Kat inspected rows of the same old cupcakes. They seemed to blink back at her, as if they knew she was capable of so much more.
Kat Varland has had enough of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
At twenty-six years old, Kat is still living in the shadows of her family in Bayou Bend, Louisiana. Still working shifts at her Aunt Maggie s bakery. Still wondering what to do with her passion for baking and her business degree. And still single.
But when Lucas Brannen, Kat s best friend, signs her up for a reality TV bake-off on Cupcake Combat, everything Kat ever wanted is suddenly dangled in front of her: creative license as a baker, recognition as a visionary . . . and a job at a famous bakery in New York.
As the competition heats up, Lucas realizes he might have made a huge mistake. As much as he wants the best for Kat, the only thing he wants for himself her is suddenly in danger of slipping away.
The bright lights of reality cooking wars and the chance at a successful career dazzle Kat s senses and Lucas is faced with a difficult choice: help his friend achieve her dreams . . . or sabotage her chances to keep her in Louisiana.
Kat Varland has had enough of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.
At twenty-six years old, Kat is still living in the shadows of her family in Bayou Bend, Louisiana. Still working shifts at her Aunt Maggie s bakery. Still wondering what to do with her passion for baking and her business degree. And still single.
But when Lucas Brannen, Kat s best friend, signs her up for a reality TV bake-off on Cupcake Combat, everything Kat ever wanted is suddenly dangled in front of her: creative license as a baker, recognition as a visionary . . . and a job at a famous bakery in New York.
As the competition heats up, Lucas realizes he might have made a huge mistake. As much as he wants the best for Kat, the only thing he wants for himself her is suddenly in danger of slipping away.
The bright lights of reality cooking wars and the chance at a successful career dazzle Kat s senses and Lucas is faced with a difficult choice: help his friend achieve her dreams . . . or sabotage her chances to keep her in Louisiana.
I really wanted to love this book. I have seen hype about it in several of my reading circles so I was looking forward to a book that I could fall in love with. Unfortunately, "almost like" is more the term I would use for this one. It had its high points, but I just didn't love it.
First there is Kat. Kat has zero confidence in herself. Thanks to her preacher daddy, haughty-taughty mom, and beauty queen sister, who could really blame her. She works for her aunt at her cupcake shop, but dreams of being out on her own with her own cupcake bakery. While her lack of confidence made her likable in the beginning of the book, it really began to grate on my nerves about the mid-way point.
Lucas is the local football coach, and has been Kat's best friend since junior high. We learn in the very beginning that he had developed very strong feelings for Kat. The guy is thinking about marriage and babies before we ever get a chance to really know him. He decides that his big love declaration is going to be entering Kat into this cupcake competition. Of course he ends up going with her as her assistant, and he quickly decides that he has made a huge mistake.
The thing that really irked me about this book was the lack of dialogue. I would guess that 98% of this book is just the characters' thoughts. The chapters alternate between Kat and Lucas, and I found myself getting mad at them for their unwillingness to just talk to each other. With that said, had the characters actually talked to each other, the entire story could have probably been told in about four chapters.
The actual story line for Kat and Lucas was pretty good, and kept you thinking that things were going to go terribly wrong. On more than one occasion, I was pretty convinced we weren't going to get the happily ever after that we are so accustomed to in books. I was pleased at the ending (even though it seemed pretty obvious several chapters from the end), and glad I got to know these characters.
Have you read this one? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Meet the Author: Betsy St. Amant
Purchase this Book: Amazon | Family Christian