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Busy Bean #3
Cakewalk
Love isn’t always a cakewalk . . .
Gigi Hawthorne is starting from scratch. She just didn’t realize until her crappy car broke down that she was going to be doing it in a small town in Vermont. With an eye for design and some serious decorating skills, she’s managed to land a job making delectable treats for the patrons of the Busy Bean. Now she’s up to her elbows in sugar and flour, but her thoughts are never far from her gorgeous, brooding landlord.
Holden St. James swears he isn’t a recluse. He goes to the local coffee shop three times a week, doesn’t he? Yeah, maybe he never actually talks to anyone, but with a backstory of loss, pain, and regret like his, he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be very good company anyway. Yet something about his new tenant makes him wonder if maybe it’s time to let someone open the oven door and release a little heat into his closed-off world.
But both are hiding secrets as dark as an espresso mocha cupcake and they’re not sure if they can trust each other. Will the truth break their delicate relationship into sad, sweet crumbs--or will it turn out to be the key ingredient in the recipe for a new life?
Gigi Hawthorne is starting from scratch. She just didn’t realize until her crappy car broke down that she was going to be doing it in a small town in Vermont. With an eye for design and some serious decorating skills, she’s managed to land a job making delectable treats for the patrons of the Busy Bean. Now she’s up to her elbows in sugar and flour, but her thoughts are never far from her gorgeous, brooding landlord.
Holden St. James swears he isn’t a recluse. He goes to the local coffee shop three times a week, doesn’t he? Yeah, maybe he never actually talks to anyone, but with a backstory of loss, pain, and regret like his, he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be very good company anyway. Yet something about his new tenant makes him wonder if maybe it’s time to let someone open the oven door and release a little heat into his closed-off world.
But both are hiding secrets as dark as an espresso mocha cupcake and they’re not sure if they can trust each other. Will the truth break their delicate relationship into sad, sweet crumbs--or will it turn out to be the key ingredient in the recipe for a new life?
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2021
203 people are currently reading
1208 people want to read
About the author
Claire Hastings
29 books828 followersClaire Hastings is a walking, talking awkward moment. She loves Diet Coke, gummi bears, the beach, and books (obvs). When not reading she can usually be found hanging with friends at a soccer match or grabbing food (although she probably still has a book in her purse). She and her husband Drew live in Atlanta with their fur-child Denali.
She can be found here:
Instagram | Facebook | Reader Group | Amazon | Website | Newsletter | BookBub
She can be found here:
Instagram | Facebook | Reader Group | Amazon | Website | Newsletter | BookBub
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
January 25, 2022
I have been waiting to finally read this series. I found Cakewalk on my TBR pile. I am not disappointed. I like it very much.
Gigi is funny and clueless. But she is not stupid. Miss Hastings develop her character as a girly and cute. While Hasting is equally sweet. They both make a perfect couple.
The plot is not dramatic nor heart breaking. Instead the whole story is cute and sweet.
Overall a very good read.
4 stars
Gigi is funny and clueless. But she is not stupid. Miss Hastings develop her character as a girly and cute. While Hasting is equally sweet. They both make a perfect couple.
The plot is not dramatic nor heart breaking. Instead the whole story is cute and sweet.
Overall a very good read.
4 stars
May 24, 2021
We're back in Vermont!
We all remember the Busy Bean Coffee Shop/Bakery from Sarina's True North series. Audrey and Zara are the boss ladies.
This is Gigi and Holden's story.
Gigi has left her abusive husband in Georgia and on her way to a new life in Canada, she ends up working as a cake decorator in our small Vermont town.
And she moves in to Holden's empty carriage house apartment.
Holden has been a soccer pro in England until six years ago - when his life changed completely from one second to the next.
It's insta attraction between Gigi and Holden, but both are so not ready for something new, right?
Especially because there are still some truths left to tell ...
LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN! ☺
═════════════════
Adorable!
Finally the next Busy Bean book. I was starving for some more of their delicious goodies!
And I SO need one of Gigi's Sticky Honey Buns asap!
This story was so very sweet and heartbreaking!
Both Gigi and Holden have been through so much heartbreak.
But now here's their chance for their final happily ever after!
Adorable, sparky, funny, full of delicious and not-so-delicious baked goods.😂
This was a great romance!
What I didn't like - and that's just me being weird. But ... whenever Gigi or Holden said they were sorry - for whatever they did or said or what the other had to go through - they always said: I'm so, so sorry.
No idea why those two SOs bothered me so much, but they really did. 😂
But I really enjoyed reading this. Cute romance!
As I always say: I could read these kinds of books every day for the rest of eternity!
I also wouldn't mind seeing this whole world on Netflix one day!
Can't wait to get more Vermont soon!
CAKEWALK was such a very adorable + sparky + bakey + heartbreaking romance! I loved reading it! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Holden - he'll be sold out in no time!
💜
💜
June 10, 2021
A beautiful & lovely contemporary romance where two people plagued by the pain of their pasts crash into eachother in the small town of Vermont! This had the feels, swoons, laughs, Cupcakes, Baking disasters, Slowburn, Muse, Love, Contrasts, Surprises, twists, Hurt, Hope & HEA.
I loved Gigi & Holden, I've not read any other books in this world, but now I'm curious. This was fun! I loved the characters, so well written.
Gigi; Sweet & Resilient; is a 34yr old Southern Belle who finally ran from her abusive Husband of 10yrs. He's dead for her. Then a few wrong turns landed her in Vermont & fate got her the Cake Baker's job in Busy Bean Cafe. This is a curve in her plans, but it could a chance for her to be Strong & Independent. If only she knew how to bake, not just decorate sweets...
Holden; Protective & Caring; is a 39yr old, living like a zombie (& been grumpy) for 6yrs since his beloved Wife & unborn child died in a cruel event. He's a former professional soccer player & dreams of writing, but his muse is gone. I loved his family, trying to coax him out of his shell. He likes to be alone but then took Gigi as his roomie (He's not heartless), in the big house they can have their own space, until they couldn't.
So both our MCs have their pasts they need to overcome to live in the present & Plan for future... Eachother could be the gift they deserve.
Sparks fly from the moment they meet but she's skittish & he's cautious. But a horrific baking disaster makes them roomies in the true sense. Both being literature nerds (his whole Family is), Him cheering her up & becoming her taste taster, they slowly grow closer, open up.
~Leaving, New start, Busy bean, The meet, Being Tenant, Bake Fire, Rescue, Living together, Closer, Nerds, Baking troubles, Fall Festival, Taste tester, Opening up, Friendship...
G+H form a flirty friendship. But when a misunderstanding triggers Holden, his anger draws a wall b/w them. Though soon comes Regrets & apologies, she makes him grovel😂. The Vulnerable moments later brought'em together...Soon They finally give in to desire! The after scenes are so sweet, as they emotionally heal, their relationship deepens, Love happens! I loved his parents & Uncle visit, How awesome baker she becomes & how she's his muse.
~Thanksgiving Scare, Regrets & apologies, Apprehension, Pouring hearts out, Likes & kisses, Cross the line, Cupcakes & want, Sexy times, Date, Swoons & Fun, Couple, Tree farm, Christmas Family, Gifts, New year's Eve, Love Confessions, New year hopes...
Even as their lovely Dreams & future are close to grasp, Her past comes to bite. These scenes were hella surprising, totally not what I'd expected! Of course, Holden's angry that she'd not been fully truthful (Never got the right time to tell him) & now is in serious trouble...She feels wrong & alone. But as Truths, Talks & Advice, Realisations occurs, He's there with her again! I adored that beautiful Reconciliation scene❤.
~Old past knocks, Betrayal & Hurt, Truth & Realisations, Hope, Reconcile, Dreams true, Proposal...
The ending & Epilogue's Sweet & the bonus so gorgeous! This story may've started slow but when it gripped, it captivated hard.
**ARC Gotten for a Honest Review.**
FB Page | Instagram | Bookbub | FB group
I loved Gigi & Holden, I've not read any other books in this world, but now I'm curious. This was fun! I loved the characters, so well written.
Gigi; Sweet & Resilient; is a 34yr old Southern Belle who finally ran from her abusive Husband of 10yrs. He's dead for her. Then a few wrong turns landed her in Vermont & fate got her the Cake Baker's job in Busy Bean Cafe. This is a curve in her plans, but it could a chance for her to be Strong & Independent. If only she knew how to bake, not just decorate sweets...
Holden; Protective & Caring; is a 39yr old, living like a zombie (& been grumpy) for 6yrs since his beloved Wife & unborn child died in a cruel event. He's a former professional soccer player & dreams of writing, but his muse is gone. I loved his family, trying to coax him out of his shell. He likes to be alone but then took Gigi as his roomie (He's not heartless), in the big house they can have their own space, until they couldn't.
So both our MCs have their pasts they need to overcome to live in the present & Plan for future... Eachother could be the gift they deserve.
Sparks fly from the moment they meet but she's skittish & he's cautious. But a horrific baking disaster makes them roomies in the true sense. Both being literature nerds (his whole Family is), Him cheering her up & becoming her taste taster, they slowly grow closer, open up.
~Leaving, New start, Busy bean, The meet, Being Tenant, Bake Fire, Rescue, Living together, Closer, Nerds, Baking troubles, Fall Festival, Taste tester, Opening up, Friendship...
G+H form a flirty friendship. But when a misunderstanding triggers Holden, his anger draws a wall b/w them. Though soon comes Regrets & apologies, she makes him grovel😂. The Vulnerable moments later brought'em together...Soon They finally give in to desire! The after scenes are so sweet, as they emotionally heal, their relationship deepens, Love happens! I loved his parents & Uncle visit, How awesome baker she becomes & how she's his muse.
~Thanksgiving Scare, Regrets & apologies, Apprehension, Pouring hearts out, Likes & kisses, Cross the line, Cupcakes & want, Sexy times, Date, Swoons & Fun, Couple, Tree farm, Christmas Family, Gifts, New year's Eve, Love Confessions, New year hopes...
Even as their lovely Dreams & future are close to grasp, Her past comes to bite. These scenes were hella surprising, totally not what I'd expected! Of course, Holden's angry that she'd not been fully truthful (Never got the right time to tell him) & now is in serious trouble...She feels wrong & alone. But as Truths, Talks & Advice, Realisations occurs, He's there with her again! I adored that beautiful Reconciliation scene❤.
~Old past knocks, Betrayal & Hurt, Truth & Realisations, Hope, Reconcile, Dreams true, Proposal...
The ending & Epilogue's Sweet & the bonus so gorgeous! This story may've started slow but when it gripped, it captivated hard.
