As Seen on TV!

by C.F. Frizzell

Who in her right mind inserts a popular laid-back chef into the top paranormal show on television? What a ridiculous idea. Granted, TV crossover shows boost ratings, but the respective stars have no interest in the other’s genre and spatter like water in hot oil. The only thing that home-spun chef Ronnie Smart and tenacious paranormal investigator Peyton Stanford agree on is the idiocy of their network’s demand. They have practically nothing in common, and it shows.

But the show goes on amidst their innuendo, snickering banter, and bumbling interference and, surprisingly, viewers clamor for more. Inevitably, the begrudging “odd couple” find mutual respect and even the occasional tease. Are they flirting? Ratings skyrocket. In their expanded finale—an investigation that airs live on a stormy Halloween night—Ronnie and Peyton come face-to-face with a paranormal spirit and a chance at forever neither can deny.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance

312 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

A life-long Massachusetts resident, CF Frizzell (“Friz”) endures the telecom industry in Boston for a living but dreams of retirement days spent writing at the seashore or in an Adirondack cabin. She grew up in community newspapers and established an award-winning twenty-two-year career that culminated in the role of founder/publisher. Friz discovered her passion for writing in high school, but credits powerhouse authors Lee Lynch, Radclyffe, and the generous family that is Bold Strokes Books for inspiration. She’s into history, acoustic guitar, New England pro sports—and, most of all, her partner, Kathy, with whom she makes a home in Sandwich on Cape Cod.

Reviews

[Della B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reality television is all about big, loud, attention grabbing, unscripted weekly shows. I love that Frizzell jumped with both feet into the crazy end of this pool by combining a low frills cooking show host with a hard working and icy leader of a paranormal investigating team. Neither woman believes this idea from head office will work. Their styles are just too different and besides Ronnie, the chef, does not believe in ghosts.

I enjoyed everything about this book, from the concept to the characters. The writing is as you would expect from Frizzell, highly engaging, entertaining and well researched. The slow burn romance is an enticing tease throughout the paranormal investigations. The title and cover are a marvellous reminder of the days of the “TV Guide” being every household’s bible to what is on television for the week.

Even if your viewing tastes lay in a different direction, As Seen on TV! is a captivating romance novel which I highly recommend.

I received a free advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paranormal cooking crossover.

Ok. I actually found this a bit hard to read. Books this length would typically take me a day or so, or if I'm really busy, two days. But this one took me more than twice that amount of time.

I don't know if it is the book or more me but it just isn't something that really interests me. It started out fine, a little light and fun. We have two mini celebrities doing a crossover show together. Ronnie is the host of a cooking show and Peyton is the host of a paranormal reality tv show. Unique combination. But there was a lot of focus on the show and the paranormal activity and I got a bit bored pretty quick. I always look out for books with solid romances and this isn't it. Or at least I don't think it is but I can't be sure because I wasn't paying enough attention after a while.

Not a book for me but could be one for you.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Ronnie Sharp (blurb says Smart?) and Peyton Stanford are reality tv hosts. Ronnie is the host of a cooking show and Peyton hosts a paranormal investigation show. Neither is thrilled when the network decides to have them film three crossover episodes, with the last one being filmed live, to boost ratings. It starts off on the wrong foot when Ronnie admits she doesn’t believe in ghosts or spirits.

I thought this was a fun, creepy read to start off October. Peyton finds “residual energy” and gets it to leave whatever it may be haunting. Some of these energies are not happy to be leaving and cause quite the fuss. There is a lot of time spent at these crossover events and it goes into great detail. So, if spooky and creepy ghosts are your thing, you’ll probably really enjoy this. It doesn’t ever get scary but I was creeped out a little.

My only real issue was the lack of romance. Because so much time is spent filming the episodes, there’s not a lot of time left for the romance to develop. Almost all of their time together is while they’re working and while there is some mild flirting going on, it’s not serious. They do spend a little time together and they have a lot of off-screen communications but we don’t see most of that. I would have preferred less time spent on the investigations and more on them together.

I recommend this if you’re looking for an amusing Halloween read that doesn’t spend too much time on the romance.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars

This is a story about ghost hunters who investigate haunted houses for their reality tv show. Peyton is the host of her show. She has a team of photographers, researchers and production assistants who help her. They visit haunted houses, and with all their gizmos get the ghosts to talk to them and then convince the ghost to move on to their next life and leave the homeowners alone.

Ronnie is a tv reality show chef. And has a huge following and high ratings. She’s a very down to earth character (and my favorite) in the book.

The tv network decides to bring Ronnie on to Peyton’s show to boost her ratings.

