Erin La Rosa

"You can count on Erin La Rosa for a rollicking good time!"--Janet Fitch, #1 NYT bestselling author of White Oleander An enemies-to-lovers mash-up of THE HATING GAME and THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF, in which two rival hosts of a massively popular cooking show have to fake a relationship to save their careers after an explosive on-air fallout, only to find their feelings for each other becoming real. Their feelings are about to boil over... Chef Nina Lyon dreams of cooking her way to culinary stardom and becoming a household name. She thought hosting The Next Cooking Champ! was her golden ticket, but she and her co-host/arch-nemesis Leo O'Donnell go together like water and oil and he undercuts her at every turn. So when Nina unexpectedly quits the show--on live TV, no less--to focus on her restaurant, she doesn't anticipate the he-devil himself showing up at her door begging her to come back. Nor does she expect the paparazzi to catch them in what looks like a passionate kiss, but is actually Leo tripping into her. When the fans go crazy over Nina and Leo's "secret romance", keeping the ruse going might be the only way to save both their careers. That is, if they don't kill each other first...

For Butter Or Worse

lexie

nina was right. leo was kind of an asshole but when fictional men starts to fall inlove they change. this is how you separate men from books to reality. fictional men change for their woman, in here they don’t. they’re just assholes. but good book btw !!!

dija

I AM FREEEEEEEE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY WHOLE LIFE 


Buddy read with Sarah
rtc

confusing??? i liked it except that it was so choppy and felt like no plot points were built out? disappointing bc i really looked forward to it 

Ralie Sutton

I want to start by saying I was really looking forward to this one, but I DNFed around the 30% mark.

This was painful. This was not enemies to lovers, it was one mega jerk and one strong willed woman to fake dating to... I didn't get that far.

Leo is one book away from becoming an Andrew Tate wannabe--I will say the representation of anxiety in a man is a welcome sight, but that was his one redeeming quality. Leo was honestly just rude, selfish, and overall not someone I wanted to root for. He makes comments to Nina both on- and off-camera that are incredibly inappropriate and lowkey border on harassment, and then has the audacity to be like "how could this have happened? Why would she leave?" Like... men have one thing--the audacity.

Nina, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Nina is amazing, deserves the world, her own cooking show, and someone better than Leo. 

 shows up to try to get her back on the show (that she just quit because of him) and they end up photographed by paparazzi (at her restaurant, may I add), Nina has to fake date him to save her reputation, because of course her reputation hangs in the balance. Not the guy who's been rude to her for years on-camera (from the fans' perspective). He also didn't apologize for using her "nickname"! I hesitate to call it a nickname because usually the person given the nickname approves of its use. It just boiled my blood. A lot. Rumor has it it's still simmering to this day. The "banter" was not banter. Those were barbs. To make a food analogy, they were kebab skewers. Leo also doesn't want to take accountability, talking about how sure, he said something sexist, but he shouldn't be canceled, right? Right, guys? because he 

 he said something wrong, so he can't be the bad guy! I had a lot of rage over this one. I was hoping for a fun little rivals to lovers (enemies if you squint) but instead I feel like I was being told to root for the "good guy" because he was a "good guy". Massive yikes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Holly

I want to start by saying I was really looking forward to this one, but I DNFed around the 30% mark.

This was painful. This was not enemies to lovers, it was one mega jerk and one strong willed woman to fake dating to... I didn't get that far.

Leo is one book away from becoming an Andrew Tate wannabe--I will say the representation of anxiety in a man is a welcome sight, but that was his one redeeming quality. Leo was honestly just rude, selfish, and overall not someone I wanted to root for. He makes comments to Nina both on- and off-camera that are incredibly inappropriate and lowkey border on harassment, and then has the audacity to be like "how could this have happened? Why would she leave?" Like... men have one thing--the audacity.

 

Nina, sweetie, I'm so sorry. Nina is amazing, deserves the world, her own cooking show, and someone better than Leo. 

