Contemporary
![Tj Alexander - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B09JZV56G5.jpg)
Chef's Choice: A Novel (Chef's Kiss)
A fake dating arrangement turns to real love in this deliciously delightful queer rom-com from the author of the sweetly satisfying Chef's Kiss.
When Luna O'Shea is unceremoniously fired from her frustrating office job, she tries to count her blessings: she's a proud trans woman who has plenty of friends, a wonderful roommate, and a good life in New York City. But blessings don't pay the bills.
Enter Jean-Pierre, a laissez-faire trans man and the heir to a huge culinary empire-which he'll only inherit if he can jump through all the hoops his celebrity chef grandfather has placed in his path. First hoop: he needs a girlfriend, a role that Luna is happy to play…for the right price. She's got rent to pay, after all! Second hoop: they both need to learn how to cook a series of elaborate, world-renowned family recipes to prove that Jean-Pierre is a worthy heir. Admittedly, Luna doesn't even know how to crack an egg, but she's not going to let that-or any pesky feelings for Jean-Pierre-stop her.
Another swoon-worthy and heartwarming queer love story from a charming new voice in romance.
When Luna O'Shea is unceremoniously fired from her frustrating office job, she tries to count her blessings: she's a proud trans woman who has plenty of friends, a wonderful roommate, and a good life in New York City. But blessings don't pay the bills.
Enter Jean-Pierre, a laissez-faire trans man and the heir to a huge culinary empire-which he'll only inherit if he can jump through all the hoops his celebrity chef grandfather has placed in his path. First hoop: he needs a girlfriend, a role that Luna is happy to play…for the right price. She's got rent to pay, after all! Second hoop: they both need to learn how to cook a series of elaborate, world-renowned family recipes to prove that Jean-Pierre is a worthy heir. Admittedly, Luna doesn't even know how to crack an egg, but she's not going to let that-or any pesky feelings for Jean-Pierre-stop her.
Another swoon-worthy and heartwarming queer love story from a charming new voice in romance.
Editorial Reviews
"Generous, tender, decadent, and sparklingly funny, CHEF'S CHOICE is a revelation as sublime as biting into an eclair. I found myself howling with laughter, ugly-crying, and falling in desperate love with Luna and Jean-Pierre. As with a perfect meal, you'll want to savor every moment and share it with everyone you love." -- Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of PAYBACK'S A WITCH
"TJ Alexander's witty and insightful voice, complex characters, and full-throated celebration of the joy of queer community make CHEF'S CHOICE a treat worth savoring." -- Ava Wilder, author of HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD
"CHEF'S CHOICE is at once an enormously fun romp of romance tropes while also being incredibly important-by turns genuinely hilarious and swooningly romantic, and all the while, unabashedly, joyously trans. I love both Luna and Jean-Pierre with my whole heart, and I couldn't put their story down. I am so glad this book exists." -- Anita Kelly, author of LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS
"Start with two charming, lovable main characters, add a lot of laughs, and finish with a healthy pinch of spice and you've got Chef's Choice. I devoured every morsel of this delicious romance." -- Amanda Elliot, author of BEST SERVED HOT and SADIE ON A PLATE
"CHEF'S CHOICE is a total delight, filled with queer joy and found family and so much warmth. Luna and Jean-Pierre stole my heart. Jean-Pierre is a tour de force of grumpy depressed European queer chaos and I would personally die for him." -- Cat Sebastian, author of THE QUEER PRINCIPLES OF KIT WEBB
"In a world where content is increasingly stale, TJ Alexander is delectably fresh. Their characters are always vivid, their stories always delightful. CHEF'S CHOICE adds some much needed trans rep to the romance genre and is equally a story of both escapism and resistance. You don't need to look much further for your next favorite book!" -- Katalina Gamarra, author of BEN AND BEATRIZ
"With hilarious banter, culinary delights, meaningful self-discovery, and two hot idiots I couldn't wait to watch fall in love, this novel is everything I wanted and more. TJ Alexander's blend of humor and heart is unmatched." -- Susie Dumond, author of QUEERLY BELOVED
"Classic romance tropes are deployed to charming effect… Like Luna's beloved cheese plates and charcuterie spreads, this appetizing romance has something to delight a wide variety of readers. A first choice for contemporary romance collections." ― Library Journal (starred review)
"A love letter to the trans community, CHEF'S CHOICE is a heartwarming delight! TJ Alexander's writing is a feast for the senses, sizzling with wit, charm, an...
