A wonderfully rich second chance romance with a foodie theme, Tif Marcelo brings us the story of Camille and Drew, some years after their first romance soured. Having had a restaurant that was on the edge of being the next big thing, refusing to serve one rowdy but well-known favorite sport hero left Camille with few options and a need to leave. Picking up her life with a busy and well-regarded food truck, she’s managing her work and her younger sister that she cares for, and little room is left for other things. But a chance encounter with her high school ex, back in town to help with his father’s Filipino restaurant: the two come face to face for the first time in ages. As direct competition to Drew’s family restaurant, there are choices: work on his relationship with family and shun and battle Camille and her truck, or take a chance at love with Camille once again.
I was so pleasantly surprised with this debut: Marcelo obviously knows her characters well, and she’s added scenery, smells and food to enliven and deepen the story’s impact. With both Camille and Andrew having a wonderful sense of family loyalty, determination and a never-say-die attitude toward achieving their dreams, they are perfectly suited, even as I felt that Camille would have known that the restaurant she is parking in front of (and taking business from) was also the family business of her newly reacquainted love interest.
Their early story is provided in flashback, and when you combine those sweet and innocent moments with the actual sparks that flash between them now, the cuteness overload on this one was high. While not without a few repeat issues and one thread that just got old guickly, the story was engaging, adorable and clever: clever enough that I’m curious to see what the next in the series will bring.