I chose the audio version of All Stirred Up because Mary Jane Wells is one of my favorite narrators. She didn't disappoint. Slipping easily between characters and accents I could distinguish each person from her voice. This woman's fiction, contemporary novel is inspired by Austen's Persuasion.

As in Persuasion a previously wealthy family is downsizing and moving from London to cut expenses. In Edinburgh it is up to Susan to save the flagship restaurant of a once sucessful chain. The high end restaurants founded by her grandfather have been mismanaged with only the original remaining. In Edinburgh she finds her first love Chris. He was trained as a chef by her grandfather and is returning from NYC where he is famous for his cooking on TV. He is also opening his first restaurant. The restaurant world is small and their paths cross.

The book is less of a romance than it is a story of Susan dealing with her family. Her wealthy father is clueless in business, a hypochondriac sister, another sister with expensive tastes who helps renovate the failing restaurant and a younger college aged sister who wants to date everyone including Chris. Her favorite aunt brings glamor as a celebrated actress participating in a play as part of the fringe festival. There is lots of descriptions of food, menus, and The Royal Mile (the main road leading to the Edinburgh Castle) where the restaurants fight for tourist and local business.

This is also a slow burn romance with the first real conversations between the love interests almost half way through the novel. If you like a book that celebrates food, with good characters (some annoying), or love Scotland this can be a comfortable read. If you are expecting a traditional romance it will probably disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the cover was a great and it immediately caught my attention. The story itself seems to move a little slow for me at times but all in all not bad. I did during my drive find myself laughing.. What I loved the most... Narration ! Absolutel.y loved it! Where I think sections could be lost on a reader, the narration made the difference. Brought me back in.

I am really loving all of the food-related fiction and non-fiction stories these days. And this one was set in Edinburgh, which was fun. Unfortunately the story was just okay for me. I liked the romance but I felt like there wasn’t enough of it. It took a long time to get into the action. I also really enjoyed the dynamic between the three sisters, but at times, Susan’s family felt more like caricatures than real people.

As for the audio, the narrator did a great job with all of the different accents. But there was way too much range between the high and low sounds that it was difficult to listen to at times.

All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore
Narrated b: Mary Jane Wells
Publication Date: October 6, 2020
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Description from NetGalley...
“Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion. She returned to save her family's dying legacy--but found the ghosts of her past alive and well.

Susan Napier's family once lived on the success of the high-end restaurants founded by her late grandfather. But bad luck and worse management has brought the business to the edge of financial ruin. Now it's up to Susan to save the last remaining restaurant: Elliot's, the flagship in Edinburgh. But what awaits Susan in the charming city of Auld Reekie is more than she bargained for. Chris Baker, her grandfather's former protégé--and her ex-boyfriend--is also heading to the Scottish capital. After finding fame in New York as a chef and judge of a popular TV cooking competition, Chris is returning to his native Scotland to open his own restaurant.

Although the storms have cleared after their intense and rocky breakup, Susan and Chris are re-drawn into each other's orbit--and their simmering attraction inevitably boils over. As Chris's restaurant opens to great acclaim and Susan tries to haul Elliot's back from the brink, the future brims with new promise. But darkness looms as they find themselves in the crosshairs of a gossip blogger eager for a juicy story--and willing to do anything to get it.

Can Susan and Chris reclaim their lost love, or will the tangled past ruin their last hope for happiness?”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @dreamscape_media @alcovepress for the audiobook in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
I don’t know what it is, but the Scottish accent (voices such Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor & Alan Cumming) is my fave accent. And Jane Wells was a really good narrator for this book. I don’t think the story itself would have kept me interested if it were not for Wells narration. So fun to listen to. The food, beverage and cooking was fun to hear about. If you’re looking for a romance, or steamy romance, you might find this book lacking. I didn’t. It was just right for me. And yes, it had influences of Austen’s Persuasion.

I listened to the audiobook of All Stirred Up and all I can say is WOW! I loved the book, which is based on Austen’s Persuasion with a healthy dose the Great British Bake Off, AND the audio! Holy cow, So good! All of the accents and intonations were spot on. I really really enjoyed it.

I just reviewed All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore. #AllStirredUpDreamscapeMedia #NetGalley

Absolutely darling. This book actually gave me that lovely squeezy feeling in my chest! Chris and Susan’s story was great - lots of history. Sad and sweet, but lots of funny moments too. I really enjoyed the restaurant business perspective. I really didn’t want this one to end.

The narrator was wonderful - even with the Scottish accent!

Well, I am frankly in love with everything about "All Stirred Up." I wouldn't change a single thing.

The romance was compelling, the cooking made me hungry, and the setting of Edinburgh was idyllic.

