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Table for Two #2
Dine with Me
Listening Length: 7 hours and 47 minutes
Life never tasted so good.
Miller Sykes’s meteoric rise to award-winning chef is the stuff of culinary dreams, but it’s all crashing down around him. He’s been given a diagnosis that could cost him something even more precious than his life: his sense of taste. Rather than risk the very thing that defines him, Miller embarks on a last tour of his favorite meals while he still can.
But there’s a catch: he needs a financial backer to make it happen, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.
Dr. Clancy Rhodes has two weeks to come to terms with putting aside oncology to work at his father’s thriving plastic surgery practice. When the opportunity to travel with a Michelin-starred chef presents itself, the foodie in him can’t believe it. It doesn’t hurt that Miller’s rugged good looks are exactly Clancy’s cup of joe.
As Clancy and Miller travel from coast to coast and indulge in everything from dive bars to the most decadent of culinary experiences, they’re suddenly sharing a lot more than delicious meals. Sparks fly as they bond over their love of flavors and the pressures of great expectations. But when Miller’s health takes a turn for the worse, Clancy must convince him he’s more—so much more—than just his taste buds. And that together, they can win a battle that once seemed hopeless.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
This book is approximately 69,000 words
Life never tasted so good.
Miller Sykes’s meteoric rise to award-winning chef is the stuff of culinary dreams, but it’s all crashing down around him. He’s been given a diagnosis that could cost him something even more precious than his life: his sense of taste. Rather than risk the very thing that defines him, Miller embarks on a last tour of his favorite meals while he still can.
But there’s a catch: he needs a financial backer to make it happen, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.
Dr. Clancy Rhodes has two weeks to come to terms with putting aside oncology to work at his father’s thriving plastic surgery practice. When the opportunity to travel with a Michelin-starred chef presents itself, the foodie in him can’t believe it. It doesn’t hurt that Miller’s rugged good looks are exactly Clancy’s cup of joe.
As Clancy and Miller travel from coast to coast and indulge in everything from dive bars to the most decadent of culinary experiences, they’re suddenly sharing a lot more than delicious meals. Sparks fly as they bond over their love of flavors and the pressures of great expectations. But when Miller’s health takes a turn for the worse, Clancy must convince him he’s more—so much more—than just his taste buds. And that together, they can win a battle that once seemed hopeless.
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise : all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
This book is approximately 69,000 words
8 pages, Audiobook
First published September 16, 2019
15 people are currently reading
421 people want to read
About the author
Layla Reyne
56 books1,030 followersLayla Reyne is the author of What We May Be and the Agents Irish and Whiskey, Fog City, and Perfect Play series. She writes sexy, intense LGBTQIA+ romance featuring competent adults in kitchens, sports arenas, car chases, and other high-stakes situations. Whether it’s adrenaline-fueled suspense, rival athletes, vampires and shifters in alt-realms, or love mixed with mouth-watering foodie goodness, queer folks finding happily-ever-afters is guaranteed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
September 8, 2019
I wish I loved Dine with Me, by the talented Layla Reyne, but the truth is that even though I enjoyed it, it also frustrated me.
I'm pretty snobby about books that involve chefs or food, as I've been to multiple Michelin-starred restaurants and live right outside NYC (yeah, I know that makes me sound like a brat), and I can be pretty critical of chef-romances, but Layla Reyne got the chef stuff right. It's clear that the author loves and respects food, and her culinary tour made my mouth water. Some of the restaurants and experiences that she name-drops are bucket list places for me (I mean, the French Laundry!), and I respected the time and effort she took in getting those details right.
I was curious about the story because of the head and neck cancer angle, and some of my issues stem from there. I really wish that the author at least acknowledged Grant Achatz, the celebrity chef who almost lost his tongue to cancer, as this story seemed heavily influenced by his story. Aside from that, I felt like the cancer aspect was a bit tricky to work into the romance and the romance suffered.
My biggest issue with the story was the lack of romance. I really didn't feel it. The story felt like a beautiful culinary adventure with some very serious undertones, and I appreciated the story for that, but the love and lust fell flat for me. I think the story had a lot of merit and I wish I liked it even more than I did, but it left me just a little bit wanting.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
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I'm pretty snobby about books that involve chefs or food, as I've been to multiple Michelin-starred restaurants and live right outside NYC (yeah, I know that makes me sound like a brat), and I can be pretty critical of chef-romances, but Layla Reyne got the chef stuff right. It's clear that the author loves and respects food, and her culinary tour made my mouth water. Some of the restaurants and experiences that she name-drops are bucket list places for me (I mean, the French Laundry!), and I respected the time and effort she took in getting those details right.
I was curious about the story because of the head and neck cancer angle, and some of my issues stem from there. I really wish that the author at least acknowledged Grant Achatz, the celebrity chef who almost lost his tongue to cancer, as this story seemed heavily influenced by his story. Aside from that, I felt like the cancer aspect was a bit tricky to work into the romance and the romance suffered.
My biggest issue with the story was the lack of romance. I really didn't feel it. The story felt like a beautiful culinary adventure with some very serious undertones, and I appreciated the story for that, but the love and lust fell flat for me. I think the story had a lot of merit and I wish I liked it even more than I did, but it left me just a little bit wanting.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
goodreads|instagram|twitter|blog
July 22, 2019
~3.5~
Not having ever read a Layla Reyne book before, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not entirely sold on the writing style (there is something lofty about the prose I didn't care for), but I can't fault the storyline or the sheer poignancy of two men falling in love when one of them is hellbent on dying.
Both characters felt real: Clancy with his honesty and determination to break through Miller's shell, and Miller, stoic, scared, but convinced playing martyr is the right, the only, thing to do.
I was not entirely sold on the relationship Miller had with his ex-wife. She was a great person, but overly present in the story.
As difficult as it was watching Miller refuse treatment when every second counted, the ending was a (realistically) happy one.
The epilogue elevated this story from something potentially maudlin to something sweet, something to savor.
Foodies, like myself, will rejoice at all the talk of food. Prepare to work up an appetite!
Not having ever read a Layla Reyne book before, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not entirely sold on the writing style (there is something lofty about the prose I didn't care for), but I can't fault the storyline or the sheer poignancy of two men falling in love when one of them is hellbent on dying.
Both characters felt real: Clancy with his honesty and determination to break through Miller's shell, and Miller, stoic, scared, but convinced playing martyr is the right, the only, thing to do.
I was not entirely sold on the relationship Miller had with his ex-wife. She was a great person, but overly present in the story.
As difficult as it was watching Miller refuse treatment when every second counted, the ending was a (realistically) happy one.
The epilogue elevated this story from something potentially maudlin to something sweet, something to savor.
Foodies, like myself, will rejoice at all the talk of food. Prepare to work up an appetite!
August 5, 2023
Dine with Me by Layla Reyne
Contemporary M-M romance.
Miller Sykes is an award-winning chef with a diagnosis that change his life forever. Cancer may cause him to lose his ability to taste anything which could be devastating for a chef. He decides to do an epic tour of his favorite restaurants across the globe before he loses his ability to appreciate them but to do that, he needs a bit of help to finance the travel. Dr Chancy Rhodes has two weeks between his hospital residency and joining his fathers private medical practice. Traveling on a gastronomical adventure sounds like the perfect way to get away, relax and reconcile how his life will change. His past in Oncology has been emotionally exhausting but so rewarding. Private practice will allow him to build new life goals. Two weeks to make decisions.
A bit sad, but going along for a ride of wonderful restaurants was a great way to build memories. Miller and Chaney seem to have compatible tastes which made their journey together easy. Building on their similar tastes to romance was an easy step for them to take. Dealing with Miller’s illness is in Chaney’s wheelhouse but that doesn’t mean it’s something easy that either wants to deal with. It is more than a journey of miles for them both.
The story moves from sad to making me hungry and ultimately heartwarming as they reconcile their future.
I had some issues with Miller but since I haven’t had to face those types of life changing issues, I can’t say what I would do in the same situation. More, I’m not adventurous at all in dining. Good thing the romance helped save the day.
3.5
Contemporary M-M romance.
Miller Sykes is an award-winning chef with a diagnosis that change his life forever. Cancer may cause him to lose his ability to taste anything which could be devastating for a chef. He decides to do an epic tour of his favorite restaurants across the globe before he loses his ability to appreciate them but to do that, he needs a bit of help to finance the travel. Dr Chancy Rhodes has two weeks between his hospital residency and joining his fathers private medical practice. Traveling on a gastronomical adventure sounds like the perfect way to get away, relax and reconcile how his life will change. His past in Oncology has been emotionally exhausting but so rewarding. Private practice will allow him to build new life goals. Two weeks to make decisions.
A bit sad, but going along for a ride of wonderful restaurants was a great way to build memories. Miller and Chaney seem to have compatible tastes which made their journey together easy. Building on their similar tastes to romance was an easy step for them to take. Dealing with Miller’s illness is in Chaney’s wheelhouse but that doesn’t mean it’s something easy that either wants to deal with. It is more than a journey of miles for them both.
The story moves from sad to making me hungry and ultimately heartwarming as they reconcile their future.
I had some issues with Miller but since I haven’t had to face those types of life changing issues, I can’t say what I would do in the same situation. More, I’m not adventurous at all in dining. Good thing the romance helped save the day.
