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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4.5 stars
Sugarcoated is perfect Erin Nicholas.
-Small town charm? Check.
-Wonderfully developed characters? Check.
-Sizzling Chemistry? Check.
Sugarcoated also contained one of my biggest book sources of anxiety: secrets. Zoe has basically been raised (and is now in charge) of her family’s bakery and they have one competitor…Hot Cakes. The betrayal between the families goes back to the times of Zoe’s grandmother, when her business partner left to create the rival brand that is shockingly now being bought by Aiden and his business partners.
But Aiden doesn’t want Zoe to know those details, not until she believes in his love. And so the whole book I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for the painful reveal of the “lies.” But Erin Nicholas being Erin Nicholas means I was worried for naught. She can do no wrong!
Sweet, funny, and hot, Sugarcoated had well developed characters, with real life issues and honest communication between them that is so refreshing to see. Can’t wait to read the rest in the series!
This book was too freaking cute. Brothers best friend romances are probably my most favorite and this is no exception. I am so in love with Aidan. Like I want him t be real so I can have him. He is alpha but incredibly sweet and too good for word, which makes him perfect. Zoe is a lucky girl. Zoe is a stubborn, independent strong woman which is the best kind. I enjoyed the characters and the story. I really enjoyed the banter between Zoe and Aidan and their chemistry was incredible. This book was definitely one that left me with a smile on my face. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!
*** I did receive a free advanced copy of this book from Erin Nicholas and Social Butterfly PR in exchange for a fair and honest review ***
Sugarcoated is the first book in Erin’s new series and it started off with a bang!
I absolutely love the brother’s best friend trope, and this one does not disappoint. It is set in a small town with tons of charm, amazing characters, and a wonderful love story. Can it get any better?
Aiden and Zoe have known each other their whole lives, lived on the same block, and he is her brother’s best friend. She feels like he is someone she can really trust…to take her V card. Christmas eve night she slips into his bedroom with that exact proposition. Surprisingly, he rejected the idea which causes Zoe to be absolutely humiliated. He heads back to work in Chicago with the plan of getting back to her ASAP but with plans to stay permanently. On the other hand, Zoe has no idea of Aiden’s intentions and she puts her heart and soul into the bakery to put him out of her mind. Once Aiden finds a way to come back home for good, he takes it. Now he just must convince Zoe they need to be together, even though he may have just bought her biggest competitor.
This book is full of sweets, frosting, and sexy ways to incorporate those yummy goodies in the bedroom. (Just plan on breaking your diet while reading this series.)
I love that we are introduced to the characters in the upcoming books as well. I like getting to know the secondary characters that will have their own stories later in the series.
I have a feeling this series will, once again, be 5 stars all around.
Erin hits it out of the park with the first in new series “Hot Cakes”!!
The first book “Sugarcoated” is a best friends sister romance! Aiden Anderson has known Zoe his whole life, her big brother Cam is his best friend and business partner. Imagine his surprise when she comes to him with her request to take her “V” card. Who better for the job than someone she has known her whole life and trusts more than anyone! She sneaks into his room on Christmas night in her new lacy pink expecting to seduce Aiden, but the surprise is on her when he says, NO!
Five months later imagine HER surprise when Aiden shows up in her bakery, Buttered Up, with a new plan. He not only wants to take her up on that offer from Christmas but he’s taking it a step further!
Follow along on the journey of Aiden and Zoe, who overcome a family rivalry, a business takeover and learn the art of compromise and letting go of the past.
There are many characters in this story as it sets the stage for the entire series with Aiden and Cam’s other business partners and a LOT OF CAKE!!!
Enjoyable and fun, lighthearted and romantic along with the extreme hotness that you usually find with a book from Erin and maybe a little more hotness than others.
So this started out really slow for me, but it finally picked up 1/3 of the way through. And when it picked up? It was great! I was smiling at Aiden & Zoe’s antics, their chemistry and their crazy friends & family. I think this is a great start to this series. It’s cute, sweet, with some HEAT! I can’t wait for Forking Around! I received this book at no cost in exchange for my honest review.
