Two contrary sisters, picking up where their contrary mother and aunts left off, embark on a trip to help the family business out. But there is so much more going on in Sugar Lake, mm-hmm! Lots of sass and lots of fun. ( )

As Good as the First Time plays to many of KM Jackson's strengths - family relationships, a strong sense of place, and characters who are good at their jobs. It does, however, suffer from first book in series syndrome, with a slow beginning due to a large cast of characters and a somewhat complicated setup.
We meet the hero at around 20% into the book, which is when the book picks up.
Overall, if you like second chance romances and reading about families, I think this is a good book for you. Personally, I'm looking forward to the second, which will hopefully get off to a quicker start and still retain the things I liked about this one. ( )

As Good as the First Time by K M Jackson
Sugar Lake book 1. Contemporary romance. Second chance troupe. Diverse.
Sisters Olivia and Drea return to the small home town of Sugar Lake to help their Aunt run her bakery. Having just lost her job, Olivia needs to look at her life and make some decisions. Seeing her first love Clayton, in all his firefighter glory, makes Olivia want to return to the city immediately but helping with the baking is therapeutic so she’ll stay a while longer. Proximity to Clayton is stirring up unexpected feelings Olivia is not sure what to do with.

A small town return and family make this romance sweet. I didn’t like the two sisters fighting so much through the story, but their relationship grows as well as they find their purpose and create new goals. Clayton’s priority in raising his daughter is admirable.
A bit slow in places but it all comes together.
3.5 increased to 4 for the HEA. ( )

K.M. Jackson has given us the first book in her new Sugar Lake series. I think your going to like it and, like me, be waiting on book # 2. I'd never read any of Ms Jackson's work and I'm delighted I took a chance. I was drawn in by the second chances plot. Don't we all have that one person we'd like to have a do-over with?

Olivia "liv" Gale is living the good life. She has an interesting corporate job that pays well, a New York apartment she can afford and a hot boyfriend. She and Damon have been together for 9 months and he's keeping clothes in her closet. That's a good sign. Wait for it... In one day she's restructured (fired) from her job, how's she going to pay the rent, and Damon turns out to be a dog with fleas. While Liv is at work, getting fired, Damon trashes her bedroom gathering up his stuff, leaves the mess but takes her new flat screen tv. To make this the day from hell her Fathers retirement party is that night and she has to act like it's all ok. Just shoot me now.

The retirement party turns out to be a salvation for Liv. Her Aunt in Sugar Lake, Georgia has broken her hip and needs help at the family business, Goode & Sweet Pie Shop. Liv volunteers, she can bake, and sister Drea can run customer service. The sibling dynamics will be familiar to anyone with a sibling (stop looking at me!) The shop is a little run down and the sisters set about updating the interior and adding new items to the menu. On the way into town the ladies had a good reminiscence about their childhood visits and how much the town has changed.

A small kitchen fire brings the fire department and their chief to the pie shop. The chief turns out to be Clayton Morris. He's her young love, the first crush, the first everything. He freaked out, left town, knocked up his new gf & moved to the west coast, all without 1 word to Liv. That's goodbye in anyone's book. When their eyes meet in the pie shop it's a wonder they didn't start another fire. Clayton's a single dad now & moved back home to Mom. He's full of regret, Liv is full of anger. I'm going to stop here and let you take the journey to love, again, with Liv. It's good.

As always, this is a romance and must have a happy ending. I'm thrilled to know another book is on it's way. It has such possibility. Don't leave me hanging too long, please? Receiving a free book ARC is a true privilege and one I certainly enjoy. Being able to provide my opinion is a pleasure and doesn't cost a thing. Happy reading. ( )

As Good as the First Time by K.M. Jackson
Sugar Lake #1

Oliva Gale has just finished baking pies for her father’s retirement party, sent her lover off to work and headed out the door for her own job when the story begins. By the end of the day she has said goodbye to more than one thing she had taken for granted and is saddled with a sister she bickers with constantly as she heads to Sugar Lake to help her aunt with the family bakery. She will meet up with her first love, spend time with family and be faced with big decisions before the books ends.

This is a new-to-me author and I am on the fence because I had trouble relating to the characters and found the plot somewhat predictable. Perhaps there wasn’t enough of the backstory or time in the second chance segment for me to see why Olivia and Clayton would be drawn to one another? I am not sure if it was that or the fact that I didn’t know enough about Olivia’s job in New York to see why she would prefer small town life as a baker over living in the city or just what it was that had me feeling just okay at the end of the story. I am wondering which of the characters mentioned in the story will have stories of their own: Liv’s sister, Clayton’s brother, some of the cousins or perhaps others who have not been introduced.

Did I love the story? No
Did the story flow? Yes
Would I read another book in this series? I think so

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars ( )