3.5
September 3, 2019
If you’re thinking tearjerker I’ve got to tell you… you’re right.
Layla Reyne’s Dine With Me has to be one of the most heartbreaking premises for a story I can imagine. A man who is completely devoted to his life’s passion, finding out the odds are that he’ll never be able to do that work again - much less even survive with treatment - is an incredibly sad story.
Luckily Layla Reyne is a romance novelist so fans, stay the course! It is SO worth it.
In addition to a beautiful story of devoted friendships and a budding love affair, Dine With Me has the most gorgeous descriptions of dining experiences I’ve ever read. Foodies and romance lovers MUST read this book. It’s gorgeous!
a copy of Dine With Me was provided to me by NetGalley for the purpose of my review
Layla Reyne’s Dine With Me has to be one of the most heartbreaking premises for a story I can imagine. A man who is completely devoted to his life’s passion, finding out the odds are that he’ll never be able to do that work again - much less even survive with treatment - is an incredibly sad story.
Luckily Layla Reyne is a romance novelist so fans, stay the course! It is SO worth it.
In addition to a beautiful story of devoted friendships and a budding love affair, Dine With Me has the most gorgeous descriptions of dining experiences I’ve ever read. Foodies and romance lovers MUST read this book. It’s gorgeous!
a copy of Dine With Me was provided to me by NetGalley for the purpose of my review
May 29, 2020
2.5
This book made me wax nostalgic about the good ole days, and by 'good ole days' I mean pre-COVID. When we could all move about freely without fear of everyone that comes within 6' feet of us potentially being someone that could quite literally kill us and we were able to touch things freely without first ensuring we have hand sanitizer and/or gloves. Every time they talked of menus or the sommelier pouring their wine or even flying, I sighed. I remember those days fondly.
I digress.
The foodie stuff is on point. The chefery is on point too. Layla Reyne proves yet again that she believes in research but, unfortunately, that was the strongest point of the book for me.
The romance is lackluster. They have little chemistry excepting some periodic and apparently requisite cock hardness moments. I'm a fan of the sexy as much as the next person but cock hardness does not equate to soul matedness.
The specter of Miller's medical condition is the pink elephant in the room that detracted from their connection rather than enriched it. Is it that Clancy is actually falling for Miller or is it his doctor/caretaker mode conflating with Miller fitting Clancy's prototypical "type"?
Suffice to say, it all came together too quickly and too neatly for me. I like it when it's a bit messy and complicated. Though I'll give credit where credit is due, attempts were made to fit that criteria they just fell flat for me which is a shame since I liked much of the components of this story including the foodie/chef aspect to the age and size difference to the grumpy protagonist.
Not one I would recommend but my opinions are my own and YMMV.
A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book made me wax nostalgic about the good ole days, and by 'good ole days' I mean pre-COVID. When we could all move about freely without fear of everyone that comes within 6' feet of us potentially being someone that could quite literally kill us and we were able to touch things freely without first ensuring we have hand sanitizer and/or gloves. Every time they talked of menus or the sommelier pouring their wine or even flying, I sighed. I remember those days fondly.
I digress.
The foodie stuff is on point. The chefery is on point too. Layla Reyne proves yet again that she believes in research but, unfortunately, that was the strongest point of the book for me.
The romance is lackluster. They have little chemistry excepting some periodic and apparently requisite cock hardness moments. I'm a fan of the sexy as much as the next person but cock hardness does not equate to soul matedness.
The specter of Miller's medical condition is the pink elephant in the room that detracted from their connection rather than enriched it. Is it that Clancy is actually falling for Miller or is it his doctor/caretaker mode conflating with Miller fitting Clancy's prototypical "type"?
Suffice to say, it all came together too quickly and too neatly for me. I like it when it's a bit messy and complicated. Though I'll give credit where credit is due, attempts were made to fit that criteria they just fell flat for me which is a shame since I liked much of the components of this story including the foodie/chef aspect to the age and size difference to the grumpy protagonist.
Not one I would recommend but my opinions are my own and YMMV.
A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Read
January 6, 2020DNF @ 32%
I'm not rating this because a) I didn't get far enough in to justify it, and b) it may just be a total preference thing, because frankly, I could see a lot of people loving this book! That said, despite how excited for it I was and how convinced I was that I'd enjoy it, this did not work for me at all. It was an absolute chore to even reach the 32% mark because I was so miserably bored.
These characters feel tremendously one-dimensional, I'm having the worst time trying to actually believe anything about this entire situation (and normally I'm pretty good at suspending disbelief!), I don't sense any genuine chemistry between the characters besides "wow, he's so hot!", and most of all... y'all, I love food, I can spend entire days lost in cooking shows and competitions, I adore cooking, the whole works... but clearly I don't like the right kind of food for this book, because I seriously had to force myself not to start skipping entire paragraphs every time Miller and Clancy sat down for a meal. It just felt so forced and like it was trying so hard to make up for the total lack of depth in the characters and their actual romance.
Sigh. I feel horrible writing this review. I wanted so badly to love this book and I know there's a better audience out there for it than me, but I just really couldn't find anything redeeming here.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I'm not rating this because a) I didn't get far enough in to justify it, and b) it may just be a total preference thing, because frankly, I could see a lot of people loving this book! That said, despite how excited for it I was and how convinced I was that I'd enjoy it, this did not work for me at all. It was an absolute chore to even reach the 32% mark because I was so miserably bored.
These characters feel tremendously one-dimensional, I'm having the worst time trying to actually believe anything about this entire situation (and normally I'm pretty good at suspending disbelief!), I don't sense any genuine chemistry between the characters besides "wow, he's so hot!", and most of all... y'all, I love food, I can spend entire days lost in cooking shows and competitions, I adore cooking, the whole works... but clearly I don't like the right kind of food for this book, because I seriously had to force myself not to start skipping entire paragraphs every time Miller and Clancy sat down for a meal. It just felt so forced and like it was trying so hard to make up for the total lack of depth in the characters and their actual romance.
Sigh. I feel horrible writing this review. I wanted so badly to love this book and I know there's a better audience out there for it than me, but I just really couldn't find anything redeeming here.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 22, 2019
3.5 Stars!
A bit of a departure from the Layla Reyne I am used to - I think I prefer her romantic suspense books a bit more.
But the blurb on this one called to me, and I found the story-line both different and interesting.
The pacing was just a bit too slow for me. Definitely a slow-build. And the MCs did have some pretty good chemistry. But I may have wanted to slap Chef upside the head a few times.
Miller and Sloan's (Miller's ex) relationship was interesting - she was perhaps a bit too present.
Only a few smexy scenes in this one folks, but some decent UST.
A good HEA, but again the pacing was off. Not much relationship action during the book but a nice epilogue with a look 3 years out.
So a good read yes, but not a great read.
A bit of a departure from the Layla Reyne I am used to - I think I prefer her romantic suspense books a bit more.
But the blurb on this one called to me, and I found the story-line both different and interesting.
The pacing was just a bit too slow for me. Definitely a slow-build. And the MCs did have some pretty good chemistry. But I may have wanted to slap Chef upside the head a few times.
Miller and Sloan's (Miller's ex) relationship was interesting - she was perhaps a bit too present.
Only a few smexy scenes in this one folks, but some decent UST.
A good HEA, but again the pacing was off. Not much relationship action during the book but a nice epilogue with a look 3 years out.
So a good read yes, but not a great read.
February 28, 2025
This book is very food focused and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but at times it does overshadow the romance somewhat.
It also has a general air of melancholy for a long time as the reader knows what is going on with Miller while Clancy doesn't. It meant for most of the book I was wanting to kick Miller up the backside and tell him to stop being so defeatist.
Now, that might seem a bit harsh, given that I truly could understand Miller's fears of losing what he felt made him him - his sense of taste and his reason for being a chef - but I guess I'm a bit less sympathetic to characters who are willing to throw the towel in having watched my mother fight but still lose her life just three weeks after a liver cancer diagnosis. YMMV.
There's also a lot of focus given to Miller's ex-wife (never sexual, only ever his best friend) and while I absolutely adored Sloane, sometimes she took a role I'd have prefered to see Clancy move into - or rather move into a little bit quicker than he did.
But, the fact that there was a prominent female character who wasn't an utter bitch and who also wasn't just there to prop up the scenery was such a pleasant change.
I will say, although this takes place over a relatively short period of time, I absolutely 100% believed they could have fallen for each other that fast. They had an instant connection not only through the love of food and good eating, but each seemed to know instinctively when the other needed support.
It's a departure from the action-adventure I'm used to from Layla and I think she handled the unusual narrative really well. I am a total foodie, so I loved the incredibly descriptive passages of text as Miller takes Clancy on his tour of Last Suppers before he finally reaches the point of realising there is something worth living for outside of being a chef.
The epilogue was wonderful but I would have loved to have seen a bit more of what led up to that on page and not just in passing. Still, full praise to Layla for writing this book and for creating something quite different.
#ARC kindly received from the publishers Carina Press via NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review
It also has a general air of melancholy for a long time as the reader knows what is going on with Miller while Clancy doesn't. It meant for most of the book I was wanting to kick Miller up the backside and tell him to stop being so defeatist.
Now, that might seem a bit harsh, given that I truly could understand Miller's fears of losing what he felt made him him - his sense of taste and his reason for being a chef - but I guess I'm a bit less sympathetic to characters who are willing to throw the towel in having watched my mother fight but still lose her life just three weeks after a liver cancer diagnosis. YMMV.
