I’m Levi Buchanan, and until five years ago, I thought the legend of my family’s curse was a load of crazy, Southern nonsense.No curse can make you fall in love at first sight. No curse can force a true, deep, passionate, all-consuming love that will haunt you all the days of your life.Then I met Jocelyn Abernathy and I realized how completely wrong I was.The problem is, Jocelyn guards her … is, Jocelyn guards her feelings like well-armed soldier. She’s the most beautiful, stubborn, infuriating woman I’ve ever met. Every time she talks, I want to kiss the living daylights out of her. But I can’t.
Because when we met, she didn’t need true love. She needed a best friend. And that’s what I’ve been to her… for five years.
But when Jocelyn meets a handsome stranger her first day working at Donner Bakery and she lets him buy her a dill pickle cupcake, I realize with ominous regret that I may have missed my window with my best friend.
If I can’t get her to see past our friendship, my new curse may be to watch the love of my life move on with someone else.
‘Baking Me Crazy’ is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book #1 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
more
A truly beautiful and inspiring friends-to-lovers romance. I constantly found myself re-reading parts of it to prolong the experience; I never wanted to finish this story and leave Green Valley. Levi just reached into my chest and squeezed my heart with his love for Joss. And watching Joss grow and starting to see him differently, it was all really touching and made me tear up several times. Amazing start to the SmartyPants Romance books. A must read!
I loved this book from start to finish! The characters, chemistry and storyline made it hard to put down.
I love how this story unfolded, letting us slowly see the layers of these characters. Definitely had a slow burn feel to it.
The secondary characters added so much more to the story too.
Karla is easily becoming one of my favorite authors to read and I cannot wait for more.
This was such a sweet friends to lovers story. Karla Sorensen absolutely did justice to the Smartypants line up with this book. Levi can easily slide into anyone’s book boyfriend list. He’s so romantic. Swoon!
Karla is absolutely a master storytellers, I do not remember ever tearing up at a wedding scene in a book before!
‘”And if I love but once in this cruel, weary world, well, I’m glad I loved once with you.”‘
‘”Don’t tell me this doesn’t spark some serious joy,” I whispered brushing my lips with hers.’
Ahhh! The first book from Smartypants Romance was simply wonderful!
This is the story of Levi Buchanan and Jocelyn Abernathy. Levi has been in love with Jocelyn since the moment he saw her when she moved to town as a teenager, five years ago. Jocelyn was recovering from an illness that left her in a wheelchair and wasn’t ready for any kind of relationship so they decided to be friends. Five years later, he worries that he has missed his opportunity and has friend-zoned himself when she starts talking about having “date feelings” for someone else.
This was a sweet, delicious slow-burn and I loved it. These two stole my heart as they tried to come to terms with their feelings and tread that line between friends and lovers. I thought Karla Sorensen did an excellent job with the research of Joss’ condition–there was so much realness, I could FEEL her struggles. And Levi–he was just swoon-worthy. He knew exactly what he wanted and was willing to do whatever he needed to get it. There’s also a connection to another Sorensen series, which was fun for me since I just finished that one.
This one just left my heart full and I can’t wait for more in this series and the rest of the books from the Penny Reid Book Universe.
I would like to note a few things about this before I go into my review for this book, but to hold of on anticipation, I loved everything about Baking Me Crazy!
1) This is the first book in the Smartypants Romance series as WELL as the first in the Donner Bakery series.
Why is this important to you?
THIS IS SET IN Penny Reid’s WINSTON BROTHERS WORLD!!! Cletus and Jennifer are BACK and written by the amazing Karla Sorensen, who I already loved, but add in the Green Valley world and I am freaking smitten with not only this series, but this book!
2) Levi freaking Buchanan is the swooniest of all swoony main men that I have read in a WHILE. This guy is freaking solid, but boy can he go alpha when he wants to. *Fan Face* Even better, he isn’t perfect and I LOVE that Karla Sorensen shows that in a few places in the book to, he is just a real man that has been in love with his best friend for the past 5 years.
3) Joss, oh beautiful and strong Joss, was the BEST type of leading lady that I have read. This chick is REAL. She is snarky, sassy, sassy and hates the world just the right amount. She has a reason to, which you have to read to find out about. *Insert evil laugh* But for real, I absolutely loved her character and how much I felt that I could relate to her.
