REVIEW: "Love From Scratch" by Kaitlyn Hill (Romantic Comedy)

LOVE FROM SCRATCH by Kaitlyn Hill
	Publisher: Delacorte Press Genre: Romantic Comedy Publication Date: April 5th, 2022 Standalone: Yes
Categories/Tropes:
Rivals/Enemies to Lovers, Sweet Romance, Viral Sensation, Creatives (Chefs)
Other Books By This Author:
Description from Publisher:
This summer, Reese Camden is trading sweet tea and Southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp coastal air. She's landed her dream marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in Seattle. The only problem? Benny Beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing culinary intern—and her main competition for the fall job. Reese's plan to keep work a No Feelings Zone crumbles like a day-old muffin when she and Benny are thrown together for a video shoot that goes viral, making them the internet's newest ship. Audiences are hungry for more, and their bosses at Friends of Flavor are happy to deliver. Soon Reese and Benny are in an all-out food war, churning homemade ice cream, twisting soft pretzels, breaking eggs in an omelet showdown—while hundreds of thousands of viewers watch. Reese can't deny the chemistry between her and Benny. But the more their rivalry heats up, the harder it is to keep love on the back burner...
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
So this was so ridiculously cute that I can't even describe how ridiculoualy cute it was! I absolutely loved how vulnerable, genuine, and real Benny was. Alpha males are so not at all my thing. Gimme the incredibly sweet guy with a sense of humor and mischievous twinkle in his eye any day! There were a lot of conversations in this, especially between Benny and Reese. I loved getting to see them actually bond and share their stories and pieces of themselves. This doesn't always happen in rom coms, but I firmly believe that the best romance is between people who TALK. The only real criticism I have for this was that certain messages got a bit heavy-handed at times. Did we really need a conversation about feminism where Reese is getting solid advice to take a turn to "Check your orivilege, White Girl"? I didn't disagree with tbe messages, but they fell flat because they came out of nowhere. There was also some political commentary that was unnecessarily petty (Natalie has dumped guys for being "Republican'"? Why?). That said, none of what Reese had dealt with and was frustrated by felt disingenuous. Women shouldn't have to just deal with sexist idiots, but it's just something that happens. Putting a fine point on some of it felt like the right thing to do. The chemistry between Benny and Reese was sizzling, but very sweet (it's a big deal for Benny to take off his shirt). Reese's hangup with that felt a bit less understandable, but maybe that was also just me wanting more. All in all, I really enjoyed this. The characters, the chemistry, and tne fun were all so wonderful I could barely set this down.
My Source: I borrowed this via Kindle Unlimited. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Kaitlyn Hill
Kaitlyn Hill is a writer who lives to tell love stories and make people laugh. While books make up most of her personality, Kaitlyn also enjoys messy reality TV, has never met a tea she didn't like, and thrives on overly ambitious home improvement projects. She resides in Kentucky with her real life romance hero. Find her on Instagram and TikTok @thekaitlynhill and at thekaitlynhill.com.

REVIEW: "Not Like the Movies" by Kerry Winfrey (Romantic Comedy)

