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Emerald Bay Chefs #1
Restaurant Wars
Ethan loved Nica from afar throughout high school, but the one night he mustered the courage to ask her out turned into a catastrophe. Ten years later, Ethan is a jaded, billionaire actor looking for a fresh start. He’s tired of playing roles on and off screen and wants something… someone real. Nica is a single mom and unemployed chef living with her parents in their lakeside hometown. It’s not the life she wants to model for her daughter, but it’s all she’s got right now. When Ethan asks her to be the chef in his new restaurant, she laughs in his face thinking it’s another prank. But when her smarmy ex-boss dangles his perceived Restaurant Wars win in her face, she would rather team up with Ethan than let her ex-boss represent the town she loves. Can Ethan and Nica progress through the culinary challenges, overcome old hatred, and find the happily ever after neither of them believe they deserve? ★★★A second-chance, enemies-to-lovers foodie romance perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, Susan Wiggs, and Debbie Macomber. All Emerald Bay Chefs Romances are stand-alones and can be read in any order. You are guaranteed a happily ever after with every couple.★★★
This book was previously published in the Elf Hollow Romance Series. Setting details have changed, but the story is the same.
This book was previously published in the Elf Hollow Romance Series. Setting details have changed, but the story is the same.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2022
338 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 15, 2025
Great pace and storyline. Loved the characters and depth
July 24, 2025
Loved it
Great pace of a story. The right amount of details making you feel like you are right there. Each character will developed and likable.
Great pace of a story. The right amount of details making you feel like you are right there. Each character will developed and likable.
November 22, 2025
Didn’t finish after chapter 3. The storytelling was just too clunky. It didn’t feel like things were happening naturally. Everything was set up too perfectly.
So Ethan randomly on a whim decides he wants to open a restaurant in his hometown. He goes home right after this thought. Right when he gets home he’s at his friend’s bakery and tells his friend his plan. And wouldn’t you know it but a chef who has been looking for a job (Nica) just happens to be at this bakery at that same time. What are the chances!?😅 So ethans friend goes right up to Nica right after Ethan has told her he wanted to start a restaurant and asks her if she wants to be the chef for it. Like…wow that happened fast (and easily).
And yeah okay Nica says no at first. But then right as she’s leaving the bakery she runs into her old boss. Her old boss tells her about this new restaurant wars thing that’s being put on by the city. And immediately Nica is like okay I want to win that so now I’ll say yes to Ethan. She doesn’t even ask any questions about what restaurant wars even is or get any details or anything. She just immediately wants in no questions asked and immediately goes back to Ethan to ask for the job. Again that was sure some coincidental timing😅
And, again, at first he’s like Nica I don’t even actually want you to work for me. And she’s like please? And then for he’s like oh okay.
I don’t know it just all felt clunky is the only way I can describe it. It felt too author contrived. It doesn’t feel organic and it isn’t interesting when everything is so straight forward like that.
Nica seemed like an okay character, but nothing was standing out either. She wasn’t anything great.
I thought ethan was going to be good at first, but then he said a few corny things, sometimes talking in foreign accents and saying lines from his movies and it made me cringe. I don’t know I just wasn’t loving the characters.
This may be an okay read. It wasn’t terrible or anything, I just wasn’t connecting with the story or the characters so I didn’t want to continue.
So Ethan randomly on a whim decides he wants to open a restaurant in his hometown. He goes home right after this thought. Right when he gets home he’s at his friend’s bakery and tells his friend his plan. And wouldn’t you know it but a chef who has been looking for a job (Nica) just happens to be at this bakery at that same time. What are the chances!?😅 So ethans friend goes right up to Nica right after Ethan has told her he wanted to start a restaurant and asks her if she wants to be the chef for it. Like…wow that happened fast (and easily).
And yeah okay Nica says no at first. But then right as she’s leaving the bakery she runs into her old boss. Her old boss tells her about this new restaurant wars thing that’s being put on by the city. And immediately Nica is like okay I want to win that so now I’ll say yes to Ethan. She doesn’t even ask any questions about what restaurant wars even is or get any details or anything. She just immediately wants in no questions asked and immediately goes back to Ethan to ask for the job. Again that was sure some coincidental timing😅
And, again, at first he’s like Nica I don’t even actually want you to work for me. And she’s like please? And then for he’s like oh okay.
