Things are about to get sticky… I might as well permanently add the label “Ex” to my name. I’m an Ex-Mr. Universe. Ex-Mr. Olympus. An Ex-Hollywood Stuntman. But no one from my small hometown cares anything about that. They only care that I’m the ex-boyfriend to the beloved Mayor’s daughter, Elaina Dyker.And now, ten years later, I’m back, helping my siblings run my mother’s bakery while she … mother’s bakery while she takes on chemo. What should have been a routine cupcake delivery turns into utter chaos when the bachelorette party thinks I’m a stripper. And what’s worse? Elaina is the maid of honor.
When the video of Elaina and I meeting again goes viral, my small hometown becomes positively infested with tipsy bridesmaids looking for my erotic cupcakes.
Now Hollywood’s knocking again—and they want Elaina to join me starring in a reality show.
All we have to do is play nice for a few weeks and pretend to fall in love again in order to win half a million dollars and solve both our problems.
Shouldn’t be too hard, right? Everyone knows, reality television is anything but real…
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It’s ‘beach read’, Something to take your mind off everything else. Nothing deep, not too much to think about, it was fun 🙂
First-time author for me. Won’t be last time!!! Katana Collins writes a mean rom-com. Beefcakes is part of the Maple Grove series, it’s actually book #4, but it is also a stand-alone book. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series and had no trouble at all figuring things out. If you like second chances, high school sweethearts, reality shows, a man who can bake like no other, and lots of laughs, then you really should pick this one up. This is pure entertainment that you’ll love!
This was my first Katana Collins book, and I absolutely loved everything about it! The interaction between Neil and Liam was great, loved the way they all took care of their mother, and the whole baking reality show was fun and fresh for me. And Lainey might be my new favorite heroine! I loved her mix of strength and vulnerability. Looking forward to reading more Katana Collins books!
It’s a sweet second chance romance. I’ve read Jude’s and Ash’s books first so it’s nice to meet them again in this book but I loved the other books a bit more. I like the writingstyle and I love the story.
This is my first time reading a book by Katana Collins and I was not disappointed. This book ran the gammuts from passionate, to hilarious, to emotional.
Neil left 10 years ago without a word, embarrassed. With his mother’s failing health and the family cup cakery in jeopardy he comes back. And the first person he runs into is his high school girlfriend, Lainey, he never got over.
Elaina (Lainey) is a different person from when she was in high school. Gone are her care free days because of heartbreak. But with Neil back in town it’s making Lainey question her work/life balance.
Now they are both competing together in a baking/relationship competition for much needed cash.
This book is a great ride that I never saw coming. Definitely one-click now.
What do you get when you have sexy muscles and cupcakes come together? You get a brand new laugh out loud and delicious story by Katana Collins. She brings us Mr. Neil Evans who by all counts is nothing you have seen in a man. He can do it all be Mr. Universe, Hollywood Stuntman and be Mr. Olympus well he used to be and now he is well a baker. Coming back to town like this in a somewhat failure mood was never his plan but his mom and brothers needs him. Then we have the one woman who has never left his mind in every corner trying to well ignore him. The thing is when it comes to Katana Collins and these two there is no way they can just ignore each other. Right from the start their passion is still there but there is also many unanswered questions to why he left years ago with no explanation. This is Neil’s last chance to make everything right, not only is the bakery on the line but so is his second chance with Elaine his Lainey. Can the Ex-Stuntman get his leading lady back in his life is one by Katana Collins you got to read.
“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”
I just loved this book and the second chance for Elaina and Neil. I was completely pulled in, I loved the lightness and fun between all of the characters even with the struggles and hurt from their past. The story flowed, and I felt connected with them all. This is a great read and I loved every minute of it.
Beefcakes is the perfect fix for your sweet tooth! If you love The Bachelor and practically ANY baking competition, then you won’t be able to get enough of this book. My cheeks were still sore the next day from laughing so much, and I honestly just want to watch a cake show and read the book all over again. A second chance romance with a clever twist, this is a book I promise you don’t want to miss. I stayed up until nearly 4am to finish Beefcakes and don’t regret my wake up call only three hours later, totally worth every moment. This is one romantic comedy I’ll be adding to my yearly “read again” list!
This was another book (of several lately) that I thought was okay but not great.
Neil returns home to his small town after a decade away, and almost immediately runs into his ex-girlfriend Elaina. They are basically at each other’s throats from the get-go and pretty much do everything they can to harm the other. Even though he expresses some concern for her (primarily in his own thoughts), Neil acts the most rude, in my opinion. Add to that the fact that he was the one who left her (with no goodbye) in the first place, and never really does adequately appoligze for that. And it just made him look like a big huge jerk. Especially later on when he gets mad at Elaina for not telling him something that she tried to share with him, but for which he shut her down. Not to mention that pretty much the exact same situation happened to him, but that never comes in to play. This all made it very hard for me to properly relate to his character, and I was even less able to sympathize with him.
