Scan barcode
A review by the_novel_approach
Grilled Cheese and Goblins: Adventures of a Supernatural Food Inspector! by Nicole Kimberling
5.0
A few years ago, author Nicole Kimberling introduced us to Special Agent Keith Curry and his sidekick/goblin translator, Hunter Heartman, in a piece entitled Cherries worth Getting, which was part of a compilation of short stories entitled The Irregulars. I thought the story was brilliant. We were introduced to a human chef turned food investigator for NATO’s Irregulars Affairs Division (NIAD), dating a field agent who turned out to be a transmogrified goblin who was insanely handsome and had the quirky habit of eating cigarettes and drinking lighter fluid. Honestly, could this get any better? Well, they are back and the stories are crazier, the creatures introduced more fascinating, and the love affair that began…over? What?
In a collection of short stories, our intrepid author maps out the reunion between her two dynamic heroes, and it is less than romantic. In fact, when last Keith and Hunter were together, Hunter had informed Keith he was not the (hu)man for him, and they parted just as Keith was realizing he more than liked Hunter and not just for the sex—which was pretty nice. In his current case, Keith is in need of a goblin linguist, and guess who shows up. Keith is determined to keep it professional, but before long their attraction surfaces once more and all bets are off.
Not only is the concept of a vegan ex-chef and a hefty meat eating goblin just crazy-good, but the way these two dance around their attraction for each other is absolutely divine. As each story delves into the strange and bizarre cases Keith takes on, we watch the fellas go from work colleagues to lovers to more. When you surround them with intriguing side characters and relatives (Hunter’s) then the stories become even richer, slightly more demented, and vastly entertaining. I can tell you that the Christmas themed short Cookie Jamboree and the story Magically Delicious were my absolute favorites. Magically Delicious introduces us to leprechauns, which Keith refers to as “angry ball biters” and good lord, it is hilarious.
If you have not read the original story from the anthology Irregulars, Ms. Kimberling gives you plenty of background on both Keith and Hunter to navigate this collection of short stories. This is a delightful body of work, and I highly recommend it to you!
In a collection of short stories, our intrepid author maps out the reunion between her two dynamic heroes, and it is less than romantic. In fact, when last Keith and Hunter were together, Hunter had informed Keith he was not the (hu)man for him, and they parted just as Keith was realizing he more than liked Hunter and not just for the sex—which was pretty nice. In his current case, Keith is in need of a goblin linguist, and guess who shows up. Keith is determined to keep it professional, but before long their attraction surfaces once more and all bets are off.
Not only is the concept of a vegan ex-chef and a hefty meat eating goblin just crazy-good, but the way these two dance around their attraction for each other is absolutely divine. As each story delves into the strange and bizarre cases Keith takes on, we watch the fellas go from work colleagues to lovers to more. When you surround them with intriguing side characters and relatives (Hunter’s) then the stories become even richer, slightly more demented, and vastly entertaining. I can tell you that the Christmas themed short Cookie Jamboree and the story Magically Delicious were my absolute favorites. Magically Delicious introduces us to leprechauns, which Keith refers to as “angry ball biters” and good lord, it is hilarious.
If you have not read the original story from the anthology Irregulars, Ms. Kimberling gives you plenty of background on both Keith and Hunter to navigate this collection of short stories. This is a delightful body of work, and I highly recommend it to you!