She serves brand perfection. He plates authenticity. Together, they might just cook up something real.

When London luxury consultant Melody Laurent arrives in the coastal town of Havenbrook to create a headline-worthy winter dining experience, she needs the one chef who refuses to play the game: Kayan Hale. He's traded Michelin stars for a sustainable kitchen that answers to no one—especially not metrics-obsessed city types who think "authenticity" is a marketing strategy. But when the hotel threatens to import everything his community stands against, these enemies must collaborate on twelve progressive courses that will either save the local suppliers or sacrifice them to the content machine. As winter storms force them closer and their late-night menu tastings turn intimate, Melody and Kayan discover that the perfect recipe might require breaking all their carefully plated rules—and that sometimes the best things can't be colour-coded, spreadsheet-ed, or controlled.

Why readers will devour this contemporary romance:

• Enemies-to-lovers perfection: Watch them fight over fish markets and fall over sourdough starters in this delicious battle of brand versus authenticity

• Forced proximity with sizzling tension: Contract-bound collaboration leads to late-night kitchen sessions, storm-stranded recipe testing, and one unforgettable nighttime beach walk

• Competence freak meets small-town charm: He makes foraging look like art; she turns chaos into campaigns—together they're unstoppable

• Cosy coastal Christmas vibes: Twinkling harbour lights, winter markets, and seaside storms create the perfect festive backdrop for falling in love

• Stakes that matter: Real consequences for real people, this isn't just about the happy ending, it's about community, creativity, and choosing courage over comfort

Perfect for fans of: Beach Read by Emily Henry, The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, and The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, but with British coastal charm, chef romance heat, and workplace romance banter that will have you booking tickets to a seaside town immediately.

Fall in love with the enemies who'll revolutionise luxury, save a community, and discover that the secret ingredient was each other all along. Twelve Tastes of Winter, your next unputdownable rom-com obsession.

Contemporary romance • Enemies to lovers • Small town romance • British rom-com • Chef romance