**ARC Gotten for a Honest Review.**
FB Page | Instagram | Bookbub | FB group
May 25, 2021
4.5 Finding A New Approach Stars
* * * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
So far, the Busy Bean Series has been a winner on many levels. The use of our favorite coffee shop has worked extremely well. It is inviting, has characters that highlight every story, and feels like a place you would call home too.
Gigi Hawthorne lived a life that she never felt part of...her family expected her to toe the line and present the perfect picture of their place in society and wealth dictated. She married "like should have" and it turned out he was abusive. She found the strength to leave, had a plan to go to Canada but her new used car broke down in Vermont.
As she sits in the Busy Bean, pondering how to figure out what her next move is, Gigi hears that the local bakery is no more and the Bean needs pastries. The ladies are talking about decorating and Gigi mentions a trick she learned in the cake decorating class she took. The ladies turn to her and ask if she knows how to do cake decorating, for real. Gigi says yes and the next thing she knows she has a part-time gig.
She knows she may be over her head because of that class she took...well, the cakes were already baked and the students just did the icing and stuff. Gigi figures she will fake it while she learns to make it. Her luck also increases because the fella who is working the coffee bar tells her of a garage apartment he had just moved out of and would be perfect for her. The only hiccup will be the owner.
Holden St. James had settled into a life, it wasn't the one he wanted, it was just the one he inhabited. He had had the life he wanted, with a successful career in rugby, a beautiful loving wife, and a baby on the way. But sometimes, the perfect life you have can be taken away in an instant, and that is what happened to Holden. He was away with the team, coming back, and a home invasion robbery turned murder.
Holden never really recover. He came to Vermont to be with his uncle and stayed long after his uncle returned to the warmer weather in the south. His uncle understood the pain of loss, he lost his beloved wife after many decades of marriage. Holden's family was understanding but felt it was time for him to start living not just existing.
When Holden meets Gigi parts of his mind reawaken. Shocked and confused, he is talked into having Gigi renting his garage apartment. When everyone asks the usual questions to Gigi about who she is, her background, and her status, she repeats the story she has concocted because she does not want her ex-husband to find her.
This tale takes us on a fun path with many hiccups along the way. Gigi is all sunshine and light, the opposite of Holden at first. Events happen that cause them to become more friendly than just landlord and tenant. This opens the story to all sorts of fun. There is real heart mixed in as well.
I happened to enjoy the journey, even when I wanted to shake some sense into Holden a few times.
This series is a winner and I look forward to the next entry.
Sweetheart (Busy Bean #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cowboy (Busy Bean #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cakewalk (Busy Bean #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Friendzoned (Busy Bean #4)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Studfinder (Busy Bean #5)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doubletalk (Busy Bean #6)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sidetracked (Busy Bean #7)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fireproof (Busy Bean #8)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Footnote (Busy Bean #9)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Afterglow (Busy Bean #10)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
January 26, 2021
Gigi Hawthorne Never Thought...
She Would Be Having A Good News/Bad News Life...
The First Sign Was Her Craptastic Car Dying...
Bad News For Sure...
But Then The Good News Was...
There Was A Small Town Here In Vermont...
That Seems Safe, Sweet, And Nice...
More Good News...
Gigi Somehow Lands A Position...
Baking, Decorating Goodies For The Busy Bean...
She Also Lands A Place To Live...
Bad News Is The Landlord...
Holden St. James, Town's Grump And Recluse...
More Bad News...
He Is Gorgeous, Brooding, Comes To The Bean...
And Gigi Can't Seem To Stop Thinking About Him...
GoodNews No One Knows...
Is Holden May Be Ready To Re-Enter The World...
All Due To This Woman...
Nothing Will Be Easy, They Both Have Secrets...
But Maybe With All This Sweetness Abound...
It Could Be A ...
Cakewalk-2021
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
* * * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
So far, the Busy Bean Series has been a winner on many levels. The use of our favorite coffee shop has worked extremely well. It is inviting, has characters that highlight every story, and feels like a place you would call home too.
Gigi Hawthorne lived a life that she never felt part of...her family expected her to toe the line and present the perfect picture of their place in society and wealth dictated. She married "like should have" and it turned out he was abusive. She found the strength to leave, had a plan to go to Canada but her new used car broke down in Vermont.
As she sits in the Busy Bean, pondering how to figure out what her next move is, Gigi hears that the local bakery is no more and the Bean needs pastries. The ladies are talking about decorating and Gigi mentions a trick she learned in the cake decorating class she took. The ladies turn to her and ask if she knows how to do cake decorating, for real. Gigi says yes and the next thing she knows she has a part-time gig.
She knows she may be over her head because of that class she took...well, the cakes were already baked and the students just did the icing and stuff. Gigi figures she will fake it while she learns to make it. Her luck also increases because the fella who is working the coffee bar tells her of a garage apartment he had just moved out of and would be perfect for her. The only hiccup will be the owner.
Holden St. James had settled into a life, it wasn't the one he wanted, it was just the one he inhabited. He had had the life he wanted, with a successful career in rugby, a beautiful loving wife, and a baby on the way. But sometimes, the perfect life you have can be taken away in an instant, and that is what happened to Holden. He was away with the team, coming back, and a home invasion robbery turned murder.
Holden never really recover. He came to Vermont to be with his uncle and stayed long after his uncle returned to the warmer weather in the south. His uncle understood the pain of loss, he lost his beloved wife after many decades of marriage. Holden's family was understanding but felt it was time for him to start living not just existing.
When Holden meets Gigi parts of his mind reawaken. Shocked and confused, he is talked into having Gigi renting his garage apartment. When everyone asks the usual questions to Gigi about who she is, her background, and her status, she repeats the story she has concocted because she does not want her ex-husband to find her.
This tale takes us on a fun path with many hiccups along the way. Gigi is all sunshine and light, the opposite of Holden at first. Events happen that cause them to become more friendly than just landlord and tenant. This opens the story to all sorts of fun. There is real heart mixed in as well.
I happened to enjoy the journey, even when I wanted to shake some sense into Holden a few times.
This series is a winner and I look forward to the next entry.
Sweetheart (Busy Bean #1)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cowboy (Busy Bean #2)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cakewalk (Busy Bean #3)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Friendzoned (Busy Bean #4)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Studfinder (Busy Bean #5) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doubletalk (Busy Bean #6)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sidetracked (Busy Bean #7)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Fireproof (Busy Bean #8)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Footnote (Busy Bean #9)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Afterglow (Busy Bean #10)https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
~~~~~ Before Reading ~~~~~
January 26, 2021
Gigi Hawthorne Never Thought...
She Would Be Having A Good News/Bad News Life...
The First Sign Was Her Craptastic Car Dying...
Bad News For Sure...
But Then The Good News Was...
There Was A Small Town Here In Vermont...
That Seems Safe, Sweet, And Nice...
More Good News...
Gigi Somehow Lands A Position...
Baking, Decorating Goodies For The Busy Bean...
She Also Lands A Place To Live...
Bad News Is The Landlord...
Holden St. James, Town's Grump And Recluse...
More Bad News...
He Is Gorgeous, Brooding, Comes To The Bean...
And Gigi Can't Seem To Stop Thinking About Him...
GoodNews No One Knows...
Is Holden May Be Ready To Re-Enter The World...
All Due To This Woman...
Nothing Will Be Easy, They Both Have Secrets...
But Maybe With All This Sweetness Abound...
It Could Be A ...
Cakewalk-2021
A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
May 25, 2021
I really don't know how to review this book. I know it was a good story that was well written, I also know that this week has been so stressful. So I didn't love the book, and I took a lot longer to read it than anticipated and I didn't really connect to the characters. But was that because my heads just everywhere or is it just because Maybe this book just wasn't for me?
I had moments where i was able to get wrapped up in the story and I really loved the plot. I thought Holden was an amazing boyfriend until he was a huge bit of a knob. And the first time I got it and felt terrible for him and completely sympathized. The second time not so much. I liked that he loved his first wife so much and I thought that might be an issue for me through the story, but I never felt like Gigi was any less than or compared to. He loved his first wife but he also loved Gigi and he was all in, no guilt, no reservations.
Gigi I liked. But that's it. I liked her, next subject. I don't really have anything else to say about her. So yeah that's where I'm at. I liked the few nods to previous characters from the series and the True North world. I liked the secondary characters and I'm looking forward to more of the True North world.
I had moments where i was able to get wrapped up in the story and I really loved the plot. I thought Holden was an amazing boyfriend until he was a huge bit of a knob. And the first time I got it and felt terrible for him and completely sympathized. The second time not so much. I liked that he loved his first wife so much and I thought that might be an issue for me through the story, but I never felt like Gigi was any less than or compared to. He loved his first wife but he also loved Gigi and he was all in, no guilt, no reservations.
Gigi I liked. But that's it. I liked her, next subject. I don't really have anything else to say about her. So yeah that's where I'm at. I liked the few nods to previous characters from the series and the True North world. I liked the secondary characters and I'm looking forward to more of the True North world.
May 24, 2021
3.5 stars. I love how different each book in the True North world is.
This is Gigi & Holden's story. 3rd person pov.
Gigi travels from Georgia on her way to Canada. She ends up in Colebury VT.
She's left her abusive, cheating husband.
She's immediately charmed by the small town and its people.
Holden is a grieving widower who lets Gigi stay in his guest house on godfather's property.
Gigi goes out on a limb and takes a job at the Busy Bean Café.
Holden and Gigi take a little time warming up to each other. Gigi has secrets that she's keeping for her protection. I had mixed feelings about her keeping it in for so long.
There's some great steam after a great build up.
There were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. I loved the little bit of cameo appearances by Audrey and Zara. I hope that Gigi & Holden show up in future books.
THIS IS OUT NOW:
Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/CakewalkAmazon
Apple: https://geni.us/CakewalkApple
Kobo: https://geni.us/CakewalkKobo
Nook: https://geni.us/CakewalkNook
Google: https://geni.us/CakewalkGoogle
I want to read more of Claire Hasting's books.
This is Gigi & Holden's story. 3rd person pov.
Gigi travels from Georgia on her way to Canada. She ends up in Colebury VT.
She's left her abusive, cheating husband.
She's immediately charmed by the small town and its people.
Holden is a grieving widower who lets Gigi stay in his guest house on godfather's property.
Gigi goes out on a limb and takes a job at the Busy Bean Café.
Holden and Gigi take a little time warming up to each other. Gigi has secrets that she's keeping for her protection. I had mixed feelings about her keeping it in for so long.
There's some great steam after a great build up.
There were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. I loved the little bit of cameo appearances by Audrey and Zara. I hope that Gigi & Holden show up in future books.
THIS IS OUT NOW:
Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/CakewalkAmazon
Apple: https://geni.us/CakewalkApple
Kobo: https://geni.us/CakewalkKobo
Nook: https://geni.us/CakewalkNook
Google: https://geni.us/CakewalkGoogle
I want to read more of Claire Hasting's books.
