Plot Synopsis

Unlike the adventurous protagonists in her books, Terry Russell, a famed New York romance novelist, has stopped pursuing love. As she struggles with a bad case of writer's block, her editor, Leslie, sets her up on a blind date with her brother, Matthew Everston, a charismatic celebrity chef. Reluctantly, she meets Matthew at his trendy upscale restaurant, but the date quickly turns sour when she dismisses him as an arrogant womanizer. Later, Dominic Barone, a powerful New York Times food critic, writes a scathing review of Matthew's cooking, destroying his prosperous career. Meanwhile, Leslie, hoping to inspire Terry, invites her to spend the upcoming summer at her family's picturesque villa in France. When Terry arrives, along with her angst-ridden teenage daughter, Abby, she is unhappily surprised to find Matthew there, recovering from the traumatic effects of the review. Immediately, they lock horns. Over the summer, Matthew gives Abby cooking lessons and Terry becomes smitten with him as she writes her latest novel and watches him bond with her daughter. After she is asked out by Jean Luc, a charming local chef, Matthew becomes jealous and, wanting to impress her, accepts a challenge to participate in a prestigious cooking competition slated to be judged by Dominic Barone. When he wins the competition, thus earning him a glowing review from Dominic, his triumph attracts a series of high profile and lucrative career offers. Convinced that he'll be swept away by the celebrity lifestyle, a heartbroken Terry decides to return to New York with her now completed novel. But when he reads her book he's deeply moved by her writing and turns down all offers, opting instead to settle down with Terry and Abby. Now the romance novelist must decide if she's ready to finally take a chance on love.