More Than Cookies

Maple Leaf #2

by Christine DePetrillo

Book Two in The Maple Leaf Series Sage Stannard is grumpy. Having just attended her cousin’s wedding in California, she’s at her limit for watching happy couples stare dreamily at one another. She’s never had anything but quick romps back home in Vermont that always turn out to be mistakes. Big ones. Maybe moving out of her mother’s house and taking a stab at online dating will add a little excitement to this caterer’s stale life. Maybe it’ll bring more disappointment. Who knows? Chainsaw artist Orion Finley is on a mission to get his daughter, Myah, back from his ruthless ex-wife. Only trouble is his ex-wife is a crafty lawyer with connections—ones that give her the upper hand. She even managed to get custody of his dog, Ranger, just to drive the stake deeper into his heart. His father always told him women were poison, especially the pretty ones. Why hadn’t he listened? Well, he was listening now. When Sage and Orion meet over a bloody couch, the gates are opened to a path neither of them is quite ready to travel on. Will they stumble? Will it be all uphill? Or will the end of the path be just the new beginning they need?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Friends To Lovers, Romantic Suspense, Fiction

378 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2014

About the author

Christine DePetrillo can often be found hugging trees, conversing with dragonflies, and walking barefoot through sun-warmed soil. She finds joy in listening to the wind, bathing in moonlight, and breathing in the fragrances of things that bloom. If she had her way, the sky would be the only roof over her head.

Her love of nature seeps into every story she tells. As does her obsession with bearded mountain men who build, often smell like sawdust, and know how to cherish the women they love. Today she writes tales meant to make you laugh, maybe make you sweat, and definitely make you believe in the power of love.

She lives in Vermont with her husband and cat who defend her fiercely from all evils.

Find Christine’s other titles at www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com. Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/christinedepetrilloa..., on Instagram at @christinedepetrillo, and at the Small Town Hearts Facebook Group.

Reviews

[Kari Hansen]

Sage hasn’t had the best experience when it comes to romance, but she hasn’t given up hope yet. What she hadn’t expected was that it wouldn’t be a match from a dating site but an injured interloper at the house she was thinking of purchasing that would catch her interest.

Orion’s life hasn’t turned out the way he planned but the biggest disappointment was losing custody of his daughter. His only concern is regaining custody of her but an injury and a chance encounter with Sage might convince him that love and romance didn’t have to end when his marriage did.

Orion and Sage are both going through a difficult time in their life and find what they were looking for in each other. This is a heartwarming story complete with intrigue, romance and family.

[Kat]

More than Cookies bk 2 [The Maple Leaf Series]
This series is amazing, Some Romantic Suspense, Dark themes and Books 1-3 are set in Vermont.. Each book follows a different Couple but follows Rick's family because they are in books 1-3

This book was amazing and i loved sage's story and how she found love.. I loved the whole story and it was good to see some of the character's from the 1st book in this book. There was a lot of twist through out this story which made me not want to put the book down. I can't wait to read the next book because it follows sage's sister hope..

My Fav characters
Orion [Lumberjack - Works with Wood, Dating Sage]
Sage [Baker, Dating Orion ]
Myah [ Orion's Daughter ]
Ian [ Orion's Father ]
Ranger [Orion's Dog]
Hope [ Sage's Sister]
Joy [ Sage & Hope's mum ]
Rick [ Sage & Hope's Cousin ]
Lily [Rick's wife ]
Adam [ Orion's best friend ]
Wendie [ Adam's sister ]

I loved the relationship between Sage and Orion because it made me smile the way they acted around each other and i loved reading about them falling in love with each other. I loved the relationship between Myah and Ian and them making sage feel like part of the family.. I also liked how Orion cared for his family, looking after everyone and how finding sage helped him feel loved..

