True love requires commitment, and many times unending sacrifice. . . At the tender age of eighteen, Brandi Vargas watched the love of her life drive out of Emerson Pass, presumably for good. Though she and Trapper Barnes dreamed of attending college and starting their lives together, she was sure she would only get in the way of Trapper’s future as a hockey star. Breaking his heart, and her own … and her own in the process, was the only way to ensure he pursued his destiny. Her fate was the small town life she’d always known, her own bakery, and an endless stream of regret.
After a decade of playing hockey, a single injury ended Trapper Barnes’ career. And while the past he left behind always haunted him, he still returns to Emerson Pass to start the next chapter of his life in the place his ancestors built more than a century before. But when he discovers that the woman who owns the local bakery is the girl who once shattered his dreams, the painful secret she’s been harboring all these years threatens to turn Trapper’s idyllic small town future into a disaster. Will it take a forest fire threatening the mountain village to force Trapper and Brandi to confront their history? And in the wake of such a significant loss, will the process of rebuilding their beloved town help them find each other, and true happiness, once again?
Fast forward to the present day and enjoy this contemporary second chance romance set in the small town of Emerson Pass, featuring the descendants of the characters you loved from USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson’s The School Mistress.
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THE SUGAR QUEEN OF EMERSON PASS by Tess Thompson
This is the sweetest book I have read in a long time. Tess Thompson does such a great job of bringing out the feelings in her characters. The raw emotion. The laughter and the tears. There are many tears in this book. Finding and keeping your one true love is a feeling that never gets old. Being that one person who someone loves enough to move the world for is something special. That is exactly what this book does. The love between Trapper and Brandi is so strong it can withstand almost anything. Even years of being separated. It’s a pure love that was born when they were just kids. There are some tragic events that will leave you wondering how they did it. But mostly there is a love that can weather anything.
Brandi has love Trapper her whole life. Her mother however didn’t approve so when Brandi found herself facing the future she thought Trapper would be better off without her. Sending him on his way to college and a career as a professional hockey player was the best thing she could do for him. She had no idea how hard it was going to be facing her life alone, without her other half there.
Trapper loved Brandi more than anything. He didn’t want to leave her but she told him she didn’t love him. He had no idea what was happening to their world. He went and did what he had to for ten years. Then her retired from professional hockey and moved back home to Emerson Pass. He wanted his girl back. He wanted a life with her no matter what.
Secrets tend to get in the way of true love sometimes. Can they overcome the secrets Brandi has and have a life together? Can the town survive anymore tragedies? Things have a way of happening in Emerson Pass. Good and bad.
This is one part of a paragraph from this story that touched my heart in such a way.
“In the years to come, remember to cherish each other and celebrate the miracle of your love. What was lost has now been found again. During squabbles or misunderstandings, try to remember what it was like before you made your way back to each other. As you grow older, keep the passionate teenagers you once were alive. Sneak down to the river together. Kiss in your truck. Dance barefoot in the kitchen. Lie in the summer grass and watch a cloud float by while holding hands. Revel in the small, simple moments of life, knowing how blessed you are to have found true love.”
This is a huge 5 star book. A high recommendation.
Thank you Tess Thompson for this ARC. This is my own true review. I loved this book!!
The Sugar Queen is the second book in yet another beyound amazing series. Second chance romance and such a great one! Tess Thompson has a way with her writing that wraps your heart and soul when pulls into story. It’s so heart touching and hits home in many ways especially with Brandi’s and her angry by choice mother. I relate to it within deepest level of it.
I loved how Brandi and Trapper’s love story was developed. All the characters and their relationships are so realistic and complex which is why I’m totally hooked in this series.
I really loved how masterfully author gives us a glimpses here and there of events from the past of Alexander and Quinn’s time and weaves the legacy from those first standers to the descendants in present days. There were moments of pleasant surprises when some of the our loved characters from Cliffside Bay were mentioned. Wonderful!
All in all I absolutely loved this book even more than first one but that shouldn’t be really a surprise because each new book is somehow better and better! Still in awe!
