I was not all that impressed by the story, it was an ok, fast and easy read. But I think that I did not feel the chemistry between the characters, both were own kind of annoying, boring and insufferable.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A steamy read that was okay, but I would like to read the other books in the series.

I liked this book okay, but the pace of the book seemed off. I wish there was more build up between the main characters. Everything happened so fast that it felt sort of rushed and forced. I did really enjoy both the main characters though and loved the whole food/cooking theme.

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

This was a cute-ish book over, I really liked both characters but didn't feel the connection to either was deep enough. I wanted more emotional oomph to it there.

This was a refreshing tale from Christopher, as the rest of her series focused on m/f relationships. I thought the enemies to lovers trope was done quite well, and the way the characters grew to care for each other felt comfortable for me. I would've liked for the story to have been longer, considering that the book before this one (Night and Day) was longer and focused on a m/f relationship. In addition, I liked her depiction of their relationship, as it didn't feel extremely fetishizing. However, their hang-ups as to why they shouldn't date felt forgettable.

I really enjoyed this foodie romance and latest story in the One Night in South Beach series! Joaquin is a grumpy bear of a chef and being forced out of his kitchen to recover from an injury is a painful experience, especially since a family friend that he's annoyingly attracted to, Felix, is going to fill in for him. Felix has had his eye on Joaquin for a while but never thought Joaquin would give him the time of day. Now things are decidedly different and a heated affair between the two is inevitable. Felix is a more lighthearted character than Joaquin but he understands how Joaquin feels about relinquishing his kitchen. He's able to be supportive while at the same time offering suggestions that would improve the overall run of the restaurant. They have both had some tough family issues to deal with over the years, things they are able to share with each other that bring them closer together. Sexy scenes, emotional conversations, and a sense of having finally found Mr. Right and not just Mr. For Right Now. It's an enjoyable and entertaining read!

This was an absolute delight. Firstly, it’s a foodie romance, with two gorgeous Latinx heroes (Cuban-American and Puerto Rican respectively) falling in love despite themselves. Secondly, Christopher can really, really write. She captures the emotion and the tension between Joaquin and Felix brilliantly, making us will them towards a HEA.

This is a romance about second chances, and allowing yourself to see past first impressions, to revisit and question your assumptions about other people, and it’s all the more satisfying for it.

But I’d like to come back to the foodie aspect of the romance. Too often we see rival kitchens, or a chef who wants to feed their paramour (not complaining, just pointing out), but here we have an established chef who has to let someone help run his kitchen after he’s injured. There’s something about starting the book off with one of the characters made vulnerable in this way that makes it very satisfying when Felix reveals his vulnerable side as well.

Fabulous writing.

Review:

I picked up this book, excited because it featured Puerto Rican leads. Given the growing interest in diverse characters, I was thrilled to give this book a try.

There are many aspects of the novel to recommend it. The characters are likeable and there is a lot of chemistry between them. They have great dialogue and their motivations are clear. Joaquin is a work-a-holic who could use some training in employee motivation and retainment. Felix is getting over a broken heart and plan on moving to New York for a new chance at life. There’s no question that the conflicts in this story promised to be strong, internal ones and I was ready for it.

However, I quickly got lost. Part of the problem was certainly me – perhaps I should have read the other installments of the series. There were a lot of assumptions about things I should have known but simply didn’t. For example, what could have been a great chance to reinforce the nature and importance of extended family in Latinx culture ended up being a kind of name-dump because I missed out on the earlier installments. As a result, I couldn’t assign importance to anyone outside of the main pairing and Lola.

This carries me to my next major point. These are Puerto Rican/Cuban/Caribbean folks. But I just didn’t feel it. Like, what about the food and the language, the code switching and the Spanglish, the funny habits and quirks that make us who we are? There is the fact that there is no one way to be Latinx but perhaps a concession would have made me happy. For example, Lola is a transplant – what else is she besides match maker? Again, I lay the blame squarely on myself, for reading the books out of order so I’m going to assume that her background, as well as others, was addressed and developed in those books.

Structurally, the beats were good and the leads adorable together. I felt the conflict could have been solved with a quick conversation. Roman was not a formidable villain and was almost cartoonish. However, he was intriguing because he served to make Felix desirable and sometimes, that’s a goal in itself.

Overall, I'm giving it a 4 because it's a quick, fun and engaging read that you'll certainly enjoy more if you’ve done the work of reading the other books. Now I’m off to look for a book featuring Lola 😊.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Joaquin should be furious with the other man. But, instead, he found himself on the verge of wrapping his hand around the back of the other man's neck and kissing him in front of his staff."

*On Fire* The chemistry between Joaquin and Felix is palpable. For the record, I LOVE the One Night in South Beach series, big time. This addition did not disappoint.

Felix has seen Joaquin before and knows they will not be compatible. That is until Joaquin is in need of Felix's help. And Joaquin sees Felix in a whole new light!

As usual, Lola is playing matchmaker, and she is never wrong!

