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WORK TITLE: Under the Knife
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WEBSITE: https://laurinkellyblog.wordpress.com/
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Love and Lust rec: ‘Under the Knife’ by Laurin Kelly
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Married.
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Writer.
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SIDELIGHTS
Author Laurin Kelly began writing fan fiction and then became a published novelist of male/male (or m/m) romance stories. Her first novel, Under the Knife, was a runner-up for both Best Gay Contemporary Romance and Best Gay Book in the 2016 Rainbow Awards. The book is set in the cutthroat world of reality television cooking shows. The program, Under the Knife, has attracted Nate, a young man who has worked his way up through the culinary world. He is thrilled to be one of the twelve competitors in season three of the cooking show, especially since the prize is a quarter of a million dollars.
Nate’s major competition is the moody yet handsome restaurant owner Zachary, who has incredible cooking skills to match his incredible ego. Despite passionate trysts where the prying television cameras cannot see them, Nate and Zachary are in a love-hate relationship where the cooking competition is concerned. The two men also have to deal with the show’s voting-out process, bickering among the other contestants, and flaring tempers. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly said that despite some uneven writing and stilted characterization, there is “real charm in the loving and detailed descriptions of both the romance and the food.”
Writing on the Novel Approach Web site, a reviewer observed: “There are way more explicit descriptions about the food than there are sex scenes, especially since these two guys don’t get together until roughly the seventy percent mark, but if you cook, you know it’s the mixing, the stirring, the dance in the kitchen that is the most fun.” The reviewer added, nevertheless, “Kelly does a great job using the show as a backdrop for the romance between Nate and Zach.”
Becky Condit commented on the Happy Ever After Web site: “The characters and relationships are developed page by page over the 300-plus pages, so you have time to get to know them and watch them grow, which is such a treat. For those who complain about instalove, you will really enjoy this one.” The book is “an enjoyable read” despite some of the side characters taking attention away from the romance between Nate and Zachary, according to a contributor on the Just Love Web site. The contributor added: “The more people get kicked off the show, the better [the story] got. I enjoyed how the competition was still very important to both Nate and Zachary.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, June 6, 2016, review of Under the Knife, p. 68.
ONLINE
Happy Ever After, http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/ (July 22, 2016), Becky Condit, review of Under the Knife.
Just Love, https://justlovereviews.com/ (July 20, 2016), review of Under the Knife.
Laurin Kelly Home Page, https://laurinkellyblog.wordpress.com (April 5, 2017), author profile.
Novel Approach, http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/ (October 28, 2016), review of Under the Knife.
This is the official blog of Laurin Kelly, author of m/m romance. This will be the central location for reviews, updates, giveaways, Q&A and whatever else seems like a good idea.
My first original novel, Under the Knife was released by Less Than Three Press on July 20th, 2016. In December 2016, UTK was was voted #2 Best Gay Debut Book and was also a Runner Up for both Best Gay Contemporary Romance and Best Gay Book in the 2016 Rainbow Awards!
Under the Knife can be ordered from Less Than Three’s Book Marketplace or on Amazon!
Author: Laurin Kelly
Lauren Kelly is a 40+ wife and mother, who has a passion for writing, food, dancing and her family (in no particular order). After writing fanfiction for a few years, she embarked on writing her first original novel, Under The Knife in 2013. To her unimaginable delight, her first publisher submission to Less Than Three Press was met with an offer of publication, and she has never looked back.
Under the Knife
Publishers Weekly.
263.23 (June 6, 2016): p68.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Under the Knife
Laurin Kelly. Less Than Three, $6.99 e-book (335p) ISBN 978-1-62004-784-2
Kelly's delectable debut explores romance in present-day L.A. under the blazing lights of reality television. Nate has spent years working his way
up through the ranks of the culinary world, and now he has the chance to build a secure future thanks to a spot in a nationally broadcast cooking
contest. One of the other chefs, Zachary, is both competition and temptation--a handsome young restaurant owner with big plans, an impressive
culinary pedigree, and an even larger ego. As the weeks tick down to the finale, the two men grow closer both in the kitchen and in the hidden
nooks where the camera can't find them. The story is a touch uneven in places, with long time gaps and slightly stilted characterization, but there's
real charm in the loving and detailed descriptions of both the romance and the food. Kelly takes a refreshingly matter-of-fact approach to the
widely diverse supporting characters, who are well developed as individuals without ever stealing the spotlight. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Under the Knife." Publishers Weekly, 6 June 2016, p. 68. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA454731000&it=r&asid=74f572823dc402e9688aa04743943790. Accessed 5 Mar.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A454731000
Love and Lust rec: ‘Under the Knife’ by Laurin Kelly
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By: Becky Condit | July 22, 2016 12:00 am
Under the Knife by Laurin Kelly
What it’s about (courtesy of Less Than Three Press):
Season three of TV’s hottest cooking competition, Under the Knife, is gearing up, and Nate is equal parts excited and terrified that he’s one of the twelve competitors. But the prize is a quarter of a million dollars, and that’s worth a few weeks of being stressed and afraid.
