A Spoonful of Sugar (The Bachelor Bake-Off Book 2) by Kate Hardy

Tyler Carter is a healthy-eating gym owner who doesn’t bake. When his employees enter him into a bake-off contest to raise money for Harry’s House, an after school space for kids commemorating local first responder Harry Monroe, he needs to learn–fast!

Shy special needs teacher Stacey Allman loves to bake and often dreams of sharing her confections with her uber fit, gorgeous neighbor. So when Tyler sets off his smoke alarm and explains his dilemma, she can’t resist the temptation of playing pastry chef tutor. He offers boxing lessons in exchange. More time together? Yes please,

But when Tyler’s ex comes back to Marietta asking for his help, will it derail Stacey and Tyler’s chance at love, or will it make them see that they’re the perfect fit?


My Review:

Tyler Carter was definitely not a cook.  But when some of his clients and staff at his gym entered him in the Bachelor Bake-Off, he had to learn to bake fast.  When he tries on his own, he ends up smoking up his apartment and causing the smoke alarm to go off. 

Stacey Allman had been living next to Tyler for about six months, but still didn’t know him very well.  The day Tyler set off the smoke alarm and Stacey goes to see if he needs help, Tyler explains his dilemma.  Stacey is more than willing to teach him to bake.  Spending time together leads them to an unexpected romance that neither one expected.  But when Tyler’s ex-girlfriend shows up, Stacey has to wonder if she made the right decision falling for Tyler. 

I have really been enjoying the Bachelor Bake-Off series and this one is no exception.  I enjoyed it a lot.  I liked how the author told Tyler and Stacey’s story and how they took their relationship slow.  Their backstory was very interesting too. 

 

Taming the Texas Cowboy (Forever Texan Book 1) by Charlene Sands

After a disaster destroyed nearly everything Maddie Brooks owned, Trey Walker offered the petite redhead shelter at 2 Hope Ranch. A veterinarian, Maddie was smart, sexy, and good with animals… Impossible to resist, yet Trey is convinced he is cursed when it comes to women.

The temporary arrangement Maddie made with Trey was supposed to be strictly business. Easy since Maddie had tried and failed to catch the handsome cowboy’s eye for a year. She thought she was so over him...until he kissed her.

Forever Texan series
Book 1: Taming the Texas Cowboy
Book 2: Loving the Texas Lawman
Book 3: Redeeming the Texas Rancher


My Review:

A sweet small town romance.

When it came to women and commitments, Trey Walker believed he was cursed.  Then, Maddie Brooks enters the picture.  She was wholesome and sweet.  But he was afraid he would break her heart like every other woman in his past.  So, he holds back

When Maddie’s clinic and apartment is burned down, Trey offers her a room at 2 Hope Ranch and the use of his barn for her veterinarian practice.  Maddie has a thing for Trey from the start, but Trey doesn’t seem to show any interest in her.  While living at the ranch, Maddie starts working with Trey’s wild stallion Storm.  Storm is just like Trey, or so Maddie thought.  At least she was able to calm and settle down Storm.  Trey was another story that Maddie was still trying to figure out.  Will Trey ever be able to get past his so-called curse and find a way to love Maddie?

If you love cowboys, small towns and animals, you will really enjoy this book.  The chemistry between the lead characters is off the chart.  I got caught up in this book really quick and had a hard time putting it down.   This is the first in a new series and I anxious to read the next book already. 

 

Sprinkled with Love (The Bachelor Bake-Off Book 3) by Jennifer Faye - Review

What does one do with a matchmaking cat named Romeo?

Spirited and beautiful, Jillian Parker is one of Marietta’s newest business owners. Still, her mother worries about Jillian’s bare ring finger. So in order to give her mother something else to fuss over, Jillian adopts a cat named Romeo. He turns out to be anything but a docile lap cat.

One snowy night, Romeo makes a break for it. With Jillian right on his heels, they have a near miss with a passing pickup driven by Avery Wainwright, one of Jillian’s closest friends. A rodeo accident has the sexy cowboy returning home to recuperate, and he’s not happy about it.

So when Avery finds himself lassoed into the Bachelor Bake-Off, he turns to the one person who has always helped him out—Jillian. But will teaching him to take chances outside of the show ring have them both discovering that their feelings for each other run much deeper than they ever imagined?

My Review: 

A sweet romance with a mischievous cat that has a way of bringing people together. 

Jillian Parker always had a thing for Avery Wainwright, but never let him know.  Now that he is back in town, she can't get her mind off him.  And it was all because her mother's spoiled cat Romeo decided to take off running when she opened the door.  He ran right out onto the icy road where Jillian nearly got hit by a truck that Avery was driving.

Avery was back in Marietta to recuperate from an injury he got while in a rodeo.  But the first thing he did when he got to town was almost hit someone standing in the middle of the road.  When he saw it was Jillian, he couldn't believe his eyes.  She had gotten even more beautiful since the last time he had seen her.

When Avery's sister informs him, she has signed him up for the Bachelor Bake-Off, Avery decides he needs help learning to bake.  He asks Jillian to teach him because he knows she can bake.  When they get together for Avery's baking lessons, Avery is tempted to make a move on Jillian, but Jillian keeps pulling away.  Will Avery ever be able to get Jillian to see him as more than just a friend?

I thoroughly enjoyed Jillian and Avery's story. Romeo was a cute addition to the story as well.    This is another great addition to the Bachelor Bake-Off series. 

Kitty Smile

Hotel Hookup: Chicago by Annabelle Snow - Review

One night. One man. One amazing one-night stand.

Every year, Hannah Truitt plans a weekend of rest and relaxation with her sisters. After a rough breakup, Hannah needs the getaway more than ever. And Chicago’s Magnificent Mile with the stylish Drake Hotel is the perfect escape.

