ARC Review: ‘Sinfully Shameless Chef’ by Gwyn McNamee
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Sinfully Shameless Chef
by Gwyn McNameeSeries: The Fury Family #3
Published by Self-Published on September 28, 2023
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: eArc
Source: the author
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Only one word can describe Chef Jameson Fury...SHAMELESS .He parades around with that sexy smirk and those fabulous abs like he’s the king of the kitchen.Of all the places he could choose to open his new restaurant, why does it have to be right next door to mine?It’s hard enough trying to get my place up and running without having him hovering around and disrupting my business.Not to mention the way my body betrays me every time he’s close.I should despise him.But with every prank, every act of sabotage we take against each other...The tension growing between us inches closer to personal and away from professional.Things are heating up, and not just in our kitchens...All because of this shameless chef.
Sinfully Shameless Chef is the third book in The Fury Family Series from USA Today Bestselling Author Gwyn McNamee. Grab this steamy enemies to lovers romance about two chefs competing to open restaurants next door to each other who are willing to do anything to win the race but aren't prepared for what the heat in their kitchens does to their hearts.
Sinfully Shameless Chef is the last book in the Fury Family series by Gwyn McNamee. In this book, readers will finally be introduced to Jameson Fury, who is the youngest in the Fury Family. He’s been the mysterious one since I started reading this series, and I was excited to meet him finally.
Jameson Fury never wanted to follow in his father’s and brother’s footsteps when it came to playing professional hockey. He wanted to become a Chef and own a restaurant one day. He’s about to have that dream come true, especially after winning on the show Prime Chef and having a friend/business partner who will invest in the new restaurant he wants to open in New York. The only problem is the space next to him is also opening a restaurant. Jameson has to decide either to play nice with the other person or sabotage that person’s chances of ever opening. Jameson is going to meet his match because Izzy will not go down without a fight, especially since she has a lot more to lose when it comes to her restaurant.
Here are two characters who are determined to beat each other in opening their restaurants, even though they have different styles of cooking and the way their restaurants look. They’ll go about sabotaging or even pranking each other, which sometimes can be funny, but other times, it can be downright mean. My favorite scene had to be when Jameson realizes on live television that his menus have been messed with that he had printed. Now millions of people will think his menu has those ridiculous names on it, thanks to a certain woman that he can’t stop thinking about.
The best part in the book is when the Enemies become Lovers (or, in this case, Rivals to Lovers), and finally give in to that tension between another, and it becomes steamy in the kitchen. It’s so steamy that they put themselves at risk for health code violations. They are both chefs; why wouldn’t they hook up in the kitchen? =)
There were some issues I had with the book, but it’s mainly on the characters themselves and a bit of repetition. The constant reminder that one of them had everything to lose over the other was repetitive, and both had a lot to lose in the long run if they didn’t get their restaurants open. I loved that Izzy didn’t back down when it came to Jameson. After all, he needed to be knocked down a peg or two because he was too cocky at times. His attitude at the beginning of the book made me not like him at first until he redeemed himself after about halfway through the book, especially when he handled his friend/business partner/investor, Grant, who I didn’t like in this book. Then, there was Izzy. I adored her and hated that Jameson was giving her such a hard time and wanted her to succeed, especially since she was honoring her grandmother with the restaurant she was opening. But I was disappointed towards the end of the book and how she handled two situations, one when it came to her and the other with Jameson. I had a feeling the whole time reading her POV that something more serious was happening with her, but I couldn’t pinpoint it until it was revealed. I felt for her, though, but I wished she would have handled it better, especially since what she was dealing with was serious.
I loved that Gwyn McNamee had the other Fury family members appear in this book and how they called out Jameson when it came to Izzy. She also finally revealed why Jameson was not like his brother and sister when it came to their father. I loved that these books were interconnected, and in the end, every one of the Fury family members got their happily ever. Overall, it is a very enjoyable series, and I can’t wait to read more from Gwyn McNamee, especially since I’m new to her books. I’ve already added some of her other books to my TBR and am more than determined to read them.
Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Steam/Spice Rating: 🌶🌶
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Fury Family series, but each can be read as a standalone. (Although, if you are like me and rather read in order, start with Bash Fury’s book first – Dirty Pucking Player.)
Would I recommend this book? Yes. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a Rivals to Lovers storyline that has a lot of sabotaging, pranking, and tension between the two MCs.
Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Contemporary Romance
Trope(s)/Element(s): Rivals to Lovers | Enemies to Lovers | Business Rivals – Both MMCs are opening Restaurants right next door to each other | Sabotaging/Pranking | Business Owners MMCs | Celebrity Chef MMC | Angst
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About Gwyn McNamee
USA Today Best Selling author Gwyn McNamee is an attorney, wife, and mother. Originally from the Midwest, Gwyn relocated to her husband’s home town of Las Vegas in 2015 and is enjoying her respite from the cold and snow. Gwyn has been writing down her crazy stories and ideas for years and finally decided to share them with the world. She loves to write stories with a bit of suspense and action mingled with romance and heat.
When she isn’t either writing or voraciously devouring any books she can get her hands on, Gwyn is busy adding to her tattoo collection, golfing, and stirring up trouble with her perfect mix of sweetness and sarcasm (usually while wearing heels).
Gwyn’s debut novel, Savage Collision, the first book in The Hawke Family Series, was a 2017 Romance Writers of America Passionate Plumes Contest Finalist for excellence in contemporary steamy romance.
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)
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