I don’t know it just all felt clunky is the only way I can describe it. It felt too author contrived. It doesn’t feel organic and it isn’t interesting when everything is so straight forward like that.
Nica seemed like an okay character, but nothing was standing out either. She wasn’t anything great.
I thought ethan was going to be good at first, but then he said a few corny things, sometimes talking in foreign accents and saying lines from his movies and it made me cringe. I don’t know I just wasn’t loving the characters.
This may be an okay read. It wasn’t terrible or anything, I just wasn’t connecting with the story or the characters so I didn’t want to continue.
August 18, 2025
⭐ 3.5/5 ⭐
The plot of this was very interesting and unique to me, having a few chapters where the reader can be immersed into the story be being one of the restaurant customers whenever Nica and Ethan take on the Restaurant Wars challenges. That being said, the main character, single-mom, Nica, tries her best to make it through. I don’t like how she micromanages people because I have experienced being one of those who got micromanaged. It’s just awful but if it gets work done (it doesn’t), then it might have been an effective management style. The love interest is a Hollywood A-lister, Ethan. He can’t seem to take full control of his life, he seems like an asset, both to his PR team and to his own mother. He’s basically been controlled his whole life and he seem to not know how to live his own life. So we have main characters who are both trying to find their way through their lives.
The movie references were interesting and my favorite character is Delia, Nica’s daughter. I feel like she’s the catalyst of the whole story and she’s basically a big plot changer. While this book will make you laugh and giggle, it will also make you mad and upset, as well as make you cry just a tiny bit, I feel like the last 25 pages were very rushed. Everything happened to fast and the story concluded too quickly to leave quite a few plot holes and other questionable things like what happens to Ethan’s mom or Alex.
The plot of this was very interesting and unique to me, having a few chapters where the reader can be immersed into the story be being one of the restaurant customers whenever Nica and Ethan take on the Restaurant Wars challenges. That being said, the main character, single-mom, Nica, tries her best to make it through. I don’t like how she micromanages people because I have experienced being one of those who got micromanaged. It’s just awful but if it gets work done (it doesn’t), then it might have been an effective management style. The love interest is a Hollywood A-lister, Ethan. He can’t seem to take full control of his life, he seems like an asset, both to his PR team and to his own mother. He’s basically been controlled his whole life and he seem to not know how to live his own life. So we have main characters who are both trying to find their way through their lives.
The movie references were interesting and my favorite character is Delia, Nica’s daughter. I feel like she’s the catalyst of the whole story and she’s basically a big plot changer. While this book will make you laugh and giggle, it will also make you mad and upset, as well as make you cry just a tiny bit, I feel like the last 25 pages were very rushed. Everything happened to fast and the story concluded too quickly to leave quite a few plot holes and other questionable things like what happens to Ethan’s mom or Alex.
May 18, 2023
DNF - quit at 61%
There were parts of the story that were ok, but there was way too much self-sabotage between the 2 main characters, first him, then her, then him, then her, and so on, constantly thinking they couldn’t be in a relationship or weren’t good enough or…any of the reasons they kept coming up with. Too many of those flip flopping emotions lost my interest, then add in the ex returning to add angst to the whole thing, I just couldn’t keep going. I put the book down & couldn’t bring myself to pick it back up. I needed to see light at the end of the tunnel of this chaotic relationship, but I wasn’t seeing it & couldn’t take one more flip flop in their emotional roller coaster. Seemed like a very unhealthy relationship. I will delete this from my Kindle library.
At my age (61), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
There were parts of the story that were ok, but there was way too much self-sabotage between the 2 main characters, first him, then her, then him, then her, and so on, constantly thinking they couldn’t be in a relationship or weren’t good enough or…any of the reasons they kept coming up with. Too many of those flip flopping emotions lost my interest, then add in the ex returning to add angst to the whole thing, I just couldn’t keep going. I put the book down & couldn’t bring myself to pick it back up. I needed to see light at the end of the tunnel of this chaotic relationship, but I wasn’t seeing it & couldn’t take one more flip flop in their emotional roller coaster. Seemed like a very unhealthy relationship. I will delete this from my Kindle library.
At my age (61), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.