Ok, so those are my notes, but I think you are getting that I absolutely adored everything about Baking Me Crazy and I also have to admit I hated when it came to an end, more please?!! This is not your average Friends-to-Lovers romance, there is so much emotion and depth, that you cannot help but get swept up in the story and completely immersed in their world.
All in all, do I recommend this book? Abso-freaking-lutely! I think you would be crazy to pass on this amazing book written by a pretty freaking awesome author!
I received an advanced copy of the book to voluntarily read and review the book honestly. I would like to thank Karla Sorensen, Smartypants Romance, and Social Butterfly PR for allowing me the chance to do so!
Karla blew me away with this book! I love a good friends-to-lovers romance, and this one might be my new favorite!! I fell in love with Levi & Joss from the first page. Joss is one B.A. woman! Seeing the world from her POV was so interesting; and I loved that we had a heroine like her! I freaking LOVED Levi! He was so great with Joss and just loved her with his entire being. I think one of my favorite things about him was how he’d compare her eye color to different things! So dreamy. This was an amazing slow burn too. I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, but these two needed slow burn! Gahhh. LOVED IT!
What a way to kick off the Smartypants Romance World!!
Going back to Green Valley and the Donner Bakery was absolutely delightful. Karla Sorensen gets us right back into the world, without frantically and unrealistically having characters from Penny Reid’s world appear. In contrast, she introduces a new set of characters, only giving the stage for those already familiar to a Winston Brothers Series reader where it absolutely makes sense and is called for.
The Buchanan family appears on the scene, and is already marking a spot in my heart, ready to stay for the ages. What delightful people! And Joss, the heroine is strength and vulnerability combined in the most beautiful way. Baking Me Crazy will make your heart ache, sing and flow over with the sweetness of love that is finally requited. From friends to lovers is a hard journey, and Levi and Joss conquer differently, but it brings them together in the best possible way.
The setting, the writing, the secondary characters, I can’t speak highly enough of it all. Utterly adored this sweet romance.
Karla Sorensen has become the queen of the slow burn. Joss and Levi were everything! I don’t know that I’ve ever read a sweeter hero than Levi Buchanan. His love for Joss seeped through every thing he did. Watching Joss find the strength she needed to realize what was going on and how to handle her feelings was absolutely stunning. I laughed, I cried, I swooned.
Baking Me Crazy Book 1 Donner Bakery
by Karla Sorensen
5 Stars
OMG! I absolutely fell in LOVE this so much! What an awesome sweet friend to lovers story!
“Fate or destiny or a curse, all I know is that once I met you, there’d never be anyone else. Not ever.”
“If figuring out what I wanted was the biggest, scariest, most beautiful part of living, then I was in for the biggest, scariest, most beautiful life, because this, exactly this, was what I wanted.”
Karla surely didn’t leave me disappointed!
Highly recommend!
I loved this book! I loved the realistic awkwardness of the characters. They made me cringe, laugh and cry. I felt like they were my best friends by the end and I was rooting for them along the way. It was definitely a page-turner and I read the entire thing in a night. It is an easy read and a really fun story.
LEVI IS PERFECT!!!
Baking Me Crazy bt Karla Sorensen is the first book in the Donner Bakery and i have to tell you guys this book is FANTASTIC!! One of my favorites of this year!! This couple is so so perfect and the fact that they start as a friend makes everything better.
The book has everything, romance, friendship, funny moments, and everything you need to enjoy this great story, i think i fall in love with Levi since the beginning because he is a truly charming guy and his family is amazing too!
I dont want to say more about the book so you can enjoy it when you read it. I just want to tell you that you NEED to read it as soon as is available , because this book is SO FREAKING GOOD!!!
Congratulations Karla and I’m so excited to read more about this series and Levi’s family!!
3.5-4 stars. Baking Me Crazy is the first book in the Donner Bakery series, which is set in Penny Reid’s Green Valley/Winston Brothers world, and is written by Karla Sorensen. This was the first book I’ve read by Ms. Sorensen. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I did enjoy this book. It does not have quite the same exact feel as the Winston brothers series, but it is an enjoyable small town romance.
This is Levi and Joss’s story. Joss’s family moves to town when she is in high school. She is in a wheelchair due to a disease that has affected her ability to walk. She is participating in wheelchair basketball, when she meets Levi, who is one of the coaches and recently graduated from high school himself. He is immediately attracted to Joss and asks her out, but she turns him down as she is still dealing with being differently abled and not in a good place to date. Instead they become the best of friends. For five years, they are inseparable. Levi dates, but Joss is never ready to date. Until she finally meets a guy she is interested in, who turns out to be her new physical therapist. Then Levi realizes he doesn’t want to be in the friend zone anymore and wants her to give him a second chance for love.