"TJ Alexander's witty and insightful voice, complex characters, and full-throated celebration of the joy of queer community make CHEF'S CHOICE a treat worth savoring." -- Ava Wilder, author of HOW TO FAKE IT IN HOLLYWOOD
"CHEF'S CHOICE is at once an enormously fun romp of romance tropes while also being incredibly important-by turns genuinely hilarious and swooningly romantic, and all the while, unabashedly, joyously trans. I love both Luna and Jean-Pierre with my whole heart, and I couldn't put their story down. I am so glad this book exists." -- Anita Kelly, author of LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS
"Start with two charming, lovable main characters, add a lot of laughs, and finish with a healthy pinch of spice and you've got Chef's Choice. I devoured every morsel of this delicious romance." -- Amanda Elliot, author of BEST SERVED HOT and SADIE ON A PLATE
"CHEF'S CHOICE is a total delight, filled with queer joy and found family and so much warmth. Luna and Jean-Pierre stole my heart. Jean-Pierre is a tour de force of grumpy depressed European queer chaos and I would personally die for him." -- Cat Sebastian, author of THE QUEER PRINCIPLES OF KIT WEBB
"In a world where content is increasingly stale, TJ Alexander is delectably fresh. Their characters are always vivid, their stories always delightful. CHEF'S CHOICE adds some much needed trans rep to the romance genre and is equally a story of both escapism and resistance. You don't need to look much further for your next favorite book!" -- Katalina Gamarra, author of BEN AND BEATRIZ
"With hilarious banter, culinary delights, meaningful self-discovery, and two hot idiots I couldn't wait to watch fall in love, this novel is everything I wanted and more. TJ Alexander's blend of humor and heart is unmatched." -- Susie Dumond, author of QUEERLY BELOVED
"Classic romance tropes are deployed to charming effect… Like Luna's beloved cheese plates and charcuterie spreads, this appetizing romance has something to delight a wide variety of readers. A first choice for contemporary romance collections." ― Library Journal (starred review)
"A love letter to the trans community, CHEF'S CHOICE is a heartwarming delight! TJ Alexander's writing is a feast for the senses, sizzling with wit, charm, an...
Readers Top Reviews
Sara Preston
Listen… I *loved* Chef’s Kiss. If you haven’t read it, you’re missing out. That having been said, Chef’s Choice was somehow even better. Author T.J. Alexander definitely outdid themselves with this book. The characters are earnest and funny and the kind of people you want to be friends with. At one point in the story, they joined friends for drinks and I wanted to be at the table with them. Luna and Jean-Pierre are perfection and their fake dating plot is adorable, well-executed, and very much above average. I cannot wait to read the next book Alexander provides for us, and every single one after that. Finally, if you’re the kind of person who skips the acknowledgments at the end of a book, rectify that immediately with this one. It’s sincere and heartfelt and not-to-be-missed.
K.B.
Chef's Choice is the second book in the Chef's Kiss romance series but can easily be read as a standalone novel. However, the two leads in the first book make appearances in this one, so you might as well read the books in order. Luna was a supporting character in Chef's Kiss so it was neat seeing her get a shot at love in this book. Luna O'Shea, a transgender woman, has just been fired from her job. Jean-Pierre, a trans man, is heir to a culinary empire but in order to inherit the money he has to prove himself to his grandfather. So that will require Jean-Pierre to find a girlfriend who is willing to help him prepare some of the family recipes which will then be judged by his granddad. Sounds weird but Luna has to pay her bills and Jean-Pierre is offering a boatload of money to act like she is his girlfriend. Yup, the popular fake dating trope is in play here. Overall, Chef's Choice was a good read but the actual romance was the weak area of the story in my opinion. I liked the two leads and thought they had chemistry. My issue is I wanted more scenes developing that spark between the pair. Obviously when you pick up a romance you know the end game, but you still want to see everything play out. The author did a great job incorporating transgender issues into the storyline and I just wish the romance was developed in as thorough detail. Sounds like I'm complaining but its more of a small gripe as I did enjoy the book. I won an advance copy from a Goodreads giveaway. All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1 Chapter 1
Luna O'Shea cracked her neck in four places before pulling off her headset and tossing it onto her desk. Working from home was usually a godsend, but today Luna felt exhausted, and that last call with Tim had not done her any favors.