Pick this series up and get hooked! It’s ten stars worth!
Tess Thompson’s books never seem to disappoint! This was an amazingly written, heart wrenching, second chance of love book. It was the sweetest but boy did it make me cry. Tess has a way with words that pull you in and make you feel all the feels. I also love how some of the characters from Cliffside Bay were mentioned! Thank you Tess for such a wonderful book.. can’t wait for the next one!
I loved this book and the characters except for the ones I didn’t like, but well written. The story just grabbed me right from the first page and I hated to put it down but not for long. This story was wonderful and tears at you heart at the same time. Be sure to have your tissues right beside you as it is also a heart breaker. I laughed and I cried. It also had a lot of feeling in this story.
I can hardly wait for the next book in this series.
Welcome to Emerson Pass! Tess Thompson has outdone herself with this series. The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass is the perfect mixture of past and today. Brandi and Trapper are the perfect combination of their ancestors and their love story is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. This has fast become a favorite of all the series. This is a book to be savored and not devoured because you will be crying and begging for more once you finish reading.
Tess did it once again!! I cried!
Brandi has not had an easy life. In high-school she found the love of her life then made him leave to pursue his life long dream of playing hockey. She opened a bakery and has lived a sumple life until Trapper came home. When she saw him all the feelings she pushed down came back in full force. But how would he feel after she told him her secret?
They both end up at the town watering hole and he does everything he can to make her jealous. At the end of the night he watches to make sure she gets back to her place, but she sees him and confronts him. They end up dancing in the middle of the street and re-lighting the old flame. They fall back in live as if a decade hasn’t passed at all.
Brandi has kept this secret from everyone for over a decade. Her parents threats kept her from telling the truth. The tragedy kept her in The Pass with an abusive mother and a father who just deals with it. Will Teapper forgive her? Will everyone welcome her back into his life and forgive her for breaking his heart all this years ago?
The story of Brandi and Trapper is tragic. They have a love everyone dreams of and a tragic story for the ages.
Book 2 in the Emerson Pass series set in present times. The author has skillfully woven references to characters from the original novel but this one can be a stand alone.
Brandi Vargas has faced tragedy and the loss of her high school boyfriend. Fast forward to the present time hockey player sensation Trapper Barnes returns home after his hockey career is over. Brandi has faced heartache and learning disabilities, yet her strong character triumphed as she started her bakery, The Sugar Queen. Friendships grow and develop as the community faces tragedy from a fire. Will love triumph over heartbreak? Can Brandi overcome her feeling of worthlessness?
Readers of the Cliffside Bay series will find clever references Intertwined in the novel.
Thank you to the author for this ARC
Once again this author has provided an amazing story.i was hesitant to read it due to the story line but tess compassionately delivered an heartwarming love story.the difficult topic of an infant death was handled well and realistically.having my own daughter live only five days I appreciated the sensitive and realistic way tess handled this story.this author remains one of my favorites
An emotionally gut-wrenching second-chance romance!
Brandi set Trapper free ten years ago so he could pursue his pro hockey career without entanglements. Now he’s back, retired after a knee injury, and he not only wants answers about why she cut him loose, he also wants to know what it will take to get her back. The lost years just melted away for both of them, and it was simply beautiful.
I was thoroughly charmed by the inclusion of all the history that connected today’s Emerson Pass to the town’s beginnings in The School Mistress. The journals, the genealogy, the family traditions, all of it blended beautifully to bridge the 110 year gap and anchor all the new characters to their family roots. The writing is instantly captivating, welcoming, and heartwarming.
The conflicts keeping these two apart attack on two fronts. First, a wildfire wipes out a good portion of the town, forcing Brandi and Trapper to camp out with friends while they await word on the aftermath. Then, Brandi’s secret is revealed, causing Trapper to reevaluate everything he thought about their relationship. The contrast between his and her parents explained a lot, and my heart was so very glad to see that they found the support they needed to face the past and forge their future together. Their HEA was absolutely perfect.