5 star review Sugarcoated (Hot Cakes #1) by Erin Nicholas
Having read previous books by Erin Nicholas I was excited when I learnt that she had a new series releasing and I couldn’t wait to read and review.
This is a friends to lovers story with complications, not least of which is that Zoe is the younger sister of Aiden’s best friend, Cam. Oh and did I mention he just brought the company that is Zoe’s bakery’s biggest competitor and he refused to take Zoe’s virginity?
The chemistry between Aiden and Zoe was intense and hot. It wouldn’t be an Erin Nicholas novel without humour and laughter and this just added to my overall enjoyment of the book with numerous laugh out loud moments.
Sugarcoated ticked all the boxes for me and is a great example of RomCom at it’s finest. Erin Nicholas has a way with words that quickly draws you in and keeps you captivated from the first to the last page.
There was nothing I didn’t like about Sugarcoated, I loved everything about the characters and the story and I am excited to read the next book in the series.
I was so excited to hear that Erin Nicholas had a new series coming, and I am even more excited to tell you that this first book kicks it off with a bang! This is a really fun start to the new series, set in small town Iowa, and centered around two competing baking companies. One, a small town classic bakery; the other, the giant company pumping out packaged baked goods. There is a lot of bitterness between the families that own the two companies, and when the big giant company goes up for sale, things get very interesting. Our heroine, Zoe, runs the small bakery and prides herself on her consistency. She lives her life by pretty rigid rules, and does things the way they’ve always been done. It’s safer that way. Aiden, her brother’s best friend, has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. When Zoe finally decides it’s time to rid herself of her virginity, she goes to Aiden to help her out. She knows she can trust him, and let’s face it: he’s hot! Lots of crazy hijinks ensue, naturally. As always with Erin Nicholas, we encounter lots of fun and relatable ancillary characters–some of whom I suspect we will encounter in future books in this series (at least I hope so!). Nicholas’ skills with world building and character creation add depth and warmth to her stories, and elevate her work. Her stories are more than romances, more than sexy stories, more than fun reads. Sugarcoated is heartfelt, funny, touching, romantic and yes, very sexy. (I may never look at frosting the same way again!) Each of the main characters evolves through the events in the book, and they help each other become stronger and better. And isn’t that what true love is all about? I highly recommend Sugarcoated, and eagerly await the next book in this new series! I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Sugarcoated is the first book in Erin Nicholas’s Hot Cakes series. It is absolutely fantastic.
Zoe McCaffery and Aiden Anderson have known each other for what feels like forever. Aiden and Zoe’s older brother Cam have been best friends since they were kids, and their families have always been close, to the point where Aiden’s practically a member of the family. Except that he isn’t. Which is why when Zoe decides she needs to be rid of that V-card, he seems like the perfect candidate.
Except he refuses.
Hurt and embarrassed, Zoe throws herself firmly into “forget about it” mode and puts her head down back to work at her family’s bakery. But Aiden had refused because he’d been surprised by Zoe’s request, not because he meant never. His work is cut out for him when he determines that not only does he want to say yes to being Zoe’s first, he wants her to agree that he’ll also be her last.
Throw in some additional complications from a longstanding business rivalry with another bakery in town, and the hole Aiden’s needing to dig out from seems deeper and deeper!
Erin Nicholas does a stellar job as always with creating warm, likable, three-dimensional characters whose strong family ties and friendships really shine. Appleby is a lovely small town in Iowa, home to Buttered Up, Zoe’s family’s bakery, and now hers. Founded by her grandmother Letty and nurtured by her mom, Maggie, Buttered Up is a living legacy, mainly unchanged since its beginning, since any change is witnessed by the town, and success or failure is played out in full view of friends and neighbors.
Hot Cakes is also a fixture in Appleby. A commercial bakery founded by the Lancaster family when its matriarch Didi had disagreed with Letty decades ago, the two families have maintained a chilly disdain for the other since.
