#fake it till you bake it by jamie wesley

[musicalangel12]

Donovan Dell's life is turned upside down when he hires Jada Townsend-Matthews to work in his bakery. She kisses him and pulls him into a fake dating scheme after achieving infamy on a televised dating show. But they just may prove to be exactly what the other needs.

[ihavetosays-blog]

Fake it ‘till you Bake it by Jamie Wesley

SYNOPSIS Football player and cupcake owner Donovan is worried about his sales for the business he owns with his teammates and best friends. He overhears a customer say the shop was stale like his cupcakes and gives them feee cupcakes to prove his are the best in town. They have a back and forth that gets them both riled up. The customer is Jada. She was recently on a popular reality tv show…

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

♾️ Books for World Autism Month + Neurodiversity Celebration Week

♾️ The last week of March was Neurodiversity Celebration Week. My post is (obviously) late, but April is also World Autism Month (beginning with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2). To generate additional awareness, here are a few books by autistic authors and/or about autistic characters. On the last slide, you'll also find books with additional neurodiversity rep (including characters with ADHD, dyslexia, and OCD).

✨ The Bride Test - Helen Hoang ✨ Daniel, Deconstructed - James Ramos ✨ Tonight We Rule the World - Zack Smedley ✨ Paige Not Found - Jen Wilde ✨ Something More - Jackie Khalilieh ✨ Uncomfortable Labels - Laura Kate Dale ✨ The Luis Ortega Survival Club - Sonora Reyes ✨ Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl - Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum ✨ The Spirit Bares Its Teeth - Andrew Joseph White ✨ The Brightsiders - Jen Wilde ✨ The Boys in the Back Row - Mike Jung ✨ Hating Jesse Harmon - Robin Mimna

✨ Queens of Geek - Jen Wilde ✨ The Maid - Nita Prose ✨ The Heart Principle - Helen Hoang ✨ The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson ✨ Even If We Break - Marieke Nijkamp ✨ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon ✨ Unseelie - Ivelisse Housman ✨ This Could Be Us - Kennedy Ryan ✨ Act Your Age, Eve Brown - Talia Hibbert ✨ The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang ✨ On the Edge of Gone - Corinne Duyvis ✨ Against the Stars - Christopher Hartland

✨ Tell Me How It Ends - Quinton Li ✨ Izzy at the End of the World - K.A. Reynolds ✨ Late Bloomer - Mazey Eddings ✨ Fake It Till You Bake It - Jamie Wesley ✨ Whatever Happens - Micalea Smeltzer ✨ Gimmicks and Glamour - Lauren Melissa Ellzey ✨ Last Call at the Local - Sarah Grunder Ruiz ✨ Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling - Elise Bryant ✨ The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun ✨ A Prayer for Vengeance - Leanne Schwartz ✨ Tilly in Technicolor - Mazey Eddings ✨ If Only You - Chloe Liese

[galathynius]

2023 reading log

the uncensored picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde / jan. 2-9 / 4 stars

buzz saw: the improbable story of how the washington nationals won the world series by jesse dougherty / jan. 9-11 / 4.5 stars

proposal by meg cabot / jan. 17 / 3 stars

sidelined: sports, culture, and being a woman in america by julie dicaro / jan. 12-17 / 4 stars

remembrance by meg cabot / jan. 18-19 / 3 stars

how sweet it is by dylan newton / jan. 19-20 / 3 stars

daughters of sparta by claire heywood / jan. 21-22 / 3 stars

highly suspicious and unfairly cute by talia hibbert / jan. 22 / 4 stars

gentlemen prefer blondes: the diary of a professional lady by anita loos / jan. 23-26 / 3 stars

hell bent by leigh bardugo / jan. 26-31 / 4 stars

all about love: new visions by bell hooks / jan. 22-31 / 4 stars

daisy jones & the six by taylor jenkins reid / jan. 31-feb. 2 / 4 stars

everything i know about love: a memoir by dolly alderton / feb. 2-9 / 4 stars

emma by jane austen / feb. 11-19 / 4 stars

fake it till you bake it by jamie wesley / feb 19-23 / 3.5 stars

my dark vanessa by kate elizabeth russell / feb. 23-26 / 4 stars

throttled by lauren asher / feb. 26-28/ 2 stars

the locker room by meghan quinn / mar. 1-5 / 1 star

come as you are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life by emily nagoski / feb. 17-mar. 5 / 4.5 stars

