Back of Book: 

I’d never felt a connection like ours before.

After sharing a spine-tingling first kiss with Liam Knight, I was certain he wanted to be my boyfriend. But instead of moonlit strolls on the beach, he ghosted me. Three months later, with a sugar hangover and pants that are now too tight, Liam’s back, ready to pick up where we left off. But I don’t trust him enough to let him back in.

When my boss leaves me in charge of her bakery while she competes in a baking show, I’m literally running around like a road-runner hopped up on caffeine. Until My Knight comes to my rescue. Is forgiving him and getting our second-chance worth the risk?

My Knight Before Christmas is a sweet with a sprinkling of heat, closed-door romantic comedy.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance 

Review: ? 

Back of Book: 

What if you had to choose between love and money?

Jack

I’m living my worst nightmare. Competing on a baking show surrounded by loud people all day. But it’s fine. I’m fine. Our family bakery is in trouble and I’d do anything to keep the memory of Mom alive since Love Bakes is the only place where I still feel her presence. Which is why I’m so determined to win the prize money. No distractions, no friendships, no having fun. It’s all about business. Until I meet bubbly Meg—someone whom I’d normally be annoyed by. Maybe life is about more than work? Meg certainly has me thinking that way. But what about Mom's bakery?

Megan

Paying Mom back to avoid law school is the main reason I signed up for Baking Spirits Bright. I also want to expand my bakery. But when all I can think about is my number one competitor, the gorgeously grumpy people-hater, Jack, my chances of winning diminish like cake crumbs. He’s aloof and ridiculously handsome and pretends not to know who I am. The longer we compete, the more distracted I am by him. How can I win if I’m staring at him the entire time? Although, I’m not even sure I want the money anymore. I just want Jack.

Jack & Frost Bake-Off is a sweet with a sprinkling of heat, closed-door romantic comedy.

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A cozy rivals to lovers romance featuring an introverted Grinch and an eccentric gal who both happen to need a bit of cash to save their bakeries.

"Jack & Frost Bake-Off" is technically the second book in the series, but I was only sent books two and three from the author's Christmas giveaway, so I started with this one.

Megan is confident in her baking abilities. . . most of the time. Her mom loaned her the money to open up her bakery, and her five year time limit is close to expiring. That's why she's auditioned for Baking Spirits Bright, a reality cooking show with a grand prize of 100,000 dollars. This could change everything. . .

But then Jack arrives, a grumpy yet gorgeously handsome baker who also needs money for his bakery. And fast. Megan has known him for years as her competitor, one that seems to be more than adequate at his job. When he also enters the competition, Megan's hopes are dashed. He seems that he has the best chance of winning. Despite this, Megan can't help but fall for Jack as the competition heats up.

At the beginning, I really despised Megan. The rivalry was completely one sided and it drove me a bit crazy how Megan treated Jack despite the fact that he doesn't know who she is. Luckily, she quickly gets over her anger, but it almost immediately turns to attraction, which was a bit of a one eighty turn around. I also didn't love Jack's attitude when it came to his "I'm an introvert, so I hate people" act. I understand the sentiment as an introvert myself, but it bothered me how often it was brought up in the first couple of chapters. Thankfully, both of these issues were resolved rather swiftly, which made me groove with the story a bit more.

I found the middle to be so fun. Getting a behind the scenes look was at a baking competition was such a fun time and all of the desserts that they made sounded so good. Much of the early rounds were fast-forwarded which was good; otherwise the book would have gotten repetitive real quick. I really dug the romance throughout the mid-rounds of the competition. It was genuinely sweet, they talked through their problems like real humans, and they are opposites that mesh nicely together.

Unfortunately, the end portion was a major letdown for me. I hated how Jack reacted towards the end; he should feel lucky that Megan gave him that much grace. Despite the poor decision making at the end, I think that the very end was super sweet, especially when Megan's entire family got together to watch the show's finale.

My favorite thing about this romance as a whole, is how real the issues were. Megan struggles with self-confidence and is working her tail off to try to repay her mother back. The relationship she has with her sister is so wholesome, and I appreciated every time her character appeared. Jack has a whole different slew of family issues, mainly with his estranged father and his missing in action brother. He goes through much stress throughout the book, but I still don't think that this excuses his actions.

