I first became intimate with this story in print and was very excited to be reunited with the characters and the story through audio. I was not let down. It was an equally enjoyable experience.

Everything held true across this format and the narrator delivered all the feels and even some insights I had missed through their delivery. Because I knew the story I first thought her voice for Kia sounded too old, but that was only in the very beginning when the character is a decade younger. As I continued their would be no other voice for me for Kia, it was spot on. And the voice for Sullivan was swoon worthy indeed! Every character had a distinct cadence- which they do in the writing- so when the narration continued to help that shine it made me, and the audiobook, hum!

Bring your own reusable utensils and appetite for what's meant to be and sit down to the hearty devourable meal of Taste the Love!
Sincerely, sm for the BB

Taste the Love by Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters is a charming sapphic romance that blends humor, heart, and delicious food. The story follows eco-chef Sullivan and food-truck influencer Kia as they enter a fake marriage to save a beloved Portland greenspace. Their chemistry is undeniable, and what starts as a practical arrangement slowly turns into something real. With dual points of view, both characters are fully developed, and their emotional journeys feel authentic and deeply satisfying. The novel is a warm, feel-good read that celebrates love, community, and second chances.

Taste the Love follows two former culinary rivals who agree to a fake marriage to save a beloved space in the PNW.

I really enjoyed the audiobook. The narrators were engaging, and their voices were distinct enough that I could easily tell who was speaking. Kia’s narrator in particular brought so much personality to the role.

The banter, the slow burn, and the foodie vibes all hit the spot. I loved that both characters stayed true to themselves while still making space for each other. It was sweet, spicy, and surprisingly emotional in all the best ways.


📚 Fake marriage trope
💖 Second change romance
🌱 Eco-conscious
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ representation
💕 Found family
👩🏾‍🍳 Culinary rivals
📱 Rival chef turned influencer

Okay, I finished listening to the audiobook last night but was too tired to do the review. So here are my thoughts, the morning after.

I liked the story, characters, and how it wrapped up. It was fine. There were a couple of things that stood in the way of enjoying it more. First is the narrator for Kia. Her voices for characters were very good but the way she did the narrative was, well, too... too... peppy? Her inflections didn't fit this book, for me.

The second thing was the non-communication. One in particular toward the end of the book. Without spoiling that part of the story, I'll just say that when something potentially happens - because no one thinks to make a single phone call to verify anything - a couple of our characters flip out and make some bizarre choices. Seriously, I was yelling at my phone during the whole thing. And even went to Goodreads to mark my progress and type a few words about the ridiculousness of not even thinking about getting more info before flying off the handle.

So, I guess besides those two things, I did enjoy the book. If I were going to read it again, I'd stick to the ebook though. The funky music during the intro and outro of the audiobook was cool but I think I'd enjoy it more with the voices in my head. You know what I mean.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to listen.

Reading the premises of this story had me really excited as I felt like the idea had a lot of potential, however I don’t feel like it lived up to its full potential.
The story is about two female chefs, who enter into a fake marriage to make sure some virgin land can’t be bought by a big corporation. I definitely liked parts of the book, it felt light hearted and was nice to listen to. However it felt like they both pitied themself throughout half the book, which I didn’t really like. It seemed like this wasn’t fully into character when you learned about their background. On top of that, even for a fictional story it didn’t always seem realistic to me.
There were definitely parts of the book that I liked, as there were some funny, nice and light hearted parts.
I listened to the audiobook of this story and I have to admit that I liked the narrators, even though I almost didn’t get past the first chapter. It should have been a great first chapter, showing how they met and where their feelings developed the first time. However I had trouble with the pronunciation of the French cooking terms (and there were lots of them in the first chapter). It felt a bit forced, like they emphasized too much on them. That coupled with the fact that as a non native English speaker, who speaks French as a second language, I noticed that the French wasn’t pronounced correctly, it really put me off. I had to force myself to continue listening. Past the first chapter, I did come to like the narration.

