This old flame just might set them on fire.
Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life—food.
Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating…
And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.
Ambrose has a lot on his plate: a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.
Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.
Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.
Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.
***
Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.
Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.
Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.
Too bad she’s always been clumsy.
This is a second chance small town romance complete with best friend’s brother and a distinct enemies-to-lovers flare so lots of my favorite things. Cal and Row’s story is full of snarky banter and his disdain for her is unmistakable, but he doesn’t hate her, no it’s quite the opposite. Cal shattered Row’s heart years ago and he’s managed to avoid her since but now that she’s come home, he needs to protect himself from this woman because she’s his biggest weakness. Row’s guarding his heart the only way he knows how: by keeping Cal at arms’ length and constantly reminding himself as well as her that he has no patience or time for Cal Litvin.
Row’s attitude isn’t a problem for Cal since she’s always known her love for him is unrequited, not that she can blame him. He could have any woman he wants so a man like him would never want her. Or so Cal thinks. She has no idea that Row lives his life trying to forget her because he’ll never want anyone else the way he wants her. Their history is complicated and angsty, as if working together wasn’t already bad enough. The last thing Cal wants is to work for her former crush, especially since those old feelings haven’t changed one bit. Row doesn’t want her in his restaurant either, but he can’t say no to his sister, so he begrudgingly hires her bestie. It’s only for a short time so shouldn’t be too bad, right?
Cal is quirky and real, sweet and anxious, hilarious and loveable. Her story is different and raw, which just made me love her even more. Row is the growly grump who can’t keep up his cranky façade because he’s helpless when it comes to his feelings for this woman. It’s always fun to watch a tough guy fall to his knees for the woman who stole his heart and it’s even more fun when he’s an alphahole, like Row. He entered the book boyfriend list pretty high because I really couldn’t get enough of him. Their story has everything from a touch of mystery to angry townies who want to kill Row, with plenty of heart and heat. These are exactly the kind of amazing characters we expect from LJ Shen, and she never disappoints. It’s a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to see whose story comes next. I’d like to thank the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