Her wildly disorganized boss was the CEO of Papr Tigr, the digital-marketing-slash-advertising firm (or was it advertising-slash-marketing? Luna could never remember) where she had worked remotely for almost five years. Tim was normally a scatterbrained weirdo, but today he'd been in rare form. Luna had spent the last three and a quarter hours walking him through yet another Word document with his very personal, very important log-ins listed in Arial font, despite Luna's protests that writing all that down in a hackable file and then emailing it back and forth was a bad idea.
Kind of funny how the head of a company that touted itself as being on the cutting edge was so bad with anything digital. Tim pulled a $600,000 yearly salary, and Luna really couldn't understand why anyone would think he was worth a fraction of that. Lose a zero, maybe, but what did she know? She was just a personal assistant. And today, her job had consisted of babysitting Tim while he anxiously learned how to update and save the doc himself. Her talents had just been wasted on nearly four hours of sixth-grade-level Microsoft Office instruction.
At least she was almost done for the day. She unhooked her phone from its charger and checked her notifications. Simone still hadn't responded to Luna's question about dinner plans; she probably already had a dinner date set with her themfriend, Ray. As usual. Luna silently resigned herself to another night of microwaved taquitos and a Kraft single eaten straight out of the wrapper. You know, for calcium.
At first it had been kind of fun for Luna, having the whole apartment to herself when Simone stayed over at Ray's. But after a few weeks of seeing Simone only when she swung home to grab some clean clothes, all the alone time had lost its appeal. You could have only so many one-person dance parties before it got old. Between that and working from home, Luna could go from one end of the week to the next without speaking to another person in the flesh.
She wondered if Simone would eventually move in with Ray, since they spent so much time together anyway. That would be awesome for them-but a disaster for Luna, who couldn't possibly cover the entire rent on her salary, and who wasn't thrilled with the idea of finding a new roomie. She'd gotten comfortable over the years, living with Simone. Sure, Simone was neurotic about keeping the bathroom clean, and she did take up way more than half of the fridge space, but she was a loyal friend and always made sure Luna was eating well. The perks of having a professional chef as a roommate.
If Simone decided to move out of the apartment, Luna would be holding the short end of the stick in more ways than one.
She checked her group chat for some much-needed human interaction, but quickly deflated. Aisha was telling everyone about the house she and Ruth were buying in New Jersey, and the other girls were asking about how many guest rooms the place had and what they planned on doing with the backyard.
Willow: can u fit a pool? i want a pool
Lily: It's not your house! It's Aisha's. Although, Aisha, if you want to put in an herb garden…
Luna tried to compose a suitably cheery message of her own, but the other responses and counterpoints were coming so fast and furious that she couldn't get a word in edgewise. She was happy for Aisha, truly, but the thought of losing friends to the far-off suburbs was a bummer. Soon Aisha and her wife would be wrapped up in their responsibilities and have no time to hang out. Just like Simone.
Luna slapped her phone screen-down on her desk and said aloud, "That is black-and-white thinking, and I live in a world full of color." It was one of her many mantras designed to disrupt negative thoughts. Yes, her friends were growing up and going in different directions, but that didn't mean Luna was being left behind. She was doing fine! Her blood pressure was great. Her pedicure was unchipped. She was a happy, fulfilled person.
She checked the group chat again.
Willow and Sara had moved on to gushing about their new love interests. Apparently, one was a competitive deadlifter and the other had a world record in rock climbing. Abs that you could serve a mezze platter on, Sara declared.
