I found this to be a very fun book especially as I am someone who both enjoys food and fantasy!

It was fantastastical and would recommend to people who want a light hearted read.

A few years ago, author Nicole Kimberling introduced us to Special Agent Keith Curry and his sidekick/goblin translator, Hunter Heartman, in a piece entitled Cherries worth Getting, which was part of a compilation of short stories entitled The Irregulars. I thought the story was brilliant. We were introduced to a human chef turned food investigator for NATO’s Irregulars Affairs Division (NIAD), dating a field agent who turned out to be a transmogrified goblin who was insanely handsome and had the quirky habit of eating cigarettes and drinking lighter fluid. Honestly, could this get any better? Well, they are back and the stories are crazier, the creatures introduced more fascinating, and the love affair that began…over? What?

In a collection of short stories, our intrepid author maps out the reunion between her two dynamic heroes, and it is less than romantic. In fact, when last Keith and Hunter were together, Hunter had informed Keith he was not the (hu)man for him, and they parted just as Keith was realizing he more than liked Hunter and not just for the sex—which was pretty nice. In his current case, Keith is in need of a goblin linguist, and guess who shows up. Keith is determined to keep it professional, but before long their attraction surfaces once more and all bets are off.

Not only is the concept of a vegan ex-chef and a hefty meat eating goblin just crazy-good, but the way these two dance around their attraction for each other is absolutely divine. As each story delves into the strange and bizarre cases Keith takes on, we watch the fellas go from work colleagues to lovers to more. When you surround them with intriguing side characters and relatives (Hunter’s) then the stories become even richer, slightly more demented, and vastly entertaining. I can tell you that the Christmas themed short Cookie Jamboree and the story Magically Delicious were my absolute favorites. Magically Delicious introduces us to leprechauns, which Keith refers to as “angry ball biters” and good lord, it is hilarious.

If you have not read the original story from the anthology Irregulars, Ms. Kimberling gives you plenty of background on both Keith and Hunter to navigate this collection of short stories. This is a delightful body of work, and I highly recommend it to you!

This is a collection of stories they are each short. In concept each story is an interesting idea for a book the writing was okay. I was a bit confused because there wasn’t a lot of world building to enable a full understanding of events and characters. Which is too bad because I did like each story idea. The plot was entertaining and it was steady throughout the book. I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

First of all the title is amazing. I thought it was a one story book but it was a story collection. I didn't see Keith Curry returnts title so that was my mistake. So there were a lot of conversation between Keith and her boyfriend Gunther about their past. But don't worry you can understand the story. I expected more action but there were a lot of romance. It was really cute and lovely story collection. If i find any stories about Keith Curry i will read them too.

The title of this book caught my attention. I love a good mystery. And adding food into the mix, what could go wrong! However, I found that I lost interest in the storyline fairly early. I stuck with it for a little more than half, then finally gave up. I do believe that there are those who would really enjoy it. I am just not one of them.

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Author's Note states that this is part of the Irregulars universe, and that authors such as Ginn Hale, Josh Lanyon and Astrid Amara have all contributed novellas to the original volume (Irregulars, Blind Eye Books, 2012). I had no idea! I will be looking for the book that started it all because, well, I do like to read things in order, but also I felt like I was jumping into the middle of a story and it left me somewhat lost and confused.

The characters and writing that Nicole Kimberling gave us were stellar. The blurb is what got my attention from the start and I like unusual stories (sometimes), and this sounded like an adventure. Which it was, but again I felt like I was tossed into the middle of a story and that wasn't the best feeling. I will say that the more I read, the better - more comfortable - I became with the world and characters.

Grilled Cheese is NOT one story; it's in fact a collection of 6 short stories that follow the same characters and their relationship, tossed in with supernatural mysteries.

1.) Cherries Worth Getting
2.) Cookie Jamboree
3.) The Little Golden Book of Goblin Stories
4.) Magically Delicious
5.) The Most Important Meal of the Day
6.) Bring Out Your Best

Cherries Worth Getting was the hardest story for me to get in to, but then when I realized there were these little codas mixed in, I was excited. There is some cute comedy mixed in with these stories, and some sexy times. And I loved when Keith would call Gunther his "live-in boyfriend." In the first story, they are reunited after being broken up for a while, and I love a good HEA, so these extra stories felt like one long epilogue, but better!

