Stirring Up Trouble

Stirring #1

by Z.A. Maxfield, Biff Summers (Narrator)

Listening Length: 4 hours and 26 minutes

Toby Andrews is cooking up more than a little trouble for Evan Blankenship. Because of pranks, indiscretions, and plain bad timing, his ability to work in New York's temples of haute cuisine is a thing of the past. When Toby's sister tells him he should look up an acquaintance whose restaurant -- Le Potiron --is failing, he doesn't have much choice.

Pretty soon he's in bed, literally, with a cook who hates people, trying to save a restaurant that only the neighborhood mothers seem to love, and on the verge of another --possibly painful -- lesson or two about what it means to be successful.

Evan hates everyone but Toby. Toby likes to stir things up. See what's on the menu at Le Potiron, in Stirring Up Trouble.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, Audiobook, Humor, LGBT, Fiction

5 pages, Audible Audio

First published July 9, 2010

Reviews

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun! Laugh out loud, clever, and very funny. I enjoyed all the food quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

Audio nicely performed by Biff Summers.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun story! The main character's antics had me laughing out loud in places. The overall tension of the plot, will Toby succeed or will he fall flat on his face yet again, kept me glued to the pages. The villain was wonderfully evil and just waiting to get his come-uppance. All this and a setting in a restaurant with lots of wonderful food descriptions - and I just "had to" like this book.

I loved Toby - he was just waiting for disaster to strike, while not willing to give up the fight. At the end of his rope, he ends up with the equally desperate Evan, whose partner almost ruined him by pulling out of their joint restaurant. Toby has the ideas and the drive to make it big time, while Evan is the steady force in the background.

It takes them a while to figure out their relationship and the roles they play within the professional part. Toby makes a few mistakes - but thankfully learns fast enough to keep Evan with him. It was great fun watching them figure everything out.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Not my favorite from this author, but still an enjoyable story. Hot, sweet and a bit funny. (Not as funny as I expected given it's the one I picked out from the Humorous shelf, other than a couple chuckles such as that "sandwich" comment Toby made when he found out Evan had a twin.) Usually books with chef MCs get bogged down in the cooking, the prepping, the details...so very glad that was not the case here, except where it was important (IMHO) like making the baby food and explaining how Toby was essentially ruining food to make it to the specifications of that critic. (If that happened to me, I'd have made it to order, then made a second helping how it SHOULD be cooked...and when presenting the plates made the distinction. He had nothing to lose, really, because the guy was gonna find fault anyway.)

I did get frustrated whenever Toby's sister would call at the last minute, depending on Toby to pick up or take care of his nephew. I know there are supposedly several instances where Toby was accident-prone or caused chaos in the past, but it seemed to me that a lot of those are HER fault. She's a lawyer, the dad is still in the picture. If it happens that often, why doesn't she have a nanny or one of those emergency back-up babysitter services on speed dial? I mean, when I was in management, still lower-middle income, even *I* had already picked out and arranged for that contingency. Maybe I'm wrong (living in NYC is expensive), but it would track that she'd have the money & impetus to do it, too.

That said, Adam was adorable and acted age-appropriate. And how well Evan interacted with him made my slowly dying ovaries perk up a bit. (Since Adam is so important to Toby, it also boded well for their future relationship.) Okay, so there was another funny bit where Evan hollowed out some buns and put them on his ears to be Princess Leia trying to distract Adam...that made me laugh to imagine.

Best part was the food-blogger's comeuppance. Couldn't have happened to a better (worse) person!

[Darien · Rating 3 out of 5]

^^NOT ENOUGH TO STIR THE POT!^^

THE COVER- I think it’s cute, but I am not in love with it. It is one pf those covers that actually go with the theme of the book. The main character is a chef, he serves food and so the cover and the storyline go hand in hand. Let’s not pretend that most covers for M/M books have nothing to do with the actual title or story line, and sometimes that irks me. So the cover has food and a naked man all served up on a platter, kind of like Toby in the book.

So what can I say not my fave book by Maxfield but still a very solid story by the author. I am a true fan of this author and whatever book she puts out, I will always buy. I will not say this story is not up to par, cus everyone has their own taste, and every story appeals to someone differently. I enjoyed this book, but I had a hard time really liking the characters and was just reading it because I had it. I won’t say there was no enjoyment because there was, but I found this book lacking the laugh out loud humour and chemistry I got from her previous books.

