Release Blitz, Review Tour and Giveaway: Recipe for Romance by Ari McKay

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

A great collection of stories.

Recipe for Romance By Ari McKay

Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM

Released: June 28, 2019

Publisher: Self-Published

Series: Recipe for Romance, Book 1-4

Synopsis

Four couples, four different stories — and one spicy Recipe for Romance from author Ari McKay!

Welcome to Montgomery House, Charleston’s finest restaurant. When you walk in the front doors of the stately former mansion, you’ll be surrounded by true Southern charm. Owner Rhys Montgomery will personally welcome you, while the tantalizing scents of Executive Chef Stephen Pierce’s latest culinary masterpiece linger in the air. Enjoy a walk in the gardens or an elegant meal in the dining room, as you watch the love stories play out around you…

Bay Leaves and Bachelors — Clay Turner’s heart was broken by a wealthy man who said he was boring. When rich, outgoing restaurateur Rhys Montgomery sets his sights on the quiet academic, drawn in by Clay’s intelligence and sex appeal, he finds he has an uphill battle to win Clay’s trust. Can Rhys burrow his way into Clay’s heart, or will Clay’s insecurity become a wall between them that not even true love can break down?

Fennel and Forgiveness — Seven years ago, Max Boyd broke Darius Cooper’s heart. Darius wanted a commitment, and Max wanted to focus on his career in Georgia’s television industry. Their ten year difference in age and experience tore them apart, but fate throws them back together when Max arrives at the Montgomery House, where Darius now works. Will Southern Wedding Belles bring them a second chance for love or is Darius’s trust too shattered for Max to heal?

Ginger and Gentlemen — Ian Pierce has lived in his older brother Stephen’s shadow his entire life, always feeling second best. His best friend, Matt Davis, is the only person he trusts to be on his side. Despite being in dire financial straits, Ian wants to refuse Stephen’s request to film an episode of Mouth of the South at Ian’s restaurant, but the bonus money offered in the contract is too much to resist. He accepts without knowing the hefty bonus comes from Matt, not the production company. Will Ian feel betrayed by the one person he trusts above all others when he finds out, or will Matt’s desire to help Ian succeed even at his own financial risk take them from friends to lovers at last?

Cinnamon and Seduction — Chef Stephen Pierce has talent and a determination to succeed that is matched only by his fierce temper and prickly personality. Yet his long-suffering personal assistant, Robert Logan, has carried a torch for Stephen since the day they met. Everyone around Montgomery House knows Robert is in love with Stephen — everyone, that is, except Stephen himself. Can Rhys, Clay, Darius, Max, Ian, and Matt find a way to make Stephen see that Robert is the perfect man for him, or will even Robert’s legendary talent for matchmaking fail to win him the man he loves?

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Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

A great collection of stories.

I really enjoyed reading all of the stories in this collection. Novella length stories are among my favorite because they are normally just right for finishing in one evening. I’m not going to restate the blurbs shown above because each story is described good there. A common thread throughout each story is Stephen Pierce, Head Chef at the Montgomery Inn. His temper is volatile and he doesn’t like people. His assistant, Robert, is the only one who can really keep him under control.

Below are my impressions of each story.

Bay Leaves and Bachelors – ♥♥♥♥♥
This was very romantic, slow burn story. Clay is very insecure because his ex-boyfriend treated him badly and made him believe that no one would ever want him. He was wealthy and Clay found out that he was just using his academic credentials to impress his parents.

Rhys is the owner of Montgomery House and when he spots Clay eating in his restaurant with his family, Rhys is attracted to him and goes over and introduces himself. The two of them hit it off and Clay is smitten with Rhys but he finds it difficult to believe that a wealthy, good looking man like Rhys could truly be interested in him. Their relationship is sabotaged by someone who plays on Clay’s insecurities.

Fennel and Forgiveness – ♥♥♥♥
This is a delightful age-gap story as well as a second chance story. Max and Darius were a couple seven years ago but they wanted different things and their relationship deteriorated to the point that Darius felt compelled to leave town and cut all ties to Max. Part of this was due to Max being young at the time and not ready to settle down.

When fate brings Max and Darius together again Max has to fight hard to overcome the damage he did to Darius’s heart seven years before. He has to convince Darius that he’s grown up and is ready to settle down. This is a story with a nice amount of spice and I really enjoyed it. After a slow build up the ending seemed to come a bit quickly and seemed a bit abrupt to me.

Ginger and Gentlemen – ♥♥♥♥♥
When I started reading this story I was expecting it to be about Stephen and Robert and was disappointed to learn that it wasn’t. I had forgotten that there was one more story yet to come. I think I was also a bit confused because Ian, who turns out to be Stephen’s brother, wasn’t mentioned at all in the first two stories.

Friends to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes and I loved this one. Ian and Matt have been friends since middle school. They are attracted to each other but keep that hidden because neither of them wants to chance damaging their friendship. This ended up being my favorite story of the four; it really got my emotions going and had the tears flowing (both happy and sad which means I loved it).

Cinnamon and Seduction – ♥♥♥♥♥
Finally, Stephen and Robert get their story and HEA. Robert has worked for Stephen for six years and has been in love with him all that time. Everyone at Montgomery House can see it, everyone except Stephen.

Robert finally decides it’s time to move on and try having a life away from Stephen and Montgomery House. Of course, it’s around this time that Stephen finally realizes he has feelings for Robert. He’s terribly insecure and doesn’t see how Robert can possible find him attractive or want a relationship with him.

Once Robert and Stephen finally get on the same page, they have some really hot, sexy times. I thought my e-reader might catch fire! ?

So overall these four stories were very entertaining reads for me and I enjoyed reading all of them very much.

O Factor: Spicy

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About Author

Ari McKay

Ari McKay is the professional pseudonym for Arionrhod and McKay, who have been writing together for over a decade. Their collaborations encompass a wide variety of romance genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, gothic, and action/adventure. Their work includes the Blood Bathory series of paranormal novels, the Herc’s Mercs series, as well as two historical Westerns: Heart of Stone and Finding Forgiveness. When not writing, they can often be found scheming over costume designs or binge watching TV shows together.

Arionrhod is a systems engineer by day who is eagerly looking forward to (hopefully) becoming a full time writer in the not-too-distant future. Now that she is an empty-nester, she has turned her attentions to finding the perfect piece of land to build a fortress in preparation for the zombie apocalypse, and baking (and eating) far too many cakes.

McKay is an English teacher who has been writing for one reason or another most of her life. She also enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, and playing video games. She has been known to knit in public. Given she has the survival skills of a gnat, she’s relying on Arionrhod to help her survive the zombie apocalypse.

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