You can’t make a latke without breaking a few eggs…

Batya Averman is ecstatic when a latke fry-off committee chooses her as its web designer—until she learns the event is in Rivertown, New York, the hometown she fled years ago. But she’s no longer the girl with an embarrassing history and an unrequited crush on Abe Neumann. This delicious competition is Batya’s chance to further her career, and this time she won’t run.

Abe Neumann can’t pass up the opportunity to enter the town’s latke contest. He dreams of throwing caution to the wind and leaving his accounting firm, opening a Jewish deli, and choosing his own happiness. The prize money would bring him closer to making his dream a reality, but when Batya comes back to town, Abe remembers that a deli isn’t the only thing he’s wished for.

When the fry-off’s celebrity host has to pull out of the competition, Batya is determined to step up to the challenge. This Hanukkah, can Abe fix the past and convince Batya that dreams, like latkes, are better when they’re shared?

Titles in the Friendships and Festivals series include — Miracles and Menorahs – The History of Us – Love and Latkes –

Title:  Love and Latkes
Series:  Friendships and Festivals #3
Author:  Stacey Agdern
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  October 12, 2021
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4 stars

I’ve enjoyed the Friendships and Festivals series, the blending of food, romance, history, traditions, and the uniqueness of small towns always combine for a delightful reading experience for me.  In Love and Latkes we meet Batya and Abe who might have had a slight misunderstanding during their high school years but the attraction between them is just as strong as ever… should they decide to risk acting upon it.

Each has a very strong reason for wanting to win or succeed in this competition, and each will learn a few lessons about friendship, relationships, and possibilities along the way.  I easily got caught up in Love and Latkes for the growing romance, of course, but the food descriptions… oh my goodness, I definitely wanted to try some, if not all of those dishes!  The journey from friendship to everlasting love wasn’t always smooth for Abe and Batya, but it was interesting.  I always enjoy a good romance, and this one was, but I also love learning about new things as well, and there was a wealth of information within this story.

I had fun here and that’s the entire point of getting lost in a romance.  I don’t feel you must read the earlier books to enjoy Love and Latkes, but I’d certainly recommend them as good, enjoyable, and believable stories as well.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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