Recipe for Mr Right

Recipes For Love #1

by Anni Rose

A sprinkle of luck and a dollop of fate ...
Ruby Brooks is a little sceptical when her horoscope say she’s going to have a fabulous year – especially when she loses a boyfriend and a job in quick succession. Plus, a rogue kitchen fitter has run off and taken everything, including the kitchen sink!
So, Ruby takes luck and fate into her own hands with an unusual resolution – she’ll enter ten competitions a day, whether they’re for her dream Japanese holiday or a year’s supply of dog food (she doesn’t have a dog), and win her way to happiness.
But when a Valentine’s Day prize from a local restaurant results in chef Adam Finder (and his dog, Brutus) appearing in her life, is that luck or fate? And will Ruby ultimately find out that true happiness doesn’t need to be won?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Own

414 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
Yes, I did have to shout that, from the minute I started reading, to the very end I was completely hooked. I don't think I have laughed out loud at a book as much as I did this one, and as humorous as it without a doubt is, there is a serious thought-provoking side.
I loved the concept of Ruby entering a competition every day of the year to improve her chances of her horoscope coming true which told her that she was going to have a fabulous year. Like myself, Ruby is sceptical of horoscopes after all her year hasn't been brilliant, but for the first time, she decides to see if she can change things - which is where the competitions come in great idea! So every day she is determined to enter 10 - that's right 10 competitions a day. No matter the prize, whether it's for dog food or loo roll she enters. I think the competitions are a way to gain some semblance of control over something in her life after all so far nothing has gone right for her - her so-called loving boyfriend's ups and leaves and the cowboy kitchen fitter runs off with everything that is - or isn't - nailed down which does include the kitchen sink, so as expected she isn't in the best frame of mind and needs something to keep her sane.
It is through her competitions that she meets Adam, not only is he a chef at the restaurant she wins a romantic meal in but he is also her temporary neighbour along with his adorable dog Brutus - who doesn't love a man with a dog and who can cook - one of the reasons I have fallen head over heels for Adam.
Our Adam isn't having the best of times though, he has been plagued with a stalker which is the serious aspect of the book, I liked how the author has incorporated this rather taboo topic of stalking with the gorgeous romance. Meeting Ruby is alike a balm for him, true they meet in a very hilarious way which had me laughing out loud - there are lots of misunderstandings and embarrassments all for Ruby which is great fun watching as she unravels sinks into her embarrassment.
I adore the characters, Ruby and Adam are so adorable they are a very cute couple, you can see them heal each other. Ruby is a sweetheart, she does take so much to heart and the predicaments she finds herself in are very entertaining but also very relatable and Adam is a super cutie, he is lonely and stressed, he's deeply unhappy with the whole stalker situation but I also think he is a little embarrassed and ashamed that he has found himself in the position he is in. You just want to cuddle him, while eating chocolate!
Recipe for Mr Right isn't just a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy with added drama and huge amounts of emotion. It is at times totally over the top - Carry On-esque- but it's such a fun book you can see past those moments and just enjoy the story.

[Isabelle D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is full of funny scenes that really made me laugh. It might be a little over the top at times but I didn't mind as it was always fun. Not that it's entirely unserious. There is a stalker who's been pursuing the hero for 3 years and, even if humour is never absent, it's still taken as a serious issue, very disagreable and disruptive for him.
I quickly get attached to both main characters, found the stalker and Ruby's ex-boyfriend suitably annoying and liked some other secondary characters including Adam's dog. I also enjoyed the "behind the scenes" glimpses into a TV show's production and how they chose to use their footage.

This book was one of my reads for Choc Lit & Ruby Fiction's Tasting Panel (a group of ordinary, volunteer readers that helps the publisher select the best stories). Then I was offered an advance copy so I could read the final version and write a review without waiting for publication day. This is a spoiler-free, aimed-at-potential-readers version of what I wrote in my original feedback.

[Ester · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t pass from 52%, I wanted to finish because I don’t like to leave unfinished books but this time I was starting to not enjoying reading and just “i want to finish it fast to start another one” so I gave up..

I don’t know if it was because it’s narrated in 3rd person, the English or what but I couldn’t keep up, I had to read many times the same page in order to understand what was going on and that was annoying. Sometimes it felt like if I was ready random things and some character were appearing.

I found fun the thing about her and all the subscriptions. Also the characters where ok but I couldn’t understand why it was so hard for them to explain the things, like why the house was a mess, why no kitchen, and the most important: talk about Emily!, until around half book they don’t directly talk about her.. it was weird.. Maybe I like the characters to be more direct..

I might continue one day and finish it, but not for now.

