A lovely romance about moving on and finding real love, Do Me a Favor is sweet-natured, tender and sensual. It’s almost a DIK for me.

Willa Lieu-Endicott has moved states to get away from the memories that haunt her of her late husband. A cookbook ghostwriter by trade, she decides to take on a new project after moving to her late Great Aunt Caroline’s house. The project happens to be a chef who went viral thanks to his charm, with his TikTok meals only being a secondary asset. He is clueless in the kitchen, and it’s Willa’s job to make him look talented – and try to write a sexy cookbook.

Hudson Daws lives next door, a divorced single dad with two grown children – and he’s pretty darn sexy. A carpenter by trade, a motorcyclist by choice, he’s got a confederation of rambunctious animals. He is, in short, tempting and sexy as all get out.

Willa and Hudson begin doing small favors in trade for one another. Their scarred hearts begin to open to the possibility of new love – but can affection spring anew from their connection? Or will Willa run away and avoid the joys of love?

Do Me a Favor has some charming characters – and some big plot problems. The biggest I had was the novel’s odd treatment of Type 1 diabetes as a panic-inducing death sentence, for that is what took the life of Willa’s husband and is what’s left her forever anxious about losing love. It’s a grim take and from what I understand, blatantly untrue. [Correct – it’s a chronic illness that needs to be managed properly, but it’s not a death sentence – Ed.]

There are also pacing problems that keep Hudson and Willa’s romance from developing evenly. But ahh, what a romance it is! I love older heroes and heroines, and these two are delightful specimens. Everything about them is cute, and I loved the way the author uses her animal characters to draw the pair together. And I had no idea cookbook ghostwriting was a thing, so it was quite interesting to delve into the industry.

Do Me a Favor is charming, but not perfect. Readers could do worse!