January 2, 2022
Gigi finally got up the nerve to leave her abusive husband after 10-years of marriage and on her way to Montreal, she finds herself in a small Vermont town with a job offer she can’t resist. Only, Gigi isn’t quite qualified to be the new cake baker & decorator at Busy Bean. Gigi decides with starting fresh, she’ll just need to fake it until she makes it.
Needing a place to stay, Gigi ends up renting a room from town grump & recluse, Holden, who just so happens to be a former pro-athlete & widower. After an unfortunately accident in Holden’s carriage house, Gigi ends up staying just down the hall from him. And the more time they spend in close proximity, the more the fire builds between them…
Cakewalk by Claire Hastings is book 3 in the Busy Bean series, set in Sarina Bowen’s True North world. I enjoyed this romance and the overall premise! Some of the drama was a little over the top, but I loved Gigi’s journey to self discovery & Holden tackling his grief. I think so far this is my second fav romance in the series. 3.5/5 stars.
Needing a place to stay, Gigi ends up renting a room from town grump & recluse, Holden, who just so happens to be a former pro-athlete & widower. After an unfortunately accident in Holden’s carriage house, Gigi ends up staying just down the hall from him. And the more time they spend in close proximity, the more the fire builds between them…
Cakewalk by Claire Hastings is book 3 in the Busy Bean series, set in Sarina Bowen’s True North world. I enjoyed this romance and the overall premise! Some of the drama was a little over the top, but I loved Gigi’s journey to self discovery & Holden tackling his grief. I think so far this is my second fav romance in the series. 3.5/5 stars.
July 8, 2021
**Actually a 2.5-rating**
The story had such promise, but--hmm, it's tough to know just where the whole thing began to unravel. But I do know, as far as I am in at this point, this 3rd book is rather lackluster and spiraling steadily down the drain.
This is a new Author for me, and I am kind of in a state of utter displacement. I understand when you create a deeply moving and heartbreaking background to an MC...or to Both there seems to be a little bit of some kid-gloves handling necessary.
Each is skittish or one or both might have serious trepidation with exactly where to go, relationship/love-wise or to even give their heart another opportunity to get hurt or lose their new love interest.
First off, there is a warning for domestic violence--and shortly after meeting the heroine, GiGi, we learn she is the one who seems to be running from something or someone. Possibly Brad/Bradley her husband. She does mention "running from the altar" during vow renewal for their anniversary, but then when she starts to meet people in this Vermont small-town, she coils a story about "being a widow". She is not reactive to people or men, in general, w/PTSD or even a modicum of "Don't Touch Me"-vibes; she is actually quite chipper and sun-shiny, so it's tough to grasp she has been a victim of DV in small or heavier ways.
The only way we know she has been a victim is her narrative sways that way...as she reminds herself how Brad talked down to her and made her feel useless and stupid. She constantly second-guesses any ability she could have to "better" herself, which shows she may have been verbally abused, as well as physically abused. No more than, say, a Trophy Wife, to shut-up and look pretty on Husband's arm and then have his babies.
Her new car is kaput, so she has to stay in this Vermont town for a certain length of time--it's simply a blown tire and the Jeep she bought had NO SPARE.
What is never mentioned in a TW/CW space is how horrific the background is for the hero, Holden. His wife and unborn baby were brutally murdered during a home invasion back in the UK. Holden was a soccer [UK football] legend and he is in this Vermont town, living like a hermit so he can write a book. He rarely leaves his family's home--his uncle/godfather, Caulfield, being the most famous Southern Gothic writer to ever grace the Literary world.
All right, uhm...where to begin? So when a police officer gives GiGi a ride into town, she goes to the local Coffee Cafe--Busy Bean--and manages to overhear a private conversation between the owners where they need someone to decorate cakes. Luckily on a whim during her marriage, GiGi took a rando Cake Decorating class...but, yet DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO BAKE A THING. Still, she is hired at Busy Bean.
The saddest parts are...in every situation GiGi seems to be a TSTL heroine because I guess I am supposed to imagine that because her husband repressed her Wife Skills from ever being genuinely domesticated...she doesn't have Life Skills. It feels as if she never had a childhood [grew up as a child of RICH parents] seemed to try for college but quickly becomes a wife [to a RICH husband] so maybe even though the effort to learn is there...GiGi, like every quirky Southern heroine...becomes a complete KLUTZ and nearly burns down entire kitchens when attempting to learn to bake, for real.
GiGi even has "replacement words" for swear words, but they end up being really damn confusing. Like, instead of saying SHIT!...she says, "Sugar Honey Iced Tea!"??? I have never heard of this and it simply appears to make her look more ridiculous.
Not only does GiGi get an Insta-job [which puts a halt to her escape to Montreal--we don't know why it HAS TO BE Canada, except to fully leave USA territory because of her husband], she gets an Insta-home. Holden wanders into the cafe, meets GiGi and his old tenant is training GiGi and has told her about the old apartment being available for rent. GiGi moves in despite Holden being antisocial...especially to a pretty woman but accepts the situation.
This is when GiGi does a TSTL stunt in her tiny kitchen in this Carriage house behind Holden's main house and causes serious enough smoke and fire damage--it is unhealthy and unsafe to live in, while Holden renovates...she now MOVES IN to one of the 5 bedrooms inside Holden's house.
Suddenly our two once trepidatious MCs are now in a full-on Rom-Com. Every once and awhile minor things trigger each of them into their pasts, but for the most part...GiGi and Holden are BOTH beautiful people who find perfect attractive beauty in one another...so they begin to feel urges and never-before-had-feelings=for-opposite-sex since their last relationship.
Holden has made a deal with GiGi, she can only cook in his kitchen when he is around, in the house. And there will be instances where when she wants to learn how to bake something, they will adorably watch YouTube videos off his laptop. Because for some dumb reason no Big Huge widescreen TV exists in this huge mansion of a house...anyway...
Things had been going along smoothly. GiGi is getting better at baking...and people are wanting to "special order" her stuff for the holidays coming up--one of which is Thanksgiving.
Holden has this chapter where he zones out on GiGi, but she basically asked him not only if it was okay to cook Thanksgiving dinner in his kitchen but would he HELP her? Problem is...he had been up in his office/writing room, thinking back on how Thanksgiving was HIS WIFE'S FAVORITE HOLIDAY and how she often did special "themed" dinners every year...so, in reality, Holden blacked out w/GiGi's conversation and went into a fog of the past, never realizing what he had just said "YES!" to in full agreement.
Here is where I lose a good portion of respect for Holden, and it becomes a genuine Red Flag that the dude needs some kind of therapy or at least going to spend some time with a support group of loved one's who have lost someone to sudden violence--like a Widower/WIdow's group or something.
It has been clear to readers that Holden has never properly dealt with the horrifying loss of his wife and unborn baby. Living a life of seclusion while his family--his parents and Uncle--screaming at him to heal in some way/somehow...Holden has been trying to write his book since his wife/baby passed, but eh, his Muse has left him, as well. So this can be another layer of grief. He has NO OUTLET for anger, grief, or whatever stage of a loved one's death he might be on.
So, GiGi is innocently cooking dinner in the kitchen the next morning...and she has everything ready to go--the whole collection of Thanksgiving Hits...and the very second Holden sees GiGi with a raw turkey ready to baste and prepare it for the day in the oven, with all the fixin's...HE SERIOUSLY EXPLODES?IMPLODES on her...not just yelling and screeching at her...but also--> throwing a raw turkey and all its fixin's off the counter and onto the kitchen floor with one angry swipe...
To GiGi? This reminds her instantly of the way her abusive husband would explode on her with NO NOTICE or WARNING...slam her against a wall...or yell and then smack her across the face for no good reason--Just because she wouldn't OBEY him.
BIG loss of respect for Holden...even though he returns to the house after his shouting angry ball routine...he is deeply apologetic and also telling GiGi his implosion was not her fault--even though she feels just the opposite.
GiGi has to take the time to explain to Holden exactly why she feels the way she does, especially wary of HIM...and does allow Holden to know everything about her husband and what he would do to her. But in a very weird way...it almost does not matter. Yet again, because Holden was so awesome sauce before his implosion...she easily forgives him.
But, alas, I don't. Maybe because, for me, there was not enough groveling on Holden's end...and possibly, even more because The Author never allows slow-burn cultivation or room-to-breathe or process.
She has given BOTH her MCs a level of traumatic backgrounds that would topple the sanest and self-aware human being...and pushes away past traumas like they are mere paper cuts and not severed limbs with phantom pains.
BOTH of them need some kind of extra help. If not now, someday in the future. Neither has properly dealt with their past losses...and, hmm... becoming intimate and starting to have sexual relations never "fixes" all your broken and bent parts.
Take for instance, right after GiGi and Holden first have sex... GiGi has a monologue of dialogue that makes her seem...anxious, panicky and massively clingy--demanding from Holden that HE define exactly what they are, what the sex they just had means, or else she will FLIP THE FREAK OUT and have a mental breakdown, then and there...and it showed me that GiGi starting anything with another man was unhealthy to such a degree...BAD IDEAS all around.
**And, yup...just confirmed...GiGi is full-blown lying about her husband. She has been called a "widow" around town and she has kept it as Truth [just like how she faked knowing how to bake cakes/cupcakes], but Brad is still alive, possibly looking for her. She has not told Holden, yet. It's well past Christmas, and they spent New Year's huddling in front of the Living Room fireplace...they confessed love...but she still holds onto this lie for some idiotic reason. The possible haunting of Brad looking for her over her head???
Kind of lost a majority of respect for GiGi. She is not divorced. Bradley is not dead, so she is not widowed. And here she sits... lying and continuing to have sex with Holden who fathoms otherwise...
Oh, Lordy, save me from this utter bullshit...
**2nd confirmation. GiGi herself HAD spread the rumor that her husband Brad died of a heart-attack [which I had thought I had read her saying outloud] to explain how she was a widow.
NOW?!? A strange Detective from Atlanta is at Holden's front door to take GiGi in for questioning on the suspicious death of her husband around the time she left and escaped from him. Dear God, I had no idea GiGi could get any stupider, and it feels beyond TSTL...major, major betrayal...especially for Holden...but wow, excuses at this point in time are pointless.
You Lied. You Ran. Brad is Dead. Now, there needs to be a proper investigation.
And let me NOT be fully aware of how poetic this is as GiGi is a fan of Southern Gothic mystery/thrillers... especially the ones Holden's Uncle/godfather, Caulfield writes so famously. Ugh...and now she is stuck as the heroine of her own Husband's mysterious death and SHE the Number One Murder Suspect...
