Courtship of the CakeAuthor: Jessica Topper
Series: Much "I Do" About Nothing #2
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Format: eARC
Pages: 376
Source: Publisher
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” has suited Danica James just fine…until the mysterious man who crashed her sister’s wedding steals her heart, leaves a slice of groom’s cake under her pillow, and then disappears.
Hoping to forget her unforgettable fling, Dani takes a job as a backstage masseuse for a rock music festival, not expecting the tour’s headlining bad boy to make an offer she can’t refuse. Nash Drama needs a fiancée—and fast…
Mick Spencer is the best wedding cake designer in New Hope and the town’s most eligible bachelor. But despite the bevy of bridesmaids he’s sampled, Mick can’t get the evening he spent with Dani out of his mind.
So when she shows up for a cake tasting at the Night Kitchen—with his former best friend’s ring on her finger—Mick vows to charm the woman of his dreams into choosing a sweet and sinful ever after, with him…
I read Dictatorship of the Dress last year and found it to be adorable and funny, so I was looking forward to getting Dani’s story in Courtship of the Cake. I enjoyed this book too, but not quite to the degree of DotD. It’s still a pretty fun book, though.
Don’t be afraid of the blurb! It makes it sound like there is a love-triangle, but there isn’t. Actually, there’s a love-square. Okay, okay … but it isn’t real. Promise. Courtship of the Cake reminds me of a cute romantic-comedy you’d watch on the Hallmark channel or wherever you watch that type of stuff.
Nash and Dani have great chemistry. As friends! Yes, he’s a total flirt and enjoys women, but he and Dani develop a genuine friendship that actually turned out to be my favorite aspect of the book. The beginning spends some time developing the friendship while she is on the road with a music festival as a massage therapist, and she becomes his rock when they go to his hometown to face his past. Nash convinces Dani to act the part of his fiancée for a pretty good reason. Then Dani gets quite the surprise when she discovers Nash’s former best friend is the same guy she had an unforgettable evening with a year prior. Turns out Mick never got over her and is determined to show Dani what a player Nash really is, which is something Dani is well aware of, but has to keep the charade up. And let the shenanigans begin!
We get duel perspectives – Dani and Mick, which I was really glad for. I like how the story is told with little flashbacks throughout the book, that form the full story of what really happened with Mick and Dani the previous year. The situation they found themselves in with Nash gave them an opportunity to spend time together and actually get to know each other better. I liked both of them, especially Mick’s passion for baking, he even gets a little Rain Man about it sometimes. Dani is a likeable character too, who can hold her own with the teasing and banter.
There are a few secondary characters who are instrumental to the story, as well. Things get real interesting with everyone staying under one roof. Bear is definitely another highlight of the book with his keen sense of humor and passion for playing in tribute bands. I also love the addition of a certain deaf character and how music was incorporated into their life.
There were a couple things off that hampered the flow a bit. First, the whole Jax storyline felt out of place. I totally understand the meaning and reason for it, but the way it was done just didn’t jive with me. It added too much to a story that already has a lot going on. Also, there are numerous times in the book where the whole setting or situation is changed without a break or anything. It gets jumpy. For instance, Dani will be one place talking to someone, and the next paragraph she’s somewhere else talking to a different person. It offered many WTF moments because I didn’t know what the hell happened, then would have to go back and re-read certain parts to clear it up.
Despite those issues, I was pleased with Courtship of the Cake and the way everything turned out. And even though it comes close to 400 pages, it’s actually a quick read.
This and Dictatorship of the Dress sound like really cute reads Christy! I do love a good romantic comedy, maybe with a little cheese mixed in 😉 The fact that the setting jumps randomly at times is a little off-putting, but it clearly didn’t detract too much from your overall enjoyment which is a good thing.
I really don’t like this cover.
I don’t know how I would feel about the confusing moments and I struggle a lot with contemporary books this long.
Still I’m glad you had so much fun with it, Christy! 🙂
I think this sounds like it would be a great weekend escape read. I’ll have to keep it in mind! I don’t remember you reading the other book you mentioned, I’ll have to look it up.
I ended up setting this one aside, it may have been me. I loved the first one.
Aw man! Everyone is reading this book right now, I’m glad you liked it:) Great review Christy!
I totally hate those choppy changes, I had a book like the last week, though I can’t recall the title right off hand. I remember you and Kimba loving the first and I think I have a copy. The cover does nothing for this one. I would never in a million years picked it up on cover alone.
I’m not sure I would enjoy it, but I noticed you have a thing for friends-to-lovers stories, so do I 😉 Glad you mostly liked it, though !
I love big books like that! I love it when you’ve read 400 pgs and think it is fast! Even though it is a bit choppy, it still sounds interesting. I do enjoy romantic comedies.
Ugh, you tainted it with the mention of love-square!!! Now I don’t know.
It’s not a real one though. Nash and Dani are only friends pretending to be a couple for … reasons. So it makes things interesting and entertaining when two other people are thrown in the mix.
I love a good romantic comedy full of shenanigans! Nice Review 🙂
I’m a little torn, Christy! I love fun contemporary novels, and this one sounds like it is both, and also, I’d get a lot of quotes for my Thirsty Thursday and Hungry Hearts posts, to 🙂
I will put it on my might read shelf…
Have a terrific Tuesday and happy reading.
I may have to check out the first one. I like these kind of books and you had me at Hallmark channel movie 🙂
Weird cover but it sounds like a cute read!
LOL a love square. Sophia was talking about this one the other day and had me adding it to my list despite the cover totally giving me the creepy vibes. lol Glad to see you enjoyed it too.
I enjoyed the first one even if some parts were a bit off. This series is light and fluffy though, wonderful beach reads. So even if it’s not 5-star reads for me, I still enjoy it for the feel-good element.
Love the friendship between Nash and Dani, definitely my favourite type of relationship!
Oh God. Not a love square! It sounds exhausting…but fun. 🙂
Sounds like a fun read Christy. A shame there were a few elements that didn’t sit right with you. Great review girl!