16 Delectable Romance Books For Foodies

Food and rampant emotion are melded together in this magical realist romance in which each of the twelve sections begins with a Mexican recipe, all of which are cleverly incorporated into the plot of the book itself.

Forced out of a life in Afghanistan, Debbie Rodriguez recounts her subsequent jump to Mazatlán, Mexico. Trading coffee for margaritas by the warm blue waters and her ex-boyfriend for new friends and a new lover, the tale is as vivid as the new culture Debbie learns to embrace.

This novella focuses on the impact of a single meal — stuffed quails in puff pastry, turtle soup, Veuve Clicquot, baba au rhum — on a small Lutheran Danish village. A contrast in decadence and asceticism, the sensuality of French cooking weaves into a tale of love and respect between a refugee and the community that takes her in.

The trials and triumphs of chocolatier Vianne Rocher unfold in prose as sweet as the described French confections. It doesn't hurt to keep in mind that the main love interest is played by the swoon-worthy Johnny Depp in the eponymous movie adaption.

Delicious vegan food and a scrumptious love interest? It's just too bad for Clem, a vegan aspiring entrepreneur, that the beautiful Zach Jeffries is a carnivorous restaurateur . . . who hates tofu.

Think Under the Tuscan Sun, but with a fictional 23-year-old New Zealander as the protagonist who stumbles upon romance, friendship, fame, and of course, fantastic cuisine — all in the lesser-known Western neighbor of Tuscany: Liguria.

Hope's French-born grandmother Mamie sends Hope on a journey through Parisian bakeries, armed with nothing but a list of names in order to uncover details of Mamie's tragic past before Mamie's Alzheimer's wipes away any memory of two lovers torn apart, desperate survival, and all of her recipes . . .

Hailed as a cross between Upton Sinclair and Margaret Atwood, this provocative novel follows two wives, Japanese and Japanese-American, as they look behind the modern meat industry, media, cultural differences, motherhood, and love.

In her autobiography, Julia opens up about the creation of a culinary mogul; arriving in France without a word of French, delving slowly into the local markets, and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu; rejections from publishers; and throughout it all, a tender 50-year long marriage.

Julia Child's iconic Mastering the Art of French Cooking swoops in to pull this former secretary, close to 30 and mired in a dead-end job, out of her rut, inspiring her to attempt all 524 recipes in only 365 days with the support of her loving husband and a whole lot of butter.

In prose as warm as a candle-lit dinner with a friend, Ruth describes life as globe-trotting chef-turned-restaurant critic, with stories of cooking and dining with famous chefs in addition to a few of her favorite recipes.

Imagine if you could speak to the ghosts of your family by cooking their recipes . . . this novel is less horror than a tale of family secrets, seeking comfort in cooking, and coming to terms with oneself.

After the sudden death of her husband, amateur chef Angelina finds new meaning to life in preparing food for seven of her bachelor neighbors; first the elderly Basil, then Johnny from across the street, the elderly Don Eddie, Mr. Pettibone, Big Phil, Jerry, and Basil’s handsome nephew, Guy.

A global romp, this memoir allows for vicarious living as Elizabeth runs from the banality of daily life toward unbridled hedonism tempered with a touch of spirituality.

The bold, brash flavors of Macau are brought out in this novel about a middle-aged American expatriate coming to terms with her failing marriage and infertility by starting a macaron parlor and meeting the unique denizens of the city (including an attractive French chef).

This semi-autobiographical dishes up the effect of discovering a husband's infidelity upon cookbook writer Rachel Samstat with acerbic wit and comforting recipes.