Overall, this is a sweet holiday romance that isn't oversaturated with the Christmas vibes. I think that the concept is well developed and the story line comes full circle, which made turning the pages a breeze rather than a chore. On the other hand, I didn't love Megan or Jack, so I wasn't fully sold on this book either. I think that this book falls into a certain reader niche and those that love sweet, semi-cheesy holiday romances would eat this one up.

Back of Book: 

Holly

I’m barely scraping a living off my chef’s salary after paying for Mom’s medical bills. When my boss forces me to work with the new, annoyingly handsome and all too cheerful general manager, I want to quit. Listen Rhett, no one is really that happy all the time. But if we don’t turn the restaurant around by New Year's Eve, I’ll be out of a job and a roof over my head. January can’t come fast enough. Although, as the months go on, and I see past Rhett’s facade, I’m dreading when he leaves me behind like yesterday’s scraps.

Rhett

Not everyone can commit to a long-term relationship, myself included. The last time I tried, my ex fled faster than Santa's sleigh. No one wants someone mentally broken. Instead, I hide behind my friendly (aka flirty) behavior—something the beautiful curmudgeonly chef at work loathes. Come on Holly, loosen up a little and enjoy the magic of the season. Even though my uncle doesn’t allow fraternization between staff members, my goal is to help Holly be a little more jolly since she has a way of making me feel like a precious gift instead of a misfit. But when my promotion is on the line, I'm torn between Holly and my career.

Holly vs. Mr. Ivy is a sweet with a sprinkling of heat, closed-door romantic comedy. All books in the Christmas in Connecticut series can be read as stand alones, but they are best enjoyed in order.

Book Number: Three

Genre: Adult | Contemporary | Romance 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A holiday rom-com featuring a grumpy executive chef and her manager that she gradually grows feelings for. 

Holly is doing everything she can just to get by. With the expenses that come with her mom's fight against cancer, most of Holly's time and money goes towards supporting her. She doesn't have time for a relationship. That is, until she meets Rhett Ivy, the son of the owner of the restaurant that she works for. Rhett has always struggled with his mental health. Even his last girlfriend left him because he was too much to handle. Now, Rhett has sworn of dating. But Rhett can't stop the things that he feels about Holly. Forced to work together to save the restaurant they both work at, Holly and Rhett must put aside their differences and suppress the romantic feelings that they are starting to feel for one another or risk losing their jobs. 

Last December, I read the second book in this series, "Jack & Frost Bake-Off" and I wasn't all that enthused by it. It wasn't horrible, but it was just an average romance. I found "Holly vs. Mr. Ivy" to be way better, which was a nice surprise. I think this was mainly due to the fact that I liked the two main characters and I really appreciated the issues that they were both facing. 

Holly's mom is fighting cancer, which is a tough thing to deal with, especially around the holidays. She is also fighting for a place in a man's world due to the fact that she is trying to hold down the position as head chef in the restaurant that she works for. Between these two burdens, Holly is crushed by a ton of stress and suppresses much of her true self to fill the roles she thinks she must play. She's also faced extreme cases of sexism and has even been molested, so Holly has some series baggage. Rhett, on the other hand, suffers from severe depression. I found his optimistic attitude to be relatable as an optimist myself. This made his battle with depression feel even closer to my heart because sometimes it can be hard for others to realize that happy people have demons that they struggle with too.

I found Holly and Rhett's banter to be super fun and lighthearted. I found myself often smiling as I read the dialogue that was present in this book. Watching Holly and Rhett grow closer to one another was real sweet, and the banter evolved quite splendidly with their relationship status. I love how they help each other cope with their stressors and how they truly bring out the best in one another. Their attempts to work together to save the restaurant was also cool, but definitely was just the plot that kept the story rolling.

The third act conflict was a bit annoying, but it wasn't too unrealistic and at least it was resolved rather quickly. The reason that Holly freaked out was understandable and the way that Rhett reacted during a bout of depression he was fighting through also made sense. I'm glad that they both realized how stupid they were being rather quickly, which allowed the story to wrap itself up quite nicely. 

Overall, I was decently surprised by "Holly vs. Mr. Ivy." It was a lighthearted holiday romance that focused on the importance of family, taking care of your mental health, and coming to terms with one's true self. The banter was fun, the characters felt real, and I wasn't terribly annoyed by anything that occurred (which isn't always the case with holiday romances). This one didn't have the strongest Christmas vibes, but it was a decent way to start my holiday reading for the year. It does have some great Thanksgiving scenes in it though!