Chef’s Choice by T.J. Alexander (Review by Danielle Urban)

Rating: 4-stars

Chef’s Choice by T.J. Alexander is a laugh out loud comedy. It is also about two unlikely characters that are disastrous in the kitchen. Yet, neither one has the knowledge to be chefs. Jean-Pierre is a trans man and an heir to a culinary empire. I thought he would be much better at cooking in the kitchen than his aide. His aide is a trans woman, named Luna. Luna only takes the job because she has nothing else to lose. She needs the money from pulling off this new gig. Luna is self conscious about her opening up about her trans journey. Jean-Pierre is a bit awkward about his surgery. Despite their struggles, they presented funny moments in this book. Moments everyone can relate to especially when it comes to romance. Both protagonists are shy about being together. But once they get past their first encounter, it’s a fun ride from there.

T.J. Alexander created a book similar to Tessa Bailey’s famous romantic comedies. This writer featured trans gender people. It was awkward at first. But it was very entertaining as I continued to follow the characters. The story was heartfelt, sweet, and full of tension and heat. T.J. Alexander writes well. The beginning is just really awkward with the way the characters behaved. I could not believe two of them were clueless with the culinary arts. How’s does one character be an heir to a culinary business without much experience in the kitchen? It was difficult to believe and get into…but once it moved past that part, the rest were great.

I would recommend this to novel to all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. It had the sexy vibe, the bed scenes were done professionally, and the back and forth banters between characters were fun. I enjoyed when it when Jean-Pierre and Luna would argue. Luna has this tough exterior that takes a long while for Jean-Pierre to break down. Luna finds Jean-Pierre attractive but is shy at first. She was a bit of a mystery. Tough one moment and then soft like a marshmallow the next. Jean-Pierre was also the same. He presented one side but inside he was the opposite. Their personalities made for a unique pair.