**head desk**
Jesus H. Christ-on-cracker...now I am just here for the highway car wreck to rubberneck as I pass on by... what a way to tip-the-scale as we end this book in some dumb HEA...
wow, okay...so The Author thought she could whip up her own murder-mystery in the last-ditch effort at 80%into her book just FLIP the genre she was writing for, via GiGi...since she is such a hardcore fan...and, yeah, not here for it.
In fact, not here for any of it.
Holden did yet another Red Flag bipolar freak-out moment...where he rightfully was angry but weirdly doggedly exploded on GiGi...but to a severe degree that was laughable...suddenly his sweet Southern Belle GiGi is apparently akin to a serial killer like Dexter, I guess...and his apology/grovel in her jail cell...??? skimmed as I rolled my eyes...yet again, I cannot deal with a hero who has NO GAUGES for his emotions...
Am I supposed to find him a gorgeously hawt Cinnamon Roll Beta-guy... because he has Tats and a man-scaped beard? When the character description is likening your reaction to HULKing out [like Incredible Hulk]?? maybe you need to find some professional help...
But, lemme say this... both MCs are kind of weak, awful people...so maybe they'll do all right together. Holden can consistently blow up on GiGi when she pisses him off and does something he dislikes, while she can passive-aggressively wave away his anger-balls of feelings...because when he apologizes and says he IS sorry for being such a douche...Life is better and she still loves him, no matter what.
And GiGi...my gawd...it's a cross between a TSTL and Mary Sue heroine...because when GiGi fails and can burn down small apartments...when she wants to learn HOW TO BAKE...suddenly she's freakin' Martha Stewart on Steroids...
...thankfully, I am done. And I won't be reading this Author again, sadly. There are good bones here but the execution of character development into storyline process is just...utter garbage-on-fire, in-a-bin...
The story had such promise, but--hmm, it's tough to know just where the whole thing began to unravel. But I do know, as far as I am in at this point, this 3rd book is rather lackluster and spiraling steadily down the drain.
This is a new Author for me, and I am kind of in a state of utter displacement. I understand when you create a deeply moving and heartbreaking background to an MC...or to Both there seems to be a little bit of some kid-gloves handling necessary.
Each is skittish or one or both might have serious trepidation with exactly where to go, relationship/love-wise or to even give their heart another opportunity to get hurt or lose their new love interest.
First off, there is a warning for domestic violence--and shortly after meeting the heroine, GiGi, we learn she is the one who seems to be running from something or someone. Possibly Brad/Bradley her husband. She does mention "running from the altar" during vow renewal for their anniversary, but then when she starts to meet people in this Vermont small-town, she coils a story about "being a widow". She is not reactive to people or men, in general, w/PTSD or even a modicum of "Don't Touch Me"-vibes; she is actually quite chipper and sun-shiny, so it's tough to grasp she has been a victim of DV in small or heavier ways.
The only way we know she has been a victim is her narrative sways that way...as she reminds herself how Brad talked down to her and made her feel useless and stupid. She constantly second-guesses any ability she could have to "better" herself, which shows she may have been verbally abused, as well as physically abused. No more than, say, a Trophy Wife, to shut-up and look pretty on Husband's arm and then have his babies.
Her new car is kaput, so she has to stay in this Vermont town for a certain length of time--it's simply a blown tire and the Jeep she bought had NO SPARE.
What is never mentioned in a TW/CW space is how horrific the background is for the hero, Holden. His wife and unborn baby were brutally murdered during a home invasion back in the UK. Holden was a soccer [UK football] legend and he is in this Vermont town, living like a hermit so he can write a book. He rarely leaves his family's home--his uncle/godfather, Caulfield, being the most famous Southern Gothic writer to ever grace the Literary world.
All right, uhm...where to begin? So when a police officer gives GiGi a ride into town, she goes to the local Coffee Cafe--Busy Bean--and manages to overhear a private conversation between the owners where they need someone to decorate cakes. Luckily on a whim during her marriage, GiGi took a rando Cake Decorating class...but, yet DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO BAKE A THING. Still, she is hired at Busy Bean.
The saddest parts are...in every situation GiGi seems to be a TSTL heroine because I guess I am supposed to imagine that because her husband repressed her Wife Skills from ever being genuinely domesticated...she doesn't have Life Skills. It feels as if she never had a childhood [grew up as a child of RICH parents] seemed to try for college but quickly becomes a wife [to a RICH husband] so maybe even though the effort to learn is there...GiGi, like every quirky Southern heroine...becomes a complete KLUTZ and nearly burns down entire kitchens when attempting to learn to bake, for real.
GiGi even has "replacement words" for swear words, but they end up being really damn confusing. Like, instead of saying SHIT!...she says, "Sugar Honey Iced Tea!"??? I have never heard of this and it simply appears to make her look more ridiculous.
Not only does GiGi get an Insta-job [which puts a halt to her escape to Montreal--we don't know why it HAS TO BE Canada, except to fully leave USA territory because of her husband], she gets an Insta-home. Holden wanders into the cafe, meets GiGi and his old tenant is training GiGi and has told her about the old apartment being available for rent. GiGi moves in despite Holden being antisocial...especially to a pretty woman but accepts the situation.
This is when GiGi does a TSTL stunt in her tiny kitchen in this Carriage house behind Holden's main house and causes serious enough smoke and fire damage--it is unhealthy and unsafe to live in, while Holden renovates...she now MOVES IN to one of the 5 bedrooms inside Holden's house.
Suddenly our two once trepidatious MCs are now in a full-on Rom-Com. Every once and awhile minor things trigger each of them into their pasts, but for the most part...GiGi and Holden are BOTH beautiful people who find perfect attractive beauty in one another...so they begin to feel urges and never-before-had-feelings=for-opposite-sex since their last relationship.
Holden has made a deal with GiGi, she can only cook in his kitchen when he is around, in the house. And there will be instances where when she wants to learn how to bake something, they will adorably watch YouTube videos off his laptop. Because for some dumb reason no Big Huge widescreen TV exists in this huge mansion of a house...anyway...
Things had been going along smoothly. GiGi is getting better at baking...and people are wanting to "special order" her stuff for the holidays coming up--one of which is Thanksgiving.
Holden has this chapter where he zones out on GiGi, but she basically asked him not only if it was okay to cook Thanksgiving dinner in his kitchen but would he HELP her? Problem is...he had been up in his office/writing room, thinking back on how Thanksgiving was HIS WIFE'S FAVORITE HOLIDAY and how she often did special "themed" dinners every year...so, in reality, Holden blacked out w/GiGi's conversation and went into a fog of the past, never realizing what he had just said "YES!" to in full agreement.
Here is where I lose a good portion of respect for Holden, and it becomes a genuine Red Flag that the dude needs some kind of therapy or at least going to spend some time with a support group of loved one's who have lost someone to sudden violence--like a Widower/WIdow's group or something.
It has been clear to readers that Holden has never properly dealt with the horrifying loss of his wife and unborn baby. Living a life of seclusion while his family--his parents and Uncle--screaming at him to heal in some way/somehow...Holden has been trying to write his book since his wife/baby passed, but eh, his Muse has left him, as well. So this can be another layer of grief. He has NO OUTLET for anger, grief, or whatever stage of a loved one's death he might be on.
So, GiGi is innocently cooking dinner in the kitchen the next morning...and she has everything ready to go--the whole collection of Thanksgiving Hits...and the very second Holden sees GiGi with a raw turkey ready to baste and prepare it for the day in the oven, with all the fixin's...HE SERIOUSLY EXPLODES?IMPLODES on her...not just yelling and screeching at her...but also--> throwing a raw turkey and all its fixin's off the counter and onto the kitchen floor with one angry swipe...
To GiGi? This reminds her instantly of the way her abusive husband would explode on her with NO NOTICE or WARNING...slam her against a wall...or yell and then smack her across the face for no good reason--Just because she wouldn't OBEY him.
BIG loss of respect for Holden...even though he returns to the house after his shouting angry ball routine...he is deeply apologetic and also telling GiGi his implosion was not her fault--even though she feels just the opposite.
GiGi has to take the time to explain to Holden exactly why she feels the way she does, especially wary of HIM...and does allow Holden to know everything about her husband and what he would do to her. But in a very weird way...it almost does not matter. Yet again, because Holden was so awesome sauce before his implosion...she easily forgives him.
But, alas, I don't. Maybe because, for me, there was not enough groveling on Holden's end...and possibly, even more because The Author never allows slow-burn cultivation or room-to-breathe or process.
She has given BOTH her MCs a level of traumatic backgrounds that would topple the sanest and self-aware human being...and pushes away past traumas like they are mere paper cuts and not severed limbs with phantom pains.
BOTH of them need some kind of extra help. If not now, someday in the future. Neither has properly dealt with their past losses...and, hmm... becoming intimate and starting to have sexual relations never "fixes" all your broken and bent parts.
Take for instance, right after GiGi and Holden first have sex... GiGi has a monologue of dialogue that makes her seem...anxious, panicky and massively clingy--demanding from Holden that HE define exactly what they are, what the sex they just had means, or else she will FLIP THE FREAK OUT and have a mental breakdown, then and there...and it showed me that GiGi starting anything with another man was unhealthy to such a degree...BAD IDEAS all around.
**And, yup...just confirmed...GiGi is full-blown lying about her husband. She has been called a "widow" around town and she has kept it as Truth [just like how she faked knowing how to bake cakes/cupcakes], but Brad is still alive, possibly looking for her. She has not told Holden, yet. It's well past Christmas, and they spent New Year's huddling in front of the Living Room fireplace...they confessed love...but she still holds onto this lie for some idiotic reason. The possible haunting of Brad looking for her over her head???
Kind of lost a majority of respect for GiGi. She is not divorced. Bradley is not dead, so she is not widowed. And here she sits... lying and continuing to have sex with Holden who fathoms otherwise...
Oh, Lordy, save me from this utter bullshit...
**2nd confirmation. GiGi herself HAD spread the rumor that her husband Brad died of a heart-attack [which I had thought I had read her saying outloud] to explain how she was a widow.
NOW?!? A strange Detective from Atlanta is at Holden's front door to take GiGi in for questioning on the suspicious death of her husband around the time she left and escaped from him. Dear God, I had no idea GiGi could get any stupider, and it feels beyond TSTL...major, major betrayal...especially for Holden...but wow, excuses at this point in time are pointless.
You Lied. You Ran. Brad is Dead. Now, there needs to be a proper investigation.
And let me NOT be fully aware of how poetic this is as GiGi is a fan of Southern Gothic mystery/thrillers... especially the ones Holden's Uncle/godfather, Caulfield writes so famously. Ugh...and now she is stuck as the heroine of her own Husband's mysterious death and SHE the Number One Murder Suspect...