I really enjoyed the narration and production of what I did listen to on this one. BUT I am not the intended audience for this one., it was a did not finish for me. The opening of their story was off putting for me. I felt like it was jarring to have them setup as bitter rivals who then randomly kissed at graduation in public for the first time and then not speak to each other for six years. It was enough that I had a hard time caring about reading the rest of the book.

Would be a good fit for readers looking for a sapphic romance featuring rivals (competing for each others benefit) and strong messaging about the environment and food.

I haven't read too many books that have marriage of convenience as a plot point but there was something about the description that made me want to read it. I really enjoyed the plot and characters. I thought the relationship between Sullivan and Kia was great. I liked the touch of discussing how social media can affect a relationship. The narrators themselves for the audiobook I am mixed on because by the cover I would have thought the characters were around the same age and one of the narrators just sounded a little older. I could have been wrong, but it threw me at first because it just wasn't what I pictured. Overall though I enjoyed the book and I will want to check out more from this author.

3.5⭐️

Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC ✨ (all thoughts are my own)

The narrators were new to me, and they both did a good job, especially Kia’s who switched accents for the side characters. The message was a bit heavy-handed, but I enjoyed the discussions about sustainability, the ecological implications of being in the restaurant industry (especially owning a food truck), and gentrification. Sullivan’s ex was an influencer. It was interesting to see how broadcasting their relationship overtook their life, made her feel neglected, and how it impacted her relationship with Kia, who’s an influencer but has a different outlook on the job than Sullivan’s ex. The romance and the lawsuit subplot were balanced. The banter was great, with a bit of healthy competition, and the underlying tension from when they were in culinary school together, watching them get closer was very sweet.

The lawsuit added to the stakes and highlighted the difficulties of being a small business owner against big corporations, but its resolution felt rushed. There’s, as expected, a focus on the MCs, so while I enjoyed the side characters, they were a bit underused. Too much of the blame was placed on Kia when she couldn’t have known the bois belonged to Sullivan’s grandfather, so it was frustrating to see Sullivan repeatedly blame Kia and other people when she was the one who didn’t take enough care to follow the bois’ status, and Kia feel guilty in their respective inner thoughts.

If you enjoy books about food, and are looking for a sapphic marriage of convenience with lovely messages about community and a couple getting a chance at love after a missed opportunity, this might be for you!!

⚠️ Minor spoiler with no incidence on the plot: I didn’t enjoy Kia using AI to answer her fans’ comments, though it wasn’t apparent whether it was generative or not. There were no discussions on its impact, especially environmental. It didn’t match with the book’s message, and could’ve been swapped for something else. ⚠️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

Marriage of convenience, fake dating, I don’t care just give it to me! Although that’s my favorite trope, I was more interested in the main plot than the romance. Usually I don’t mind that, but when it gets to me not caring about the romance… I have to point out that a mark was missed. What saved them was their history in culinary school, but it felt like their romance was solely centered around that. Anyway, the integration of nature and sustainability was what I enjoyed most. I was invested in how they’d win the case because the stakes were up there. In the end, it wasn’t as epic as I expected. I thought we’d get a Vincenzo moment and they’d do something about that judge, but it made sense since social media was a huge part of the story. The narrators did a good job. They brought the story to life. I’m not sure I would’ve gotten to the end of this without them.

Taste the Love is one of those romances that has everything: a fan favorite trope done very well (enemies/rivals to lovers)! A vibrant and layered premise with high stakes and rash but realistic decisions! Sizzling chemistry that burns hot before it settles into something sticky sweet and comforting! Maybe it's because it's written by wives who clearly work well together, but it seems astounding that a romance like this would have such depth. There was growth for Alice and Kia and relatability in both the cast of supporting characters and the villains they fought against. There's a HEA, of course, but because of the growth and the sacrifices each lead makes, it avoids seeming hollow or cheesy --- and instead feels deliciously, satisfyingly earned. Thank you so much to the team at Hachette Audio for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! #Tastethelove #NetGalley

Thanks to Karelia and Fay Stetz-Waters, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this ALC

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

🌶️🌶️

Fun, steamy and swoony.