I also just didn’t feel much of a connection between these two main characters in general. And the whole vibe of the book was a little off to me. And while it was billed as a romantic comedy, I just didn’t find it all that funny. Apparently, it just wasn’t my style. Second-chance romances aren’t generally my favorite anyway, so there’s that. I thought the general story concept was an intriguing one though, which is what got me interested in the first place. And some of the peripheral characters were quite fun (Liam and Chloe, for example); although others were just horrible (like Elliott and Gretchen, among others). I found the near end unnecessarily emotional and angst-filled. But at least it did have a happy ending.
Katana Collins’ latest is Beefcakes, a second chance rom-com that I couldn’t put down. KC is a new to me author with a backlist I’ll be picking up after reading Beefcakes. How have I missed her books? I absolutely loved Neil and Lainey. I loved the chemistry, the banter, and the cupcakes. I’m very much looking forward to catching up on the author’s Maple Grove series.
Beefcakes is a second chance romantic comedy stand-alone novel.
Neil returns home to help his family with the family bakery while his mother is battling cancer. When a cupcake delivery for a bachelorette party turns chaotic, Neil and his brother Liam decide to fly by the seat of their pants saying that they are testing a new option called Beefcakes. Things couldn’t get worse except for when Neil sees his ex-girlfriend, Elaina, who is the maid of honor. When a photo from the party gets turned into a meme and goes viral, Elaina decides to take things out on Neil. When Hollywood comes knocking wanting both Neil and Elaina to star in a reality show, they both need to put their past behind them and work together to try and win.
Beefcakes was labelled as a romantic comedy and it felt more like a contemporary romance which for me moved a little too slow and I had issues connecting with the characters making this a difficult read. The first half of the novel was a battle between Neil and Elaina and then the reality show brings them together for their second chance romance. This was my first novel by Katana Collins and unfortunately, her writing style is just not for me.
*ARC was generously provided in exchange for my honest review*
4 stars
Beefcakes is an adorable second chance rom com combined with something I will literally binge watch anyday…cupcake wars!
Former Mr. Universe turned cupcake chef? Former party girl turned straight laced city manager? Sounds unlikely but baking is a science and sometimes the most unlikely things create the biggest spark; something called chemistry!
Adorable story with great characters, a reality dating/cooking show and tons of heart!
AnnMarie – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
“Beefcakes” by Katana Collins was a funny, sweet, and charming story featuring relatable, well-developed characters that I absolutely adored. The central relationship between main characters Neil Evans and Elaina “Laney” Dyker was a beautifully developed combination of enemies-to-lovers and second chance romance that gave me all the feels. Neil and Laney were previously involved in high school but had a falling out when Neil left town shortly before their graduation without saying goodbye to Laney. When he returned home ten years later following his mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, they seemed destined to remain enemies, but after a photo of them at Laney’s sister’s bachelorette party went viral, they were forced to become uneasy allies in a bid to rehabilitate their images and win a million dollars on reality TV. This reluctant partnership soon gave way to friendship and eventually something deeper as Laney and Neil came to realize that they were meant to be together all along.
Both Laney and Neil were very likeable characters and I found it easy to relate to each of them in different ways. I couldn’t help empathizing with Neil and his family in particular because I know exactly how tough (and expensive!) breast cancer treatment can be, having gone through it myself over the past year. In addition to his mother’s illness, Neil was dealing with his own potentially career-ending injury, a cross-country move back to his hometown, and trying to save a debt-ridden family business, all while fighting to be taken seriously as more than just a good-looking guy. In truth, Neil was a lot smarter than most people gave him credit for being, not to mention a genuinely nice, caring person who just wanted to do what was best for those he loved.
Like Neil, Laney had come a long way since high school and took great pains to overcome her party girl past in order to be taken seriously as the Maple Grove town manager. She was also dealing with some trust issues in the wake of a brutal breakup with her boyfriend of 9 years, as well as lingering resentment over the way Neil left town without saying goodbye years earlier. As a result, Neil and Laney had a lot of issues to work through before they were able to repair their relationship, but forcing them to team up for the reality show was a really fun way to bring them together so that they had no choice but to do so. As a bonus, it led to quite a lot of laughs along the way.
In addition to Neil and Laney, I enjoyed getting to know their siblings in this story, and it would be great to read stories about each of them in the future. In particular, it seemed as if there could be a romance brewing between Laney’s sister Chloe and Neil’s brother Liam, which could be very interesting indeed!
“Beefcakes” was the first book I’ve read by Katana Collins, but I am certain that it will not be the last.
*ARC provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.
Be prepared, you are going to laugh. Beefcakes wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be. I thought it would be goofy, something lighthearted to make me laugh. And who couldn’t use a good laugh right now? I wasn’t expecting the other things I found, and that pleasantly surprised me. He is afraid everyone only sees him for his muscles. She has some issues accepting herself too. Two sides of the same coin? Not quite. But Elaine and Neil do have history, and the door might not be closed all the way, especially since they are being courted.