pucked by helena hunting / mar. 5-11 / 3 stars

legendborn by tracy deonn / mar 12-23 / 4.5 stars

unadulterated something by m.j. duncan / mar. 23-25 / 4 stars

the fifth season by n.k. jemisin / mar. 26-apr. 15 / 4 stars

how to fake it in hollywood by ava wilder / apr. 16-19 / 3.5 stars

sharp objects by gillian flynn / apr. 19-22 / 4 stars

the homewreckers by mary kay andrews / apr. 22-25 / 3.5 stars

the kiss curse by erin sterling / apr. 25-26 / 3.5 stars

the wedding crasher by mia sosa / apr. 26-27 / 3 stars

let’s get physical: how women discovered exercise and reshaped the world by danielle friedman / mar. 25-apr. 27 / 4 stars

mile high by liz tomforde / apr. 27-may 6 / 1.5 stars

happy place by emily henry / may 6-7 / 5 stars

carrie soto is back by taylor jenkins reid / may 7 / 4 stars

the spanish love deception by elena armas / may 8 / 2 stars

neon gods by katee robert / may 8-9 / 1 star

love in the time of serial killers by alicia thompson / may 9-11 / 4 stars

the bodyguard by katherine center / may 11 / 4 stars

the intimacy experiment by rosie danan / may 11-12 / 3 stars

upgrade by blake crouch / may 12-13 / 4 stars

by any other name by lauren kate / may 13 / 3 stars

the dead romantics by ashley poston / may 15-17 / 4 stars

the ballad of songbirds and snakes by suzanne collins / may 19-28 / 3.5 stars

so many ways to lose: the amazin’ true story of the new york mets—the best worst team in baseball by devin gordon / may 13-jun. 4 / 4 stars

iron widow by xiran jay zhao / jun. 5-7 / 3 stars

the grace year by kim liggett / jun. 7-8 / 4 stars

the last magician by lisa maxwell / jun. 9-11 / 4.5 stars

little fires everywhere by celeste ng / jun. 12-14 / 4 stars

not a happy family by shari lapena / jun. 14-17 / 2.5 stars

the familiars by stacey halls / jun. 17-21 / 3 stars

the girls i’ve been by tess sharpe / jun. 21-22 / 3.5 stars

once more with feeling by elissa sussman / jun. 23 / 3 stars

the cheat sheet by sarah adams / jun. 24-25 / 1 star

how to sell a haunted house by grady hendrix / jun. 26-29 / 3 stars

little thieves by margaret owen / jul. 1-3 / 4.5 stars

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone / jul. 3-6 / 3 stars

the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna / jul. 11-12 / 4 stars

the lies of locke lamora by scott lynch / jul. 13-27 / 4.5 stars

seven days in june by tia williams / jul. 28-30 / 4 stars

bloodmarked by tracy deonn / jul. 31-aug. 2 / 4 stars

something wilder by christina lauren / aug. 3-4 / 3 stars

howl’s moving castle by diana wynne jones / aug. 4-5 / 4 stars

dark matter by blake crouch / aug. 12-13 / 3 stars

eat up! food, appetite, and eating what you want by ruby tandoh / jul. 30-aug. 14 / 4 stars

the silent companions by laura purcell / aug. 5-18 / 4 stars

mr. wrong number by lynn painter / aug. 19-20 / 2 stars

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfeld / aug. 20-21 / 4 stars

the last tale of the flower bride by roshani chokshi / aug. 21-23 / 4 stars

the hating game by sally thorne / aug. 23-25 / 2 stars

lessons in chemistry by bonnie garmus / aug. 25-26 / 2.5 stars

the godparent trap by rachel van dyken / aug. 27 / 2 stars

i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy / aug. 27-29 / 4 stars

the atlas six by olivie blake / aug. 29-sep. 9 / 3 stars

wordslut: a feminist guide to taking back the english language by amanda montell / sep. 1-9 / 4 stars

practice makes perfect by sarah adams / sep. 10-11 / 3 stars

all systems red by martha wells / sep. 13-14 / 3 stars

do i know you? by emily wibberly and austin siegemund-broka / sep. 14-16 / 4 stars

