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Arsenic and Adobo
by Mia P. Manansala
Recovering from a breakup, Lila Macapagal moves home to save her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant and deal with her matchmaking aunties. But when her ex-boyfriend, a nasty food critic, drops dead moments after confronting her, Lila's life swerves from a rom-com to a murder mystery. As the prime suspect, she must use her auntie network, best friend, and Dachshund, Longanisa, to clear her name and solve the twisted case before her family loses everything.
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The Golden Spoon
by Jessa Maxwell
When production for the tenth season of the hit cooking competition Bake Week begins at the gothic estate of the show's host and founder, celebrity chef Betsy Martin, everything seems normal. The six contestants are eager to prove their culinary talents over the course of five days, while Betsy struggles for control of the show with her new co-host, the brash and unpredictable Archie Morris. But as the baking competition gets under way, things begin to go awry. At first it's merely sabotage--sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high--but then someone shows up dead and suddenly everyone's a suspect.
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The Gingerbread Bakery
by Laurie Gilmore
A wedding in Dream Harbor can only mean one thing, everyone wants to get involved! With Jeanie and Logan set to tie the knot, and Kira desperate to hire out her newly renovated barn at the Christmas tree farm, everything seems to be going well. Annie has agreed to bake the cake, and Mac is responsible for, well… just being Mac. And as the whole of Dream Harbor comes together to celebrate the wedding of the year with the snow falling around them, can Annie and Mac put aside their dislike for each just long enough for the ‘I Do’s’ or is that one request too far…
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Aftertaste
by Daria Lavelle
What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Haunted since childhood by the ghosts whose favorite foods he can taste, Konstantin Duhovny discovers he has a unique power: he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones for the length of a meal he prepares. He enters the high-stakes New York culinary world to master his skill and offer closure to grieving strangers. But as he chases his ambition, he is oblivious to a catastrophe brewing in the Afterlife—one that the person falling in love with him must stop. Aftertaste is a dark comedy, a synesthetic adventure through food and grief, and an epic love story.
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Miss Eliza's English Kitchen: A Novel of Victorian Cookery and Friendship
by Annabel Abbs
Perfect for fans of upstairs-downstairs stories, this novel tells the brilliant real-life story of Eliza Acton, who revolutionized British cooking before Mrs. Beeton or Julia Child. In 1837, poet-turned-writer Eliza Acton reluctantly accepts the task of writing a cookery book after her family is shamed into poverty. To assist her, she hires Ann Kirby, an impoverished seventeen-year-old. Told in alternate voices, the novel follows their unusual friendship as Ann learns about food and poetry, and Eliza discovers a surprising passion for cooking. Together, they break the mold of traditional cookbooks by adding elegant descriptions and ingredient lists, forever changing cookery writing.
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The Midnight Feast
by Lucy Foley
It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen. But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
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Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes
by Travis Baldree
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.
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Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake
by Alexis Hall
Rosaline Palmer, a single mother on the brink of financial disaster, lands a spot on the nation's most beloved baking show, determined to win the prize money for her daughter, Amelie. Rosaline plans to stick to the rules, but the competition heats up in unexpected ways. While suave, well-educated Alain Pope tries to sweep her off her feet, it's shy electrician Harry Dobson who makes her question everything. As the bakes and the ovens heat up, Rosaline must decide if following the recipe for life, or following her heart, is the key to sweet victory.
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Vianne
by Joanne Harris
Secrets. Chocolate. A touch of magic. On the evening of July 4th, a young woman scatters her mother's ashes in New York and follows the call of the changing winds to the French coastal city of Marseille. For the first time in her life, Vianne feels in control of her future. Charming her way into a job as a waitress, she tries to fit in, make friends, and come to terms with her pregnancy, knowing that by the time her child is born, the turning wind will have changed once again. As she discovers the joy of cooking for the very first time, making local recipes her own with the addition of bittersweet chocolate spices, she learns that this humble magic has the power to unlock secrets. And yet her gift comes at a price. And Vianne has a secret of her own; a secret that threatens everything.
