Whisked Away at Christmas - Mahi Cheshire

[goodreads]

Title: Whisked Away at Christmas
Author: Mahi Cheshire
Genre: Christmas, Chicklit, foodie
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~7hrs
Date read: December, 2022

Love. Success. Baking. Some things are all about timing.

Set against a backdrop of glamorous balls and designer fashion in beautiful, fairy-tale-like Vienna, the Golden Whisk competition promises everything for Gina Rajasinghe: it’s her big break, a chance to prove herself and win international recognition in the culinary world. The opulent concert halls and charming Christmas markets are a far cry from her humble café in Hackney, where she’s been working hard to perfect her baking skills. If only she could relax and enjoy herself, instead of worrying about her application, and the one or two tiny lies on there. Such as the professional training she never had.

And then there’s Nick Barradine to worry about, fellow competitor and media darling who seems to have it all: money, success, and his own patisserie cafés that have been heralded on both sides of the Atlantic. Oh, and he used to work with Gina. In fact, they used to be close: Nick helped train Gina at his family’s prestigious Barradine’s café back in London, until she disappeared three years ago without an explanation.

It seems they must learn how to work together again, but more than sparks fly when Nick confronts Gina about their shared past. And now there’s a video of the two of them on social media...


This book came free with my Audible subscription, so I figured, why not. And why not indeed :) It was exactly as twee and predictable as I had expected, but with a setting of a cooking competition in Vienna I greatly enjoyed it all the same. I loved reading about the different heats and how they turned out (even if most of it was given ahead of time).

The "3rd act breakup" still annoyed me, as it could so easily have been avoided with better communication, but fortunately it was fixed a lot quicker than I had feared.