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The Slow Burn

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The Slow Burn

By: Ali Rosen
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About this listen

From the bestselling author of Unlikely Story comes a warm, witty novel about a chef whose unexpected summer in Italy turns messier and richer than any recipe she ever would’ve planned.

Between a breakup and a burned-down restaurant, there’s nothing left in New York for Kit Roth except the ashes of her success.

Needing distance and distraction, she agrees to work for her best friend’s pasta-making nonna in the Italian countryside. But instead of providing a quiet sabbatical to eat up time while her kitchen is rebuilt, the small town of Manciano keeps pulling Kit into its rituals and rhythms. And before long, it shows her everything she’s been missing. Simpler cooking, community…and Nico Ruspoli, an olive oil producer with his own scorched past. But with Kit determined to leave after three months, and Nico rooted to his grove, their growing chemistry is at odds with what they both want for their future.

Yet with each passing week, Kit finds herself measuring less and tasting more. And when it’s time to go back to her life in New York, she doesn’t know what—or who—she’s willing to leave behind.

©2026 by Ali Rosen. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Critic Reviews

“With pages of mouthwatering Italian recipes and more than a sprinkling of spice between the two main characters, Rosen mixes up a heartwarming and delicious romance. A pasta-perfect romance.”Kirkus Reviews

“Rosen fans will enjoy the focus on food, community, adventure, and self-acceptance. It’s a heartfelt and endearing story.”Publishers Weekly

“Full of warmth and humor, The Slow Burn digs into life’s deeper questions of purpose, passion, and connection, all while delivering a swoon-worthy romance that left me giddy. Ali Rosen’s picture-perfect prose captures that magical feeling of stumbling upon a quaint, quirky village, or being welcomed into someone’s kitchen for a home-cooked meal. Readers will love escaping into Rosen’s slice of Italian life.”—Kate Spencer, bestselling author of All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball

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