Frankie Bennett is married to a celebrity chef at the beginning of the book. But not for long, because she discovers via a note in his dressing room (he hosts a cooking show, and she serves as his assistant) that he's been cheating on her with Bamby -- that's right, Bamby-with-a-y. Immediately after that, during his live show, she trashes the set then declares the marriage over during a rushed commercial break.

Six months later, a divorced Frankie has taken refuge in her aunt's house in a retirement village. For those six months, Frankie has all but hibernated, but Aunt Gail has a plan. Gail's friend Maxine is a recovering dumped trophy wife and the proud owner of Trophy Jobs Employment Agency. Soon, Maxine is prodding Frankie out of bed (with the aid of a bucket of cold water), hauling her to job interviews, and dragging her to the support group she runs for dumped trophy wives.

Frankie secures a job at local diner Greek Meets Eat, working as a prep chef. She's not particularly happy to be out of bed, let alone working. And she's really not happy when she meets her new boss, Nikos. Nikos is charming, handsome, and he comes with the bonus of having NO idea who she is. He seems to be the one person in the country who missed the replays of her meltdown on television and the tabloid covers that could have wallpapered an entire house.

As Frankie settles into her life, she bonds with another dumped trophy wife, Jasmine. As Frankie deals with her feelings with Nikos, Jasmine starts dating Simon. Jasmine and Frankie help each other navigate post-trophy wife dating life, and this relationship is very real, relatable, and fun to watch.

While most readers won't be able to understand the fall from grace that an ex-trophy wife experiences, there are many experiences in the book that are universal - dealing with a break-up, dealing with the person that stands between you and the person you want to be with, and sorting through communication issues.

This book is humorous (one scene was laugh-out-loud funny) and touching (I literally smiled for four straight pages). Nikos' mom, Voula messes up English idioms in a way that never gets old, and Frankie is a down-to-earth character that you wish you could meet and befriend. The diner serves as the main setting, and I found myself wishing I could drive down there for a bite to eat. I definitely recommend this book.

Book Summary

If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen...the latest from national bestselling author Dakota Cassidy!

After discovering that her famous chef husband was cheating, Frankie Bennett lost her mind-on live TV. Now Frankie is broke, unemployed, and hiding out in her aunt's retirement village. That is, until Maxine Henderson-Barker-reformed trophy wife and owner of Trophy Jobs Inc. employment agency-arrives to give Frankie a much needed kick in the pants.

Soon, Frankie lands a job as a prep chef at a Greek diner in New Jersey, home to the world's best meatloaf and an owner who resembles an exquisitely chiseled Greek statue. Falling into bed with Nikos isn't the best idea, but after years of living in a man's shadow, this ex- trophy wife is ready to get busy cooking...