Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano

by admin | Feb 21, 2019 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance

MY REVIEW:

Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe’ is a wonderful story that features a group of friends who have become family to each other. They are there for each other through thick and thin – encouraging when encouragement is needed, exhorting and offering wisdom when the circumstances require it, and above all loving each other without reserve. As the second book in Laureano’s Supper Club series, this one can easily stand on its own but the reading experience will be deeper and more enjoyable if the series is read in order.

I loved getting to know each of the women in this series and with each book I feel that I get to know the featured woman even better. The relationship dynamics are superb and each person added to their growing circle adds another layer of strength to the group. It was so edifying to see how Melody and Rachel worked together to pursue their dreams as well as how the Lord worked in their lives despite numerous complications. The same could be said for the growing relationship between Melody and Justin that seemed to have no hope of succeeding due to the directions their individual careers were leading them.

And then there was the food! I could literally almost smell the bread baking and taste the various other foods mentioned throughout the course of the book. What torment to a diabetic who loves to bake but has had to give up sugar and carbs forever.

Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe’ is a delightful read that kept me content until the last page. Although there was not a great deal of action and no mystery to solve, there were a few surprises along the way in this absolutely satisfying novel. I recommend it to all but do suggest reading The Saturday Night Supper Club first to get the full experience.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Title: Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe Author: Carla Laureano Genre: Christian Romance Release date: February 5, 2019 Publisher: Tyndale Click here to purchase your copy.

Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

GUEST POST FROM CARLA:

“Confessions of An Erstwhile Baker”

Like most females, baking is encoded somewhere deep down in my DNA. Call it nature or call it nurture, but at the earliest age, I figured out that the cute boy in my English class would talk to me if it involved chocolate chip cookies. Got my heart broken or had a friend betray me? I grabbed the mixing bowl and went for the brownies (even better if they’re served à la mode.) My friend was having a birthday? I made a cake drowned in pounds of buttercream.

I quickly graduated from the boxed mixes to the real thing when I got married and had a kitchen large enough to roll out dough. I would comb magazines for the best recipes and spend my weekends trying them out. I quickly became known for bringing beautifully iced Christmas cookies and delicious homemade cakes to work.

Then my husband and I moved our young family from Los Angeles to Denver, a relocation that was about 1000 miles northeast and 5000 feet up. Suddenly, every recipe I’d perfected in the previous eight years failed. Cookies burned to crisps, cakes fell, and don’t get me started on candy making. Gradually, I adapted my recipes (my beloved never-fail Toll House recipe took eight tries to get right) and even became an avid artisan bread-baker.

Then disaster. Or at least, what a baker would consider a disaster. After developing chronic health problems, I discovered that among other things, I was sensitive to gluten. The horror! In order to heal, I turned to the paleo diet, which eliminates all grains (there goes most gluten free recipes) and all processed sugars (there goes everything else). I’ve tried baking paleo-style, and while I can now make cakes that even my gluten-fiend family enjoy, it’s just not the same.

So what’s a once-obsessive baker do when she can’t eat her creations? She bakes for other people and goes on faith that they actually taste good… considering she can’t taste them herself.

It struck me that there was a spiritual lesson in that, and an obvious tie to Brunch at Bittersweet Café, which deals in large part with Melody’s faith journey. There are times when we have no idea if things are working out the way they’re supposed to, in which case we just have to trust the “recipe” and the input of friends and family who love us. Sometimes our instincts tell us when we’re off track, and sometimes we need that outside nudge from our “taste-testers” to put us back on course.

In any case, what Melody and I have in common is that we both bake to show our love for the people around us. And the process of baking my favorites, even knowing that I can’t enjoy them myself, can still be a selfless way to show people they’re important to me.

Fortunately, macarons, which happen to be made with almond flour, are still on the menu.

BLOG STOPS:

GIVEAWAY:

To celebrate her tour, Carla is giving away a grand prize package of a macaron baking mat, a macaron book, and a paperback copy of Brunch at Bittersweet Café!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/db0f/brunch-at-bittersweet-cafe-celebration-tour-giveaway

One Thing I Know by Kara Isaac

by admin | Feb 20, 2019 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Romance

MY REVIEW:

One Thing I Know is the latest novel by Kara Isaac and is the first of a new series. As expected, I found it to be very well written and a thought-provoking read. It is somewhat different from her previous novels but that is not a bad thing. It is a novel about desperate people and how they attempt to solve their problems on their own without the Lord in their life. They are people who believe they are undeserving of happiness because of guilt that they carry without the Lord to lighten the burden. It is also a story about the power of forgiveness and truth.

There will be Christian readers who will probably not like this book because the characters do not have a salvation experience by the conclusion and they have a right to their opinion. Nevertheless in my opinion, I could clearly see the Holy Spirit at work in their lives leading them to do the right thing when it would have been easier and less risky to continue their deception and unforgiveness. In my eyes, that is so true-to-life. It takes a long time for some people to make a decision to follow Christ. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series to find out how everything turns out for the characters.

One Thing I Know was exactly the kind of book I love to read with realistic characters who mature and change as the story progresses. The idea behind the story was genius and I loved how the plot played out with unexpected twists. I also loved that it included a very nasty character who offered the world with strings attached, the perfect portrayal of our enemy.

I would encourage readers to put aside their preconceived ideas and read this book as the first step in the spiritual journey of Rachel and Lucas. I believe you will agree with me that they are both different people at the end than they were at the beginning. I loved the story and would hate for others to miss out on it.

I voluntarily reviewed a digital copy of this book provided by the author. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

She has the whole world fooled. But the one man who just may see through her holds not only the key to her success, but also her heart…

Rachel Somers is America’s #1 relationship coach—America just doesn’t know it. Rachel writes the books, but her Aunt Donna plays the face of the operation. Living in fear of their secret being exposed, Rachel has no choice but to keep up the charade or lose the big money required to care for her father. With the deadline for their next book closing in, Rachel finds herself out of inspiration and running out of time. The last thing she needs is her aunt and publicist concocting a harebrained scheme to join forces with some radio star in the hope it will help deliver the elusive next book idea.

Lucas Grant is a star of late night radio—though it’s come with an unexpected price of hordes of women who keep calling his sports show to ask him for relationship advice. They make his ratings look great, but they also mean he has to waste hours talking to people like Dr. Donna Somerville about feelings instead of his first love: football. When a big-time producer calls, it looks like his hard work is about to pay off. But the offer comes with a catch—the producer is convinced Dr. Donna is not what she seems and he wants Lucas to discover her secret. To do that, he needs to win over her tight-lipped assistant who holds the key to his success and—he begins to suspect—his heart. Can love find a way through the lies that force them apart?

Read an excerpt here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

© Jenny Siaosi

Kara Isaac is the RITA® Award-winning writer of five novels. She lives in New Zealand (yes, it’s really as beautiful as it looks in the movies!) where she spends her time chasing three small people, writing horribly bad first drafts, and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in the South Pacific. Find out more at KaraIsaac.com.