It could be that these characters were normal compared to her other characters. I always enjoy a little effed up man who falls in love with his quite sane lover. I think that might be it, can you say that I am a little effed up myself.

Toby is an up and coming chef, he is good and he knows he is good. Tobes has a little problem though, when things are going good he finds ways to mess it up. Well Toby messes up his current job and then is banished from the prestigious restaurants because he had made an enemy out of a famous food critic. Well, Toby will not take things lying down or bended over. He needs a job, and gets one at a little restaurant through a contact by his sister.

Seems this little job is about to change the course of his life, when he meets the restaurant owner and he is wearing a kilt. Evan is a recluse and is on the verge of bankruptcy, until Toby steps into his life. With hard work, the restaurant begins to thrive and some great sexual chemistry is being cooked up.

Let’s say that both characters have a bit to get over in order to move ahead. There are some communication problems that eventually are worked out. The book still offers up humour, great sex and some really adorable characters. I just found it very hard to fall in love. I will say that Z.A is an author not to be missed, her books are worth the effort and I guarantee you will fall in love with at least three of her books, if not all.

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[Bookwatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is so HARD to be a chef!


So, what I think about this book?
Sexy, funny and do not deserve more than 3 stars... sorry for the disappointment, but it's not my favorite Z.A. Maxfield book!

I read two great novels of this writer, the magnificent "Drawn Together" and the wonderful paranormal romance "Notturno"... the unmistakable style of her writing worth a try. I guarantee you will laugh, be mesmerized by the speed of everything happens and get excited (the bed scenes are HOT!)... but this book left me wanting something more... I don't know... a well developed plot... more facts...

Let me explain better, Toby after losing his job don't have many choices, so he accept to work in this almost ruined restaurant called "Le Potiron". The owner is a HOT guy that cook in kilt (very danger to male dangling parts, I agree with you...) named Evan.

That's it... get my disappointment? I was used to a great suspense and complicate stories of Z.A. Maxfield... so reading about a cook trying to do his best to get clients to the restaurant and help his lover was not soooooo interesting. I liked it, truly and honesty is a wonderful romance, but I don't think is the best book Z.A. Maxfield wrote.

Do I recommend it?
Hell yeah! Hello??? Remember my remark??? Dangling male parts! Kilted man cooking... yeah... HOT!

Do I think anyone should read it?
Nope... if you are not used to M/M novels start reading "Drawn Together" of this writer... that was the best M/M romance I ever read.

Have fun reading... and enjoy it!
BTW, Evan has a twin... the next book will be about him... certainly I'll read it!

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute but not as funny as I expected it to be. Honestly the drama seemed really manufactured - if the sister is a successful lawyer she should have a nanny or a couple of emergency babysitters or a drop-in daycare facility. I just didn't buy the whole last minute you have to watch your nephew for me regardless of your job, there are just way too many other ways to handle the situation. I also never really felt like I got to know Evan. So for me just an okay read.

[Josephine Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chef Toby Andrews seems to cause trouble wherever he goes, and has been told by New York’s most powerful food critic that his career is over. Toby reluctantly takes on a position at an ailing restaurant but soon falls under the spell of the owner, one Evan Blankenship, and vows to not only help out Evan but prove to the world that he can turn around Le Potiron’s fortunes.

Toby is a delightful character: playful, chatty, energetic and charming, it’s easy to see why the taciturn Evan falls for him. Equally important, though, is the transformation of Toby’s character as he starts growing up and realising just why Evan’s approval means so much to him. The spark of attraction between them is evident from the first meeting, despite the fact that Evan has a plait, wears a kilt and listens to dreadful pan pipe relaxation music while he works…

ZA Maxfield is a great writer – her prose flows smoothly, there’s plenty of light and laughter, moments that make you want to punch the air because they are just so perfect, and just enough conflict to drive the plot without it getting heavy at any point. This novel is like a gourmet meal: rich, piquant and spicy, with a deliciously sweet ending.

[Gustaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very sweet, hilarious and short read. Toby was over the top and pretty damn amazing. And Evan was... well pretty damn broody. My favorite character was probably Adam. That kid was awesome.