I should warn you that their is some rather icky discussion about goblins eating human flesh, and feeding it to unsuspecting humans. Blech! There are all kinds of non-human beings in these stories, and some were good and fun, and others were the bad guys. If I ever do find the time to read this universe from the beginning, I will be sure to come back to Grilled Cheese.

3 stars.

I would suggest this book to fans of comedy and deliciously awkward nerd-culture. I would suggest those just getting into fantasy try this book out. It reminded me of Douglas Adams at times, and was a great break from all the thrillers I have been reading. Quirky and fun, this book has chaos, mayhem and tasty food around every corner. Strap yourself in. It is a wild ride.

4-4.5 Stars

This book got me revisiting Keith Curry’s adventures as a NIAD Special Agent (that’s NATO Irregulars Affairs Division) specializing in magical food/drugs related inspections. “Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector” comprises of six novellas, four of which had previously been published before (each as part of paranormal anthology and seasonal coda). Each and every story is fast-moving, humor-packed, and uproariously entertaining. From “Cherries Worth Getting” to “Bring Out Your Best” Nicole Kimberling brought readers journeying from one realm to another following Agent Keith Curry solving problems and upholding law for humans and extra-humans alike.

Keith’s relationship with his trans-goblin boyfriend Gunther was also one of the sweet, cheeky, and touching romance that I love! Kimberling deftly fuse the romantic aspect into the storyline, taking into account the difference between our protagonists but without overly dramatizing the issue. The two underwent “normal” phase of relationship that improved with time, which included their extended family.

The story being told in his POV let readers into Keith’s head and shared his insecurity and adroitness. In fact, the latest two novellas validated Keith as cranky, sensitive, yet quick-witted and formidable agent in Irregulars universe with a no less strong and loyal boyfriend as his side-kick.

Altogether, “Grilled Cheese and Goblins” collection is some of the best fun I have in a while. Without a doubt, this book is going to go into my reread shortlist!!


Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cherries Worth Getting: 4*
Previously released in Irregulars
An interesting world with two solid leads and a well thought out investigation. Would have loved a longer investigation to stretch out the romance. In awe of the world building. Glad I've got a whole book of Keith and Gunther to enjoy.

Cookie Jambore: 4*

A Christmas Coda that takes place between Cherries Worth Getting & Magically Delicious. This is a sweet and romantic short story that not only shows Keith joining Gunther in one of his regular commitments, but also deals with how the couple decide to move in together.

The Little Golden Book of Goblin Stories: 4*

Gunther has asked Keith to find a special book from his childhood. This cute story reveals how amazing Gunther's Mum is.

Magically Delicious: 4*
Previously released in Charmed and Dangerous.

This story focuses more on Keith than on the relationship. Keith and Gunther are now living together and someone is 'attacking' NIAD agents with pixie-dust. Gunther becomes the 8th agent to be effected. Keith's not the kind of boyfriend to sit by Gunther's hospital bed wringing his hands, so he heads out determined to find out who's behind the attacks. Although Gunther is in the background, Keith's realisations about his relationship are interspersed with his investigation. And there is a lovely scene with Gunther's parents. The leprechauns are great fun, especially the one who becomes Keith's temporary partner/son.

The Most Important Meal of The Day: 4*

Haha. This one is fun and graphically violent with people being ripped in two or eaten by a monster from the sky. Keith and Gunther are the only ones who can save the world, but they're about to have breakfast when the apocalypse strikes.

Bring Out the Best: 4.5*

Keith and Gunther have been living together for a couple of years when Keith starts investigating a case of bad blood being delivered to non-humans. Gunther's cousin comes to stay after being kicked out of the Air Force and spends a lot of time making toast and mooning over the plane he left behind. Gunther saves Keith when he does something stupid, but ultimately it's Keith that solves the case and proves his worth. The relationship is great in this one and it's obvious how much their relationship has thrived in this one. Brilliant ending.

While most of these stories received 4 stars from me, I have to give the overall book 5 stars. The collection shows the overall progress of the relationship and Keith's transformation back into fully functioning human. He's come a long way from the first story. All due to the love of a trans-goblin.

