REVIEW
Kissing the Chef by S.M. West
6IX Loves #1
~ All the feels, made me think, and care, and feel that I was there ~ this is one I would buy and reread if it were possible to do so where I live ~ It also made me consider the age-gap genre from an “older woman’s” viewpoint ~
What I liked:
* Olivia: divorced, mother, establishing new business, “finding herself”, wise, wary, caring, kind, driven, health and self and family oriented, good friend, accepting, scared, someone I can relate to
* Samson “Sam” Beaulieu: Chef, BIG BACKSTORY that left me pondering once I learned what it was, younger by 12 years to Olivia, chemistry in abundance with Olivia when he met her, a wonderful and engaging book boyfriend who-most of the time-is wise beyond his years
* Bas & Alec: Sam’s parental surrogates that provide a huge anchor to his backstor and a romance of their own I would love to read, their impact on Samson’s life in the past and present, their love for one another, and the anchor/pivotal point to Sam’s life
* The supporting characters that each brought something to the story ~ some + and some – I thought about listing them but…too many to list and detail in a short review
* That it stretched MY boundaries when thinking about why it was okay for me to marry someone almost 14 years older but thought that Olivia considering a man 12 years younger was…iffy
* You know what? This book was superb, it made me think, and care, and query my preconceived notions, and left me with a smile on my face as I considered more than one character in this book that I would love to meet again in a future book in this series
* Thinking about the discussion of this book that I had with friends this afternoon playing cards and sharing it with them…one woman is 20 years younger than her husband…we discussed the age difference and it was interesting.
What I didn’t like:
* Thinking about the emotional pain felt by some in this book
* The manipulative investors
* Having to leave this book without having closure for the future of many of the characters BUT hopeful that the future books in the series will give that to me…eventually.
Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
BLURB
Happily ever after? Been there, done that, burned the wedding dress. Happily divorced, I’m now the boss of my own design firm, and my bed is strictly a party-for-one situation. Until Sam Beaulieu—celebrity chef, five stars in an apron, and way too young for me—asks me to dinner. There’s only one right answer. No. But resisting him is about as easy as swearing off dessert. So I give in. To his charm. His sinful mouth. His maddening ability to make me feel. But this can only ever be a fling. Because there’s no doubt this younger, irresistible man will break my heart. And when he does, it won’t just end us–it’ll undo me. A delectable reverse age-gap romance from USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author S.M. West.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2026