I laughed. I laughed at how they reconnected, at their interactions, at the dialogue…the book was great! I also liked the plot and the genuiness of the characters, even if there were times I wanted to slap them. The book was a really good read, better than I expected, and one you absolutely have to read for yourself. 4.5 stars and I suggest you one-click immediately. It’s a must-read!
Adored this fun, sexy and action packed journey filled with engaging charters, witty banter, heart racing twists, exciting passion and a heartwarming and hard won second chance at everything! Was a great read from beginning to end.
This one is a good read. Neil is into fitness. He was Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympus. I excepted him to be cocky but he’s not really full of himself. He’s a good guy, who is going through a lot. He left town years ago and now he’s back to help run the family bakery. Elaina (Lainey) is current town manager. She’s a hard worker. Her and Neil have a past and she definitely holds a grudge on hoe things got left between them. They still have a connection even though Lainey has her walls up. I really liked this one, it was a fun read. Beefcakes was the first book I read by Katana Collins but it definitely won’t be my last book I read by her.
Great romcom! I read it in one sitting because I was just enjoying it that much.
Neil is a former Hollywood stuntman, and Lainey is the current town manager of Maple Grove. She’s also the mayor’s daughter. Lainey is closed off to love with good reason – she’s been burned in the past.
Neil and Lainey were an item in high school, and they had big plans for the future. But then Neil took off without even saying goodbye, so to say Lainey does not trust him is putting it mildly! Now Neil is back in town to help his mother at her bakery, and when he runs into the Lainey, the sparks fly!
What makes this story so great is the opposition of these two personalities. They both won’t give in, won’t take flack, and are so witty and snarky that they feed off of each other. But they are also both genuine, insecure, emotional, and work really hard to give it another chance.
Neil Evans has come back to town in order help his brother, Liam, run the bakery their mom started while she deals with trying to battle cancer. Neil is a former Mr. Universe and stuntman who still has a knack for baking cupcakes and desperately wants to get the bakery out of debt.
When Liam and Neil’s delivery of cupcakes to a bridal party ends up in a bunch of ruined cupcakes the boys attempt to salvage the cupcakes and it ends up turning their bakery around. Yet it is also at the expense of Neil’s high school girlfriend and town manager, Elaina Dyker.
When Neil and Elaina are approached about being on a reality show together that would solve both of their financial problems can they put aside their differences and work together or will secrets once again ruin everything?
This was such a great book and I am so happy that I decided to take a chance on it!
I admired Neil for coming home and helping the bakery, even though he partly did so because he was injured. I loved when Neil and Liam arrived at the party and what Liam decided to do in order to salvage the party. I laughed so hard and the author did such an amazing job coming up with so many different things and more importantly, recipes!
So there was so obvious tension right off the bat between Neil and Elaina and it is gradually through the book that you learn more and more about what happened and all of the different repercussions. I liked that Elaina was headstrong and determined to get certain things done for her town. I really admired her for that and loved the vision she saw for her town and the old mill but she was stuck financially. I was definitely worried about her battles with Hardin Montgomery
There was so much sexual tension between Elaina and Neil right from the beginning the book and there was so many great moments, including an attempt to close down the bakery!
The show was so awesome and I knew there would be some great twists and turns coming up for Elaina and Neil. I also wondered how many “ghosts” would reappear and I was not disappointed!! I was so happy that Liam was able to help out in a certain circumstance.
My heart broke for Neil’s family with the news he got about his mom and how they were worried about how they were going to afford everything. I understood why Neil was making a certain decision but at the same time I knew it could also backfire on him.
I loved the wedding cake scene but the stuff after completely surprised me and made me super sad.
I was shocked at how long this went on for after but I was happy at how both Neil and Elaina continued to do things for the other one.
The very end was awesome and I can’t wait to read more from this author!
By Rebecca
Neil is coming back home to help care for his mother after her surgery, and to help his siblings with the family bakery. Upon delivery of an order, a sort of catastrophe-laden event, he runs into his ex best friend with benefits, Elaina, and she looks less than thrilled to see him. Can the charming ex Mr. Universe and former stunt man charm her into agreeing to be on a reality show about exes and baking? Or will he fall flat on his gorgeous face when her ice queen routine freezes him out?
This is such an adorable story! Sweet, a little spicy and so much fun. Neil is quite possibly one of the sweetest bbfs to come down the turnpike in a long way, and Elaina is perfect for him. I’m not sure which story is next in the Maple Grove world, but I will definitely be reading it.
4.5 stars. What an awesome, unique storyline. I really enjoyed this book, it was absolutely a pick me up for me during the crazy time the world is going through, it made me laugh and I was so engrossed in the story that it allowed me to switch off and just enjoy the ride. Overall, an excellent read.