters is magnetic, the emotional growth is tender and authentic, the spice was hot and INTIMATE !!! I love how the author used food as a love language, because hello? its my love language too, it made every meal feel like a moment of intimacy and passion.
However, i will be honest fully, i was about to DNF this book because the way the story picked up in the start was a little, messy, confusing and a bit hard to focus on, BUT.. as i kept reading and gave this book a chance, from about 40% of the book, the story started getting interesting, funny, intense and i am GLAD! that i did not stop reading it. it was hilarious, the One Bed trope, the fake marriage trope. it was al so lovely.
If you love slow-burn tension, strong but vulnerable women,, this one’s for you.I would suggest NOT to DNF it but give it a chance, and read it...
Highly recommend for fans of:
👩❤️👩 Sapphic romance
🍲 Foodie love stories
💬 Witty banter
🌈 Queer joy
👩❤️👩 Found family
💍 Marriage of inconvenience
July 7, 2025
This book has a lot going for it. The narration is excellent, the cover is absolutely adorable, and the supporting characters brought a welcome bit of humor. I also really appreciated the backstories of the main characters, which had real potential to tug at the heart.
That said, I struggled to stay engaged with the pacing and found the stakes so low that I wasn’t able to fully root for the central romance. I kept hoping for a bit more tension or yearning to pull me in, but unfortunately it didn’t quite land for me.
While it wasn’t the right fit for my tastes, I think readers who enjoy low-stakes, cozy romances will find plenty to enjoy here. Grateful to have had the chance to preview this one! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review.
DNF at 40%
That said, I struggled to stay engaged with the pacing and found the stakes so low that I wasn’t able to fully root for the central romance. I kept hoping for a bit more tension or yearning to pull me in, but unfortunately it didn’t quite land for me.
While it wasn’t the right fit for my tastes, I think readers who enjoy low-stakes, cozy romances will find plenty to enjoy here. Grateful to have had the chance to preview this one! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review.
DNF at 40%
June 13, 2025
4.25 stars.
This one was a slow start for me and I honestly didn’t think I was going to end up loving it... but I am so glad that changed quickly because this book was an absolute delight! Once Sully was able to move past her complete distaste for single-use plastic (lol) and let us see who she really is, it was so much fun. The banter between her and Kia was top notch and had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! I didn’t realize this was technically book 2 of an interconnected standalone series, but I’ll definitely be adding Lillian and Izzy’s story to my TBR immediately. Huge thanks to Forever for my free ARC of this delightful sapphic romcom!
This one was a slow start for me and I honestly didn’t think I was going to end up loving it... but I am so glad that changed quickly because this book was an absolute delight! Once Sully was able to move past her complete distaste for single-use plastic (lol) and let us see who she really is, it was so much fun. The banter between her and Kia was top notch and had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time! I didn’t realize this was technically book 2 of an interconnected standalone series, but I’ll definitely be adding Lillian and Izzy’s story to my TBR immediately. Huge thanks to Forever for my free ARC of this delightful sapphic romcom!
June 18, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
Rating: 3.75/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
This was a really great book, and it was fun reading from an author I’d never heard of before. This was a beautifully written rivals to lovers (kind of)/second chance (also kind of)/marriage of convenience romance that I’m glad had a solid plot to back up everything that was going on. The stakes felt real and I’m really happy with the way the conflict resolved, no third act break up!
Personally, this romance was longer than I like them to be, so the beginning felt a bit sluggish. I enjoyed each of the characters, they felt like real people that spoke regularly and had their own ways of going about things.Sometimes I felt some of the characters’ qualities were hammered a bit too hard, more telling than showing, but it wasn’t too bad.
The romance itself was very cute and it was much more emotional than sexual (though there were some good scenes too). Not emotional enough to make me cry, but definitely enough to genuinely root for them as if they actually exist.
Overall, enjoyable read, felt connected to the story and the characters, and would definitely read from this author again for another sapphic love story.
Rating: 3.75/5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
This was a really great book, and it was fun reading from an author I’d never heard of before. This was a beautifully written rivals to lovers (kind of)/second chance (also kind of)/marriage of convenience romance that I’m glad had a solid plot to back up everything that was going on. The stakes felt real and I’m really happy with the way the conflict resolved, no third act break up!
Personally, this romance was longer than I like them to be, so the beginning felt a bit sluggish. I enjoyed each of the characters, they felt like real people that spoke regularly and had their own ways of going about things.Sometimes I felt some of the characters’ qualities were hammered a bit too hard, more telling than showing, but it wasn’t too bad.
The romance itself was very cute and it was much more emotional than sexual (though there were some good scenes too). Not emotional enough to make me cry, but definitely enough to genuinely root for them as if they actually exist.
Overall, enjoyable read, felt connected to the story and the characters, and would definitely read from this author again for another sapphic love story.
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