Upon her arrival, Hannah meets a mysterious and charming stranger. She is surprised by their instant connection and her undeniable attraction to the man. All she knows about him is his name–Clark–and his suite number.

Will the passion end when morning comes, or will one night not be enough?

Want more heat? Get hot stories with a sexy burn in the rest of the Hotel Hookup series.

The Hotel Hookup series
Book 1: Hotel Hookup: Austin
Book 2: Hotel Hookup: San Francisco
Book 3: Hotel Hookup: Chicago
Book 4: Hotel Hookup: Miami


My Review:

One night was all she needed.

Hannah Truitt arrived at The Drake Hotel in Chicago the day before her sisters did.  She was looking forward a little sister time and hoped it would help her get past her recent breakup.  But it was a stranger named Clark who helped her the most.  They met in the hotel lobby and ended up spending an incredible night together and the next day Hannah felt like a totally different woman.  Who knew a one night stand could be so empowering? 

This is another great addition to the Hotel Hookup series.  I enjoyed the story along with the mentions of the Chicago landmarks.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Drink Coffee! by Deanna Martinez-Bey - Review

Janine is a smart and sassy southern girl from Triple Creek, North Carolina, who knows what she wants and fearlessly goes after it. Janine's goal of making a life for herself and marrying the man of her dreams finally became a reality. She was a newlywed, married to a successful business man named Tom Whitfield and owned her own bakery. Their life seemed perfect and all was well in Janine's world until her faith is rocked through a course of events that would challenge her own beliefs and change her fate forever.

Tom is unexpectedly promoted to a new job that requires change for both he and Janine. Leaving her life in Triple Creek to support her husband's career took a leap of faith for Janine and was a risk so early in the marriage. But the bigger threat comes when Janine discovers some of Tom's darkest secrets and learns valuable lessons while she was there.

Janine makes new friends in New York, but she still misses her family and friends in North Carolina. She discovers that love is not always predictable when faced with new challenges. Can love truly conquer all? Or are some things best left behind? After seeing things that shock her, Janine feels betrayed by people who she thought she could trust.

This is the second installment written by author, Deanna Martinez-Bey, and focuses on Janine, a character we met in her first book, Twinkle, Twinkle Christmas Star. Told from the perspective of Janine and her funny southern humor, this story will move you while you share in this journey of discovery, love, betrayal, and the realization that you can make anything you like out of what life gives you.


My Review:

An inspiring faith based story about letting go and finding true happiness. 

Janine had a good life.  She was newly married to a wonderful man and had great friends and family.  She owned her own bakery and was fully involved with her church.  But when her husband accepts a job in New York and Janine is forced to leave her home town and everything that was familiar to her, she has no idea what she is in store for.  She loves the B&B Tom bought for her, but something is still missing.  When Janine tells Tom she has decided to go back to North Carolina for a visit her family, it angers him to the point he won’t even talk to her.  Soon Janine starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together and makes a surprise visit to Tom.  What she finds shakes her world and has her questioning her faith and wondering why this would happen. 

Janine is now faced with starting her life all over again and she finds love and happiness where she never expected to find it.

Of course the first thing that caught my attention to this book was a character with the same name as mine.  But once I started reading, I was fully engaged in the story.  It’s personal and heartbreaking at first, but it but it wraps up with a very good message.  Everything happens for a reason.   You may not realize it as the time, but it makes sense in the end.    

 

A Teaspoon of Trouble (Bachelor Bake-Off #1) by Shirley Jump - Review

Type-A chef Carolyn Henderson has walked away from her job at a trendy NYC restaurant after an abrupt family tragedy. Now, as a guardian to her four-year-old niece, Emma, and a very disobedient mutt – kids and dogs are so not her skill set – moving back to Marietta, Montana seems the best temporary option. But when confronted by her parents’ declining health, Carolyn has to face reality. And she’s going to need some serious help. So who better to ask than Matthew West, a blast from her high school past… and as hunky and helpful as ever.

Vet – and very eligible, if reluctant, Bachelor – Matthew West can’t believe his luck when his high school crush stumbles through his door. Dogs, kids, and gorgeous damsels in distress. Carolyn needs help with the pup, and he needs help whipping up delicious concoctions for the Bachelor Bake-Off. So she wants to make a deal: dog obedience lessons for cooking tips… but Matthew wants to broker quite a bit more…


My Review:

A sweet light hearted romance.

Carolyn and Matt dated in high school, but once they graduated, Carolyn left Marietta and never looked back.  She had bigger plans and her little hometown just couldn't fill them.  She had been living her life in New York City for the last ten years and working as a sous chef.

Carolyn is back in Marietta temporarily with her niece Emma who she was given guardianship after he sister and husband were killed in a car accident.  Carolyn doesn't know anything about raising children.  Emma also has a dog, Roscoe and she can't bear to part with.  Roscoe is in serious need of training. When he ends up sick, Carolyn takes him to the vet and to her surprise, the vet is no other than her high school boyfriend, Matt.

Matt was surprised to see Carolyn in his clinic.  He never forgot her and now that she was back in town, he will do anything to convince her to stay.  When Carolyn finds out Matt has signed up for the Bachelor Bake-Off and doesn’t know how to cook, she offers to teach him in exchange for obedience training for Roscoe.  They soon find themselves rekindling what they once had.  But Carolyn insists she is heading back to New York soon, so they can't get to serious.  How will Matt convince Carolyn to stay in Marietta and give their relationship a second chance?
 
This was a really sweet story and a wonderful start to a new series.  It is a well written and enjoyable novella.  Sometimes I find novellas can feel a bit rushed, but this one has enough details to make a great story without anything feeling like it was left out.  It is a perfect book for when you don't have a lot of time, but want a fulfilling story.