I wanted to like this one, but something about the writing style and the characters never clicked with me. Bummer.

I was so amazed how much I love this book even more than Kosoko Jackson's previous book. I had a tough time with second chance romance so I was a bit relieved to read about Kosoko Jackson newest book, A Dash of Salt and Pepper, a bit of enemies to lovers vibe with a bit of age gap trope as well.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper follows Xavier coming back to his hometown after being passed over and dumped in the same month. Things are not going so well in Xavier's life, and it does not help that he is back to his hometown either. He really does not do it despite it, and it’s just a feeling of being disappointed with how his life is at the moment. I really felt for him because it takes a lot to be top of the game in a city town than a small town. It’s a lot to handle and it does change you. And it’s something Xavier struggles with. It also does not help that Logan bugs him more than any other person in his hometown.

I kinda feel for Xavier because Logan does get under Xavier's skin. But it also gives Xavier an opportunity when they start working together. It’s a forced proximity trope! They may not get along with each other at first but they do share a undenying attraction for each other. It’s always the opposite that attracts you the most. and it definitely doesn’t help that Logan is an older man and a single father as well.

What I enjoy the most about Xavier and Logan is their romance is not rushed or slow-paced. It’s a steady pace that we get to know more about them. That’s what I treasure the most about them because we get to read about their progress as individuals and as a couple.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson is a queer interracial workplace romance set in a small town restaurant.

Xavier is jobless, boyfriendless, and homeless, but at least he has an MBA. Licking his wounds after a bad breakup and being turned down for a prestigious fellowship, he returns to his hometown of Harper's Cove, Maine. Logan, single dad of a teenage daughter, runs The Wharf--a seafood restaurant in a seafood town--and he needs help in the kitchen. Xavier might be his only option, but then heat starts to rise between them.

This was okay.

I picked it up because I was excited to have a interracial queer romance in a restaurant setting. While the representation here is good, I'm not sure the author's writing style is for me.

A lot of the time, I felt a bit incredulous over things the characters were doing. I found myself skimming paragraphs to read it faster. I wanted to see where it went, but the prose just didn't sustain me. This seems to be the author's second adult romance (they've written more YA), so maybe that's why I have so much disconnect with the writing?

Like, these characters are supposed to be adults with MBAs and teenage daughters--Xavier is in his late twenties and Logan is in his late thirties--but sometimes they really acted like children. Like Logan's teenage daughter, Anne. I don't tend to like books that skew on the younger YA side of things for that reason.

I might have been more invested if we had a dual point-of-view. The book is written entirely in Xavier's perspective, and I think we missed out on really seeing things from Logan's eyes at times. There's also a really weird time jump where the characters go from first date to being with each other practically daily that felt oddly placed. How am I supposed to see them falling in love with each other when we make such a big jump like that?

Xavier's best friend Mya is the best. I'd love to see a book from either her or Angelica (from The Wharf)'s perspective.

Tropes in this book include: queer romance, gay MMC, bi MMC, restaurant setting, workplace romance, age gap, small town

CW: secrets, lost child

I was provided an ebook ARC to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

If there were only three things I could love for the rest of my life it would be my husband, romance novels and food. This book contains two of those three. Xavier goes through a breakup and is let goo from his job. While trying to figure out what his next move his he decides to move back home to Harper’s Cove Maine and stay with his parents for a while. While there he meets Logan, a local chef, in his kitchen (you have to read the book to figure out what happened but honestly its a really funny part of the book).

Later on Xavier finds out he is up for a fellowship with a company in Germany but needs four thousand dollars to be able to go. Then and there he decides to hatch a plan to work for Logan short term and get the money for Germany. Little does Xavier know that Logan has wanted him since the moment they met in his kitchen and though a series of events they find out that working together and trying is better than not trying at all.

Thank you to Berkley Romance and PRHAudio for my advance digital and audio copies of this book. I will say this book was light hearted. Honestly I wish it did not have the third act breakup where they had to work through shit but for some reason authors think this is what everyone needs right now.

The cover, title just caught my eye and I was glad to be given this copy on Netgalley to read.

"𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆."

Xavier, a young black queer is struggling to fulfill his dreams or rather to achieve his goals. He was dumped and also did not get fellowship which resulted into coming back to the home town which he always wanted to leave.