With Sugarcoated, not only do we enjoy Erin Nicholas’s trademark gentle humor, small-town hijinks, the loving and tell-it-like-it-is relationships, and amazing chemistry, we also have the chance to see some of the ups and downs of the intricacies of small-town life. Some of the community benefits are also responsibilities. The Hot Cakes series addresses some of these real-life issues on a deeper level without making it too heavy or losing what readers already love about Ms Nicholas’s writing. There is even more to unpack here, for the characters’ lives and for us readers.
And as always, Erin Nicholas writes relationships that model relationships as they can be. They’re real life without being grim, and hot and sweet and sexy to boot. Neither Zoe nor Aiden are perfect, but they are just about perfect for each other, not just because of their scorching attraction, but especially in how they are willing to communicate and forgive and see that familiarity? Rather than breeding contempt, it offers both a tremendous comfort and the room to fully be oneself and love and be loved. And sometimes that being known really also gives you the room to change.
Sugarcoated is a stellar romance, and it’s an incredible start to a series I am very eagerly anticipating. In the meantime, I’ll have to find myself some baked goods and settle in for a re-read!
Sugarcoated Ingredients:
1 – Brother’s Best Friend
1 – Virgin
2 – Bakeries
5 – Business partners
A pinch each of omission, misunderstanding, and groveling
Mix all ingredients using an amazing author (I recommend Erin Nicholas for best results). Bake in a small, rural town with a hell of a lot of heat. Top with pink frosting and humor…and serve!
Once again, author Erin Nicholas has given readers a fantastic new series! Sugarcoated is the first book in the Hot Cakes series. I love the tone Erin set and the base for this series. I love the way the characters are introduced in this first book, the humor, and the innuendos. Such fun creativity in this book and I cannot wait to experience the rest of the series! I LOVED and RECOMMEND this book! 5 stars!
Erin Nicholas has a new series and this first book in the Hot Cakes Series, Sugarcoated is just as sweet as it sounds. Aiden and Zoe were made for each other. I loved their chemistry and their banter. Their whole relationship from start to finish was just amazing and so much fun to read. They’re just so cute! And totally hot for one another. Oh boy! Were they smoking hot! I will never look at a cupcake the same way again. Seriously, Aiden is now my dream guy. What a wonderful start to a new series that I can’t wait to read more of and now I have a sudden craving for some cakes and pies and I don’t usually have a sweet tooth. Now if only Aiden could hand feed me some cake 😉
*I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book*
This isn’t the first time that Nicholas has made me love a trope I normally pass on. I actually passed on two free books with the trope today. But I’ve come to trust her unequivocally with my romantic heart, and she never fails to ply it with laughter, make it blush with the fun times, and wring every last drop of emotion from it with poignant, heartfelt writing. Nicholas is a word virtuoso, and her romantic comedy symphonies are unparalleled.
Zoe McCaffrey has spent all her life in the small town of Appleby, and she basically grew up in the family bakery, Buttered Up, which she now runs. She’s smart, stubborn and determined, yet still innocent in one area in particular. When her brother’s best friend and the guy she’s known her entire life comes home to visit at Christmas, she goes to him for help in dealing with that innocence. And he. Turns. Her. Down.
Five months later Aiden Anderson is back in Appleby to stay. His plan? Win Zoe’s heart, convince her it’s forever, and, oh yeah, inform her that he and his partners have purchased the Hot Cakes factory, Zoe’s biggest competitor. We also get a nifty little twist when Aiden goes all caveman, claiming Zoe before there’s even a romantic relationship. As you can imagine, this doesn’t go over well with our feisty, strong-willed heroine, and what ensues is romantic comedy gold! Zoe decides, with the help of her BFFs, that she’ll have a little fun and get a bit of retribution with Aiden by teasing and taunting him before succumbing to his charms. But two can play at that game, and it only serves to up the flirting and tension, and OMGee, the chemistry between these two! I needed my own walk-in freezer to cool off in, and that’s long before there were any closed door scenes.
