Love at 350°

A chemistry teacher and a celebrity chef find themselves on opposite sides of a TV baking competition, where the real heat has nothing to do with the ovens. Lisa Peers' debut rom-com follows Tori, a cautious home baker chasing a lifelong dream of owning her own bakery, and Kendra, a driven culinary powerhouse trying to save her restaurant empire. The catch: Kendra is one of the judges, and what begins as a professional dynamic slowly becomes something neither woman can ignore. Set against the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a televised competition, the story balances sharp humor with genuine emotional stakes.

Barrie Kreinik brings warmth and precision to the dual-perspective narration, rendering both Tori's tentative optimism and Kendra's guarded intensity with distinct, convincing voices. The 9-hour runtime moves at a satisfying clip, letting the romance develop naturally without overstaying its welcome. Kreinik's delivery captures the comedic timing that makes Peers' writing land, and the audio format gives the kitchen banter an especially lively energy. A Lambda Literary Award winner for Lesbian Romance, the story translates beautifully to audio.