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A Pho Love Story
by Loan Le
Bao Nguyen is steady and unremarkable, working in his parents' pho restaurant. Linh Mai is a firecracker with dreams of art, but is equally tied down by working at her family's rival pho shop right next door. For years, the Mai and Nguyen families have been locked in a bitter feud, keeping Bao and Linh apart—though they suspect the conflict runs deeper than friendly competition. A chance encounter brings the two together, and sparks immediately fly, forcing them to confront their complicated histories and feuding families to see if love is worth the risk.
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The Dead Husband Cookbook
by Danielle Valentine
Maria Capello, a celebrity chef icon, built her empire after her famous chef husband, Damien, mysteriously disappeared twenty years ago—an event she has never spoken about publicly. Now, Maria is ready to publish her memoirs, but only on the condition that they are edited by Thea Woods, a lifelong fan who was just about to quit her small press job. Unable to resist the chance to work with her idol, Thea travels to Maria's remote farm. Thea hopes to uncover the truth behind the rumors: Did Maria kill Damien for his legendary recipes and the secret ingredient?
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The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie
by Rachel Linden
Lolly Blanchard abandoned her dreams, first love, and plan to open a restaurant ten years ago to keep her family's struggling Seattle diner afloat after her mother's death. Now, dutifully baking pies, she pines for the life she lost. For her thirty-third birthday, Lolly's quirky great-aunt gives her three magical lemon drops, each offering a single day in a life that might have been hers. Through surprising and empowering experiences, Lolly is granted a second chance to let go of her regrets and realize that transforming her life means embracing the present.
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The Kitchen Front
by Jennifer Ryan
Two years into WWII, with Britain ravaged by losses and strict rationing, the BBC launches a cooking contest for a radio program called The Kitchen Front—the prize is the job of first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning this contest is a crucial chance to change their lives: a young widow needs to keep her children housed; a kitchen maid seeks freedom from servitude; a manor lady desperately needs to escape her hostile husband; and a trained chef wants to challenge her male rivals. These women will give the competition their all, but with so much at stake, the contest that aims to unite the community may only break it apart.
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Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love
by Jared Reck
High school senior Oscar Olsson knows exactly what he wants: to run his food truck full-time with his Swedish grandfather, Farfar. But when "driven" Lou Messinger (AP everything, Ivy League-bound) hijacks his schedule, Oscar is roped into helping her with an ambitious, resume-building project to reduce food waste. Though Oscar can't stand Lou, countless hours working together lead to a relationship he never expected. Just as the food truck's festival season is about to begin, the unthinkable happens, leaving Oscar's carefully planned future anything but certain.
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Kate & Frida: A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Books
by Kim Fay
In 1991 Paris, aspiring war correspondent Frida Rodriguez seeks her future amidst the city's cuisine. When she writes to a Seattle bookshop, she begins a correspondence with bookseller Kate Fair that sparks an enduring, life-changing friendship. Transformed by Frida's free spirit, Kate finds the courage to pursue her dreams and embrace joy. Set in the precious years before the internet changed everything, this novel celebrates the passion of one's twenties and the enduring power of connection.
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The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
On a hot day in 1960s Maine, six-year-old Joe, part of a Mi’kmaq family picking blueberries, watches his little sister, Ruthie, vanish without a trace. Haunted by guilt, Joe spends his life agonizing over her disappearance. In a nearby affluent suburb, Norma grows up as the only child of unhappy parents, smart and precocious but with many questions she isn't allowed to ask—questions about her dark skin, her missing baby photos, and the vivid dreams of campfires. It will take decades to unravel the secrets her family has kept buried since she was a little girl. This is an exquisitely moving story of unrelenting hope, unwavering love, and the power of family in the face of grief and betrayal.
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I Want You More
by Swan Huntley
Reeling from the death of her domineering father, Zara Pines accepts a ghostwriting gig for celebrity chef Jane Bailey. Jane, star of the thrifty and wildly popular cooking show 30 Bucks Top, invites Zara to live in her East Hampton estate for the summer. Jane insists–this way, they can truly get to know each other. As Zara starts to fall for Jane romantically, Jane sloughs off the curated personality she maintains for the media. Zara spends all of her time in Jane’s estate, shadowing Jane’s life–even wearing Jane’s clothes. As they become ever more linked, Zara watches as she changes in ways she never expected. Can Zara get out before Jane subsumes her?
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