Reading this book transported me to this little Portland town and living my best life as a chef in love, the chemistry of this pair of off the charts specially given the contrast of their personalities Sullivan is this quiet person that likes to blend in and not stand out too much to Kia's outgoing colorful and easy-going personality. Also the *mid spoiler alert* love boat kiss and how Sully was like "well when i was growing up if you liked someone you'll bring them here and kissed them... Want to go with me?" I swooned she's such a lover girl.

Je Ne Fleming and Jordan Cobb do a an amazing job at narrating this story and really giving life to Karelia's and Fay's words

Also may I say "We. Don't. Want. SuperEats"

~Blurb~

On graduation night Chef Sullivan decided the only way to end the graduation would be kissing her "rival" Chef Kia on the graduation stage in front of everyone and while that kiss (and the ones that followed that night) was life changing they never saw each other again that until 6 years later when Kia sudently and out of nowhere shoes up at Sullivan's small town to start a big ambitious project that would taking space in big green space that's very important for Sullivan. To make things more complicated a big corporations decides to out bid Kia off the land and the only way for her to take the land back is by marrying Chef Sullivan herself.

Tropes

Fake dating

Marriage of convenience

Second Chance Romance

Rivals to Lovers

Small town

Kia and Sullivan are both chefs with very different styles. They're the only women in their culinary program, and push each other to succeed while competing for first and second place in the program. There is are strong romantic feelings between them all through school, but they never act on them. Years later, Kia and Sullivan meet again by chance when Kia decides to buy the land for development that Sullivan has been trying to preserve. They are also dealing with an external threat - a major corporation, MegaEats, wants to also buy the land for development. Kia and Sullivan must work together to save Sullivan's neighborhood from becoming a fast food hub, and end up fake married for property rights so they can fight back against MegaEats.

While the plot is pretty bonkers, I liked that even as the love story developed between Kia and Sullivan, the stakes remained high between the lawsuit and Kia and Sullivan's competing interests when it comes to what to do with the land. At the same time, they never turned on each other, and the story remained sweet and caring throughout. This book is full of joy and there is so much tenderness and trust that develops between Kia and Sullivan. I love that they were both given room to grow close and also question their own end goals and what really matters to them. With all of the plot complexity and external conflict going on, I'm glad that the romance was not lost in it and instead allowed to grow and shine.

This book is a standalone but is highly related to Stetz-Waters' first book, Second Night Stand, as Kia is Lillian's cousin from Second Night Stand. Since Kia and Lillian have a lot of conversations in this book, I think it would be helpful to read that first, although not strictly necessary.

🎧 The audio is narrated by Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb. I found the audio to be engaging and believable with very unique voices given to each character. I did find the narration to be on the slow side in terms of talking speed but it didn't negatively impact my enjoyment at all.

Big thank you to Hachette Audio for the gifted audio review copy! Thoughts are my own.

I think this story will appeal to fans of friendly rivals with a grumpy x sunshine pairing. I read Second Night Stand and think if you enjoyed that book you’ll enjoy this one as well.

The narration did provide a clear distinction between the point of views. Because of the clear difference in voice, I always knew which pov we were in.

Thank you Forever for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I initially enjoyed the unique plot of Taste the Love when I started reading but unfortunately, there were so many subplots that I lost interest near the end. I love marriage of convenience stories because I enjoy seeing the characters unintentionally fall in love while working towards a shared goal. Sadly in this case, I felt Kia and Sullivan’s love journey was overshadowed by the lawsuit they were fighting.

I did find interest in the talks of sustainability and eco-friendly living as this was the first romance book I read with a strong focus on those talks. The audiobook narration was enjoyable and it helped me keep up with the story even as my interest in the plot waned. I would definitely recommend this book on audio.

