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…
more
This is my first read from Katrina Collins, she is going to be on my “must read” list for sure. This was such a fun second chance romance, Neil and Elaina, a.k.a. Lainey were such a blast to read.
Lainey is recovering from another broken heart, and the last thing she needs in her life is her first love to return, after he left without even a goodbye. Let alone the previous, Mr. Everything with his fabulous body and charm. I loved the dynamic of the secondary characters, the recipes in the back were an added bonus, I think I need to make some cupcakes now.
This is a brilliant, delightfully unique premise for a book, and every maid of honor needs a Beefcakes to tap into for the bachelorette party! I fully expect they’ll be popping up across the country as a result of this book. Collins effortlessly reeled me in – hook, line, and sinker – with this phenomenal romantic comedy, and now I *have* to read all the books in the Maple Grove series! Also, I now have another fabulous author to follow.
Neil Evans left town a week before his high school graduation without so much as a goodbye to anyone, including his high school sweetheart. Since then, he’s made his mark in both the body-building world and as a stuntman, but he’s grown weary of the Hollywood façade. His mother’s health has been poor and now he’s back in Maple Grove to try to help his brother save her bakery and figure out a way to pay her mountain of medical bills. What he didn’t expect was for a ruined cupcake delivery and some quick thinking at a bachelorette party to result in demands for his baked goods to sky rocket after a meme went viral. And he never expected for his high school sweetheart to be in attendance.
Lainey Dykers went from nerdy girl to party girl in high school, and when the most popular guy noticed her it wasn’t long before they were crazy in love. She and Neil had so many plans and hopes and dreams, and all of them came crashing down around her when he left without saying goodbye. In the years since, Elaina has worked hard to reinvent herself as a responsible, organized, confident, capable woman and now acts as the town manager for Maple Grove. Although, she may have a little more work ahead of herself, with that little grudge and slight need for retribution when it comes to Neil now that he’s back in town.
I adore this story for so many reasons. But Neil’s insecurity from all those years of people seeing nothing but his muscles, and Elaina’s struggle to figure out how to embrace both versions of herself are what resonate most with me. And the author handles these issues with a deft hand, giving us just enough to truly empathize with the characters and become invested, but not so much that we get to the point of, “oh, just get over it already.” This story is so beautifully balanced, carefully crafted and flawlessly written that it reads itself. All I had to do was sit back, hand over my heart, (gleefully, I might add) and enjoy the show.
Yes, there’s romance and comedy, and Neil and Lainey’s journey will keep you glued to the page, reading late into the night. I startled hubby’s pet mouse back into its house with my barks of laughter, and the banter, the tension and the emotional ride are oh, so delicious. We also get a nice dose of steam, and some of the interactions are sweet enough to cause a tooth ache.
But the heart? Oh, my soul, the heart in this book is amazing and unforgettable. Between Lainey and Neil’s romance, their love for their family, and their love and commitment to their town – my heart will never be the same after reading this book. And yet, this book is about so much more. It’s about finding your way, finding yourself, finding your path and embracing your future. About letting go of fear, old hurts and uncertainty, and being brave enough to take a chance that will change your life. I read a lot of romcoms, but this one is in a class of its own. Without even trying, Lainey and Neil’s story gets a spot on my top five romcoms for the year. Do your heart and funny bone a favor and start reading this one right away!