OK, first off, this is not one continuous story, which I'd have known if I'd read the blurb. Instead it's three shortish novellas with a few sort of bonus chapters that make some connections between the novellas thrown in. It's not what I was expecting, so I was thrown for a loop when what I thought of as the "book" ended at about the 30% mark (about 100 pages) and was followed by a sort of ... epilogue? bonus chapter?

So I did some digging and what this book actually is is a compilation of two existing novellas, Cherries Worth Getting and Magically Delicious, interspersed with some little one-shot slice-of-life bonus chapter like short stories of Keith and Gunther's life.
Full contents:
**Cherries With Getting (mystery/detective novella)
**Cookie Jamboree (one chapter holiday slice-of-life short story)
**The Little Golden Book of Goblin Stories (one chapter slice-of-life short story)
**Magically Delicious (mystery/detective novella)
**The Most Important Meal of the Day (one chapter slice-of-life short story)
**Bring Out Your Best (mystery/detective novella)

I don't really care much for short stories, so I almost quit reading when I got to the second little slice-of-life short story after the first main novella. I'm glad I kept reading, because the other longer novellas are very good.

Grilled Cheese and Goblins is a great Urban Fantasy detective series with a little side of M/M romance, though the focus on romance tends to show up more in the short stories. I love Kimberling's world building and how her magical world exists alongside the real world we live in every day. Keith has some major character development throughout the book (despite it not being one continuous novel!) as his relationship with Gunther progresses, and I love how much his attitudes about the extra-human community change - and how his eyes are opened so much to how they are treated (or mistreated) once he has some skin in the game with his boyfriend being trans-goblin. So yes, this is a fun Urban Fantasy read, but you can also draw your own comparisons to how people are truly being treated IRL because of race, sexual orientation, gender, ability... The final novella especially felt really politically charged.

I can't wait to read more about Keith Curry and his investigations, and Grilled Cheese and Goblins made me want to give me detective novels a try (normally not something in my preferred list of genres!)

Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector by Nicole Kimberling is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the "food inspectors" aspect in this fantasy town. Goblins, elves, vampires, humans, and more living and working together. Also portals for transport. Great imagination! Gunther is one of the main characters but he is a goblin but while in the uterus he was manipulated to look like a human. He grew up having more opportunities due to this secret. Another magic of this author's clever imagination. This is also a gay romance in parts. The two main characters were lovers in the past and now that they are back together, love blossoms anew.
Meanwhile, there are many seedy crimes they are trying to solve. Cannibalism...that can be a problem for a food inspector. That is just one of many things in this strange and curious land.

A very entertaining anthology of stories about Special Agent Keith Curry from the world of the Irregulars. This volume brings together a number of stories about Keith that have been published separately or as part of The Irregulars anthology.

"'NATO's Irregulars Affairs Division (NIAD) is a secret organization operating in thousands of cities around the globe. Its agents police relations between the earthly realm and those realms beyond this world, protecting citizens from both mundane and otherworldly dangers."

And into this dangerous role comes Special Agent Keith Curry. Keith manages to bridge the gap between earth and other wordly places by using his wits, his dogged investigation skills and the fact that he is rather stubborn. This stubbornness leads him to take risks, ignore authority and do things in his own way as long as he has his mage pistol beside him and even when he hasn't.

Keith finds the citizens from the other worlds to be fascinating, irritating, and also sometimes totally endearing in the case of Gunther his one time otherworldly boyfriend. As Keith carries out his role as a food inspector he tracks down both human and non-human crooks making the world a safer place for all and if he re-discovers his attraction for Gunther (goblin) Heartman at the same time then so be it.

This is a great volume of stories whether you are familiar with The Irregulars or not. It is great to see how Keith grapples with the otherworldly migrants who have settled into life on earth even though that life is a hidden one. I enjoy urban fantasy and so this volume of stories was just perfect for me. I thought Keith was a bit if a gruff character to begin with but of course by the end of the volume I wanted more adventures, more strange creatures and definitely more Gunther.

A great set of stories with very richly depicted and entertaining characters. If you like humour with your urban fantasy then this is defeinitely a volume of stories for you!

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is an entertaining bunch of short stories featuring Keith Curry and his goblin partner Gunther. They work for NATO's Irregulars Affairs Division as food inspectors. This is a branch off of a character featured in Irregulars but works fine as a stand alone.

