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A review by thenaptimewriter
The Secret Ingredient: An LGBTQ Romance by K.D. Fisher
4.0
KD Fisher’s The Secret Ingredient made me hungry. It also made me want to travel *stares wistfully out my window .
This is one of those books that’s less plot-driven, more character & setting-focused, & reading it felt cozy & occasionally steamy—a rather nice combo IMO.
Adah Campbell has just moved to Maine to be Head Chef at a fancy restaurant. Years ago, after accidentally becoming pregnant, she left her strict, super religious home & made a life for herself and her son. Serving as Head Chef is the opportunity she needs to provide for her family & to prove that she has what it takes.
Beth Summers is the owner & baker of The Yellow House, a more casual type of establishment that privileges local food & farmers & takes food & the people it can serve through food seriously.
Trope-wise, this book is a classic: opposites attract. Grumpy & the sunshine. But I love how original it is in Fisher’s hands.
The Secret Ingredient gets points for:
Adah’s cute accent, which is pervasive throughout the book. I don’t feel like I’ve often (ever?) seen an Ozarks dialect written in a romance before?
.
.
How ambitious & competitive both women are, in slightly different ways.
.
.
Steam, including the leads sharing forthrightly what they like & don’t like.
.
.
Found family.
.
.
Beautiful descriptions of Maine life (I want to go to there.)
.
.
How soft Adah is underneath her reserved exterior. She’s so earnest & I love it (give me ALL the little signs of vulnerability
This is one of those books that’s less plot-driven, more character & setting-focused, & reading it felt cozy & occasionally steamy—a rather nice combo IMO.
Adah Campbell has just moved to Maine to be Head Chef at a fancy restaurant. Years ago, after accidentally becoming pregnant, she left her strict, super religious home & made a life for herself and her son. Serving as Head Chef is the opportunity she needs to provide for her family & to prove that she has what it takes.
Beth Summers is the owner & baker of The Yellow House, a more casual type of establishment that privileges local food & farmers & takes food & the people it can serve through food seriously.
Trope-wise, this book is a classic: opposites attract. Grumpy & the sunshine. But I love how original it is in Fisher’s hands.
The Secret Ingredient gets points for:
Adah’s cute accent, which is pervasive throughout the book. I don’t feel like I’ve often (ever?) seen an Ozarks dialect written in a romance before?
.
.
How ambitious & competitive both women are, in slightly different ways.
.
.
Steam, including the leads sharing forthrightly what they like & don’t like.
.
.
Found family.
.
.
Beautiful descriptions of Maine life (I want to go to there.)
.
.
How soft Adah is underneath her reserved exterior. She’s so earnest & I love it (give me ALL the little signs of vulnerability