On the Line by Naomi Loud is a workplace romance set in an upscale restaurant called Orso. It follows a down-on-her-luck trust fund baby and a line cook in a sweet but stunningly real love story that embraces the mess of relationships and restaurant life.
James needs a way to pay for college after her father cuts her off, so she finds a job as a server at Orso. The restaurant is a whole new world for James, who has never had a job before. Not helping matters is her jealous and controlling boyfriend, Zachary, who hates her new job and pretty much everything else she does.
At Orso, James finds a community and a sense of independence she’s never had before. She also finds Ozzy, a flirtatious bad-boy line cook who helps her find the courage to work through what Zachary has done to her. A casual flirtation quickly turns to something more, but can the princess and the bad boy overcome their histories and make things work for real?
James and Ozzy are such relatable, lovable characters. They feel so familiar, and I was rooting for these two crazy kids from the very start.
James’ boyfriend at the beginning of the story truly fucking sucks, which perfectly sets up Ozzy as the white knight. I love a man who will play the savior, especially one like Ozzy who is so effortlessly casual about it.
For such a sweet story, the spice is filthy in a way that makes perfect sense for these two. I loved every single spice scene in all its kinky glory. Ozzy is experienced and relishes having James be bad, just for him. Their love is both playful and intense, with a certain switch dynamic that’s rare to find represented, and I want more of it.
On the Line draws some obvious comparisons to The Bear, with an exploration of restaurant work alongside the romance. It opens with a dedcation that is simply an Anthony Bourdain quote about the relationship between good food and sex, which I immediately fucked with. I was sold on this book before it even really started, and I wasn’t wrong.
There is a lighthearted banter and a sweet energy to this book, even when it gets emotional. It has both Ozzy and James’ perspectives, and it’s a joy to read how Ozzy feels about James from the start. He falls first and he falls hard, and it’s beautiful.
I read some Goodreads reviews of this book after I finished it, and I was both amused and shocked by the number of people that took issue with James and Ozzy, and how unrealistic it was that they would end up together since they came from two wildly different worlds. Well chat, I can tell you from experience that this dynamic does indeed happen. It works, and due to my happy marriage I think this take is rather bullshit.
I would have loved On the Line even if the entire second half was just Ozzy and James happily loved up with no other conflict to speak of. There is more drama than that, but its a testament to how great their dynamic is. I immediately downloaded the next standalone in the series, this one about Ozzy’s brother, and I can’t wait to read it.
Leave a Reply