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Recipe for Love
A recipe for One cup of homespun country farmer Two dollops of hotshot city chef A sprinkle of funky little restaurant Increase the heat until romance sizzles. Hannah Little doesn’t have much use for fancy chefs or fancy restaurants, but that’s exactly what Three Willows Farm needs to survive. When a local restaurant wants to feature her produce, she’s thrilled. But the contract means working with an egotistical, and (let’s face it) drop-dead-gorgeous head chef from New York City. Chef Drew Davis can’t wait to run her own kitchen. If taking a job at some trendy farm-to-table restaurant in the middle of nowheresville will get her there faster, she’s on board. She has no intention of staying though, and that means the feisty farmer who keeps trying to tell her how to do her job can’t be anything more than a pleasant distraction.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 16, 2019
45 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
Aurora Rey
35 books288 followersAurora Rey is a college dean by day and a life coach award-winning author of queer romance author the rest of the time, except when she’s cooking, baking, riding the tractor, or pining for goats. She grew up in a small town in south Louisiana, daydreaming about New England. She keeps a special place in her heart for the South, especially the food and the ways women are raised to be strong, even if they're taught not to show it. After a brief dalliance with biochemistry, she completed both a B.A. and an M.A. in English.
She is the author of the Cape End Romance series and several standalone contemporary lesbian romance novels and novellas. She is has been a finalist for the Lambda Literary, RITA®, and Golden Crown Literary Society awards, but loves reader feedback the most. She lives in Ithaca, New York with her dog and whatever wildlife has taken up residence in the pond.
She is the author of the Cape End Romance series and several standalone contemporary lesbian romance novels and novellas. She is has been a finalist for the Lambda Literary, RITA®, and Golden Crown Literary Society awards, but loves reader feedback the most. She lives in Ithaca, New York with her dog and whatever wildlife has taken up residence in the pond.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
April 14, 2019
3.25 Stars. This was a perfectly nice traditional romance, but there wasn’t anything that really wowed me. It’s not my favorite by Rey, but it wasn’t a disappointment either. For me this is squarely in the okay category.
I would recommend the book for people who are foodies. This story is about a woman who runs a vegetable and fruit farm, and another woman who is the new head chief at a farm to table restaurant. Food is everywhere in this book and it is very detailed. I think it caused my stomach to growl a few times. I’ve always thought it would be really cool to own a little vegetable farm so I did very much like the setting of this book.
While the setting, the characters jobs, and all the food is well written about, I did feel the book lacked a little in other places. So much detail went into the food and jobs that I don’t think Rey spent enough time on building the characters. The mains were decently developed, but I felt almost all the secondary characters could use more work. And because this book is so much about food, farming and cooking, the pace was on the slower side. I was never actually bored, but I was close. Rey writing was good enough to keep me reading but I do prefer a little more of something in my books. Even the angst was pretty low key except for the one extremely predictable scene near the end.
The romance itself was pretty good. The characters had a connection and I liked them as a possible couple. The sex scenes were decent and they had some sparks, I just wished I felt that their connection was a little deeper. It was perfectly fine but again it didn’t wow me.
Overall this is a nice foodie romance. I personally have to keep it in the just okay category, but I don’t think readers will be disappointed with this book. Not Rey’s best but not bad either.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
I would recommend the book for people who are foodies. This story is about a woman who runs a vegetable and fruit farm, and another woman who is the new head chief at a farm to table restaurant. Food is everywhere in this book and it is very detailed. I think it caused my stomach to growl a few times. I’ve always thought it would be really cool to own a little vegetable farm so I did very much like the setting of this book.
While the setting, the characters jobs, and all the food is well written about, I did feel the book lacked a little in other places. So much detail went into the food and jobs that I don’t think Rey spent enough time on building the characters. The mains were decently developed, but I felt almost all the secondary characters could use more work. And because this book is so much about food, farming and cooking, the pace was on the slower side. I was never actually bored, but I was close. Rey writing was good enough to keep me reading but I do prefer a little more of something in my books. Even the angst was pretty low key except for the one extremely predictable scene near the end.
The romance itself was pretty good. The characters had a connection and I liked them as a possible couple. The sex scenes were decent and they had some sparks, I just wished I felt that their connection was a little deeper. It was perfectly fine but again it didn’t wow me.
Overall this is a nice foodie romance. I personally have to keep it in the just okay category, but I don’t think readers will be disappointed with this book. Not Rey’s best but not bad either.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
March 31, 2019
I enjoy reading foodie romances. Combine mouth watering dishes with a couple of mouth watering women and you have a Recipe for Love. Drew Davis is hoping to advance her career by making a name for herself as head chef of Fig, an upstate restaurant hoping to be a trendsetter offering farm to table dishes using locally sourced produce. Drew knows that success here will speed up her chances to run a kitchen back in her beloved NYC.
Hannah is proud of her market garden operation and eager to prove to her father that she is quite capable of turning a profit with hard work, good marketing and excellent produce. Her contract to supply Fig means she will have to learn to work with big city chef Drew on a daily basis. Let the city mouse vs country mouse confrontations begin.
I liked this sweet traditional slow burn romance. Drew and Hannah might be slow to act on their attraction but once they do the reader is rewarded with some pretty steamy sex scenes. I liked the way both mains dance around their feelings knowing their differences would make a lasting relationship a challenge. No surprise when their budding relationship falters and no surprise again when they find a way back to find their HEA.
More than anything I was impressed with the growth I see in this author’s writing style. I liked the pace and way she slowly doles out details about her mains to hold the reader’s interest. I know when I read a book by Rey I will want to enjoy the mouth watering dishes she describes. It’s nice to see she is adding meat to the bone with her characters and storylines.
3.5 stars
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
Hannah is proud of her market garden operation and eager to prove to her father that she is quite capable of turning a profit with hard work, good marketing and excellent produce. Her contract to supply Fig means she will have to learn to work with big city chef Drew on a daily basis. Let the city mouse vs country mouse confrontations begin.
