Dine with Me

By: Layla Reyne

Narrated by: Cooper North

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Life never tasted so good.

Miller Sykes’s meteoric rise to award-winning chef is the stuff of culinary dreams, but it’s all crashing down around him. He’s been given a diagnosis that could cost him something even more precious than his life: his sense of taste. Rather than risk the very thing that defines him, Miller embarks on a last tour of his favorite meals while he still can.

But there’s a catch: he needs a financial backer to make it happen, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s sick.

Dr. Clancy Rhodes has two weeks to come to terms with putting aside oncology to work at his father’s thriving plastic surgery practice. When the opportunity to travel with a Michelin-starred chef presents itself, the foodie in him can’t believe it. It doesn’t hurt that Miller’s rugged good looks are exactly Clancy’s cup of joe.

As Clancy and Miller travel from coast to coast and indulge in everything from dive bars to the most decadent of culinary experiences, they’re suddenly sharing a lot more than delicious meals. Sparks fly as they bond over their love of flavors and the pressures of great expectations. But when Miller’s health takes a turn for the worse, Clancy must convince him he’s more - so much more - than just his taste buds. And that together, they can win a battle that once seemed hopeless.

©2019 Layla Reyne (P)2019 Harlequin Audio

i have no idea why I bought this book.

but damn am I glad I did. wonderful narration. good pacing and characters you could care about.

Brings the book to life so we’ll!

I LOVED this book...my fav read of 2019. I was worried the audio wouldn’t live up to those expectations. No worries there!! It’s so well done and all the emotions pouring out. Of course that is a little problematic when I end up with tear filled eyes while driving or working out but so worth it!!

You definitely want to get a taste of this book!

I love everything about this book! Clancy and Miller, the food, the tour, the love and the family you get to know from beginning to end. I read this book when it first came out and fell hard for it then. I always wonder when I get the audio is it going to feel the same? Will the characters stay true to how you originally heard them in your head? Have no worries here! Cooper is an amazing job with not only Clancy and Miller but everyone! My heart has soared throughout listening to this over bad over again. I got tears in my eyes at the end all over again!

My favorite book by Ms. Reyne.

I've read or listened to a few of the author's other books, but this one really shined in my opinion. Touching and beautifully written, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a poignant slow burn romance coupled by amazing descriptions of food for foodies as well as the various localities around the country. The pace was great as were the twists and turns in the plot. I fell in love with Miller and Clancy and kept rooting for them to make it work, and that's what I look for in every romance I listen to or read. They were so perfect for each other and came alive with the wonderful narration by Cooper North. I really had trouble pulling out my earbuds every night.

I am looking forward to what Ms. Reyne comes up with next.

Sweet and heartfelt

While I personally find the idea of someone choosing to die because they don't know who they'll be without a certain ability foolish (to put it mildly), I think the subject matter was handled well.

I really felt for all characters involved, and teared up several times.

A sweet love story with heavy themes and lots of hope, love and perseverance.

enjoyed it - delightfully entertained

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

📖 Story comment: Easy pace, likeable characters, nice flow.
I went into this with no expectations other than reading the publishers summary and I was pleasantly surprised. I was delightfully entertained and thoroughly enjoyed Dine with Me. There's a little drama and a slow build relationship (even though the story is primarily set over two weeks) - the story is about the "journey" to the destination. ... and the food ... so much food ...

---- ⚠️ WARNING: my following comments are spoiler-ish ⚠️ ----
Few romances deal with a pending (cancer) death sentence of one of the main characters, and I must admit, I'd become so invested in Miller's story that there was a point when I listened to the first few minutes of the last chapter to make sure I was going to get the ending I wanted - but I should not have been concerned - Clancy is just what the doctor ordered and the hope for a future Miller needs to fight for.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoyed Cooper North's narration he has an easy laid-back style of narration that suited the feel and pace of the story. It was easy to distinguish the characters from each other, he has good timing, inflections and intonations and bought the story and all it's accompanying emotions to life.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 8
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in multiple formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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I want to try all the foods described!

I really enjoyed it. I have enjoyed Layla Reyne's romantic suspense books and I knew I would love this one. Miller is an award wining chef and we start the story with him closing his restaurant both because it’s not doing well and because he is sick, very sick. Clancy is getting ready to join his fathers plastic surgery practice and his parents decide that he needs a vacation so his mom answers an add for someone to join Miller and a trip to enjoy some great food. What Clancy doesn’t know is that Miller is reliving his favorite places one more time. I enjoyed all the descriptions of the food they were eating and would have loved to have been there so I could have eaten them. We come to find out during the course of the story, that Clancy is not really happy with joining his fathers practice. We also find out that Miller has decided not to fight as he doesn’t think that he could live with losing his sense of taste. Because if he didn’t have that, he could never continue on as a chef. I really enjoyed watching these two fall in love and Miller helping Clancy come to terms with what he really wanted to do with his life, and Clancy helping Miller fight for them to have a future together. The epilogue was perfect and after all the sad tears, came the happy ones.

Chef’s kiss 💋

Layla’s name caught my eye with this story, and Ia nappy it did. The storyline was perfect, the characters enticing, and a leisurely, flowing pace. The impending treatment, or lack thereof, captured my attention, with tears gushing until the end.

So, the narration is typically my pet peeve because nothing is worse than a monotone voice lacking personality or emotions. Cooper North exceeded my expectations, capturing both characters' personalities and bringing them to life excitedly and skillfully!