When baker extraordinaire Leilani Trusdale leaves New York City for Georgia's sleepy Sugarberry Island, her past follows in the form of her former boss, Baxter Dunne. Baxter, otherwise known as Chef Hot Cakes, wants to film his hit cooking show in her tiny cupcakery. Last time they worked together, Baxter's molten chocolate brown eyes and sexy British accent made Lani's mouth water and her cheeks blush the colour of raspberry filling...

Lani's friends are convinced that this time around, Baxter is the missing ingredient in her recipe for happiness. But convincing Lani will be a job for Baxter himself. And he'll need more than black velvet frosting to sweeten the deal...

Review

“What happens in Cupcake Club…stays in Cupcake Club?”

These are the words that Leilani Trusdale is learning to live by. After leaving her high-stress job in New York and moving to the small Sugarberry Island, Lani is learning a new way to live. Her life is her own and the stress of working in a famous restaurant is behind her.  Lani has opened her own cupcake bakery and is living the American dream. Everything is going well until Baxter Dunne comes to town and turns her whole world upside down.

Baxter Dunne comes to Sugarberry to get back the one person that calms him down. The person that makes him feel centered and grounded – Lani. He knows that she won’t be one hundred percent excited to see him, but he has to try and convince her to come back to New York. He doesn’t believe that she could really be happy running a cupcake bakery when she was a celebrated pastry chef.

These two have intense chemistry and have trouble staying away from each other. Lani and Baxter both had feelings for each other while in New York that neither of them acted on. Now that they are on the island together and not working together these feelings begin to be explored.

It took me awhile to warm up to Lani. She is so anti-Baxter in the beginning that it is hard to get passed her reactions to him. Baxter, although arrogant is a likeable character from the first. I enjoyed the bantering between them and their heated exchanges.

I enjoyed the secondary characters in the book – Charlotte and Alva especially. Their “Bake and Bitch” sessions added so much to the story. I loved the way they brought out something softer in Lani.

The writing is fantastic and the story moves at a good pace. Donna Kauffman books are usually a hit or a miss for me and Sugar Rush was definitely a hit!

Reviewed by Carrie