Fondant Fox

SO DARN CUTE!!!
Title: Fondant Fox (A Kinship Cove Fun & Flirty Romance)
Series: Book 4 of Mates & Macarons Series (Released as Part of the Multi-Author Shifters In Love Fun & Flirty Romance Collection)
Designation: Standalone Novella(Approximately 90 pages), NO Cliffhanger #paranormal #romance #smalltown #shifters #humor #funflirtyromance
My Rating: Five Deliciously Sexy Sweet Stars*****

I loved, loved, loved Misty and Clark! Fondant Fox is my new favorite and Mates and Macarons is, without a doubt, one of the cutest, sweetest, funniest, most outrageously adorable, feel-good paranormal romance series I’ve read this year. I’m a diehard Ellis Leigh fan and have been for years. Leigh is one of my top five favorite paranormal, science fiction, suspense, and contemporary romance authors. And yes, you read that correctly – Leigh does write in all four genres and does it exceptionally well, consistently demonstrating her talent as a gifted storyteller and skilled wordsmith with every story she pens, which is why her books are an automatic one-click for me. For anyone unfamiliar with Leigh’s work, she writes captivating paranormal and science fiction romance as Ellis Leigh, riveting contemporary romantic suspense as Kristin Harte, and naughty contemporary/ new adult romance as one half of the London Hale dynamic writing duo. In the past, Leigh’s writing in paranormal romance has been somewhat darker in tone, but I was thrilled to see her stretch her wings and soar into something more fun. Don’t get me wrong; her other books also contain humor, but this new series is sweet, cute, lighthearted, fun, feel-good, and heartwarming without all the grit and danger, though there’s still a generous sprinkling of angst, just not the ‘OMG, I’m gonna die’ element, unless you consider dying of embarrassment a real possibility. Yeah, been there and done that! lol… But as usual I digress when talking about authors and books I love, so let’s discuss this story.

Fondant Fox is a delightful, well-crafted, well-edited, fast-paced, easy to follow standalone novella with a beautifully written dual his and her first-person narrative. The storyline is upbeat with lots of cutesy, good-natured humor but does have its share of drama which, at times, is not only heartbreaking but also pretty darn hilarious. The dialogue is smart, snappy, and flows effortlessly. Fondant Fox is very much a character-driven storyline, which brings me to my favorite component of every Leigh story – her always engaging cast of characters. I was so hoping Leigh would write a story for Misty, the sweet, snarky fox shifter who worked at the Cakily-Ever-After Bakery with her three human besties, co-owners Coco, Ginger, and Madeleine Chance. And she did! Thank you, Ellis Leigh! Misty played a secondary role in all three books but was instrumental in helping each sister secure their mate, so it was only fair that fate play around with her life, right? And wow, the fickle mistress of futures really threw our Misty a curveball! I adored Misty when she was introduced in the first book of the series. She was so sassy, snarky, and spunky, but she was also kind, selfless, loyal, and smart as a whip. I knew she deserved a special story and Leigh absolutely nailed it! But what really bowled me over was the identity of her mate! lol… Yeah, we met him in the last book, and let’s just say he didn’t make a good first impression, at all. As it turns out, Misty’s mate is none other that ‘Ryder-not-really-Ryder’ from Book 3, Honey Bear. He was the bashful, older wolf shifter with questionable sexual proclivities buying items from Madeleine’s lucrative, super secret(but not anymore) side business. We finally discover his real name is Clark and he’s a hot, nerdy professor who lives and teaches at the college in a neighboring town on the other side of the mountain. My heart just ached for this unlikely pair. Misty was a fox shifter and member of a large skulk, all of whom seemed to always take her for granted. And poor Clark, he and his wolf barely tolerated each other. He wasn’t a member of a pack growing up, was never taught to embrace his shifter side, and tried to keep his wolf on a tight leash, never shifting and never accepting life as a shifter. Much to Misty’s dismay and understandable disappointment, Clark didn’t believe in the concept of mates and refused to accept Misty as a mate. He only believed in analytics and logic, and only wanted Misty to participate in his research experiment. In other words, he wanted to scientifically document why he was drawn to Kinship Cove and Misty by having sex with her every two weeks. Oh dear! But the logically minded professor was in for a very rude, illogical awakening, and Misty was just the sneaky little vixen to give it to him! lol… I am such a sucker for older alpha heroes and May-December tropes. But add in the fact that this is a paranormal romantic comedy totally sealed the deal for me because the only thing I love more than contemporary romance and romantic comedies is paranormal/supernatural/fantasy romance. The physical attraction and sexual chemistry between sassy Misty and clueless Clark sizzled in every encounter. And wow, Misty really throws a monkey wrench into poor Clark’s research project! And poor, shy, nerdy Clark turns out to be a real wolf between the sheets! Oh my! Nothing is ever easy for any of the ladies of the Cakily-Ever-After Bakery, including love – but it’s just a research experiment, right? Well, Clark may be the super-smart wolf shifter professor with a fancy degree, but foxes are known for some super sneaky maneuvers. Will Misty be able to teach this professor a few new lessons? We’ll see!

No spoilers from me but I will say this… Beautiful fox shifter determined to teach a professor a few new tricks-check! An older wolf shifter professor who is completely clueless in how to be a shifter or woo his mate-check! A protective group of loyal friends-check! An unappreciative family-check! A boatload of drama, a liberal splash of angst, a healthy dose of laugh out loud humor, and a generous measure of steamy passion and sweet romance-you bet! That and a whole lot more!

So, did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Would I recommend it? You bet and I am but only for adult readers since it does contain naughty language and explicit(dreamy) sex. Fondant Fox is the fourth release in the Mates and Macarons Series with each book focusing on the ladies of the Cake-ily Ever After Bakery in Kinship Cove, a small close-knit town primarily populated with shifters. All the books are standalones with their own happy ending and could probably be read in any order, but to avoid spoilers, I highly recommend reading the books sequentially. Will I read this author again? You bet, just as soon as she releases her next book, which I just discovered will be about Misty’s sister, Tilly! Thank you again, Ellis Leigh! I love this series! And finally, was I entertained? OMG, completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!

Oh I feel for Misty.
Not only does she feel like she gets the short end of the stick with her family, but now she’s found her mate. A professor who is a wolf who doesn’t believe in “mates”. To make matters worst, her mate was Madeline’s favorite “panty buying” customer.

Raised more human than wolf, Clark doesn’t know everything there is to being a shifter. He’s kept his “beast” leashed when he could and only allowed him out when necessary. However, there’s just something about Kinship Cove that brings him back.

I adored Misty and Clark. She never settled for less than she deserved, but she was always willing to put her happiness on the back burner just to spend time with her mate. For Clark, it took a little longer, but he eventually learned that there is not fighting fate when your mate crosses your path.