Ronnie starts to have an attraction for Peyton, but she’s all work and no play. Until Halloween night when the network decides to end the tv season with a live broadcast. Things get pretty intense as the ghost tries to get the two of them together.

If you like reality tv and ghostbusters then this book is for you. I would have like more interaction between the two MCs. This is a very slow to develop romance but keep reading cause the last 20 pages were great.

ARC received from NetGalley for a voluntary and honest review.

[MaxDisaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
This was fun, I liked the chemistry between the two MCs and even the premise, as unusual as it was (ghosts and cooking really don't mix well in my opinion).
The writing was also above average.

[Jo reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghostly going on’s, characters with chemistry, and a great storyline, what's not to like?

If you are into spooky stories, with a little bit of romance then you'll enjoy this book.

I've given ‘As seen on TV!’ a 4 out of 5.

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave me chills!

Ronnie and Peyton both have very different hit TV shows that the network decides to do a crossover to give both shows a boost. At first they are both hesitant, unsure how paranormal and cooking are supposed to mix, but with a little encouragement from friends and producers, they soon find the new show is a hit.

I loved this so much! It was absolutely fantastic and one of those stories that I started reading and found impossible to put down. It drew me in straight away. The tension between Peyton and Ronnie was sizzling straight away with a good amount of humour built in to lighten some of the intense mood around their first show. How C.F. Frizzell did this, I’ll never know, but the chapters about the paranormal activity had such amazing build ups and cliff-hangers that they were just amazing! An experience you really do have to have for yourself.

A whole cast of characters joined Peyton and Ronnie on their new adventure, and each one of them really helped to bring the moments when they were filming their show alive. A gentle camaraderie, great connections between the two teams instantly, despite how Peyton and Ronnie were behaving. They really got into the spirit of their project together and I really felt like a part of it all too.
You can literally feel the moments in this story. The ones between Peyton and Ronnie are great and as they came to understand they weren’t so different, those moments were intimate and it was lovely to get an insight into how they didn’t just work well together, they had amazing chemistry at all times. Those other moments where they are really making a connection with the paranormal are intense, but so so good and had me on the edge of my seat.

It was the right amount of spooky, and fun, and completely fabulous. When I decided to review the book, from the blurb I thought I know what I was getting and I just got so much more. I was completely blown away by every moment and know this review can’t do it justice. A real must read that I cannot recommend enough!

[currentlyreadingbynat · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Seen on TV! was a novel that completely took me by surprise. This is the first book I've read with a quasi 'ghost hunter' and I didn't really know what to expect. Throw in a TV chef and these two elements were so intriguing that I couldn't help but request this ARC. I really enjoyed this read as it was something so completely different!

Ronnie and Peyton are two TV hosts with shows featuring very different themes - paranormal investigations and home-cooking. Their network decides to throw them together in crossover specials, with surprising results. Both characters start off disliking the idea, but soon find themselves enjoying spending time with the other. Romance ensues, but also some serious freaky ghost hunting!

I particularly enjoyed the paranormal investigation side to this novel. In a way, it slightly creeped me out and I couldn't help but wonder if stuff like this legitimately happens. The romance between Peyton and Ronnie developed well but at the end of the novel it rushed into its conclusion, which was a real shame. At times, I found myself slightly confused by who was thinking or speaking, as there were moments where it felt like the novel jumped from one character's head to the other without any clear transition.

Regardless, I still really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend if you're looking for something different than the usual run-of-the-mill lesfic 😊

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I guess characters who are hosts of paranormal television shows are my thing because I swear I’ve read like three books with this type of heroine and I enjoyed them all. It’s a strange and niche thing I know but it’s something that I noticed. I digress. This was such a fun read. It’s humorous and wacky and a bit bizarre.

A cooking show host (Ronnie) and a paranormal investigator (Peyton) are forced to do crossovers on each others shows and they are not having it. I loved the tension between them when they first met each other. They bump heads and it made for some fun banter that turned into flirting. The snark was great and I really enjoyed watching them bond the more they worked together. While the romance is there it definitely takes a backseat to the paranormal plot which got a bit annoying. Peyton and Ronnie were great characters and had such good chemistry that I wanted more focus on their love story. Instead we get a half assed sex scene in the last four pages of the book that felt thrown in as an afterthought. Eh. I still enjoyed it though. Peyton is prickly and by the book and Ronnie (whom I adored!) is snarky and charming and laid back. They really balanced each other out perfectly.

Overall, fun read. I got through in a few hours because once I started it I couldn’t put it down.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was SUCH a fun read. The characters were lively and entertaining, the setting was fantastic, and the romance was perfection.

