𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 & 𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟.5
I am so disappointed. This cover art is so beautiful. Based on the cover art, I would still probably buy the physical book. That's how much I love the cover art. I really wanted to love this story, like so bad that I requested the ebook and audiobook. Does that tell you how much I wanted this book? Unfortunately, this story wasn't for me. I don't think I was the targeted audience. This book started off slow and didn't pick up, and didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to. DNF @30%. Now, would I re-attempt to reread and listen to this book? Yes, I would! I rarely give second chances, but I think this book deserves it.

The audiobook is dual narrated by Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb. They both did a good job, but not enough to keep me listening to the story. They were both easy to understand, listened to at 2x speed.

Thank you, NetGalley, Hachette Audio for the audiobook and Forever Grand Publishing for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a 3.5 rounded up to 4 for me.

My biggest issue with this book is that is says rivals to lovers vibes and there is very little rivalry. Sure, it's mentioned they were head to head against each other, however we don't SEE those moments. Since I did the audiobook, I didn't have the issues some other readers mentioned of not being able to tell characters apart.

Overall it's enjoyable. It just wasn't what I thought it would be.

Thanks to the publisher (Hachette Audio), NetGalley, and the author (Karelia Stetz-Waters) for the early copy.

3.5 ✨
Really cute sapphic romance with lots of focus on living sustainability and the effect of social media on the people around you. I loved seeing the growth from being almost afraid of the camera to embracing sharing stories online etc and finding more self confidence. The couple are great together and both really unique characters. It did feel quite slow in places but had enough of a plot to carry it through. Narrators were great as well

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, Karelia Stetz-Waters, and Fay Stetz-Waters for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This was such a sweet read! I loved watching Kia and Sullivan reunite and fall in love. I really enjoyed the banter between the two protagonists and thought that their chemistry was great. I really liked the fact that although Kia and Sullivan were 'rivals' they actually saw each other as inspiration to grow and do better rather than someone that they needed to put down in order to gain more recognition.

I enjoyed the pacing of the book and liked the way that Kia and Sullivan slowly found their footing within their relationship.

Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb did an incredible job narrating this book and they truly brought the story to life.

unfortunately i cant get into this book to save my life. the narrators are great but something with the story or the main characters just isnt clicking with me very well, i cant find it in me to like them or try to understand where they are coming from so i decided to throw in the towel. ive also seen comments from other reviewers mentioning that generative ai is pretty glorified in here and i just cant get on board with that!

Thank you so much @hachetteaudio for access to this story. Taste the Love is a standalone sapphic romance novel that is a follow up to Second Night Stand. If you were curious about Kia Jackson’s eventual romance - Karelia and Fay did a great job collaborating again on this reunited pair of chefs. I did the audiobook route as noted and the production was great. The narrators, Je Nie Fleming & Jordan Cobb were wonderful at differentiating between Kia and Sullivan. We are back in Portland, Oregon this time surrounding by the world of food. Kia and Sullivan went to the same culinary school, having some classes together. They have a smidge of a gap (six years) but it doesn’t stop them from trying to one up the other in their food creations. Unfortunately, life hands them different plates after graduation. Sullivan moves to Japan to work there after accepting an offer made to her. Kia stays in the States. Fast forward and now the duo are back in the same city for the first time in years. Except it unfortunately involves the use of a plot of land that initially wasn’t supposed to be up for sale. Can Kia and Sullivan find a way to get what they want without falling apart?

Kia and Sullivan individually have their own personas that is made apparent in their development. Kia wants to be able to provide an area where folks from all walks of life can support their families via their own food truck while spreading the love for different cuisines to all. Sullivan wants to preserve the area since growing up with an environmentalist grandfather has influenced her to being conscious about how best to protect the resources of the planet. Simultaneously, the duo want to be down roots. Which leads to Kia asking Sullivan to embark on a task that is out of both their comfort zones. There is a lot of banter, familiar teasing and body appreciation between Kia and Sullivan. This does have open door consent giving scenes but those happen about 60/ 70% into the book, We witness the possibility of what could have been as the two fall for each other chapter by chapter.

I do wish there had been more of an explanation why men liked Sullivan in spite of her masculine appearance. I understand back in culinary school her appearance in terms of hair and style of dress may not have been the same but this ultimately confused me. I also wish we got a smidge more backstory about where Kia’s mom was or if mom was no longer in the picture? I also hoped that the story would mention that AI is harmful to the environment.

The most premise sounded so good with rival cooks that agree to a marriage of convenience to take on the big bad Megafood and save Sullivan's beloved green space.

The story was just a bit too slow for me. For rivals, they really weren't rivals and didn't have the tension that I was expecting.