For fans of Jane Austen, you will be happy to know that ASU was inspired by Persuasion, so right from the jump, you know the pace of the story will be perfect. But here, the characters shine through with modern problems and modern questions.

The competitive Edinburgh foodie scene was such a fun place to house this family drama. Having been to this unique city, I had such a good time walking down the Royal Mile to find a coffee and scone with Susan. I'm also an amateur baker, and as Susan prepped her pastries, my hands itched to get into the kitchen. I actually ended up making up a recipe for brown butter pumpkin oatmeal scotchies. With a dram of whiskey and I was in my feels.

Brianne Moore does a wonderful job of getting the dialogue and descriptions just right to keep the reader engaged in all aspects of Susan's story. Great writing and a great audio narration as well.

Thoroughly enjoyed this romantic, family drama. Now I gotta go cook some more!

This was a sweet story about family and love and of course cooking! I love reading about cooking and baking so I really enjoyed that part of the story. The focus of the book was definitely more on the family and restaurant aspects than the romance, but I enjoyed seeing the characters' personal growth throughout the story. Even though the romance took more of a back seat, I did feel like it was satisfying in it's own way. For the audiobook itself, I thought the narrator did a great job making all the characters distinct and overall I really enjoyed the recording.

I would recommend this book to my fellow cooking show lovers and those who enjoy slow-burn, second-chance romances!

I thought this was a really fun quick listen. The narrator did a fantastic job with the voices and was a pleasure to listen to. I know a few reviews said the was billed as an Austen retelling but I didn't realize that until after I read it so I think that helped. I didn't just it at all in that light. There were a couple points that were a little slow but I loved the food description and the remodeling story line so I was fine with the slower parts and wasn't bored at all. Overall I think this was a really fun read and that anyone who likes foodie fiction with a bit of romance will enjoy it.

The story focuses on Susan's move, business, and family in the beginning, with some passages from Chris' point of view as he prepares for his restaurant opening. The romance aspect of the novel feels slow to start as Susan and Chris haven't spoken a third into the story; two thirds in, there isn't even a romance at all. This book is more contemporary women's fiction with a dash of romance.

In true Hallmark-movie fashion, the chefs end up at a cookoff and are forced to interact there, but Susan is already interested in another man. Which guy will she ultimately choose?

Mary Jane Wells masters all of the English and Scottish accents in the novel. Her narration and dialogue is filled with emotion and makes the book a more enjoyable read. My only issue with her narration was the mispronunciation of "genoise" (she pronounces it like it's French, not like the English pronounce it). I've watched enough of The Great British Baking Show to know how to pronounce that word!

The book is a good escape for those interested in the "food and bev" industry, but those looking for a romance should look elsewhere. Recommended for fans of contemporary women's fiction or contemporary British fiction who are also foodies.

Susan Napier is struggling to keep her family's restaurant legacy going. It seems that a little family drama and the appearance of a former love interest will make that difficult. I. love a good audio book romance and while the narration of this book was right in line with what I was hoping for, the actual story was a bit lacking for me. I guess I was hoping for more fun romance. I am giving this book 3 stars.

I confess I chose this title based almost entirely on the fact that it's narrated by Mary Jane Wells, one of my favorite narrators of all time. MJW could narrate the phone book and I'd probably give it a fair listen, but luckily her material in Brianne Moore's ALL STIRRED UP is considerably more dynamic--not to mention a perfect canvas for MJW to flex her range, accents, and humor.

ALL STIRRED UP is pitched as _inspired by_ Austen's Persuasion; it is NOT pitched as a Persuasion retelling, which seems to have escaped several other reviewers. The trendiness of Austen comps has made me wary of contemporary titles that lay claim to a comparison, especially since many of them are so atrocious. I would much rather see Alcove and Dreamscape market this title around more realistic comps: SCHITT'S CREEK meets DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME, with a helping of GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW heaped on for good measure. Like Mhairi McFarlane's work, ALL STIRRED UP features a slow-burn, second-chance romance, and two protagonists who have a number of personal demons to excise before they can get to the business of loving one another. The plot largely relies on external, non-romantic conflict to move forward, but Susan's family drama touched on compelling (if at times heartbreaking) issues that brought the Napier clan to life in brilliant detail.

Make no mistake, the romance itself is not the central conflict here; marketing should stress that this is contemporary fiction and/or women's fiction. While the history between Susan and Chris gives rise to emotional tension throughout the book, their relationship is NOT the central conflict -- and therefore this is not a category romance. I stress this because a good number of reviews seem to dock stars for the fact, but the book delivers on its promises if you actually read the blurb. Again, marketing might have considered a cover that doesn't lean so heavily on romance cues (feature more of the Napier family, feature Susan alone, accentuate the dueling restaurants rather than their owners, etc).