It may not, however, be worth weeks of putting up with Zachary, the cold, snotty competitor who definitely thinks he’s better than everyone else. The man can cook, and he’s the hottest man Nate has ever seen, but every time he opens his mouth Nate hates him all over again.
He came here to be driven crazy trying to prove he’s the best chef in the world, but if Nate can’t learn to block Zachary out it won’t be the competition that pushes him to the breaking point.
Why you should read it: Under the Knife by Laurin Kelly is a debut novel unlike any other romance book I’ve ever read, and I say that in the best way possible. First of all, you won’t believe she isn’t a seasoned author without an extensive backlist. Secondly, the characters and relationships are developed page by page over the 300-plus pages, so you have time to get to know them and watch them grow, which is such a treat. For those who complain about instalove, you will really enjoy this one.
The background of the story is a reality TV cooking competition, based not so loosely on Top Chef, but incorporating elements of other cooking shows and even Project Runway. Since I am a rabid fan of all of those shows, this really hit home for me. If Laurin Kelly isn’t a chef, she is definitely a really well-educated foodie. Most of the story is about the competitions the chefs must go through over a period of several weeks. This is food porn at its finest. Eat something before you sit down to read because this will have you craving good food from the start to the ending. I might have demolished an entire box of cookies as well as other snacks while reading, and I now have a few more cooking ideas in my recipe arsenal for future meals. While this isn’t a cookbook (no recipes are actually written out), the descriptions offer enough information for you to take it from there.
Setting the cooking and food prep aside for now, let’s take a look at the main characters. The show starts off with 12 excellent chefs. Two of them, Zachary and Nate, are both gay but initially not entirely drawn to each other. Nate, whose POV informs the reader, is sweet, charming and gets along with almost everyone. Zachary is the ice prince, smug, self-assured and nobody’s friend. He is an outstanding chef and knows it. Nate isn’t far behind in his own confidence, but he has just enough modesty and ability to compliment everyone else to keep him off that edge of arrogance.
As the pages turn, the other contestants are eliminated, one by one. Some you are happy to see go, others, you feel bad for, but since you are rooting for Nate and Zachary anyway, the others are collateral damage. Carmen, the feisty single mom, is a secondary character only because this is an m/m romance. She fills the story with her presence and flair for cooking. As Zachary finds his humanity and humility, Nate falls in love with him. With the cameras on them 24/7, they find it more than difficult to express their affection. Because of that, there is limited on-page sex, but when it’s there it is scorching! And as they find out later, the cameras and viewers caught more than either Nate or Zachary thought.
In the end, three of the original 12 competitors are the finalists, and after bonding with them as the reader and the three having become close throughout the competition, it’s difficult to wish for any one of them to win over the others. Ms. Kelly is very adept at giving us heart-melting emotion with just enough angst that produces a real, oh-my-goodness HEA.
If you are a foodie or a cook or even a chef, this is the romance for you. If you love seeing two people fall in love under difficult circumstances, this is the romance for you. If you enjoy a book with a great HEA, this is the romance for you. I can’t express how much I enjoyed this delightful book.
Review: Under the Knife by Laurin Kelly
Amazon US
Amazon US
Title: Under the Knife
Author: Laurin Kelly
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Length: 270 Pages (Kindle)
Category: Contemporary
At a Glance: This is a debut novel for this author and I have to say, well done! I definitely recommend this story.
Reviewed By: Carrie
Blurb: Season three of TV’s hottest cooking competition, Under the Knife, is gearing up, and Nate is equal parts excited and terrified that he’s one of the twelve competitors. But the prize is a quarter of a million dollars, and that’s worth a few weeks of being stressed and afraid.
It may not, however, be worth weeks of putting up with Zachary, the cold, snotty competitor who definitely thinks he’s better than everyone else. The man can cook, and he’s the hottest man Nate has ever seen, but every time he opens his mouth Nate hates him all over again.
He came here to be driven crazy trying to prove he’s the best chef in the world, but if Nate can’t learn to block Zachary out it won’t be the competition that pushes him to the breaking point.
Dividers
Review: Do you like food shows on television, specifically Top Chef? Are you a foodie person who also has a more salacious side and wonders what goes on when all those contestants are sequestered away from the world together during the competitions? Do you find yourself watching shows like The People’s Couch because you know they tell it like it “really is”?! Then you will love this book. This book is about two men who meet and fall in love while competing on the television show Under the Knife. I am warning you, though, there are way more explicit descriptions about the food than there are sex scenes, especially since these two guys don’t get together until roughly the 70% mark, but if you cook, you know it’s the mixing, the stirring, the dance in the kitchen that is the most fun, not necessarily the finished product. This book is so full of food porn that you will spend a large amount of time staring at your own pantry like it has let you down.
Laurin Kelly does a great job using the show as a backdrop for the romance between Nate and Zach. Using a medium that most of us are very familiar with to move the plot forward from challenge to challenge, and how these men react to their performances and feed off each other, was very clever. Haven’t you ever watched Chopped just to see which one wins??? You don’t really care about the food, you just want to make sure that the person who all of a sudden you have become so invested in, in such a short amount of time, wins. Laurin Kelly hooks you into reading just a bit more to see who wins the next challenge, and what will happen next between these two men, to the point that it’s hard to put the book down.
Nate is somewhat of a vagabond, finagling himself into a neighborhood kitchen when he was underage to help his mom with bills when his father died. He has gone from kitchen to kitchen learning new food techniques and making a name for himself in the culinary world. All this experience has made him a well-rounded chef and person. He doesn’t let much faze him, and that includes the food he is cooking and the people he is cooking with. He’s an affable guy, usually well-liked by everyone, so why does he let fellow contestant Zach get under his skin so bad? The book is written through Nate’s POV and as such, it stays just as light and humorous as the man himself.
Zach is focused. He wants to win; that prize money will help him to open his second restaurant in New York, and it’s important to him. Coming from a complicated background, he is somewhat of a social albatross. Social interactions are not his strong suit, and after all, why should he try to make friends with chefs he is just trying to beat? Oh, but he has never met someone like Nate before, and the push/pull of reality TV vs real life is more than Zach can navigate. I will say that the author does a great job of thawing this character. The way Zach melts and becomes human means you will go from hating him to sympathizing with him to loving him. I am not sure that the story could have been written from a dual POV, I think Zach’s insight would have been too heavy for the storyline, but I do wish we had been given more of a background to understand what made him the man we see in the beginning.
The secondary characters in this book really help to move the story along. As with any ensemble cast you get a plethora of personalities and motivations for being on the show, and Laurin Kelly uses these people like seasoning. I especially loved Carmen. Were some of her plot points trite or expected? Yes, but I enjoyed her character anyway. This is a full-length novel, not a short story, so be aware it won’t be read in a night even though you will want to. It will sit on your side table, taunting you to continue the story to find out who gets chopped. When and how will that final challenge go? This is a debut novel for this author and I have to say, well done! I definitely recommend this story if you are a fan of cooking shows, m/m romance, steamy scenes and happily ever afters.
Book Review by Kristie: Under the Knife by, Laurin Kelly
JULY 20, 2016 / KRISTIE
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Under the Knife, by Laurin Kelly
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Release Date: July 20, 2016
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3-5-of-5
summary
Season three of TV’s hottest cooking competition, Under the Knife, is gearing up, and Nate is equal parts excited and terrified that he’s one of the twelve competitor
s. But the prize is a quarter of a million dollars, and that’s worth a few weeks of being stressed and afraid.
It may not, however, be worth weeks of putting up with Zachary, the cold, snotty competitor who definitely thinks he’s better than everyone else. The man can cook, and he’s the hottest man Nate has ever seen, but every time he opens his mouth Nate hates him all over again.
He came here to be driven crazy trying to prove he’s the best chef in the world, but if Nate can’t learn to block Zachary out it won’t be the competition that pushes him to the breaking point.
tropes-tags
M/M Pairing
Gay Characters
Contemporary
Cooking Competition
Television
review
Under the Knife is a story that centers around a cooking competition to be aired on television. Most people have either seen or heard of these shows. Have you ever wondered what went on behind the scenes of these shows? I guess I’ve never thought about it. I’m really only into the show for the food. But in this case, I just wanted to know who would win and what would happen in the end. Would it be possible for feelings not to be hurt? Would there be a grudge?
Nate is a pretty experienced chef in a room ranging from experienced to VERY experienced. Keeping his head in the game, eyes on the target, knives to the board, is difficult as soon as he spies Zachary. The moody, cold, and uppity chef is difficult to read, but the more Nate stares, the more they talk, and yes, the more they flirt, surface tension gives way to real feelings and finally, intimacy which leads to so much more.
Much of the book really does center around the competition. We get to know the other contestants, see them voted out, witness the caddyness. It kind of felt very high school. As the competition heats up, tempers flare, people get thrown under the bus, it’s all out war! The story surrounding the competition itself became a bit much after a while. It felt like I was in way too deep with each of the challenges when I just wanted more of the relationship that was building. I feel like I had a good handle on just who Nate was, but I wanted to get to know more about Nate and Zachary together.
At first, side characters were fun, but some took a lot attention away from the main story of the romance, because of the large secondary story of competition. But, the more people get kicked off the show, the better it got. I enjoyed how the competition was still very important to both Nate and Zachary. Each man continued to try and beat the other in everything they prepared, but they never let that come between the friendship they were building, and ultimately, the relationship that friendship stemmed from.
Bottom line: Are you a fan of cooking competition shows? If so, then this book might be for you. If not, or even if you have no major feelings at all about this type of entertainment, you may struggle a bit, but if you can stick it out, it is an enjoyable read.
Warning: Book may also make you hungry.
more-from-author
Laurin is a 40 plus, married mom of a teenager embarking on the adventure of writing original fiction.
Her first original story, Under the Knife, combines her love of writing with her love of cooking, food, and talent-based reality competition shows. There will be romance, there will be scheming, and there will be lots and lots of food porn.
She enjoys writing romance stories that explore how people meet each other, fall in love, and create a safe space for themselves to celebrate that love in. She exclusively writes (at the moment) male/male pairings, and most of her stories will be rated Mature for language and sex.
You can learn more about Laurin Kelly at her Website.