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From the publisher:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Adriana Mather comes a heartwarming tale of love, family, and pastry perfection.

Maddi DeLuca is coming home for the holidays with her nine-year-old son, only it’s not the triumphant return she might have hoped for. She recently broke down on a reality TV baking show, letting the entire country know she feels like a colossal failure. And she can be certain her mother will remind her of all the ways she hasn’t lived up to expectations over the years.

Ten years ago, all Maddi dreamt of was running her father’s beloved bakery in their tiny coastal town of Haverberry Cove, MA. Her best friend, Wilder Buenaventura, had his own dream–a life with Maddi. And for one brilliant moment when they were seventeen, those dreams collided. They baked together. They loved each other insatiably. But like a fallen soufflé, their relationship imploded, taking their lifelong friendship with it.

If she had her way, Maddi would have stayed in California, hiding her head in its beautiful white sands. But at her mother’s request, she has returned to her hometown to help deal with an urgent matter concerning her father’s will and his nostalgia-filled bakery. What Maddi doesn’t know is that this issue also mysteriously involves the one person she’s spent forever trying to forget–Wilder. Now she finds herself forced to make an impossible decision: give up her father’s bakery and her lifelong dream, or find a way to coexist with Wilder without murdering him with a cookie cutter.

“Mather makes her adult debut with this delightful tale…Romance fans will delight in the story, the addition of sweet bakery treats, and the showdown between the judgmental town, the snooty Buenaventuras, and the pull of the love that got away.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“A delicious second-chance romance…[Mom Com] is a heartfelt tale about learning to forgive both oneself and others. Readers will not want to miss Maddi and Wilder’s second chance at love.” —Publishers Weekly

https://amzn.to/3NpMBzR

This was my first read by Mather, and considering this is her adult novel debut, I guess that makes sense. The cover appealed to my foodie sensibility, I always like a good second-chance romance, and I love finding new authors, so this book was a win-win-win for me!

Maddi adored her father and grew up helping out in his bakery. But they had a falling out, and she moved away. She and her son come home for the holidays, and she’s not sure how long she’ll stay – she had a very public breakdown and needs to reset. There’s no place like home for that, except she finds out her father left his beloved bakery to her and her arch nemesis, Wilder.

They have a history together but went their separate ways. Wilder’s family is wealthy, and he works in the family business. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say Wilder and Maddi need to work together or lose the bakery, and neither wants that. As Maddi learns what’s been happening in Wilder’s life and he gets to know her all over again, feelings develop.

This was a completely engrossing story, and I couldn’t put it down. I loved these characters and how they finally found their happy ending, and the bakery was just an extra treat!

12/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

MOM COM by Adriana Mather. Blackstone Publishing Inc; Paperback edition (November 14, 2023). ISBN: 979-8212877176. 350p.

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Christmas Notch, Book 2

From the publisher:

From the authors of A Merry Little Meet Cute comes a steamy holiday rom-com cowritten by #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy and USA Today bestselling author Sierra Simone—about an actress and a perpetually single former boy-band member reunited as costars on a steamy holiday film!

Kallum Liebermanis the funny one™. As the arguably lesser of the three former members of the boy band INK, he enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame and then moved home where he opened a regional pizza chain called Slice, Slice, Baby! He’s living his best dad bod life, hooking up with bridesmaids at all his friends’ weddings. But after an old one-off sex tape is leaked and quickly goes viral, Kallum decides he’s ready to step into the spotlight again, starring in a sexy Santa biopic for the Hope Channel. 

Winnie Baker did everything right. She married her childhood sweetheart, avoided the downfalls of adolescent stardom, and transitioned into a stable adult acting career. Hell, she even waited until marriage to have sex. But after her perfect life falls apart, Winnie is ready to redefine herself—and what better way than a steamier-than-a-steaming-hot-mug-of-cider Christmas movie?

With decade old Hollywood history between them, Winnie and Kallum are both feeling hesitant about their new situation as costars…especially Winnie who can’t seem to fake on screen pleasure she’s never experienced in real life. She’s willing to do the pleasure research—for science and artistic authenticity, of course. And there’s no better research partner than her bridesmaid sex tape hall of fame costar, Kallum. But suddenly, Kallum’s teenage crush on Winnie is bubbling to the surface and Winnie might be catching feelings herself. 

They say opposites attract, but is this holly jolly ever after really ready for its close-up?

“Well-developed protagonists with immediate chemistry and witty dialogue balance the emotional story as characters process big life changes and family trauma. Skillful, sympathetic writing weaves the conflict seamlessly into the storyline, creating a novel that will make readers laugh, cry, and cheer. This sexy, joyful romantic comedy from Murphy and Simone (A Merry Little Meet Cute) is a delightful read.”  — Library Journal (starred review)

“Murphy and Simone present another superbly written, splendidly witty holiday romance featuring another pair of expertly nuanced protagonists and a plot that flawlessly balances sizzling sensual heat and sweet romantic affection while joyfully celebrating body positivity.” — Booklist (starred review)

https://amzn.to/3TlL3KS

This book really appealed to me as a former Hallmark Christmas movie fan. I pretty much stopped watching them a few years ago when Netflix started making their own Christmas movies. The Netflix movies just felt more modern and realistic, and frankly, I was tired of the same half-dozen actors making the same movie over and over again. I hear they moved them to Europe this year, and that’s a nice change but not enough to bring me back. On the other hand, the Lifetime channel has a new Christmas movie with sex scenes!* I’ll be checking that out for sure.

Anyway, back to this book: a really fun, super sexy Christmas tale set in the world of made for cable Christmas movies. The Hope Channel is starting a new venture, turning their traditional Hallmark-style Christmas movies into adult versions. Soft porn, if you will. Talk about going to extremes! Their new female lead is Winnie, one of their mainstay Christmas movie stars who has had some disruption in her life and career and needs to start over. The male lead is Kallum, a former boy band member with a past that has come back to haunt him – an old sex tape has gone viral. Both think this is their opportunity to get on the right side of fame – sort of.

Winnie was brought up in a strict Christian home, married the man of her parents’ dreams, and divorced him when she caught him cheating. Her parents think she should forgive him and get back to making sappy movies, so they are really incensed when they find out she will be starring in this adult flick. The only problem is that Winnie has no sexual experience beyond her husband, and he was more about wham-bam-thank-you-mam than seeing to her pleasure. Embarrassed, she decides to ask her new co-star for help as he seems to have the experience she lacks.

Lots of laughs, some drama, and a whole lot of heat make this a terrific holiday read. I loved that there is an actual small town centered around Christmas all year long that everyone flocks to make these movies. I hope that’s a real thing! This was a fast, steamy read with a lot of heart and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

*Lifetime stuffs viewers’ stockings for the holidays with Christmas movie sex scene: “A Cowboy Christmas Romance” endorses the suggestion “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”

12/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone.  Avon (October 10, 2023). ISBN: 978-0063222649. 432p.

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