Great story and characters!

the latest one night in south beach release, all hours, brings us felix and joaquin's story. the grouchy restauranteur meets his match with the charming and outgoing chef. when joaquin is injured on the job and needs some help from his friends, he begrudgingly asks felix.

but when felix keeps joaquin's restaurant running smoothly, joaquin is surprised and a little bit put out. he's been overstretched but no one likes to feel easily replaced. as they work together the chemistry and sparks between them ignite to a full flame.

this story is steamy and sweet and wrapped into this crazy big loving family in south beach.

**all hours will publish on july 30, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/kensington books (lyrical press) in exchange for my honest review.

A sweet culinary romance. I liked nearly everything about this book: the characters, the detailed knowledge of cuisine, the emotions! I did feel like I was missing part of the story because this is part of an existing series that I haven’t read,

I wish it had more of the humor I’m used to from this author, but it’s a quick, fun read.

All Hours has things heating up and not just in the kitchen. This is a sweet story of two men finding that they’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places and never expecting to find it with the other. Felix is an intuitive chef with his own catering business. Joaquin is a classically trained chef with a Michelin star restaurant. When these two get together the things they cook up are delicious. I really like these two guys and loved watching them find each other.

ARC courtesy of Netgalley

The copyright date in this ARC is 2017, although the copyright page says "First Electronic Edition: July 2019"

Usually happy Felix is down of late, having recently been dumped by his long-time lover. Lola, the matriarch of his family, wants to set him up with her grandson, a famous chef and restaurant owner (I think; it was hard to tell from the way this scene played out that this was Lola's intention, although that's what it says happened in the blurb). Uptight, driven Joaquin isn't interested, knowing that he has to keep his focus to ensure that his award-winning restaurant maintains its standards. But when Joaquin has to have surgery, Lola arranges for Felix to take his place in Joaquin's Michelin star rated restaurant (which seemed more than a bit hard to believe). And lighthearted Felix brings a new, friendlier, more cooperative spirit to the place, a spirit which Joaquin finds annoying and insulting—but still, ends up himself wanting for his own.

Christopher's narrative style is far more focused on telling rather than showing, which is not my reading preference. I also found myself confused about just what was happening at times, and why—gaps in time, unexplained plot developments, changes in the characters' relationship that seem to take place off page rather than on. Also, I've only read one previous book in the South Beach series, and this one contains a LOT of references to previous books and their protagonists; all the explaining and backstory dumps left far less room for Felix and Joaquim's relationship, which was what I wanted to see.

I did enjoy experiencing the Florida Latinx community, which is rarely depicted in romance novels.

I really wanted to love it. I love MM and I love restaurant/cooking/chef stories. It was just okay for me.. The chemistry between Joaquin and Felix was pretty good with some decent steam....it just felt forced I guess. It all seemed to happen in a blink of an eye but also seemed to be super repetitive with alot of the details. Perhaps some parts needed more fleshing out. I may want to head back to other One Night stories though. Seems there is alot there to delve into in some of her other stories.

This book was such a delight. It was my favorite since book 3, and I think it capped off the series perfectly.

Joaquin Delgado comes from a very big, boisterous, wealthy, Cuban-American family. He thinks he has everything he needs in life. His toxic, homophobic father is finally out of his life for good. His mom is in recovery from her pill addiction, and he's also made strides in being closer to his younger sister. He owns his own Michelin star rated restaurant in Miami, called Cielo, which has always been his dream, and he runs a tight ship in his kitchen. He might yell at his staff a little more than he should, but they all knew what they were signing up for. Now, he just needs to convince his abuela, Lola, that he doesn't need a boyfriend, and his life is fine the way it is. As if she'd ever take that for an answer.

Felix Pascual and his sister grew up in NYC, and moved to Miami as adults. They are Puerto Rican, and Felix portrays his heritage well in his cooking. He has just gotten out of a very unhealthy relationship, and he's not sure if he's ready to move on to someone new yet. He's a fantastic caterer, but he's had thoughts of opening a restaurant. Of course it would never be anything fancy and untouchable like Cielo, though. He would want it to be more homey, and have a more comfortable feel. After all he's a great cook, but he's not a classically trained chef like Joaquin. He's always been attracted to Joaquin, but he doesn't think Joaquin could be interested in him. When Joaquin injures his shoulder, and needs help in Cielo's kitchen, Lola calls Felix to fill in for him. Joaquin isn't a fan of the idea at first, but Felix impresses him enough to let him stay and help.

Joaquin and Felix had a strong attraction, once they really let themselves SEE each other. They each had wrong impressions of the other from interactions in the past at family gatherings, etc. (Felix's sister is married to Joaquin's cousin, and their story is book 2 in the series.) I liked that they were both finally willing to see beyond the surface of each other, and ended up loving what they found. Their connection was hot, and they still managed to ease into it over time, which I enjoyed.

