3.5
This book felt both enjoyable and uneven. The writing pulled me into the warm little village, and I liked how Isabella was strong, stubborn, and trying to rebuild her life without leaning on anyone. She had this mix of sharp edges and soft heart that made her easy to cheer for. Etienne came across first like a bit too smooth, but later he showed patience and care, which made me like him more. Their chemistry was clear, sometimes playful and sometimes intense, and the banter made me smile.
It gave me summer vibes, food filled scenes, and some tender moments that stayed with me. Thank you so much to the author, Quercus Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

this was fine. it serves as a good introduction to the series and it's a good read if you're looking for a cozy, small town romance with a quirky heroine and a lovely found family aspect.

however, that's also this book's biggest issue. it has no identity. it doesn't stand out. i don't think it's any different from all the other small town romance series out there. it reads like a hallmark movie. the characters are likeable enough to keep you reading, and maybe you'll be invested in the love story. but they feel a bit... empty. you root for them because you have to, not because you want to.

and please please please straight men don't talk like straight woman. they don't describe other straight men as "six-foot-three sex gods". they don't!!!!!

This book is a really cute summer read. I enjoyed everything about it. I really like books with lots of characters & with this gem, I can’t wait to see who the next book is about. Everyone loves a series.

Isabella gives strong women vibes and this is just one thing I liked about that story. I was rooting for her the whole way through. It’s incredibly empowering to see a woman portrayed this way. She don’t need no man. Well until Etienne arrives on the scene that is. I mean who wouldn’t fall for his charm in the end? Their banter & their chemistry is everything a romance reader wants. I loved their connection.

If you’re after a fun (rather steamy), easy, romantic read, set in a small village, then I recommend you give this book a read, you’ll love it.

This was a charming book with great characters. I liked the chemistry between Isabella and Étienne, and that there was no business competition between their restaurants. However, Étienne‘s attitude towards women is a big red flag and doesn't suit the rest of his character. Fortunately it gets better as the story advances, but it‘s such a 180° attitude change that it doesn‘t feel like a real character progression.
All in all, I found Isabella‘s family and Étienne‘s friends very endearing and a great addition to the story. Recommended if you like a romance story set in a small village.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great simmering summer read!
Isabella Tucci is nearing the end of a year in which she aimed to prove to herself that she could be her own woman. Intending to fulfil her lifelong dream of opening a restaurant, she is almost there. Having moved to a small village and found her premises. And the other part of that year-long promise to herself was to be reliant on no one, especially men, so a no-sex ban has been in place.
It's been hard enough getting over her marriage breakdown, but finally, things are falling into place.
Then she meets Etienne.
Scoping out the competition, she can't help but notice the sexy restaurant owner whose business is on the opposite side of the square to hers. And he's noticed her.
The story follows the last three months of her year, and it's touch-and-go whether that business will be ready, and the no men/sex? Well, let's say there may be quite a bit of touch, but will she let go?
The author utilises WhatsApp groups as a medium of communication and scene setting between Isabella and her family, as well as a group with her newfound local friends. Then there is Etienne's group with his close friends.
And the cast of characters supporting Isabella and Etienne is all brilliant, leaving me with many questions about who will be the focus of the following story. Because Etienne is not the only gorgeous guy in this book, his friends are in the Adonis category too!
There is drama and tension both within the general story and the build-up of the relationship between Isabella and Etienne, and it all makes for a fantastic, spicy read in parts!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this will they won't they novel, which made for a lovely and enjoyable, easy summer read.

charmed and in love with this book was i? yes yes i was. i wanted to sit with this book all the time. take me to a seat and sit me there with this book and id be quite happy. and i was indeed sad when it ended.
the book brings us to Isabella. shes moved to Honeybridge needing a fresh start, a completely fresh start. she is here to open her new restaurant and that has to be her soul focus. the owner of another restaurant is Etienne and straight away as readers we feel a sizzle, a bashful smile, a little swoon happening already. but Isabelle also came here to heal and she is not into men, they are not allowed in her life or heart as she has just been hurt far too much.
at the start we are thinking yeh lovely, dont mix with him, we all know what hes after. but soon we see a different side. we start to get to know both our characters, the friends they keep and we start to fall for this book and our characters all the more.
Isabella was such a lovable character to like and root for. i was rooting for her both in her restaurant and her personal life as she slowly starts to settle and make friends.
this is a cosy small town vibe kind of book and i was here for it. the chemistry between our pair was making me smile throughout. they were coming to make a perfect recipe together. the tension and building of their relationship was just gorgeous and fun to read.
all the side characters felt important and like they only added to the mix.

A solid romance novel with several tropes that worked well.

We follow Isabella as she moves to Honeybridge to open her new Italian restaurant. There she meets Etienne, the owner of another restaurant in the same square. They are instantly attracted to each other but Isabella has a year long no-sex pact (which she is nine months into) after divorcing her cheating husband.

Here is where my issue with Etienne starts. He’s like a sex starved man-child to begin with and looks upon Isabella as a challenge and cannot get over the fact she turns him down. He does redeem himself with his behaviour somewhat later in the book and starts to treat Isabella right. I loved how he was with his friends, Fox and Walker, and Fox’s children. That Etienne I liked. I suppose it could all be passed off as character development, going from the stereotypical one and done, afraid of commitment bachelor to realising he’s in love. But I found his original behaviour a big ick.

