Review: Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan

*I received a digital advance reading copy of this book from Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love

by Katrina Kwan

August 27, 2024

Goodreads Summary:

In this spicy workplace romance, a hotheaded celebrity chef finds himself drawn to his inexperienced new hire. But when her bubbly attitude collides with his sharp edges, can they handle the heat, or will their love be a recipe for disaster?

Alexander Chen is one of the most talented chefs to ever grace the culinary world of French haute cuisine. He rules his kitchen with an iron fist and fiery temper, so it's no secret that if you can't handle the heat, he'll gladly toss you out with the trash. As one of the first Chinese-American chefs to claw his way to the top, he has a lot to prove and a massive chip on his shoulder.

But he wasn't always like this. Eden Monroe, his newly hired sous chef—who may or may not have (definitely) embellished a lot on her resumé to land herself the job—knew him back when he still went by his real name, Shang. He used to be sweet and helpful and definitely not the second coming of the devil himself.

Eden won't say anything, though, no matter how hot her curiosity burns. Especially if it could cost her this job, which she needs if she has any hope of hiring a private detective to find something she lost long ago.

All she has to do is fly under the radar. It's just a shame that she and her new boss butt heads more often than they fulfill orders. But what happens when things finally boil over, and they discover the feelings between them are spicier than they ever imagined?

Review

Usually I adore romances with food content but sadly Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love didn't quite work for me. I cringed a lot during the story.

I think my biggest problem with Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love was the romance. It suffers a major case of insta-love. Eden has fond memories of Alexander so I can understand her crush but he had lusty thoughts about her way too soon. Considering Alexander didn’t remember her and he also recently became her boss, it was pretty inappropriate. In addition, some of the situations and dialogues between them was super cheesy. I just wasn’t convinced of their strong feelings.

What I did really enjoy about Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love was the cooking. Alexander may not have had the best temper but he was undeniably a skilled chef. Eden shined with the confident way she cooked and handled the kitchen. Every dish that was mentioned had my mouth watering. How I wish I could sample just one!

If not for Eden’s backstory, I probably would have put down Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love. But I needed to know! I feel a tad conflicted with the answer we got but I’m glad Eden received closure. It just goes to show that not every single thing in life can have a happily ever after.

While the romance in Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love wasn’t for me, the food lover in me gobbled up every bit of cuisine in the story. Thank you for some delicious moments :)

*I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.