Monday, January 8, 2024

Kitchen Matches


 

Kitchen Matches

by Marianne Arkins

 

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GENRE: Romance

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BLURB:

 

A feisty auto mechanic and a hunky chef cook up chaos!

Cori Weathers is a wizard with a torque wrench, but the moment she lays eyes on her cooking teacher, Micah DePalma, her lessons turn into a klutzy symphony of flying poultry and burning aprons. It makes no sense. He couldn't be less her type: tall, skinny, and born with a silver spoon in his mouth. So why is her heart sputtering like a badly tuned engine?

Despite family pressure to date only women of his own social class, something about the cooking-challenged spitfire lights all Micah's burners. Cori's a complex dish inside a deceptively simple coating, one he's willing to risk tackle football and jealous ex-boyfriends to sample.

His every attempt to crack her stubborn heart strikes sparks. Will they ignite the flame of love or explode into just another kitchen disaster?

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EXCERPT:

 

Corinne Weathers, Cori to her friends and family—but not to her very proper cooking class teacher, Micah DePalma—gave a squeak of fear at the flames creeping up her apron. She slapped at them with her potholder, but it didn’t help. Her throat was so tight with panic, she couldn’t cry out for help. With one last futile whack at the growing fire, and desperately trying to remain calm, Cori reached behind her neck to untie the apron straps. Her trembling fingers fumbled with the bow and pulled it into a good, solid knot.

 

A brief hissing sound was the only warning she got before clouds of whatever white stuff lurked inside a fire extinguisher smacked into her gut like a fist and drifted in a halo around her head.

 

She coughed and waved a hand in the air in an attempt to clear it. “Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome.” A familiar male voice threaded through the cloud.

 

Cori grimaced. Ack. Saved by Micah DePalma, her handsome-but-cranky cooking teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone—anyone—else? She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed for something to rescue her from his wrath. She knew a lecture was on its way, knew she deserved one for setting herself on fire, but she really didn’t want to hear it.



My Review


Reader take note. Kitchen Matches is not a full length novel. It's more of a novella. If I remember correctly it's around seventy something pages so don't be expecting a full length book. The book is touted as a romance, and it's definitely that. The author did a good job fleshing out her characters in such a short work. The story has a nice plot too. It's always interesting to see how two characters from different backgrounds work things out between themselves. In this case the male lead is from the upper class, and the heroine works with her family at their garage business as a mechanic. The heroine had lots more hangups that did our hero. 


Since the book was so short a large portion of the story delves into the physical relationship the couple shared. The angst and attraction filled almost every page. If you like a traditional romance I think you'll like Kitchen Matches. 

 


 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Marianne is originally from California but currently living in the lovely state of Utah with her daughter, two dogs, two cats and one adorable foster hamster. She can’t imagine a world without romance or not having stories rattling around in her brain. There are nights when she dreams a complete story and watches it acted out in her head. Those are the times she wakes up and grabs for a notepad to jot down the important parts – without turning on the light – and hopes it’s coherent in the morning. She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America and heavily involved and indebted to her group of writing friends.

 

https://mariannearkinsauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Author-Marianne-Arkins-111996717795365/

https://www.facebook.com/mariannearkins

https://twitter.com/MarianneArkins

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1452737.Marianne_Arkins

 

All Retailer Buy Links: https://books2read.com/b/KitchenMatches

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

 

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $10 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

 



 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



10 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review "Kitchen Matches" today! I appreciate it. Also, FYI, the first sequel, featuring Cori's brother, Zach, will be out soon. :-)

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  2. Sounds like a great romance. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Do you have a favorite space to do your writing?

    ReplyDelete