Logan, a single dad restaurant owner thinks he has it all under control and wants to prove he can do it. He is sexy and I loved his descriptions. Currently what he needs is help and both of them have no option but with together which gives us all smart and sarcastic banter.

"𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒍. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒕. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉?"

The author has created a nice setup and I liked how inclusive it was too discuss about food and business in detail manner. It was a nice take to the romantic comedy and building up things. The other characters definitely added more.

"𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔."

This was cute, swoon worthy, emotional and romantic, giving all the sweet vibes at the same time talking about the struggle of not knowing what we want for ourselves and showing the vulnerable side.

It was quick, entertaining and fun to read. A dual POV would have been amazing but nonetheless it was engaging. I loved this enemies to lovers. A beautiful read with all romance ingredients.

SUCH a cute book! I loved this love story so so much for a variety of reasons. We need more LGBTQ love stories and positive rep and this book did just that! Kosoko's voice is everything - I looooved all the pop culture references! Such a good book!

The last thing Xavier wants is to be back home, but after being dumped and losing out on a fellowship he returns home. Not only is he unhappy about this but he begrudgingly takes a job as a prep chef with a chef who has to be totally in control.
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Logan has a hard time letting go but as a single dad he knows he needs the help. This is a fun opposites attract and I love Logan’s daughter, Annie.
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What a fun story and that epilogue with Anne’s monologue is the total chef’s kiss. I can never think of the color cerulean blue without thinking of #Thedevilwearsprada and this scene in the epilogue is the perfect fun ending!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Xavier Jackson was the outstanding wunderkind of tiny Harper’s Cove, Maine. He grew up there, black and gay, hating the claustrophobic small-town life and anxious to leave. As soon as he was able, Xavier left for a business degree at NYU, and later an MBA at the University of Chicago. While in grad school, Xavier met Bradley, the uber-wealthy son of a prominent Chicago power broker. Xavier was short-listed for a prestigious fellowship in Berlin, which would surely cement his worth as a consultant or even green light him for executive control of any company. Everything seemed to be going right for Xavier, until Bradley broke up with him suddenly and Xavier was passed over for the fellowship. Without a job, and suddenly homeless, Xavier returns to Harper’s Cove, his pride pummeled.

Xavier’s licking his wounds, trying to reconnect with his childhood bestie, Mya, who loves Harper’s Cove and never wanted to leave. When the fellowship people call and offer Xavier the spot he wanted, he’s desperate to come up with the $5000 he needs to manage his travel and some expenses in Berlin. Being a small town, Harper’s Cove doesn’t have many employment opportunities. The one that could help him raise the cash he needs by the two months’ deadline would be working as a prep cook for a friend of Xavier’s mom, Logan O’Hare.

Logan is a divorced man with a teenaged daughter, Anne. He owns The Wharf, a homey seafood restaurant right on the water. He’s also a catch, by Harper’s Cove standards, and Mya’s pushing hard for Xavier to fall for Logan, because then he’d stay in town. Logan and Xavier did not hit it off when they first met; Xavier thought Logan was a home invader and acted accordingly. So, asking a man he pretty much attacked for the favor of a well-paying kitchen job is, well, really super hard for Xavier. Even if it’s necessary to achieve his goals.

And, it’s only worse when the man is dead sexy.

This small town romance was okay for me. Xavier was a difficult character to love. He’s judgmental and snarky, in a way I found annoying. He’s always coming at you with some snap-back, juvenile quip. It was tiresome. For a man desperate for people to see his worth, Xavier’s a lot of talk before we see much action. He has a lot of feelings and ideas about life, even though he’s barely lived it. He’s always up in his head, analyzing every move and every opportunity, and examining peoples’ motives for sincerity.

The romance between Xavier and Logan developed very fast, especially for a man like Xavier whose romantic and professional life had imploded in the past month. There’s a lack of on-page romance, compared with the excessive page time Xavier’s rants against small-town life took up in the first half of the book. In the second half, Xavier was pretty much extolling small-town virtues, which was a heck of a U-turn.