There's also a lot of focus given to Miller's ex-wife (never sexual, only ever his best friend) and while I absolutely adored Sloane, sometimes she took a role I'd have prefered to see Clancy move into - or rather move into a little bit quicker than he did.
But, the fact that there was a prominent female character who wasn't an utter bitch and who also wasn't just there to prop up the scenery was such a pleasant change.
I will say, although this takes place over a relatively short period of time, I absolutely 100% believed they could have fallen for each other that fast. They had an instant connection not only through the love of food and good eating, but each seemed to know instinctively when the other needed support.
It's a departure from the action-adventure I'm used to from Layla and I think she handled the unusual narrative really well. I am a total foodie, so I loved the incredibly descriptive passages of text as Miller takes Clancy on his tour of Last Suppers before he finally reaches the point of realising there is something worth living for outside of being a chef.
The epilogue was wonderful but I would have loved to have seen a bit more of what led up to that on page and not just in passing. Still, full praise to Layla for writing this book and for creating something quite different.
#ARC kindly received from the publishers Carina Press via NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review
September 19, 2019
Narration 5 Stars! ❤️❤️
Story 3.5 Stars
The perfect book for a foodie!! 🍔🥩🍕🍷🍻This book make me drool 🤤🤤with the never ending descriptions of food and how they tasted! I am a total food lover and admitted food snob—this book was like food porn for me!!
I was all sorts of happy with the descriptions of the restaurants and meals our chef and doctor shared on their trip across the country. For our foodie doctor, it was the trip of a lifetime to get to eat with a reknowned chef. For our chef, it was a trip savoring his last favorite meals.
Yes—spoiler—our sexy chef has throat cancer and has decided to forgo treatment since he can’t imagine the possibility for living without his taste buds—which is likely if he survives treatment.
Despite the cancer, this book is full of joy—the joy of food! And the joy of company and, eventually, love.
You can call this insta love since the guys fall for each other in less than 10 days, but it took awhile for them to hook up and the flirting and touches along the way we’re lovely to witness.
Along with the nice chemistry between the two MCs, there was a grand supportive cast of nearly perfect secondary characters—how I wish I could have these perfect people in my life to fix all my problems!
Well, all problems are solved here and the epilogue takes us into a super-solid HEA with matching shirts!
And can I be honest? I was way more Into the food scenes than the sex scenes! 😂😂😂
The narration by Cooper North was MAGNIFICENT!
Story 3.5 Stars
The perfect book for a foodie!! 🍔🥩🍕🍷🍻This book make me drool 🤤🤤with the never ending descriptions of food and how they tasted! I am a total food lover and admitted food snob—this book was like food porn for me!!
I was all sorts of happy with the descriptions of the restaurants and meals our chef and doctor shared on their trip across the country. For our foodie doctor, it was the trip of a lifetime to get to eat with a reknowned chef. For our chef, it was a trip savoring his last favorite meals.
Yes—spoiler—our sexy chef has throat cancer and has decided to forgo treatment since he can’t imagine the possibility for living without his taste buds—which is likely if he survives treatment.
Despite the cancer, this book is full of joy—the joy of food! And the joy of company and, eventually, love.
You can call this insta love since the guys fall for each other in less than 10 days, but it took awhile for them to hook up and the flirting and touches along the way we’re lovely to witness.
Along with the nice chemistry between the two MCs, there was a grand supportive cast of nearly perfect secondary characters—how I wish I could have these perfect people in my life to fix all my problems!
Well, all problems are solved here and the epilogue takes us into a super-solid HEA with matching shirts!
And can I be honest? I was way more Into the food scenes than the sex scenes! 😂😂😂
The narration by Cooper North was MAGNIFICENT!
August 19, 2019
Listen, I knew going into this that one of the MC's has cancer. But I also knew going into this that it has a HFN/HEA (it does) so I always wasn't crazy worried. Still didn't make this all that much easier to read.
Even though Miller lives, and makes it through, it's still tough reading about everything before that happens. And this is truly a HFN because you never know when cancer might come back with someone in remission (it fucking sucks. Cancer can fuck right off.) But since it's a HFN and a romance and readers can do whatever they want with endings if they so choose, I can choose to believe that Miller is fine for the rest of their lives and they live HEA, mmmkay.
While Miller frustrated me in this quite at bit for awhile - - it was as understandable as it was selfish. I mean...Miller was all well meaning and everything, but his primary concern was Gotta say, the dependent relationship in this book was Miller and food. Like dude, you can you get to live!
Anyway, aside from that frustration, I enjoyed this very much overall. It had a slow beginning that was a little hard to get into, but once I got past that hurdle it was fairly smooth sailing form there. Miller and Clancy (which, such a bad name lol, but the character was very much not) had really good chemistry and were so sweet together, especially at the end, they made me go "aww."
This was fairly low on steam with only one and a half sex scenes - we were in the middle of one, the first one, full on penetration and everything, before it faded to black for some unknown reason - but what we did get was pretty damn good, especially the love shining between these two.
This also had great secondary characters, and I felt the friendships between all of them, and their parents and everything.
I think this is definitely worth a read, definitely a departure from Reyne's usual action packed thrillers - which she is definitely best at, but these non-action ones have a certain charm to them as well that I like.
So if you feel like reading something angsty but that you know will end with a strong HFN, then definitely read this. Even though this ends happily and feels as fluffy as it is angsty, reading about cancer is never easy or fun, but Miller and Clancy make it so worth it.
Definitely recommend if you're a fan of Reyne, even if it is a bit of a departure from her usual action packed stories. Two thumbs up from me!
***ARC generously provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
Even though Miller lives, and makes it through, it's still tough reading about everything before that happens. And this is truly a HFN because you never know when cancer might come back with someone in remission (it fucking sucks. Cancer can fuck right off.) But since it's a HFN and a romance and readers can do whatever they want with endings if they so choose, I can choose to believe that Miller is fine for the rest of their lives and they live HEA, mmmkay.
While Miller frustrated me in this quite at bit for awhile - - it was as understandable as it was selfish. I mean...Miller was all well meaning and everything, but his primary concern was Gotta say, the dependent relationship in this book was Miller and food. Like dude, you can you get to live!
Anyway, aside from that frustration, I enjoyed this very much overall. It had a slow beginning that was a little hard to get into, but once I got past that hurdle it was fairly smooth sailing form there. Miller and Clancy (which, such a bad name lol, but the character was very much not) had really good chemistry and were so sweet together, especially at the end, they made me go "aww."
This was fairly low on steam with only one and a half sex scenes - we were in the middle of one, the first one, full on penetration and everything, before it faded to black for some unknown reason - but what we did get was pretty damn good, especially the love shining between these two.
This also had great secondary characters, and I felt the friendships between all of them, and their parents and everything.
I think this is definitely worth a read, definitely a departure from Reyne's usual action packed thrillers - which she is definitely best at, but these non-action ones have a certain charm to them as well that I like.
So if you feel like reading something angsty but that you know will end with a strong HFN, then definitely read this. Even though this ends happily and feels as fluffy as it is angsty, reading about cancer is never easy or fun, but Miller and Clancy make it so worth it.
Definitely recommend if you're a fan of Reyne, even if it is a bit of a departure from her usual action packed stories. Two thumbs up from me!
***ARC generously provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
September 9, 2019
***3.5 Stars***
You better have some food nearby, because there's no way you're gonna read this book and not wanna shove your face in a plate of something! Layla Reyne says she's a huge foodie and that this book is a love letter attesting to that...I can confirm that's 100% accurate! Admittedly, I'm not much of a seafood eater, but some of these meals sounded so damn delicious that I was all "gimme a net and a bucket, and point me to the sea!"
Miller and Clancy are at a crossroads in their lives. Clancy's in a tug of war between expectations and passion when it comes to his medical career, and Miller must decide between life or death. This food tour is almost a type of last hurrah for each man.
With each stop and each meal on this adventure, Miller and Clancy open up to each other. And slowly they bond over their love of food and family.
However, as I said in the beginning, this book is a love letter to food, and that unfortunately overshadowed the romance. As in, I didn't really feel much of it. There was more sizzle coming from Clancy's steak at Morton's Steakhouse than between him and Miller for the majority of the book. That spark, that bubbling attraction and sexual tension was missing for me, or at the very least, a watered down feeling compared to the passion that came through when the food was described.
I believe Clancy and Miller developed a deep bond and friendship, but a deep romantic love? I didn't fully buy it....until I got to the epilogue where I couldn't stop smiling and all the warmth on page that I felt was missing for most of the book came blasting at me.
Also, Miller's martyrdom began to grate on me. The fact that he had maybe months to live, yet no one in his family and almost none of his friends knew...what a waste of precious time and how selfish to potentially spring this on them at the last minute.
And as a small personal pet peeve: As someone who wears glasses, it bothered the crap out of me that Clancy wore ill-fitting glasses. He was constantly pushing them up, or Miller was pushing them up, or it was being described how they're hanging off his nose. Do you know how annoying that is?!?! There's no way that anyone would choose to wear their glasses that way. It was supposed to be this endearing quirk, but instead I wanted to take Clancy to Lenscrafters for a fitting.
