SIMMER DOWN
by Sarah Smith
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: October 13, 2020
Reviewed by Hellie
In this finger-licking good rom-com, two is the
perfect number of cooks in the kitchen.
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?
Hellie’s Heeds
This rom-com ticks the boxes for a delicious
read: a hot grumpy British hero, yummy descriptions of food you probably take
out more than you care to admit, and a heroine who is relatable with her work
ethic perfectionism and obsession with protecting the parent she has left.
Also, it takes place in Maui--and I don’t know what it’s like where you
are--but I’m already looking at pictures of the beach longingly as the air
turns colder and sleetier outside. (Okay, part of this might also still be due
to being locked in for COVID, but again, it’s a great escape!)
As always, I’m enjoying more books that welcome
more diversity--and I’m not talking about the imported Brit hero. I’m ready to
find my Filipino friends to hook up with authentic lumpia recipes and pancit
leftovers. If there is anything I love more than a British hero, it’s a book
that has food as a key element throughout. Perhaps if I had one wish, it would
have been a couple recipes in the back so we could try our own hand at
them--though the heroine is clear: there are as many varieties of lumpia as
there are Filipino grandmothers. Good luck determining who has the correct
version of the recipe!
The heroine, Nikki, did wear on me a bit at the
beginning of the book with her overt perfectionism and angsty personality.
Still, it wasn’t hard to see why she was this way, only that I felt a little
sorry for Callum as he tried to win her over. He himself was a bit standoffish
in the beginning--but once they declare a truce, he easily wins the reader
over. Both the hero and the heroine are very hard-core family-first responsible
adults, both admirable and easy to empathize with. The first Black Moment
seemed a bit off (or maybe a bit forced) but there were follow up black moments
that continued to make the reader wonder if these two would finally get it
together enough to admit their flaws, profess their love, and live happily ever
after.
If you need a sweet escape with a hot Brit,
yummy food, and gorgeous beaches, this is a good pick. Enjoy!