Joaquin really had to pay more attention to his body and taking care of himself, as he's edging toward 40. Being in the kitchen 24/7 just isn't the same as it was in his 20's. He also had to learn to open himself up to the people who love him. He had walls so high, and never really learned to express his emotions, other than anger. Felix had to learn to take care of his emotional well-being, and self esteem. His ex (who was a TOTAL narcissistic nightmare. Ew.) did a number on him with backhanded compliments, and faint praise, and infidelity. Felix had to figure out what his true worth was before he could believe in what he and Joaquin were building.

This is the final book in this series, and I really loved watching these two awesome men get their HEA. There was a great epilogue that ended things so well, and I just enjoyed it so much. I'm looking forward to what comes next from the author!

I loved this story about Felix and Joaquin! This is the final book in the One Night in South Beach series, but I have only read one other book and was still able to follow along pretty easily. I like the combination of Felix who is SO SOFT and Joaquin, who is way more emotionally locked down. As with all Andie Christopher books, these are introspective characters who are really in touch with their own emotions and feelings. Felix helps out in Joaquin's restaurant after an injury, but the whole family, including Grandma Lola is matchmaking to get them together. Very sweet romance.

I quite enjoyed this quick read. Lola was fully back on her matchmaking BS loool.

Felix and Joaquin were so different, personality wise but worked so well together. I loved that they were both so connected by food and cooking, but had different approaches to it. Joaquin and Felix fighting their attraction made for some great scenes cuz lol they were so hopeless.

I felt a bit iffy on how Felix and Joaquin framed Felix's ex being non monogamous. Felix admits he knew Roman was all about open relationships. So I didnt feel like Felix had a right to be upset when he already knew this going in. Him hoping that his ex would only want to be with him and not doing so cant be seen as Roman's fault. Roman wasn't a good guy because he did try to blackmail Felix to get him to stop seeing Joaquin but he wasn't some villain because he was into being open in relationships. Joaquin, when confronting Roman about the blackmailing says he isnt one to judge based on that yet basically told Roman he should have wanted to be with Felix alone??? like...the man told you who he was upfront.

I also felt like Felix could have just told Joaquin about Roman blackmailing him. The breakup was unnecessary because Felix felt he was doing the best thing to protect Joaquin's restaurant by ending it??? The breakup and makeup was also wrapped up pretty quickly, so quickly that Felix did not need to even break up with Joaquin in the first place >.>

overall i enjoyed this.

I received an e-ARC of All Hours by Andie J. Christopher from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This m/m romance was a quick, sweet read. Felix’s sister is married to Javier’s cousin so they’ve known each other for a while, but hadn’t interacted much. Javier’s grandmother tries to set up Felix and Javier, but it doesn’t really work. Javier gets injured and needs surgery so Felix takes over his restaurant while he recovers. Javier gets pants feelings for Felix pretty quickly and they decide to have a fling. They both catch feelings and there’s a dust up with an evil ex that threatens their happily-ever-after.

I don’t always enjoy chef romances because I don’t get a lot out of the food descriptions, but this book didn’t talk much about the food so I appreciated that. The sexytimes were hot and sweet and gave them both heart feelings in addition to the pants feelings. I wish it had been longer and gotten more into the heads and hearts of the main characters, but this is book 6 in a series so maybe the previous books introduced them more. I will be seeking out at least a couple of those books because I really liked both of their sisters.

This was my first book by this author, and I was excited to read it. She cracks me up on Twitter. I really enjoyed her voice and the tone of this book. I give it 4 stars.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because Andie J. Christopher is an author I follow on Twitter, but I haven’t read one of her books yet. There is a lot to enjoy about this book. Christopher writes well and I enjoyed most of the book. The issue I had with All Hours is a personal bette noir and one with which a lot of people wouldn’t have a problem.

Felix Pascual is struggling to get over the end of a relationship that wasn’t much of a relationship. Joaquin Delgado has been so focused on his restaurant and maintaining his Michelin star that he has had no time for relationships. Though they are not related, they share a common extended family through the marriage of Felix’s sister and Joaquin’s cousin. They know each other, but not well. Felix is also a chef, but he owns a small catering company and has no formal training. Joaquin looks down on Felix a bit.

For reasons, and because of Joaquin’s grandmother, Felix takes over Joaquin’s kitchen when Joaquin suffers an injury that keeps him out of the kitchen. Their attraction flares and first they decide to have a fling, and then they grow into something more. The development of their relationship and the way that they fit together when they expect to clash is lovely.

Towards the end of the book, Felix does something that I hate. There is an external threat to the relationship and Felix, after thinking about it, decides to lie to Joaquin and break up with him to protect him from the external threat. He actually considers being honest and then rejects that option. I passionately hate this trope. I struggled to finish the book once Felix decides to lie to Joaquin for his own good. This may not be a trope that bothers you. If not, you may enjoy the drama that comes with it. It’s not a bad book, I just don’t like this particular trope.

This book didn’t work for me, but I like the author’s writing and I’ll pick up another of her books at some point.