Taste test

Nora Henderson knows her way around a grill, a smoker and a fryer. Since she was tall enough to see over the counter at her father's barbecue restaurant, she has been basting baby back ribs and pulling pork. When she wins a place on Taste Test, a reality-television cooking competition for teens, she is eager to leave her small hometown, even though it means leaving her dad and her best friend, Billy.

On set, Nora has to work even harder to prove she belongs. Her roommate comes from high society, and she keeps crossing paths with Christian Van Lorten, the talented and very good-looking son of a famous chef. Then strange accidents start happening in the competition kitchen. Guarding her heart against one charming and irritating fellow contestant soon becomes the least of her worries, because someone appears to be eliminating contestants for real. If Nora cannot work out who, she could be the next one cut for good.

This debut novel mixes romance with mystery, and it includes the recipes the contestants cook along the way.