February 26, 2024
This romance had a bit more substance to it than usual and the restaurant challenge aspect also added to the story. Downsides were that the main characters would want to be together and then couldn’t be together…over and over again. Plus there is a severe lack of spice so much so it was unclear if they ever slept together. Overall though this packed a lot into a short book and it was a great beach read.
August 6, 2025
Good but not great.
The story line itself was good different, but good. The characters with the exception of the FMC weren't bad. Lil Delia was a delight. I couldn't stand the FMC's attitude or personality I almost stopped reading because of her multiple times. But I persevered just to leave a review. The story had an OK tempo but then was just rushed and flooded with drama at the very end that seemed like an after thought.
The story line itself was good different, but good. The characters with the exception of the FMC weren't bad. Lil Delia was a delight. I couldn't stand the FMC's attitude or personality I almost stopped reading because of her multiple times. But I persevered just to leave a review. The story had an OK tempo but then was just rushed and flooded with drama at the very end that seemed like an after thought.
January 5, 2026
Interesting story; needs better editing
The premise was clever and the characters mostly likeable. Delia was my favorite character, as you always knew where you stood with her. However, the book could have benefited from more careful editing, as excessive sentence fragments (and spelling errors) interfered with my enjoyment of the story.
The premise was clever and the characters mostly likeable. Delia was my favorite character, as you always knew where you stood with her. However, the book could have benefited from more careful editing, as excessive sentence fragments (and spelling errors) interfered with my enjoyment of the story.
October 6, 2022
Loved this book!
one I of the best books I've read. It was exciting, romantic and would make you cry all st the same time. I couldn't put it down and read it until it was finished. Very enjoyable.. I give it five stars!
one I of the best books I've read. It was exciting, romantic and would make you cry all st the same time. I couldn't put it down and read it until it was finished. Very enjoyable.. I give it five stars!
January 26, 2025
I really enjoyed the start of this book. The story drew me in, and then somewhere a little over halfway, it lost me.
I feel disappointed. It came close to being my first DNF for the year but, I finished it.
I feel disappointed. It came close to being my first DNF for the year but, I finished it.
March 29, 2023
great storyline
I loved reading this book —never a dull moment. Has everything you want. Romance, suspense plus action. must read it
I loved reading this book —never a dull moment. Has everything you want. Romance, suspense plus action. must read it
July 3, 2023
All the feels!
This book has all the feels! It will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love! The absolute sweetest story!
This book has all the feels! It will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love! The absolute sweetest story!
November 21, 2023
A lot of past trauma to unpack in this one.
March 30, 2024
DNF- physically couldn’t get into the book was just too slow for me and I did not like how there would be two POV within one chapter like every chapter I didn’t see the point.
July 31, 2025
very easy read - with a happy ending
June 4, 2024
I don't know why, but it took me soooo long to finish reading this book. In the middle of it I just didn't feel like it anymore, but then I decided to finish it.
I like books that are set in the catering industry and especially in the kitchen, as my husband is a chef himself and we run a B&B I always feel for him.
But I just couldn't get into this book. She was a single mum who resigned from a starred restaurant because the owner is an arse. Which she doesn't tell anyone. Everyone thinks she can't get her act together, which I think is a shame. Her parents treat her like a child themselves, they all want to make decisions for her and tell her what's best for her and her child. That just got on my nerves. Being a single parent is challenging and has its ups and downs. But Nica is a seasoned woman and a good cook and I just didn't like the way she was portrayed.
Ethan is a famous actor who doesn't want the fame anymore and wants a normal life. He had so much self-doubt that it hurt to read it. Yes, acting is not authentic. But it was as if he didn't even know who he was.
I like books that are set in the catering industry and especially in the kitchen, as my husband is a chef himself and we run a B&B I always feel for him.
But I just couldn't get into this book. She was a single mum who resigned from a starred restaurant because the owner is an arse. Which she doesn't tell anyone. Everyone thinks she can't get her act together, which I think is a shame. Her parents treat her like a child themselves, they all want to make decisions for her and tell her what's best for her and her child. That just got on my nerves. Being a single parent is challenging and has its ups and downs. But Nica is a seasoned woman and a good cook and I just didn't like the way she was portrayed.
Ethan is a famous actor who doesn't want the fame anymore and wants a normal life. He had so much self-doubt that it hurt to read it. Yes, acting is not authentic. But it was as if he didn't even know who he was.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews