I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because Andie J. Christopher is an author I follow on Twitter, but I haven’t read one of her books yet. There is a lot to enjoy about this book. Christopher writes well and I enjoyed most of the book. The issue I had with All Hours is a personal bette noir and one with which a lot of people wouldn’t have a problem.
Felix Pascual is struggling to get over the end of a relationship that wasn’t much of a relationship. Joaquin Delgado has been so focused on his restaurant and maintaining his Michelin star that he has had no time for relationships. Though they are not related, they share a common extended family through the marriage of Felix’s sister and Joaquin’s cousin. They know each other, but not well. Felix is also a chef, but he owns a small catering company and has no formal training. Joaquin looks down on Felix a bit.
For reasons, and because of Joaquin’s grandmother, Felix takes over Joaquin’s kitchen when Joaquin suffers an injury that keeps him out of the kitchen. Their attraction flares and first they decide to have a fling, and then they grow into something more. The development of their relationship and the way that they fit together when they expect to clash is lovely.
Towards the end of the book, Felix does something that I hate. There is an external threat to the relationship and Felix, after thinking about it, decides to lie to Joaquin and break up with him to protect him from the external threat. He actually considers being honest and then rejects that option. I passionately hate this trope. I struggled to finish the book once Felix decides to lie to Joaquin for his own good. This may not be a trope that bothers you. If not, you may enjoy the drama that comes with it. It’s not a bad book, I just don’t like this particular trope.
This book didn’t work for me, but I like the author’s writing and I’ll pick up another of her books at some point.