She survived cancer. Can she survive risking her heart?

Having survived cancer, Nicole Garrett is determined to take care of herself by eating well, exercising, and avoiding stress. She’s got a stable job, good friends, and her own house, and that’s enough for her. Most importantly, Nicole isn’t going to take any risks that could leave her heartbroken again. But when she meets a handsome chef with the cutest dimples she’s ever seen, she begins to question if playing it safe is still working for her.

Sean Harper is the optimistic chef and owner of Jesse’s Pub. After two years of constant devotion, his restaurant is hitting its stride. He’s put every dollar and every hour he’s had into making it a success. Beyond the now positive balance sheet, it’s a way for him to distance himself from his own broken family, who’ve never seen his worth. Then one Sunday, he meets the attractive woman who dismisses his omelet culinary masterpiece, and he can’t get her out of his mind, so much so that he starts questioning if he can make room for her in his kitchen.

She’s got plenty of reasons to be grumpy, and, frankly, relationships with men never end well for her, especially given the wounds she’s still healing from. Even though sparks fly between Nicole and Sean, he only has time for his farm-to-table restaurant. If he’s willing to change his view of marriage, can he convince her to open her heart and trust him in return?

No Gouda Without You is a small-town, life after cancer, grumpy-sunshine, steamy romance, featuring a chef who loves a good food pun and a school secretary who’s just trying to survive. Part of the Marley Creek Romance Series, this standalone story includes adventures at a local brewery, Hallmark movie vibes, and a guaranteed HEA.

Victoria’s love of writing began in grade school, where she won an award for a Mother’s Day essay. She spent the better part of her childhood with her head in a book. In high school, she wrote love stories for her friends in which they’d meet their favorite bands or the movie star they had a crush on. Suffice it to say, Victoria was writing fan fiction before fan fiction was a thing. After spending many years starting and stopping writing in various genres, Victoria returned to her high school roots and decided to write romance.

Victoria Hamel lives in the Chicago area with her husband, three college-age kids and Bowie the dog. She has run three marathons and based on that experience, she feels qualified to say that reviewing her manuscripts for errors is always a more arduous task than literally running a marathon. She is a member of the Chicago North Romance Writers Group. 

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