same time next summer by annabel monaghan / sep. 17 / 3.5 stars

Ounder the influence by noelle crooks / sep. 18-22 / 4 stars

burn for me by ilona andrews / sep. 22-23 / 4 stars

the littlest library by poppy alexander / sep. 24 / 3 stars

the neighbor favor by kristina forest / sep. 25-27 / 3 stars

satisfaction guaranteed by karelia stetz-waters / sep. 28-oct. 5 / 3 stars

the ex talk by rachel lynn solomon / oct. 5-7 / 4 stars

change of plans by dylan newton / oct. 8-9 / 2 stars

coraline by neil gaiman / oct. 9 / 4 stars

you, again by kate goldbeck / oct. 9-11 / 3 stars

mrs. caliban by rachel ingalls / oct. 12 / 3 stars

summer sons by lee mandelo / oct. 12-19 / 4 stars

the death of jane lawrence by caitlin starling / oct. 19-24 / 3 stars

house of hollow by krystal sutherland / oct. 25-29 / 4 stars

white hot by ilona andrews / oct. 28-nov. 2 / 4.5 stars

twice shy by sarah hogle / nov. 4-5 / 3 stars

sexed up: how society sexualizes us, and how we can fight back by julia serano / nov. 2-10 / 4 stars

artificial condition by martha wells / nov. 11-14 / 4 stars

wildfire by ilona andrews / nov. 14-16 / 4.5 stars

between a fox and a hard place by mary frame / nov. 18 / 3 stars

revolting prostitutes: the fight for sex workers’ rights by molly smith and juno mac / nov. 18-20 / 4 stars

emily wilde’s encyclopaedia of faeries by heather fawcett / nov. 21-24 / 4.5 stars

love and other words by christina lauren / nov. 24-25 / 3 stars

the boyfriend candidate by ashley winstead / nov. 26 / 3.5 stars

the seven year slip by ashley poston / nov. 27-28 / 5 stars

how to fall out of love madly by jana casale / dec. 3-10 / 3 stars

ordinary monsters by j.m. miro / dec. 10-21 / 3 stars

rogue protocol by martha wells / dec. 22-23 / 4 stars

what you wish for by katherine center / dec. 25 / 3 stars

the blonde identity by ally carter / dec. 25-26 / 2.5 stars

just my type by falon ballard / dec. 26-31 / 2 stars

[acotars]