The story is cute and I love the idea of conservation of greenspace vs having it developed.

The narration by Je Nie Fleming and Jordan Cobb did feel a little slow at times but enjoyable.

Thank you @netgalley @readforever @hachetteaudio for the audiobook.

This book has so many great things going for it: dual authored by a couple (adorable), rivals to lovers, emphasis on saving the planet and helping marginalized people, so many fun foodie things, and a great friend group!

Unfortunately, this falls into the rare exception for me where I think I would’ve enjoyed a physical book more than the audiobook. 🫣 In particular, the mispronunciation of “Oregon” and the flat nature of the narrator for Sullivan really got to me. Regardless of audio versus physical book, this also felt like a read that added current(ish) words to try and appeal to a younger audience but were off putting for me.

But, if you enjoy a couple of women chefs absolutely crushing it in the culinary world and finding love along the way, there so much to love here!

First, thank you to Karelia Stetz-Waters and Fay Stetz-Waters, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me early access to this audiobook! All opinions in this review are my own.

This book wasn’t quite for me…

This is a story about Alice and Kia two passionate chefs who graduated together. After they went their separate ways. Until kia wants to grow her company but for this she needs land.
But a estate company wants the land aswel… The only way to get it was to bundle up with a fake marriage until it wasn’t so fake anymore.

This book was meh. I just could not get into it and I could barely get thru it with like 2h of audiobook a day. The narrators just didnt tickle my fancy. The immediate making out wasn’t my vibe I just didn’t enjoy this as much as I would have wanted to. What also pissed me off a bit was the characters using AI in the book. Like come on guys as an author would you really wanna promote that?
IDK If im just being picky but this want it in my opinion.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

There were a lot of aspects about this book that I enjoyed - the narration of the audiobook, sapphic rivals to lovers between chefs, and the premise of the plot, but it just fell flat to me.

I didn’t realize going in that this was a dual-authored book, with the authors being wives (very cute writing duo dynamic) - I historically don’t enjoy when more than one person writes a book, with few exceptions breaking that mold - this not being one.

I don’t know how to explain some of my ick with this book other than it reading like left-leaning Gen X-ers attempting to write Millennials - a few times throughout I found myself thinking “why would X say that?”

I do love a marriage of convenience, and the romance plot was fun and had good spice to it (we love to see a variety of queer sex represented), but the end felt really rushed to wrap up this long arching conflict.

This was such an enjoyable listen. The banter between the characters was easily the highlight sharp, funny, and full of chemistry. The dialogue felt natural, making the relationship dynamic feel both entertaining and genuine. I found myself smiling a lot during their back-and-forths.

That said, there were moments when Sullivan’s behavior felt a bit petty and immature, which made it harder to connect with her at times. Some of her reactions seemed disproportionate, and it occasionally pulled me out of the story.

Overall, though, the romance was satisfying, the humor was spot-on, and the narration brought the characters to life beautifully. Definitely worth a listen if you enjoy witty dialogue paired with heartfelt romance.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc. I wanted to like this book but I feel like the book was all over the place.

This book has a lot going for it. The narration is excellent, the cover is absolutely adorable, and the supporting characters brought a welcome bit of humor. I also really appreciated the backstories of the main characters, which had real potential to tug at the heart.

That said, I struggled to stay engaged with the pacing and found the stakes so low that I wasn’t able to fully root for the central romance. I kept hoping for a bit more tension or yearning to pull me in, but unfortunately it didn’t quite land for me.

While it wasn’t the right fit for my tastes, I think readers who enjoy low-stakes, cozy romances will find plenty to enjoy here. Grateful to have had the chance to preview this one!

DNF at 40%

A sapphic chef romance with a marriage on convenience turning into actual romance what more can a reader want??
I really loved the concept of this story and how the FMCs initially get married so one FMC can become a shareholder and buy a property out from under a big business but it turns into them fighting against the big corporation and deciding to preserve the land instead!
This is one of those books with some miscommunication and a slowburn romance but it is done in such a delicious manner! I loved the banter between the FMCs and the side characters! If you’re looking for a sapphic romance with the marriage of convenience trope you definitely are going to enjoy this book!

“Taste of Love” is a lovely and heartwarming story about chefs Alice Sullivan and Kia Jackson. Their training together ended with hot kisses in the kitchen, but then they took different paths. Sullivan opened a restaurant and Kia bought a food truck and became an influencer traveling around the country. Until Kia returns to grow her business. To do this, she needs land. Unsuspectingly, she wants to buy the very forest that has been in Sullivan's family for a long time. Things get pretty messy and eventually Kia and Sullivan have to decide whether to enter into a fake marriage to stop a real estate giant from buying the forest.

