Lately I’ve been on a cooking show streak so when I saw For Butter or Worse – two co-hosts of a cooking show who are rivals and might be something more – I was intrigued. This adult romance delivers spice and tension with heart and mouth watering scenes. Perfect for fans of cooking or baking romances! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
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?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: sexism, anxiety, panic attacks
I want to formally say that I will read more cooking and baking romances. Seriously. Give them all to me. I love the mouth watering scenes, the tension of the kitchen, and the heat of the banter. And La Rosa does it so well in For Butter or Worse. This dual POV story delivers one of my favorite new romance leads, Nina. Who could resist an ambitious woman who has been villified in the media and just wants to save her restaurant. The world is so quick to call a woman nasty – when they mean honest if it wasn’t a woman – that Nina was instantly my favorite.
But the tension and banter between Nina and Leo is off the charts. Like a true rivals or nemesis to lovers, there’s layers of misconceptions. How we can think we know someone well enough to despise them or understand them, but how there’s always more to know. More to realize the differing opinions, the similar motivations, and the undeniable heat. Being dual POV is a fabulous move for For Butter or Worse. Add in the publicity fake dating situation and I was obsessed!
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Throughout For Butter or Worse we get a detailed and complex sense of who the characters are. But Nina still is my favorite by a long shot. This romance has all the elements and tropes I love – denying our feelings, fake dating, rivals to romance – and more. It’s also a book revolving around how difficult it is to be vulnerable. To realize that sometimes we find what we are looking for when we least expect it. It’s easy to deny things and to be closed off to the world. The truly brave thing is to be vulnerable. For Butter or Worse is perfect for fans of an ambitious and talented heroine, cooking romances, and being vulnerable. Find For Butter or Worse on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.
Thank you so much for this amazing review of my book! It means the world that you took the time to read it, and connected with the characters!
thanks for writing!!!