One of Amazon's Best Romances of December  A December LibraryReads Pick Sometimes two cooks in the kitchen are better than one in this swoony romantic comedy from the author of I’m So (Not) Over You. Xavier Reynolds is doing less than stellar. He just got dumped, was passed over for a prestigious fellowship, and to top it all off he's right back home in Harper's Cove, Maine (population: 9,000). The last thing he wants to do is to work as a prep chef in the kitchen of the hip new restaurant in town, The Wharf. Especially since the hot, single-father chef who owns it can’t delegate to save his life.   Logan O’Hare doesn’t understand Xavier or why every word out of his mouth is dipped in sarcasm. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to hire him—he needs more help in the kitchen and his tween daughter, Anne, can only mince so many onions. It might be a recipe for disaster, but Logan doesn’t have many options besides Xavier.   Stuck between a stove and a hot place, Logan and Xavier discover an unexpected connection. But when the heat between them threatens to top the Scoville scale, they’ll have to decide if they can make their relationship work or if life has seasoned them too differently. “A Dash of Salt and Pepper serves up a fresh update on the small-town romance with a heaping side of swoon. Hilarious, nuanced and with dazzling voice, Kosoko Jackson’s writing leaves us eager for extra helpings.” —Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft “Kosoko Jackson cooks up a saucy, sweet, sexy small town romance that made me laugh and swoon in equal measure. Not to be missed.”— Gwenda Bond, New York Times bestselling author of Not Your Average Hot Guy " A Dash of Salt and Pepper is laugh-out-loud hilarious, bursting with charm and heavy on swoons. Kosoko Jackson vividly captures the quirks of a small coastal town as Xavier and Logan cook their way to the sweetest of happily ever afters. Well-stocked with lovable side characters, I smiled at every single page." —Bridget Morrissey, author of A Thousand Miles "Sizzling, hilarious, and oh-so-satisfying! A Dash of Salt and Pepper has all the best romance ingredients: a charming small-town setting, a savvy and relatable hero on the precipice of change, and a sexy, gruff love interest who’s good with his hands (and not just in the kitchen). Kosoko Jackson writes delectable rom-coms you can’t help but savor." —Timothy Janovsky, author of Never Been Kissed "A wonderful small-town romance with a vibrant voice. You'll love spending time with Xavier and Logan in Harper's Cove." —Jackie Lau, author of Donut Fall in Love "Jackson’s sexy grumpy/sunshine romantic comedy will grab readers from the first page. Highly recommended for all collections."— Library Journal "Sparks fly in and out of the kitchen in this age-gap contemporary romance."— Kirkus Reviews Kosoko Jackson is a digital-media specialist, who lives in the New York Metro Area and spends too much time listening to Halsey and Taylor Swift. Chapter One You up? In most circles, that text would read like a very ineloquently crafted booty call, one that absolutely should not warrant a response. Or, as Miranda Priestly-a fictional god among men-would call it, Boring, dull, and derivative. If a boy texts you at 4:00 a.m., don't answer it, I would always tell my girlfriends in college. If he can't text you in the daytime, why should you answer him when the lights go out? I have firsthand accounts that my guidance has helped many girls in my resident hall-Clark Street pride, baby-avoid some embarrassing situations. I would even give the same advice to the (few) straight male friends I had. Don't you dare go texting a girl at 4:00 a.m. and ask her to come over. If you care about her, you'll message her when the sun is high. Ask her out. Wine her. Dine her. And THEN, and only if she consents, you can finger blast her in the back of a movie theater. #Romance. Because remember: When we let boys succeed by performing the bare minimum, we'll never see them blossom into the men we know they can become. No, it's not our responsibility to help boys achieve their full potential, but if we don't do it, who will? It's a hard job, but someone has to do it. Someone, obviously, in this situation, being me, a gay, and my fellow female partners in crime. But, going back to the topic at hand, this isn't a booty call text I'm sending, for three key and very important reasons. ONE: The message was sent to my friend Mya, and I do not hook up with friends. Point-blank. I don't have many rules I've set for myself that I've followed-which is probably a mark of my flightiness or inability to stay focused on any goal that doesn't have strict consequences if I fail, which is a topic for my therapist, when I get a therapist again-but that is a hard-and-fast one. FBI-friends, bosses, idols-the trifecta of people you should never EVER have sex with. Someone always gets hu