She's spent her whole career making rooms for other people.
Now she finally has one of her own.
Sofia Rossi opened Ritorno on a September morning with twelve tables, north-facing light, and a bread she'd been working toward for eight years. The restaurant is exactly what she planned. The journalist who shows up at her soft launch and asks what is this place for - and actually waits for the answer - was not part of the plan.
Marco Vitelli has been writing about the Little Italy neighborhood for two years. He knows the street, he knows the café, and he has, if Sofia is being honest with herself, been paying attention to her long before she was ready to notice. When he pitches her cooking to a catering client without asking first, she's furious. She takes the contract anyway. A hundred and twenty covers in October will cover the equipment loan with money left over.
What it won't cover is the cost of spending three weeks in a kitchen with a man who remembers everything you say, asks the one question you weren't ready for, and has somehow - somewhere between the market on Thursday mornings and the Tuesday evenings with wine and her seasonal menu spread between them - stopped feeling like a complication.
He asks her once, quietly, in a cleaned-down kitchen at the end of a long December: what are you afraid of?
She knows the answer. She's been knowing it since September.
It's not you.
Stirred Awake is a warm, slow-burn contemporary romance about a curvy chef who built the perfect room and forgot she was allowed to stay in it, a journalist learning the difference between watching a life and living one, and a neighborhood in the heart of Little Italy Montreal that makes both of them better than they planned to be.
Perfect for readers who love:
- A heroine who is brilliant at her work and terrified of being seen
- A hero whose superpower is paying the right kind of attention
- Food so specific and warm you'll want to eat the book
- Slow burn that earns every degree of heat
- A city that feels like a character
Second in the Curvy Café Chronicles series. Stands completely alone. HEA guaranteed.
ARC Praise for Stirred Awake...
"A gorgeous slow-burn romance with rich atmosphere and genuine emotion. Sofia and Marco's story unfolds with patience and depth, making every moment feel earned. A beautiful, comforting read."
"Loved every page. The chemistry is subtle but powerful, and the restaurant setting gives the story so much warmth and texture. Sofia is a fantastic lead."
"A tender, emotional romance that builds quietly and stays with you. Great characters, strong writing, and a setting that feels alive. Highly enjoyable from start to finish."
About the Author:
Helena Moreau writes swoony, slow-burn romantic comedies about strong, curvy heroines, cinnamon-roll men, and the beautiful chaos of falling in love when you least expect it. When she's not baking up fictional wedding disasters or writing flirty banter at midnight, she's drinking too much coffee, misplacing her phone, and pretending not to cry at strangers' love stories. She believes in messy feelings, happy endings, and second chances-preferably with frosting.
Also check out the hit Curvy Brides Club series by Helena Moreau!
About the Publisher:
At BLOCKBUSTER STORY PUBLISHING, we believe in the power of a great story to captivate, entertain, and inspire.
Our authors are focused on writing, not chasing likes and followers, building author websites or obsessing over social media-they're here to create and share unforgettable stories.
We publish books for readers, not algorithms. If you're looking for bold, entertaining stories that put the art of storytelling first, you've come to the right place.