The supporting cast feels thin and felt one-dimensional, with Xavier having maybe one conversation with his father – in whose house he’s living – in eight weeks. Mya felt like she was only necessary when Xavier was heartbroken, and provided a weak example of the so-called idyllic married life of Harper’s Cove. Logan and his daughter were okay, but I lost a good bit of respect for Logan in the last quarter of the book. The inconsistencies with Logan’s responsibilities at the restaurant and at home gave me more questions than answers. He’s supposedly so kind and generous, but he cuts off Xavier for essentially helping him out. And, how does he leave his temporary prep cook in charge of the restaurant business so much? I felt like the book was trying to set up all these great scenes, but they got too long and unwieldy with Xavier’s internal monologuing and I lost the sentiment.

In all, I thought the plot was over seasoned and the ending only half-baked. Xavier couldn’t ever commit to himself, and Logan’s requests felt at once too much too soon, while paradoxically also being too little, too late. Considering the state of their relationship at that point, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Surprisingly, Xavier, who never met a situation he couldn’t overanalyze, decided it was a happy ending.

Xavier Reynolds has big dreams, but when his life gets derailed, he returns home to Harper's Cove to regroup. Right now, all he need is to make a bit of money, and then he can leave this small town behind and take part in the prestigious business fellowship of his dreams. Logan O'Hare is a single dad and owner of The Warf. Being an amazing chef doesn't necessarily mean you are amazing at running a business. So when Logan hires sarcastic Xavier, things really start to heat up, and not just in the kitchen.

The audio narrator did an amazing job of capturing Xavier's snarky personality. In the book, we spend a lot of time in his head, which is detail heavy at times. But what a fun enemies to lovers romance. Seeing Logan and Xavier verbally spar was fun and light hearted. These are two deeply caring and loyal men whose differences make for a spicy romance. I liked spending time with Xavier and his friend Mya. Their friendship was fabulous, and she was a good balance to his personality. The kitchen staff and Logan's daughter Anne were hilariously entertaining and added immensely to my enjoyment. Xaveir and Logan have amazing chemistry and banter, which makes this an easy book to recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the arc. This is my honest review.

From the first chapter of A Dash of Salt and Pepper, Xavier Reynolds jumps off the page. He’s a witty, sarcastic, and ambitious 26-year-old with a lot of opinions. The whole book is told from his perspective, and he can be a bit much at times (for the reader as well as the other characters—especially Logan!), but he’s a vivid protagonist.

His relationship with Logan starts off pretty badly, and their second and third encounters aren’t much better. They’re pretty awkward, and, at least for Xavier, he quickly views Logan as a sort of enemy. A dramatic reaction, to be sure, and one he’ll have to get over if he wants to get his future back on track. Xavier has to ignore his pride and take a job as a prep chef at Logan’s restaurant, The Wharf, and it’s not long before the two men start to feel something more between them.

This is an age-gap romance, which can be a hard sell, at least for me. And I admit, I wasn’t 100% convinced by Xavier and Logan’s relationship. In part, it’s due to their different maturity levels at age 26 and 39, respectively. Moreover, it sometimes felt like Logan treated Xavier in too parental a way, similar to how he talked to his 14-year-old daughter. Perhaps the biggest issue is simply that we skip over the first few weeks of Xavier and Logan dating. It goes from enemies who work together to an electric moment at a concert to a cute first date… and then suddenly they’ve been dating for a few weeks. I wish we’d seen more of those early weeks so their improved relationship would feel more gradual and realistic.

Beyond the romance, much of A Dash of Salt and Pepper feels like a coming-of-age story for Xavier. Rather than a teenager growing up, it looks at a man who escaped his small town, lived in New York City and Chicago while earning an impressive education, and then ended up back at home with his parents, feeling like a failure. In his years away, Xavier describes being judged and embarrassed by his small town origins, and he’s become sarcastic and reactionary. As his best friend Mya and new boyfriend Logan both tell him, Xavier needs to get back to who he is and become more comfortable in his own skin. I liked seeing Xavier’s growth in this book, even if I would have changed the ending a bit.

This works similar to the many Hallmark movies out there: Guy leaves big city for small town—which he hates—and finds love there. How can he reconcile these competing desires and have it all? Or is the small town actually exactly where he’ll be happiest after all? Now, I won’t spoil this for you and tell you whether Xavier remains a city person at heart or regains a love for his small town. And I won’t tell you how it compares to or contrasts with Book Lovers by Emily Henry, which also has the small town setting. What I will say is this: I agree with Xavier’s assessment of small towns. I grew up in a smaller town than his (9,000 population? Ha! Try a population of only 2,000!) and, like him, couldn’t wait to leave and see the world. Happily, I never had to return to my hometown, but I could understand how Xavier felt in many ways. But can love overcome all and make you plant roots somewhere so different than you’d planned? You’ll have to read this book and find out!