When he shows up to try to get her back on the show (that she just quit because of him) and they end up photographed by paparazzi (at her restaurant, may I add), Nina has to fake date him to save her reputation, because of course her reputation hangs in the balance. Not the guy who's been rude to her for years on-camera (from the fans' perspective). He also didn't apologize for using her "nickname"! I hesitate to call it a nickname because usually the person given the nickname approves of its use. It just boiled my blood. A lot. Rumor has it it's still simmering to this day. The "banter" was not banter. Those were barbs. To make a food analogy, they were kebab skewers. Leo also doesn't want to take accountability, talking about how sure, he said something sexist, but he shouldn't be canceled, right? Right, guys? because he knows he said something wrong, so he can't be the bad guy! I had a lot of rage over this one. I was hoping for a fun little rivals to lovers (enemies if you squint) but instead I feel like I was being told to root for the "good guy" because he was a "good guy". Massive yikes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Abigail Joyann

5 Stars
ARC Provided by Harlequin Trade Publishing (HQN) and NG.

Cinnamon and Espresso—a mouthwatering combination, and the best way to describe the dynamic and addictive relationship that is Nina Lyon & Leo O'Donnell. Workplace enemies turned lovers through fake dating in a world surrounded by food, For Butter or Worse is an unputdownable novel.

 

Oh my, do I love these two. They made me laugh, blush, squirm in delightful moments, and recoil in the difficult.

Nina is a self-built chef, and co-host of a foodie competition & reality TV series, "The Next Cooking Champ"! Leo claimed his co-hosting spot through the running of his inherited family-owned chain of Italian restaurants. Having worked on the show together for three years, they never let up on the digs at each other. Nina having despised Leo's comedic relief next to her hard critiques, and Leo always feeling the need to one-up Nina to ensure he rightfully deserved his co-hosting spot beside her. Their clashing on-air personalities caused turmoil between these two as well as the fans tuning in to watch the show. Sexism and mental health play a huge part in the downfall and ultimate end of their roles as co-hosts. With both their once-thriving businesses now in trouble and reputations on the line—they attempt to put trust in each other through a fake dating scheme in the hopes it will help one another's livelihoods, but find that maybe their sworn enemy wasn't so bad after all.

"This enemies-to-lovers romance is full of wicked banter, a delightful slow burn and a cinnamon roll hero who will melt your heart.”—Helena Hunting, New York Times bestselling author They go together like water and oil… All chef Nina Lyon wants is to make a name for herself in the culinary world and inspire young women everywhere to do the same. For too long, she’s been held back and underestimated by the male-dominated sphere of professional kitchens, and she's had enough. Now, as co-host of the competitive reality TV series The Next Cooking Champ!, she finally has a real shot at being top tier in the foodie scene. Too bad her co-host happens to be Hollywood’s smarmiest jerk. Restaurateur Leo O’Donnell never means to get under Nina’s skin. It just seems to happen, especially when the cameras are rolling. It's part of the anxiety and stress he has come to know all too well in this line of work. So nothing prepares him for the fallout after he takes one joke a smidge too far and Nina up and quits—on live TV. To make matters worse, the two are caught in what looks like a compromising situation by the paparazzi…and fans of the show go absolutely nuts. Turns out, a “secret romance” between Nina and Leo may just be what their careers need most. Now all they have to do is play along, without killing each other...and without catching feelings. Easy as artisanal shepherd's pie. Right?

A Novel

For Butter or Worse

sydney

This book was good but for me I feel as though it was missing something. I think part of the problem was I genuinely didn't like like Leo for the first part of the book. He obviously got better and I did end up liking him. The romance between Nina and Leo was cute and I really liked the use of the miscommunication trope. I loved that there was a three month break at the end that really let them grow as people before getting back together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Abby Frey

Most contemporary romance books marked as an enemies to lovers book (regardless if that trope really fits or not) are usually either quite misogynistic in nature or the reason for “hatred” is really stupid. But this book… was like a breath of fresh air from that. While there is still that misogyny aspect it is actually touched on and not swept under the rug. This book touches on sexism in the cooking industry and the vilification of women in media. While the MMC does participate he becomes self aware about it and actually apologizes. While I think he could have groveled a bit more (and honestly she could have groveled a bit too) he, for the most part, made up for being a total jackass.

This book has fake dating, food, duel pov, and some really lovable characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

For Butter Or Worse

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