I love storylines that have the hero and heroine pitted against each other in a professional capacity. Add in a restaurant setting and I’m in heaven. Well, I’m in heaven as long as the book lives up to its promise. I’m pleased to report that Can’t Stand the Heat by debut author Louisa Edwards definitely lived up to its promise.

Restaurant critic Miranda Wake is determined to break into the world of book publishing. Unfortunately, no publishers are interested in her idea for a behind-the-scenes look at restaurant culture. The problem: she has no actual experience working at a restaurant, and she doesn’t even know how to cook. Luckily, the answer to her prayers comes in the form of Adam Temple. When Adam heatedly proclaims that Miranda wouldn’t last a day in his kitchen, she agrees to the challenge.

Adam is working hard on getting his new Manhattan restaurant ready for the big opening. The last thing he needs is his financial backer giving a sharp-tongued restaurant critic an all-access pass to his kitchen for a month. Despite his strenuous objections, Adam is forced to go along with the publicity stunt. That doesn’t mean he’s going to make things easy for Miranda, though.

Can’t Stand the Heat is a delightful blend of chemistry, competition, and cooking, and it was just what I was looking for. I loved the fast-paced scenes that make you feel the controlled chaos of a restaurant during dinner hour, as well as the slower-paced scenes such as Adam teaching Miranda how to cook. The cast of secondary characters added just the right touch of quirkiness, and I look forward to seeing more of them in future books.

I liked both Miranda and Adam, albeit in different ways. Adam was easy to love, with his pure enthusiasm for cooking, his straight-forwardness, and his camaraderie with his staff. Miranda was a bit tougher, for two reasons: first, her character is more reserved, and second she makes some decisions that I didn’t agree with. But, while I didn’t like some of her decisions, I understood her reasoning behind them and felt her actions were consistent with her character. In short: she’s imperfect, but still likeable and relatable.

The M/M secondary romance was sweet, despite my initial misgivings. I’m generally not a fan of romances that feature young (under 25) characters, a large age difference, or both, as this one does. However, by the end my initial unease over these two plot points had dissipated, and I was left smiling over this charming subplot. (Note: the sensuality level for the secondary romance is Kisses/Subtle, with the actual sex scenes occurring off-page.)

I had a lot of fun reading Can’t Stand the Heat, and am eagerly awaiting Edwards’ next release in the series. Here’s hoping it’s as good a read as this terrific debut.