A hot, funny brother’s best friend rom com . . . with sugar on top!
She’s his best friend’s little sister. He’s known her all his life. He’s practically part of the family. There is nothing either of them could do to surprise the other at this point. Then she showed up in his bedroom in lingerie and asked him to take her V-card.
Okay, that was a surprise.
Aiden is pretty sure Zoe was equally … pretty sure Zoe was equally surprised when he told her no.
To say that he didn’t handle it well would be a massive understatement. Almost as massive as the amount of work he’s going to have to do now to convince her that he wants her. Forever.
Right after he tells her that he’s bought the company that’s her bakery’s biggest competitor.
Maybe if he tells her he’s in love with her first, that will help sugarcoat the whole we’re-rivals-in-business-now thing.
So, first “I’m in love with you”, then “take off your clothes”, then “I’m now your business adversary”.
Sure. Piece of cake.
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Cake pops and strawberry pie, are just a touch of the sweetness of this book. Zoe and Aiden are long time friends, close like a sister and brother might be. But that all changed on one Christmas Eve. Feelings seem to have become much more in depth than you’d have for a sibling or friend. But it took five and a half months from Christmas for anything to really happen. Zoe wanted something from Aiden and he had said no, see was hurt and embarrassed. So when Aiden comes into the bakery wearing a suit, she hides. Lol! Zoe runs the family bakery with her friend Josie. Her other friend Jane works for the competition, Hot Cakes. But is it really a competitor? Aiden and his partners are millionaires. One of the partners being, Cam; Zoe’s brother. Hot Cakes is for sale and Fluke Inc. Decides to purchase it. How will Aiden tell Zoe? He loves her and wants her forever, but he also wants to save the jobs of hundreds of people that work at Hot Cakes. How will Zoe take the news? This is a fun, sweet book with a tad of sizzle. I definitely recommend this book!
This book has the perfect blend of sweet and sexy with only a small bit of angst. Aidan and Zoe’s love story has all the feels. It’s the classic brother’s best friend story with a bunch of extras thrown in to make it so much more – small town, cute successful family bakery, a previous no to Zoe’s request for Aidan to take her v-card, Aidan’s purchase of the business owned by Zoe’s family’s sworn enemies/family recipe stealers, and so many delays by Aidan to tell Zoe the second reason he has returned to their hometown. Sprinkled throughout this beautifully paced story of Aidan and Zoe’s HEA, there are also a number of secondary characters introduced in this first book of this new series. Rather than being overwhelming or detracting from the main love story, these characters are central to the unfurling of Aidan and Zoe’s dance of love and passion. We learn enough about who the secondary characters are along with just enough of their stories so that they’re fully developed characters in their own right and definitely make me excited to hear what happens next for Hot Cakes and in the town of Appleby. With Sugarcoated, Erin Nicholas once again proves she’s a fantastic storyteller. And I may never look at a cream filled cupcake the same again.
What a wonderful beginning to a new series, which promises to be a great series. It grabbed me from the beginning. It has some of my favorite things- small town, brother’s best friend, girl looking for the “right” guy, some sexy moments…very sexy. Loved it!! This story had wonderful chemistry, some fun and very hot moments but overall a whole lot wonderful moments. Can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Erin Nicholas never disappoints.
What an amazing start to this new series by Erin Nicholas!! We have the brother’s best friend trope. A rivalry between families. And that’s just the beginning!
Zoe and Aiden. Where do I start. The chemistry between the two is AMAZING. Even in their banter, you can tell they truly care about each other. I loved how Zoe was such a strong heroine. She has an image for what she wants, and goes for it. Aiden is perfect for her. He’s sexy, sweet, and brings a fresh set of eyes to some situations. Oh, and of course, what would a baking/sweets be without some ooey gooey amazing sexiness!!
We also meet some amazing secondary characters in this book, and it’s just the icing on the cake. I honestly can’t tell you who’s story I’m looking forward to most! The guys are so different from each other, it’s amazing they meld so well. The girls. Well, all I can say about them is they are DEFINITELY going to be keeping these men on their toes throughout the entire series!
You definitely want to grab this sexy, amazing read ASAP!
