Chef Sugarlips

I’m loving this series. It has laughter and heart and so much emotion. I love how these books blend side-splitting funny situations with deeply touching moments. The underlying message of this story seems to be all about how we respond to other people’s opinions of us; living up (or down) to their expectations. Amber was always seen as ‘the perfect girl’, and perfect is a really hard standard to maintain. Sean might have a bit of a martyr complex. He’s bad at opening up to other people but very good at looking after them. He’s been half in love with Amber from the time he first saw her. But will those feelings survive him getting to know the real Amber instead of the fantasy girl who’s lived in his mind all this time?

Flawless Amber and Chef Sean have history ... well, at least each of them has their own separately in the same town and Sean’s crush on her goes back to a certain skinny dipping incident he observed during their schooldays. And because he is nearby preparing to open a restaurant on an Oregon luxury resort development he and his siblings are establishing, when she needs trendy, Michelin-star-worthy wedding reception food catered for a client on short notice, of course he is the obvious choice. Cue the hospitality-related antics and mixed business and pleasure relationships for a story with many highlights; among others, they include reindeer, X-rated cookies, exploding meatballs, and teenagers’ initials carved into a certain tree.

The story has its moments when you cringe a little for the protagonists who navigate too-human moments like we all have had, when our insecurities and fears lead us to say and do things to loved ones that are likely to engender the opposite of what we were really wanting. But it is also what makes the story too, because the fantasy parts with wealth, prestige, and unexpected kindness featuring large in the HEA ending notwithstanding, seem more plausible than otherwise they would.

This is the first book I have read by Tawna Fenske and I appreciated the smooth flow of the story and main characters’ development as individuals and as they navigate their budding romance toward becoming a couple and also coming to terms with significant influences from their respective pasts (vague I know, but no spoilers!). Fenske is a storyteller I will happily read more of and I aim to do just that!

Loved this laugh-out-loud story!

I can’t say this enough! I loved this book! Tawna never ceases to exceed my expectations! I found this book hilarious, from the initial awkward meeting, to reindeer mating information, to the meatballs at a wedding reception, I laughed from the beginning, throughout this book. Sensitive issues are approached with consciousness and sympathy, drawing in the reader to the environment and feelings, while the chemistry between Amber and Sean start at their meeting and grows throughout their story.

I highly recommend this book! Like all of Tawna Fenske books, you’ll find yourself literally laughing out loud and looking for your own Chef Sean!