[Debbie Southwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby is an Events Planner who has been made redundant so while on garden leave is filling her time entering 10 competitions a day (regardless of the prize) as this was her goal for happiness until she could achieve her real goal of being her own boss. She also has to contend with an unfinished kitchen due to a dodgy kitchen fitter.
Adam is a chef who is staying in the flat on the next floor and Adam is drawn to Ruby however has a problem with Emily, who claims she is her boyfriend.
Throw into the mix a reality show, a Producer who needed to prove his worth to his new boss, a stalker and of course the adorable Brutus the dog and this is a fantastic read. I adored Ruby, who was fun, didn’t suffer fools gladly and would help anyone if she could.
I loved the main characters and I wanted Ruby to find her happy ever after but can she?
A book full of humour but with a serious element too that in my opinion was not made light of.
I would highly recommend this book, you really won’t be disappointed
Thank you to Choc-Lit for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review, which is completely my own.

[Lorna Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review now up on the blog: https://www.thewritinggreyhound.co.uk...

Recipe for Mr Right is a deliciously tantalising tale of finding love in the unlikeliest of places!

Ruby is a quirky and likeable main character. With no job, no boyfriend, and a messy, unfinished flat, she decides to take things into her own hands to turn her luck around. How does she do that? Simple - she starts looking for competitions to enter in an attempt to win back her happiness.

One of Ruby's first wins is a homecooked Valentine's Day meal, prepared by a chef from a local restaurant. The only problems are:
1. Ruby doesn't have a date
2. The chef just happens to be her super hot neighbour

Armed with a bizarre range of prizes, Ruby soon ends up attracting the wrong kind of attention. With the stakes climbing higher, it isn't long before everything gets called into question - including the blossoming attraction between Ruby and Adam. Are their feelings strong enough to weather the storm?

Recipe for Mr Right is a highly enjoyable, light read - yet with some darker themes also present. These more serious topics are dealt with expertly, without overlooking the gravity of the situation. It also helps to ground the story and introduce tension to the romance.

Overall, though, this is a sweet romance story that is engaging and interesting. If you enjoy will they won't they stories and happy endings, this is the book for you!

Recipe for Mr Right is the perfect book for summer and is bound to keep you reading on!

[Karen Mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It gave me the perfect escape from reality as the lovely Ruby Brooks shared the goings on in her life! Her horoscope tells her she's got a fabulous year ahead of her... reality is far from that fabulous! Both her boyfriend and job are gone and she's stuck at home on gardening leave! What's a girl to do?!

Well, Ruby picks herself up and tries to find ways of making changes. One of those is to enter at least 10 competitions a day - no matter what the prize, she's in! It's a welcome distraction from the stress she's having with the kitchen fitter who is currently making her life miserable! But things start to change when she takes in a parcel for a neighbour - he's got a dog and Brutus becomes a big fan of Ruby and she finds herself happy to help out with doggy day care! His owner, Adam, is dealing with his own problems but finds Ruby really easy to talk too and it was so lovely to see how content they are with one another. A real distraction from the issues he's having with Emily, and Ruby soon finds herself drawn into the drama!

I loved the flow of this book! Ruby is a really lovely character and the situations she finds herself in are ones you can relate to! And as for Adam, you can sense his reluctance in telling Ruby all of what happened in the past as to not scare her off, but he's a decent bloke so he knows he needs to be more honest. This is a book with romance, laughs and drama - the perfect combination!

[Donna Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby Brooks is on garden leave from an events company. She spends her time entering ten competitions a day and trying to contact her kitchen fitter Kevin who has taken payment but disappeared without starting the work. She is also recovering from a relationship with a narcissist (Daniel).
She meets Adam, a chef at a local restaurant, when she takes in a parcel for him. He is renting the flat upstairs while the owner Jason is in Paris. He has a dog called Brutus who, like its owner, takes a shine to Ruby. Adam has escaped a stalker (Emily) who has made his life hell.
Will a series of misunderstandings and assumptions stop Ruby and Adam experiencing true happiness?

[Zuzana Malá · Rating 3 out of 5]

Milá oddechová kniha, od které se nejde odtrhnout, jelikož vás skutečně zajímá, co se bude dít dál.
Málo romantiky, žádné trapné pasáže a drama, obyčejné, ničím přemrštěné, nenásilné, dobře plynoucí, na nic si nehrající…
Nic nečekejte a zklamání nepotkáte :)

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really different romance. A lot of twists and turns make for a page turner. Ruby is at home have been made redundant and is trying to get her life back together. Enter a parcel for a neighbour and from there on the tangles occur. The problems she encounters are unfortunately all very believable in this day and age which makes it so much more poignant. Adam is the ideal person for her but she struggles to see this, owing to her history. A gripping romance which I am sure you will enjoy as much as I did.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I got into this book, I found it interesting and enjoyable – I read it in two sittings as I needed to find out how it finished (very well actually), so couldn’t leave it alone for long. Ruby’s ideas about making a living are a bit quirky to say the least – but it seems to work for her. And the romance department also works out in the end – through lots of ups and downs. I enjoyed the experience, and can happily give it a good solid 4 stars.

