From two USA Today bestselling authors comes a tale of miscommunication and muffins.Romy Love knows weddings. As the author of a hugely successful wedding blog, you’d think she’d have love covered. It is her last name, after all.When it comes to her big day, Romy has the flowers picked out, a dress collecting dust in the back of her closet, and a preacher on standby. There’s just one problem: the … There’s just one problem: the groom doesn’t know it yet.
Romy has eyes for the Italian coffee god and single dad who owns the bakery in her building—she also has plans for his delicious buns—but in order to get her happily-ever-after, she has a few things to check off her list first:
Lose twenty pounds
Take over the blogging world one wedding at a time
Make Coffee Hottie fall in love with me
Yeah, this shouldn’t be difficult at all.
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This book was absolutely adorable. I couldn’t put it down. It had me laughing out loud. Elio is super dreamy, and Romy is definitely relatable. I loved them both! I hope Bianca and Nico will get their own book. I’d love to see more of all these characters!!
Romy is a blogger, addicted to muffins and coffee. She was betrayed and abandoned by the fiancé Jeremy, and since then, every day she dreams of two things: when she can walk down the aisle with her wedding gown and when she could taste a piece of the delicious coffee barista beneath her building.
Elio is the skilled Italian barista who makes coffee and muffins that draw Romy to Bittersweet Cafe every morning. He has a few secrets: like having a daughter and having a crush on one of his top clients.
Keeping up with Romy’s daily life is almost natural. It is a picture with scenes that could be present on any of us day. The way the story is told makes you feel part of it, because Romy is a girl that we can all identify with.
She has dreams, suffers from the pressures of society and sometimes feels inadequate. She stutters when she is nervous, she turns red when she is ashamed, does not feel worthy of the attention of a guy for being a little overweight, does crazy diets, goes out with the wrong guy, has bad dates in search of the happily ever after, misunderstands a series of situations. Who never?
Bittersweet is exactly as the title says. The narrative has extremely sweet, lovely and tender parts. And others you think: What? Where the urge to jump into the book is huge, to shake the characters and shout, “You’re doing everything wrong.”
However, the main point of the book is to perceive Romy rethinking her attitudes and choices, and strengthening and elevating, even if by leaps and bounds, her self-esteem. Despite the light plot and mundane elements, Bittersweet can tinker with your feelings by making you think how much society labels can bring us a sense of inadequacy for not being perfect.
In the end, we have a foreclosure like real life: happy, but not perfect, and only achieved after many stumbles. With that bittersweet taste that not everyone knows how to savour and that definitely defies the palate.
Well well well i didn’t know what to expect from this book as I’m a big fan of Carmen Jenner but shamefully admit i haven’t read anything from Lauren K McKellar and to be honest that will change, this book had me from the amazingly beautiful cover, blurb, single dad, and not so skinny heroine.
This book was full of fun, drama, sweet characters, family and one hell of a story line. The writing between these two authors for me was flawless and they both nailed the story. This for me was like every girls dream of dreaming about the wedding and trying to find the perfect male, whilst trying to be perfect themselves.
What i loved about this story is that we learn that what might be perfect for someone by trying to change them just shows us that someone will love you just the way you are and that you need to love yourself before anyone else can and i love that.
This book and two of the sweetest main characters, Romy was romantic and sweet and driven and beautiful character and i loved that she wasn’t perfectly skinny and she had curves and i loved that Elio liked her like that. She wanted to be happy but with her wedding Blog she wanted to help others get there happy ending and to me that makes her so selfless
The thing i loved about Elio was he’s dedication to his daughter and how no woman would put her to the side and that he loved her with all of his heart, i really did love Elio, i must admit there were times i wanted to bash both characters heads together but that’s what makes me so invested in the story.
Of course though it was Coco who stole my heart she was the most precious little girl and i just wanted to go in there and just give her a big hug. I loved the way her characters were written and some of things she said made me laugh out loud. For a 4 year she was smart and had so much sass loved her
If you like the sweet romance, with s bit of hot sexy time on the side, with amazing characters, like Aunt B and a awesome Nonna then this is your book, i smiled just about the whole way through and read this in one sitting i didn’t want to put it dow.