Overall I enjoyed A Dash of Salt and Pepper. I related to Xavier in certain ways (particularly the small town discussions and his escape to the big city to get an education), loved his many opinions and perspectives on things, and liked the many music and movie references. Despite some uneven pacing and needing more time with Xavier and Logan’s developing relationship, I did ultimately like the two of them quite a lot. And Logan’s daughter Anne is awesome.

I will definitely be reading more from Kosoko Jackson, starting with his previous romance, I’m So (Not) Over You, so look out for my review of that soon!

Quick, sweet romance. Loved the humor, quirky personalities and of course Xavier's statistics.
The supporting characters - loved them the most. Logan's daughter and Xavier's bestie - gave heart and depth to these men.
Xavier ends up home - after years loudly stating he was never staying. Fired, no fellowship in Berlin and dumped by his long term boyfriend, Xavier moves back in with his parents. In Harbor Cove, Maine.
I loved Xavier's self growth and maturing throughout the plot - and the chemistry between him and Logan. Oh yes!
Great romcom!

🧂 A Dash of Salt and Pepper 🧂
Kosoko Jackson

Thank you, @berkleypublishing @netgalley and @letstalkbookspromo for my e galley

If you need a good laugh, here’s your book. Witty banter doesn’t even begin to describe the interaction between the two characters. Definitely a solid rom com choice! It’s a quick, fun read that won’t leave readers disappointed

Pub Date: Tuesday 12/6 - out now!

Full review to be posted Friday, Dec 9th on Instagram @on_a_sandbar

Xavier is at a low point in his life. He just got dumped, lost his job, and got turned down for a fellowship. All of this leads to him being back in his tiny home town, working as a sous chef at the new restaurant in town. Even worse, the restaurant’s owner, Logan, does not understand Xavier at all. They do not get along, but after spending some time working together, they develop an unexpected connection.

This slow burn romance is full of food and heart. While life hasn’t gone as Xavier expected, at all, it was so fun to see him rebuild and find a new path. I loved how he and Logan interacted (especially once they stopped getting under each other’s skin) and thought this was a great enemies to lovers romance.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy. Thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for the buddy read!

The story starts with Xavier. He was just broken up with and is now living back at his parents’ house. He was passed over for a fellowship but while he’s wallowing in his sorrows, the fellowship calls him up and informs him that they have a spot for him! He just needs $3000. Unfortunately, his bank account does not hold even close to that amount.

Cut to showing up at his parents’ house to find some hot dude and a teenager eating dinner with his mom and dad. His mother informs him that the dude is chef Logan O’Hare who owns The Wharf in Harper’s Cove and the teen is his daughter, Anne. His mom suggests Xavier work for him and Xavier immediately dismisses the idea.

But beggars can’t be choosers when you need $3000 to kick start your career. So Logan takes him on (reluctantly). Xavier doesn’t expect much beyond getting paid but he certainly doesn’t expect to have a connection with Logan and to quickly catch feelings for him.

The more he works at The Wharf, spends time with Logan and Anne, and learns more about Logan, he finds himself easily fitting into Logan’s life and quickly falling for him.

I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. The banter is off the charts. It’s definitely the best snark I’ve read in a while. It’s delightful. I also LOVE Xavier and Logan’s relationship. It’s fun, meaningful, and beautiful. I loved watching it grow as they went to the farmer’s market, danced at a local bar, and cooked together. They are couple goals times 1000.

Yes, they have their struggles. There is a secret Xavier is keeping from Logan and Logan does not react well when he discovers it, but they figure it out. Usually, I hate lies/lies by omission, but this was so well done.

But beyond that, I really enjoyed watching Xavier and Logan grow as their own people, especially Xavier. At the beginning of the book, he’s so focused on leaving his hometown and having a certain kind of career, but by the end, he learns that maybe there are some things that are more important than that.