books read in 2023

january

sweep in peace by ilona andrews

one fell sweep by ilona andrews

a court of mist and fury by sarah j. maas

sweep of the blade by ilona andrews

sweep with me by ilona andrews

my best friend’s exorcism by grady hendrix

kiss her once for me by alison cochrun

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid

i’m glad my mom died by jennette mccurdy

love and other words by christina lauren

sweep of the heart by ilona andrews

the only living girl on earth by charles yu

witches get stuff done by molly harper

you had me at hola by alexis daria

her vigilante by lillian lark

inconvenient daughter by lauren j. sharkey

anon pls. by deuxmoi

you are eating an orange. you are naked. by sheung-king

legends & lattes by travis baldree

bad vibes only (and other things i bring to the table) by nora mcinerny

signs of cupidity by raven kennedy

bonds of cupidity by raven kennedy

crimes of cupidity by raven kennedy

read: 23

february

exciting times by naoise dolan

sweethand by n.g. peltier

you made a fool of death with your beauty by akwaeke emezi

something wilder by christina lauren

highly suspicious and unfairly cute by talia hibbert

you deserve each other by sarah hogle

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max goldstone

would you rather by allison ashley

read: 8

march

meet me in the margins by melissa ferguson

king of battle and blood by scarlett st. clair

the exotic by hampton sides

river of shadows by karina halle

alone with you in the ether by olivie blake

lovelight farms by b.k. borison

the soulmate equation by christina lauren

before i let go by kennedy ryan

haunting adeline by h.d. carlson

the lies i tell by julie clark

one jump at a time by nathan chen

our wives under the sea by julia armfield

all systems red (the murderbot diaries #1) by martha wells

before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi

read: 14

april

funny you should ask by elissa sussman

make a scene by mimi grace

sweeter than chocolate by lizzie shane

the kiss quotient by helen hoang

my favorite half-night stand by christina lauren

romantic comedy by curtis sittenfeld

icebreaker by a.l. graziadei

the wedding proposal by john swansiger

circling back to you by julie tieu

by the book by amanda sellet

a lady’s guide to mischief and mayhem by manda collins

love in the time of serial killers by alicia thompson

if the shoe fits by julie murphy

whispers of you by catherine cowles

the kiss curse by erin sterling

by the book by jasmine guillory

honey & spice by bolu babalola

one night on the island by josie silver

the bodyguard by katherine center

the reunion by kayla olson

the neighbor favor by kristina forest

crooked kingdom by leigh bardugo

do i know you? by emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka

just my type by falon ballard

delilah green doesn’t care by ashley herring blake

happy place by emily henry

dating dr. dil by nisha sharma

icebreaker by hannah grace

count your lucky stars by alexandria bellefleur

stone cold fox by rachel koller croft 

fake it till you bake it by jamie wesley

read: 31

may

the dead romantics

motherthing by ainslie hogarth

the woman in the library by sulari gentill

artificial condition (the murderbot diaries #2) by martha wells

the last word by taylor adams

you shouldn’t have come here by jeneva rose

read: 6

june

fourth wing (the empyrean #1) by rebecca yarros

the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

read: 3

july

the traitor queen (the bridge kingdom #2) by danielle l. jensen

the beast by katee robert

baldur's gate: descent into avernus by by james introcaso et. al

forget me not by julie soto

the wishing game by meg shaffer

read: 5

august

the true love experiment by christina lauren

pachinko by min jin lee

almond by sohn won-pyung, translated by joosun lee

hook, line, and sinker by tessa bailey

read: 4

september

hey, u up? (for a serious relationship): how to turn your booty call into your emergency contact by emily axford & brian murphy

everyone knows your mother is a witch by rivka galchen

fangs by sarah andersen

a room with a view by e.m. forster

juniper bean resorts to murder by gracie ruth mitchell

one's company by ashley hutson

the mysterious affair at styles by agatha christie

solita: a gothic romance by vivien rainn

you, again by kate goldbeck

the undertaking of hart and mercy by megan bannen

my roommate is a vampire by jenna levine

the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde

the vampires of el norte by isabel cañas

her body and other parties by carmen maria machado

evil eye by etaf rum

the seven year slip by ashley poston

read: 17

october

keeper of enchanted rooms by charlie n. holmberg

the serpent and the wings of night by carissa broadbent

shy by max porter

down comes the night by allison saft

the unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic by breanne randall

the hurricane wars by thea guanzon

read: 6

november

a witch's guide to fake dating a demon by sarah hawley

the wake-up call by beth o'leary

when in rome by sarah adams

the view was exhausting by mikaella clements and onjuli datta

hello stranger by katherine center

practice makes perfect by sarah adams

do your worst by rosie danan

read: 7

december

bookshops & bonedust by travis baldree

the fake mate by lana ferguson

read: 2

final count: 127/100

[digital-hell]

Ok so I love the comic The Prince of Southland on webtoon and I’m going crazy rn bc I’m reading a book called Fake It Till You Bake It and the male love interest’s name is Donovan Dell and rule 39 is there’s no such thing as a coincidence so I’m currently freaking out for no reason :)

The comic is by @gerou-x and the book is by Jamie Wesley :)

[roshale]

𝐌𝐔𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒

favourite  color  :  pink currently reading  :  “fake  it  till  you  bake  it”  by  jamie  wesley last  series  :  i’ve  been  kind  of  watching  gi.lmore  g.irls  with  my  friend last  movie  :  disenchanted sweet / spicy / savory  :  savory working  on  :  drafts  <3

tagged  by  :  @malka-lisitsa​  ! tagging  :  anyone  who  sees  this  !

[ejgsarsozo]

February 2024 Reads

Fledgling by Octavia Butler

Medusa by Jessie Burton

Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

I hit a reading slump in February and didn't read as much as I would have liked. Luckily, March is looking up. 11 books out of 75 for the year read!

[dilawrosas]

[BOOK REVIEW] Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley

This Jamie Wesley book is AVAILABLE NOW! ✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️ The heroine gained TV-reality show notoriety after refusing a proposal that has hounded her to become a recluse. Her best friend urged her to get out of her home and try retail therapy to raise her spirits up. The heroine met the hero at his cupcakery store and made a comment that riled him up. This memorable first meeting remained in their…

[the-book-queen]

Hide your wallets, it’s that time again! #TBQsBookDeals

Your Wednesday thread of #romancedeals is ready, FREE to $1.99. Happy shopping! 📚❤

    FREE ✦ Love Lessons for a Lady by Collette Cameron

She just became the assistant headmistress. He's the grandson of a viscount but has chosen to become a dance master/music instructor at the school.

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3YA1pii 

FREE ✦ Her Scottish Wolf by Theodora Taylor

CW: Cancer

1st POV. Boss + assistant. Oh yeah, and he's secretly a wolf shifter.