I liked this sweet traditional slow burn romance. Drew and Hannah might be slow to act on their attraction but once they do the reader is rewarded with some pretty steamy sex scenes. I liked the way both mains dance around their feelings knowing their differences would make a lasting relationship a challenge. No surprise when their budding relationship falters and no surprise again when they find a way back to find their HEA.
More than anything I was impressed with the growth I see in this author’s writing style. I liked the pace and way she slowly doles out details about her mains to hold the reader’s interest. I know when I read a book by Rey I will want to enjoy the mouth watering dishes she describes. It’s nice to see she is adding meat to the bone with her characters and storylines.
3.5 stars
ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review.
April 20, 2019
This is a sweet and enjoyable enough romance but I didn’t feel very connected to it. Drew Davis takes a job as head chef in a farm-to-table restaurant in upstate New York because it’s a good step up in her culinary career. Hannah Little runs the farm that has the contract to supply the restaurant that Drew has just become the new head chef of. Hannah and Drew don’t hit it off immediately but they definitely each appreciate the physical attractiveness of the other.
When I picked this up I noticed the variance in the reviews and I wondered where I would fall. I get a little bored by discussions around cooking and the preparation of food but that didn’t bother me in this novel at all. I felt that I didn’t really get to know either Hannah or Drew well enough to understand their motives or care about their choices. They didn’t seem to have any meaningful conversations or open themselves up to each other.
It doesn’t help that I read a book with a very similar theme fairly recently so reading this felt very familiar without much to make it any different. Hannah and Drew are nice enough characters and so are the secondary characters. I did like the ethnic diversity. Two and a half stars rounded up.
Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
When I picked this up I noticed the variance in the reviews and I wondered where I would fall. I get a little bored by discussions around cooking and the preparation of food but that didn’t bother me in this novel at all. I felt that I didn’t really get to know either Hannah or Drew well enough to understand their motives or care about their choices. They didn’t seem to have any meaningful conversations or open themselves up to each other.
It doesn’t help that I read a book with a very similar theme fairly recently so reading this felt very familiar without much to make it any different. Hannah and Drew are nice enough characters and so are the secondary characters. I did like the ethnic diversity. Two and a half stars rounded up.
Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
April 23, 2019
An appetizing romance.
Drew is a biracial hot shot chef from the City. She takes a job as head chef in upstate New York to speed up the timeline for becoming a head chef in Manhattan. She's not excited about country living but it's a means to an end.
Hannah owns a farm in upstate that provides fresh product to a friend's restaurant. When the butch city slicker, Drew, pops in, she doubts that the chef will make it long at all.
I loved the setting of this story. It was fun to hang out in the restaurant with Drew and harvest goods on the farm with Hannah. All of the characters were likable and had genuine growth throughout.
There was plenty of chemistry. Things started off pretty quickly, but it wasn't insta-love. More like insta-lust. And that made things play out believably as emotions began to add complication to things.
There was some necessary angst as they navigate making decisions between chasing hearts or fulfilling dreams.
I recommend this to anyone who loves romance, fresh produce, country life, dinner, and tractors named 'Bertie.'
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley for an honest review.
Drew is a biracial hot shot chef from the City. She takes a job as head chef in upstate New York to speed up the timeline for becoming a head chef in Manhattan. She's not excited about country living but it's a means to an end.
Hannah owns a farm in upstate that provides fresh product to a friend's restaurant. When the butch city slicker, Drew, pops in, she doubts that the chef will make it long at all.
I loved the setting of this story. It was fun to hang out in the restaurant with Drew and harvest goods on the farm with Hannah. All of the characters were likable and had genuine growth throughout.
There was plenty of chemistry. Things started off pretty quickly, but it wasn't insta-love. More like insta-lust. And that made things play out believably as emotions began to add complication to things.
There was some necessary angst as they navigate making decisions between chasing hearts or fulfilling dreams.
I recommend this to anyone who loves romance, fresh produce, country life, dinner, and tractors named 'Bertie.'
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley for an honest review.
April 9, 2019
I’ve been waiting for this story for while with bated breath and it did not disappoint.
Drew Davis moves to upstate New York after getting a job as head chef at a farm to table restaurant. This job is just a stepping stone to being head chef at a leading restaurant in New York so she can’t have any entanglements and needs to stay focused. If only she could get the the beautiful, Hannah Little out of her head. Hannah can’t help but be attracted to the flashy New York chef straight away but she has a good deal with the local restaurant by supplying them all her farm fresh fruit and veg. She doesn’t need to mess that up by being caught up in a fling with Drew but what if this could be more?
So here’s a few things that always get me excited when Aurora Rey publishes a new book... Firstly, I am guaranteed a hot butch with a sensitive side, this alone is a mssive tick. Secondly, I am guaranteed to throw any diet out the window because the books always have the most delectable descriptions of food that I immediately go on the hunt for - this time it was a BLT with a difference. And lastly, hot sex scenes that personally have added to my fanatsy list throughout the years! This book did not disappoint in any of those areas.
I really enjoyed the build up in this book and found that there was possibly more angst in this story than there has been before in Aurora Rey’s novels. I think it suited this story because there was an element of ‘will they, won’t they’ and then ‘will they make it work?’. Where as, normally I just know these characters are made for each other. Either Drew or Hannah needed to make a massive changed to their life plans for them to ever be together and I was nervous right until the end of how they could have each other and still have their dreams. Don’t get me wrong, this book has a beautiful happy ending but I felt like I worked for it as did the characters and I really enjoyed that. With that in mind, I think it shows how much Aurora’s strengths are growing with every book she writes and when I looked back and saw that I rated her first 5 stars, you can imagine what the future looks like for Aurora Rey and her books!
