Release Blitz, Review Tour and Giveaway: Dine With Me by Lalya Reyne

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

What an emotional story! I loved it

Dine With Me By Lalya Reyne

Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM

Released: September 16, 2019

Publisher: Carina Press

Synopsis

Life never tasted so good.

Miller Sykes’s meteoric rise to award-winning chef is the stuff of culinary dreams, but it’s all crashing down around him. He’s been given a diagnosis that could cost him something even more precious than his life: his sense of taste. Rather than risk the very thing that defines him, Miller embarks on a last tour of his favorite meals while he still can.

But there’s a catch: he needs a financial backer to make it happen, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.

Dr. Clancy Rhodes has two weeks to come to terms with putting aside oncology to work at his father’s thriving plastic surgery practice. When the opportunity to travel with a Michelin-starred chef presents itself, the foodie in him can’t believe it. It doesn’t hurt that Miller’s rugged good looks are exactly Clancy’s cuppa joe.

As Clancy and Miller travel from coast to coast and indulge in everything from dive bars to the most decadent of culinary experiences, they’re suddenly sharing a lot more than delicious meals. Sparks fly as they bond over their love of flavors and the pressures of great expectations. But when Miller’s health takes a turn for the worse, Clancy must convince him he’s more—so much more—than just his taste buds. And that together, they can win a battle that once seemed hopeless.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

What an emotional story! I loved it

While I have several Layla Reyne books in my TBR pile, Dine With Me is the first book of hers that I’ve read and I loved it. (Note to self: move her other books up higher on my list!)

According to the author’s note in the book, she is an avid foodie and it shows in this book. While I am probably the exact opposite of a foodie – I love pizza and popcorn and I’m not a fan of gourmet food – I can still appreciate the exquisite descriptions of the food in this story.

While I knew from the book’s blurb that one of the MC’s is sick, and therefore the book would most likely be very emotional, there was no way to really prepare me for how much it would actually impact me. As a survivor of a life-threatening illness myself, part of me could relate to the feelings that Miller has.

Dine With Me is a wonderful slow-burn story that packed a huge emotional punch for me. I cried sad and happy tears while reading it. Because of Carina Press’s HEA/HFN promise, I knew that the book would end well but that didn’t stop me from reacting emotionally to the ups and downs in the story as I read.

One of my favorite parts of any book is the epilogue. While Dine With Me doesn’t technically have an epilogue, the last chapter effectively functions as one. We get to see Miller and Clancy a few years down the road and happy tears flowed freely when I read it.

In the author’s acknowledgement she calls this story a “love letter” and it truly shows in her wonderfully descriptive writing.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

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Giveaway
Signed limited edition paperback + swag (equivalent value for international).

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Exclusive Q&A with Layla Reyne, Blog Tour:

● Can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?

LR: It’s not just Miller and Clancy in this story. There’s a supporting cast of characters—family, of the blood and found sort—that I absolutely adored writing. And they support, first and foremost. No one here is trying to foil or divert our main characters, and I love that about this story. They are there to support Miller and Clancy, as best and as full-of-heart as they can.

● Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

LR: Every place Miller and Clancy visited is a place I’ve dined or based on a place I dined. (Sadly, a few of my favorites had closed!) Each place in this book is as special to me, for my own reasons, as it is for Miller and Clancy. For instance, one of the stops is The French Laundry, which is where my husband and I got married, so it holds a special place in my heart too.

● Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

LR: Ohmigod, they both do. This story has been rattling around in my head since 2015. It was on the initial list of project ideas I gave my agent. There’s a lot of me in both Clancy and Miller (more so Clancy, my husband more so Miller), but it’s really a love letter to all the amazing dining experiences I’ve been so lucky to have in my life.

● What is the significance of the title?

LR: It starts as the opening line of the advertisement Miller posts for the tour. It also ends the book in a way that still makes me happy sigh.

● What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?

LR: This is a standalone, so there won’t be a sequel. Though keep your eyes peeled for a special project involving one of the secondary characters.

● If you had to describe character Miller Sykes in three words, what would those three words be?

LR: Loyal, Self-Sacrificing, Stubborn

● If you had to describe character Clancy Rhodes in three words, what would those three words be?

LR: Earnest, Honest, Risk-taker

● If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?

LR: Oh, this is easy (since the book has been in my head for YEARS). I’ve always had Clive Standen as my fancast for Miller and Grant Gustin as my fancast for Clancy.

● Was the writing process different and what challenges did you face writing contemporary romance versus romantic suspense?

LR: I couldn’t just throw a car chase or explosion in when I needed to pick up the pace! But seriously, I really did have to dig deep to center this one more on emotions, more on the journey of these two men, individually and potentially together in the future. That’s what’s driving the story, versus my usual twisty plot.

About Author

Lalya Reyne

RITA Finalist Layla Reyne is the author of the Agents Irish and Whiskey, Fog City, and Changing Lanes series. A Carolina Tar Heel who now calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, Layla enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart-pounding romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Kiss of Death and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters. Layla is a 2019 RWA® RITA® Finalist in Contemporary Romance (Mid-Length) and 2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.

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