Loved loved loved this book and would recommend it to anyone a massive 5 Star buns for Bittersweet.
Bittersweet is a yummy, sweet tale with one of the cutest, most adorable little girls, and one of the hottest, sweetest barista/bakers in all of fiction land.
Romy is a wedding blogger who is in lust with her favorite barista/baker, whose cafe Bittersweet is just below her apartment. She stops by his cafe every day, flirts sort of, drinks his delicious coffee, eats his scrumptious muffins, and works on her blog. She’s been eyeing Elio for awhile and when she starts getting signals from him, she’s kinda sorta thinking he might be interested in her. And then she meets his adorable niece, Coco, his sister Bianca, and his Nonna and confirms that Elio is the man for her.
But, one huge assumption on her part that leaves Elio with an assumption of his own, and boom, her fairy tale just may not get its happily ever after. Will Romy get her happily ever after with her Coffee Hottie? Or will she allow her stupidity to take down her life?
I adored Bittersweet. It’s the perfect amount of sweet and adorable mixed with some spice. Can’t wait for more from Carmen and Lauren!
It had all you need in a book. A fun flirty heartwarming read! I really enjoyed the story of Romy and Elio. Definitely worth the read! *5 swoony stars*
Romy just got out of a relationship and she thinks she’ll never get married now. Although she has lost a bit of her confidence, she still pours her heart into her wedding blog. Every day she goes into a little café to get some inspiration but also ‘cuz of the very handsome barista that is also the owner. But she doesn’t believe she’s worthy of his attention or that he’s even remotely attracted to her because she thinks she’s not as skinny or as beautiful as other women. Every single day she spends there, something seems to shift and he notices her more and more. Or hasn’t he always? There’s a lot of chemistry between them but something seems to hold him back.
Elio has been burned before and doesn’t know how to start over. He has someone to think about now but the attraction to Romy becomes more and more undeniable. Will he let his guard down or will he push Romy even further away?…
A tummy clutching, hilarious story about miscommunication, muffins and madness
Endearing characters, extremely funny situations, an inappropriate heroine who blurts before she thinks and a hot barista and you have a perfect Rom-com with sexual tension simmering on a burner in Elio’s modern kitchen. This guy can whip up delicate rose water flavoured desserts and orgasmic pasta in a heartbeat and his buns are to die for!!!
His body is amazing . His shoulders are broad, lined with muscle, and those abs— you could bake a tart on them ; they’re smoking hot. Two delicious lines of a V disappear into his jeans, pointing to the Promised Land.
Sign me up.
Take me to church.
I’m converted.
In fact his buns and muffins are what Romy can’t wait to sink her teeth into every morning. Alas only manages muffins…..yet!! So in between writing a wedding blog and stalking(read staring with heart eyes and gooey heart) Elio, she is also trying to loose weight, much to her carb-stuffing mouths consternation. She has carb withdrawals!!
“Seems you got an extra helping of sass with that ass, huh?”
It’s a perfect setup for another laugh-out-loud story by a very witty Carmen . Shabby fell in love with Cake, so shabby ran to pick this book and shabby laughed all the way to the end. It’s a racy, raunchy, rip-roaring read, unputdownable, and utterly delectable. Go. Buy. The. Book!
there’s a particular sex scene, shabby swears- DO NOT DRINK LIQUIDS while motorboating it…sorry, sorry….shabby meant reading it. It’s so funny, shabbh gigglesnorted in gym and ppl stared at her like she was mental…
And then there Marc Moretti…he has a huuuuuge…….muscles. his appearance always made me laugh and he is a perfect stereotypical trainer, pumping iron kinds!!
reading all the hot as coffee, sex scenes, shabby was shouting -“Shabby’s coming…shabby’s coming”!!!
You’ll get it when you read it.
4.5 Coco & Womy stars
What an enjoyable read. Frustrating but enjoyable. I love these two characters but I seriously wanted to wack Elio and Romy and tell them to just speak to each other.