I enjoyed this story and the writing. I liked Levi. Joss was a little prickly but I liked her more as the book went on, too. I did feeling like the unrequited love aspect went on too long. There was too much of a slow burn. Even at well over 50%, Joss was still crushing on her PT. So there was a good bit of OM drama in that respect. But this was still an enjoyable book. It was cute and an easy read with a little angst added in. The fact that Joss was differently abled and how she dealt with it was eye-opening and interesting. I liked seeing Green Valley and Penny’s characters from another perspective.
Overall, Baking Me Crazy was an enjoyable read. I liked Joss and Levi as a couple. They really fit together and I was happy that they were able to move from friends to lovers and find happiness together. They were fun and sweet. I enjoyed my first foray into the Smarty Pants romance world and look forward to more!
Levi Buchanan is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He never believed there was really a Buchannan curse – Buchanan men fall in love with their soulmate instantly upon meeting the woman they will not get over. That is until the day that Jocelyn Abernathy knocks him on his rump when he notices her at the basketball court. But Joss is not ready to date as she is still coming to grips with being in a wheelchair after an infection, so Levi takes the higher road and becomes her best friend. Can he break out of the friend zone and become her soulmate? Or will the Joss walk away when his true feelings for her are revealed? This book had me laughing out loud and wiping tears from my eyes. Totally heartbreaking and yet heartwarming at the same time. The reader just wants them to get their HEA.
I love Joss and Levi! I love the way they balance each other out! The sweetest friends to lovers that I’ve ever read! Karla knocked it out of the park with this one! If all the Smartypants Romance series are this good, we’re in for a real treat!Karla Sorensen
“No Crying. There was no crying in the bakery.”
I savored reading this book, smiling and laughing all the while falling in love with Levi and Joss. This best friends to lovers story is full of adorable moments from Levi, who is trying to make Joss wise up to his unending love for her and hopefully have her fall head over heals in love with him too. Not only is this slow burn romance hilarious- I LOVED that with this story we are getting a diverse character out of the norm of the romance genre – a young woman in a wheel chair who will not be deterred by her circumstances in order to find love and happiness. AND the added bonus of Levi’s family love curse? I was in heaven with the plot of this story!
Levi is the epitome of the perfect book boyfriend- a sweet as pie man with a kind heart, a sexy body and a lovable soul. I swear I fell in love with Levi in the prologue- who wouldn’t fall for a man who sees beyond your disabilities to the young, beautiful woman beneath. Plus his family is the BEST – I love a meddling Mom on your side to help get your dream girl.
And Joss – with her sassy attitude and snarky wit – I absolutely loved her, she had me laughing and cringing at the same time, especially her moments with Joy in the bakery. But her determination and strength is what I admired most, she truly proved that our circumstances do not need to define our happiness and that we can do anything we set our mind to. When she finally wises up to what a catch Levi is -the underlying strong friendship that they shared created a beautiful relationship.
I would highly recommend this book. 5 Swoon Worthy Stars for me!
You must each cake when reading this book.
There is just something warm and inviting about this book. It’s flirty and fun the perfect read when you want to relax. I love how charming and easy to relate to the characters are. The writing is perfection and beautifully done. Love can come when you least expect it. Sometimes you need to take a step back to see the full picture. I can’t wait for the next book by Karla it’s sure to be entertaining.
Baking Me Crazy is a sweet friends to lovers, non angst romance story that had me giddy from beginning to end. This unputdownable story is as sweet as pie. I absolutely adore the dialogue, the quarks and kinks, I could go on and on. Karla Sorenson delivered such a fantastic book.
The diversity with the heroine truly set the tone of how different this authors writing is. She is not afraid to go there and to do it with such class, and it makes me fall even more in love with this author. The patience that each character portrayed showed no bounds, the resilience was truly humbling. Joss and Levi’s story is truly one of a kind. It contained an actual story in the story line, instead of all the hot and heavy. Don’t get me wrong, there was chemistry but not enough , to where that was the main focus. Overall, this was a fantastic story that developed nicely. I can’t wait for more of this series.
Joss is a bad b****. She is so strong, and resilient, but always has an opinion of her own. Her sense of humor comes out, at what most people would consider a bad time.