Like I said before, the sex scenes in Aurora Rey’s books play a big part in my love for her work. She just gets this reader and honestly, I get really excited when I reach those parts of her books. This book had a very unexpected but sexy element that I really enjoyed.
Before I finish up, I just want to mention the cover. It’s possibly my new favourite cover to date. Its clean and fresh with heaps of meaning about the book without ruining the mystery. I found out today it was created by Melody Pond, so wanted to acknowledge the on point design.
Honestly, between the love story, the food and the hot butch, I think I swooned so hard I fell off my bed. Another delicious (in more ways than one) book for Aurora Rey.
5 Stars
Drew Davis moves to upstate New York after getting a job as head chef at a farm to table restaurant. This job is just a stepping stone to being head chef at a leading restaurant in New York so she can’t have any entanglements and needs to stay focused. If only she could get the the beautiful, Hannah Little out of her head. Hannah can’t help but be attracted to the flashy New York chef straight away but she has a good deal with the local restaurant by supplying them all her farm fresh fruit and veg. She doesn’t need to mess that up by being caught up in a fling with Drew but what if this could be more?
So here’s a few things that always get me excited when Aurora Rey publishes a new book... Firstly, I am guaranteed a hot butch with a sensitive side, this alone is a mssive tick. Secondly, I am guaranteed to throw any diet out the window because the books always have the most delectable descriptions of food that I immediately go on the hunt for - this time it was a BLT with a difference. And lastly, hot sex scenes that personally have added to my fanatsy list throughout the years! This book did not disappoint in any of those areas.
I really enjoyed the build up in this book and found that there was possibly more angst in this story than there has been before in Aurora Rey’s novels. I think it suited this story because there was an element of ‘will they, won’t they’ and then ‘will they make it work?’. Where as, normally I just know these characters are made for each other. Either Drew or Hannah needed to make a massive changed to their life plans for them to ever be together and I was nervous right until the end of how they could have each other and still have their dreams. Don’t get me wrong, this book has a beautiful happy ending but I felt like I worked for it as did the characters and I really enjoyed that. With that in mind, I think it shows how much Aurora’s strengths are growing with every book she writes and when I looked back and saw that I rated her first 5 stars, you can imagine what the future looks like for Aurora Rey and her books!
Like I said before, the sex scenes in Aurora Rey’s books play a big part in my love for her work. She just gets this reader and honestly, I get really excited when I reach those parts of her books. This book had a very unexpected but sexy element that I really enjoyed.
Before I finish up, I just want to mention the cover. It’s possibly my new favourite cover to date. Its clean and fresh with heaps of meaning about the book without ruining the mystery. I found out today it was created by Melody Pond, so wanted to acknowledge the on point design.
Honestly, between the love story, the food and the hot butch, I think I swooned so hard I fell off my bed. Another delicious (in more ways than one) book for Aurora Rey.
5 Stars
April 28, 2019
New Yorker hotshot chef Drew Davis has a clear professional goal to become a restaurant head chef as soon as possible. She gets the opportunity she was waiting for in a farm-to-table establishment in upstate New York. Apart from the inconvenience of having to leave her beloved city life to move to a rural area, Drew has to deal with local farmer Hannah Little who is as beautiful as obstinate and isn’t impressed by the fancy city chef. As they are forced to work together to make the restaurant a success, they both discover many things in common and a brewing mutual attraction. But Drew is only in upstate New York temporarily and will be back to NYC at the first opportunity to advance her professional career, or is she?
This is a slow-burn romance which will be appreciated especially by gourmet readers. Food is at the forefront of the story, with a particular focus on farm-produced ingredients. A farm-to-table restaurant aims to source most of the ingredients from local food producers, an apparently simple concept which presents a few challenges. Ms. Rey describes thoroughly the hard work involved in farming, the diverse types of products and the different nature cycles. As these descriptions take a big part of the book, people interested in farming, food produce and sustainability will enjoy the story much better than the rest. I personally found that there was too much detail in these aspects that distracted me from the main story.
In this novel, Ms. Rey uses contrasts expertly: femme-butch, white-biracial, countryside-city, and even including a feminine farmer character, which seems contradictory in itself. But beyond these disparities, there is an ample common ground; the appreciation of good food, the importance of family and the search of long-lasting love. The romance part of the plot is well written, and the characters’ relationship is built slowly from a strong initial antagonism that eventually changes into attraction. The author gets the butch-femme dynamic spot-on, especially in the sex scenes which, nevertheless, present a hot role reversal. My main criticism is that the characters’ main conflict could have been solved much easier with better communication.
Overall, a good butch-femme romance which will be appreciated especially by gourmet readers. 3.5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com
This is a slow-burn romance which will be appreciated especially by gourmet readers. Food is at the forefront of the story, with a particular focus on farm-produced ingredients. A farm-to-table restaurant aims to source most of the ingredients from local food producers, an apparently simple concept which presents a few challenges. Ms. Rey describes thoroughly the hard work involved in farming, the diverse types of products and the different nature cycles. As these descriptions take a big part of the book, people interested in farming, food produce and sustainability will enjoy the story much better than the rest. I personally found that there was too much detail in these aspects that distracted me from the main story.
In this novel, Ms. Rey uses contrasts expertly: femme-butch, white-biracial, countryside-city, and even including a feminine farmer character, which seems contradictory in itself. But beyond these disparities, there is an ample common ground; the appreciation of good food, the importance of family and the search of long-lasting love. The romance part of the plot is well written, and the characters’ relationship is built slowly from a strong initial antagonism that eventually changes into attraction. The author gets the butch-femme dynamic spot-on, especially in the sex scenes which, nevertheless, present a hot role reversal. My main criticism is that the characters’ main conflict could have been solved much easier with better communication.
Overall, a good butch-femme romance which will be appreciated especially by gourmet readers. 3.5 stars.
ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com
November 29, 2019
“Recipe for Love” is narrated by the terrific Lori Prince, and the story is enjoyable and very well-written.
There’s plenty of humor in the book. MC farmer Hannah is a femme, despite being a farmer. She first meets “the city girl” chef MC Drew when overdressed Drew steps into a mud puddle on the produce farm. Hannah is certain that was the first, and the last, time she’d see the gorgeous woman.
Well, it turns out that Drew does take the job as head chef at the rural restaurant, and despite being overdressed at their first meeting when she was interviewing for the job, she's a butch. As the months go by we get lots of fun interactions between folks in the rural community and Hannah. Once Drew and Hannah stop avoiding their mutual attraction, we gets lots of VERY fun interactions between them, including one of the best depicted playtimes with a strapon I’ve heard in lesfic!
Many of the side characters have their own interesting side stories. Hannah’s younger sister Claire is enthusiastic about web marketing, and is discovering her own interest in Kristen, a friend from school. Drew’s mother and grandmother are also enjoyable side characters, and add a lot of depth to the story.
Published by Bold Strokes Books, “Recipe for Love” follows the recipe for lesfic, and there at the 75% level we get the angst, the breakup and of course, eventually the makeup. Still….I wish authors could at least surprise with something innovative; perhaps angst at 70% to catch us by surprise, or 80% to catch us thinking there won’t be angst. Or perhaps a nice fictional love story where neither MC hurts the other by doing something stupid. Oh well…I can dream.
I rate much of the story 5*, certainly the sex scenes, and I loved the narration. Still, the 75% point drama felt like it wasn’t necessary this time, and was just formulaic. So, I’m deducting a star and I recommend the audiobook with 4*
Review updated 11/29 because I'd misidentified who was the butch and who was the femme! Oops! Thanks for Hubsie for reminding me of the roles. That's what happens writing reviews seven months late ;)
There’s plenty of humor in the book. MC farmer Hannah is a femme, despite being a farmer. She first meets “the city girl” chef MC Drew when overdressed Drew steps into a mud puddle on the produce farm. Hannah is certain that was the first, and the last, time she’d see the gorgeous woman.
Well, it turns out that Drew does take the job as head chef at the rural restaurant, and despite being overdressed at their first meeting when she was interviewing for the job, she's a butch. As the months go by we get lots of fun interactions between folks in the rural community and Hannah. Once Drew and Hannah stop avoiding their mutual attraction, we gets lots of VERY fun interactions between them, including one of the best depicted playtimes with a strapon I’ve heard in lesfic!
Many of the side characters have their own interesting side stories. Hannah’s younger sister Claire is enthusiastic about web marketing, and is discovering her own interest in Kristen, a friend from school. Drew’s mother and grandmother are also enjoyable side characters, and add a lot of depth to the story.
Published by Bold Strokes Books, “Recipe for Love” follows the recipe for lesfic, and there at the 75% level we get the angst, the breakup and of course, eventually the makeup. Still….I wish authors could at least surprise with something innovative; perhaps angst at 70% to catch us by surprise, or 80% to catch us thinking there won’t be angst. Or perhaps a nice fictional love story where neither MC hurts the other by doing something stupid. Oh well…I can dream.
I rate much of the story 5*, certainly the sex scenes, and I loved the narration. Still, the 75% point drama felt like it wasn’t necessary this time, and was just formulaic. So, I’m deducting a star and I recommend the audiobook with 4*
Review updated 11/29 because I'd misidentified who was the butch and who was the femme! Oops! Thanks for Hubsie for reminding me of the roles. That's what happens writing reviews seven months late ;)
March 21, 2019
ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m pretty sure this is my first book by this author, and it was a nice enough place to start. It’s a fairly by the numbers romance, but nothing too noteworthy.
The two MCs are Hannah, who runs a farm that seems to grow everything and Drew, who is a chef who has taken a role as head chef at a farm-to-table restaurant to boost her chances of running her own kitchen in NY.
The relationship gets off to a slow start, mostly because Hannah doesn’t think much of ‘city girl’ Drew and believes Drew won’t stick around for long. They do spend a lot of time together in varying circumstances, and inevitably move past their reluctance (again mostly Hannah’s) to start a relationship. Their scenes together are fun and cute, and there’s some nice secondary characters (Hannah’s sister Clare, Drew’s boss/Hannah’s friend Nick), as well as some more tertiary characters like their best friends and family members that round things out a bit.
My main issue was that there wasn’t a lot of context given regarding certain aspects. Drew’s background for one, she’s described as having ‘sepia’ skin, and refers to herself being ‘brown’ (her mother and grandmother are described in similar ways), but it’s not until roughly the 60% mark that we find out that they are from Haiti, would it really have been difficult to work this in earlier? Same with Hannah’s sister, who is the youngest of four and 12 years younger than Hannah, who is the next to her in age, so one assumes she was a ‘surprise’ baby, but again, no context is given. Hannah’s brothers are mentioned but don’t even rate a conversation with her even when they appear in a scene, but we get detailed descriptions of all the crops Hannah grows and most of the meals they eat. I could have done with less of that and more fleshing out of the characters.
Anyway, that aside, the romance itself is sweet and I enjoyed it up til the ‘miscommunication/breakup’ section of the story, but I did like how it was resolved, and that the story continued past them gettting back together so that we got a glimpse of their HEA. It’s a nice enough romance, and I’d try more from this author. 3 stars.
I’m pretty sure this is my first book by this author, and it was a nice enough place to start. It’s a fairly by the numbers romance, but nothing too noteworthy.
The two MCs are Hannah, who runs a farm that seems to grow everything and Drew, who is a chef who has taken a role as head chef at a farm-to-table restaurant to boost her chances of running her own kitchen in NY.
