Book Review: A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson is a contemporary romance. Xavier Reynolds is doing less than stellar. He just got dumped, was passed over for a prestigious fellowship, and to top it all off he's right back home in Harper's Cove, Maine (population: 9,000). The last thing he wants to do is to work as a prep chef in the kitchen of the hip new restaurant in town, The Wharf. Especially since the hot, single-father chef who owns it can’t delegate to save his life. Logan O’Hare doesn’t understand Xavier or why every word out of his mouth is dipped in sarcasm. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to hire him—he needs more help in the kitchen and his tween daughter, Anne, can only mince so many onions. It might be a recipe for disaster, but Logan doesn’t have many options besides Xavier. Stuck between a stove and a hot place, Logan and Xavier discover an unexpected connection. But when the heat between them threatens to top the Scoville scale, they’ll have to decide if they can make their relationship work or if life has seasoned them too differently.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper is a romance with nuanced characters and a great sense of humor. I really enjoyed getting to know Xavier and Logan, and the secondary characters that brought a lot of heart to the story. I thought he back and forth between our couple was highly entertaining and I was very engaged in Xavier's personal growth as well as the romance. I loved the small town aspects and how no character was all good or bad, they were just real characters with plenty of grey- just like the people you run into every day. I loved the friendships and relationships between the main characters and secondary characters- and those those in the background have with each other. The only thing that I really did not like in the story was the ending. Of course there is a happy ending- I would not really label this a romance with out at least a happy for now. I saw two ore three ways for this to play out, but the chosen conclusion just fell flat for me, and I think even the same ending timed a bit differently in the action of the story would have worked better for me, but it just did not work for me. The book is still very much worth the read, and my disappointment is totally a matter of personal preference and other readers (including you) might very well disagree. 

A Dash of Salt and Pepper is a solid contemporary romance with all the feels. 

Early Book Review: The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon

The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon is the third book in The Boyfriend Project series, but can be enjoyed on its own as well. It is currently scheduled for release on August 2 2022. Successful pediatric surgeon London Kelley just needs to find some balance and de-stress. According to her friends Samiah and Taylor, what London really needs is a casual hookup. A night of fun with no strings. But no one—least of all London—expected it to go down at her high school reunion with Drew Sullivan, millionaire, owner of delicious abs, and oh yes, her archnemesis. Now London is certain the road to hell is paved with good sex. Because she’s found out the real reason Drew’s back in Austin: to decide whether her beloved hospital remains open. Worse, Drew is doing everything he can to show her that he’s a decent guy who actually cares. But London’s not falling for it. Because while sleeping with the enemy is one thing, falling for him is definitely not part of the plan.

The Hookup Plan is a great read with characters that feel very real. They each have their issues and hangups, but they also have self awareness and do their best to communicate and be good people even when it is hard. London is at a cross roads, trying to better balance her life to be healthy while dealing with layers of stress and big decision making. Drew is thrilled at a chance to develop a relationship with London, but has his own challenges to face at the same time. I loved the communication and honesty that is such a huge part of their story, and their lives in general. I was glad to get both of their perspectives, to see how they chose to share with each other and getting a glimpse at their concerns and struggles made them even more real to me as a reader. This was such a great journey and I loved this book, and the whole series. 

The Hookup Plan is a wonderful wrap up to this trilogy. I am looking forward to reading whatever Rochon writes next!