The author has created a super entertaining urban fantasy world filled with all kinds of creatures. Some of the stories are about their cases and are creative and unique. Other stories are about the romance between Keith and Gunther.

There's quite a variation in the stories; different plots, some are short, some are long, some action packed, some romantic. My favorites were the romantic ones. The one about the Little Golden Book was all kinds of aww.....

If you like short stories and are looking for something a bit outside the box this would be a good choice.

Review by 2shay..........

The first thing you should know before grabbing a copy of this book, and I highly recommend that you do, is that this is not a continuous novel. It’s a novella and a collection of short stories. Before you roll your eyes, you should know that I’m not a fan of short stories. This is way different. This book, these stories, are so well written and so nicely edited that they flow seamlessly together. Honestly, it was more like reading a novel and the stories were just the next chapter of the book.

Keith Curry is the food inspector. He’s a very serious man. He’s determined to keep humans safe from those other-than-humans who have some...well...interesting tastes. Including human flesh. Eewwwww! Keith thinks as highly of human flesh as a gastronomic delight as I do. Just...eewwww!

Keith is gay. We learn, that before these stories begin, he has had a series of one night stands with the insanely gorgeous Gunther. Keith thinks he’s pretty ordinary himself, and wondered why a man who could capture the attention of anyone would show him any interest at all. Unfortunately, after several gratifying meetings, Gunther broke off their off and on relationship. And, readers, this is an important thread in the story. What do you do when confronted with a prejudice you didn’t know you had until forced to confront it? That’s what happens to Keith when he discovers that the extraordinarily handsome Gunther isn’t human. It’s a wake-up call for all of us to think hard about what unkind things we might had said or thought about those just a little different. It’s eye opening.

Cudos to Ms. Kimberling for including an important theme into a fun and entertaining paranormal tale. These stories are straight out great. Grab a copy and...

Enjoy! ARC graciously provided by Blind Eye Books and NetGalley for an honest and voluntary review.

*~~*ARC kindly provided to me for an honest review *~~*

- Review to come

Review originally posted on my blog with added content on Mikku-chan / A world full of words

Foodies and fantasy lovers alike prepare to feast on the genre blending world Nicole Kimberling has whipped up! It's seasoned to perfection and this collection of stories has servings big and small of adventurous, funny and even sexy delights to fill you up.

No spoilers here, but you'll have fun reading! This book has everything for West Coast fantasy readers and anyone else who enjoys the magical/mystery genre! Hipster foodcarts that may or may not be dealing black market human flesh, ornery leprechauns named "Ginger Beard", goblin in-laws, romance and grilled cheeses.

If you enjoy the Rivers of London, Iron Druid, Dresden Files and other fanficul entries into the Urban Fantasy genre then you're likely to goblin' up this fare!

If I had the paperback in my hands right now I'd turn to my buddy and say "hey butthole [this is how true friends address each other] read this and get ready for fun on a bun."

Warning: Before reading, make sure you've got yourself a loaf of bread and some good cheese. If you can finish these stories without finding a way to combine starchy carbs and cheese, you're a stronger person than I.

this seemed pretty promising at the beginning due to the very original premise - supernatural food inspector who thinks a place is serving up human flesh? count me in. something that i wasn't expecting was that this is actually a collection of short stories, which isn't a problem, it's just a bit weird that it's not stated on the cover - it sort of implies it with "adventures of a..." but that's very vague. anyway, minor thing, not really an issue, just thought i'd mention it in case y'all thought it was a novel/one continuous narrative.

so basically, there's a couple of mystery-type novellas that make up most of the book, and in the middle there's also a couple of mega short, quite cute flash fictions that explore the relationship between keith and gunther. they were enjoyable, but for some reason i didn't really find their personalities particularly exciting. keith was uh, Not the most likable character though, and not in an interesting way, just in a "ah, bit of a jerk" kind of way, and gunther was a bit flat.

i also wasn't fond of the mysteries. whenever i don't like a mystery, my main problem is nearly always the same: stakes. there aren't enough stakes. the culprit just turns out to be this person out of many other people who we don't really connect with, who don't enter the narrative in any particularly exciting way, and who are not surprising at all. a good mystery has excellent rendering of characters, so it's surprising when someone turns out to be the culprit because you thought their feelings/motives were this but it actually turns out to be that. you know what i'm saying? but when it's just Random Goblin #1, Random Goblin #2, Random Vampire #1 and Random Vampire #2, i just... don't care who it is. because it's not interesting, and there aren't any stakes.