Romy has a blog all about love and weddings and planning your wedding, and all she wanted was her own happily ever after, and maybe it’s the hottie in the coffee shop she frequents. If only she would have the courage to tell him how she feels. But after what happened with her ex, Romy knows that Elio won’t be interested in someone like her.
Elio has been listing after Romy for a while but he’s scared of how she would react when she finds out he’s a single dad. And he will do anything to protect his little girl. But can he trust Romy with his heart and his little girl.
A lot of miscommunications and a lot of longing looks, can these two get their issues sorted before it’s too late? Or will Romy find her happiness with someone else
Lots of angst and suspense and all they needed was to be open and honest with each other. Awesome story. Can’t wait to see if the best friend andthe sister gets their own book
Oh so bitterSWEET
With one of my all time favourite authors co-writing a book with one of her best friends I knew I was in for an incredible book – and Bittersweet was all that and more. Carmen Jenner’s books include some of my absolute faves and while I’m new to Lauren McKellar, I’ll definitely be checking her books out. Together, they have delivered a book that is hilariously sweet with the right amount of drama … toss in a family man and a woman who isn’t the “perfect size” (because she’s just a regular woman after all our own hearts) and Bittersweet is a book that will make you swoon, make you crack up laughing and make you pause as you consider why the size of a woman is still so important these days (sigh).
I devoured this story in half a day – it’s so easy to read, so light and fun, and I fell in love with Romy. She is the type of woman I could’ve been if I hadn’t met my husband when I did – someone so desperate for love but who doesn’t have the confidence or self-belief that she deserves to be loved. I really enjoyed experiencing Romy’s inner voice and reading about a book heroine who doesn’t have it all together. Her doubt, her lack of self esteem, her dislike of her appearance is something so many women can identify with and it was refreshing to read a story that included this.
And Elio – the swoon worthy barista and baker – gosh he was dreamy. I loved the chapters told from his perspective (and while Bittersweet is in dual perspective, it’s mainly from Romy’s point of view) and his attraction to Romy is evident from the get go. And while Elio has a little “lie of omission” of his own, you know exactly why he wasn’t so forthcoming…
Lastly I have to mention the fabulous supporting characters. I’m desperately hoping Nico and Bianca are getting their own book (pretty please!!) but I loved Elio’s Nonna, I loved Romy’s bestie Emma and Coco – she is totally adorable!!
If Bittersweet isn’t on you tbr go and add it now, or better yet one click and get swept away by an absolutely gorgeous love story that will make you smile, make you swoon and hope for an Elio at your local cafe!!
nicandbooks
Amazon/Goodreads
This book was absolutely adorable. I couldn’t put it down. It had me laughing out loud. Elio is super dreamy, and Romy is definitely relatable. I loved them both! I hope Bianca and Nico will get their own book. I’d love to see more of all these characters!!
Bittersweet is a novel about one womans journey towards finding love and one man’s journey of single fatherhood.
Romy is a wedding blogger with her only goal being to catch the eye of the hot barista at the coffee shop beneath her apartment.
Elio has watched Romy, flirted with Romy, and seriously crushed on Romy. but after his ex walked away from him and their daughter he’s hesitant on bringing someone else into his daughter’s life until he’s sure it’s real.
Romy and Elio’s story is cute as hell and at times overwhelmingly frustrating. Being completely honest, these two needed a smack up side the head a few times!
Carmen Jenner and Lauren K. McKellar are both new to me authors, which is always exciting for me! After reading Bittersweet, I will definitely be keeping my eye on future reads!
My second book by Carmen Jenner, and I’m wondering what has taken me so long to start reading her books?! Of course there were two authors on this one, so now I have a new author to check out as well, Lauren K. McKellar. I loved this story. It was sweet, it was funny, and it was so hard to put down! I just tore through it, reading mostly on my phone, so swiping constantly to turn the small pages as I read. One night I stayed up later reading, because I just couldn’t stop. I had to know what was going to happen next. It was a story where there were all the misunderstandings, the way one person reacted came off as something different because they weren’t clear in how they said or did something. Then without knowing who a person was, it was assumed that it was a significant other, and that threw a monkey-wrench into the whole relationship. About 75% through, there was a bit of a twist, that I didn’t quite see coming. I knew there was going to be a little twist, but the way it turned out, and just how far back reaching the whole backstory on that twist was made for a more interesting ending. But I definitely like how at that point, Elio, aka Coffee Hottie or Italian coffee god, didn’t have the typical misunderstanding and back down. I like that he stepped forward for “his girl” Romy, and fought for her. Took her back.
