“Mix in one part Diane Mott Davidson’s delightful culinary adventures with several tablespoons of Jan Karon’s country living and quirky characters, bake at 350 degrees for one rich and warm romance.” –Library JournalA full-hearted novel about a big-city baker who discovers the true meaning of home—and that sometimes the best things are found when you didn’t even know you were looking When … were looking
When Olivia Rawlings—pastry chef extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club—sets not just her flambéed dessert but the entire building alight, she escapes to the most comforting place she can think of—the idyllic town of Guthrie, Vermont, home of Bag Balm, the country’s longest-running contra dance, and her best friend Hannah. But the getaway turns into something more lasting when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, offers Livvy a job. Broke and knowing that her days at the club are numbered, Livvy accepts.
Livvy moves with her larger-than-life, uberenthusiastic dog, Salty, into a sugarhouse on the inn’s property and begins creating her mouthwatering desserts for the residents of Guthrie. She soon uncovers the real reason she has been hired—to help Margaret reclaim the inn’s blue ribbon status at the annual county fair apple pie contest.
With the joys of a fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Livvy soon finds herself immersed in small town life. And when she meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from Seattle to tend his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought.
But then another new arrival takes the community by surprise, and Livvy must decide whether to do what she does best and flee—or stay and finally discover what it means to belong. Olivia Rawlings may finally find out that the life you want may not be the one you expected—it could be even better.
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I didn’t want this book to end; the characters had become so dear to me. A wonderful book.
Easy read but kepT my interest. Enjoyed some of the character surprises.
Easy read
Loved this book. I’m wishing for a series of this storyline. I want to know more about the characters & what they do next!
This book appealed to me for personal reasons. I was in the mood for light reading and I enjoy baking and eating desserts. The characters in the book all had events in their pasts that shaped who they were and how they behaved.
Loved this book!
I very much enjoyed this book; the author created characters and a story line that held my interest. Didn’t want to put it down — and didn’t want it to end!
This was a nice easy read without drama or ridiculous tantrums. The characters had flaws and were eccentric but I enjoyed the book. I would recommend it. The only issue I had personally was someone who just walks out of a situation and does not return and face their issues. I find that immature however I still enjoyed the book.
I wanted to read more! It was a fun read, and I enjoyed the characters.
This was a fun way to spend a couple of afternoons. The characters are well drawn & quirky enough to keep you interested in what they are involved in.
Refreshingly frank. Great character development. Easy reading but a page Turner. Hard to put down. Likable characters. Thoroughly enjoyed.
A Boston bakery chef sets fire to her place of employment in the opening pages and flees to Vermont for salvation, only to find herself caught up in the dog-eat-dog world of pie baking contests. How much better can a story get? But this novel goes further, wrapping us in layers of nostalgia and sweetness, fiddle music and fluffy dogs, though never overwhelming us with sugariness. There’s true insight here into the ways loss and randomness can forge the renewal of self and the emergence of unexpected family bonds. You’ll feel well sated after finishing the last page.