Wes planned a drive by trip to Marietta, Montana to help his dad close a business deal and then to head back to his life in New York. But when his dad volunteers him for the Bachelor Bake Off to commemorate a local fallen first responder, Wes can’t say no, even though Marietta holds painful memories and baking eludes his skill set.
After an accident sidelines Noelle Olsen’s career as a dancer, she moves to Montana to pursue a new dream: opening a dance studio in Marietta’s historic and charming downtown. When one of her students suckers her into helping the handsome Wes St. Clare whip up some winning recipes, Noelle finds herself dreaming about more than teaching dance.
Falling in love wasn’t part of Wes’ plans, and definitely not in Marietta, and as Noelle learns more about Wes and his business dealings, she fears she’ll lose her business along with her heart. Will cozy kitchens and a nudge from the St. Claire family help Wes and Noelle find the love they didn’t know they were looking for?
Titles in the Bachelor Bake-Off series include: A Teaspoon of Trouble by Shirley Jump – A Spoonful of Sugar by Kate Hardy – Sprinkled with Love by Jennifer Faye – Baking For Keeps by Jessica Gilmore – A Recipe For Romance by Laura Van Hulzen
Title: A Recipe For Romance
Series: Bachelor Bake-Off #5
Author: Lara Van Hulzen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Published: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 3.5 stars
A Recipe For Romance brings the Bachelor Bake-Off series to a close. While I enjoyed Wes and Noelle’s story, I found it to be more of a billionaire’s romance than a story set in the tight knit community of Marietta, Montana. Neither main character seems particularly thrilled to be in Marietta, in fact Wes has some major attitude against the town. So, I guess I’m simply surprised that the closer for this series has very little about the lore or the townsfolk of Marietta that keeps me coming back to this ongoing arching setting of so many great series
Wes and Noelle have had tragic events shape the people they’ve become. And while Wes isn’t exactly keeping secrets, he’s not really forthcoming with the whole truth to Noelle either. For me, the shining stars of A Recipe For Romance were not the main couple but the secondary characters.
In all this was a good romance, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but that’s on me not the author.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available for the Kindle
