One of the joys of dipping into a light and appealing romance like “Best Served Hot” by Amanda Elliot is the vicarious visits to restaurants, both small and hip and staid and traditional. We meet Julie Zimmerman, who moonlights from her boring job as an assistant to a retired executive and becomes a food blogger at night. She’s not at the point of being self-sufficient in her social media, but she’s passionate about food, and her dream is to critique food full time, in a job where she is paid and able to pay for rent, student loans, and restaurant fare.

Her dream job has been given to someone with the pretentious name Bennett Richard Macelester Wright. And he seems as pretentious as his name might imply — scion of a wealthy family, from the best schools, living in one of his father’s apartments, and now writing for the prestigious New York Scroll as a food editor. She hates him before she’s ever laid eyes on him.

Those familiar to the romance genre know that such dislike always leads to romance. And this one is no different. Both characters are beautifully detailed and likable. An interesting thrust of the story is the glaring disparity of wealth between some of the characters. Julie and her friends are working hard to survive while the daughter of the man Julie works for is able to flit from job to job, creating an utterly ridiculous business because Daddy will pay for it, and she knows she’ll never have to worry about making the rent payment.

The writing is on point, and the first person narrative helps us see the events from Julie’s perspective. And for anyone wanting a lovely escape read, a light romance with a soupçon of social activism, this is the perfect beach read. Or backyard garden read. Or for those stuck in areas where the heat is in triple digits, might I suggest reading this in a beautiful, air-conditioned restaurant? You’ll be delighted you did.

Please note: This review is based on the final, paperback book provided by Berkley, the publisher, for review purposes.