Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing, July 26th, 2022

Format: ebook

Pages: 368

Rating: 3/5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

They go together like water and oil…

All chef Nina Lyon wants is to make a name for herself in the culinary world and inspire young women everywhere to do the same. For too long, she’s been held back and underestimated by the male-dominated sphere of professional kitchens, and she’s had enough. Now, as co-host of the competitive reality TV series The Next Cooking Champ!, she finally has a real shot at being top tier in the foodie scene.
Too bad her co-host happens to be Hollywood’s smarmiest jerk.

Restaurateur Leo O’Donnell never means to get under Nina’s skin. It just seems to happen, especially when the cameras are rolling. It’s part of the anxiety and stress he has come to know all too well in this line of work. So nothing prepares him for the fallout after he takes one joke a smidge too far and Nina up and quits—on live TV.

To make matters worse, the two are caught in what looks like a compromising situation by the paparazzi…and fans of the show go absolutely nuts. Turns out, a “secret romance” between Nina and Leo may just be what their careers need most.

Now all they have to do is play along, without killing each other…and without catching feelings. Easy as artisanal shepherd’s pie. Right? 

My Review:

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: fake dating, enemies to lovers.
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Nina and Leo are the hosts of a cooking show, and while they look friendly on TV, they actually hate each other. When a photo pops up of them looking like they are dating, they decide to fake it in order to garner positive publicity and bring business to each of their restaurants.
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While the premise of the story was good, I couldn’t get over how mean each character was to the other at the beginning. Leo was sexist and chauvinistic and Nina was mean and belittling towards Leo. While I am sure their banter worked for some, it didn’t work for me.
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CW: sexism, misogyny, death of a parent, cancer, heart attack, panic attacks, anxiety.