The relationship gets off to a slow start, mostly because Hannah doesn’t think much of ‘city girl’ Drew and believes Drew won’t stick around for long. They do spend a lot of time together in varying circumstances, and inevitably move past their reluctance (again mostly Hannah’s) to start a relationship. Their scenes together are fun and cute, and there’s some nice secondary characters (Hannah’s sister Clare, Drew’s boss/Hannah’s friend Nick), as well as some more tertiary characters like their best friends and family members that round things out a bit.
My main issue was that there wasn’t a lot of context given regarding certain aspects. Drew’s background for one, she’s described as having ‘sepia’ skin, and refers to herself being ‘brown’ (her mother and grandmother are described in similar ways), but it’s not until roughly the 60% mark that we find out that they are from Haiti, would it really have been difficult to work this in earlier? Same with Hannah’s sister, who is the youngest of four and 12 years younger than Hannah, who is the next to her in age, so one assumes she was a ‘surprise’ baby, but again, no context is given. Hannah’s brothers are mentioned but don’t even rate a conversation with her even when they appear in a scene, but we get detailed descriptions of all the crops Hannah grows and most of the meals they eat. I could have done with less of that and more fleshing out of the characters.
Anyway, that aside, the romance itself is sweet and I enjoyed it up til the ‘miscommunication/breakup’ section of the story, but I did like how it was resolved, and that the story continued past them gettting back together so that we got a glimpse of their HEA. It’s a nice enough romance, and I’d try more from this author. 3 stars.
April 2, 2019
It was an okay read for me,not bad but not great either.
Hannah owns a farm which provides veggies for her friend's farm-to-table restaurant Fig. Drew is a chef from NY who got the job of head chef in in Fig. Drew's real dream is to start her own restaurant in NY.
This wasn't a page turner for me. Sometimes I wanted skip pages. I thought secondary characters were kind of boring maybe because we don't get much of them except Hannah's sister. Romance was nice and there was this breakup thing because of miscommunication.
I didn't get anything special or new in this book. And I liked the cover.
Hannah owns a farm which provides veggies for her friend's farm-to-table restaurant Fig. Drew is a chef from NY who got the job of head chef in in Fig. Drew's real dream is to start her own restaurant in NY.
This wasn't a page turner for me. Sometimes I wanted skip pages. I thought secondary characters were kind of boring maybe because we don't get much of them except Hannah's sister. Romance was nice and there was this breakup thing because of miscommunication.
I didn't get anything special or new in this book. And I liked the cover.
April 29, 2019
The newest romance by Aurora Rey, Recipe for Love, is a fun-filled story set in a small town in upstate New York. This is a light-hearted and delightful tale that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Recipe for Love places a big city chef (Drew Davis) as the head chef for a new restaurant called Fig in a small town in upstate New York. The theme for this establishment is “farm to table” which means trying to use food that is mostly grown locally. Of course this sets up the meeting between Drew and Hannah Little, a local farmer who supplies Fig with most of its produce. Sparks fly immediately between these two characters, but this is definitely a slow-burn romance, so it takes a while before the two realize what those sparks really mean.
The characters, both main and secondary, are well-developed and real. The descriptions of the setting makes me want to become a farmer just like Hannah, and I’m sure I’ve gained at least five pounds reading about the delicious food in the story. Ms. Rey has done an excellent job of creating a world and a story I would love to live in.
If you like a lovely romance with engaging characters, a beautiful setting, and good food, then this is the book for you.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Recipe for Love places a big city chef (Drew Davis) as the head chef for a new restaurant called Fig in a small town in upstate New York. The theme for this establishment is “farm to table” which means trying to use food that is mostly grown locally. Of course this sets up the meeting between Drew and Hannah Little, a local farmer who supplies Fig with most of its produce. Sparks fly immediately between these two characters, but this is definitely a slow-burn romance, so it takes a while before the two realize what those sparks really mean.
The characters, both main and secondary, are well-developed and real. The descriptions of the setting makes me want to become a farmer just like Hannah, and I’m sure I’ve gained at least five pounds reading about the delicious food in the story. Ms. Rey has done an excellent job of creating a world and a story I would love to live in.
If you like a lovely romance with engaging characters, a beautiful setting, and good food, then this is the book for you.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
March 16, 2020
Recipe for Love has such an engaging style that I found myself sneaking extra listening time in. Also, since food is one of my love languages and I adore cooking/travel food shows, it’s like this book was made for me.
Full review: https://www.thelesbianreview.com/reci...
Full review: https://www.thelesbianreview.com/reci...
May 9, 2019
This is the first book I have read by Rey and I enjoyed it. Hannah Little is a farmer who contracts with her best friend to supply veggies to his restaurant. Drew Davis hails from NYC and knows this is her big chance to make it on her own if she just spends a couple of years in this small town. When they met they are attracted to one another; however, Hannah doesn't like Drew because she appears to be a big city hot shot.
The first thing I liked about this one was the author decided to base a MC on a non-traditional look (Drew). So many romances typically have the traditional blond hair, brown straight hair, blue/green/grey/hazel eyes and it was refreshing to have brown skin and eye color other than brown. Overall, I felt that there was chemistry, but it could have been better if Hannah wasn't so stuck on trying not to like Drew for silly reasons in the beginning. I did really like Drew's character. Even though she is from the big city she acclimates well to small city life. Rey does a good job with the sex scenes. The were hot and steamy and the MCs seemed to connect well in the bedroom.
Overall I thought this was a good romance. I rate it 3.5 stars.
This ARC was provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
The first thing I liked about this one was the author decided to base a MC on a non-traditional look (Drew). So many romances typically have the traditional blond hair, brown straight hair, blue/green/grey/hazel eyes and it was refreshing to have brown skin and eye color other than brown. Overall, I felt that there was chemistry, but it could have been better if Hannah wasn't so stuck on trying not to like Drew for silly reasons in the beginning. I did really like Drew's character. Even though she is from the big city she acclimates well to small city life. Rey does a good job with the sex scenes. The were hot and steamy and the MCs seemed to connect well in the bedroom.
