Love and CupcakesAuthor: Susan Bishop CrispellPublisher: Swoon Romance, 2014Genre: Magical Realism RomanceFor Jaclyn “Jack” Pace, sensing what sweets people crave is as easy as breathing. But it’s not enough to keep her cupcake bakery in the black.
So, when her estranged sister Harper comes back to town with an affinity for making art out of icing—and a past full of secrets—she reluctantly gives Harper a job and a place to crash.
As their sisterly relationship begins to thaw, the one with her business partner Graham starts to heat up. Given the legend that says Hollingsworth men will recognize their soul mates at first touch, Jack’s always been resigned to the fact that she’s not his.
But when she starts sensing desires that are decidedly not dessert-related, it’ll take all of her magic to set things right with customers and make her own desires come true.
Jack and Graham shared a kiss when they were sixteen. Graham
remembers this, but he cannot for his life remember the
first time he touched Jack. Not wanting to get together with her only to leave
her when his true soul mate shows up (what his father did) he keeps himself at arms
length, and Jack does the same.
Jack and Graham’s “gifts” give this book a fun and quirky
extra twist. Jack’s ability to smell what cupcakes people want brings out who
she is and gives a lot of insight into her character. Despite this, it didn’t
seem to do much for the main romance plot. The same kind of goes for Graham.
While the fear of leaving Jack is real, I felt like that fear could have been
over something mundane (such as alcoholism) with the same result. So for most
of the beginning, I waited for something else to push between the lead
characters. Then I got it in the form of an old feud between Graham and Jack’s
brother, but that too just didn’t seem truly enough to keep Graham and Jack
apart.
Enter Harper. I hated her so much when she first entered the
story. By the end I liked her, a mark of great character development writing.
She keeps her secrets until they come kicking down her door (not literally).
Then the secrets (in the form of a man she met while she was away) won’t leave.
It’s at this point that Jack and Harper start to grow closer.
While the sisterly dynamic added yet more depth to Jack’s
character, by the end it felt like too much. For a story that was about the
romance between Graham and Jack, Harper figured very prominently in events. She
played such a big role that I felt her storyline started to overshadow Jack and
Graham’s. In the end, though, it was all about the main couple, and they get
their happily ever after.
All in all, this is a quick, fun read full of sweets,
romance, and sweet romance. It’s also got some great laughs. I particularly
loved the carrot stick sword fight between Harper and her brother. 10 points
for awesome, right there.
“You weren’t kidding about burning shit, were you?” she asked, wrinkling her nose as she rocked back on her heels.“Nah, it’s a new cologne. Ode to Burned Shit. Supposed to make all the girls go crazy,” Graham said.