I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys queer joy stories, the marriage of convenience trope, watching characters take down large corporations, and a love story where you finally find the person who loves you exactly as you are and doesn’t want to change a thing.

I’ll definitely be giving this author duo another shot whenever they release a new book considering I enjoyed the writing, I think it was just the plot that wasn’t it for me this time!

This was a nice low key romance with a fun foodie angle and a cool community vibe. The fake marriage setup between two former culinary school rivals had a lot of promise, and I really liked the mix of small business, food trucks, and trying to save a neighborhood space from corporate takeover. The pacing was a little slow in parts, and I didn’t totally feel the spark between the main characters, but it was still an easy, feel good read overall. Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

Taste the Love was a solid 4 star read and listen for me. I did immersive reading (switching between audiobook and ebook) and it worked really well. The narrators brought warmth and personality to both Kia and Sullivan, making the story feel cozy and easy to get into.

This is marketed as an enemies-to-lovers romance, but I’d say that’s definitely pushing it. Kia and Sullivan aren’t really enemies ( almost insta-love vibes). They’re more like two people who show affection through competition. Their past rivalry feels more playful than tense, so if you’re expecting serious animosity, you might be disappointed. That said, their dynamic is still fun to follow, with good chemistry and plenty of banter.

One thing that held this back from being a 5 star read was the way some side characters felt underused. For example, the cousin felt like a character introduced mainly to serve a single plot purpose, rather than someone fully integrated into the story. If relationships like that had been better developed, it would have added more emotional depth and made the story feel more complete.

Overall though, Taste the Love was a warm, light sapphic romcom, full of cozy foodie vibes, found family, and queer joy. It’s more about community and personal fulfillment than heavy emotional drama, which worked well for my reading mood.

#TastetheLove #NetGalley

I really loved this book, maybe even a little more than Fay and Karelia’s first book together!

The writing was amazing and really brought the characters to life. I really enjoyed Kia and Sullivan and their relationship. Second chance romance isn’t usually my thing but this was more a missed opportunity and I really liked how that played out. Marriage of convenience is also a great trope and I loved seeing a queer take on it. The love of women and women loving women was so beautiful and heartfelt, I feel like you can really feel the authors love for each other in their writing.

The story was well paced and kept me engaged the whole time. I really wanted to see Sullivan and Kia succeed, not only in their relationship but in their professional goals. The plot around Taste the Love Land was really interesting and really rounded out the book for me.

I did a tandem read with the eARC and ALC and I really enjoyed the narration of both Sullivan and Kia! The dual narration was a great choice to really bring the characters to life and show their personalities.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this romance really didn’t work for me. The fake dating trope can be fun, but here it was paired with a plot so far-fetched that it became distracting rather than entertaining.

The humour relied on references like Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off, which felt forced and cringey rather than clever. The relationship between the main characters felt more like a middle school crush than a mature adult romance. Their emotional connection seemed based entirely on a vague past attraction rather than any meaningful development in the present, which made it hard for me to root for them.

Additionally, some of the culinary aspects were so unrealistic that they pulled me out of the story rather than immersing me in their world.

This might still appeal to readers looking for a chaotic, over-the-top romcom without much grounding in reality, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

The audio narration was fantastic and I would highly recommend this format for this book! This one is a fake dating, slow burn modern romance with some spice. I loved the foodie aspect to this and I really appreciated the deeper themes presented in the book (food waste, conservation, and social media toxicity). I loved the characters and their growth throughout both the story/plot and their relationship. I recommend for a cute, quick read!

I honestly loved reading Taste the Love so much! Kia and Sullivan were both imperfect in their own ways, but for me that helped the story to just feel a bit more human and authentic. I loved learning about some of the nature in the PNW and I could really understand both Sullivan and Kia's points of view in so many ways! I could easily see this story as a mini series or movie, as it would be fun to watch all the drama unfold in live action!

Overall this was a fun and enjoyable sapphic romance!