[Yvonne Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun story from start to finish. How many of us have dreamed of winning prizes in competitions and even on the lottery. Well this is Ruby’s ambition for a year. Fun and adventure follows with a dash of handsome chef Adam and his dog Brutus and possibly the worst kitchen fitter ever!! Some laugh out loud moments from this super new author.

[Patricia Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud, I cried. I loved it. Reminiscent of Bridget Jones. I look forward to more from this writer.

[Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. A well deserved 5* rating. This is so good that when I reached the end I wanted to go back to page one and start again.

All through 'Recipe for Mr Right' Ruby is entering ten competitions each and every day while on 'garden leave', even if she has no interest in the prize offered, some of those prizes she won are truly weird. The author's dry sense of humour had me constantly laughing.

A twisted plot to keep the reader's attention, Ruby's antics are hilarious.

Hope that Anni Rose is working on her next book, I look forward to reading it.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! A cup of romance, a dash of treachery, and a heaping spoon of humor! I could not put this book down and I heartily recommend it – a great summer read!

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stumbled upon book in little free library and almost gave it 1 star tbh. The main character is a bit too ridiculous for my taste- it’s like shopaholic but worse (as far as lack of common sense etc). Hiring someone to re-do your kitchen without checking any references or reviews, who has no proper business. Of course she had all her money stolen. But I kept going despite this initial eye-roll annoyance because Adam was much better as a character. Enjoyed a bit of that story- but the Emily stalking him was absurd what she would do. And then I just lost patience for the book completely when Ruby turned down her dream trip to Japan that she won to go to Adam’s launch of the restaurant. One- she probably could have done both. Two- take the damn dream trip and just tell Adam about it.

Her choices are almost as dumb and impulsive as the stalker of Emily.

Also- agree w other reviewers that the chapters of the tv producer were completely unnecessary and threw off the book

[Kathy Strobos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the set-up of Ruby applying to 10 contests a day. And I thought Ms. Rose did a brilliant job of comic callbacks with the set-up. Also, I loved the heart-warming romance between Ruby and Adam. And Ms. Rose did a great job of conveying the stalkerish friend who feels just a bit off. Oh and I also loved Mr. Tahsin and his son Malik - what great characters. I hope we see them again too. Highly recommend.

[Alexx Denton · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story line had massive potential but this is probably the worst written book I've ever read. The Other man (tv producer person idk) parts were just irrelevant really and the book switched between different people without any clear switch for the reader, so it took more than a few lines to figure out you'd switched to a different characters perspective. Overall, good book but very hard to read.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always such a treat to be surprised when an author you’ve never heard of captures you from the first chapter and doesn’t slow down. My primary reading genre is murder mysteries, crime thrillers about the dark side of humanity. My head needed a break from all that death and this story was the perfect palate cleanser. I seldom read Rom-com’s but I’d read more by Anni Rose. Ruby has more drama going on in her life all at once than anybody should be faced with. While on paid leave she still remains positive, setting goals, planning, even gutting her kitchen for a reno. She’s an event planner with a newfound obsession for entering contests. The results are hilarious. Ruby has a quirky mother, an engaged brother and the wedding plans are accelerating. I can’t begin to think of a better way to spend a few hours than reading about somebody else’s crazy dysfunctional family dynamics. This story had me in stitches, one of those stories you can hardly wait to see what trouble is brewing up next.
A cute house sitter with an adorable dog moves in upstairs. Adam is a chef struggling with his dream of owning his own restaurant instead of working for somebody else. Ruby soon becomes attached to the dog and might fall just as hard for the owner. They will hit a few snags along the way, like his ‘girlfriend’ Emily. She turns up everywhere and nothing is what it seems. Adam needs to grow a backbone or risk losing all his dreams. I did struggle with some of the British wording and terminology, never figured out some of the phrases. It didn’t keep me from loving the characters and the plot. I still can’t believe this delightful book was a Joffe Friday freebie. Thanks to them for introducing me to Choc Lit publishers, I’m glad I’ve discovered their genre.

[Mrs S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A romance with comedy between Ruby and Adam, or the hope that it will be.
Ruby, on garden leave following redundancy, is filling her time before finding her next job by entering 10 competitions daily regardless of the prize.
Adam, chef at a local bistro, is her temporary neighbour with dog Brutus while his friend Jason is in France. This enables him to hide from his stalker Emily who believes they were dating.
Ruby wins a prize for a Valentine meal from the local bistro to be cooked by the chef in her own home. Problem is she’s having her kitchen refitted by an unreliable fitter, Kevin. Adam agrees that he’ll cook at his flat and without a date (her boyfriend Daniel has recently dumped her) she takes Kevin. Disaster strikes when Kevin gets drunk!
There are plenty of twists and turns involving the main characters; Ruby, Adam, Emily and Daniel and their involvement with each other as the storyline progresses.
Will Ruby and Adam find love together as a couple?
How do Emily and Daniel fit into the story?

