Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars

Vérant cooks up another winner in the Valroux series (after The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux). After facing a humiliating firing from a restaurant in New York City, French chef Sophie is back in her native Champvert, France, still aiming for Michelin stars while running her family’s estate and its restaurants. Newly engaged to colleague Remi and a bit scared at the prospect of becoming a stepmother to his adorable daughter, Lola, who is almost three, Sophie is living her dream—until a freak accident causes her to lose her senses of taste and smell. The ambitious chef tries to carry on as if nothing has happened, but without her legendary palate, it may be game over. Along the way, she also learns that her cooking idol is a nasty, unscrupulous woman with feet of clay, and another loathsome character (who happens to be her idol’s stepson) gets a very appropriate comeuppance. Vérant’s loving and luscious descriptions of delightful dishes will whet readers’ appetites, and her heroine’s spirit and pluck feel alive on the page. This can easily be read as a delightful standalone. (Oct.)