All stirred up A novel

Susan Napier has returned home to Scotland to revamp her late grandfather Elliot's restaurant after losing hope for success in the London location of the eatery. What she does not expect is for her ex-boyfriend Chris, a celebrity chef and restaurateur in his own right, to be opening up his own place down the street, and the two are forced to go head to head for culinary supremacy. A Food Festival, complete with a surprise guest, family drama, and a romantic spark that may not be fully snuffed out combine as Susan and Chris go pots over pans vying to make it out on top. Moore brings foodies and rom-com lovers together in this tasty delight of a debut. While the book is billed as more of a romance, the cuisine is really more of the focus, with the characters peppering food lingo and practices into the storyline to keep the plot moving. Some readers may crave more romance and gossip, while others may be content with just the right spice level that Moore delivers.

Restaurant wars lead to a serendipitous second chance at love in Moore's charming debut, inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion. Susan Napier's restaurateur family faces bankruptcy as bad management forces the closure of all but one of their locations. To save their legacy, Susan convinces her family to relocate from London to Edinburgh to revitalize their flagship restaurant. Susan is unprepared for the competition and hostility she faces from her former lover, Chris Baker--now a renowned chef and television personality--who's returned home to Edinburgh from New York City to open his own restaurant. Staffing issues and family tension add to Susan's stress, along with her growing guilt over how abruptly she ended things with Chris a decade earlier; all of which comes to a head when they're tricked into competing against one another in a cooking showdown during the city's food festival. This chaste love story, peppered with just the right amount of family drama, foodie descriptions, and rom-com hijinks, is a treat. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency. (Sept.)