Overall, this was a story that I enjoyed as a whole, but am left feeling disappointed when it comes to the romance. I'm a romance reader first and foremost, and that's what I expect to shine brightest in my books.
***ARC courtesy of publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for a review***
August 19, 2019
It’s probably more of a 2.5 but I’m rounding up.
I was very excited to read this book because I’ve really enjoyed the author’s two previous trilogies and I wanted to see how her attempt at a standalone romance novel would turn out (especially without the suspense elements). I’m so sad to say that it didnt live up to my expectations.
The one thing you’ll consistently see me saying about this author’s books are that they are very fast paced and I always end up finishing them pretty quickly. However, this one turned out to be very slow paced and though I couldn’t figure out the exact reason, I had quite a bit of trouble with the writing style. I just kept wanting to put it down but I persevered and managed to finish it. As the main premise of the book is the two MCs on a culinary tour, we get some beautiful, mouth watering and delectable descriptions of amazing food and wine and it was a delight to read. As I’m pretty unaware of most of the high end food mentioned, I instead enjoyed reading about the different kinds of wines and the yummy and decadent desserts. The locations of the culinary tour covers some wonderful places across America and I almost felt like I was traveling alongwith them. This journey was definitely the best part of the book. The book is also pretty emotional towards the last third, because one of the MCs is sick and refusing treatment, and I ended up shedding a lot of tears. But I still didn’t have an easy time reading it. I had a tough time differentiating between the two POVs which usually doesn’t happen to me, and that’s probably one reason it took me a while to get through.
The romance is instalove because it all happens in ten days, but it was believable and definitely felt brought on by the heightened circumstances. I really liked Clancy, who is a complete foodie and his heartfelt appreciation of all the food he is introduced to was great to read. He is also a very compassionate doctor and I could totally feel how much he wanted to be an oncologist. Miller on the other hand is a famous Michelin Star chef and while I could understand some of his reasoning behind not wanting treatment, it was mostly rubbish. As someone who has an amazing family and a great group of friends, I found it callous that he didn’t want to give anyone even the chance to say goodbye. There was a lot of push and pull between the two of them, mainly because Miller has resigned himself to die and doesn’t wanna get close but Clancy doesn’t let him go. I liked the development of their friendship and love story but the writing style made me feel a bit detached from them. Sloane is Miller’s ex-wife but she plays a significant part in his life and this book and I actually liked getting to know more about their friendship over the years too. Both their families are also wonderful and supportive and it was nice to see all characters being so loving towards each other.
To conclude, this is probably my least favorite of Layla’s books. Without the suspense elements of her other books, this one felt very slow paced and took me a while to get into the groove. The love story is emotional and I liked it, but it’s not something I consider memorable. However, if you like reading about amazing food and wine, you might like this book. I would definitely suggest not going into this book hungry.
I was very excited to read this book because I’ve really enjoyed the author’s two previous trilogies and I wanted to see how her attempt at a standalone romance novel would turn out (especially without the suspense elements). I’m so sad to say that it didnt live up to my expectations.
The one thing you’ll consistently see me saying about this author’s books are that they are very fast paced and I always end up finishing them pretty quickly. However, this one turned out to be very slow paced and though I couldn’t figure out the exact reason, I had quite a bit of trouble with the writing style. I just kept wanting to put it down but I persevered and managed to finish it. As the main premise of the book is the two MCs on a culinary tour, we get some beautiful, mouth watering and delectable descriptions of amazing food and wine and it was a delight to read. As I’m pretty unaware of most of the high end food mentioned, I instead enjoyed reading about the different kinds of wines and the yummy and decadent desserts. The locations of the culinary tour covers some wonderful places across America and I almost felt like I was traveling alongwith them. This journey was definitely the best part of the book. The book is also pretty emotional towards the last third, because one of the MCs is sick and refusing treatment, and I ended up shedding a lot of tears. But I still didn’t have an easy time reading it. I had a tough time differentiating between the two POVs which usually doesn’t happen to me, and that’s probably one reason it took me a while to get through.
The romance is instalove because it all happens in ten days, but it was believable and definitely felt brought on by the heightened circumstances. I really liked Clancy, who is a complete foodie and his heartfelt appreciation of all the food he is introduced to was great to read. He is also a very compassionate doctor and I could totally feel how much he wanted to be an oncologist. Miller on the other hand is a famous Michelin Star chef and while I could understand some of his reasoning behind not wanting treatment, it was mostly rubbish. As someone who has an amazing family and a great group of friends, I found it callous that he didn’t want to give anyone even the chance to say goodbye. There was a lot of push and pull between the two of them, mainly because Miller has resigned himself to die and doesn’t wanna get close but Clancy doesn’t let him go. I liked the development of their friendship and love story but the writing style made me feel a bit detached from them. Sloane is Miller’s ex-wife but she plays a significant part in his life and this book and I actually liked getting to know more about their friendship over the years too. Both their families are also wonderful and supportive and it was nice to see all characters being so loving towards each other.
To conclude, this is probably my least favorite of Layla’s books. Without the suspense elements of her other books, this one felt very slow paced and took me a while to get into the groove. The love story is emotional and I liked it, but it’s not something I consider memorable. However, if you like reading about amazing food and wine, you might like this book. I would definitely suggest not going into this book hungry.
September 9, 2023
DNF @ 28%
This slow, character driven story with an angsty medical premise should have been right up my alley, but I'm too bored to continue. The author clearly did a TON of research into the food aspect of the story and that's great, but in-depth meal descriptions aren't plot. The little conversation that was happening between the food description was boring and repetitive. Miller and Clancy acted exactly like what they were - two complete strangers who go on a random trip together and the whole thing is kind of awkward and weird but they're getting to eat lots of good food along the way so they're being polite and chit-chatting with each other along the way. The whole thing was very awkward.
Making thing worse is that there was zero chemistry between the MCs and Clancy came across as a lot younger than 30 years old. But my biggest issue is that the MCs treated each other like polite acquaintances. They were clearly not comfortable around each other because how could they be? They're strangers who decided to go on a weirdly intimate trip together where they share a bunch of insanely expensive meals. It was so clear that they didn't know what to talk about and how to interact with each other so they spent most of their time talking about their various family members. This is why Miller's ex-wife and Clancy's mother take up a lot of page time and that was very annoying because I didn't care about either of those characters.
This would have worked so much better as a friends-to-lovers scenario. The author's focus was clearly on the food and medical aspects instead of the getting-to-know-you part of the romance. If the MCs had known each other beforehand, it would have made sense for the author to focus on non-romance things as they grew closer. But having them go from strangers to friends to lovers when the author's focus was elsewhere didn't work.
Sidenote - I couldn't get over how nonsensical Clancy and Miller's backstories were. Miller has been married to a woman for 2 decades and they're just getting divorced, but she's pregnant and already in love with somebody else. So...she's been with this other dude for a while but she's stayed married to Miller the entire time? They married as teenagers to help the wife escape her abusive family but it didn't explain why they'd stayed married for two decades when they're clearly just friends and she's been actively pursuing other relationships. What a bizarre scenario.
As for Clancy - the guy loved oncology and he worked in it (or got qualified in it - I don't know much about doctor stuff) but because his dad's a famous plastic surgeon, Clancy's going to go into a field he hates just to make the dad happy. This didn't fit with the family dynamic or Clancy's personality and it felt like the author just wanted to include some drama.
Overall, this didn't work for me. There was way too little plot, the romance was lackluster and I didn't care for either MC.
This slow, character driven story with an angsty medical premise should have been right up my alley, but I'm too bored to continue. The author clearly did a TON of research into the food aspect of the story and that's great, but in-depth meal descriptions aren't plot. The little conversation that was happening between the food description was boring and repetitive. Miller and Clancy acted exactly like what they were - two complete strangers who go on a random trip together and the whole thing is kind of awkward and weird but they're getting to eat lots of good food along the way so they're being polite and chit-chatting with each other along the way. The whole thing was very awkward.
Making thing worse is that there was zero chemistry between the MCs and Clancy came across as a lot younger than 30 years old. But my biggest issue is that the MCs treated each other like polite acquaintances. They were clearly not comfortable around each other because how could they be? They're strangers who decided to go on a weirdly intimate trip together where they share a bunch of insanely expensive meals. It was so clear that they didn't know what to talk about and how to interact with each other so they spent most of their time talking about their various family members. This is why Miller's ex-wife and Clancy's mother take up a lot of page time and that was very annoying because I didn't care about either of those characters.
This would have worked so much better as a friends-to-lovers scenario. The author's focus was clearly on the food and medical aspects instead of the getting-to-know-you part of the romance. If the MCs had known each other beforehand, it would have made sense for the author to focus on non-romance things as they grew closer. But having them go from strangers to friends to lovers when the author's focus was elsewhere didn't work.
Sidenote - I couldn't get over how nonsensical Clancy and Miller's backstories were. Miller has been married to a woman for 2 decades and they're just getting divorced, but she's pregnant and already in love with somebody else. So...she's been with this other dude for a while but she's stayed married to Miller the entire time? They married as teenagers to help the wife escape her abusive family but it didn't explain why they'd stayed married for two decades when they're clearly just friends and she's been actively pursuing other relationships. What a bizarre scenario.