Isabella was great. I loved her relationships with her family and also the friend group she makes during the book. She gave the impression that she would be fine with or without Etienne and her restaurant would be a success either way. I enjoyed how the restaurant progressed, especially the servers/wait staff that Amber picked (although referring to the Australian woman as Australian Angie multiple times and using very stereotypical, old fashioned Australian slang like “fair dinkum” was a bit off-putting).

Other than that, I enjoyed how it all wrapped up and would still recommend it.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

Ah i loved this! Its exactly what i thought it would be. Its cute, romantic, steamy and such a fun read! The main characters are very likable and the story is good. I did get a little bored in the middle hence the 4 stars but still really enjoyed it!

I thought the 2 main characters had good chemistry and it did keep me reading! Overall highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy, flirty small-town romance. Isabella is determined to focus on her dream restaurant and avoid all romantic distractions—but her charming (and very attractive) neighbor Etienne has other plans. Their chemistry jumps off the page, and the slow build between them makes the tension so satisfying. With a lovable cast of side characters, cozy vibes, and just the right amount of steam, this is the kind of book that makes you want to pack up and move to a small town yourself.

The leads were both very likeable characters, and the supporting characters were also well developed. The romantic storyline was well paced, the tension building up nicely, and the spice level was just right. However, the last couple of chapters felt like the relationship between the leads developed a little too fast. Still, good chemistry.

This was such a lovely and fun small town romance. I loved both Isabelle and Chef Etienne. I enjoyed their banter and loved how Isabel finds love after loss. It had such a great cast of characters water’s, fun setting , and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a light fun escapist romance

"All Mine" is a perfectly serviceable romance book. New business owner, Isabella moves to town to open an Italian restaurant after her divorce. Etienne is the neighbouring owner of another restaurant. Firstly, I appreciated that there was no professional rivalry between them. Otherwise, it was one well worn trope after another and it all felt needlessly dramatic without the emotional heft to back it up. I struggle with WhatsApp groups in real life, but it turns out renditions pf them on the page are much worse!
Pippa Nixon's work reminded me of "The Cinnamon Bun Book Store" series, which will definitely appeal to lots of people.

Isabella está decidida a empezar de cero: tras un doloroso divorcio y dejar atrás su antigua vida, invierte todo lo que tiene en abrir un restaurante llamado Tutto Mio en un nuevo pueblo. Sin embargo, lo que no espera es la presencia de Étienne, el encantador dueño del restaurante de enfrente, cuya confianza y encanto empiezan a derribar sus defensas. Aunque ha prometido pasar un año sin hombres, la conexión entre ellos crece con cada encuentro. Entre remodelaciones, amistades nuevas y una tensión romántica imposible de ignorar, Isabella tendrá que decidir si está lista para abrir su corazón otra vez.

--

Si se paso Étienne con lo que le dijo a Isabella para protegerla, fue entendible, pero no quita que se paso.


No me gustó para nada el capítulo del ex. Me pareció innecesario y forzado. Daniel no estaba arrepentido de lo que hizo; solo quería quitarse el peso de la culpa y que Isabella lo perdonara para sentirse mejor. Lo peor fue que Isabella si lo perdonó y hasta llegó a comprender por qué le fue infiel. Odie cómo se manejó esa parte, como si él no fuera del todo responsable. Quitarle responsabilidad de sus actos a la rata bastarda fue totalmente innecesario y frustrante.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

A raunchy, hard to put down story of a life rebuilt following heartbreak.. Isabella moves to a new town following her divorce to set up the Italian restaurant of her dreams . There she meets French restaurant owner, Etienne. Will it be entente cordiale?

I went into this thinking it would be a cute, spicy little detour….a rebound read, if you will.

I didn’t expect it to charm me so quietly. So fully. And yet, here I am, fully swept into the sun-warmed streets and slow-burn ache of this found family + friends-to-lovers + small town goodness.

Let’s talk about Isabella; fierce, focused, and freshly scorned. She isn’t here for love. She’s here to rebuild. To breathe. To do something for herself after London and heartbreak chewed her up. And honestly? I rooted for her with my whole chest.
She’s sharp-edged, soft-hearted, and the kind of female lead that doesn’t need saving—she just needs space to save herself. But then in walks Etienne…

Etienne is a menace, and I say that with love. All charm, confidence, and blue-eyed swagger—he had me rolling my eyes with Isabella at first, but oh, did he win me over. He’s not just some cocky chef across the square. He’s patient, present, and quietly aching too.

And the banter? Delicious.
The chemistry? Simmering.
The emotional payoff? Well earned.

This book had spice, yes, but it also had softness. Loneliness. Rebuilding.
It felt like slipping into a warm kitchen on a cold day, where someone’s just poured you a glass of wine and said, “Stay. You’re safe here.”

The romance unfolded slowly but confidently, with all my favourite tropes (forced proximity! found family! accidental late-night heart-to-hearts!) and the kind of emotional build that actually makes the heat mean something.

I loved the small-town setting—tight-knit, charming, full of food and gossip and how it gave Isabella not just romance, but community. Something about that hit harder than I expected.

If you like your romance warm but spicy, cozy but emotionally satisfying, All Mine is the kind of story you curl up with and find yourself unexpectedly sighing over.

It's not just about falling for the guy next door, it's about trusting that your heart knows how to heal. Even when it’s been shattered. Even when you swore you wouldn’t let anyone back in.

And Etienne? He’s worth the risk.
(Isabella, babe, I would've broken that no-men rule too. Don’t blame you one bit.)