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A review by bookish_smorgasbord
The Secret Ingredient: An LGBTQ Romance by K.D. Fisher
4.0
“Oh my god. Seriously? You’re a Virgo? Okay, well you better wife me up now because we are like bonkers compatible!” – Beth to Adah
Adah Campbell has worked tirelessly to provide a loving, safe home for her son Pete and build a career as a chef. When an opportunity arises for her to helm a restaurant in South Bay, Maine, she seizes it, little knowing how life-changing this decision would become. Beth Summers, on the other hand, had fled her South Bay hometown, craving a life spent traveling. She returns, however, after her mother’s retirement, to transform the old family restaurant and search for elusive fulfillment. Their attraction is immediate, though they don’t get off on the right foot at their first meeting. This opposites-attract romance delivers wonderful chemistry between not only Beth and Adah, but with the supporting cast of characters, as well. It contains a heady mixture of workplace drama, personal trauma, and falling in love. There are a lot of food-type puns and comments I can make about how their HEA unfolds (and trust me, I really want to!). It’s especially true in an opposites-attract love story that the unlikely, disregarded ingredients are sometimes just the thing you need to discover what’s your “perfect-for-you-balance” in life.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the food. Foodie romances are delicious torture on so many levels (the longing, the push and pull, the menus!) and this year it seems like we’ve been blessed with a smorgasbord of them. If there is one thing I wish I would have done differently while reading this, it would have been to pair it with dinner or snacks, because I was starving! An important and well-done element of Fisher’s writing is her food descriptions. We have two women elbows deep in the restaurant industry, so it has to have a whole lot of tasty descriptions. (Can you smell that wood burning stove? I can!) And trust me, she delivers a full course menu as Beth and Adah navigate careers and romance. One thing I’m curious about is how the audiobook narrator will translate an accent that sounds like “humid thunderstorms and steamy biscuits slathered in home-churned butter”. Omg. Let me know if you listen to this book!
Fisher also has a great ear for fun, playful dialogue. Jay (Adah’s bff and pastry chef extraordinaire, they/them/theirs pronouns), and Adah's friend conversations flow easily, with their energy and perspectives balancing each other's personalities. Where Adah comes off as more reserved and high-strung, Jay is outgoing and optimistic (even when faced with personal setbacks). Their longtime friendship forms a close-knit family, supportive in good times and bad. I love their friendship so much! It’s wonderful and makes my heart happy. The relationships surrounding Beth and Adah, including Adah’s son and landlord/mother-she-wish-she-had, and Beth’s family and staff, make this foodie romance even more satisfying.
This review reflects material from Carina Press’s pre-publication edition of the book. Available October 27th!
Adah Campbell has worked tirelessly to provide a loving, safe home for her son Pete and build a career as a chef. When an opportunity arises for her to helm a restaurant in South Bay, Maine, she seizes it, little knowing how life-changing this decision would become. Beth Summers, on the other hand, had fled her South Bay hometown, craving a life spent traveling. She returns, however, after her mother’s retirement, to transform the old family restaurant and search for elusive fulfillment. Their attraction is immediate, though they don’t get off on the right foot at their first meeting. This opposites-attract romance delivers wonderful chemistry between not only Beth and Adah, but with the supporting cast of characters, as well. It contains a heady mixture of workplace drama, personal trauma, and falling in love. There are a lot of food-type puns and comments I can make about how their HEA unfolds (and trust me, I really want to!). It’s especially true in an opposites-attract love story that the unlikely, disregarded ingredients are sometimes just the thing you need to discover what’s your “perfect-for-you-balance” in life.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the food. Foodie romances are delicious torture on so many levels (the longing, the push and pull, the menus!) and this year it seems like we’ve been blessed with a smorgasbord of them. If there is one thing I wish I would have done differently while reading this, it would have been to pair it with dinner or snacks, because I was starving! An important and well-done element of Fisher’s writing is her food descriptions. We have two women elbows deep in the restaurant industry, so it has to have a whole lot of tasty descriptions. (Can you smell that wood burning stove? I can!) And trust me, she delivers a full course menu as Beth and Adah navigate careers and romance. One thing I’m curious about is how the audiobook narrator will translate an accent that sounds like “humid thunderstorms and steamy biscuits slathered in home-churned butter”. Omg. Let me know if you listen to this book!
Fisher also has a great ear for fun, playful dialogue. Jay (Adah’s bff and pastry chef extraordinaire, they/them/theirs pronouns), and Adah's friend conversations flow easily, with their energy and perspectives balancing each other's personalities. Where Adah comes off as more reserved and high-strung, Jay is outgoing and optimistic (even when faced with personal setbacks). Their longtime friendship forms a close-knit family, supportive in good times and bad. I love their friendship so much! It’s wonderful and makes my heart happy. The relationships surrounding Beth and Adah, including Adah’s son and landlord/mother-she-wish-she-had, and Beth’s family and staff, make this foodie romance even more satisfying.
This review reflects material from Carina Press’s pre-publication edition of the book. Available October 27th!