Something Nicholas does exceptionally well is to create a community and make the reader feel like she’s an integral part of it. Appleby is a charming small town in America’s heartland, and it’s only industry is Hot Cakes. There’s some great history between Buttered Up and Hot Cakes, and it may have divided the town a bit, so I’m curious, when you read, if you’ll be on the side of Zoe and Buttered Up or Aiden and Hot Cakes. These characters are immensely lively and endearing. They’ll charm you, make you laugh, make you want to shake one or two, and they’ll own your heart completely. This book sets the scene for what’s to come, and I can’t wait for Dax and Jane’s story. We get a glimpse of the sparks flying between them, and it’s going to be epic!
Get in on this series with this first book, because it’s going to be fantastic. Zoe and Aiden’s story had me laughing so much my sides hurt. I already told you about the hot parts that don’t involve cake (or maybe they do), and the underlying vulnerability as Zoe and Aiden work their way to forever gives them a permanent place in my heart. And Aiden vulnerable? Let’s just say he’s a sight to behold and managed to squeeze my heart and make me laugh all at once. Trust me. This one is phenomenal, so get your copy and start reading. You can thank me later.
Zoe spends her life running the bakery her grandma started in Appleby. She loves what she does and that her friend, Jocelyn works with her. But she wants more in her life. She’d like a relationship and a future but most importantly she wants to get rid of her pesky V card. She tried that over Christmas with Aiden, her brother’s best friend. Aiden shot her down and Zoe was humiliated.
Aiden wants Zoe but he needs to be able to give her more than just one night. He lives in Chicago where he, Zoe’s brother and their other partners run their blockbuster computer game company from. Now that they’ve sold the controlling interest in the company, the guys are looking for a new challenge. When a packaged goods bakery in tiny Appleby, Iowa goes up for sale, Aiden sees it as an opportunity to go back to his hometown and, more importantly, Zoe. But what will Zoe think when she realizes that he has just bought her competitor, not to mention that it was run by her family’s nemesis.
Aiden is going to do some fast thinking and sweet talking to make up for Christmas and what he has just done.
This is a cute story and the first in a new series by Erin Nicholas. I’ve read all of her books and they never disappoint. Her characters are always so relatable and the stories really draw you in. I highly recommend this book.
This book is everything and the best first in series ever. If you already know Erin Nicholas’ books then take the best of Sapphire Falls and of Billionaires in Blue Jeans and there you have Sugarcoated! And if you don’t know her books yet, well here’s your chance of getting your hands in something really good!
The trope of the book is best friend’s little sister, one of my favourites ever, plus you have the small town romance and the hot billionaire, what’s more to ask for? Oh yes, we also have family rivalry which is always fun too! I was in love with Zoe as soon as I read the opening scene of her meeting again Aiden, her brother’s best friend. I mean, how can you not love a girl that gets into the freezer and hide there?
“Zoe again opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, shook her head, and turned. She went straight for the freezer. She opened the big door, stepped inside, and shut it behind her”
I would totally do that. And what about Aiden? He’s adorable, super hot and you will totally fall for him and envy Zoe! Yes he went away but he’s back, to stay, and totally determined to get the girl and make things right
What are you still waiting for? Do not let them slip through your hands and grab this book, you won’t regret it!
Sugarcoated is the sweetest kind of addiction. Nicholas serves up a delicious, confection of heart, humor and hormones that will leave emotions yearning for so much more. Aiden and Zoe have history that pulls you in from beginning to end. He’s the keeper of her heart. She’s his greatest temptation. Will their love prove to be written in the stars or destined for everlasting heartbreak? Love is on the menu and has never tasted so good.
