The Cupcake Diaries: Sweet On You

by Darlene Panzera

Overview

Everyone knows business and pleasure don't mix . . . or do they?

Andi Burke has a dream—a kitchen big enough to dance in, regular income to support her daughter, and a chance to find true love. So when she enlists her sister Kim and their bubbly best friend Rachel to help open Creative Cupcakes, it all seems perfect.

Especially when hunky local reporter Jake Hartman offers to finance the store for them. Andi hasn't dated since her divorce, but the way Jake keeps looking at her might make her change her mind. After all, what could go wrong?

Plenty! There's a shady tattoo parlor behind their shop, a crowd of crazy Zumba dancers out front (chanting "Lose the fat, dance with Pat!"), and about the only thing going right is Andi's romance . . . until Jake's media crew captures a story that could shut the two of them down forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062242662
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/18/2023
Series:	Darlene Panzera's Cupcake Diaries Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	940,219
File size:	766 KB

About the Author

Darlene Panzera writes sweet, fun-loving romance and is a member of the Romance Writers of America’s Greater Seattle chapter. Her career launched when her novella “The Bet” was picked by Avon Books and New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber to be published within Debbie’s own novel, Family Affair. Darlene says, “I love writing stories that help inspire people to laugh, value relationships, and pursue their dreams.”

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 and her two horses, and loves camping, hiking, photography, and lazy days at the lake.

Join her on Facebook or at www.darlenepanzera.com.

Editorial Reviews

This bland set by Panzera (Bet You’ll Marry Me) centers on best friends in their small town of Astoria, OR. In Sweet on You, Andi, Rachel, and Kim are celebrating a birthday but don’t have their customary cupcake to split. Fortunately, there is an attractive gentleman at the next table who has just the cupcake they desire, so Andi sweet talks him into sharing. Like her friends, Andi has financial woes and doesn’t know how she will make this month’s rent or support her daughter. She has always loved baking cupcakes—and eating them even more—so with the financial backing of Jake, the hunky man they sat next to in the bar, the three girls open their own shop, Creative Cupcakes. Jake shows he is interested in more than being just Andi’s business partner, but when she discovers a healthy-eating group sabotaging her business, she may not have the time or courage to take a chance on love. In Recipe for Love, fiery redhead and Creative Cupcakes’ marketing rep Rachel has enacted a strict two-date limit rule so a guy can never get a glimpse of her true self. Mike the Magnificent, a magician for a party hosted at the shop, sets Rachel’s heart aflutter, but she is afraid he won’t like her if he got to know her. Worried about finding the money to pay for her grandfather’s medical treatments, Rachel is determined to come up with the perfect plan to boost business and outsell their competition, a snooty French pastry shop around the corner. Mike has an idea that will help, but Rachel needs to keep him at a distance or risk breaking her two-date rule and, ultimately, her heart.

Verdict In addition to recycling the same plot, these series titles feature heroines who are lifeless and romantic elements that don’t display real emotion. “The Cupcake Diaries” trilogy has about as much substance as one of Creative Cupcakes’ sugary confections. The Cupcake Diaries: Taste of Romance (Kim’s story) will be released later this month.—Kara Kohn, Plainfield P.L. Dist., IL
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