Another sweet, fun, and sexy read. I also loved how real Romy was, the dieting, the fit guy who was so selfish and really such an ass about how he made her attractive. Great read.
*4 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a fast and enjoyable read. I liked both main characters, but I wanted to smack their heads together so that they would speak to each other and communicate clearly.
I pretty much liked all the characters apart from one, and you’ll know who that is when you read it yourself, trust me.
There were a lot of sweet and a lot of funny moments, and some moments you just wanted to smack someone on the head. Everything played out in a fairly smooth fashion though, without dragging the book on too much.
There is a huge message about body image in this one, which I absolutely loved, because of how big of an issue body image is these days. We all struggle with it, we can all relate to Romy, and the way these ladies have written it into this book, is awesome. It was very well done.
Romy and Elio as main characters are both pretty awesome, and all round this was just an easy read.
Would recommend.
This is definitely a must read, its fun, flirty and seriously swoon-worthily heartwarming.
Romy has just come out of a relationship and is in the jaded phases, she thinks she will never get married now and has lost some of her confidence. Everyday she goes into a little café to get some inspiration for her wedding blog and to see the sexy barista café owner Elio.
The chemistry between Romy and Elio is sizzling but I did love the slow burn of it. Where Romy goes into the café everyday their relationship grows from strength to strength. They both have issues and hangups from previous relationships but can they get over them together?
These authors have brought us a brilliant light romance with delicious humour and sugary sweet scenes. I have really enjoyed their collaboration, their writing has flowed beautifully together.
This was such an emotional, sweet, funny and all around beautiful love story. I definitely recommend this book, and these authors.
If you’re in the mood for a flirty and funny romance, with just a wee pinch of drama to spice it up a bit, Bittersweet is the perfect lazy afternoon read. The humor and drama all are due to a serious case of miscommunication, between the main characters, that leads to hilarious assumptions and family problems. Throw a cute kid into the mix, and it’s good to go!
Romy Love writes on her successful wedding blog called Love, Romy, giving tips and inspirational messages to stressed out brides. Like she was when she had to cancel her wedding (due to an unfortunate incident with her fiancé. Or rather, more than one!) still she hopes to one day wear her beautiful, still new, wedding dress. She just needs to find a groom, to make it happen. And lose twenty pounds, which would be nice, too. Something her mother harps on constantly, during her obligatory family dinners. It’s a little hard to do when she lives above a delicious bakery/coffee shop. One that has amazing cupcakes, muffins and other yummy pastries, made by the very handsome owner and pastry chef, Elio. She spends too much time there while ogling, err…working on her blog, and drinking coffee, trying to make him notice her.
“If I don’t make a change in my life, I’m going to end up as a crazy cat lady, and I don’t even particularly like cats.”
Elio has noticed Romy and is interested but the single dad was badly burned by his ex-wife and can’t think about romance. He’s made his four year-old daughter, Coco, his priority. Elio has help and support raising Coco from his family and he’s close to his beloved Nonna and Nonno. After noticing his interest in Romy his sister, Bianca, puts a bug in his ear and he thinks he should take a chance before she finds someone else and it’s too late. Bianca thinks he needs to take another try at love, despite his fears, and stop punishing himself.
“I’m protecting my daughter. From having my heartbroken when another woman she loves walks out of her life.”
“Her heart, or yours?”
“Both.”
After a series of unfortunate incidents, due to a misunderstanding, it seems that Romy and Elio are not meant to be. Until Fate decides to have something to do with it! This story will have you laughing one moment and then tearing up the next, it’s a cute feel good romance you’ll enjoy, and I loved the epilogue.