tl;dr good concept, bad execution. one star does seem kind of harsh but at the same time i was BORED!!! so i think it deserves it. also, there was this offhand comment about how keith thought one of the suspects, a highly unpleasant person, had "ADD" or "autism" and this was presented in a negative light and that just rubbed me the wrong way. like, it's 2018, we're not going to be doing this lads.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, atmosphere, and characters. I would recommend the book to friends and family for their reading pleasure.

Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector is a new double-novella book by Nicole Kimberling. Due out 9th Oct, 2018, it's 317 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.

I am a big fan of urban fantasy, though possibly a bit too much of a curmudgeon to consider myself a romance fan. These stories, while they definitely had a big romance component, were squarely in the not-too-saccharine category.

There are recurring characters and these two stories fit into a larger canon by the author. I read the book as a standalone and wasn't familiar with the setting or characters and I had no trouble following along.

I was definitely pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing and plotting. The dialogue is very well done and humorous, but not too snarky. The language is often rough but not out of context and the sex scenes are well done and move the plot along (i.e., not gratuitous). As other reviewers have noted, this is an M/M story.

I enjoyed these stories enough that I fully intend to seek out the other works with these characters. Well done.

Four stars.

Two of these stories have previously published in different anthology -- so I will focus on stories I have yet read and copy my review from the anthology for the other two.

Cherries Worth Getting: 4 Stars
Previously released in Irregulars, read in March 2012

Keith Curry is a ex-chef turned Irregular Agent, who is investigating culinary-related crime (humans are being murdered and their flesh are, well, being served as meat on restaurants *yuck*). Enters Gunther Heartman, an agent who is also goblin expert, and one time Keith's ex friends-with-benefit. They now must work together, while navigating around the 'case of the heart' as well.

It's an interesting set-up to the world of Irregulars agent. I think Keith is appealing, because he actually starts as a professional chef, rather than directly interested with Irregular's world (his reason for joining is interesting). The romance is subtle -- and there are some tender moments. So, though the ending is not HEA (it's more Hopeful For Now), I think the story is pretty good.

Cookie Jambore: 4 Stars

This is a Christmas Coda that happens before Magically Delicious. FINALLY, I found out how Keith and Gunther decided to move in together. This is sweet and pretty romantic for a short story

The Little Golden Book of Goblin Stories: 3.5 Stars

Another coda where Keith Curry is trying to find this special book from Gunther's childhood, and discovers there's something even more personal to the book than both men initially thought.

This is a Christmas Coda that happened before Magically Delicious. FINALLY, I found out how Keith and Gunther decided to move in together. This is sweet and pretty romantic for a short story

Magically Delicious: 4 stars
Previously released in Charmed and Dangerous, read in September 2015

Kimberling revisits her characters from Irregulars, NIAD (NATO’s Irregular Affairs Division) agents Keith Curry and his goblin boyfriend Gunther in this short story. I don't know if reading their initial story will be necessary (but you should read that anthology anyway!) because this one has pretty straight mystery rather than progress on their relationship (except for the update that Keith has finally moved in with Gunther).

Gunther is the 8th NIAD agents 'attacked' by pixie-dust effects, and Keith finds out what really causing it. It gives focus on Keith and the chance for him to shine. Loved the 'temporary' partnership with the leprechaun. And I truly hope they keep the cat ^^.

I definitely wouldn't mind if Kimberling returns to this couple from time to time :)

The Most Important Meal of The Day: 4 stars

Keith and Gunther, in the middle of the apocalypse. I thought this was really SMART story!!! I LOVED the twist near the end about how the apocalypse was being handled. Yep, loved it.

Bring Out the Best: 4 stars

Keith is tackling a case of bad blood being delivered to non-humans and ends up solving another case. Which shows him as a worthy human ... and well, get a LOT of cookie points from Gunther's family, I presume. I LOVED THE ENDING!!! Please, please, please Ms. Kimberling, write more about Keith and Gunther..