The
Cupcake Diaries
Sweet
On You, Recipe for Love, Taste of Romance
By: Darlene Panzera
The
Cupcake Diaries Book One: SWEET ON YOU
(Avon
Impulse; on-sale May 7th, 2013; e-book ISBN: 9780062242662)
Fans of Debbie Macomber will love THE CUPCAKE DIARIES: Sweet
on You, the
first in the new and exciting three-book romantic comedy, by Darlene Panzera.
Set in the small seaport town of Astoria, Oregon, Sweet on You begins the
delicious and charming mini-series with Andi Burke’s adventure through love and
cupcakes.
Sisters
Andi and Kim, along with best friend Rachel, haven’t had the best luck in
recent months: unemployment, divorce, and heartbreak. After so many
disappointments, what can the trio do to change things around? Open up a much
needed gourmet cupcake shop of course!
Andi has
always had a dream—a kitchen big enough to bake and dance in, while still being
able to support her dear daughter Mia, and hopefully find true love (one day).
Could opening up a cupcake shop make it all a reality?
Together,
the best friends are determined to open up Creative Cupcakes. But, with no
business experience or money to finance the project it seems their dream won’t
come true. Until, Jake Hartman, the hunky Astoria Sun reporter, offers to
partner up with them.
Trying to
hold it together as a single mom hasn’t been easy, and the thought of dating
hasn’t crossed Andi’s mind since her divorce. But, the way Jake keeps looking
at her might change her mind. After all, what could go wrong?
Plenty!
There's a shady tattoo parlor behind their shop and a crowd of crazy Zumba
dancers out front—ready to ruin them. The trio is forced to think quick to
counter the attacks from Zumba fanatic Pat, while still finding a way to bring
in business. It seems the only thing that’s going right is Andi's blooming
romance with Jake. As if things weren’t hard enough, Jake’s media crew captures
a story that could shut them both down forever.
The
Cupcake Diaries Book Two: RECIPE FOR LOVE
(Avon
Impulse; on-sale May 14th, 2013; e-book ISBN: 9780062242686)
For fans of
Debbie Macomber comes Recipe for Love,
the second installment in the Cupcake Diaries series Relationships can be
tricky, but will Mike the magician convince Rachel to break her two-date rule?
Rachel Donovan believes first dates are fabulous, second dates are fun, but
third dates? She never sees a guy three times in a row for fear he'll break her
heart, but she's tempted to make an exception when her coworkers, Andi and Kim,
hire Mike Palmer to drive their Cupcake Mobile. Mike meets Rachel when he's
wearing his black-masked magician costume at a Creative Cupcakes birthday party
and then tries to saw her in half. He draws closer while helping Rachel devise
promotion plans to outsmart the arrogant new French pastry chef threatening to
put the shop out of business. When a rat runs through the middle of her glitzy
promo party and the video is uploaded to YouTube, Rachel fears she won't be
able to save the shop, help her mother pay for her grandfather's medical
treatment, or win back the heart of the one guy she's come to love . . . or
will she?
The
Cupcake Diaries Book Three: TASTE OF ROMANCE
(Avon
Impulse; on-sale May 21st, 2013; e-book ISBN: 9780062242839)
For fans of Debbie Macomber
comes Taste of Romance, the third
installment in the Cupcake Diaries series. Kimberly Burke has avoided all types
of risk since her mother's deadly plane crash—including risky relationships.
Seems like everyone is always leaving her behind: her ex-boyfriend, her mother,
and now her sister Andi and best friend Rachel—who have each found the man of
her dreams. Then she meets Nathaniel when she mistakes his backyard for the new community
park. He loves her passion, and when he learns of her wistful desire to travel,
he takes her up in a hot air balloon, hoping to overcome her fear of flying so
that she can accompany him abroad. But before he leaves, they must catch the
Cupcake Bandit and replace the money stolen from Creative Cupcakes before the
shop is shut down. Will discovering the thief's identity persuade Kim to take a
risk on love ... or will she stay behind and let Nathaniel fly off without her?
About the Author
Darlene
Panzera is the winner of the “Make Your Dreams Come True” contest sponsored by
Avon Books. The win led her novella, The Bet, to be published with Debbie
Macomber’s Family Affair. The award-winning novella (chosen in a blind-read by
Debbie Macomber) was then published as a full length novel retitled, Bet You’ll
Marry Me. Born and raised in New Jersey, Darlene is now a resident of the
Pacific Northwest where she lives with her husband and three children. When not
writing she enjoys spending time with her family, two horses, and loves:
camping, hiking, photography, and lazy days at the lake.
Author Links
@DarlenePanzera
https://twitter.com/DarlenePanzera
My Reviews:
The first book "Sweet" told the story of 3 girlfriends that needed some extra cash. They were celebrating a birthday when they decided to go into the cupcake business. It was due to lake of availability that they thought that they would easily flood the market. What they didn't count on were sexy men, and a chance encounter that led to the financing of their new business venture. I liked that two of the friends were sisters and they made goals in between birthdays rather than wishes. This book was mostly about Andi.
Book 2 "Recipe" is about the BFF's as they start to date. This reminded me of Sex and the City minus the sex. I laughed so hard when Rachel was sawed in half! Poor Rachel, she has such bad luck. She was definitely a character to relate to. There is also another bakery that they have to contend with. This book also focused more on dating then the first book. It was clean and sweet. I enjoyed reading about the "feared" third date. lol. This book focused on Rachel.
Book 3 "Taste" is Kim's story. Kim was my favorite because she was afraid to fly, but she faced her fear of the air to go in a hot air balloon with her man! This book nicely ended the trilogy and the books were a perfect length. I enjoyed how all three ladies met their men by chance encounters. Will they be able to thwart the cupcake bandit and live happily ever after?
I am giving these books a 5/5. I was given copies to review, however all opinions are my own.
Thank you for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your review and for featuring my books here today! So sorry I am late in expressing my thanks - I just got back from driving across country with my family - long road trip but lots of fun!
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