Publication date: October 19th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Western
Amazon
When an interloper arrives in his kitchen, will romance start to simmer?
Chef Owen Thorpe left behind his celebrity status when he moved to Summer Creek. The quaint town and country atmosphere allow him to seek solace in his recipes. His peace and quiet is threatened when he’s coerced into being part of a big auction package that includes the winner spending a week cooking with him in his restaurant. The last thing he wants is some chef wannabe in his way. However, the real danger he faces is losing his heart when the winner turns out to be a beautiful woman who knows her way around a kitchen.
Burdened by the weight of her demanding career as a school psychologist, Tawni Young turns to cooking and gardening to escape from the never-ending stress of her work. When her aunt gifts her an auction package that includes cooking lessons in the small town of Summer Creek, Tawni realizes the chef she’ll be working with is none other than a celebrity she had a huge crush on during her college years. From the moment the two of them meet, an undeniable attraction sizzles while wits collide.
As they embark on a tantalizing journey of culinary delights, will Tawni and Owen discover the most important ingredient is love?
In this heartwarming and deliciously wholesome tale, Challenging the Chef takes readers on a savory adventure filled with sweet romance.
Read the entire Summer Creek Series!
Catching the Cowboy
Rescuing the Rancher
Protecting the Princess
Distracting the Deputy
Guiding the Grouch
Challenging the Chef
She wiped her mouth on her napkin and nodded. “Summer Creek,
I love. The area is incredible with all the farms and ranches, and the open
spaces with sagebrush. The mountains are breathtakingly beautiful. Everyone I’ve
met has been welcoming, kind, and genuine. However, you are the exception.” She
shrugged. “Chef Owen Thorpe is a first-class phony.”
“Phony?” he asked, feigning amusement as he leaned back and
draped one elbow over the high back of the stool. Had it been that easy for her
to see through his forced smiles? Since he felt like a phony, he couldn’t exactly
argue with her, but her words rankled all the same.
“Yes, a phony. You donned your I’m-A-Charmer personality the
moment I arrived, like you slipped on your chef coat when you went out and walked
through the restaurant earlier.” She twirled her fork between her fingers, looking
at him with an intensity he found downright disturbing. “You might have wowed
people in the culinary world years ago with that smile, but it’s not doing you
any favors now. What is it you’re so threatened by, Chef, that you feel the
need to act like you are the king and everyone in the kitchen is your loyal
subject? There must be a good reason why you feel so resistant to my presence.
Or do you act like a jerk to anyone who dares set foot in your kitchen?”
Owen lifted both eyebrows, taken aback by her words. She hadn’t
raised her voice or altered her friendly tone. No shift in her serene expression.
But the words she spoke practically made steam roll out of his ears.
When he remained silent, desperately trying to assemble a
witty comeback, she continued with her unwanted assessment of his character. “You
should trust your staff more instead of micromanaging them. Your assistant chef
has a lot of untapped potential, and the young woman, Megan, who helped Pete, has
an interest in becoming a pastry chef. You wouldn’t have to work so hard if you’d
let go a little instead of holding so tightly to the mirage of control. It’s no
wonder you’re tense, on edge, short-tempered, and cranky.”
“I’m not cranky,” Owen snapped, further infuriated by the smug
smile on her face at his outburst.
Tawni Young certainly hadn’t held back her opinions of him.
He wasn’t accustomed to people speaking to him so bluntly.
“I’m not cranky,” he repeated with a cool nonchalance he was
far from feeling.
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.
Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.com or find out more about her here: linktr.ee/ShannaHatfield
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