Sugarcoated is so sweet it just might give you a toothache. This new series by Erin Nicholas is sweet as frosting and hot as an oven. I haven’t read a book by Nicholas that I didn’t like, and the Hot Cakes series is going to be the cherry on top. The next book in the series is Forking Around and tells the story of two supporting characters from Sugarcoated, but don’t stick a fork in it just yet because the series then continues with Making Whoopie. I just have to assume that each book is going to be one delicious layer after layer of the gorgeous men that make up Fluke Inc and thereby make up Hot Cakes. 5-stars for Sugarcoated by Erin Nicholas.
Zoe hasn’t seen Aiden since the Christmas Eve kiss that went down in history as the seduction that shall not be spoken of. Now five months later and Aiden is standing in Zoe’s bakery in a suit and claiming he is there to win her over and marry her. Zoe has known Aiden all her life, he is her brother’s best friend and he is the guy Zoe wanted to take her virginity, but that didn’t go the way she had planned. Now Aiden wants her V-card and everything else that goes with it. Aiden has known that he was in love with Zoe for a long time and didn’t tell anyone including her brother. When he heard that Hot Cakes, the factory in town that makes snack cakes, was for sale he jumped at the chance to move home and be with Zoe. Now all Aiden has to do is convince Zoe to give him a second chance and then not hate him for buying the factory that her and her family consider their competition.
Scrumptiously delicious, mouth watering, sugarcoated with pink frosting goodness.
A sizzlefest of baking, loving and fun that you will devour.
Fabulous start to a new series by the very talented lady that is Erin Nicholas – a true Rock Chick
Great story to start off this new series! Loved every bit of it! 5 sweet stars for this one!
Follow Aiden & Zoe as they navigate a situation that has Zoe a tad embarrassed. Now that Aiden has moved back to town, can she face seeing him everyday? They’ve been friends their whole lives, but because of Zoe and one night of being honest with Aiden, has made this friendship a bit weird for her.
Can these two get past the embarrassment and still be the friends they’ve always been? Can Aiden make her see he’s changed his mind? Not to mention a big secret he’s holding back from telling her.
Grab this one and enjoy!
This was the first book in a new series and it was an excellent start! This book made me hungry for cupcakes and more books in this series. Aiden and Zoe have known each other their entire lives, their families were very close and Aiden was Zoe’s older brother’s best friend. After Aiden left his hometown for the big city to make it big with his job he comes back home…for Zoe and a new job opportunity. Zoe and Aiden don’t fight their attraction too hard and Zoe opens up about her work to Aiden. But Aiden keeps his new job from Zoe since he isn’t sure how she will take the news. I think we can all see how this will work out for him…
I actually love how Zoe handles everything from the moment Aiden came back to town, now mind you she is a bit stubborn at the get go but she does keep everything that is told to her filed away in her mind and does try to make small changes. Ones that she can be comfortable with and still makes her happy with her bakery.
I love all of Aiden’s partners and I am excited for all of their stories. This is going to be a wonderful series and I can’t wait for more!
A new series from Erin Nicholas is so exciting! Sugarcoated is certainly worthy of all the anticipation. It is a big brother’s best friend trope, which I love because there’s already a history between the characters.
Zoe and Aiden’s relationship is bound to change as Aiden fights to correct one unfortunate night with her and boy are there all sorts of fireworks along the way! I have a whole new appreciation for bakery goods after reading Sugarcoated! Zoe and Aiden are all kinds of hot in the kitchen with lots of sweetness mixed in for just the right end product–a truly fantastic book!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
5 stars
Zoe and Aiden have known each other all their lives. Zoe is Aiden’s best friends little sister. Zoe runs her family’s sweet shop and five months ago she asked Aiden to take her virginity but turns her down. Aiden, Zoe’s brother Cam, and three other guys got rich inventing a game and now they’re worth millions. Now he’s back in town to claim Zoe but he’s going to have to get her to forgive him for embarrassing her. And once she finds out that he’s buying her competition, he’s really going to have to get her to understand he’s doing what’s best for the town.
Friends to lovers story. Sweets and romance. A woman who doesn’t like change and a guy who has a sort of hero complex. This is the first book in this new series and I can’t wait to meet all the other guys.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for the author *