There's two reasons I can't rate this higher than I did. One highly personal and one not.
1, It's hard to take a main character that has the same name as your puppy serious. As I said, this is a me thing. Totally. But yeah, I sort of saw my puppy at times while reading Toby's name. They do share some personality traits though.
2, The writing wasn't 100% percent. There was jumps that felt more constructed to get the story forward than getting it going if you know what I mean. A bit to quick of a read almost.

But it was a good and utterly hilarious read.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toby Andrews is a chef that just can't catch a break. He manages to get fired from any job he's ever had and is now it seems the restaurant world may be out for him. Until he finds his dream job and love in a totally unexpected place.

I'll say this, that I loved this book. It was sweet and his nephew is adorable. I'll also say there were so many characters that I kept waiting for to have a bigger part and they didn't and some that caused problems, but not in the way I expected...

[⚓Dan⚓ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. From tugs at heart strings to laughter I couldn't put it down.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a 10 year age gap (Evan 35, Toby 25). There was a twin mixup where Toby was kissing Brendan even though he should have realized it wasn’t Evan since he was watching Adam (Toby’s nephew).

Not sure about the narrator. It took a while to get used to him, but it got better. Although the women voices he did weren’t great. The beginning was kind of confusing to know who was who, and what was going on. Pretty sure the narrator kept saying Tony instead of Toby.

It was okay overall, and the epilogue was nice. I still wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator but once I got into the story/plot, I kind of ignored the annoying parts. It was pretty light on the angst, and a short/easy read. Maybe 3-3.5 out of 5 stars? Taking off at least .5-1 star because of the narrator and errors.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice read but I hoped for a bit more. There was potential to explore the relationship .... which seemed more like a afterthought
And especially Tobys character development was good but not really shown. It was just there

I was a bit disappointed about the scene with Brendan, especially as it was not discussed in any way afterwards

So, a nice read but not more

[Ronie Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never one to understand the phrase, " Why ask for permission, when ya can ask forgiveness!" You just saying my feelings or opinion mean nothing to you. But these two worked it out.

I would have lost his number!

[Elisa Rolle]

There is a thing to be said, writing a good comedy it’s probably more difficult than writing any other genre; comedy has a perfect balance, it’s not too much to be comic, it’s not too few to be simply fiction. With Stirring Up Trouble Z.A. Maxfield has given us a perfect example of classy comedy.

The setting is perfect, some of the best comedies in movies and books wind up behind the stove, and a man in a kitchen, or it’s tragically comic, or it’s classy comedy. And when the man is wearing a utilikilt, well, again, it’s only through a perfect balance that you manage to obtain a perfect cooked story.

Toby is really a good guy but he is also a little bubble of energy that is difficult to limit under someone else instructions. When he is fired for the nth time, his sister sends him towards his last resort, a little diner that has more chances to close than to take off. The owner, Evan, is not exactly the perfect host, basically since he likes very few and very selected people, and that is not a good attitude if you want to launch a restaurant. But as soon as they meet, Toby and Evan click off together like two pieces of the same mechanism and it doesn’t take long before they are a couple not only in the kitchen but also in the bedroom.

Even if this is a very romantic story, with two young men who plenty enjoy their time together, and who like to kiss and cuddle (yes, this is that type of romance, tender hearts out there seek this out, you will not regret it), I really liked that it also felt real, for stupid little things but still; like Evan’s bad habit to smoke, or Toby’s impetuosity and yes, also a bit of egocentrism that makes him always think he is right, from the small detail like Ethan’s hair, to the most important ones like redesigning Evan’s restaurant, both of them of course without asking Ethan’s opinion. They are all these details that made both men a little less perfect and for exactly this reason, a lot more appealing and nice.

I also liked how I think the author brought a little bit of herself into the story in the supporting collective character of the techy savvy moms who will help Toby and Ethan to realize their dream (or at least Toby’s dream, this is another point why I liked Ethan and Toby, they were able to understand that they are different men loving each other, and again, finding a balance they are able to work their relationship); this is I think not the first time Z.A. Maxfield creates a cameo role for herself into one of her novels, and even if it’s not a real role, there is nonetheless something that can link the fiction story with the real-life of this author. Sometime this can be tricky, but in Z.A. Maxfield’s case, it’s one of her characteristic that I like the best.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VTZVSI/?...

[Cindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, as I always do with books by Z.A. Maxfield. I have read several of hers and have become a big fan.

Toby is fired once again from an upscale restaurant. It is eluded to in the story that it has happened several times in the past though the reasons for those firings aren't mentioned much in the book. It is made clear by a head chef and a food critic that he will never work in another restaurant again and they go about criticizing Toby publicly. His sister... (I will definitely come back to her).... helps set up a meeting with Evan, who owns a restaurant that is on the verge of going under. Evan's former business partner (Dom) left him high and dry, so to speak. Toby is outgoing and very personable. Evan loathes people and says so many times. Toby forces himself into Evan's life and into the restaurant and turns it around. The food critic (a total jerk) is determined to ruin Toby even if it means taking Evan down with him. Evan and Toby get together (eventually) and they make the failing restaurant a success while bringing the jerk critic down.

Okay, I liked all of that. I loved Toby and even grumpy Evan eventually made himself likable. The way the food critic was brought down was nice but I would have liked to have seen that have more than a paragraph or so. The whole story is centered on Toby trying to prove himself and ruin the critic yet the resolution only gets little more than one small paragraph?

Toby's sister............. wow, I couldn't stand her right off. SHE is the reason that Toby lost his last position but yet she made him seem like such a screw up. And then pulls another stunt on the biggest night of Toby's professional career? That bothered me. She is a high-powered attorney and doesn't have a babysitter on stand-by? Seriously? She is very selfish and doesn't care if she destroys her brother's dreams... as long as she can continue to pursue her own. And of course, Toby jumps and does her bidding every time. I had a problem with that.

I didn't understand the thing with Geoffrey, Toby's best friend. There is something THERE but it never fully materializes. Maybe I missed something.

Everything is resolved rather quickly... perhaps too quickly. But as I said, another good one by one of my favorite authors of this genre.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good m/m romance about a chef who only lasts a few months at any job before getting fired. He ends up working at a failing neighborhood restaurant owned by an anti-social guy who looks pretty tasty when he's cooking in his Utilikilt...

[Meggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want easy comical read, this book is for you. This book is awesome, the story is comical, characters pulls you in and keep you till you finish the book.
Totally recommended read.

[Julio Genao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely done.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it just me or did these two jump into bed with each other rather quickly? I mean.. they like knew each other for a day? MAYBE?

Stirring Up Trouble was definitely insta-y. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing right now but that's what it was. It has honestly been a while since I dove into an M/M romance and it was kind of entertaining. Especially when it comes to two hot chefs.

In it, you will meet Toby and Evan. It all kinds of starts off rather quickly when they met. Not sure what kind of horrible this restaurant was before Toby entered it. All I know is that he is definitely making it a much better place. Especially in the food department.

He just lucked out that he's finding love while working. Not bad for him. The romance was cute and they obviously had chemistry but that's not the only thing going on between them. They both have baggage and they need to figure out a way to lean on one another and get over their little hills.

In the end, I liked it and I might even dive into the next book of this series.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Toby is a freaking force of nature, and Evan was overwhelmed by the storm in the best of ways! I really wanted to smack Deb a time or two for not having alternative babysitting for Adam -- it seemed like half of Toby's problems were her fault -- but Adam was an absolute doll, especially for a little boy being told he needed to be quiet and unobtrusive. On to Brendan's story now!

[Kimberly Morehouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved this fun MM romance. Toby is a struggling chef, one who has a dark cloud following over him. After losing yet another job, he is black balled in the city by a critic. He gets an interview with a restaurant owner, who is also struggling to keep the doors open. It seems like they won't hit it off, but boy do they ever! Evan needed Toby, and Toby needed Evan. There are ups and downs and lots of fun watching them get to know one another while saving the restaurant. Great narration!

[Erica Paré · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a genre I would normally read but I am glad I did. The main characters were hilarious. So opposite from one another yet they worked so well together. We see how some people of high society can have a huge influence on others, and not always in a positive way. I love how they incorporated the importance of family before anything. I am excited to get into the next book.

[Kim Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this author before. I listened to the audio book. Main characters Tody Andrews who loses his chefing job in the beginning and Evan Blankenship an elder anti social cook. Toby finds himself working for Evan, taking over his restaurant and Evan's bed. I very unusual pair. Lots of side characters. ends in a HEA.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall:
Good, if not short. Not a high-intensity story, but enjoyable. The romance/sex didn't overpower the story, nor was it lacking. A nice mix.

