Review: Tacos For Two by Betsy St. Amant

Title: Tacos For Two

Author: Betsy St. Amant

Publisher: Revell 

Pages: 336

ISBN: 9780800738907

Publication Date: October 12th, 2021

About the Book:

Two unlikely chefs. One life-changing contest. There can only be one winner . . . right?

Rory Perez, a food truck owner who can't cook, is struggling to keep the business she inherited from her aunt out of the red--and an upcoming contest during Modest's annual food truck festival seems the best way to do it. The prize money could finally give her a solid financial footing and keep her cousin with special needs paid up at her beloved assisted living home. Then maybe Rory will have enough time to meet the man she's been talking to via an anonymous online dating site.

Jude Strong is tired of being a puppet at his manipulative father's law firm, and the food truck festival seems like the perfect opportunity to dive into his passion for cooking and finally call his life his own. But if he loses the contest, he's back at the law firm for good. Failure is not an option.

Complications arise when Rory's chef gets mono and she realizes she has to cook after all. Then Jude discovers that his stiffest competition is the same woman he's been falling for online the past month.

Will these unlikely chefs sacrifice it all for the sake of love? Or will there only ever be tacos for one?

My Thoughts:

Do you love You've Got Mail? How about Shop Around the Corner? Or The Good Ol' Summer Time? Well, if you like any or all of these, or if you have read Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay, another offering into this genre...I have the book for you! Tacos For Two. This is such a fun and modern take on this tale of competing business people, who get connected and don't know it. I've watched all of these movies and have loved them all...especially You've Got Mail. I could curl up and watch it all the time. 

I was interested to see how Betsy would be able to play it out with the characters not knowing each other with the world wide web at their fingertips, but it was done brilliantly! I would not survive on the dating site that was presented in this book. I would take any detail and ferret the information out, but that is what I do and the fact Rory was cool with taking it slow and not knowing made her all the more interesting. 

Rory is such a loving character. She cares for her cousin, and the people she works with. She wants to keep her Aunt's food truck alive....even though she doesn't cook, which I absolutely loved. She comes off as a girl who could burn water, but keeping her aunts legacy alive is greater than her inept cooking ability. 

Jude, goodness, what a guy. He is one who has had to deal with a lot bullying and forced competition in his family. He is the black sheep of his family, but that isn't a bad thing. He deal with a dad who is overbearing and hold the family money over his head. A brother that is always wanting to prove that he is better then Jude. But he had a caring nanny growing up that instilled into him a love of cooking. 

The personalities between Rory and Jude are very similar. They are both ones just trying to find a path against the odds. Reading their story was fun and sweet. But of course there are some very emotional stakes and watching them play out, you are hoping it all works out, because you can't not like these two. 

If you're looking for a book that is hard to put down, try this one!

5 out of 5

About the Author:

Betsy St. Amant is the author of more than fifteen inspirational romances, including The Key to Love, and a frequent contributor to iBelieve.com. She lives in north Louisiana with her husband, two daughters, a collection of Austen novels, and an impressive stash of pickle-flavored Pringles. When she's not composing her next book or trying to prove unicorns are real, Betsy can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of a white chocolate mocha--no whip. 

Learn more at www.betsystamant.com.

Thank you to the publisher, I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.