Food writer and former chef Jo Kinney has just one rule when it comes to relationships: business must not be mixed with the personal. The first–and last–time she did, her career blew up like a bad soufflé. So when she’s lured to Montreal to cover the comeback of Chef Ian Michel, it’s not so much an escape as it is a “strategic retreat”. Just one problem: Jo was the one who wrote the review that proved so fatal to Ian’s career. Jo is nothing like Ian imagined. Instead of criticism, she offers redemption. She turns out to be competent and challenging—not to mention downright attractive. Then he learns she was once a chef herself, and he wonders what stopped her own career short. But Jo won’t let him get close enough to find out. He even begins to wonder if her review hadn’t been a little on the mark after all. But can he launch his restaurant without Jo Kinney proving too much of a distraction? And does she truly want to help him…or is she setting him up for another fall?