I love this concept so much. Taking a chef from her own show and having her cook in haunted houses while a paranormal investigation team try to communicate with ghosts? Excellent. This was funny and genuinely tense in equal measure.

Both Ronnie and Peyton were a delight to read, and I really loved watching them slowly soften towards each other then fall for each other.

The only real criticism I have is that some of the dialogue felt a little stilted and forced in places, almost like the characters were saying more than they needed to, especially in big group conversations.

Nonetheless, this is the perfect queer romcom for spooky season.

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great start. I don’t watch paranormal stuff on tv so some of the equipment names and uses went over my head but that was no barrier to enjoying this romp. I felt the pacing dropped a little about the 55% mark. The relationship wasn’t moving and neither really was the plot. I’m not sure if the outside jeopardy will come from the network, the ghosts or another source. But I feel the jeopardy is needed soon. However as the excitement of the final live show dawned, I found myself skim reading, partly to find out what happens (good) but also because half of what I was reading made no sense because I still didn’t know what all the bits meant. (Bad) Was there jeopardy here? Not really. In fact the jeopardy never really appeared apart from a wee bit of what will the network/audience think. I liked the premise of the book but it was a book of two halves. The first half I was really keen to find out how it would end, the second half I just wanted to get to the end.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peyton Stanford is a no nonsense paranormal investigator who stars in a popular tv show. After six years the show is solid but ratings are no longer climbing. Ronnie Smart has a cooking show that is slowly attracting views. She is known for simple cooking that can be done inside or outdoors. The network hoping to boost both shows ratings insists on combining their talents having Ronnie appear on the Peytons show. They go with the idea that foods from the time period of the ghosts might enhance the spirits activities. The two find the idea silly but contracts don’t give them a choice.

A lot of the book is spent on the three shows they film together including a live Halloween episode at historic house on the Cape. TV watchers speculate on social media about the on screen chemistry between the two. You get some history of the houses and the hauntings. There are technical gizmos allowing them to hear words occasionally from entities they encounter. The book creates a little creepy tingling but it isn’t scary. I’m not sure I bought all the guesses and assumptions about the ghosts or how they removed them. But I went with the story and accepted the paranormal investigators knew what they were doing. The attraction is gentle and the two woman enjoy each others company. But both agree nothing can happen while they are filming, which is most of the book. So while I liked the book I think I wanted more of them together when it wasn’t work related. Like when they went to dinner with each other. I wanted to feel the chemistry that viewers were picking up on. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Book Inc., for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (3.5 stars)

[Celina · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝚃𝙷𝙴𝙼𝙴𝚂: 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕. 𝙶𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚜. 𝚄𝚛𝚋𝚊𝚗 𝙵𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢. 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝙵𝚘𝚘𝚍. 𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝙰𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜/𝙰𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜.

𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘;
I love ghost stories, in my head, I am sitting around a bonfire and listening to some crazy scary stuff. This one was different, I have to admit, it wasn't really what I wanted? when it comes to ghost stories. Esp the cooking part, I really didn't see how that connected to the story at all. Yes, we got the old tradition food, which by the way, I didn't understand at all. But also the ghost part wasn't really put-forward. So the plot is more of romance than either foodie or ghostie.


𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑
The already established friendships were not something to look much at, but the development between Peyton and Ronnie was good. Though their romance development felt a little forced in the start. Enemies to lovers is a good thing. I didn't really have a favorite charactr but if I was to choose, I might go for Ronnie. I can't really picture how she looks and her personality but I love food. So that's a win. Though I also love ghost stories but Peyton was really condescending which is not a good trait. Yes, I could see why she would be defensive but sometimes she overdid it.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆:
𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱. 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱. 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝘇𝘇𝗲𝗹'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗲-𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴.


𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘽𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.⁠

[SamTheBookDevotee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book piqued my interest. I also, like the characters, think a paranormal show and cooking show crossover would be weird. Throw in a wlw romance and I was hooked. I'm very thankful that I was able to get a review copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I will say, as much as I enjoyed the book, it was just too long. I felt the book slogged through the middle portion. While the characters were great I felt the author focused way too much on the paranormal investigations which limited interaction with the main characters. It just took me longer to finish a book of this length than it normally takes me.

I really liked Ronnie. I thought she was funny and I liked her light hearted demeanor. I thought it was a good contrast to Peyton's straightforward no nonsense attitude. I thought Peyton wad a good character as well. There were a few times I felt she was a bit defensive which I felt was a bit annoying. I understand she didn't want people mock or discredit her work, but I felt it took away from the characteristics the author wad trying to convey. All the side characters were downright enjoyable and definitely helped made the store better. The romance itself was pretty good once the characters stopped getting in their own way.