Overall I thought this was a good romance. I rate it 3.5 stars.
This ARC was provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
May 2, 2019
This was a good read. Not bad, not great, but good. The MCs are interesting. I enjoyed the setting and the foodie aspects of the story which is why I rounded up from 3.5. The writing is good...there was just nothing that made it stand out.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 29, 2019
Hannah Little didn’t follow her father’s advice when she decided to become a farmer catering to her friends and community by growing fruits and vegetables. She doesn’t have a girlfriend but is open to the idea. What she didn’t want was to become involved with her friend Nick , when he decided to open a farm-to-table restaurant. But that is actually what she does agree to, knowing it would help Nick and his wife with their dream.
From an early age all Drew Davis wanted to do was become a chef. But making her way too head chef in New York City wasn’t an easy thing to do. So when she’s approached by Nick to be his head chef in his restaurant ‘Fig’, she thought not only would it give her some more experience it would add to her resume.
The idea of working in a country restaurant wasn’t in her plans but going to the farm itself to choose her ingredients, well that was completely something she knew nothing about. Hannah doesn’t know what to make of Drew when Drew firsts visits Hannah’s farm ‘Three Willows Farm’ either.
Ms Aurora knows how to write a good story, giving us a nicely paced read. Very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley
From an early age all Drew Davis wanted to do was become a chef. But making her way too head chef in New York City wasn’t an easy thing to do. So when she’s approached by Nick to be his head chef in his restaurant ‘Fig’, she thought not only would it give her some more experience it would add to her resume.
The idea of working in a country restaurant wasn’t in her plans but going to the farm itself to choose her ingredients, well that was completely something she knew nothing about. Hannah doesn’t know what to make of Drew when Drew firsts visits Hannah’s farm ‘Three Willows Farm’ either.
Ms Aurora knows how to write a good story, giving us a nicely paced read. Very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley
April 21, 2019
This was a nice book and it was well written. That being said, I wish I could have felt a little more chemistry between the mains. And I would have liked for them to have been at odds for a little longer. It seemed like they were kind of standoffish with each other and then they were texting in a friendly manner quite quickly.
There wasn’t anything really wrong with the storyline, it was just a little boring for my tastes. I found myself skimming over some pages.
There are other books that I would chose to read again over this one.
(A copy was generously given to me by the publisher through NetGalley)
There wasn’t anything really wrong with the storyline, it was just a little boring for my tastes. I found myself skimming over some pages.
There are other books that I would chose to read again over this one.
(A copy was generously given to me by the publisher through NetGalley)
May 2, 2019
3 Stars., This book was alright. It is about Drew Davis, a NYC chef who gets a job at the restaurant, Fig near Ithaca, NY. The restaurant is farm to table who is using a local grower for most of its produce. The farmer, Hannah Little, is a little skeptical of the big city farmer who showed up on her farm. Drew and Hannah have to work together for the restaurant and they get to know each other. As they get to know each other, Hannah realizes Drew isn't as much a big city girl as she thought..
I thought this book was just okay. It wasn't bad, but I just never got super into the story or the characters. They did not evolve as much as I would have liked throughout the book and I wished there was a little more tension between the two characters. They kept talking about how they couldn't hook up, but it never caused any problems or anything. I would skip this one unless you really need a book to read, it was just kinda average and not the best.
I thought this book was just okay. It wasn't bad, but I just never got super into the story or the characters. They did not evolve as much as I would have liked throughout the book and I wished there was a little more tension between the two characters. They kept talking about how they couldn't hook up, but it never caused any problems or anything. I would skip this one unless you really need a book to read, it was just kinda average and not the best.
April 17, 2019
I've been in a romantic, dreamy daze since finishing this book. I knew I was going to love this book but I didn't know how much I would love this book! As we finally reached temperatures in the double digits yesterday, this book was the perfect thing to read to get me excited for summer months.
In this Farm-To-Table romance, Hannah Little owns a farm with gorgeous fresh produce and Drew Davis turns it into food to put on the tables of a new restaurant in upstate New York called Fig. To Drew, working in a small town as head chef of a Farm-to-Table concept restaurant is just a means to an end. She's hopeful she can jump up a few rungs on the ladder and move back to New York City as soon as possible to get a position as head chef at an impressive restaurant. What she doesn't expect is to go from butting heads with Hannah to falling for her charms and her passions, as well as her produce.
This book fed my soul and left me wanting to cook, and eat, so many delicious things.
The romance was just adorable and very sexy. As always with Aurora Rey's books, the food was spectacular and an integral part of the leading ladies relationship. I loved all the little side romances between secondary characters, it gave the whole book such a heartwarming feel. Springtime/summertime love is in the air! The secondary characters were diverse and vibrant and fun. The dialogue in this book was brilliant, it felt lighthearted and quippy and kept the pace moving. I loved Hannah's sister Clare, she was an interesting addition to the story and really inspiring. I wish we had a little more about Hannah's relationship with her family, because as much as I like romance I love conflict and angst too.
I always seem to find kindred spirits in Aurora Rey's characters - right down to Hannah Little's taste in apples.
This book overall was just one of those feel-good books, you can't help smiling because it's just so blissfully happy.
I received an ARC from the author and BSB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
In this Farm-To-Table romance, Hannah Little owns a farm with gorgeous fresh produce and Drew Davis turns it into food to put on the tables of a new restaurant in upstate New York called Fig. To Drew, working in a small town as head chef of a Farm-to-Table concept restaurant is just a means to an end. She's hopeful she can jump up a few rungs on the ladder and move back to New York City as soon as possible to get a position as head chef at an impressive restaurant. What she doesn't expect is to go from butting heads with Hannah to falling for her charms and her passions, as well as her produce.