Paranormal Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3XffCAr 

FREE ✦ His Grumpy Childhood Friend by Jackie Lau

Childhood friends meet again years later and he agrees to give her dating lessons.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Yj0Bif 

$1.99 ✦ Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley

Reality star must work at a cupcake bakery owned by an uptight pro football player + fake relationship.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3lhFoGV 

$1.99 ✦ Striking Distance by Pamela Clare

TV reporter + Navy SEAL. His team rescued her after being kidnapped by a terrorist group. Two years later, and she's still a target.

Romantic Suspense (MF) | https://amzn.to/3l8pQVK 

 Putting these lists together takes time. If you appreciate this content, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi. http://ko-fi.com/danielletbq 

[musicalangel12]

My Books of 2023 - October 22nd

1. Circus of Wonder by Elizabeth Macneal - historical fiction

2. The Space Between by Dete Meserve - mystery/romance

3. Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards - historical fiction/coming of age

4. The Duchess by Wendy Holden - historical fiction/historical romance

5. The Last Piece by Imogen Clark - contemporary

6. Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells - historical fiction/romance

7. The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James - paranormal thriller, mystery

8. The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano - historical fiction, romance

9. The House on Harbor Hill by Shelly Stratton - drama, historical fiction

10. The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald - drama, mystery

11. How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior - contemporary

12. If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy - romantic comedy

13. Fake It Till You Bake It by Jasmine Wesley - romantic comedy

From Goodreads:

A reality star and a cupcake-baking football player pretend to be a couple in order to save his bakery in this sweet and sexy romance from Jamie Wesley, Fake It Till You Bake It. Jada Townsend-Matthews is the most reviled woman in America after turning down a proposal on a reality dating show. When she comes home to lick her wounds, Jada finds herself working at San Diego's newest cupcake bakery, Sugar Blitz, alongside the uptight owner and professional football player Donovan Dell. When a reporter mistakenly believes Jada and Donovan are an item, they realize they can use the misunderstanding to their advantage to help the struggling bakery and rehabilitate Jada's image. Faking a relationship should be simple, but sometimes love is the most unexpected ingredient. Fake it Till You Bake It is a sweet confection of a novel, the perfect story to curl up with and enjoy with a cupcake on the side.

[smithlibrary]

Read More 2023 Accidentally in Love

Fiction The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Romance The American Roommate Experiment by Elena Armas The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur Faking It by Cora Carmack A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare Well Matched by Jen DeLuca The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron Take a Hint by Dani Brown The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang Always be my Duchess by Amalie Howard For Butter or Worse by Erin La Rosa Roomies by Christina Lauren The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren The Duke and I by Julia Quinn Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley

Religious The Farmer's Bride by Kathleen Fuller  Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter  Short-straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer 

Graphic Novels Spy x family 1 by Tatsuya Endō

[televinita]

Am I lucid dreaming??

Y’ALL.

Not only did the weather cooperate -- snowed last night instead of rained, so the roads were fine AND it was so sunny it felt at least twice as warm as the 15 degrees the high was -- but when I went to my book sale...

there were ONCE UPON A BOOK CLUB SUBSCRIPTION BOXES THERE.

Six of them. New in package. With all items present and unopened. Ten dollars each.

When I tell you I SCREAMED!!! (silently. did audibly gasp though)

I know I am not lucid dreaming because they did not include any of the few super-special boxes on my genuine dream list, but I have wanted a box for so long and not in the more than a year since I’ve been following their releases have I seen a book in YA or adult that I liked enough to spend $50 on. I came close to caving during the Christmas in July and Black Friday sales, but there were still weren’t any I wanted enough to spend $25+ on, not to mention shipping and sales tax. I debated some individual items, but even held back on those. I’ve looked all over Mercari and eBay; the resale value of subscription boxes is nuts. But ten dollars flat for everything???

I ended up buying two -- initially I chose The Lost Love Song (”Love and Music,” December 2020) because I remembered that was one of the boxes I’d considered before, and I think there was an individual item I’d considered as well. I was going to stick with one, because I didn’t want to be greedy or overwhelm myself when one box is already such a treasure.

But after I took it back to my car, I decided I’d better look up what was in the other boxes, because the items might appeal to me even though the books either didn’t or were unknown to me, and immediately went back to buy In Another Light by A.J. Banner (October 2021) because the stuff sounded pretty neat.

Boxes I left behind:

-A Betting Woman: A Novel of Madame Moustache by Jenni Walsh (May 2021) - although this looks like it has some very neat stuff if you are into the games!