Overall, this is definitely worth reading and should be on your fall TBR despite the pacing issue.

[Bee Sherrard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having her own show featuring home cook meals was a dream job as far as Ronnie Smart was concerned. Getting her own show was unexpected, concerning the fact that she’s never trained as a chef in a nice restaurant or even as a short order cook. Now she enjoys doing her show ‘Casual Cook’, growing her audience and hopefully more advertising keeping her show on air.
Peyton Stanford has a show on the same network that carries Ronnie’s show. But instead of showing her viewers how to cook, she takes them along with her and her crew searching old, haunted buildings for any paranormal activity. She to love’s her show and feels like her audience is steadily growing.
When the powers that rule over the network think bringing these two shows together would make for great TV. Peyton and Ronnie both think it's a terrible idea, especially when the attraction between the two star’s becomes obvious to everyone around them.
Having read several books by Ms Frizzel I knew this book was sure to be a good read with its MC’s being very likable, funny and smart. Supporting cast only adds to the story line. Funny story, funny plot makes this book one of the better books written by this author.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peyton Stanford is a paranormal investigator who stars in a popular tv show with solid but stagnant ratings. Ronnie Smart has a cooking show based on simple cooking both indoors and outdoors that’s on the up with public popularity. When the network has the brilliant idea of putting Peyton and Ronnie together in a crossover they both think it’s ridiculous. I mean, paranormal and cooking in the same show?
Most of the book is during filming the 2 shows and the live Halloween finale and there’s a lot of paranormal going on. Nothing scary but definitely in the paranormal spectrum. The decision of not having anything happening while working together would have worked best if the shows didn't take most of the book. I would have liked more Peyton and Ronnie and less Paranormal Pursuit.

Free ARC via NetGalley

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frizzell’s new novel is a cute romantic novel that ticks all the boxes which creates its own charm. The story is mostly told through the eyes of Ronnie Smart but would have been nice to have a more counterbalance with Peyton Stoddard’s character. This does not deter from the fun and romantic situation.

The characters are well written and there is heart and emotional content to keep the reader truly invested. The side characters are very three dimensional and by the end you root for this couple to get together.

Personally, I really liked the banter between the characters and the different approaches to their situations which helped keep the material buoyant and entertaining. I would highly recommend this book as it would make a great summer read.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say there is chemistry between the MC's, but in the first half I don't feel it that much. There's more ghosts than romance in this novel. Also a lot of technicallities about ghost hunting which bored me some. Steamy sexy moments not so much. I expected more of this one, so I was a little dissapointed. 3.5* for me.

[Angela Holden Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting, I absolutely loved it.
I just had to keep reading it was that good.
Creepy, fabulous and lots of fun.
The characters were all so good. and who could resist ghost hunting and cooking'
I absolutely loved it and I want to read it again

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

That scene near the end was really cheesy.

[Jaimy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A paranormal investigator and a causal cook in one tv show. An odd, but amazing combination. I now wanna see it come to life, haha. Loved this book!

[Siddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ronnie fronts Casual Cook, a T-shirt and jeans cooking show, and Peyton fronts Paranormal Pursuit, a ghost-hunter type show. Their network decides to start a crossover of both shows, with both Ronnie and Peyton being against it.
This is a brilliantly quirky story, all the characters are really well thought out, the narrative flows naturally, and Ronnie and Peyton are both warm, likeable characters. The story is all based on their professional personas, so we don’t see anything much of their private lives, or their families, but that works very well. Their sexual tension throughout the story adds to the tension of the paranormal tv shoots.
CF Frizzell has quite a way of writing. Some other authors spell out almost everything for their readers. CF leaves the readers to think a lot, especially in the mostly spoken scenes. The focus goes backwards and forwards very fast, without specifying who said what, but the distinct style of writing for each character makes it quite obvious.
Not liking paranormal or ghost stories much, I was worried about reading this, but it is handled very well. All the ghostly encounters are described in a matter-of-fact, scientific way without making it too scary. There is also an element of scariness that I actually enjoyed, giving me gentle goosebumps.
Overall, a fantastic story, well worth reading.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book. I love Ronnie and wish The Casual Cook was a real show.
Peyton is great as the lead on Paranormal Pursuit and I wish there were some more paranormal elements? The blurb made it sound like the live episode would get really spooky.
It was nice how the final ghost, who couldn’t be with his male lover, wanted Ronnie and Peyton to get together. To me, it sounded like he wanted them to buy Miramar together.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this so much so, thanks NetGalley.