Palate Series by Octavia Wildwood

Mina Sinclair never expected to be a contestant on a reality TV show. But then she never expected to be a single mother and college dropout at age twenty-eight, either. Life can be unpredictable that way. Beaten down by circumstance but never broken, Mina struggles to find her place in the world. The carefree girl with a wild streak is gone, so now she needs to figure out who she is. Moving to Los Angeles to compete on a cooking show is risky, but it will allow Mina to follow her passion... moreMina Sinclair never expected to be a contestant on a reality TV show. But then she never expected to be a single mother and college dropout at age twenty-eight, either. Life can be unpredictable that way. Beaten down by circumstance but never broken, Mina struggles to find her place in the world. The carefree girl with a wild streak is gone, so now she needs to figure out who she is. Moving to Los Angeles to compete on a cooking show is risky, but it will allow Mina to follow her passion. And if she wins, the prize money will secure her and her son's future. There's a lot riding on Mina's venture, but emerging from the competition unscathed could be a challenge. Much to her dismay, the judge of the competition is Gavin Rothe. The infamous celebrity chef is notorious for being a womanizing, hard-partying Hollywood bad boy. At first Mina can't stand him, immediately dismissing him as an obnoxious rich jerk. But she wants to win that contest so bad it hurts, and Gavin knows it. Food is more dependable than a man. Sure, food can be burned if you're not careful - but if you let your guard down, a man can burn you. This book contains explicit adult situations. It is the first part of the Palate trilogy. less

Mina Sinclair isn’t a woman to be messed with. She curses like a sailor, bakes like a madwoman and prays for the day when her son outgrows the Terrible Twos…and now she’s on a reality show. Competing in a televised cooking contest isn’t something Mina thought she’d ever do, but she needs that prize money. One problem: the judge of the competition is none other than celebrity chef Gavin Rothe. Gavin is a man whose reputation precedes him. He’s a hard-partying, womanizing, arrogant jerk... moreMina Sinclair isn’t a woman to be messed with. She curses like a sailor, bakes like a madwoman and prays for the day when her son outgrows the Terrible Twos…and now she’s on a reality show. Competing in a televised cooking contest isn’t something Mina thought she’d ever do, but she needs that prize money. One problem: the judge of the competition is none other than celebrity chef Gavin Rothe. Gavin is a man whose reputation precedes him. He’s a hard-partying, womanizing, arrogant jerk. Or so Mina thinks. Bit by bit she gets to know the man he is when the cameras aren’t on him: thoughtful, witty and tender hearted. And Gavin helps her remember how to have fun. Maybe they can be friends. Or maybe they can be more. But lurking beneath the surface of their romance are painful pasts and dark secrets that threaten to tear them apart. Can their love survive the truth? This book contains explicit adult situations. It includes: Spicy, Sweet and Savory. less

Falling in love isn’t an option for Mina Sinclair. Not when she has a toddler to raise, bills to pay and a cooking competition to win. But those aren’t the only reasons she’s sworn off love – if anything, they’re just excuses. At her core, Mina is terrified of being hurt again. She should have known her friends with benefits arrangement with celebrity chef Gavin Rothe would never work. Sure, they’re friends. Sure, there are benefits – steamy, toe-curling ones, at that... moreFalling in love isn’t an option for Mina Sinclair. Not when she has a toddler to raise, bills to pay and a cooking competition to win. But those aren’t the only reasons she’s sworn off love – if anything, they’re just excuses. At her core, Mina is terrified of being hurt again. She should have known her friends with benefits arrangement with celebrity chef Gavin Rothe would never work. Sure, they’re friends. Sure, there are benefits – steamy, toe-curling ones, at that. But falling in love is like tumbling off a cliff: you can claw at the earth all you want but gravity always wins out in the end. She doesn’t want to care about Gavin. She tries to talk herself out of her feelings. But it’s useless. Mina is head over heels for the man everyone loves to hate…until he lies on national television and unfairly cuts her from the contest she so desperately wanted to win. Love can warp into loathing in the blink of an eye. On some level, the betrayal just confirms everything Mina has come to believe about life, love and men. But when Gavin follows Mina to her parents’ house, all bets are off. This book contains explicit adult situations. It is the second part of the Palate trilogy. less

Life is better than it’s ever been before. Sure, Mina Sinclair’s toddler still acts like a little hellion on occasion, but he’s beginning to outgrow his tantrums and obsession with flushing her earrings down the toilet. She has her dream job and her dream guy, celebrity chef Gavin Rothe. She feels like the luckiest woman in the world. But for Mina, good things rarely last... moreLife is better than it’s ever been before. Sure, Mina Sinclair’s toddler still acts like a little hellion on occasion, but he’s beginning to outgrow his tantrums and obsession with flushing her earrings down the toilet. She has her dream job and her dream guy, celebrity chef Gavin Rothe. She feels like the luckiest woman in the world. But for Mina, good things rarely last. Even when life is going well, she can’t shake the feeling that it’s only a matter of time until it takes a turn for the worse. Maybe that mentality is due to the guilt she harbors. Her past is marred by a mistake so shameful she hasn’t even told the man she loves about it. What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him, right? But then her son’s father unexpectedly shows up and lets her dirty little secret slip. The startling revelation wreaks havoc on Mina’s relationship with Gavin as the couple discover they don’t know one another quite as well as they thought. When the ugly truth comes crashing down on them, will their love be able to withstand the devastating blow? This book contains adult situations. It is the third part of the Palate trilogy. less