I also LOVED ANNE! She is hilarious and protective and wonderful. She may or may not punch a girl for being homophobic toward her dad. It doesn’t get much better than that!

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoka Jackson is fun, sexy, and needs to be your next read ASAP! I’m definitely going to reread it. I’m giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper is available now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks you Berkeley, Kosoko Jackson, and NetGalley for the ALC and eARC!

Steamyyyyy! I absolutely loved this narrator. He was fun and animated - kept my interest for the entirety!

This is the first book of Kosoko Jackson's that I've read but I will certainly be reading more after this! Reading this felt like listening to a podcast of someone's life as they go through their day-to-day. I definitely want to check out the audiobook.

From beginning to end 'A Dash of Salt and Pepper' is witty, romantic and has so much heart. Xavier is such a great main character. Many romance authors choose to have a dual POV so each lead is represented but I think here it works better that we're just getting Xavier's POV. The meet-cute gone wrong when he and Logan first meet and various other tropey interactions are all just from Xavier's POV and I really think it helps build the romantic tension. The pay off is so worth it after the build up.

And aside from the romance, our side characters are just as good as the mains. Between Xavier's best friend Mya, Logan's daughter Anne, Xavier's parents and the other townfolk there's a lot to enjoy. Xavier's story itself, separate from Logan, is also what so many twenty-somethings go through while trying to find their place in life. The dreams we start with are often different from the dreams we grow into and I thought this story displayed that in such a lovely way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A Dash of Salt and Pepper follows 26-year-old Xavier as he returns to his hometown after suffering personal and professional setbacks. Xavier would do anything to get back on track with his life, including work for Logan O'Hare--a 39-year-old single father and chef. The pair don't hit it off from the start, but their relationship evolves into something that might just make Xavier change his mind about where he wants to plant his roots.

I was so excited when this book came across my radar--a queer romance set in my home state...yes please! There were a lot of great things about this book. The setting was fun--a small fishing town on the coast of Maine. The characters were appealing--one young and trying to figure out where he wants to be in life and the other, older and trying to care for his child while also pursuing his own interests. We also got some fun side characters, which always brighten up a story.

What didn't work was the way in which Jackson left a lot of the relationship off the page. The story would work towards a milestone in the relationship--the first date for example--and then immediately skip a chunk of time following that milestone. The early stages of a relationship are often the best parts of a romance novel, so it's disappointing when that happens between chapters.

A sprig here, a dash there, simmer on a slow-burn and VOILA you've cooked up a delicious romance recipe in A Dash of Salt and Pepper! This small-town love story is set in Maine, where a son comes homes to find himself after a series of set-backs in the big city. In search of a job, he finds an alluring proposition from a sexy, gruff, tattooed restaurant owner who needs a Sous Chef.

Xavier doesn't intend to stay long in his hometown of Harpers Cove, nor is he looking for love. His meet-cute with Logan is a thirst quenching debacle. Xavier and Logan fall into my favorite trope - enemies to lovers. Logan is all mushy on the inside, but rough on the outside as he navigates fatherhood and a small business. This book is funny, endearing and romantic. I throughly enjoyed what this novel cooked-up!

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary copy.

Review to appear on Smexy Books:

A Dash of Salt & Pepper by Kosoko Jackson is a funny yet serious novel about a young gay black man who must return to his small fishing town in Maine after losing both his dream job at a start-up and his boyfriend. Xavier is planning a quick turnaround – the last thing he wants to do is stay in his hometown. He will parlay his NYU and University of Chicago business degrees into another opportunity that will take him out of Harper’s Cove and back to the city life he craves. Soon after he returns to his parents’ house, he meets Logan, or rather mistakes Logan for a burglar. Logan is a local chef and restaurant owner, and the divorced father of a teen girl. He’s older by over a decade, cautious, and hot – but their adversarial introduction leads to a delicious tension that is not quite enemies-to-lovers, but similar.

The whole novel is narrated from Xavier’s point-of-view, and I honestly could have read hundreds of pages more of it. He is funny, self-aware, and honest. Young, but not naïve. His commentary is interspersed with his thoughts about being a black gay man growing up in Harper’s Cove, a student, and a young professional. His parents worked “middle-American” jobs and his father didn’t go to college. The more we learn about Xavier, the more we see that he is juggling a lot of expectations – his own, for sure, but also society’s ideas of success and the extra hurdles that black gay men must jump. Some readers may wish for a dual narration., because you do want to know Logan more, but I was very satisfied for this to be mainly Xavier’s story.

