Always the baker, never the bride…
Olivia James has always been happy running a tea shop and bakery in the Cotswold village of Wychwood-on-Lea, and helping her friends find their happily-ever-afters, topped by the perfect wedding cake. But as Christmas approaches, Olivia is home alone and questioning her choices while eating too many of her own specialty confections.
When Simon Blacklock, a handsome, whimsical stranger, breezes into her shop and buys a cupcake and then returns the next day and the day after, Olivia begins to dream. Can romance blossom amidst the sugar and flour? And after a lifetime of living on the side lines, is she brave enough to star in her own story?
Simon may be hiding a painful secret, but Olivia harbors secrets of her own. If they can dare to risk their hearts, this Christmas might be the most magical yet!
Titles in the Return to Willoughby Close series include: Cupcakes for Christmas –
Title: Cupcakes for Christmas
Series: Return to Willoughby Close #1
Author: Kate Hewitt
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Christmas Romance
Published: October 25, 2018
Publisher: Tule Publishing
My Rating: 4.5 stars
I quite enjoyed returning to Willoughby Close once again – if you haven’t read the original Willoughby Close series I would strongly suggest that you add it to your reading list. Is it necessary to start this new series… no, not at all, but they are amazing stories and it’s something to keep you connected while waiting for the rest of this current series to release.
Neither Olivia nor Simon are in the first bloom of their youth, and in many ways that makes this story more poignant and realistic. We face far different issues in our twenties than in our thirties or forties, don’t we? Cupcakes for Christmas reflects that very well.
I loved the idea of a different flavor cupcake each day leading up to Christmas… and Simon certainly did too, for he kept returning, although that might have been for much more than a love of cupcakes. While this story isn’t a particularly long one, it does pack an emotional punch in the issues that are dealt with in Olivia and Simon’s lives. No one comes into a relationship without some sort of baggage from the past or even the present. It was an intriguing journey watching this couple work their way through issues and realities to find each other and a happy ending.
I enjoyed myself back in this small town with it’s close knit community and quirky neighbors once again. If you’re a reader who enjoys going a little deeper into the issues that crop up in any relationship while enjoying a perfectly charming Christmas romance as well… then Cupcakes for Christmas is perfect for you.
*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
