Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Cameron Dunlop has lived in the Lowcountry town of Summer Corners, South Carolina, his whole life. He loves his home, but his little town in the Deep South doesn’t offer much in the way of dating options.

 

Chef Gray Callahan has enjoyed success in the kitchen, but his last relationship sunk like a bad soufflé. When plans for his sister’s wedding go awry, it provides the perfect excuse to pack up and go home, where he can help out as he decides how to start his life over.

 

Gray’s path crosses Cameron’s, and he realizes together they might have all the ingredients to save the day—with maybe enough left over for something sweet just for the two of them.

 

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.  

Book Review

Eating good food is one of my favorite pastimes, watching the occasional celebrity cooking show and reading stories about chefs a close second. ‘Place Setting’ is a promising title for a “foodie” romance, a chef looking for a new start is always interesting, and a small town in South Carolina might just be the ideal setting. With two men who went to the same high school but haven’t seen each other since at the center of some family and wedding drama, I was pretty sure this was going to be a cute story. And I was right!

Cameron is mostly happy with his life. He works as a property manager for “the least bossy boss” there is, likes living in the same small town he has grown up in, and his only regret is not having a bigger (or any) dating pool. He has been thinking about taking a more active role in the business for a while, but the opportunity just never seemed to be right – until now.

Gray used to think he’d have a career in baseball, but an injury in college made him change professions. He has become a successful chef, even co-owned a restaurant for a while, but when his relationship breaks apart due to his cheating ex, the jointly owned business becomes a casualty. Now Gray is trying to figure out what’s next, moves back to his home town, and tries to help his sister save her wedding by providing the food.

Both men are fundamentally nice guys who like Summer Corners except for the fact that it is a little small and there are very few gay men. When Cameron shows Gray his temporary house it is the beginning of their realization that they might at the very least become good friends, possibly more. Theirs is a very gentle romance – until it gets hot, that is. The supporting characters are in many ways “typical” of small towns, but they’re all individuals with very quirky personalities and I loved getting to know them and see them in “action” doing their various parts to make sure Cameron and Gray get their happy ending.

If you like small-town settings with lots of charm, if men struggling to figure out what’s next in life for them are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read full of eccentric characters, lots of gorgeous food, and a sweet romance with very few obstacles, then you will probably like this delightful novella.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 70 pages/25226 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	18-January-2019
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/place-setting-by-claudia-mayrant-10094-b