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 5 out of 5]

It Made Me Laugh

Ruby Brooks is not having a good time at the moment. She has split up from her boyfriend and has been made redundant from her much loved job as a corporate events planner, and her kitchen fitter has disappeared with all the money she had paid in advance for the job to be completed. When Ruby is unhappy or stressed, she sings, loudly! Adam is a chef who would like to own his own restaurant, but is being stalked by Emily, who seems convinced they are together. He has moved home to avoid her but Emily is determined. Ruby and Adam meet as they both live in the same block of flats, but will they be able to put their troubles aside and find love? The book was a bit slow to begin with, but once I got into it I was hooked and it made me laugh at times.

[Imogen Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This starts out as a romantic comedy, but with far more interesting characters than in many a book I've read. But what I loved was that Anni Rose wove in challenging subjects. The male lead is being stalked by a woman he briefly had dinner with under duress during a reality TV show. There is Ruby, who is trying to put her life back together and has ended up being exploited by a cowboy kitchen installer. The people who put this right are the Middle-Eastern carpet seller and his family.

The plot gets increasingly complex, including a wedding, the opening of a restaurant, the revival of the TV show and the presence of the stalker.

All this means you get to the end of this book feeling you've had a really satisfying read. Highly recommended.

[Mrs J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and endearing

Not normally a fan of the romantic novels, I really enjoyed this cheeky little story of love, dodgy kitchen fitters, reality dating shows and challenged chefs with a hint of the creepy. A clever balance of a stalker just on the right side of danger.
Witty and hopeful it covers mainly the exploits of Ruby, on gardening leave limbo, having just left her obnoxious partner. Fortune appears to smile on her but nothing is ever straightforward. Urging Ruby (and Adam) on I had to keep reading. Thoroughly enjoyable and it left me with a smile on my face.

[Renáta Janotová · Rating 2 out of 5]

Posledních asi 20 stránek bylo trochu zajímavých. Zbytek knížky byl velmi jednoduchý, vcelku nezajímavý a dost nerealistický. Život hlavní hrdinky byl složený z nesmyslných her, z nedomyšlených kroků a chybějící konverzace. Na druhou stranu čtenář nemusí přemýšlet, uvažovat a klidně může knížku odložit na měsíc. Když se k ní po měsíci vrátíte, i tak budete ihned v obraze. Nic se tam většinou neděje.

[Jan Martindale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious hijinks & serious issues

Such a fun read, engaging characters, convoluted yet highly entertaining plot. A cute dog. A gorgeous chef depressed & anxious due to 3 years of being stalked. The heroine, however, never gives up, rescues her chef boyfriend from fear, & the dog from the stalker, all while trying to fix up her kitchen, & change her life.

[MRS P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read this type of book but something about this one just grabbed my attention. Sooo glad it did! What a great book! Lots of intertwined story lines that all lead to the same place. Lots of giggles - and quite a few laughs (I got some strange looks from others in the room!!). Very real, believable characters. Can't wait for Anni Rose's next book!

[MetLineReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, silly and romantic yet has a serious side due to the ever so slightly unhinged Emily? Loved Ruby and her chaotic energy… somehow adopting a dog despite the chaos of her flat. Good premise to rebuild her life by entering random competitions… which provides the perfect excuse for her to meet a dishy man… who happens to be her neighbour too!

[Dodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely ever write reviews due to not having a lot of time but I just wanted to say how much I loved this book! It really took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting much from it all but the blurb caught my interest. Normally I'm a romantasy and spicy romance reader but this was such a delight of a read. It was very fast paced, lots of things going on and very enjoyable to read.

[Ruthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby is on 'garden leave' from her job as an events planner. Chef Adam moves into a friend's flat in the same block as he's keeping a low profile from his stalker. The two quirky characters eventually come together after lots of plot twists, with the help of dog Brutus.
A fantastic, fun read with serious undercurrents.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much more than a Rom Com

Loved the intrigue mixed with laugh out loud humour.

Not your average Romance Novel but my cup of tea for sure..enjoyed all the characters with all their quirks and baggage

[Kathy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprise!
I read rom-coms when I feel like I need a cheering up. I didn't think I would like this one but was pleasantly surprised. The story was interesting, with believable situations and characters. It was interesting to see from a man's point of view dealing with a stalker. Good book.