4.5-STAR REVIEW: KITCHEN MATCHES by Marianne Arkins

The Matched Series: Book 1
Publication Date: November 14, 2023

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?

What Cori Weathers lacks in height, she more than makes up for with her spunky attitude. Growing up with a bunch of older brothers has given her a thick skin as she works alongside them as a mechanic.

When she signs up for a cooking class, she faces off against her instructor, Micah DePalma, creating both literal and figurative sparks. Author Marianne Arkins delivers a tasty appetizer novella with Kitchen Matches.

The storyline turns traditional roles upside down, creating several humorous scenarios. However, the attraction between the two is threatened by Cori’s sense of inadequacy. Micah’s acceptance by Cori’s brothers serves to complicate matters.

It’s only a matter of time before an ultimatum will be issued for a decision. Toss in an adorable kitten, and the scale seems to be tilted in a favorable direction.

Kitchen Matches delivers a bite-sized adventure with two engaging characters who are full of surprises.

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.

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