What was the book about?
Claire Fontenot left Kurt Savoy at the altar when they were only nineteen, because she had realized she was a lesbian and couldn’t marry him, however sweet he was. Fifteen years later, Kurt is still kinda traumatized, and so are both families. Blaze (Claire’s father) and Hubert (Kurt’s father) used to be best friends but are now ruthless competitors in the hot sauce business. When Claire is ordered by her boss to take two weeks off, she agrees to go visit her family, hoping she won’t have to face any member of the Savoy family. Then she meets Ivy, Kurt’s younger sister. Ivy was eight at the time of the disastrous non-wedding, so neither she nor Claire recognizes the other until they sort of go on a date. They both try to stay true to their families but the attraction is too strong.

Featured Tropes: Rom com, age gap, slow burn

Book Strengths:
There are a couple of really good scenes with Ivy’s family, one with her parents when she shares the secret that’s plagued her for years, and another with her brother a bit later. I also enjoyed everything about Claire’s painting, and there’s this one secondary character, Bruiser, who brings a nice whimsical touch to the story.

Book weaknesses:
There’s quite a few little things that just didn’t work for me. Like when Ivy is so surprised Claire is a lesbian even though earlier in the story she talked about a blind date with a woman. Or how Claire keeps insisting she’s so old. She’s thirty-five, and even though I get that she’s the age her mother was when she died, it still doesn’t make sense (or maybe it’s because I’m so much older now, that I feel thirty-five is really young). Or the tragedies both families have suffered, which don’t really bring much to the plot.

Character Chemistry: 
Ivy has this recurrent dream about the love of her life and Claire checks all the boxes, so as soon as they meet, the attraction is obvious. The chemistry between the two women is actually one of the best things about this story.

Heat Rating: 2

Wrap up
If you’re in the mood for a cutesy and (not so) light read, go for it!

Star Rating: 3

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