This is definitely going to be a fun new series by Erin Nicholas. I loved Sugarcoated and it was a perfect beginning to our time in Appleby, Iowa, and of course we got to meet Zoe and her friends and family and Aiden and his friends/business partners and of course quite a few of the people who live in Appleby. I also liked learning more about the town and the ‘rivalry’ between Buttered Up and Hot Cakes and even in a small town people had their ‘sides’ and you didn’t cross that line. Zoe and Aiden definitely had chemistry however there was the underlying tension from an unfilled romantic encounter as well as a BIG secret that Aiden was keeping that he knew would also change things for him and Zoe when he came back to town with his big plans which definitely included her, in more ways than one. I was pretty impressed he could keep his secret in such a small town, but unfortunately secrets always come out at the most inopportune times and this one did with a bang. I did feel for Zoe because I could tell she was torn with her feelings for Aiden and her loyalty to her business and her family. I am glad that Zoe and her mom could talk about Aiden and his news and put things in perspective. The ending was so perfect with Aiden and his grand gesture for Zoe, it takes a real man to wear pink. I’m really looking forward to the next book with Dax and Jane and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them. Now I’m off to the bakery for ALL the cake pops, cookies and cakes. Thank you, Erin Nicholas for another great small-town series!
Gah! Aiden and Zoe are absolute fire!!! I love Erin Nicholas books, so when I found a new series was coming I was so excited, and let me tell you this did not disappoint. From one of the queens of small town romance, Sugarcoated has hilarity, heat, a little angst, and a sense of community that makes you want to pack up and move to Appleby. I cannot wait for the rest of this series. Another 5 star read.
Best friend’s sister/ friends to lovers trope is my jam! And nobody does it better than Erin Nicholas! Aiden and Zoe were muy caliente from page one. Aiden frankly had his work cut out for him because Zoe is one stubborn miss! How is he suppose to tell Zoe about his new venture…when she has VERY rigid thoughts about said company….and convince her he’s home to stay, because of her?
His sweet and very sexy actions speak louder that words…but come on, he still needs the words! But so does Zoe, so any conflict can be worked out if they’re just honest with each other. Right?!
As much as I loved Zoe and Aiden, one of the best parts of a new series is to meet the characters who will be both introduced and woven through the whole series. I am very preoccupied now with who will match with who…and how their stories will unfold. I’m already in love with Jane and Josie, Ollie looks to be an absentminded but adorable nerd and Cam is going to be a fiery wildcard.
I can’t wait! Great first book, wonderful characters and a believable set up to both Zoe and Aiden’s story and ultimate conflict. Welcome to Appleby, Iowa.
I was swept away in the fabulously funny and sexy friends to lover’s romance. Zoe is afraid of failure or looking foolish so she sticks to what she knows. Even taking over the family bakery, she uses the same recipes and sells the same products that her mother and grandmother did before her. But she is tired of not knowing about sex so she propositions Aiden, a man she grew up with and feels safe with but he turns her down. Aiden knew when Zoe showed up in his bed wanting sex that this wouldn’t be a one-night event for them. He realized that he wanted more with her so he had to put a plan in place to return to his hometown and claim her. Of course, he never expected that plan to involve buying Hot Cakes, the baking company, which is hated by Zoe’s family. Now how does he convince Zoe that he loves her and that Hot Cakes isn’t a threat to her bakery? Zoe has to face her fears and realize that not knowing is sometimes a good thing and to be willing to take risks. Will she or will she push Aiden away? I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
What a fantastic start to the new series by Erin Nicholas. Aiden is Zoe’s brother’s best friend (!) and Zoe is the owner of the bakery in town that has been in her family for generations. When Aiden comes home for Christmas, Zoe throws herself at him with disastrous results. Or so she thinks. Aiden goes back home but only to get things in order so he can get back to Zoe and declare his love. Oh yeah, and he buys the factory in town that Zoe has declared her mortal enemy. How Aiden goes about getting Zoe to forgive him for leaving her high and dry at Christmas and to forgive him for buying the factory is where the fun starts. Convincing Zoe is the best thing he’s done in a long time…and the most fun.
Classically Erin Nicholas writing with small towns and baked goods. You’ll feel all the warmth and love and friendship in this new series.
Bon Appetit!
What a great way to start off a series! Erin Nicholas sure knows how to keep turning those pages, just one more chapter and before you know it, you’ve been awake all night until you turn the last page…
Zoe and Aiden’s story is a best friends-little-sister story. They’ve known each other for a very long time. She has always felt comfortable with him so she decides he will be the one to help her lose her V-card. Things don’t turn out the way she would have wanted. Five months later, he’s back and he’s ready for her, but she’s going to make him wait for it now.