I was mostly charmed by ALL STIRRED UP, despite some emotional blows from parent/grandparent/friend deaths (in the past, not in the action proper), former drug abuse, and depictions of an anxiety disorder/ptsd. Ultimately, I found this novel heartfelt and uplifting, with the added bonus of authentic-feeling foodie content. MJW's narration is absolute perfection, and I hope we get more Moore/Wells collabs in the future.

Book 223 towards my goal of 280! 3/5 stars for this adult romance read. I did enjoy the setting and the narration. However, other than the setting, nothing really stood out to me. Not a super memorable read, but entertaining enough in the moment. Can't say I'd recommend this one. Warning, this book will make you hungry :-p

This is Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit/Romance. I could not get into the storyline or the characters. The narrator of the audiobook was good. This was said to be chick-lit, but it read more like family issues. The same issues kept coming up. I just the characters had more to say other then the family issues. We really did not get to know the characters as a person, but more as a family. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Dreamscape Media) or author (Brianne Moore) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Susan Napier's family once owned and ran a range of very successful restaurants founded by her grandfather. Their name was pretty legendary in the restaurant world. That is, until their luck, and some bad management, turned and they've been forced to shut down nearly all of their restaurants excepts for the flagship, Elliot's, in Edinburgh where Susan now plans to relocate and try to salvage what they have left.

When she arrives she runs into Chris Baker, a famous reality-show chef, who also happens to be Susan's ex. Years ago Chris and Susan parts on terrible terms and neither has spoken to the other in years. Now, they'll be each other's competition.

Chris spent many years holding a grudge against Susan for the way their relationship ended. He's prepared to continue that grudge now, despite the fact that they're running in the same circles. But as they keep running into each other, both Chris and Susan begin to reevaluate the past and begin to come to some realizations of their own.

I've read some mixed reviews on this book. But I have to say I really enjoyed it. It's possible that listening to the audiobook, narrated fabulously by Mary Jane Wells helped. She simply does a fantastic job with all the characters and the varying accents, giving each just a bit of difference so I was never confused about who was speaking what dialogue. She also did a fine job between the male and female voices. So much so that it was difficult to come to terms with the idea that only one person was narrating.

All Stirred Up is a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. That alone grabbed my attention. You pretty much just have to say Jane Austen retelling and I'm like 99% guaranteed to want to read it. But honestly, I felt like the story stands well on it's own merit. And you certainly don't have to have read the source material to enjoy this book.

I'm really also a sucker for a second-chance romance and while it's more of a slow burn romance, I enjoyed the journey in getting there which focuses mainly on Susan navigating getting her family restaurant back in good graces. Chris also has his own point of view moments, but they mainly revolved around his complicated feelings for Susan. I do wish that there was more interactions between the two characters because whenever there was, it was simply electric. Maybe that's the power of the story, it's certainly a reason why I kept coming back to it.

For all that I liked Susan's journey, it's pretty straight-forward. I found myself more drawn into Chris and putting the pieces together of his past with Susan. There's a bit more mystery surrounding it although it's not really a huge shock, I wished we got to explore the aftermath of the end of their relationship, the in-between times, for Chris before them running into each other again in Edinburgh.

Overall, this was a great listen (read) and I honestly would have happily taken a hundred more pages with these characters.

If you're looking for a good listen, All Stirred Up is perfect.

I went into this book expecting a romance. That's not what I got. The characters take a loooooonnnnggg time to interact. If the story was more centered around the romance I think I could have gotten into it more. Wasn't my favorite.

This book is masquerading as a romance, when there is very little romance in it. That's all I wanted was a rom-com. In the past I have enjoyed books with heavy topics but this one didn't do it well. I felt little connection as a reader to our main Susan. The little romance we do get, there is no chemistry between them. Part of this may have been my fault as I was hoping for a book that was light and fluffy. This is not it.
I also did not care for the cooking/restaurant stuff very much but if that is something you enjoy reading about this may be the book for you as it dominates the first half of the story.

I just reviewed All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore. #AllStirredUpDreamscapeMedia #NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book

All Stirred Up is a retelling of Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion. I never read that book so I can’t speak on whether or not they are similar but as its own novel, this didn’t work out for me. The story revolves more around remodeling a restaurant and changing its menu. The romance took a very long time to be introduced so I felt like despite the adorable cover, it’s a little misleading. It does revolve a little bit more around family relationships which I usually love but for some reason these characters seemed one-dimensional and I couldn’t care less. I would’ve liked more of the romance which I enjoyed but as for the rest of it, I wasn't interesting in hearing about interior changes to a restaurant. Mary Jane wells did a great job at narration and was able to switch between a British and Scottish accent which is impressive to me and also entertaining.

Thank you Negalley and to Dreamscape Media for the audiobook!