**head desk**
Jesus H. Christ-on-cracker...now I am just here for the highway car wreck to rubberneck as I pass on by... what a way to tip-the-scale as we end this book in some dumb HEA...
wow, okay...so The Author thought she could whip up her own murder-mystery in the last-ditch effort at 80%into her book just FLIP the genre she was writing for, via GiGi...since she is such a hardcore fan...and, yeah, not here for it.
In fact, not here for any of it.
Holden did yet another Red Flag bipolar freak-out moment...where he rightfully was angry but weirdly doggedly exploded on GiGi...but to a severe degree that was laughable...suddenly his sweet Southern Belle GiGi is apparently akin to a serial killer like Dexter, I guess...and his apology/grovel in her jail cell...??? skimmed as I rolled my eyes...yet again, I cannot deal with a hero who has NO GAUGES for his emotions...
Am I supposed to find him a gorgeously hawt Cinnamon Roll Beta-guy... because he has Tats and a man-scaped beard? When the character description is likening your reaction to HULKing out [like Incredible Hulk]?? maybe you need to find some professional help...
But, lemme say this... both MCs are kind of weak, awful people...so maybe they'll do all right together. Holden can consistently blow up on GiGi when she pisses him off and does something he dislikes, while she can passive-aggressively wave away his anger-balls of feelings...because when he apologizes and says he IS sorry for being such a douche...Life is better and she still loves him, no matter what.
And GiGi...my gawd...it's a cross between a TSTL and Mary Sue heroine...because when GiGi fails and can burn down small apartments...when she wants to learn HOW TO BAKE...suddenly she's freakin' Martha Stewart on Steroids...
...thankfully, I am done. And I won't be reading this Author again, sadly. There are good bones here but the execution of character development into storyline process is just...utter garbage-on-fire, in-a-bin...
May 9, 2021
ARC received for an honest review
Annnd now we are back in Shipley-land, an my favourite fictional coffee shop (though I am only here for the baked goods - and I amputting on a kg or two just reading about the goodies!)
I did feel that Gigi's story did come on a bit thick and fast with how easily and quickly she got set up in town, but this is probably just a me thing, and it didn't feel that way as the book progressed
Holden is all grumpy and sexy and I want one of him in my life.
I adored Gigi's persistance and steadfastness in becoming the new and improved Gigi. I can't imagine what she was going through, but I could applaud her moving on.
I did spend the most part of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop. I knew it was going to happen, I knew how Holden was going to react, but it sure didn't happen all the way that I was expecting.
I did also love the classic literary character names used...you will know them when you see them
I need to add Vermont to my next USA visit, and hope that I an have at least one of these experiences!
Bring on the next Busy Bean book!
a>
May 24, 2021
Gigi ran away from his abusing husband and by fate she lands in Vermount. While she is waiting for her car flat tire to be changed at a Busy Bean table she gets a job as cake designer, there's only one little problem she has never made a cake in her life. Holden is a retired football player who hid himself in Colbury after he lost his wife. He is a bit of a recluse, his only guilty pleasure is going for a run and to take a coffee at the Busy Bean but everything will change when he reluctantly accepts to rent a place to Gigi. Will they be perfect for each other to be happy again? Or will their secrets shade their feelings?
I've adored Gigi and Holden, at the beginning they were scared to open up to others for different reasons but slowly they become friends and they start to show one another their nice, sweet and likeable personality. It was really a pleasure to see Gigi coming out of her shell and be the strong, capable woman that her husband tried to break.
Their love for the written words made me love them even more.
Claire Hastings gave us a great novel, her writing was easy to read even if it talks about some tough subjects but they still are powerful and some scenes made me cry.
Cakewalk was an incredibly beautiful story I highly recommend it.
Copy kindly provided by the Publisher/Author.
May 24, 2021
Not gonna lie, when you put together Holden’s circumstances (history) with Gigi’s circumstances (history) it could have turned this story into an ugly-cry-fest but Claire didn’t do that. She turned the tables on all of it and made it a hopeful-fest full of heart and man am I glad for that! I felt the hope in the story; it was strong, and it fit their character nicely. I also give Claire mad-props for creating a story with insta-spark but making sure it didn’t come across as insta anything.
There’s not much I didn’t enjoy about Cakewalk, except, in my opinion, Gigi kept her *secrets* a bit too close to the vest for a bit too long. If I as a reader start to get exasperated with a plot point, it lessens the shine of the story for me and I’m not a fan of any of that, especially when I love the characters and the world around the characters so much. So yeah, Gigi made me twitch a few times but again, I’ve never walked in her shoes before so what do I know …
I read Claire’s Indigo Royal Resort series last year and was super impressed with her style, how she developed stories and characters and how easy she made her stories for a reader to become immersed in them and it all holds true still today and will probably still hold true in the future. I’m looking forward to reading her upcoming sports romance this summer and see what she has up her sleeve for that series!
Grab your copy of Cakewalk TODAY ➡ https://geni.us/Cakewalk
Find out more about Cakewalk HERE ➡ https://wp.me/p7rQ0C-6PH
There’s not much I didn’t enjoy about Cakewalk, except, in my opinion, Gigi kept her *secrets* a bit too close to the vest for a bit too long. If I as a reader start to get exasperated with a plot point, it lessens the shine of the story for me and I’m not a fan of any of that, especially when I love the characters and the world around the characters so much. So yeah, Gigi made me twitch a few times but again, I’ve never walked in her shoes before so what do I know …
I read Claire’s Indigo Royal Resort series last year and was super impressed with her style, how she developed stories and characters and how easy she made her stories for a reader to become immersed in them and it all holds true still today and will probably still hold true in the future. I’m looking forward to reading her upcoming sports romance this summer and see what she has up her sleeve for that series!
Grab your copy of Cakewalk TODAY ➡ https://geni.us/Cakewalk
Find out more about Cakewalk HERE ➡ https://wp.me/p7rQ0C-6PH
October 8, 2022
I really liked Gigi from the start, hated that she was on the run from an abusive husband, but she stumbled into the right place to stop, breathe and figure out what was next. Finding a job was just the icing on the cake.
I loved that Gigi jumped into making cakes, despite not doing any baking at all and how everyone sort of gave her a pass, giving little hints on how to get better.
I wasn't sure about Holden, he was so grumpy and rightfully so, yet I wanted him to get over it, to be open to starting to live again, bonus points if it was with Gigi.
The two of them were cute together as they discovered a new relationship with each other, it was all rainbows and puppies, which they both needed. Even Holden's family loved Gigi and embraced her with open arms.
I knew Gigi's secret would come out and it would probably be bad, but didn't expect what really happened. I hated how much Holden let down Gigi, glad that his godfather ripped him a new one and told him what he should do.
The ending to this one was so great! Loved that Gigi's new dream came true, as did her starting a new life with Holden, so much goodness for them is to come!
I loved that Gigi jumped into making cakes, despite not doing any baking at all and how everyone sort of gave her a pass, giving little hints on how to get better.
I wasn't sure about Holden, he was so grumpy and rightfully so, yet I wanted him to get over it, to be open to starting to live again, bonus points if it was with Gigi.
The two of them were cute together as they discovered a new relationship with each other, it was all rainbows and puppies, which they both needed. Even Holden's family loved Gigi and embraced her with open arms.
I knew Gigi's secret would come out and it would probably be bad, but didn't expect what really happened. I hated how much Holden let down Gigi, glad that his godfather ripped him a new one and told him what he should do.
The ending to this one was so great! Loved that Gigi's new dream came true, as did her starting a new life with Holden, so much goodness for them is to come!
May 24, 2021
Cakewalk is the third book in the Busy Bean Series set in Sarina Bowen’s World of True North, but it’s a complete standalone. It can be enjoyed one hundred percent by itself.
I love the Busy Bean series. I think it’s the perfect blend of new characters and different voices set in Sarina’s Vermont with regular appearances by old favorites like Zara, Audrey and Roderick to name a few.
Cakewalk is a sweet and hilarious opposites attract story with lots of heat. It gave me all the feels. It has emotional depth and the characters are well developed, and the setting in extremely well done. I loved the Vermonty-ness of it. It is a delightful read.
I loved Gigi. She’s keeping secrets and is adjusting to a new life full of possibilities when she lands in Vermont. She’s very resourceful despite her clumsiness and she’s a hoot. Her scars are not visible but they run deep.
Holden is a widower and an ex jock. His scars are also emotional and keep him isolated from everything and everyone, including his family. He’s a grump with a temper but has a very soft spot for his Southern housemate. Gigi is perfect for him because they complemet each other perfectly and help each other heal.
Then there’s Hunny, the hippie friend who helps Gigi como out of her shell. She’s funny and oddly wise and adorable. Then there’s Holden’s family. His parents and his famous godfather. The setting is perfectly Vermonty, with a mix of Busy Bean shenanigans, a wonderful old Vermont estate, and farmers’ markets.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s written in third person and it is lighthearted and heartwarming, but it has a lot of heat and heart. It has a bit of emotional turmoil, but it serves to give depth to the story and the characters. It’s very well done. The plot twist might not have been my favorite in terms of the story line, but it works. I truly had a great time reading this book and I’m looking forward to reading more books in the Busy Bean series.
I love the Busy Bean series. I think it’s the perfect blend of new characters and different voices set in Sarina’s Vermont with regular appearances by old favorites like Zara, Audrey and Roderick to name a few.
Cakewalk is a sweet and hilarious opposites attract story with lots of heat. It gave me all the feels. It has emotional depth and the characters are well developed, and the setting in extremely well done. I loved the Vermonty-ness of it. It is a delightful read.
I loved Gigi. She’s keeping secrets and is adjusting to a new life full of possibilities when she lands in Vermont. She’s very resourceful despite her clumsiness and she’s a hoot. Her scars are not visible but they run deep.
Holden is a widower and an ex jock. His scars are also emotional and keep him isolated from everything and everyone, including his family. He’s a grump with a temper but has a very soft spot for his Southern housemate. Gigi is perfect for him because they complemet each other perfectly and help each other heal.
Then there’s Hunny, the hippie friend who helps Gigi como out of her shell. She’s funny and oddly wise and adorable. Then there’s Holden’s family. His parents and his famous godfather. The setting is perfectly Vermonty, with a mix of Busy Bean shenanigans, a wonderful old Vermont estate, and farmers’ markets.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s written in third person and it is lighthearted and heartwarming, but it has a lot of heat and heart. It has a bit of emotional turmoil, but it serves to give depth to the story and the characters. It’s very well done. The plot twist might not have been my favorite in terms of the story line, but it works. I truly had a great time reading this book and I’m looking forward to reading more books in the Busy Bean series.
August 9, 2021
Gigi was super sweet and it was funny to see her bumbling her way into learning how to bake cakes. Holden radiates pain and it takes a while for Gigi to worm her way in. He screws up a few times but that just makes him more real. I'm glad the princess and her troll got their HEA.