This book fed my soul and left me wanting to cook, and eat, so many delicious things.
The romance was just adorable and very sexy. As always with Aurora Rey's books, the food was spectacular and an integral part of the leading ladies relationship. I loved all the little side romances between secondary characters, it gave the whole book such a heartwarming feel. Springtime/summertime love is in the air! The secondary characters were diverse and vibrant and fun. The dialogue in this book was brilliant, it felt lighthearted and quippy and kept the pace moving. I loved Hannah's sister Clare, she was an interesting addition to the story and really inspiring. I wish we had a little more about Hannah's relationship with her family, because as much as I like romance I love conflict and angst too.
I always seem to find kindred spirits in Aurora Rey's characters - right down to Hannah Little's taste in apples.
This book overall was just one of those feel-good books, you can't help smiling because it's just so blissfully happy.
I received an ARC from the author and BSB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 22, 2019
Reflective romance about setting a goal. Being on the road to accomplish that goal and being derailed by the unexpected. Drew Davis, chef, on a mission to be head chef of a top restaurant in New York. Hannah Little, farmer, with a passion to deliver quality products to the local community and restaurants. I enjoyed how the main characters valued friendship and the role each of their families played. I am interested in reads with a focus on romance, food, and wine. A simplistic read with a solid message about having it all.
ARC provided by Bold Strokes Books, Inc. via NetGalley.
ARC provided by Bold Strokes Books, Inc. via NetGalley.
February 1, 2021
I was very happy about how this book played out. While the idea immediately got my intention and made me want to read it, I knew there was a possibility of it not meeting my expectations. I always have slight concerns around city-women coming to the country for a short amount of time for any reason and striking up a relationship. The idea that Drew would stay there for a year or two before continuing along in her path made my problem with that less of an issue. Watching the relationship develop between the two was fun and I enjoyed it a lot, even the stumbles and missteps (the part with the tomatoes being incorrectly marked and Hannah scrambling was amusing and helped cement the idea that Drew, even if serious about her work, isn’t unnecessarily cruel or demanding when mistakes are made).
Some of the drama felt forced to me. I also felt that some of the drama was left up to miscommunication and could have been easily solved by conversation. However, the drama was handled pretty well for what it was and I quite enjoyed the final act with Hannah’s farm and the reconciliation it brought.
Also, I loved Hannah’s character. I don’t often get to read books where a feminine-leaning character does hard, messy work. Hannah was a farmer but she wasn’t butch. It was a nice change of pace and I loved it. I also adored that food played a central part in the story. Drew’s a cook and Hannah’s a farmer producing the produce for the restaurant Drew works at. It makes sense for food to be one of the main focuses of the book. (Sidenote: I want to read more books with feminine farmers. I love my butch farmers but it’s nice to change the pace sometimes. Need recommendations.)
Some of the drama felt forced to me. I also felt that some of the drama was left up to miscommunication and could have been easily solved by conversation. However, the drama was handled pretty well for what it was and I quite enjoyed the final act with Hannah’s farm and the reconciliation it brought.
Also, I loved Hannah’s character. I don’t often get to read books where a feminine-leaning character does hard, messy work. Hannah was a farmer but she wasn’t butch. It was a nice change of pace and I loved it. I also adored that food played a central part in the story. Drew’s a cook and Hannah’s a farmer producing the produce for the restaurant Drew works at. It makes sense for food to be one of the main focuses of the book. (Sidenote: I want to read more books with feminine farmers. I love my butch farmers but it’s nice to change the pace sometimes. Need recommendations.)
May 19, 2019
Magical Romance
Another magical romance with just enough hot sexy love making.As ever the characters just some how seem to gel together. One for true romantics with a little bit of spice
Another magical romance with just enough hot sexy love making.As ever the characters just some how seem to gel together. One for true romantics with a little bit of spice
May 5, 2019
This was a pretty sweet read. I liked it.
April 5, 2019
Not a bad story at all. I liked it better than Autumn's Light, which I liked too or I wouldn't have bought this one. The characters were likeable, and the protagonists' relationship was nice. The common trope of just-talk-to-each-other was there, but that's typical. I liked that the protagonists have tangible careers: jobs that limit their time off, exhaust them, and shape who they are as people. That aspect really shaped the story and gave it character.
December 3, 2021
4.5 enjoyable and light hearted
November 11, 2021
I enjoyed the food and the farm setting. However, the rest was lacking. It was supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers romance but the MCs weren't really enemies, merely two somewhat judgmental people. And although the author chose to tell us pretty much constantly that there was all kinds of chemistry between them, I just didn't feel it. The writing felt superficial - lots of detail about the food but little about the characters. Meh.
June 21, 2019
Loved the premise, the characters, and the sex, but the prose was pretty...workmanlike. 3.5/5 stars
February 25, 2021
Drew is an ambitious chef ready to land the title of head chef, who moves to upstate New York to run her own kitchen at a farm-to-table restaurant in an effort to hasten her dreams of becoming a renowned chef in NYC. Hannah runs and owns the farm which supplies produce for the restaurant, Their first meeting doesn't do either of them favors and Hannah, especially, is quick to judge city-slicker Drew before Drew even says a word.
I struggled to get into Recipe for Love. Hannah's prejudice against Drew seems really misplaced for a person who deals with customers and tourists and who otherwise is described as a nice person. So her immediate dislike of Drew makes no sense. But then I'm also supposed to believe there's an immediate spark between them, too? None of it felt earned.
But I'm glad I stuck with it because Aurora Rey does eventually make me believe that they actually do have spark, only it comes after they start to get to know each other. The drama is predictable and unoriginal, but the resolution is cute. And I'll give Rey kudos for giving us a protagonist who is black and butch.
I struggled to get into Recipe for Love. Hannah's prejudice against Drew seems really misplaced for a person who deals with customers and tourists and who otherwise is described as a nice person. So her immediate dislike of Drew makes no sense. But then I'm also supposed to believe there's an immediate spark between them, too? None of it felt earned.
