A sizzling-hot romance, Simmer Down by Sarah Smith is a delightful rom-com featuring two competing food truck chefs, some drool-worthy food descriptions, and a heartfelt story about family, love, and friendship.
Nikki DiMarco knew life wouldn’t be all sunshine and coconuts when she quit her dream job to help her mom serve up mouthwatering Filipino dishes to hungry beach goers, but she didn’t expect the Maui food truck scene to be so eat-or-be-eaten—or the competition to be so smoking hot.
But Tiva’s Filipina Kusina has faced bigger road bumps than the arrival of Callum James. Nikki doesn’t care how delectable the British food truck owner is—he rudely set up shop next to her coveted beach parking spot. He’s stealing her customers and fanning the flames of a public feud that makes her see sparks.
The solution? Let the upcoming Maui Food Festival decide their fate. Winner keeps the spot. Loser pounds sand. But the longer their rivalry simmers, the more Nikki starts to see a different side of Callum…a sweet, protective side. Is she brave enough to call a truce? Or will trusting Callum with her heart mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire?
I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah’s debut romance Faker when it came out last year, but Simmer Down truly blew me away. I was immediately sucked into Nikki’s story: her personality is so charming, and she’s already been through a lot when the book opens. Her meeting with Callum seems to start off so sweet, and then it goes SO wrong, SO fast. Much like Nikki, I was left wondering what his deal was — and was dying to figure out the reasons behind his frosty attitude.
The clash between Nikki and Callum is entertaining and fun — but seeing them start to warm up to each other was really magical. Smith uses all the most wonderful tropes and twists them around in a truly wonderful way; even knowing this story would have a happy ending (that’s the magic of reading romance), I was left wondering how they’d get there.
Part of what made Simmer Down so wonderful is the story beyond their romance: everything Nikki has gone through, her relationship with her mom, the life and friends she left behind, even the relationship between Callum and his brother (and their parents). There’s a whole world packed inside these pages, and I loved exploring all aspects of it.
Look for this smart, tasty (seriously, you will be SO hungry) romance in stores today!
Novel Novice 
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