As for Clancy - the guy loved oncology and he worked in it (or got qualified in it - I don't know much about doctor stuff) but because his dad's a famous plastic surgeon, Clancy's going to go into a field he hates just to make the dad happy. This didn't fit with the family dynamic or Clancy's personality and it felt like the author just wanted to include some drama.
Overall, this didn't work for me. There was way too little plot, the romance was lackluster and I didn't care for either MC.
September 13, 2024
Like the perfect meal, this hit the spot :)
Seriously though, I think this was one of those perfect timing type reads. I had the time, it grabbed me and I read it in one day and really, couldn't put it down.
I pretty much loved it.
It blended all that it was, and at times, it was a lot, and at others it felt magical, perfectly. Even though some of it was heavy it never felt overly heavy. Even though it could have gone full blown medical crazy, it didn't do that either. And even the food, I love that this wasn't crazy, unusual fare, this was real favorites, good eats and even someone like me with a pretty plain palate, I truly enjoyed all the various locations and courses. It was truly a well balanced meal.
I've read a lot of Layla Reyne's books and I had no idea how I'd like this one; I know her for her suspense. Well, I am so glad I didn't pass this by because I liked it a whole lot and look forward to reading more types of books by her in the future, not just what I'm used to.
Good stuff.
**ARC provided by the author via A Novel Take Promotions in exchange for an honest review.**
Seriously though, I think this was one of those perfect timing type reads. I had the time, it grabbed me and I read it in one day and really, couldn't put it down.
I pretty much loved it.
It blended all that it was, and at times, it was a lot, and at others it felt magical, perfectly. Even though some of it was heavy it never felt overly heavy. Even though it could have gone full blown medical crazy, it didn't do that either. And even the food, I love that this wasn't crazy, unusual fare, this was real favorites, good eats and even someone like me with a pretty plain palate, I truly enjoyed all the various locations and courses. It was truly a well balanced meal.
I've read a lot of Layla Reyne's books and I had no idea how I'd like this one; I know her for her suspense. Well, I am so glad I didn't pass this by because I liked it a whole lot and look forward to reading more types of books by her in the future, not just what I'm used to.
Good stuff.
**ARC provided by the author via A Novel Take Promotions in exchange for an honest review.**
Read
April 22, 2019I beta-read this in draft form, and loved it. And yes, I did give critical feedback, but overall the book was absolutely lovely. Different from Layla's RomSuspense and different from her New Adult books. This is quieter and more personal to the characters, I'd say.
I can't wait to buy and re-read the final version!
I can't wait to buy and re-read the final version!
July 31, 2019
This was my first book by Layla Reyne and I'll definitely be going back to read some of her backlist. Really enjoyed this one, a really sweet, romantic read. Loved all the food descriptions, if you're not hungry when you start this book you'll certainly be hungry when you've finished.
August 22, 2019
This one was ok, there was a lot of potentials, but the pacing was off. There wasn't enough relationship action- I don't know, it was slow. The best part of the book was the travels and the food- not the romance.
September 7, 2019
I have enjoyed every book by Ms Reyne - the detail, research and heart put in them make the stories absolutely amazing. In this regard Dine With Me is no exception. It's well-written, with a lot of thought put into the theme of the book. This is a whole new level of dining. That said, the majority of the book is centered on gourmet food that sometimes overshadows everything else including the MCs.
Miller Sykes is chef extraordinaire, a true connoisseur of gourmet cuisine and fine dining experience. But despite this fact life deals him a series of blows that he can not recover from or chooses not to. The tour he is supposed to embark on will be his last hooray to the culinary world he has loved. But when it looks like he can go on no longer, he meets a man who makes him pick up the fight and want to live. While I admired Miller's dedication to his craft, his insistence that he is nothing without his ability to taste made me question his lack of self worth as a man, friend and lover. He was always larger than life, and his inability to see how much he was needed by those closest to him was baffling to me. He missed out on so much by being so obsessed with food. I am glad to say that he got better in the end - he finally found his balance.
Clancy Rhodes is a brilliant man who has achieved a lot in his life. He is thirty and he is already a doctor. He gets on well with his family and is ready to spread his wings, but the weight of expectations doesn't lead him where he really wants to be - helping people to fight to live with scalpel in his hands. So he embarks on a food tour with clear mind and heavy heart but finds way more than he expected to. He finds a man to love, he finds courage to go for his dream working in oncology and he finds strength to fight for the man he loves. I really liked Clancy and his positive outlook on life, his intuitive responses where Miller was concerned - he just knew when to push and when to leave him be. His love of fine dining was what first created a bond between them that grew into something more.
The book would have been more enjoyable for me if love for food and love between two men were on equal footing. It felt that food took all the attention, and I wanted a bit more attention on the men themselves. I am not a foodie, as the term in the book says, so that might have attributed to my liking it less than I wanted. But I encourage you all to try for yourselves. Copy received for my honest and unbiased review
Miller Sykes is chef extraordinaire, a true connoisseur of gourmet cuisine and fine dining experience. But despite this fact life deals him a series of blows that he can not recover from or chooses not to. The tour he is supposed to embark on will be his last hooray to the culinary world he has loved. But when it looks like he can go on no longer, he meets a man who makes him pick up the fight and want to live. While I admired Miller's dedication to his craft, his insistence that he is nothing without his ability to taste made me question his lack of self worth as a man, friend and lover. He was always larger than life, and his inability to see how much he was needed by those closest to him was baffling to me. He missed out on so much by being so obsessed with food. I am glad to say that he got better in the end - he finally found his balance.
Clancy Rhodes is a brilliant man who has achieved a lot in his life. He is thirty and he is already a doctor. He gets on well with his family and is ready to spread his wings, but the weight of expectations doesn't lead him where he really wants to be - helping people to fight to live with scalpel in his hands. So he embarks on a food tour with clear mind and heavy heart but finds way more than he expected to. He finds a man to love, he finds courage to go for his dream working in oncology and he finds strength to fight for the man he loves. I really liked Clancy and his positive outlook on life, his intuitive responses where Miller was concerned - he just knew when to push and when to leave him be. His love of fine dining was what first created a bond between them that grew into something more.
The book would have been more enjoyable for me if love for food and love between two men were on equal footing. It felt that food took all the attention, and I wanted a bit more attention on the men themselves. I am not a foodie, as the term in the book says, so that might have attributed to my liking it less than I wanted. But I encourage you all to try for yourselves. Copy received for my honest and unbiased review
May 19, 2020
I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I don't want to be unnecessarily harsh on this book, because this is definitely just a matter of taste. But boyyy did I dislike this.
I just wasn't able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy this, as it just made zero sense to me why anyone would want to go on a holiday with one (1) total stranger, and how that person could then just fall in love with them so deeply that they already know they want to spend the rest of their life with them. It's honestly just ridiculous.
There's also a pretty big age gap, and even though there's nothing wrong with that, I didn't exactly enjoy it, especially since it's constantly mentioned how young Clancey is and how much Miller is attracted to Clancey because he looks so young. It just weirded me out a little (a lot).
Additionally, I was fairly sure I would enjoy a book about food, because, you know, FOOD. But it turns out I might not actually like food that much? It just all seemed very pretentious to me, and I just did not care for the in-depth descriptions.
Then I also had to read an entire sex scene filled with the grossest food comparisons, which makes me actually never want to eat again. This is probably a me thing most of all, but YIKES.
Rep: gay MC, bi MC
CWs: cancer, hospitals, vomiting, mentions of parental abuse, sex scenes
I don't want to be unnecessarily harsh on this book, because this is definitely just a matter of taste. But boyyy did I dislike this.
I just wasn't able to suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy this, as it just made zero sense to me why anyone would want to go on a holiday with one (1) total stranger, and how that person could then just fall in love with them so deeply that they already know they want to spend the rest of their life with them. It's honestly just ridiculous.
There's also a pretty big age gap, and even though there's nothing wrong with that, I didn't exactly enjoy it, especially since it's constantly mentioned how young Clancey is and how much Miller is attracted to Clancey because he looks so young. It just weirded me out a little (a lot).
Additionally, I was fairly sure I would enjoy a book about food, because, you know, FOOD. But it turns out I might not actually like food that much? It just all seemed very pretentious to me, and I just did not care for the in-depth descriptions.
Then I also had to read an entire sex scene filled with the grossest food comparisons, which makes me actually never want to eat again. This is probably a me thing most of all, but YIKES.
Rep: gay MC, bi MC
CWs: cancer, hospitals, vomiting, mentions of parental abuse, sex scenes
September 17, 2019
Miller and Clancy
An beautifully layered, emotional story.
The most part of this story was quite depressive. Miller, top chef, walks his last tour along all his favorite restaurants where they serve his favorite menus. Clancy got the opportunity to go with him.
When they first meet Miller thinks “stunning”, but not for him, never.
Both men travel and they get closer and closer. Clancy desperately tries to turn Miller’s head, to look at the bright, positive side. Miller almost can’t resist Clancy, almost.
There are no coincidences when you consider Clancy’s job.
A hard read, beautiful but hard, Clancy was brilliant in this story, a bright shining star.
Thank goodness Miller saw the light.
Their journey is one of a kind. Miller was at the end blooming and a whole other person.
Together they were breathtaking.
Beautifully written story.
An beautifully layered, emotional story.
The most part of this story was quite depressive. Miller, top chef, walks his last tour along all his favorite restaurants where they serve his favorite menus. Clancy got the opportunity to go with him.