May 21, 2021
4.5 Star review of Cakewalk (Busy Bean #3) by Claire Hastings
It was great to be back at the Busy Bean Cafe. Claire Hastings is a relatively new author to me but what I have read I have really enjoyed. Cakewalk is well written with characters whose story you cannot help but become invested in.
Having escaped an abusive marriage, Gigi Hawthorne is starting over in Vermont.
Fate works in mysterious ways and and she soon finds herself working as a cake decorator
(even though she has no idea how to bake cakes) at the Busy Bean. Holden St. James is a
man who is trying to come to terms with life after the death of his wife. Gigi rents his
carriage house and the last thing that Holden wants or expects is to be attracted to her.
As Holden and Gigi’s friendship develops into more the emotions intensify, particularly
when Gigi’s past comes back to haunt her. Will Holden be able to protect Gigi, the woman
he has come to love? Or will her past destroy their chance at a happily ever after?
One click and find out.
It was great to be back at the Busy Bean Cafe. Claire Hastings is a relatively new author to me but what I have read I have really enjoyed. Cakewalk is well written with characters whose story you cannot help but become invested in.
Having escaped an abusive marriage, Gigi Hawthorne is starting over in Vermont.
Fate works in mysterious ways and and she soon finds herself working as a cake decorator
(even though she has no idea how to bake cakes) at the Busy Bean. Holden St. James is a
man who is trying to come to terms with life after the death of his wife. Gigi rents his
carriage house and the last thing that Holden wants or expects is to be attracted to her.
As Holden and Gigi’s friendship develops into more the emotions intensify, particularly
when Gigi’s past comes back to haunt her. Will Holden be able to protect Gigi, the woman
he has come to love? Or will her past destroy their chance at a happily ever after?
One click and find out.
May 18, 2021
*I was provided with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review*
When I first heard about the Busy Bean books, a series featuring books written by other authors in Sarina Bowen’s World of True North, I knew I wanted to read them. Small town, coffee shop love in Vermont... what's not to love about that? And since I'm reviewing all "Yummy Love" themed books for the podcast this month, Cakewalk's release could not have come at a more perfect time.
Having read Claire's books before, I knew to expect some heat, some humor, and a whole lot of heart, exactly what I score for on my podcast reviews. However, I did not anticipate a fourth "h", one that ruled both the hero and heroine's narrative: healing. This is so much more than a cute, bakery love story. This is a story about healing from heartbreak and starting over (or, from "scratch"). 🍰🧁
Our hero - broody, former professional soccer player turned recluse writer - Holden St. James takes some warming-up, too but once he's warm... he's HOT. Our heroine - socialite who escapes her abusive husband to start anew as a cake decorator - Gigi is a strong ass woman. Gigi haphazardly lands a job as a cake decorator at the local café. The problem is she doesn't know how to bake... I absolutely adored the time Gigi spent in the kitchen perfecting her recipes as it often led to bonding (and sometimes, sexy) times between Gigi and Holden. Seriously Claire, where's the sticky honey bun recipe?
There's a miscommunication at the start of Gigi and Holden's relationship that I knew would come back to bite them later on, however that definitely didn't stop me from enjoying the book start to finish. My one complaint is the mystery (which is hard to explain without giving spoilers) that happens in the latter half of the book. It kind of came out of left field, plus the entire mystery unfolds off the page and as a mystery fan, that bothered me. That being said, the romance is what matters most (that, and some sexy times in the kitchen which as far as I'm concerned, every foodie-romance needs) and Gigi and Holden's romance absolutely came through in this story. 🥰 I hope to see them pop up in future books in the series.
Heart: 10/10
Humor: 7/10
Heat: 9/10
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 / 5
Listen to the full line up of "Yummy Love" reviews on the Boobies & Noobies podcast. Check it out on your favorite pod app or on our website, www.boobiesandnoobies.com
IG: @boobiespodcast
Twitter: @boobiespodcast
When I first heard about the Busy Bean books, a series featuring books written by other authors in Sarina Bowen’s World of True North, I knew I wanted to read them. Small town, coffee shop love in Vermont... what's not to love about that? And since I'm reviewing all "Yummy Love" themed books for the podcast this month, Cakewalk's release could not have come at a more perfect time.
Having read Claire's books before, I knew to expect some heat, some humor, and a whole lot of heart, exactly what I score for on my podcast reviews. However, I did not anticipate a fourth "h", one that ruled both the hero and heroine's narrative: healing. This is so much more than a cute, bakery love story. This is a story about healing from heartbreak and starting over (or, from "scratch"). 🍰🧁
Our hero - broody, former professional soccer player turned recluse writer - Holden St. James takes some warming-up, too but once he's warm... he's HOT. Our heroine - socialite who escapes her abusive husband to start anew as a cake decorator - Gigi is a strong ass woman. Gigi haphazardly lands a job as a cake decorator at the local café. The problem is she doesn't know how to bake... I absolutely adored the time Gigi spent in the kitchen perfecting her recipes as it often led to bonding (and sometimes, sexy) times between Gigi and Holden. Seriously Claire, where's the sticky honey bun recipe?
There's a miscommunication at the start of Gigi and Holden's relationship that I knew would come back to bite them later on, however that definitely didn't stop me from enjoying the book start to finish. My one complaint is the mystery (which is hard to explain without giving spoilers) that happens in the latter half of the book. It kind of came out of left field, plus the entire mystery unfolds off the page and as a mystery fan, that bothered me. That being said, the romance is what matters most (that, and some sexy times in the kitchen which as far as I'm concerned, every foodie-romance needs) and Gigi and Holden's romance absolutely came through in this story. 🥰 I hope to see them pop up in future books in the series.
Heart: 10/10
Humor: 7/10
Heat: 9/10
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 / 5
Listen to the full line up of "Yummy Love" reviews on the Boobies & Noobies podcast. Check it out on your favorite pod app or on our website, www.boobiesandnoobies.com
IG: @boobiespodcast
Twitter: @boobiespodcast
May 26, 2021
There were parts of this that I definitely enjoyed, but other parts were just too out of left field for me. Also, while I really want to, I never really felt the connection between Holden and Gigi all that strong.
May 24, 2021
Cakewalk by Claire Hastings is book #3 in the Busy Bean Series set in Sarina Bowen’s True North world and I cannot get enough of these books. Claire Hastings is a new to me author and I will definitely be checking out more of her work. Her characters are sensitive, quirky, kind and resilient. From beginning to end I was immersed in the story, setting and characters.
Gigi has escaped a life of abuse and ends up in Vermont by way of a flat tire and fate has her staying put much longer than she originally anticipates. From the first interaction Holden and Gigi have a strong connection that neither can deny. Holden is struggling from a horrific loss of his wife and unborn child. He is a writer and former soccer player from London. He is all muscles and tattoos but deep down is a sensitive struggling man. Gigi is determined to make something of her life. I admired her resilience and independence. I wasn’t a fan of the secret she was keeping from Holden. There were better ways she could have handled it and I just felt it took away from a deeper connection between them. Otherwise I adored the story and loved getting more of the Shipley’s and Rossi’s.
*Advanced reader copy received in exchange of an honest review.
Gigi has escaped a life of abuse and ends up in Vermont by way of a flat tire and fate has her staying put much longer than she originally anticipates. From the first interaction Holden and Gigi have a strong connection that neither can deny. Holden is struggling from a horrific loss of his wife and unborn child. He is a writer and former soccer player from London. He is all muscles and tattoos but deep down is a sensitive struggling man. Gigi is determined to make something of her life. I admired her resilience and independence. I wasn’t a fan of the secret she was keeping from Holden. There were better ways she could have handled it and I just felt it took away from a deeper connection between them. Otherwise I adored the story and loved getting more of the Shipley’s and Rossi’s.
*Advanced reader copy received in exchange of an honest review.
May 10, 2021
Loved loved loved this book.
Once I picked up this book I couldn't put it down.
Gigi is hilarious, I genuinely laughed out loud. She is the perfect girl next door, wish she was your best friend, that type of girl!
Holden is mysterious sexy and all around swoon-worthy! I couldn't get enough of him. He was so sweet.
I love how well they worked together, helping each other overcome traumatic experiences.
This book has so many layers. Each layer captivating me completely. Everything about this book was perfect. The characters were amazing, the pace was perfect and the chemistry was off the charts. It was so charming and loveable.
Claire Hastings can do no wrong haha!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Triggers - Abuse and violence
Once I picked up this book I couldn't put it down.
Gigi is hilarious, I genuinely laughed out loud. She is the perfect girl next door, wish she was your best friend, that type of girl!
Holden is mysterious sexy and all around swoon-worthy! I couldn't get enough of him. He was so sweet.
I love how well they worked together, helping each other overcome traumatic experiences.
This book has so many layers. Each layer captivating me completely. Everything about this book was perfect. The characters were amazing, the pace was perfect and the chemistry was off the charts. It was so charming and loveable.
Claire Hastings can do no wrong haha!
Thank you to the author for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Triggers - Abuse and violence
May 9, 2021
Cakewalk seems so simple, but reveals itself to be anything but. Dive heart first into a tale of multiple twists and turns. From new beginnings to past mistakes, it's hard to outrun the shadows. Gigi and Holden are alluringly complicated. Learning how to live, but afraid of the emotion that entails. Hastings continues to push the boundaries of the heart with undeniable ease.
May 26, 2021
Could have been so much better...
Written in third person but it does switch between the two MC’s heads. The premise is fairly simple - woman (Gigi) escapes abusive husband and settles down in small-town Vermont due to a bad sense of direction and a flat tire. She meets a grumpy widower (Holden) and they fall in love. Easy peasy.
While waiting for her flat tire to be fixed, Gigi overhears the owners of the Busy Bean lamenting the need for a cake decorator. Gigi explains that it’s easy and gets hired to not only decorate but bake the cakes. This is one of my biggest problems with this book.
It’s established that Roderick is the baker and he does all kinds of stuff but can’t decorate cakes. Fine. There is no reason why he wouldn’t bake the cakes, at least initially, and just let someone else decorate. I understand that Gigi wouldn’t want to admit that she can’t bake, but why wouldn’t she test or taste the things she makes before selling them in the cafe?
When Gigi arrives in town, she tells everyone (including Holden) that she is a widower, solely so that people won’t ask questions. I was fine with this but it made it easy to figure out what the MCs’ big fight was going to be about at or towards the end.
More issues with Gigi’s backstory... It’s established early on that she left her ex “at the alter” of their vow renewal for their anniversary. The first thing that popped into my head was “Are you insane?” Why would a survivor of abuse leave in a way that is sure to humiliate her ex? She’s concerned about him finding her but she has to know that leaving him in a public way like that would just anger him further so that if/when he does find her it will be that much worse. Not only that, but public humiliation would make his hunt for her a priority and he would want to be “seen” looking for her in order to save face (“She didn’t leave me. She was abducted/injured/etc and I’ll find her.”).