Luna could feel her teeth grinding. She tossed her phone onto her bed, where it bounced once before coming to a stop far out of her reach. "Comparing myself to others does everyone a disservice," she recited to the ceiling, though sh...
Luna O'Shea cracked her neck in four places before pulling off her headset and tossing it onto her desk. Working from home was usually a godsend, but today Luna felt exhausted, and that last call with Tim had not done her any favors.
Her wildly disorganized boss was the CEO of Papr Tigr, the digital-marketing-slash-advertising firm (or was it advertising-slash-marketing? Luna could never remember) where she had worked remotely for almost five years. Tim was normally a scatterbrained weirdo, but today he'd been in rare form. Luna had spent the last three and a quarter hours walking him through yet another Word document with his very personal, very important log-ins listed in Arial font, despite Luna's protests that writing all that down in a hackable file and then emailing it back and forth was a bad idea.
Kind of funny how the head of a company that touted itself as being on the cutting edge was so bad with anything digital. Tim pulled a $600,000 yearly salary, and Luna really couldn't understand why anyone would think he was worth a fraction of that. Lose a zero, maybe, but what did she know? She was just a personal assistant. And today, her job had consisted of babysitting Tim while he anxiously learned how to update and save the doc himself. Her talents had just been wasted on nearly four hours of sixth-grade-level Microsoft Office instruction.
At least she was almost done for the day. She unhooked her phone from its charger and checked her notifications. Simone still hadn't responded to Luna's question about dinner plans; she probably already had a dinner date set with her themfriend, Ray. As usual. Luna silently resigned herself to another night of microwaved taquitos and a Kraft single eaten straight out of the wrapper. You know, for calcium.
At first it had been kind of fun for Luna, having the whole apartment to herself when Simone stayed over at Ray's. But after a few weeks of seeing Simone only when she swung home to grab some clean clothes, all the alone time had lost its appeal. You could have only so many one-person dance parties before it got old. Between that and working from home, Luna could go from one end of the week to the next without speaking to another person in the flesh.
She wondered if Simone would eventually move in with Ray, since they spent so much time together anyway. That would be awesome for them-but a disaster for Luna, who couldn't possibly cover the entire rent on her salary, and who wasn't thrilled with the idea of finding a new roomie. She'd gotten comfortable over the years, living with Simone. Sure, Simone was neurotic about keeping the bathroom clean, and she did take up way more than half of the fridge space, but she was a loyal friend and always made sure Luna was eating well. The perks of having a professional chef as a roommate.
If Simone decided to move out of the apartment, Luna would be holding the short end of the stick in more ways than one.
She checked her group chat for some much-needed human interaction, but quickly deflated. Aisha was telling everyone about the house she and Ruth were buying in New Jersey, and the other girls were asking about how many guest rooms the place had and what they planned on doing with the backyard.
Willow: can u fit a pool? i want a pool
Lily: It's not your house! It's Aisha's. Although, Aisha, if you want to put in an herb garden…
Luna tried to compose a suitably cheery message of her own, but the other responses and counterpoints were coming so fast and furious that she couldn't get a word in edgewise. She was happy for Aisha, truly, but the thought of losing friends to the far-off suburbs was a bummer. Soon Aisha and her wife would be wrapped up in their responsibilities and have no time to hang out. Just like Simone.
Luna slapped her phone screen-down on her desk and said aloud, "That is black-and-white thinking, and I live in a world full of color." It was one of her many mantras designed to disrupt negative thoughts. Yes, her friends were growing up and going in different directions, but that didn't mean Luna was being left behind. She was doing fine! Her blood pressure was great. Her pedicure was unchipped. She was a happy, fulfilled person.
She checked the group chat again.
Willow and Sara had moved on to gushing about their new love interests. Apparently, one was a competitive deadlifter and the other had a world record in rock climbing. Abs that you could serve a mezze platter on, Sara declared.
Luna could feel her teeth grinding. She tossed her phone onto her bed, where it bounced once before coming to a stop far out of her reach. "Comparing myself to others does everyone a disservice," she recited to the ceiling, though sh...
