Culinary Chaos: Hotel Bombshell, Book 1

Hope was bubbly, impulsive, and literally flirted with anything that had a pulse. Opposite to that was Angelica, who absolutely did not have a bubbly personality. Angelica was serious, highly focused, and didn’t concern herself with frivolous matters or people. But then Hope happened. There was so much tension that you could literally cut it with a kitchen knife. I had to say it! Those kisses were as spicy as things got, but with this being the first book, I didn’t think it needed more than that. The slow burn gave them time to build attraction, mutual respect, and care, which I found when I struggled with my morals. Usually I’d stay far away from anything that steered towards infidelity because it makes me feel sick, but my morally gray side reared its head. Angelica’s character was referred to as the “Ice Fairy”, but beneath that facade she genuinely cared about people’s livelihood. Hope wasn’t bad per se, but her impulsiveness wasn't great either and there was the whole being married thing! There was so much drama while the cameras weren’t rolling, and I just couldn’t put it down. I loved the slow burn—I won’t do it again. It’s not punny. Overall, I thought the book was Chef’s Kiss—that was the last one—and I can’t wait for season two. Happy reading! 💋 Age Gap 💋 Sapphic Romance 💋 Dual POV

This book had me feeling so many emotions and da*mit if it didn't have me ticked off, offended, and upset for Ange! I need more and waiting for season 2 is going to be torture. Thank you Adrian J Smith for such a wonderful story!

Obsessed with this writer. This first book is perfect. It slowly explains the relationship between Angelica and Hope in such an angsty way but it works perfectly. It sets up the next few books without rushing it. In a perfect world there would be multiple books in every book series.

Read this book!!! Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick up this book that is the first in a new series from Adrian J. Smith. Season 1 of Hotel Bombshell, titled Culinary Chaos, is a slooooow burn and will leave you primed and ready for Season 2. I am a fan of reality shows that involve cooking, renovations, etc., especially the ones that are more about cooperation/collaboration than competition and drama. So I very much empathized with the two MCs, Hope and Angelica, who are the stars of a new reality series where they manage a hotel and the associated restaurant. Angelica is the older, more experienced hotel manager with a reputation for being an ice queen, er, ice fairy. Hope is the younger, more bubbly personality, warm and friendly to everyone she meets, and a bit of a flirt. There is instant chemistry between the two women, but there are some obstacles that definitely stand in the way of them finding that HEA: Angelica was spurned in her previous relationship and there were complications surrounding it from the start, while Hope's primary issue is that she is currently married...to a man who is one of the show producers, and they have a child together, and she's never been attracted to a woman before. Talk about some hurdles! On top of all this, the show director and producers want the two women to create more drama between the two of them and get into arguments (insert eyeroll here) just for the sake of getting higher ratings so they will be picked up for a second…

There are good stories and good storytellers and I’m thrilled we get both with Adrian J. Smith. Her books are an automatic read for me because the writing is just that darn good. Even if I have nothing in common with the characters her writing immediately helps me to relate to them. If you’re a fan of reality tv, especially fixer upper or cooking shows, you’ll really enjoy Culinary Chaos. It’s filled with tension, drama, and timelines. And since this is a very slow burn (sloth burn!) romance, we get pining and longing galore. The only warning I have to give ahead of time is that there is an element of cheating. Your opinion may vary on what constitutes cheating, and I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll let you decide for yourself. For me personally, I could relate to developing attraction and acting on it with someone else even though you’re already in a serious relationship (or marriage, in the case of Culinary Chaos). But polyamory is not talked about or discussed (yet?) so we will have to wait for book two to see what happens. Our main characters are Hope Lawrence, a bubbly 35 year old chef with her own cooking series and Angelica Shields, a successful 55 year old hotel manager of several hotels. Hope is married to Rex, who is an assistant director for their show, and they have a 6 year old daughter Eva. Angelica just got out of a difficult relationship as she is very career focused and her career is her main priority. She is often referred to as the “Ice Fairy” and…