Chef's Kiss: A Hot-Tempered Knight, A Time-Traveling Foodie, and a Recipe for Romance

by Cynthia Luhrs

She’s a snarky food blogger who just taste-tested her way into the 15th century. He’s a disgraced knight with a secret spice rack and a temper hotter than dragon’s breath.

When Rachel Carter opens a cursed medieval cookbook (thanks, eBay), the last thing she expects is to wake up in a crumbling castle face-to-face with a scowling, unfairly gorgeous knight who accuses her of being a spy. Worse? He’s holding her phone like it’s a witchcraft relic. (Okay, fair.)

Sir Tristan de Valois was once England’s most celebrated knight until betrayal left him exiled, penniless, and (most tragically) without a kitchen worthy of his talents. Now, he’s stuck with this strange, sharp-tongued woman who insults his era’s hygiene (“You bathe … how often?”) but drools over his honey-glazed venison like it’s a gourmet sin.

Trapped in the past, Rachel strikes a deal. She’ll help him win back his honor (and maybe teach him about “microwaves”) if he helps her get home. But the more time they spend together, between heated kitchen battles and even hotter near-kisses, the harder it is to remember why she’d ever want to leave.

Until Tristan’s enemies return … and suddenly, “going home” isn’t just about time travel, it’s about choosing between the life she knew and the knight who’s stolen her heart (and her food blog’s five-star rating).

Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2025

About the author

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“Would you like an adventure now, or should we have our tea first?”
-Alice in Wonderland

Cynthia Luhrs spends her time out on the deck, looking out over the mountains, imagining what if. She writes women’s fiction, time travel romance, contemporary romance, family sagas, paranormal romance, and thrillers. Readers say her books (well not the thrillers, those are gritty) are light-hearted reads to escape reality.
She lives in the mountains of North Carolina, has always been a reader, and is overly fond of sparkly flip flops and pretty pens. Though now that she lives in the mountains she’s going to have to find fabulous boots, mittens, and hats!

Reviews

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a delight!!!!!

[M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. I mean, how many time can you say something will make “grown men weep,” “angels weep,” “professional chefs weep with envy”…… everyone’s frikkin WEEPING every other page and while it’s a wonderful way to convey the enormity of the situation, using that same phrase for EVERY situation is just lazy and ends up conveying exactly the opposite. Disappointing.

Along with making her “heart skip several beats in succession.” How many times can you use the exact same phrases? A LOT, as it happens. Lazy.

I forced myself to finish this book as I like to finish what I start but it was really difficult. One star is being generous here.

[becky green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Redundancy? I hope not

This is the 20th book I've read by Ms. Luhrs and I enjoy each one. I laugh out loud, cheer and escape, and yet, I was a bit disappointed with the redundancy of Isolde's French perfume descriptions..."rose and ?" Overused...I got it the first two times, she got it from France and the main scent was roses, but then Guys, "sandlewood and ambition"? SMH
Having said that I will continue to read the next ones, and hope this was just a one time case of "thesaraus block and word stretch editing".

[Janice Romanini · Rating 2 out of 5]

to long

This is the first book in the series that was over done. If I knew a man who bitched and whined as much I would dump him and move on. Could have been about half the pages and a much better book. I had to force myself to finish it.

[Denice Sanford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read

Great way to spend a rainy afternoon. The author weaves a tale so sweet, with the right amount of highs and lows, to keep the reader enthralled.