I loved the scenes with Mya, Xavier’s best friend. One of the few other black people in Harper’s Cove, Mya is a 2nd grade teacher who has stayed in their hometown while Xavier went off to the big cities. I cackled at their barbed dialogue and loved the way she took charge in so many situations in the book. She is the friend who knows Xavier so well that she can see things he misses.

Xavier doesn’t find out for sure that Logan is bisexual until many, many chapters in, but hoo-ha what a scene. Completely clothes on, but I’m surprised my Kindle didn’t ignite. Their romance is a little unconventional – less because of their age gap per se, and more because of where they both are in life. At times it felt slow and old-fashioned, but it makes sense. The big conflict part of the plot made me mad, and I was yelling at Logan over Xavier’s shoulder. But I have almost forgiven him.

And all praises for this epilogue, which did not invoke tuxedos or shared real estate!

A-
Goodreads * Amazon

**Source**: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!
**Tl;DR:** A fun rom-com, it didn't quite click for me but I do recommend it if it interests you!

**Plot**: This felt very much like a standard 'rom-com'. There was a TON of internal monologue which felt like it interrupted the plot
**Characters**: Fairly standard - one note kind of characters?
**Setting**: There wasn't a lot of detail about the little town. I couldn't even tell you clearly how the restaurant where most of it took place.
**Romance**: I don't know that I completely believed this romance by the end due to a huge chunk of it being skipped midway through, and I always struggle with single perspective romances.

**Thoughts**:

A Dash of Salt and Pepper is exactly what it looks like. A queer kitchen romance - full of fun, cute references. Xavier has returned to his home town after effectively crashing and burning in the big city. He lost his job, his boyfriend broke up with him, and he had no where else to go. For Xavier that is a fate almost worse than death as he is a highly driven individual, and that drive has him constantly striving for "better". Once he's home he meets Logan, a local restaurateur and single Dad. He winds up taking a job with Logan and sparks fly.

I'll start with the characters on this one. Xavier is funny, he's got good quips and he is full of fantastic references, but he is not my favorite. For the first half of the book he's constantly spouting off statistics and facts, to the point where the reader is rolling their eyes - not at him but at the fact that it's happened again. It just pulls you out. Then after the half way mark it almost never happens again, at least in the first half he was consistent. Also Xavier is beyond driven, he's almost mindlessly so. He doesn't just feel the drive to get out of Harper's Cover and over explain it every chance he gets. He does little else but think about it and explain it. More of this book was his inner monologue explaining in detail why he was doing what he was doing instead of showing us that I started skimming those segments. They were very repetitive and very obvious. There were moments towards the end where he talks about race, about being a black man attempting to succeed - but by that point I was so disconnected I nodded and moved on, I didn't care anymore. He wore me down by the 40% mark.

Since the book is told entirely from his perspective - which to be fair is my least favorite type of romance, so that could explain why I didn't connect, the rest of the cast is fairly one note. You have the quirky, challenging best friend. The love interest Logan is hot, smart, and aggressive. His daughter is young, spunky, but also edgy in the way all 14 year old's are. It's a fun cast don't get me wrong! We just don't get a ton from them. Logan is the biggest role, as our love interest and he was fun. I actually enjoyed him till the dreaded third act breakup and he became awful. His reaction to the 'betrayal' of Xavier was so over the top and so intense I would have never spoken to him again. That was a huge red flag reaction for me, no one would yell at me in the way he did in that moment. I appreciated the steps he attempts to take in the end of the book, they were correct but I'm not sure I think Xavier should have continued that relationship.

This was an okay read for me. Honestly I do think most my problems could have been resolved with another (Logan's) perspective in this. Less time in Xavier's head, more time to understand why Logan acted the way he did in the third act. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Ultimately I'm going to give it a three star. I did like what Xavier had to say about why he was so driven, trying to be seen but not seen. And I found some of the moments - especially those in the kitchen fun and entertaining. But I'm not sold on this romance, it could work for you though so pick it up if you like single-perspective quirky romances!

3 out of 5 fluffy white dogs (which we needed more of)