Beyond the timing of her departure, I had other questions. Where are her parents? If still alive, why not go to them? Why not divorce? She has money from her family so why take a job right away? Some of these questions were answered by the end of the book but it just seemed like the author didn’t put much thought into things and opted for “moving the plot along” instead of using any realistic situations.
There were a good amount of sexy time and they were fairly well written. The book was mostly low angst/drama - history of abuse but no descriptions. There was a little humor but not much. The book does have a HEA but there’s a bonus epilogue that can be downloaded/sent but I didn’t bother.
There is supposed to be a “twist” ending, in that it didn’t follow the predicted path, but it seemed hastily put together and again, not well thought out.
Overall, I’m disappointed in this book and will not read it again or seek out other books by this author. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is that it wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read (1 star) and it was better than a 2 star read because it had a beginning, middle and end and most of the characters were likable.
Written in third person but it does switch between the two MC’s heads. The premise is fairly simple - woman (Gigi) escapes abusive husband and settles down in small-town Vermont due to a bad sense of direction and a flat tire. She meets a grumpy widower (Holden) and they fall in love. Easy peasy.
While waiting for her flat tire to be fixed, Gigi overhears the owners of the Busy Bean lamenting the need for a cake decorator. Gigi explains that it’s easy and gets hired to not only decorate but bake the cakes. This is one of my biggest problems with this book.
It’s established that Roderick is the baker and he does all kinds of stuff but can’t decorate cakes. Fine. There is no reason why he wouldn’t bake the cakes, at least initially, and just let someone else decorate. I understand that Gigi wouldn’t want to admit that she can’t bake, but why wouldn’t she test or taste the things she makes before selling them in the cafe?
When Gigi arrives in town, she tells everyone (including Holden) that she is a widower, solely so that people won’t ask questions. I was fine with this but it made it easy to figure out what the MCs’ big fight was going to be about at or towards the end.
More issues with Gigi’s backstory... It’s established early on that she left her ex “at the alter” of their vow renewal for their anniversary. The first thing that popped into my head was “Are you insane?” Why would a survivor of abuse leave in a way that is sure to humiliate her ex? She’s concerned about him finding her but she has to know that leaving him in a public way like that would just anger him further so that if/when he does find her it will be that much worse. Not only that, but public humiliation would make his hunt for her a priority and he would want to be “seen” looking for her in order to save face (“She didn’t leave me. She was abducted/injured/etc and I’ll find her.”).
Beyond the timing of her departure, I had other questions. Where are her parents? If still alive, why not go to them? Why not divorce? She has money from her family so why take a job right away? Some of these questions were answered by the end of the book but it just seemed like the author didn’t put much thought into things and opted for “moving the plot along” instead of using any realistic situations.
There were a good amount of sexy time and they were fairly well written. The book was mostly low angst/drama - history of abuse but no descriptions. There was a little humor but not much. The book does have a HEA but there’s a bonus epilogue that can be downloaded/sent but I didn’t bother.
There is supposed to be a “twist” ending, in that it didn’t follow the predicted path, but it seemed hastily put together and again, not well thought out.
Overall, I’m disappointed in this book and will not read it again or seek out other books by this author. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is that it wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read (1 star) and it was better than a 2 star read because it had a beginning, middle and end and most of the characters were likable.
July 6, 2022
TW: DV. Death of spouse.
I didn’t expect that I was going to encounter so many things that annoyed me in this book. Despite my bio, I’m actually a nice person. But here we go:
• At first, the girl is really clumsy. A real klutz. She has no life-skill whatsoever. She manages to burn a kitchen just for baking. And I was like, well she has been abused that her husband really wrapped her around his fingers but that’s just insulting. I’ve seen a lot of DV survivor, single mothers to boot, manage to create and own a business. But I’m not going to judge her. This is her first time away from her husband so…
• The fact that she got hired instantly without interview or demonstration of her skill, lmaooooo
• The fact that the guy (an adult) thinks she’s (also an adult) adorable and calls her sweetheart just icky to me. But to his defense, though, I too was surprised when I found out that the girl is 34. She oozes a helpless little kid vibe. My 18 year-old sister is more mature than she is.
• After the freak out in the kitchen when he throws a whole ass turkey to the floor, Holden is done to me. Everything he says, thinks, acts, afterwards is nyenyenyenyenye to me. The whole book becomes a fantasy genre to me (wait, that’s insulting to the fantasy genre, my apologies). I’ve read It Ends With Us. I’ve watched Maid. So now I won’t give a guy (even a fictional one) a chance after THAT. I’m sorry, maybe because I’ve been raised in a household where men never lay a finger on me so I won’t lower my standard, let alone a fictional one.
• Holden thinks his late wife sends Gigi from heaven. Yeah, ok. I also think he’s too immature for a 39 year-old. It’s like he has no original thought. Everything has to be laid out by his godfather. His original thoughts are always negative assumptions.
• The listen to Taylor Swift
• The ending was ehhh
• The one star is for Stephen Dexter for narrating the story. I love him. The book can piss off.
I didn’t expect that I was going to encounter so many things that annoyed me in this book. Despite my bio, I’m actually a nice person. But here we go:
• At first, the girl is really clumsy. A real klutz. She has no life-skill whatsoever. She manages to burn a kitchen just for baking. And I was like, well she has been abused that her husband really wrapped her around his fingers but that’s just insulting. I’ve seen a lot of DV survivor, single mothers to boot, manage to create and own a business. But I’m not going to judge her. This is her first time away from her husband so…
• The fact that she got hired instantly without interview or demonstration of her skill, lmaooooo
• The fact that the guy (an adult) thinks she’s (also an adult) adorable and calls her sweetheart just icky to me. But to his defense, though, I too was surprised when I found out that the girl is 34. She oozes a helpless little kid vibe. My 18 year-old sister is more mature than she is.
• After the freak out in the kitchen when he throws a whole ass turkey to the floor, Holden is done to me. Everything he says, thinks, acts, afterwards is nyenyenyenyenye to me. The whole book becomes a fantasy genre to me (wait, that’s insulting to the fantasy genre, my apologies). I’ve read It Ends With Us. I’ve watched Maid. So now I won’t give a guy (even a fictional one) a chance after THAT. I’m sorry, maybe because I’ve been raised in a household where men never lay a finger on me so I won’t lower my standard, let alone a fictional one.
• Holden thinks his late wife sends Gigi from heaven. Yeah, ok. I also think he’s too immature for a 39 year-old. It’s like he has no original thought. Everything has to be laid out by his godfather. His original thoughts are always negative assumptions.
• The listen to Taylor Swift
"You did not just say that about Queen Tay. Hashtag T-Swift for life"🙄😐😑😐but they didn't even think about the spectrum of asexuality when she said she didn’t enjoy sex.
• The ending was ehhh
• The one star is for Stephen Dexter for narrating the story. I love him. The book can piss off.
February 11, 2023
horrible hero
Holden was horrible. There are two instances in this book where Holden goes off on Gi Gi in brutal way. He’s wasn’t physically abusive like her husband, but he was definitely verbally abusive to her. He says just awful things to her and kicks her out when she needs him most. He doesn’t have to grovel at all either. She just runs right back to him. I really hated him and I just wanted her to pack her bags and never look back.
Holden was horrible. There are two instances in this book where Holden goes off on Gi Gi in brutal way. He’s wasn’t physically abusive like her husband, but he was definitely verbally abusive to her. He says just awful things to her and kicks her out when she needs him most. He doesn’t have to grovel at all either. She just runs right back to him. I really hated him and I just wanted her to pack her bags and never look back.
May 24, 2021
Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️
“She was bringing him back to the world he’d known before, one that he’d thought was lost forever.”
On entering Claire Hastings’s Cakewalk, a Busy Bean story, I sighed with content. It has been a few months since we were introduced to the first few stories of this new series out of the World of True North universe, and I had missed this essential hub in Colebury. With Audrey, Zara, and Roderick as the anchors for this story, I jumped in. And what I found is a story that tugs at your heart as its hero, Holden, and heroine, Gigi, must overcome the tragic circumstances of their pasts to find a future together.
In Hastings’s Cakewalk, you are met with Holden whose tragic past has left him simply existing, not living abundantly. A victim to his routine, he spurns regular contact with the world to live in his pain. Concurrently, Gigi is running from her life. A Southern Belle from an affluent family, she’s been a victim to its grasp, and she leaves Georgia to find a new life. Not expecting to land in Colebury, she finds herself stranded there due to car issues. While her car is being fixed, she happens upon the Busy Bean where a strange string of events point to Colebury being the place for her to live. With a new job for which she’s ill-prepared, Gigi’s beginning feels fraught with complications; however, when Holden enters her life and he offers her a place to live, she feels a strange tug to him. As Holden and Gigi engage in each other’s lives, she feels a strong connection that grows deeper as they navigate lives that seem to be changing and expanding. However, will their pasts catch up to them? Are they destined for a future together?
From the first chapter, as Gigi flees her life, I was hooked. I have this habit of prioritizing my reads based on release dates, the more recent release dates requiring the earliest read. As I order my ARCs, I read a page of the stories so they will move within my Kindle app. Every time I entered Cakewalk, I didn’t want to stop reading because Gigi’s flight hints at trauma, and Hastings compels you further into her story. She very early leads us into Holden’s trauma which also hooks you to her story. Hastings’s capacity to develop their chemistry in a way that feels reasonable and believable makes you want more for them. Hastings’s deft pacing also guides the reader forward, falling deeper into Gigi and Holden’s story.
What you find further into Cakewalk is its insistence on proffering the message that we have to live abundantly in the moment, no matter the past. It’s clear that Holden’s life has been placed on hold, keeping him frozen from living life. Similarly, Gigi’s life has kept her suspended. While they each have different motivations for this, Hastings suggests through their experiences that we must live in the moment, allowing love to guide our lives. As this message is revealed, the adoration between Gigi and Holden transforms the story, and their relationship moves from something that feels strained and contentious to something that will make you want to weep. That transition, in my opinion, is the best part of Cakewalk.
An added bonus to this story is the ancillary characters that play a part in Holden’s life as wizened guides. I love how Hastings weaves a literary tradition into her romance in a variety of ways especially because this reader teaches English. Even more, I love a good personal evolution story as characters makeover themselves, and Gigi’s journey fulfills that interest in this book.
For the newest book in the Busy Bean world, Claire Hastings has baked up a delicious treat with Cakewalk. If you haven’t yet jumped into this series, Cakewalk is a perfect guide.
