3.25/3.5 really
I'm quite normally a fan of Chelsea Curto books, and everyone should know at this point that I love a single parent romance more than anything in the world, but this one just didn't do it for me in the way that I thought it would.
After Madeline is let go of her job as head chef at a Michelin star restaurant, she finds her self desperate for not only a new career but a new star. Enter Hudson, the good guy of the DC stars, who's looking for a private chef who actually wants to cook for him and not just get in his pants. Madeline, fits the role perfect and Hudson will do anything to have her be his chef, including moving her and her daughter into his home.
Now listen, the romance aspect of this book was REALLY REALLY good. I loved seeing the trust and friendship between Madeline and Hudson grow before they jumped into a relationship. I loved the found family, the way that Hudson was ready to do anything and everything for Madeline's daughter Lucy. But what fell flat for me was Lucy. Not the character herself, because she was adorable and I loved her, but more of the community that she was representing. Lucy was born deaf to two hearing parents and Madeline does everything she can to ensure that Lucy lives the life she deserves. I think the issue here is that I didn't really buy the representation. I feel like the aspects of the deaf community were just thrown in vs being explored. While its not an author's job to educate their readers, especially when the author is not involved with the community its self, I do think if youre going to include representation, it should be more....just more?
This is not in any way to make Chelsea out as a bad guy in this, but I just wanted a little more.
Overall, this was a really good book - I think it'll be enjoyable for a lot of readers. It just wasn't fully for me.
Thank you so much to Love Notes PR and Chelsea Curto for an earc in exchange for an honest review.