This book is packed full of:
⦁ Awesome characters
⦁ Romantic Suspense
⦁ Neighbors Romance
⦁ Single Dad/Baker Romance
⦁ Friends to Lovers
⦁ Lumberjack Romance
⦁ Grumpy/sunshine [Both can be Grumpy Sometimes]
⦁ No 3rd act break Up
⦁ Some Steam with outdoor fun in the Barn [Some was closed door in barn]
⦁ Content: Dark themes, Hero Overcoming his past, Caretaking, Slow Burn Romance, drama with the Hero’s Ex, Sage saves the Hero [Twice], Hero’s father needs looking after and Hero gets hurt, Heroine helps the Hero get his daughter & Dog back from his ex-wife
⦁ Hero takes care of his daughter and his father
⦁ Hero’s father needs looking after because he got hurt years ago
⦁ Cute Dog
⦁ Forced Proximity
⦁ Caretaking
⦁ Strong Family Relationships
⦁ Strong Friendships
⦁ Protective Hero
⦁ Protective Heroine
⦁ Possessive hero/Touch her and you die trope
⦁ Dark themes
⦁ Fast read
⦁ Action packed
⦁ Mystery
⦁ Small town
⦁ Each book follows a different couple but you will see all the characters through each book too

The characters through this book was so amazing, funny and very sassy. There was one character in the book i did not like and that was Orion's Ex because she was not a nice person to him or to his daughter Myah.. Also did not like the way she wanted to hurt him and make him feel like he was wroth nothing.. I am so happy that he met sage and found someone that loved him so much just for being himself..

The Animals that i thought were kool are:
Ranger [ Orion's Dog ]
Poe [ Rick's small Coyote]

[L.J. Scar]

More Than Cookies was easy paced, filled with likeable characters, and entertaining. Take the mountains of Vermont, a gruff and sexy chainsaw artist caring for his father while trying to get custody of his daughter, throw in a feisty beauty who is a maple confection maker wanting some changes in her life – and you get a fun novel. This is the second in the Maple Leaf Series. They are stand alone but give you a good introduction to the characters in each individual story.

[Patty]

This book was so much fun to read. Who doesn't love an innocent sweet girl vs a crazy ex? Am I right? This book had it all, danger, psychotic ex's, cute animals and a cute little girl. This book had an amazing line up of characters that were fun and energetic. I enjoyed the story so much!!

I enjoyed this book so much. I loved how Sage felt like something was missing in her dating life. Everyone felt boring. It wasn't that Vermont men are not sexy or strong, it is just that they are all the same. Same old boring, no excitement men. At least this is how Sage feels. That is until she meets Orion.

Orion has it all. At least he did until his pyscho ex took it all, his child and his dog. As a chainsaw wood artist he isn't exactly rolling in the dough, so when his ex took him to court he was unprepared and lost custody. But as the story goes on you will learn many things are at play in this story.

This story is a beautiful read and I fell in love immediately with the characters. Sage is an amazing, kind and caring person. I did not read the first book in the series, but enjoyed this second book all the same. It can definitely be read as a stand alone. I hope to read more from this author as her writing style was very enjoyable.

[SandyL]

It's been awhile since Sage Stannard has had a man, and she's grumpy. But she doesn't have the best judgement in them, so she's laying low anyways. Until she sees an add for an online dating service as well as for a realtor. Orion Finley wants his daughter back! His wife was awarded full custody and Orion is doing everything he can to earn enough money to hire a new attorney and get his daughter. And he's sworn off women after his wife left him. But when he gets shot while out in the woods and ends up in the house that Sage is viewing, the two feel something for each other. More bad things happen and Sage seems to be there for him at every turn. Sage doesn't feel anything for the one guy she met through the dating site (although he's being very persistent,) but she does feel something for Orion and his family. Overall I enjoyed the book, but there were a number of things that just wouldn't happen that kept pulling me out of the story - how Sage was able to buy a house, how the cop she meets is a stalker, how Adriana disappeared, what the purpose of Ian going into the hospital was......this could be a great book if it got cleaned up!

[Julieb]

I can't wait to read more!