“She was bringing him back to the world he’d known before, one that he’d thought was lost forever.”
On entering Claire Hastings’s Cakewalk, a Busy Bean story, I sighed with content. It has been a few months since we were introduced to the first few stories of this new series out of the World of True North universe, and I had missed this essential hub in Colebury. With Audrey, Zara, and Roderick as the anchors for this story, I jumped in. And what I found is a story that tugs at your heart as its hero, Holden, and heroine, Gigi, must overcome the tragic circumstances of their pasts to find a future together.
In Hastings’s Cakewalk, you are met with Holden whose tragic past has left him simply existing, not living abundantly. A victim to his routine, he spurns regular contact with the world to live in his pain. Concurrently, Gigi is running from her life. A Southern Belle from an affluent family, she’s been a victim to its grasp, and she leaves Georgia to find a new life. Not expecting to land in Colebury, she finds herself stranded there due to car issues. While her car is being fixed, she happens upon the Busy Bean where a strange string of events point to Colebury being the place for her to live. With a new job for which she’s ill-prepared, Gigi’s beginning feels fraught with complications; however, when Holden enters her life and he offers her a place to live, she feels a strange tug to him. As Holden and Gigi engage in each other’s lives, she feels a strong connection that grows deeper as they navigate lives that seem to be changing and expanding. However, will their pasts catch up to them? Are they destined for a future together?
From the first chapter, as Gigi flees her life, I was hooked. I have this habit of prioritizing my reads based on release dates, the more recent release dates requiring the earliest read. As I order my ARCs, I read a page of the stories so they will move within my Kindle app. Every time I entered Cakewalk, I didn’t want to stop reading because Gigi’s flight hints at trauma, and Hastings compels you further into her story. She very early leads us into Holden’s trauma which also hooks you to her story. Hastings’s capacity to develop their chemistry in a way that feels reasonable and believable makes you want more for them. Hastings’s deft pacing also guides the reader forward, falling deeper into Gigi and Holden’s story.
What you find further into Cakewalk is its insistence on proffering the message that we have to live abundantly in the moment, no matter the past. It’s clear that Holden’s life has been placed on hold, keeping him frozen from living life. Similarly, Gigi’s life has kept her suspended. While they each have different motivations for this, Hastings suggests through their experiences that we must live in the moment, allowing love to guide our lives. As this message is revealed, the adoration between Gigi and Holden transforms the story, and their relationship moves from something that feels strained and contentious to something that will make you want to weep. That transition, in my opinion, is the best part of Cakewalk.
An added bonus to this story is the ancillary characters that play a part in Holden’s life as wizened guides. I love how Hastings weaves a literary tradition into her romance in a variety of ways especially because this reader teaches English. Even more, I love a good personal evolution story as characters makeover themselves, and Gigi’s journey fulfills that interest in this book.
For the newest book in the Busy Bean world, Claire Hastings has baked up a delicious treat with Cakewalk. If you haven’t yet jumped into this series, Cakewalk is a perfect guide.
May 23, 2021
~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads ~~
This is the third book in the series - and it definitely helps to have read them in order as the characters are so much richer when you have got to know them as they cement their future in the town and much revolves around the Busy Bean!
There is a lot to love in this story - and the tension which is developed from Gigi's secret ensures that you are always a little worried about how this is going to play out ... I have to say I didn't expect it, and I also thought it was super clever. You will see what I mean!
It was difficult not to fall in love with Gigi as she made an offer to decorate cakes, and suddenly found that she was also expected to bake them ... a skill that she did not have. Watching her learning by trial and error ... and oh what an early, dangerous error ... is fun, but also gives her and Holden a chance to get to know each other a lot better.
From the hints of early romance, the growing passion and the amusing cupcake topping creations, to the perfect ending, this is a very good addition to the series. I really enjoyed meeting new characters and imagining them also getting their HEA opportunity soon!
This is the third book in the series - and it definitely helps to have read them in order as the characters are so much richer when you have got to know them as they cement their future in the town and much revolves around the Busy Bean!
There is a lot to love in this story - and the tension which is developed from Gigi's secret ensures that you are always a little worried about how this is going to play out ... I have to say I didn't expect it, and I also thought it was super clever. You will see what I mean!
It was difficult not to fall in love with Gigi as she made an offer to decorate cakes, and suddenly found that she was also expected to bake them ... a skill that she did not have. Watching her learning by trial and error ... and oh what an early, dangerous error ... is fun, but also gives her and Holden a chance to get to know each other a lot better.
From the hints of early romance, the growing passion and the amusing cupcake topping creations, to the perfect ending, this is a very good addition to the series. I really enjoyed meeting new characters and imagining them also getting their HEA opportunity soon!
May 17, 2021
First offer I love Claire Hastings! So I was excited to read this book not having read the other Busy Bean books. This can be read as a completed stand alone.
If your a fan of Claire Hastings books this is definitely a change a pace for her but in a great way. It was full emotional impact then sexual steam. However there is one perfect steamy part.
Gigi and Holden meet each other randomly and are both dealing with big emotional baggage in different ways but they find away around it to open their hearts again. I kept waiting for the other shoe to stop because Gigi was still holding something from Holden. However how and when the other shoe dropped completely caught me by surprise and it was played out perfectly. Another great one by Claire and highly recommended.
If your a fan of Claire Hastings books this is definitely a change a pace for her but in a great way. It was full emotional impact then sexual steam. However there is one perfect steamy part.
Gigi and Holden meet each other randomly and are both dealing with big emotional baggage in different ways but they find away around it to open their hearts again. I kept waiting for the other shoe to stop because Gigi was still holding something from Holden. However how and when the other shoe dropped completely caught me by surprise and it was played out perfectly. Another great one by Claire and highly recommended.
May 17, 2021
Because Temptation is Part of the Pleasure...
What do you do when you’re running from your past?
If your name is Gigi Hawthorne, you find a quiet town to start over as a lady cake boss. You don’t lust after your uber sexy landlord.
What do you do when you’re hiding from the world?
If your name is Holden St. James, you stick to your routine as a recluse. You don’t fantasize about the curvy southern siren who is currently your tenant.
Easier said than done.
Claire Hastings brings her swoony heroes and sweet heroines to Sarina Bowen’s world. Asking for a friend - can I have Holden? (It’s me, I’m the friend). Meet Gigi, Colebury’s latest resident, and watch her pull Holden back to life in a love story that has you melting from start to finish.
What do you do when you’re running from your past?
If your name is Gigi Hawthorne, you find a quiet town to start over as a lady cake boss. You don’t lust after your uber sexy landlord.
What do you do when you’re hiding from the world?
If your name is Holden St. James, you stick to your routine as a recluse. You don’t fantasize about the curvy southern siren who is currently your tenant.
Easier said than done.
Claire Hastings brings her swoony heroes and sweet heroines to Sarina Bowen’s world. Asking for a friend - can I have Holden? (It’s me, I’m the friend). Meet Gigi, Colebury’s latest resident, and watch her pull Holden back to life in a love story that has you melting from start to finish.
December 10, 2021
This book is so freaking cute, we have Holden who is a grumpy widower still mourning his loss, and Gigi who is faking to be a widow so as to avoid questions of her relationship. She had just escaped an abusive marriage of ten years.
She landed at the busy bean cafe and ended up staying at Holden's place for rent, after a disastrous oven fire she had to move to his house to stay, they got along, they shared their pasts (not all of it) and became friends.
Later this friendship bloomed into something more but she had a secret that could collapse their happiness. They were so far into planning a big bright future for them untill Gigi became the prime suspect for her husband's murder.
The guy she lied about being dead was actually dead, even worse murdered and she was the alleged suspect. The trust she built with Holden came crashing down.
The book has a HEA, they sort out all the problems and it ends with Gigi starting a new cake cafe and Holden's proposal. I liked the bookish parts of the story, the names of the older characters and all it was very intriguing.
She landed at the busy bean cafe and ended up staying at Holden's place for rent, after a disastrous oven fire she had to move to his house to stay, they got along, they shared their pasts (not all of it) and became friends.
Later this friendship bloomed into something more but she had a secret that could collapse their happiness. They were so far into planning a big bright future for them untill Gigi became the prime suspect for her husband's murder.
The guy she lied about being dead was actually dead, even worse murdered and she was the alleged suspect. The trust she built with Holden came crashing down.
The book has a HEA, they sort out all the problems and it ends with Gigi starting a new cake cafe and Holden's proposal. I liked the bookish parts of the story, the names of the older characters and all it was very intriguing.
August 13, 2021
2.5 stars
This had potential, but was way longer than necessary and the story jumped a shark.
Our poor heroine was written as TSTL, and it made her character really hard to like. I really had to stick with this to get to the end. I mean, who bakes and doesn't taste it before selling it?! Just no. All I want is to have a heroine who acts her age, not like a child. I could have really liked her, but I don't.
The story formula here was fairly obvious and straight forward which is great for easy reading. Just delete all the repetitive stuff, we can remember the heroine is unconfident and the hero in mourning after the first telling, show us more depth!
I'd also love the author to plot the book properly so they finalise all random story paths. The heroes wife and child were murdered and it's unsolved, yet that isn't something the hero is fixated on! Surely that would be a major plot point for his sorrow. For the heroine, well her major storyline was a bit strange to start, then jumped the shark. Hello last minute murder and fraud twist that wasn't told well.
Go read the Sonny and the Tara Ramey reviews, they covered all my angst points much better than I have.
This had potential, but was way longer than necessary and the story jumped a shark.
Our poor heroine was written as TSTL, and it made her character really hard to like. I really had to stick with this to get to the end. I mean, who bakes and doesn't taste it before selling it?! Just no. All I want is to have a heroine who acts her age, not like a child. I could have really liked her, but I don't.
The story formula here was fairly obvious and straight forward which is great for easy reading. Just delete all the repetitive stuff, we can remember the heroine is unconfident and the hero in mourning after the first telling, show us more depth!
I'd also love the author to plot the book properly so they finalise all random story paths. The heroes wife and child were murdered and it's unsolved, yet that isn't something the hero is fixated on! Surely that would be a major plot point for his sorrow. For the heroine, well her major storyline was a bit strange to start, then jumped the shark. Hello last minute murder and fraud twist that wasn't told well.
Go read the Sonny and the Tara Ramey reviews, they covered all my angst points much better than I have.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2021
Oh how I love a broody hero with a tragic past! This is Holden, and he's so much more too underneath the heartache and his hard exterior. When he meets Gigi, I immediately felt the spark while reading. She's bubbly but not without a past of her own. I was so giddy watching Holden and Gigi heal as they form a connection and fall for each other. And the detail and character of Holden's house is amazing - I want to live there.
This steamy small town romance is a must-read!
This steamy small town romance is a must-read!
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