NOT LIKE THE MOVIES by Kerry Winfrey
	Publisher: Berkley Genre: Romantic Comedy Publication Date: July 7th 2020 Series: Waiting for Tom Hanks, #2 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Friends to Lovers, Finding Yourself, Foodie
Other Books by Kerry Winfrey
#1
Description from Publisher:
What happens when your life is a rom-com...but you don't even believe in true love? Chloe Sanderson is an optimist, and not because her life is easy. As the sole caregiver for her father, who has early onset Alzheimer's, she's pretty much responsible for everything. She has no time—or interest—in getting swept up in some dazzling romance. Not like her best friend Annie, who literally wrote a rom-com that's about to premiere in theaters across America...and happens to be inspired by Chloe and Nick Velez, Chloe's cute but no-nonsense boss. As the buzz for the movie grows, Chloe reads one too many listicles about why Nick is the perfect man, and now she can't see him as anything but Reason #2: The Scruffy-Bearded Hunk Who's Always There When You Need Him. But unlike the romance Annie has written for them, Chloe isn't so sure her own story will end in a Happily Ever After.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
I read this immediately after Annie and Drew's story, and it got me thinking what it was that I seriously loved about both books. I think it is that the author just totally GETS Ron&com lovers. She mentions the right ones (She had me at her mention of Doris Day & Rock Hudson, then even more at Bill Pullman), and she gets the references so perfect... And she recreates that wonderful vibe with her characters and storytelling. I think I liked Chloe more than Annie, but I really did like Annie, so it's a toss-up. Drew and Nick were both the perfect leading men, strong but definitely not alphas. I love how sweet Nick was, and how he always had Chloe's back. This romance had a nice amount of push & pull, and I appreciated the tropes used. It was a fun read!
My Source: I purchased this from Amazon to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Kerry Winfrey
Kerry Winfrey is the author of the adult romantic comedies WAITING FOR TOM HANKS and NOT LIKE THE MOVIES and the teen romantic comedies LOVE AND OTHER ALIEN EXPERIENCES and THINGS JOLIE NEEDS TO DO BEFORE SHE BITES IT. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her family.

💑REVIEW: "Sweet Escape" by Nina Lane (Contemporary Romance)

SWEET ESCAPE by Nina Lane
	Publisher: Snow Queen Publishing Genre: Contemporary Romance Publication Date: December 6th 2016 Cover design: Perfect Pear Creative Covers Photography: Wander Aguiar Wander Book Club: Facebook Model: Andrew Biernatt Series: Sugar Rush, #2 Standalone: Yes
Other Books in the SUGAR RUSH Series
#1
Categories:
Borrowed Time, Foodie, Heavy Subjects, Nice Guy, Road Trip, Sick Main Character, Travel
Description from Publisher:
When dessert goes wrong…  Hannah Lockhart travels the world and blogs about love. At least she used to before she promised to look after her sister’s bakery. Now, stuck in small town California for the next six months, Hannah is desperate to find romantic content for her blog or risk losing both readers and income.  Then a whipped cream disaster sends her into the arms of sexy, charming Evan Stone, heir to the Sugar Rush Candy Company. Since childhood, Evan has been trying to overcome family concerns about his defective heart. Known as “The Heartbreaker,” he’s found an outlet with women. And when bad news strikes him, he seeks a diversion by offering to show Hannah the romance of the Bay Area. Hannah jumps at the chance…as long as they keep things platonic. But soon Evan’s hot combination of charm, perfect kisses, and a serious sweet tooth melts her defenses. As Hannah and Evan surrender to their delicious attraction, they are forced to confront the reality of her wanderlust and his heart condition. When love and hearts collide, can Hannah and Evan find their sweet ending?
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
My Musings:
As I thought of my first line of this review, having literally just finished, I have to chuckle: This story had so much more heart than I expected. By the way, I am a huge fan of puns. Especially unintentional puns. Anyway, I quite enjoyed basically everything about this story! I hadn't read the first book or any other Nina Lane books, but I will absolutely be adding them to my TBR list! Hannah is a woman filled with wanderlust, which generally works out well for her as a travel blogger. Except when she owes it to her sister to stay in their hometown holding down the fort at their bakery. Evan has a heart defect and has had to live with being "the sick one" his entire life. He sees an opportunity with Hannah to break away from that for awhile and takes it. These two are so much fun together and can really heat up a room (or porch, bath, or beachfront shack). I really appreciated how their relationship developed and all of the cute little heart touches were woven in. Let it also be said that Evan was a true delight and surprise for me. At first, he was adorable but confident and I was hooked. Then, he was sweet and a little naughty. Then, he was dirty and yummy. He was all the things you could want from a male lead! He can find my sweet tooth any time he wants. ;) The crisis in this is about what you would expect, but still works really well for the story, with no melodrama. It's very well-done and a serious pleasure to read!
My Source: I received a digital ARC from the publisher to voluntarily review. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and my 100% own.

About the Author: Nina Lane
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances and spicy erotica. Originally from California, she holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.