Wow! Better than the first one! It had everything I love; romance, mystery, suspense, and a happy ending. It's clean, yet sexy, suitable for anyone sixteen to one hundred sixteen. Just for the record, I'm VERY stingy with 5 star ratings and the ONLY thing that kept this book from getting 5 stars was that I found Orion's lack of rest and ability to use his muscles so much immediately after being shot a bit unrealistic. Picky? Yep, unapologetically. Fantastic story, great writing and editing, and I highly recommend Ms. DePetrillo's work. I can't wait to read more!

[Hilda]

I read this book as a standalone and can say I thoroughly enjoyed the story without reading the first book. The characters are easy to like and the drama, twists and turns keep you reading onwards. Sage starts this story off pretty much having sworn off guys. Orion has been burned by his ex-wife and is trying to get some semblance of his happy life back. The two cross paths and, boom, a sweet romance blossoms. Didn't love the insta-love that seemed to happen (especially considering Orion's background) but there aren't too many books out there that aren't like this these days. More Than Cookies was easy to read as a standalone and I would definitely read the rest of the series, too!

[Ela]

This book was fine, but it was kind of quick with Sage’s and Orion’s relationship development, and I wanted to see more scenes with Ian and Myah while they were getting to know Sage. The mystery was fine, but I didn’t care enough because bad things were just happening to Orion and it wasn’t really investigated until it was basically too late. Also, I thought that it was Scott who orchestrated everything so I wasn’t expecting it to be Orion’s ex who tried to kill Orion as her father’s condition of her becoming a partner in his law firm was that she had to keep custody of Myah.

Setting: Vermont
MC names: Sage Stannard, Orion Finley
POV: both, 3rd person

[Marla]

Better than pancakes

This is a sweet series. No pun intended. Reminds me of gentler romances of a bygone age but set in a contemporary world. I enjoyed Sage’s story better than Rick’s. Sage is feisty and strong and sensible. I loved the father character Ian. This is also a contemporary issue many families have to deal with. The whole close family vibe in these books is enjoyable.

[Sharon Wright]

Sage and Orion

Sage who fell in love with Orion, who was a father and divorced, only after knowing him for 3 days. And after events that happened to try to kill Orion by his ex-wife things worked out with Sage in the end. I loved how Christine DePetrillo kept the suspense going throughout the story. I loved it!

[Cameil Ramouche]

I love it

It love this book great story it flowed really well from page to page it not long windy the only down side for me is that the story isn't long enough that why I did not give it five star I wanted more .

[RF]

Good read

I liked the story and the drama. I'm glad Sage and Orion found each other snd Orion's daughter was brought into the mix. Only gave it 4 stars because of the F-bombs that were thrown in. Not in my vocabulary.

[J.M.]

Loving this series!

After reading More Than Pancakes, I almost immediately started on this one. Love the characters, and I can't wait to read the next one!

[Rita]

Likeable characters and a satisfying story. Good bait and switch on the villain. The way things were going I totally had someone else pegged as the shooter!

[Janet Simmons]

This is Sage's story and how she moves out of her mothers house and what happens in her life. A lot of exciting things, and "what do I do next?" things...
This book kept me wondering and on my toes all the time. Very enjoyable

[Kirstie Ibrahim]

Loved this just as much as the first book in the series. I plan on reading all of them. Love and a little mystery.

[Angie]

Synopsis: "Book Two in The Maple Leaf Series

Sage Stannard is grumpy. Having just attended her cousin’s wedding in California, she’s at her limit for watching happy couples stare dreamily at one another. She’s never had anything but quick romps back home in Vermont that always turn out to be mistakes. Big ones. Maybe moving out of her mother’s house and taking a stab at online dating will add a little excitement to this caterer’s stale life. Maybe it’ll bring more disappointment. Who knows?

Chainsaw artist Orion Finley is on a mission to get his daughter, Myah, back from his ruthless ex-wife. Only trouble is his ex-wife is a crafty lawyer with connections—ones that give her the upper hand. She even managed to get custody of his dog, Ranger, just to drive the stake deeper into his heart. His father always told him women were poison, especially the pretty ones. Why hadn’t he listened? Well, he was listening now.

