The First Burn: A Prequel to A Rival in Florence (Signs of Love #0.5)

By Ashley Barnich

**Marco is precision. Stella is chaos.**

In the cutthroat final exam of Italy's most prestigious culinary academy in Milan, Stella Rossi is forced to partner with Marco Bellini—her infuriatingly perfect, composed, and utterly delicious rival. Their professional clash over classical technique versus reckless flair quickly turns into a fierce, dangerous dance of knives and suppressed desire. When their tension finally reaches a **boiling point** in the shared kitchen, it results in a near-perfect score... and a catastrophic personal fallout.

Marco vows to never share a kitchen with Stella again, fleeing to Milan for his residency. But Stella is heading to Florence to take over her family's inherited trattoria—and she knows their rivalry is far from finished.

**Read the short story that ignites the rivalry for the full novel!**

*A Rival in Florence (Signs of Love, Book One — Aries) is available now!*

Purchase the eBook:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G22P5VSL