Levi has such a big heart, that it truly showcases through his kindness. He is a giver in every word of the sense. His love shows no bounds when it comes to those most important to him.
As the years has passed, Levi realizes its time to show his true intentions when it comes to his best friend. Can Joss see him for more than a friend?
* I RECOMMEND…
Imagine a family curse hanging over your love life. For Levi Buchanan – the reality of this supposed curse is really just a figment of the imagination. Or is it? The day that Levi met Jocelyn Abernathy, he knew there was more to this family curse than meets the eye. How can one man find the love of his life the very first time he lays eyes on the woman that he is suppose to marry?
Jocelyn has gone through a life changing event that has set the course of her future. With so many obstacles in the way, Jocelyn finds herself pulling back from anything resembling a relationship. In spite of Levi’s request for a date, Joss turns him down and requests to remain friends. As best friends, Levi and Joss experience all the trials and tribulations in the other person’s life. Then one day, the tides turn due to Joss’ attraction to a man she meets in the bakery. Now – the tides are turned and Levi cannot just stand on the sidelines any longer. What does stepping out of the ‘friend zone’ mean for these two ??
Baking Me Crazy is the FIRST book to release in the SmartyPants Romance series. All books in the collection are connected to Penny Reid’s wildly popular series, and fans are itching to see what transpires. I will start by saying Karla Sorensen is a ‘new to me’ author. So – I went into this novel blindly. The only thing I knew was the fact that this book would center on the Donner Bakery that made its appearance in the Winston Brothers series.
When a book is introduced to the reading world as having a plot that takes place in another author’s world, I think there are plenty of expectations that may or may not be met. The plot of Baking Me Crazy centers around two main characters that are dealing with a possible friend to lovers’ storyline. Joss is not your typical heroine. In fact – she is dealing with obstacles that most individuals cannot fathom. Levi is the hero who loves the girl in spite of her handicap. The two provide a back and forth that leads you to a place where they find themselves at a crossroads in the relationship. Where will they travel? Can they be more than friends? All of those questions will be answered within the novel.
Now – the part of my review that I am in limbo about. When you say you are writing in another authors’ world of characters, I do have expectations of what that should be. Don’t get me wrong….I am not the author, and the creativity that others can bring to the Pennyverse is exciting!! However – if you take the few elements out of the story that center around Penny’s characters, then the story really doesn’t hold its weight in the Pennyverse. Let me explain a step further – if you change the bakery to any other establishment in the country, the story is the same and wouldn’t be in the cleverly crafted world of Penny Reid.
My expectations of what to expect when writing in another author’s world are high. After all – there are some very big shoes to fill when creating new characters in another writer’s world of characters. This realization also made it hard to rate the novel. Karla Sorensen has definitely created two VERY interesting characters with a unique set of obstacles on their path to romance. I really found myself teetering between my view of what was unique and the areas of the storyline that lacked ‘connection’. With the two characters having such a unique set of circumstances with their romance, I just felt some of the novel was lacking the impact that one would expect from this particular couple.
As the first book set in the Pennyverse – Baking Me Crazy is definitely one that will pull you into a brand new series. I definitely have my fingers crossed that the books scheduled to release in the future will only get better and will have a stronger connection (not just working at Jenn’s bakery or passing a character from the Pennyverse).
5 BEAUTIFUL TASTY STARS!! This story is a beautiful sweet tasty treat. I devoured Levi and Jocelyn story….their friends to lovers was perfection. You know when your eating a great dessert and you slow down to suck in every crumb…..well I read slowly to suck in every word that Karla Sorensen wrote. The book has all the feels and you never want it to end. You definitely need to 1-Click this Book.
This was my first visit to Green Valley and it was an amazingly delicious visit. The beginning delivered a shocking revelation to the type of relationship Joss and Levi would have and it set the wheels in motion for a refreshingly different type of romance. It’s slow-burning and done perfectly. Best friends turned lovers of the best kind.
Joss and Levi have a beautiful friendship, true friends who are there for each other no matter what. Levi is so supportive of Joss through everything she endures, putting his feelings aside while waiting for Joss to be ready, to finally see him and his true feelings.
The slow burn was good—it allowed the reader to see the true friendship these two have. When the slow burn finally explodes, sparks fly and the angels sing from above.
I really enjoyed Baking Me Crazy and the connection I noticed to the author’s own world of her Washington Wolves series. I can’t wait for more from Smarty Pants Romance and the Penny Reid World.