Publisher's Synopsis
Youve Got Mail meets How to Eat a Cupcake in this delightful novel about a talented chef and the food critic who brings down her restaurantwhose chance meeting turns into a delectable romance of mistaken identities.In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luellas, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancuntil the morning she discovers him in the buffwith an intern. Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luellas, little does he know hes arrived on the worst day of the chefs life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted servicehe unleashes his worst. The day that Als mean-spirited review of Luellas runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and shes gamebut only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the citys local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lous restaurant faces closure, while Als column gains popularity. Its only a matter of time before the two fall in lovebut when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future? Set in the lovely, quirky heart of Wisconsin, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is a charming love story of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and the power of food to bring two people together.