I love Erin’s writing, I’ve always felt like I was there watching her stories transpire right before my eyes. There is so much emotion, so much great chemistry between the leading characters, a storyline that hooks you right in.
We also get to meet Aiden’s partners, who will be the leads in the rest of the series and I don’t know who’s I want to read more! I highly recommend this book.
OMG these two are almost a sweet as the cake pops from buttered up. I loved that Aiden wants to save his small town and that he’s so generous. Zoe is definitely the best women for Aiden and I’m super glad they figured it out. I can’t wait to read Janes book. Two thumbs way up for this one Erin!!!!
SUGAR COATED: HOT CAKES was the romantic ride of a lifetime. Every single second of this story was just so incredibly entertaining and I had a blast reading it. Seriously sexy, highly entertaining and perfectly romantic. As well as charming, adorable and LOL, funny. It was L-O-V-E- @ first page for me.
Zoe and Aidan are a total force to be reckoned with and their story is one that you are not going to want to miss. The banter between these characters sizzles between teasing and serious, dirty and sweet, full of flirty, snark and heavenly foreplay with delicious sexual undertones. Their interactions are so much fun, and sexy hot, that Cupcakes will soon be your new favorite dessert! The ease they had with each other. The pull they had. The great conversations, and dialogue it all had me hooked. I could feel their attraction and loved their heat. The chemistry between them is so real it leaps off the page right at you. This book had me smiling, laughing, melting and swooning with every turn of the page.
And Aidan oh my! Hello sweet, charming, sexy, bossy and dirty talking alpha, and my new favorite book boyfriend. I love how caring he was and just there for Zoe! I was totally charmed by this small town, golden boy, millionaire. Swoon!
This was one of the best written most captivating, entertaining and unforgettable romance that I’ve read in a long time. What a Fantastic way to start off a new sexy, rom-com series! Can’t wait for the next in this series with Dax and Jane! You need to read this immediately because it is a masterpiece that needs to be worshipped.
Received a early copy in exchange for a honest review!
So sexy and cute, Erin Nicholas takes us on a fun ride with Zoe and Aiden’s story! Both of them knowing each other forever, it takes one pink teddy and a unforgettable question to cause difference between these two! When confronted with confessions and true these two pull at your heart strings!
If your looking for a fun sugarcoated love story this is the one for you!!
This is the first book in Erin Nicholas’s new series Hot Cakes. Zoe is a young woman trying to keep her family’s bakery alive. Aiden is her brother’s best friend and business partner. They have always thought of each as brother and sister until the day Aiden walks in on Zoe while she is ironing her dress…in nothing but her underwear. Neither can admit the attraction they feel.
When Christmas roles around and Aiden is home for the holidays Zoe decided to make her desires known. When Aiden turns her down can she put the hurt and embarrassment aside to give him a second chance?
Aiden wants to be the home town hero by saving the Hot Cakes factory from closing Will a life long grudge between two family bakeries keep Aiden and Zoe from their HEA?
I could not put this book down, except to maybe pick up a cream filled cupcake. A must read leaving us begging for the second book!
This is a deliciously sweet, sexy and fun new RomCom from the fabulous Erin Nicholas. I knew I was going to love this new series and I am so happy to say it has all the right ingredients and met all my expectations and then some! You take the sweet and the spicy and then pop it in the heat add some frosting and bam! Chemistry like crazy!! Put that all in a small town setting and it’s a recipe for 5 stars!!
Zoe and Aiden are simply amazing together. I adore them and their story which is awesome. I love the friends to lovers because they know each other so well already it makes their coming together even more electric! And that grand gesture from Aiden near the end that still had me swooning is just EVERYTHING!! I love both of these characters as well as all the rest of the crew that we get some glimpses of for the upcoming books. Looking forward to Dax and Jane after that sweet teaser. What a yummy new series!
Reading a book by Erin Nicholas can be similar to having sex; there’s the tease, the foreplay, and then the actual act. Her latest, Sugarcoated, book one in her new Hot Cakes series, is one of those books. Zoe has taken over running the family bakery with her best friend; just like those before her. Aiden was her brother’s best friend who lived with her family after the death of his mother. Imagine his surprise when Zoe snuck into his bedroom during his Christmas visit, kissed him and asked him to take her virginity. He rejects her but returns to town five month later ready to sweep her off her feet. He finally admitted to his feelings for her and wanted the entire shebang; love, marriage, and a family. Aiden and Zoe have their first time in the work room at the bakery and let me say, I don’t think I can eat a crème filled pastry or use a tube of icing without thinking of Aiden and Zoe. There are other sub-stories within; the feud between the bakery and the factory made sweets, Aiden and his partners saving the factory so the town doesn’t lose lots of jobs, and Aiden convincing Zoe that she is not in competition with the factory made sweets.