-If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (August 2021)

-Reset by Sarina Dahlan (June 2021)

-Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley (June 2022)

I am officially in love with whoever donated these instead of turning them into quick cash, especially during the holiday season. I wonder how many the sale started out with, if there were any more -- I got there 2.5 hours after opening, but I was browsing around for more than an hour and nobody else, that I saw, even touched these.

Regardless, I am SQUEALING!!! I have been squealing for two hours straight. I think I might just wrap these right back up and wait until Christmas to open them properly, because seriously, this was an actual-fax Christmas present from the universe. M’book fairies, you have gone far above and beyond anything I could possibly have expected. Or actually, I suppose if I was ever going to say “thanks be to God” and mean it, this is the moment.

I did get a few actual books too, but that’s for another post.

[nerdynatreads]

☆☆YouTube | Tumblr | Instagram | Storygraph ☆☆

book review || Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley

video review ||

~Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Fake It Till You Bake It in exchange for an honest review. ~

Okay, so this was a good month for fake dating books because I also liked how this book handled the trope! That being said though, this wasn’t as great as I was hoping.

I love a good cooking setting romance, but the pacing of this was all over the place and the plot was... weird.

This started off strong, with a meet-ugly between Jada and Donovan. Initially, I really was thinking Donovan would be my preferred POV, but Jada ended up growing on me. She felt very personable and I could certainly relate to her speaking before you think issue as well as her fear of failure and disappointing her loved ones. The message about how women are portrayed in media was well done and the handling of her dyslexia was as well. I think overall, Jada had a strong character arc and was probably the most well-written character in the book. On the other hand, Donovan was charming in the beginning but I felt as though his personality slowly waned as the book progressed. And god, the possessiveness that comes out of nowhere and was so unwarranted! On top of that, his side plot felt very low stakes given that he could lose his company.

The attraction between these two was instant, but I didn’t feel like there was enough chemistry to back it up. They bickered a lot (sometimes sounding more like teenagers than adults) and only had a few serious conversations where I felt that a relationship was actually blossoming. Two chili peppers for the smut scene.

Side characters should have been more built up by the end, especially if there is going to be a sequel, and the last-minute conflict was so unnecessary. It lasted a single chapter. And then, of course, the required couple drama that also lasted a chapter. Why can’t we, as a book community, move past this? Instead of making them break up for a single chapter (that apparently was a three-month period?), the last-minute conflict could have been stretched out and the couple could have worked together to find a solution! In the process, they could see how committed they are and what they truly mean to one another! That would have been much more interesting.

I think this was an easy, quick romance read, but unfortunately, didn’t stand out.

3 / 5 stars

[betterbooksandthings]

“Looking for loaves, loves, and laughter? Do I have the books for you! Culinary romances feed the stomach and soul with their delicious mix of hot food and even hotter relationships. You come to them to read about the trials and tribulations of the restaurant industry. From opening bakeries and restaurants to maintaining them, making money and food is objectively hard. Add in the complications of celebrity chefs, reality baking competitions, and other famous employees and you have a blend of messy but delectable romances. After all, food is the gateway to the soul.

Now, culinary romances are not a new invention. I have, however, noticed an uptick in the number of culinary romances published, and I am not alone. Bettina Makalintal’s Eater article even noted, “Move over, bodice rippers. It’s all about apron tuggers now.” I cannot argue with her point that there are more and more culinary romances hitting the shelves, and many of them are queer or racially diverse.

Culinary romances give authors the ability to showcase food culture and the ways food is sold to the public. From celebrity chefs, to cooking contestants, to chefs that run businesses, part of a character’s success relies on the way they market themselves and their food to their intended customers or audience. Then throw cultural identities and work-love life balance into the mix and you have yourself a compelling romance. Given the size of the sub-genre, I only included a selection that are sure to leave you hungry for more.”

[bookthorns]

i read 8 2022 releases in a week | i'm glad my mom died, twisted hate, delilah green doesn't care + more

i read 8 2022 releases in a week | i’m glad my mom died, twisted hate, delilah green doesn’t care + more

Hey everyone, welcome or welcome back to my blog! Today I’m coming to you with a new week-long challenge post and this time I read only 2022 releases for a week! There have been some really fantastic books published this year but I still have so many books on my 2022 tbr. I know I did this back in July already but I loved it so much that I’m doing it again! → Side note: I’ve also included all of…