Chef's Choice: A Novel

I loved "Chef's Kiss" so much that I pre-ordered this book and forgot I had done so! So I found a wonderful surprise when the book was given a great review in the NY Times. Luna first appeared in "Chef's Kiss," TJ Alexander's previous book in this series. The story begins with her losing her job. She goes to see her best friend at her work and runs into a French guy looking for a fake girlfriend. She needs the money, and it seems fun. Fake relationships in romance novels almost always end up becoming real, sorta like the Velveteen Rabbit, after being loved. These two have so much respect for each other and come to love each other. They move slowly toward sexual expression, which is tender and lovely when they do. TJ Alexander writes characters we all want to know and love.

This was a very cute RomCom. I really appreciated the author’s take on T4T romance and it was represented well. Our two MCs are both Tran and also both have very different interpretations on what being tran means to them, as well as different views on queerness. To have this expressed in a respectable, graceful way is not only a huge feat but quite impressive. The message of the book is clear, we can have different opinions of each other, no matter the gender, and can express it in a way that is both beneficial and respectful. If the world was just an ounce of this, it would be a much happier place. Luna and Jean-Pierre embark on a fake dating relationship and cooking relationship so that Jean-Pierre would not be written out of the will and so Luna can get back on track. This follows the tropes of fake dating and grumpy v sunshine. This is book number two in the Chef’s Kiss series. The story is narrated by Luna, in her POV. Luna is a bad ass woman who is independent, confident and positive. Jean-Pierre is grumpy, set in his ways, and feels like he needs to prove himself to his family. We also get some follow up with Simone and Ray, which was delightful. The characters were well developed with depth, witty banter, chemistry, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, refreshing, spicy, humorous, and just brilliant. I was looking forward to this second installment and it did not disappoint. Just a refreshing, heartwarming read. I highly recommend picking this up…

A romance between a trans man and trans woman, a high stakes cooking competition and plenty of laughs - what’s not to like?