What I liked
Characters: They were realistic and enjoyable, but I wish we had more of them. I feel like this was only a taste of their lives and their personalities. I think if she had taken more time to develop their characters and the relationship, things would have been even better.

The Plot: Not a high-crisis situation, but realistic and interesting enough to keep me reading (and wanting to re-read). I felt the plot was rather well paced and things fit together well. Some people complain that the main characters didn't really do anything in order to bring about resolution to the plot, but I think they made small changes in themselves and how they interact with others, which led to the happy ending. But it's true that the main characters weren't directly making the end happen.

What didn't work
TOO SHORT. It was really good, but things buzzed by faster than the reader could keep up. Too much was hinted at or alluded to. We could have been shown things more. Just wanted more overall.

Toby's sister felt like she was mostly plot point rather than family member. Her four points of involvement lead to two being major plot motivators, one familial interaction, one potential for plot motivator. She never showed up outside of her purpose and I thought she could have been apart of Toby's life more. Evan's brother, I felt, showed up the right number of times (since we aren't given the impression that they are particularly close at the moment and the point of view isn't Evan's.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a nice change from what I've been reading. Lately it's been angst, angst, angst, but this was a much lighter storyline. The characters and fun and interesting, and they have some nice chemistry. There is some angst, mostly in the form of the nasty food critic Tad Christopher and his weird fascination with smearing Toby, but it is very well balanced by the relationship and the dynamics of the restaurant.

I'm not a professional chef, so I don't know if the specifics of the story were accurate, but they felt like it. There was a familiarity with cooking terms and cuisine that made it believable when they casually mention a particular creme brulee or a specific entree (made me hungry). I really liked the character of Toby's nephew, Adam, and wanted to see more of him. He wasn't present for most of the middle of the book, and it made me a little sad; despite the dynamic nature of Toby's character, the childish nature and innocence of Adam was refreshing, at least for me.

I would suggest this book to anyone interested in a solid story, and somewhat gradual romance without a lot of dramatic angst, and a satisfying ending.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stirring Up Trouble was perplexing to read. It's got a good premise and setting, and the characters had promise, but the execution left a lot to be desired. In general, the characters were very two-dimensional. I never really got a good sense of Toby and Evan as people and, aside from the utilikilts (which, I was incredibly disappointed that there was no kilt sex. I mean, that should've been a given), I couldn't picture them at all. The plot seemed a little erratic, with a lot of time spent on unnecessary and unrealistic details but what I thought were important parts of the plot felt rushed. There were some really great lines, and some scenes were top notch, leading me to think that those scenes were written with care while others were thrown in to fill the gap between the "good" scenes. Overall, Stirring Up Trouble wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. A solid middle-of-the-road book.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.
Got to Chapter 10 before I rage quit at the second use of "Tony" instead of "Toby" by the narrator. Narrator also made everyone sound accusatory, but out of breath. No character had any respect for others. Protagonist legitimately said "I'm sorry you feel that way" without any ounce of understanding how very not an apology, or admittance of error, that is.
It's only short, so I wanted to stick it out because I'm not usually one to quit, but I can only put up with so much. The misnaming really pushed me over the edge.
This did not feel like a novella that would allow for much believable character growth, either, so I couldn't even give it the benefit of the doubt that the characters were deliberately massively flawed and that they'd grow to be better. Maybe they do in other books, but I can't pull through for that sliver of hope when I don't even like these characters.

[Juli · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all Z.A. Maxfield books I did enjoy this one. While not totally up to the caliber of Drawn Together, The Long Way Home or the recent Jacob's Ladder but it was a good book.

Some laughs along the way but I would have liked to see more of the lead's diasterous tour through the kitchen's of New York. To me the thing with his nephew was self destructive as other's mentioned. Just a poor choice on his end for being pressured by his sister and not having somewhere else for his nephew to go. There are mentions of things at other restuarants that happened but only in passing.

Still I am really looking forward to the sequel next year with the twin brother.

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I don't remember what I wanted to say about this book. But it was awesome, so go read it.

[Nancy L · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a sweet story and now I can't picture any man without a kilt on *grin*