When they first meet Miller thinks “stunning”, but not for him, never.
Both men travel and they get closer and closer. Clancy desperately tries to turn Miller’s head, to look at the bright, positive side. Miller almost can’t resist Clancy, almost.
There are no coincidences when you consider Clancy’s job.
A hard read, beautiful but hard, Clancy was brilliant in this story, a bright shining star.
Thank goodness Miller saw the light.
Their journey is one of a kind. Miller was at the end blooming and a whole other person.
Together they were breathtaking.
Beautifully written story.
April 12, 2020
I AM NOT OKAY.
*ugly cries*
THIS BOOK, Y’ALL. THIS BOOK.
This definitely was angsty but sad tears turned to happy tears at the end, so that’s good, right?? I KNOW Carina Press promises a HEA/HFN at the end of all of these books, BUT STILL I DOUBTED. I’ve read romance books that bent the meaning of what a HFN meant, but this one ends 100% in a good place and I would definitely count it as a HEA.
THAT SAID. This isn’t an easy read. Miller is an award-winning chef and he has a health diagnosis that could change that for him forever. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation because there’s no telling what the future brings.
He’s having a bit of a last hurrah, by eating some of his favorite foods at his favorite places across the United States. But that kind of travel takes money he doesn’t have.
In comes Clancy. He’s a doctor who is getting his first real vacation in 12 years and his parents have decided to really spoil him with a trip of a lifetime. Miller needs funds to travel, and Clancy’s mom has a job that allows her to have a private plane, and swanky hotel reservations at the ready.
This story takes place only a little over a week, maybe two, but the romance never feels forced. This story is a rollercoaster of emotions and I absolutely loved reading Miller and Clancy slowly start to fall for each other. And also, there’s a certain trope we all know and love in this book - what happens when all the rooms are booked for the holidays and the characters are forced to share a bed?
This book will make you hungry. VERY hungry. It’s not all just fine dining, and I am just hankering to eat everything I can get my hands on whole reading this book. BE PREPARED. I think I adore the farmers market meal the most, because of how impromptu the whole affair was, and we got to see Miller and Clancy in a more relaxed setting that wasn’t at a restaurant or anything. It was just the two of them alone, learning more about the other.
DINE WITH ME is a book that stays with you. This is a different kind of story that Layla Reyne’s usual romantic suspense, but no less wonderful. The love interests are so precious and even all the secondary characters are the absolute BEST?? It’s so rare to find a book where you love everyone, but this is that book. This is a story of laughs and so much love, even when the world seems dark and there’s no way out. I highly recommend this book!
This book will be released in e-book and audio, I think? But I so desperately wish this could be released in mass market paperback as well because I love this book so much and it makes me sad there’s no physical edition coming out for it. That’s probably my only complaint.
***Thanks so much to Carina Press for giving me an e-ARC on NetGalley to read and review***
*ugly cries*
THIS BOOK, Y’ALL. THIS BOOK.
This definitely was angsty but sad tears turned to happy tears at the end, so that’s good, right?? I KNOW Carina Press promises a HEA/HFN at the end of all of these books, BUT STILL I DOUBTED. I’ve read romance books that bent the meaning of what a HFN meant, but this one ends 100% in a good place and I would definitely count it as a HEA.
THAT SAID. This isn’t an easy read. Miller is an award-winning chef and he has a health diagnosis that could change that for him forever. It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation because there’s no telling what the future brings.
He’s having a bit of a last hurrah, by eating some of his favorite foods at his favorite places across the United States. But that kind of travel takes money he doesn’t have.
In comes Clancy. He’s a doctor who is getting his first real vacation in 12 years and his parents have decided to really spoil him with a trip of a lifetime. Miller needs funds to travel, and Clancy’s mom has a job that allows her to have a private plane, and swanky hotel reservations at the ready.
This story takes place only a little over a week, maybe two, but the romance never feels forced. This story is a rollercoaster of emotions and I absolutely loved reading Miller and Clancy slowly start to fall for each other. And also, there’s a certain trope we all know and love in this book - what happens when all the rooms are booked for the holidays and the characters are forced to share a bed?
This book will make you hungry. VERY hungry. It’s not all just fine dining, and I am just hankering to eat everything I can get my hands on whole reading this book. BE PREPARED. I think I adore the farmers market meal the most, because of how impromptu the whole affair was, and we got to see Miller and Clancy in a more relaxed setting that wasn’t at a restaurant or anything. It was just the two of them alone, learning more about the other.
DINE WITH ME is a book that stays with you. This is a different kind of story that Layla Reyne’s usual romantic suspense, but no less wonderful. The love interests are so precious and even all the secondary characters are the absolute BEST?? It’s so rare to find a book where you love everyone, but this is that book. This is a story of laughs and so much love, even when the world seems dark and there’s no way out. I highly recommend this book!
This book will be released in e-book and audio, I think? But I so desperately wish this could be released in mass market paperback as well because I love this book so much and it makes me sad there’s no physical edition coming out for it. That’s probably my only complaint.
***Thanks so much to Carina Press for giving me an e-ARC on NetGalley to read and review***
September 16, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
This book has a heavier tone as it deals with Miller being given a grave diagnosis and thinking that not seeking treatment is what is best for him. He’s a chef, he needs his taste buds, and a life without that doesn’t seem like a life worth living to him.
The men are put together through a series of circumstances and Miller tries to keep his condition secret. But medical issues don’t always stay hidden and Clancy is an intuitive doctor.
If you like reading about restaurants throughout the USA, the travels the men take will entice you as they hit a range of known restaurants. While there are great food descriptions, there is a balance to the story and no one area overwhelms the rest. Also, Miller’s condition is spoken of more indirectly and the story is more focused on convincing him to have treatment and there is not a lot of on page time showing Miller being sick.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
4 stars
This book has a heavier tone as it deals with Miller being given a grave diagnosis and thinking that not seeking treatment is what is best for him. He’s a chef, he needs his taste buds, and a life without that doesn’t seem like a life worth living to him.
The men are put together through a series of circumstances and Miller tries to keep his condition secret. But medical issues don’t always stay hidden and Clancy is an intuitive doctor.
If you like reading about restaurants throughout the USA, the travels the men take will entice you as they hit a range of known restaurants. While there are great food descriptions, there is a balance to the story and no one area overwhelms the rest. Also, Miller’s condition is spoken of more indirectly and the story is more focused on convincing him to have treatment and there is not a lot of on page time showing Miller being sick.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
December 25, 2020
When I read this book’s synopsis, I immediately thought of chef Grant Achatz. Was this somehow based on his story? Even though I tend to stay far away from books about cancer because of my former career as a hospice social worker, I could not resist this premise.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, Achatz is a Chicago chef most known for his restaurant Alinea. In 2007, he was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I still lived in the Chicago suburbs at the time and paid close attention to the coverage. Like Miller, there was concern about how this would affect Achatz’s career as a chef and whether his ability to taste would be affected. He went through treatment and was declared cancer-free and while he did lose his sense of taste, it did return. Reading Dine With Me reminded me I still need to read Achatz’s memoir On The Line.
I tell you all of this for reasons. When I started reading, I wondered if Achatz would be acknowledged at all or if Miller was a fictionalized version of Achatz or if perhaps this took place in an alternate universe. But if not for the latter options, I was sure Achatz’s cancer experience would be acknowledged. But it wasn’t and this became a huge sticking point for me.
Miller is adamant that he does not want treatment for his advanced stage throat cancer. (The exact stage is never specified.) He’s told the treatment has less than a 50% chance of working, and if it does work, there’s more than 50% chance it will take away his ability to taste. If they need to do surgery, he could lose part of his tongue and throat. As a chef, he feels this is too big of a risk to take and does not know who he is if he isn’t a chef so he’s opting out and going on a tour of his favorite restaurants, from The French Laundry in Napa to a burger joint in New Orleans—in one last hurrah.
Without treatment, Miller has a prognosis of six months or less. His restaurant has just closed and his divorce has just been finalized. There’s nothing holding him back from touring the country for two weeks. He’s joined by Clancy, who just finished his residency and is about to join his dad’s plastic surgery practice even though his heart isn’t in it.
The strongest part of this book was the food. The descriptions are guaranteed to make you hungry and it was a nice way to vicariously experience some restaurants I’m less likely to ever go to. For instance, as much as I’d love to eat at The French Laundry someday, I’m priced out so I loved reading about their tasting menu. I also appreciated that there was a mix of high and low restaurants because good food is good food regardless of price and location. There’s still a lot of privilege in this book between the high end restaurants and the private plane, which might be hard for some people to take. On a personal note, while I give the author bonus points for mentioning Lou Malnati’s pizza while they’re in Chicago, Clancy mentions wanting a hot beef sandwich from Portillo’s and I have never in my life heard of such a thing. Portillo’s is known for their Italian beef and that’s what you’d order.
But beyond this, there were a number of things in this story that simply didn’t make sense to me, in part because of my background. Your mileage may vary. First, Miller married Sloan when she was 16 and he was 18 right after he graduated so she could get away from abusive stepfather. He’s now 40 and has always known he’s gay. He and Sloan have had discreet dalliances but they don’t get divorced until now when she’s engaged to someone else and pregnant with their child. They’re best friends, which is great, but I could not understand why they didn’t divorce once she was of age or at least once she started dating Ty. Twenty-two years of marriage to someone you don’t love romantically! Or backing it up even further, why no one in the town, including Miller’s school teacher mother who is a mandatory reporter, reported Sloan’s stepfather for abuse so she wouldn’t have had to marry anyone to be safe.