Ms. Nicholas outdid herself by writing an amazing, sexy story with alpha males and sassy heroines, with terrific best friends that is definitely not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with emotions, sexual chemistry, sass, and charming characters, giving Zoe and Aiden a forever love. I highly recommend Sugarcoated to other readers and can’t wait for the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Sugarcoated is the perfect start for Erin Nicholas’s new Hot Cakes series and I can honestly say that this is now my favorite friends to lovers story! When you combine great writing, memorable characters and a fantastic storyline you have a book you don’t want to put down and that is what this story is and more!
This story will bring a smile to your face, make you laugh but most of all you will fall in love with these characters and their story!
Aiden and Zoe are the main characters in this first book but we are also treated to many of their other friends and family members and they are just as entertaining and interesting and I am looking forward to their stories in the future!
Sugarcoated is book one in the new Hot Cakes Series and what a perfect way to start the series with a five star read !!!!
Zoe and Aiden have known each other most of their lives, he is best friends with her older brother and like most younger sisters Zoe has crushed on Aiden for as long as she can remember, but that all changed when she asked Aiden to take her virginity and he turned her down with out a reason why.
Aiden, Cam (Zoe’s brother) and three friends are self made millionaires and now Aiden is back in town trying to do right by Zoe but is it too late especially since he now owns Zoe’s biggest competitor……..
This friends to lovers romance ticked all my boxes, it has all the feels you want and expect in a five star read. I laughed a lot as I fell in love with the characters, I swooned a lot at the sizzling chemistry Zoe and Aiden shared and I giggled a lot at the witty banter that flowed so naturally throughout this story. All of the characters in this book have different strengths and are easy to connect with and I really didn’t want this book to end and with that being said I’m so excited for book 2 it can’t come soon enough. A fun entertaining read that captivated me and I highly recommend it to all romance lovers as well as rom-com lovers.
I loved this book and thought it was a great way to kick-off this new series. This brother’s best friend romance had no trouble at all in capturing and holding my attention. Aiden and Zoe were wonderful characters. They were exceptionally likable and easy to connect with and root for. You had to really feel for both of these characters as impulsive decisions, misunderstandings, embarrassment and hurt feelings cause lots of complications on the road to a HEA. You can expect plenty of heartfelt emotions, small town charm, steamy heat, tension, humor and drama you read this swoon worthy romance.
Sugarcoated is filled with sweet romance, cupcake filling sexy times, special friendships, family love and caring bosses!
Zoe McCaffery has know Aiden Anderson her whole life as he is the son of her mother’s best friend as well as being her brother Cam’s best friend. So she trusts Aiden and decides he’s her best option to take her V-card. When Aiden visits his former hometown of Appleby, Iowa he stays in the house Zoe rents, the house he grew up in with his family. During his Christmas visit he is awakened, after falling asleep in the room he sleeps in when visiting on Christmas Eve, by Zoe dazzling in a pink teddy in bed with him asking him to be her first and then kisses the dickens out of him. Even half asleep Aiden knows he has to tell her “No” because neither one of them are casual sex people. After the “No” Zoe is embarrassed and isn’t looking forward to Aiden’s next visit. For Aiden the experience opened his eyes to the realization he loves Zoe and wants to be her one and only. Now to convince Zoe of this. Aiden knows he needs to move to Appleby because Zoe runs the family bakery business, Buttered Up. When the local snack cake factory, Hot Cakes, goes on sale Aiden finds his way to move to Appleby from Chicago where he and his partners, including Zoe’s brother Cam had been running a multi-million computer game design company. Aiden’s problem with his plan is that there is a major feud between Zoe’s family and the family that owns and is now selling Hot Cakes. The feud is so bad that employees of Hot Cakes will be fired if they shop at Buttered Up. How will Zoe take the news that Aiden, Cam and their partners are buying Hot Cakes?
I loved the characters in this story, especially Zoe and Aiden. Ms. Nicholas always writes characters that are fun, likeable and people you’d love to know and have as friends. She sure hit the target with Zoe and Aiden. I also liked Aiden’s confidence, patience and generous heart, Zoe’s ability to open up to new things and the small town ambience. This story is a fantastic beginning to Erin Nicholas’ new series, Hot Cakes.