The similarities between this and [b:Sweet Stuff|11387441|Sweet Stuff (Cupcake Club, #2)|Donna Kauffman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328630181s/11387441.jpg|16319412] are legion. The story is sweet and charming but the dialogue between various characters is a little too well-realized and rarely sounds authentic. There is a little more emotional depth here, IMO, but it's not really explored well. The addition of the turtle rescue was pretty dope, though.

And again, both Charlotte and Franco, our token characters, are almost nothing more than shoulder angels. In fact, Charlotte, despite being from New Delhi, left Dubai to get away from her marriage-arranging parents. She is apparently of such little importance that the author couldn't even be bothered to keep her hometown straight. I don't know if it's more disappointing when there are zero minority characters or when the attempt to write them is so lazy.

Also, in this e-book (and to a lesser extent, the previous book) were lots of copy-editing errors. Dropped words, unnecessary commas, spaces in words where none should be. Some of that is probably formatting, but I'd be upset if I had paid money for it. ( )

Good book. After her brother-in-law sold Kit's family company out from under her, with the help of the cut-throat Westlake law firm, Kit needs a new start in her life. A friend has offered her a job with her cupcake business on Sugarberry Island, so off she goes.

Morgan Westlake is raising his niece after the deaths of his brother and sister-in-law. He is a lawyer from a well known family, but he has separated himself from them for many reasons. He has come to Sugarberry Island to raise Lilly close to her other grandmother and away from the influence of his own family.

There are sparks between Kit and Morgan from the moment they met, but Kit is especially reluctant to get involved. First, he is a member of that family and that's hard to get past. Second, she has a hard time trusting her own judgment. She feels that she let down family tradition as well as all the people who worked for the company. She worries about getting involved with him and then letting him and Lilly down as well. Morgan is determined to give Lilly the childhood she deserves, and worries that he's going to mess things up.

I loved the development of their romance. Morgan is hooked from the beginning, but understands Kit's wariness. He is patient and willing to let them become friends first. They spend a lot of time together with little Lilly, doing things at the turtle research center. Kit begins to see that Morgan is nothing like the rest of his family, and lets down her walls. The feelings and attraction between them really start to heat up. Things are moving along at a steady pace for them when Morgan's mother shows up. I loved how Morgan stood up to her, and how his feelings for Kit were a big part of his motivation to do so. Kit finally realized that what they had was real and that leaning on Morgan

A big part of the story is Morgan's guardianship of Lilly. I loved how he was part of her life from the beginning, but becoming her parent has him all tied up in knots. It was sweet to see how determined he was to break her out of the cage she was in, thanks to his mother. I really liked seeing her go from timid and shy to a much more typical five year old. Her fascination with the sea turtles was sweet. I loved how a big part of Morgan's decision to come to Sugarberry was so that Lilly could get to know her other grandmother.

Once again, the members of the Cupcake Club play their parts in Morgan and Kit's romance. None of them have any trouble "nudging" them along the path they think should be taken. There are some really funny scenes, especially involving Alva, as they do their own kind of matchmaking. I loved how they pulled Kit right into their group and made her one of their own. The group plan for Thanksgiving was terrific, and even better was when they jumped in to help when there was a crisis with the turtles.

One of the things I like best about this series is that the characters aren't perfect. Morgan and Kit obviously have their problems. Introducing Lilly to her Grandmother Birdie doesn't go as smoothly as they had all hoped, which is more realistic than them bonding right away. Secondary couple Olivia and Carlo are having their own problems thanks to cultural differences. But no matter what is happening, they support each other in times of trouble. ( )

More of the same, only this time I really struggled and even skipped some bits. This book reminded me a lot of the first: very slow, not a lot of storyline but lots and lots and lots of talk and woolgathering and going in circles with all of that.
A disappointing series, all in all.
Rating: 5/10 ( )

Babycakes by Donna Kauffman
Morgan Westlake is hoping to get grant money to lead up the sea
turtles that he wants to investigate. He, single, is in charge
of his neice Lilly as her parents died in a car crash and he's
just moved back to Sugarberry Island, Georgia. Good to hear
updates on others who live in town: Lani and Baxter's cookbook
and other food related escapades are in full swing. Love the
scenery and contrast of nature on the island in the descriptions.
Kit Bellamy is there to run Babycakes, right next door to the
bakery and there won't be any competition as they make different
things. She also wandered into the wildlife buildings and learned
about the sea turtles and has told Morgan she'd be willing to
photograph the eggs hatching as she's done photo work before.
Not many know the reason why she's on the island and has run
away after years in court battles over her family's recipe
being given to her ex husband. cupcake club is still going
strong as are the aprons to die for! Because of all their
likes for the sea turtles they meet at the center quite
often. To use crayons and they end up talking about
themselves... This book is hilarious at times and so down to
earth with normal subjects. Morgan is such a caring very patient
father figure when it comes to Lilly. Love how the meeting of
her grandmother Birdie went.. She does tell Morgan she wants
to keep her distance from him because of his family name.
He has no idea why though, yet... Love the theme of the sea
turtles and I learned so much about them and their environment.
At times the book is very confusing because of all the
conversations going on with the townsfolk but things calm
down after a bit. Preparing for Thanksgiving is an ordeal!
The most unique holiday tradition, didn't think it was gonna
happen! Things heat up with relationships. And the recipes at
the end are gonna be SO much fun to make! ( )

Babycakes
by
Donna Kauffman

My "in a nutshell" summary...

A family business is sold...there is a need for starting over!

My thoughts after reading this book...

Bakeries, pies, cupcakes, sugar, an island named Sugarberry...what's not to love about this book?

It's quite yummy!

Kit has a family business that has been taken from her. Morgan's family was involved in this. Morgan has a niece who is damaged. They are sort of thrown together on this lovely island. They meet over sea turtles. There are ups and downs...resistance...and lots of quirky characters living on the island who take an interest in Morgan and Kit. They have a fiercely strong attraction to each other but oh me oh my...there are just so many complications. Plus...Morgan is sort of staying away from his overbearing Mother and wants to raise Lilly totally opposite from the way he was raised. Kit...can not get past what his family did to her family's business. They are honest with each other about their feelings but are trying to avoid an involvement with each other.

What I loved about tis book...

It's a lovely charming story that I truly enjoyed reading!

What I didn't love...

Perhaps the overbearing unfeeling mother of Morgan...but...every truly great story needs a bad guy!

Final thoughts...

If you are in the mood for a sweet juicy romance with issues...this is the book to choose!

Sent from my iPad2 by Patty!!! ( )