Then there’s the Achatz aspect. Miller and Clancy specifically discuss Grant and Alinea but not his cancer. It seems like Miller and Achatz might know each other. How could he not think of discussing cancer treatment with Achatz? He literally went through the exact same thing. It’s not until later in the book that someone tells Miller he isn’t the first chef to be diagnosed with cancer or to lose their taste buds and that there are ways of working around it. Even that acknowledgment felt too little, too late.
Lest you think my confusion only extended to Miller, have no fear. When Clancy and Miller are making out at a club, Clancy brushes his hand over Miller’s throat and feels the tumor. (This understandably puts a damper on things.) He magically remembers the statistics. But would he know any of that from doing reconstructive surgery? How would he remember anything from a medical school rotation he did 5+ years ago? “Depending on the exact size and location of Miller’s tumor, and how far it’d spread, he could have less than twenty-five percent survival chance.” I just don’t buy it.
Then there’s Clancy’s angst about his career. His dad’s plastic surgery practice is the safe route and even if he specializes in reconstruction, Clancy recognizes he wants to be an oncologist. When we finally learn why Clancy withdrew his oncology residency applications, I could not believe no one in med school or on his oncology rotation wouldn’t have given him the counsel he needed then and talked him through his decision. This part of the story made me so angry and I don’t think it’s any indication that Clancy would be a good oncologist, despite the author intending it that way. For Clancy to change lanes now, he’d have to do a brand new residency. It’s a major deal and not one to be taken lightly. For the sake of the story, I can see why it went that way—it really ups the stakes between Miller and Clancy. But for the sake of reality, it annoyed me to no end.
Lastly, at the end, Miller is hospitalized and Clancy comes into his room dressed in scrubs with a stethoscope hanging around his neck and a badge on his shirt pocket. However, there is no way this could happen. He no longer works at this hospital, plus he’s on vacation, and more importantly he should not be treating Miller. Let me emphasize this again: Clancy should not be involved in Miller’s medical care. He can talk to him about pursuing treatment but he cannot in any way be involved in determining what that treatment should be. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Clancy being the one who gets Miller to even consider starting treatment and that’s only because of love. Miller had so many reasons to live beyond Clancy and I wish that had figured in more prominently.
Now do I think Miller and Clancy are good together? Yes. It was a little too insta-love for me, especially given the life or death stakes. But there’s great chemistry and more importantly, they bring out the best in one another. We do get an epilogue three years later and things do seem to be on the upswing for them. They married two months after they met (which holy fast track) and then Miller started treatment the next day. He’s been in remission for 18 months and he’s opening his new restaurant. They’re even talking about adoption. Miller can’t be declared cancer-free until 5 years post-treatment so this is an HFN but things feel promising and I’m certainly rooting for them.
I’ve read Reyne’s romantic suspense and loved it. This one didn’t work well for me but as mentioned, I did enjoy the foodie aspect. It made me think about what kind of food tour I’d want to go on, should I ever have the opportunity.
CW: throat cancer, hospitalization, reference to cancer treatment and side effects, past divorce, fatalistic reasoning, ableism
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Carina in exchange for an honest review.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, Achatz is a Chicago chef most known for his restaurant Alinea. In 2007, he was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I still lived in the Chicago suburbs at the time and paid close attention to the coverage. Like Miller, there was concern about how this would affect Achatz’s career as a chef and whether his ability to taste would be affected. He went through treatment and was declared cancer-free and while he did lose his sense of taste, it did return. Reading Dine With Me reminded me I still need to read Achatz’s memoir On The Line.
I tell you all of this for reasons. When I started reading, I wondered if Achatz would be acknowledged at all or if Miller was a fictionalized version of Achatz or if perhaps this took place in an alternate universe. But if not for the latter options, I was sure Achatz’s cancer experience would be acknowledged. But it wasn’t and this became a huge sticking point for me.
Miller is adamant that he does not want treatment for his advanced stage throat cancer. (The exact stage is never specified.) He’s told the treatment has less than a 50% chance of working, and if it does work, there’s more than 50% chance it will take away his ability to taste. If they need to do surgery, he could lose part of his tongue and throat. As a chef, he feels this is too big of a risk to take and does not know who he is if he isn’t a chef so he’s opting out and going on a tour of his favorite restaurants, from The French Laundry in Napa to a burger joint in New Orleans—in one last hurrah.
Without treatment, Miller has a prognosis of six months or less. His restaurant has just closed and his divorce has just been finalized. There’s nothing holding him back from touring the country for two weeks. He’s joined by Clancy, who just finished his residency and is about to join his dad’s plastic surgery practice even though his heart isn’t in it.
The strongest part of this book was the food. The descriptions are guaranteed to make you hungry and it was a nice way to vicariously experience some restaurants I’m less likely to ever go to. For instance, as much as I’d love to eat at The French Laundry someday, I’m priced out so I loved reading about their tasting menu. I also appreciated that there was a mix of high and low restaurants because good food is good food regardless of price and location. There’s still a lot of privilege in this book between the high end restaurants and the private plane, which might be hard for some people to take. On a personal note, while I give the author bonus points for mentioning Lou Malnati’s pizza while they’re in Chicago, Clancy mentions wanting a hot beef sandwich from Portillo’s and I have never in my life heard of such a thing. Portillo’s is known for their Italian beef and that’s what you’d order.
But beyond this, there were a number of things in this story that simply didn’t make sense to me, in part because of my background. Your mileage may vary. First, Miller married Sloan when she was 16 and he was 18 right after he graduated so she could get away from abusive stepfather. He’s now 40 and has always known he’s gay. He and Sloan have had discreet dalliances but they don’t get divorced until now when she’s engaged to someone else and pregnant with their child. They’re best friends, which is great, but I could not understand why they didn’t divorce once she was of age or at least once she started dating Ty. Twenty-two years of marriage to someone you don’t love romantically! Or backing it up even further, why no one in the town, including Miller’s school teacher mother who is a mandatory reporter, reported Sloan’s stepfather for abuse so she wouldn’t have had to marry anyone to be safe.
Then there’s the Achatz aspect. Miller and Clancy specifically discuss Grant and Alinea but not his cancer. It seems like Miller and Achatz might know each other. How could he not think of discussing cancer treatment with Achatz? He literally went through the exact same thing. It’s not until later in the book that someone tells Miller he isn’t the first chef to be diagnosed with cancer or to lose their taste buds and that there are ways of working around it. Even that acknowledgment felt too little, too late.
Lest you think my confusion only extended to Miller, have no fear. When Clancy and Miller are making out at a club, Clancy brushes his hand over Miller’s throat and feels the tumor. (This understandably puts a damper on things.) He magically remembers the statistics. But would he know any of that from doing reconstructive surgery? How would he remember anything from a medical school rotation he did 5+ years ago? “Depending on the exact size and location of Miller’s tumor, and how far it’d spread, he could have less than twenty-five percent survival chance.” I just don’t buy it.
Then there’s Clancy’s angst about his career. His dad’s plastic surgery practice is the safe route and even if he specializes in reconstruction, Clancy recognizes he wants to be an oncologist. When we finally learn why Clancy withdrew his oncology residency applications, I could not believe no one in med school or on his oncology rotation wouldn’t have given him the counsel he needed then and talked him through his decision. This part of the story made me so angry and I don’t think it’s any indication that Clancy would be a good oncologist, despite the author intending it that way. For Clancy to change lanes now, he’d have to do a brand new residency. It’s a major deal and not one to be taken lightly. For the sake of the story, I can see why it went that way—it really ups the stakes between Miller and Clancy. But for the sake of reality, it annoyed me to no end.
Lastly, at the end, Miller is hospitalized and Clancy comes into his room dressed in scrubs with a stethoscope hanging around his neck and a badge on his shirt pocket. However, there is no way this could happen. He no longer works at this hospital, plus he’s on vacation, and more importantly he should not be treating Miller. Let me emphasize this again: Clancy should not be involved in Miller’s medical care. He can talk to him about pursuing treatment but he cannot in any way be involved in determining what that treatment should be. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Clancy being the one who gets Miller to even consider starting treatment and that’s only because of love. Miller had so many reasons to live beyond Clancy and I wish that had figured in more prominently.
Now do I think Miller and Clancy are good together? Yes. It was a little too insta-love for me, especially given the life or death stakes. But there’s great chemistry and more importantly, they bring out the best in one another. We do get an epilogue three years later and things do seem to be on the upswing for them. They married two months after they met (which holy fast track) and then Miller started treatment the next day. He’s been in remission for 18 months and he’s opening his new restaurant. They’re even talking about adoption. Miller can’t be declared cancer-free until 5 years post-treatment so this is an HFN but things feel promising and I’m certainly rooting for them.
I’ve read Reyne’s romantic suspense and loved it. This one didn’t work well for me but as mentioned, I did enjoy the foodie aspect. It made me think about what kind of food tour I’d want to go on, should I ever have the opportunity.
