Blue Plate Special by Layla Reyne is now live!
Giving orders in the kitchen is chef Noah Becker’s specialty. He’s made a name for himself dishing up seasonal, farm-to-table comfort food at the local diner. A name that isn’t really his. The last person Ezra Rosin expects to find while he’s on sabbatical in a small town is his son’s best friend. The one he helped disappear thirteen years ago. The one who’s grown into a hauntingly beautiful man. Noah and Ezra grow closer, reconnecting over their shared love of food and wine until their friendship smolders into more. They agree to explore the unexpected dynamic, to enjoy each other while Ezra finishes the semester, but when past and present collide, Noah and Ezra must decide if their chemistry across the table and between the sheets is enough to cook up a delicious future together.
Blue Plate Special is a stand-alone M/M foodie romance novella in the Table for Two universe. It features an age-gap romance between mature characters, family finding their way back to each other, and lots of noshing.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!
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Meet Layla
Layla Reyne is the author of What We May Be and the Perfect Play, Fog City, and Agents Irish and Whiskey series. A Carolina Tar Heel who spent fifteen years in California, Layla enjoys weaving her bicoastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart pounding romance.
Connect with Layla
Website: https://www.laylareyne.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/laylareyne
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B01N8ZS9QF
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Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laylaslushes
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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/layla-reyne
Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/LaylaReyne
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
Blue Plate Special is the second addition to the Table for Two novella series by Layla Reyne. While the book takes place in the same universe as the first novella, the characters paths to actually cross and can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.
Thirteen years ago, Noah Baker escaped from his abusive father with the help of his best friend’s parents. He left, changed his name, and cut off all contact with his past in order to protect them. He worked his way through different kitchens to his current job, moving every few years, but he’s not anticipating the next one. When a blast from his past walks through the dinner’s door it might have to be sooner than he planned. Ezra never expected to see his son’s best friend again. Noah is not the young boy he knew, and the mature man before has fully captured his attention. He wants to know everything about the man he has become and can’t hide his attraction to him. Will Noah be able to look past their complicated history in order to take a chance on what they could be in the future.
“You’re a survivor, Noah. I admire you. I’m the lucky one who got to know you again, who gets to share our dreams and more together.”
I loved both our leading men. Noah broke my heart with his trauma from his abusive father. He is such a kind soul and during and after everything he went through his main concern was keeping those he cared for safe. He was cautious when it came to exploring his feelings for Ezra. It was wonderful to see him trust himself and Ezra both in and out of the bedroom. I loved Ezra’s character as a whole. I appreciated that even from the start we are shown that Ezra is queer and that his reactions towards Noah aren’t coming out of the blue. (Bonus points for the healthy positive relationship with his ex-wife, their situation made me smile. ) I love the way Ezra and Noah were together. Starting out shy and hesitant and when they both give into their feelings it results in banter and quality steam. Ezra is submissive and Noah is new to kink, but he takes the time to explain it and set limits for both of them.
“So if I told you to kiss me right now?”
“You don’t have to order me to kiss you. You just have to ask.”
I can’t decide on my rating for this one because I loved it so much yet I was left wanting more. I wanted more intimate scenes, more domestic scenes, more of them living their happy. It’s one of those situations where I really wish it was a full length novel.
Overall, Blue Plate Special by Layla Reyne is a fantastic novella. An age gap romance with the best friend’s father trope filled with mouthwatering food, truck bed picnics, date nights, trust, light kink, and steam.
—Written by Amanda—
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