I was so intrigued when I first read the blurb for this. It’s like a time travel romance, but the time travel is only for this one apartme4.5 stars!!!
I was so intrigued when I first read the blurb for this. It’s like a time travel romance, but the time travel is only for this one apartment that the heroine’s aunt owns, and the people time traveling are the ones who are visiting the apartment or staying there.
Clementine has just inherited this apartment after her aunt’s passing, and she wakes up one day to find a strange man living there too. His name is Iwan, he’s renting a room from her aunt, and he lives 7 years in the past. He’s a cook and has dreams of becoming a chef and running his own restaurant. The romance between them is So. Freaking. Good. I absolutely ADORED them together and the little glimpses that they have of each other anytime this magical apartment connects their times.
What makes this book even more interesting is that simultaneously, after Clementine has fallen for past-Iwan, she also reunites with present-Iwan, who has achieved his dreams at the cost of his soul. Present-Iwan is cold and angry at Clementine, and omg the tension between them is FANTASTIC! I loved the juxtaposition of the soft and fluffy romance with past-Iwan vs the angsty and heartwrenching one with present-Iwan. It almost felt like a second chance romance too. This book was a great read with a fantastic concept of right person, wrong time, literally....more
I freaking loved this. Mixed Signals is easily my favorite of the series so far, because Layla and Caleb are ADORABLE. We have a hero who has been pinI freaking loved this. Mixed Signals is easily my favorite of the series so far, because Layla and Caleb are ADORABLE. We have a hero who has been pining over the heroine since forever, pining for her from afar, and she has no idea. They're from the same small town and he goes into her little bakery every single week to get some delicious baked goods, and also to see a glimpse of her. How can you not love him???
Caleb doesn’t have the best luck in relationships, and when he finds out that the woman he's crushing on doesn’t either, he comes up with a proposition. The two of them will date for one month with no strings attached so they can figure out where they’ve been going wrong in their dating lives. I guess you could call this a fake dating romance, but it's also not really one, because they do actually date... there just happens to be an expiration date.
Layla and Caleb are SO cute together. I loved them, and I loved how Caleb was basically just trying to make Layla fall in love with him with this proposition. The romance is so sweet, so feel good. Caleb and Layla are two very precious characters who need to be protected at all costs....more
There was… barely any romance here. If I knew that going in I probably could’ve adjusted my expectations. This is very much just focused on the cookinThere was… barely any romance here. If I knew that going in I probably could’ve adjusted my expectations. This is very much just focused on the cooking competition, which is fine, but I needed more from the romance and main characters....more
If you love the Great British Baking Show like I do, try this one! It’s about a baking show competition romance between 2 contestants, a rec3.5 stars!
If you love the Great British Baking Show like I do, try this one! It’s about a baking show competition romance between 2 contestants, a recently divorced heroine and a nonbinary main character. Dahlia and London are competitors on Chef’s Special, and even though they’re supposed to be competing against each other, they grow close on the show. There’s a bit of grumpy/sunshine vibes here, with London being a grump and slightly terrified of having just announced their pronouns on national television. Dahlia is the silly, sunshine character, and the romance was sweet, but I just didn’t fully LOVE the story outside the romance. There’s drama with the other competitors on the show but I just wasn’t all that invested....more
I’m a little sad about this, because the premise sounded so good. But the romance was pretty lackluster - I didn’t feel the chemistry! I did love the I’m a little sad about this, because the premise sounded so good. But the romance was pretty lackluster - I didn’t feel the chemistry! I did love the hero’s bakery though....more
This is Jackie Lau’s first traditionally published book with Berkley, which I was excited about. It’s a romance between a bakery shop owner and a CanaThis is Jackie Lau’s first traditionally published book with Berkley, which I was excited about. It’s a romance between a bakery shop owner and a Canadian actor. I really liked it! Ryan and Lindsay were cute together - he asks her to help him learn how to bake for this celebrity baking show, and they get together fairly quickly. It’s a low-conflict, low-angst type of book. Ryan is dealing with the loss of his mother and his messy relationship with his dad, who I actually really loved. Lindsay’s dealing with life now as a regular person dating someone famous, with the invasion of privacy and mean comments. I wouldn’t consider this a rom-com - it’s more of a cozy read and I loved all the food aspects. There were also some great discussions about what it’s like being Asian in the entertainment industry, like all the gender expectations, that was pretty meaningful to read....more
I am such a huge Kristen Callihan fan, so when I heard she was writing a romance with a hero who BAKES, I knew I needed it in my life. (I alw4.5 stars
I am such a huge Kristen Callihan fan, so when I heard she was writing a romance with a hero who BAKES, I knew I needed it in my life. (I always need more heroes who bake and cook.) So what do you get when you put one grumpy ex-hockey player with a hidden talent for baking and one actress whose character has been killed off from a successful Game of Thrones-like show? You get fireworks, banter, and one deliciously swoony romance.
Emma has just been let go from her acting role as Princess Anya and is floundering. She decides to take a break from the acting world and stay at Rosemont. She comes across gorgeous, broody, reclusive Lucian, whose grandmother owns the estate. Despite Lucian trying to stay away from Emma, who is a temptation he knows he can’t resist, there’s only so much space in this estate and they come across each other again and again (with some meddling from Lucian’s grandmother Amalie), and sparks fly.
I absolutely adored Lucian and Emma. Their romance is not the easiest or the smoothest, but from the moment that they meet, there’s chemistry and an intense longing to know each other better. Lucian is struggling with his retired hockey life. Hockey is his greatest passion, but now that he’s lost it after too many concussions, he feels broken. Emma is the one bright light in his life and even though he knows her time at Rosemont is temporary, he can’t help but woo her through his delicious pastries. I was dying at all the baked goods Lucian makes for Emma – I’m a Great British Bake-Off fan and I was drooling over all the food descriptions!
If you’re looking for a foodie romance that will sweep you off your feet, Make It Sweet is it. Kristen Callihan is known for her sports romances, and even though this hero is retired, fans of her Game On series will definitely enjoy this book. If you enjoyed Dear Enemy, there’s some nice cameos of that couple in Make It Sweet. Overall, I just had such a fun time reading this romance and would love some more foodie romances from Kristen Callihan!
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I'm crying, where do I find a man like Lucian who will love me and treasure me and bake for me like he does Emma? If you love foodie romance and/or the Great British Bake-Off, Make It Sweet will be pastry heaven for you. The romance is fun and full of banter, even with our grumpy ex-hockey player of a hero. Emma and Lucian were fantastic together and I enjoyed their story so much! 4-4.5 stars.
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A NEW BOOK FROM KRISTEN CALLIHAN. And the hero BAKES!...more
Lacey (laceybooklovers)
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