CW: throat cancer, hospitalization, reference to cancer treatment and side effects, past divorce, fatalistic reasoning, ableism
Disclosure: I received an advanced copy from Carina in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2025
I liked the concept of a tour of last suppers, and the progression of their relationship for the first half of the book but I feel like once they voiced their attraction to each other, everything began to move double the speed and I didn't enjoy it. Once we got to the latter end of the book, I'd essentially checked out and was only in it to see how. it ended. They were cute together though.
July 23, 2019
‘Dine With Me’ is as much as a tribute to food as it is to romance: two weeks with an ailing celebrity chef (his self-imposed last rites, so to speak) and a foodie doctor on the verge of a career shift.
Layla Reyne takes a different direction with ‘Dine With Me’ and by turning to gastronomy, automatically helped keep the pages turning as I lapped up the descriptions of food as much as I did of the growing tension and stark differences between Clancy Rhodes and Miller Sykes—one with an unfailing optimism for human life and the other, with a fatalistic view of life as well…because of their work and what they love most doing. In essence, their chance meeting when Clancy signs up for the food tour becomes a slow burn of smouldering looks, helpless moans and tingly feels over gourmet dishes, with some (un)timely intervention of family and friends on both sides.
Reyne walks the thin line here when it comes to relationships; Clancy’s unusual—and frankly, rather unbelievable—family situation enables him to accept Miller’s own without difficulty. I found the circumstances and the plot a bit more conveniently serendipitous and a bit more far-fetched than I liked, and struggled with the small niggle bits that had to do with characterisation.
It is difficult to reconcile Clancy’s eager, enthusiastic puppy-dog demeanour with that of a 30-year-old doctor who’d seen too much in oncology, though it does play off nicely against Miller’s stoic and gruff behaviour as he wrestles with his own mortality. Still, it all comes to an end rather quickly where I’d hoped Clancy could have played a bigger part in Miller’s journey to recovery. Reyne focuses instead, more on food and the present rather than Clancy/Miller’s relationship changing past the tour, then hops to conclusion a few years down the road that tells more than shows the hard journey to their HEA.
Still, there’s a bit more poignancy and a lot more of the struggle for acceptance of change as the sobering thought of mortality lurks around the corner—it’s just slower-paced though, and if food’s the thing that revs your engine, ‘Dine With Me’ offers something unusual and different.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
Layla Reyne takes a different direction with ‘Dine With Me’ and by turning to gastronomy, automatically helped keep the pages turning as I lapped up the descriptions of food as much as I did of the growing tension and stark differences between Clancy Rhodes and Miller Sykes—one with an unfailing optimism for human life and the other, with a fatalistic view of life as well…because of their work and what they love most doing. In essence, their chance meeting when Clancy signs up for the food tour becomes a slow burn of smouldering looks, helpless moans and tingly feels over gourmet dishes, with some (un)timely intervention of family and friends on both sides.
Reyne walks the thin line here when it comes to relationships; Clancy’s unusual—and frankly, rather unbelievable—family situation enables him to accept Miller’s own without difficulty. I found the circumstances and the plot a bit more conveniently serendipitous and a bit more far-fetched than I liked, and struggled with the small niggle bits that had to do with characterisation.
It is difficult to reconcile Clancy’s eager, enthusiastic puppy-dog demeanour with that of a 30-year-old doctor who’d seen too much in oncology, though it does play off nicely against Miller’s stoic and gruff behaviour as he wrestles with his own mortality. Still, it all comes to an end rather quickly where I’d hoped Clancy could have played a bigger part in Miller’s journey to recovery. Reyne focuses instead, more on food and the present rather than Clancy/Miller’s relationship changing past the tour, then hops to conclusion a few years down the road that tells more than shows the hard journey to their HEA.
Still, there’s a bit more poignancy and a lot more of the struggle for acceptance of change as the sobering thought of mortality lurks around the corner—it’s just slower-paced though, and if food’s the thing that revs your engine, ‘Dine With Me’ offers something unusual and different.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
September 2, 2019
I absolutely LOVE Layla Reyne's romantic suspense books so I thought I'd love this one as well. I liked it but I didn't love it. The two main reasons were the pacing was a bit slow and there was SO MUCH talk about food - yes I understand this book had a chef as an MC and they were going on a food journey so it was inevitable there would be a lot of food talk. However, for me it just bogged the book down even more. I'm FAR from a foodie and I don't like to cook so those aspects of the story didn't interest me.
However, Miller and Sloan had a very sweet slow burn romance. It's definitely a slow build and that fit considering Miller has decided to die. I wanted Miller to want to fight sooner than he did but I also understood a bit where he was coming from ultimately it's a very personal decision so I liked that the author went there. Miller's relationship with his ex-wife was interesting but a little bit too much of the plot for my tastes.
So overall, very nicely written but the pacing was just a bit too slow and the food descriptions to plentiful for me to give this more than 3 stars.
A copy of this book was provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.
However, Miller and Sloan had a very sweet slow burn romance. It's definitely a slow build and that fit considering Miller has decided to die. I wanted Miller to want to fight sooner than he did but I also understood a bit where he was coming from ultimately it's a very personal decision so I liked that the author went there. Miller's relationship with his ex-wife was interesting but a little bit too much of the plot for my tastes.
So overall, very nicely written but the pacing was just a bit too slow and the food descriptions to plentiful for me to give this more than 3 stars.
A copy of this book was provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.
September 26, 2019
Arc provided courtesy of LesCourt
All reviews are voluntary and my honest opinion.
A sensual culinary journey -- the food more sinful than the actual intimacy.
If you're a bit obsessed with Gordon Ramsey or Cutthroat Kitchen, you may want to add this gem to your cart.
There's underlying sadness and the need for some care and intimacy as Chef Miller has advanced cancer, and has decided that without his sense of taste there's nothing left to live for.
Wonderfully written dining scenes that were either meticulously researched or experienced first hand.
Despite knowing Clancy's background, Miller was the more fully developed and well rounded character. We see him engaged in his profession, I'd have liked a little more of that from Clancy, but overall a very sweet romance.
4.5/5
All reviews are voluntary and my honest opinion.
A sensual culinary journey -- the food more sinful than the actual intimacy.
If you're a bit obsessed with Gordon Ramsey or Cutthroat Kitchen, you may want to add this gem to your cart.
There's underlying sadness and the need for some care and intimacy as Chef Miller has advanced cancer, and has decided that without his sense of taste there's nothing left to live for.
Wonderfully written dining scenes that were either meticulously researched or experienced first hand.
Despite knowing Clancy's background, Miller was the more fully developed and well rounded character. We see him engaged in his profession, I'd have liked a little more of that from Clancy, but overall a very sweet romance.
4.5/5
July 18, 2019
- Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review -
An exciting journey through the universe of food and restaurants from the personal perspective of an award-winning chef, “Dine With Me”, by Layla Reyne, features two great male heroes who connect through more than culinary and taste.
Miller is a great, original, wounded hero, his drama poignant and real. He’s a mixture of largeness and gentleness and his talent as a chef is so alluring… That he desires to run his own restaurant with “kindness, civility and attentiveness” says so much about his fascinating personality.
Clancy is a great hero too, a nerd, intelligent doctor, and an eager foodie, too.
The romance between the chef and the doctor is tender and sweet, flourishing in a journey through a landscape of Miller’s special, important food places
I loved that there is no miracle cure and the medical issues seem well-researched.
Even with the subject being food, and all the lovely descriptions of courses and ingredients, eating so much in a meal felt sometimes a bit tiring.
An exciting journey through the universe of food and restaurants from the personal perspective of an award-winning chef, “Dine With Me”, by Layla Reyne, features two great male heroes who connect through more than culinary and taste.
Miller is a great, original, wounded hero, his drama poignant and real. He’s a mixture of largeness and gentleness and his talent as a chef is so alluring… That he desires to run his own restaurant with “kindness, civility and attentiveness” says so much about his fascinating personality.
Clancy is a great hero too, a nerd, intelligent doctor, and an eager foodie, too.
The romance between the chef and the doctor is tender and sweet, flourishing in a journey through a landscape of Miller’s special, important food places
I loved that there is no miracle cure and the medical issues seem well-researched.
Even with the subject being food, and all the lovely descriptions of courses and ingredients, eating so much in a meal felt sometimes a bit tiring.
August 23, 2020
So good! It was quite the heartwarming story with perfect main characters who both needed the other. Of course, there was the fact that the story was wound through a great deal of food talk.... yum!
I loved the playfulness of the attraction between the two main characters even though reality often intruded. My heart broke for Miller through most of the story, but I loved how Clancy knew just how to draw him out and make him consider how much he wanted to live.
I loved the playfulness of the attraction between the two main characters even though reality often intruded. My heart broke for Miller through most of the story, but I loved how Clancy knew just how to draw him out and make him consider how much he wanted to live.
September 24, 2019
CW: cancer
I LOVED this. The food descriptions are marvelous and while the romance takes place incredibly quickly, I really felt the development before they become more in that short time period? The book is really a mish mash of my favorite and least favorite things, and I wasn't sure if it would end up working for me, but it did and I'm so glad to have read it.
I LOVED this. The food descriptions are marvelous and while the romance takes place incredibly quickly, I really felt the development before they become more in that short time period? The book is really a mish mash of my favorite and least favorite things, and I wasn't sure if it would end up working for me, but it did and I'm so glad to have read it.
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