I had trouble getting into the story at the beginning, although I don't know if it was the content or Sullivan's narrator. I didn't really warm to her until the end. The way she disguised her voice for Sullivan somehow didn't suit me. I didn't like that. Kia's narrator, on the other hand, I liked very much. The emotions were conveyed well by the narrator and I sympathized or rejoiced with her.

Unfortunately, it took a while for the plot to grab me, even though I really love the “fake dating” trope. But from halfway through the audiobook, I found it really entertaining and the pace very enjoyable. The love story developed slowly and there was a nice slow burn. And the tension between the two, oh oh! They had a good chemistry!

I liked the combination of the themes of cooking, conservation, nature, food truck and a great group of friends. I'm definitely a big fan of Sullivan's best friend Nina!!! Too bad she's already married so there won't be a book about her. She's a great character, so beautifully sarcastic yet endearing.

Overall, I liked the story about Kia and Sullivan, even though it took me a bit to get into the plot. My issue with Sullivan's narrator is probably just a matter of taste, but I still recommend it.

ALC Review
DNF 61% in
This book had, on paper, everything to be the perfect romance, but the execution was not it.
I needed to dnf the audiobook because at this point I was just hate listening
I had many issues with this book, so I’m going to mention the main ones:
- really slow pacing (and not the one you would expect in a good slow burn), with very repetitive internal monologues
- lack of consistency in feelings and thoughts from both main characters
- this is supposed to be a story full of tension, and I was not feeling it at all. More specifically, I believe the narrators do not do a great job translating that tension into their performances. The audiobook felt monotone, lacking fluency, and at times I even felt like I was listening to robots instead of human beings
- everything felt like going through the motions, I didn’t have any connection to the characters, and they irritate me most of the time
- more than one mention of AI without actively criticizing it, which is weird considering one of the main characters is a huge environmentalist
- at the beginning, Sullivan not taking accountability for her mistakes that let to her space being for sale really pissed me off. She blames everything on everyone around her instead of acknowledging that maybe she should have just check her mail like any other adult
- the switch in Sullivan’s feelings for Kia felt abrupt, and therefore superficial

I really had high expectations for this book, and it saddens me that it ended up like this.
Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC.

I had a really hard time getting emotionally invested in this book. On the surface it seemed like an interesting premise- a sapphic romance featuring a restaurant chef and food truck owner, with a bit of fake dating, rivals to lovers and second chance romance. It just felt like it dragged and I couldn't push myself to keep going. Thank you for this ALC and ARC!

Two culinary school rivals reunite to take on a corporation in this rival to lovers romance. Sullivan runs a small, ecofriendly kitchen and is raising money to buy the land near her home to save as a greenspace. Kia arrives to buy that greenspace, and influence and food truck owner who wants to create a community space for food trucks that need a permanent location. Thanks to some questionable decisions, a giant food company wants to buy it out instead, destroying both their dreams.

As Sullivan is a land owner in the area, Kia makes a suggestion-a marriage of convenience, so that she can buy the land and leave some of it green. Sullivan agrees, and it starts to work, until the company sues, claiming romantic fraud. Now the women have to prove their relationship is real, which is convenient since they both like each other anyway.

I enjoyed this book, the romance was fun, watching them fall in love, figure each other out, it was great. And watching them tackle a giant corporation was great. I was really frustrated with Kia at first, thanks to the "I still want to trash this green space but I'll leave you a little" attitude she starts with, but she grew on me over time.

The last chunk had me stressed, I was so anxious waiting to see how it would turn out.

The audiobook, with dual narrators for different women, had a great pace and narration, and I love that each narrator had their own voice, it added a great layer to the dual POV.

3.5 ⭐️

This is a sapphic contemporary romance with marriage of convenience, a bit of rivals to lovers and a grumpy/sunshine dynamic.

The story in itself was pretty good but I had some problems with the pacing and that the book felt longer than it needed to be. I had some issues with how the “big problem” got solved at the end and I don’t fully feel like we got the closure we needed when it was such a big part of the plot. But it was over all a cute story.

The narrators fit their characters well and did a good job voicing them.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Taste the Love follows two rival chefs as they embark on a marriage of convenience to save a plot of land from being overtaken by a big, environmentally ruining company.

This was a book I was extremely excited for but unfortunately fell a bit flat. I enjoyed the foodie vibes and the environmental plot lines, which is probably why my rating is not lower. The main characters were not likable in my opinion and I struggled with their lack of communication. Miscommunication is one trope I have a hard time with. I do believe others would enjoy this more than I did, and I would still recommend it to people looking for a sapphic second chance romance book! The overall quality of the audiobook was phenomenal as well!