I loved this book as much the second read as I did the first. It's got beautiful pacing and plotting, wonderful characterization, and is this lovely mix of swoony and sexy. The main characters have incredible chemistry, I loved watching them fight and be tender with each other and the heat between them was full of these glorious sparks. 
 This book delivers on everything you could ever want from a foodie romance, is one of my all time favorites of that subgenre, with all of the details about cooking, mouth watering food descriptions, and chefs that are deeply passionate about food. 
 This story has all the drama of the best reality tv romances, made me root so hard for Sophia and Elliott to win. The contest is gripping, and I love the secondary characters in that aspect of the story, they are drawn so well. I really enjoyed watching both Elliott and Sophia grow as chefs and as people, through the experience. Their arcs were compelling and made me grin. 
 This story has a grief theme; Sophia is recovering from the death of her husband. I really appreciated how this was depicted, and how much this was about her figuring out how to have her own identity after being in a partnership for so long. I loved that both these MCs are in their late 40s, this is so rare in romance and I wish there were more stories about this. 
 I loved the ending; it worked so well for me, was the kind of happy ending I was hoping for, and was just as satisfying in my second read. This book remains one of my go-to comfort rereads, and I'm glad I decided to read it again. 
 Trigger Warnings (view spoiler)[ Creepy contestant hitting on the heroine. On the page sex. (hide spoiler)]