Chef's Kiss

SECOND CHANCES IN NEWPORT STEPHEN is a charming new TJ Alexander rom-com about a pastry chef who finds love and success in the kitchen.
SECOND CHANCES IN NEWPORT STEPHEN is a queer rom-com about a pastry chef who finds love and success in the kitchen, with the introduction of their nonbinary kitchen manager.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2023
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

SECOND CHANCES IN NEW PORT STEPHEN, the captivating new TJ Alexander romance comedy!

A high-strung pastry chef's professional goals are interrupted by an unexpected career transition and the introduction of their wildly attractive nonbinary kitchen manager in this deliciously fresh and witty queer rom-com.

Simone Larkspur is a perfectionist pastry expert with a dream job at The Discerning Chef, a venerable cookbook publisher in New York City. All she wants to do is create the perfect loaf of sourdough and develop recipes, but when The Discerning Chef decides to bring their brand into the 21st century by pivoting to video, Simone is thrust into the spotlight and finds herself failing at something for the first time in her life.

To make matters worse, Simone has to deal with Ray Lyton, the new test kitchen manager, whose obnoxious cheer and outgoing personality are like oil to Simone's water. When Ray accidentally becomes a viral YouTube sensation with a series of homebrewing videos, their eccentric editor-in-chief forces Simone to work alongside the chipper upstart or else risk her beloved job. But the more they work together, the more Simone realizes her heart may be softening like butter for Ray.

Things get even more complicated when Ray comes out at work as nonbinary to mixed reactions—and Simone must choose between the career she fought so hard for and the person who just might take the cake (and her heart).

Weight: 224g
Dimension: 130 x 198 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781398530607