When Sage and Orion meet over a bloody couch, the gates are opened to a path neither of them is quite ready to travel on. Will they stumble? Will it be all uphill? Or will the end of the path be just the new beginning they need?"

My Review: This is the second book in the series, and even though it has been quite a while since I read the first book, I was able to settle right into this one. It could really almost be read as a standalone book if you so choose to read it that way. The characters are very relatable and fun to read. DePetrillo does a great job with the build up of the story and the tension between the characters. I loved the back and forth, Sage is definitely a fun character to read. While I did enjoy Orion for the most part, there were times where I felt he acted a little childish and overly dramatic. The sub-characters are just as wonderful as the main ones, Ian is fantastic and pretty much makes the book for me. I really do love this series and will be continuing to read it, especially with the little bit we got to know Adam in this one.

[Bette Stanek]

3.5. This is the second book in the Maple Leaf series by Christine DePetrillo. I liked it better than the first; it flowed better and the characters were slightly more dynamic. The first in the series was good, but Ms DePetrillo's style and story improved with this book.

Sage is Rick's cousin and she was introduced in More Than Pancakes, the first book in this series. She is truly more like a sister to Rick since his parents, and Sage's father, were killed in a plane accident and they were raised together, along with Sage's sister, Hope. Sage is thirty-one years old and figures it's time to move out of her mom's home, not that she isn't a productive and independent person. She just feels she needs the space. So, she hires a realtor and house hunting she goes. The first house that she looks at is fantastic and just what she's looking for. Except for the guy bleeding out on the couch in the living room.

That guy would be Orion, who she laters find out is the next door neighbor. He's a hunk with a lot of baggage. Can Sage take it all on? Does she want to? Yes and yes. There's a lot of distrust and issues to work through, but maybe eventually they'll get there.

Nothing really out of the ordinary here. There is a slight twist at the very end, but otherwise this is a pretty typical contemporary romance. It's quick and fun with good dialogue and quirky, but fun, characters.

[Shay]

This was a sweet romance between Sage and her chainsaw artist mountain man, Orion. I really liked all the characters in this book from the sweet Ian to the funny friends Adam and Wendie. The book was funny, with some light suspense (and not an easy twist to figure out), and a bit of steamy romance. My only complaint is the insta-love was pretty darn instant for two people who had been burned in the past. I look forward to reading Hope and Adam's story in the next book.

[Janet Friesner]

I liked the story but my only problem with this series is the language. I realize cuss words are a part of some peoples everyday language but these words are not used in my home and they are the reason I do not go to movies nowadays. Who needs to hear filth coming out of peoples mouths and I really do not like to read books that have it. The Lord's name isn't to be used as a cuss word and nasty four letter words turn me off. Sorry author.

[judy l. smith]

Great book.

This was the second book in this series. They just seem to get better. For me these books have just the right amount of everything. Romance, suspense, humor and great descriptive emotions. The characters feel real and more like everyday type people. I am now starting the third book with anticipation of another great book.

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams]

More Than Cookies (The Map?e Leaf Series Book 2)

The love story of Sage and Orion. We back on Danton, Vermont for the second time, Rick and Lily are marry and now it's Sage time. Sage meet Orion, when he was shot and goes to the house she is planing to buy for help. You love this one even more then the first.

[Dee]

overall i liked the story, but the mystery/ex-wife storyline just didn't really work for me, so i ended up downgrading it a star

[Ashley Snow]

I loved it just as much as book one, if not more!

[J Lundsten]

Such a great book! Highly recommended!

[Dianne Abbott]

Excellent Series

This a good series of books. I enjoy reading this author's books and look forward to reading the next book.

[Cindy]

A very inspiring book. It shows what life is about and how life sometimes takes all you have to make it through. Loved it.

[Brenda Easter]

Loved the characters enjoyed!