But I'm glad I stuck with it because Aurora Rey does eventually make me believe that they actually do have spark, only it comes after they start to get to know each other. The drama is predictable and unoriginal, but the resolution is cute. And I'll give Rey kudos for giving us a protagonist who is black and butch.
April 28, 2019
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a book about Hannah and Drew, the books starts with Hannah pre-judging Drew as a city girl who isn't going to stay around for a long period of time, and therefore naturally she decides to have a relationship with her. Hannah runs a very successful farm in upstate New York, and supplies the restaurant that Drew takes a job at. There was not anything about this book that was amazing, and nothing about it that was terrible. It was perfectly mediocre. I liked both of the main characters and I also love any book that deals with food. My wife is from this part of upstate New York, so I kept having to ask her if certain places really existed, and they did. So yeah I liked the authenticity of the book and its surroundings. This was a good read with good characters and an excellent premise. I think I have only read one short story by Rey, and maybe I will pick up some more.
This was a book about Hannah and Drew, the books starts with Hannah pre-judging Drew as a city girl who isn't going to stay around for a long period of time, and therefore naturally she decides to have a relationship with her. Hannah runs a very successful farm in upstate New York, and supplies the restaurant that Drew takes a job at. There was not anything about this book that was amazing, and nothing about it that was terrible. It was perfectly mediocre. I liked both of the main characters and I also love any book that deals with food. My wife is from this part of upstate New York, so I kept having to ask her if certain places really existed, and they did. So yeah I liked the authenticity of the book and its surroundings. This was a good read with good characters and an excellent premise. I think I have only read one short story by Rey, and maybe I will pick up some more.
June 26, 2019
What? What? I am so disappointed in the ending? Why would the author leave it just at the right moment? Were we supposed to guess what happened next? Hmmmm....I'm disappointed. This is a fairly predictable story. I liked the romance, the characters and the environment. I liked it but it was a very simple, sweet, cute, familiar and slow story. It was too similar to other stories I have read that I can only recommend it if you have not read an upper new York, urban small town restaurant hiring a female chef that falls for the local grower.
November 4, 2025
This was super sweet and romantic. Drew and Hannah did not have the best first impressions of each other. They seemed too different, but it did not dim the attraction they felt. They were very hott! 🌶🌶🌶 So many things that drew me to this book:
Big city vs. Small town
Chef meets farmer
Fun time, not meant for a long time
Delicious food
Good friends and family
It all made for a heart-warming romance!
Big city vs. Small town
Chef meets farmer
Fun time, not meant for a long time
Delicious food
Good friends and family
It all made for a heart-warming romance!
June 26, 2019
I really adore Country Mouse/City Mouse as a trope because there's the built-in learning curve for both characters to shift their worldviews a bit. Hannah makes a snap assumption about Drew when they meet on her farm, and Drew sees the restaurant in upstate New York as a stepping-stone for greater career plans, and they're both wrong.
Hannah's strained relationship with her family and her desire to run her own produce farm on her own terms was a perfect way to underscore their compatibility; Drew is driven and career-focused at the start of this book in way that made them dovetail nicely without it feeling like it was "just" chemistry (not to knock chemistry, but more to underline how compatible they felt to me as I listened to the book). More, I appreciated, once again, a relationship with family that was complex in Hannah's case—I really feel like Rey does a great job at exploring family dynamics and how they influence adults.
Drew's food creations sounded amazing (as did Hannah's produce) and I really enjoyed Drew's slow slide into the country life. I remember the first time I lived in a small town, and the description of her ugly wake-up call from the wildlife had me laughing. Yep. Four a.m. birds. Drew's journey took centre stage for me, but I'm a sucker for a "finding family/belonging in a place you didn't expect" so that's likely me as a reader.
Also, Recipe for Love was like a love-letter to fresh food and good cooking, so I don't suggest listening to it if you're at all peckish. I ate so much listening to this book. Like, so much. The performer was solid, and the spark and chemistry between the two women felt genuine (and immediate, but fell into more of a slow-burn pattern which was nice).
This book was the breath of air I needed this Pride Month. It feels like the world is working extra hard to remind us of just how unwelcome, unloved, and unwanted we are, so a story about these queer ladies finding each other was jut what I needed. More, there were other queer folk around in the orbit of the main characters, and a sense of larger community lingers on the edges of the story.
Hannah's strained relationship with her family and her desire to run her own produce farm on her own terms was a perfect way to underscore their compatibility; Drew is driven and career-focused at the start of this book in way that made them dovetail nicely without it feeling like it was "just" chemistry (not to knock chemistry, but more to underline how compatible they felt to me as I listened to the book). More, I appreciated, once again, a relationship with family that was complex in Hannah's case—I really feel like Rey does a great job at exploring family dynamics and how they influence adults.
Drew's food creations sounded amazing (as did Hannah's produce) and I really enjoyed Drew's slow slide into the country life. I remember the first time I lived in a small town, and the description of her ugly wake-up call from the wildlife had me laughing. Yep. Four a.m. birds. Drew's journey took centre stage for me, but I'm a sucker for a "finding family/belonging in a place you didn't expect" so that's likely me as a reader.
Also, Recipe for Love was like a love-letter to fresh food and good cooking, so I don't suggest listening to it if you're at all peckish. I ate so much listening to this book. Like, so much. The performer was solid, and the spark and chemistry between the two women felt genuine (and immediate, but fell into more of a slow-burn pattern which was nice).
This book was the breath of air I needed this Pride Month. It feels like the world is working extra hard to remind us of just how unwelcome, unloved, and unwanted we are, so a story about these queer ladies finding each other was jut what I needed. More, there were other queer folk around in the orbit of the main characters, and a sense of larger community lingers on the edges of the story.
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