As the first contemporary story in the series, we’re treated to a thorough introduction to a wide ranging cast of characters who will no doubt be featured in later books in the series. There is not just one couple to fall in love with; it’s an entire town full of wonderful characters who embody all the best of small town living. If you love small town romances, this book – the entire series – was written for you. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Omgosh, this book…I felt so many emotions reading this book from being furious at Brandi’s mom to absolutely loving Brandi and Trapper’s love story (a first and only love story gets me every time). I saw a little of myself in Brandi and a little of my mom in Malinda.
The Emerson Pass series is unique in that the author is alternating between the past and present in alternating books. In The School Mistress of Emerson Pass, we met the founding families and in The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass, we meet the descendants. I was a bit anxious that I wouldn’t enjoy the present as much as the historical, but that was just silliness, I loved this one just as much, if not more, than the first.
I liked learning a little more about the founding families through Quinn and Lizzie’s letters. I can’t wait to see where the families of Emerson Pass take us next!
I received an advanced copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book read so fast, I can’t believe it’s over! My heart sighed contentedly as I finished the last sentence. Brandi and Trap were childhood sweethearts and when Trap returns to Emerson Pass after 10 years, these two must face their past and reason their relationship ended. I love how Tess Thompson weaves the legacy of Alexander and Quinn Barnes(from The School Mistress of Emerson Pass) into the present day life of Emerson Pass. Tess writes realistic and complex character relationships. I related to Brandi and her difficult relationship with her mother.
This series is unique in how the books alternate from past to present. I can’t wait to learn more about the other fascinating residents, both historical and contemporary, of Emerson Pass.
So grateful to the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of the latest book by Tess Thompson. I could not put this book down. No one can write a story as exquisitely as Tess Thompson does. She makes you feel like these characters are your friends and your family and you want to move to Emerson Pass and live and work with them. She makes you care more for her characters than you do for people in your real life. These books are home and love. An escape from a crazy world right now. An escape from reality. An escape from your problems. You will deal with the present characters as well as characters from the past ( see book # 1 ) and a few wonderful surprises along the way. This book is truly wonderful in every possible way.
I wish I were a writer, and I might be able to do justice to a review for this book. What I can say is that this book touched my heart, and I loved it.
I also love Tess Thompson’s approach to this new series, which is going to fluctuate between the past and the present in the small town of Emerson Pass. With the first book, The Schoolmistress of Emerson Pass, we are introduced to the founding families and in The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass we are introduced to their descendants. I always love knowing the backstory, and with this you see the characteristics of the founding families passing down from generation to generation.
You can read the blurb to learn what the book is about, but be prepared, these characters deal with real issues. These issues had me in tears several times.
I am eagerly awaiting the upcoming stories, for both past and present.
Fantastic new book in the newest series from Tess Thompson!
I really enjoyed this book. Sweet romance, a barrel full off family drama, and lots of good friends-all the makings of a great Tess Thompson book. I just loved the chemistry between Brandi and Trapper, and was really rooting for them to find their way back to each other. This is a great read to take your mind off of reality for a while-can’t wait for the next!
The Sugar Queen by Tess Thompson is the first book in the Emerson Pass Contemporaries series. At eighteen, Brandi Vargas watched the love of her drive away, never to return. Though she and Trapper Barnes dreamed of a life together, she felt she would only be in the way of his dreams. Breaking his heart, and her own while holding onto a secret, she resigned herself to a life in the small town. Ten years later, after an injury ends his professional hockey career, Trapper Barnes returns to Emerson Pass. Brandi now owns the local bakery, The Sugar Queen, and has seemingly forgotten all about him. As with small towns, it is hard to avoid each other, and soon tragedy forces Brandi to confront her past and the need to reveal her secret. A secret she is certain will end any possible future with Trapper and even leave him hating her. Will she find the strength to reveal her deepest secret for another chance at love and happiness with Trapper?
The Sugar Queen is a sweet romance with deep emotions and great moments. The book opens with a disclaimer from the author that the story deals with the stillbirth of an infant. Since I have experienced my own loss of an infant, although not a stillbirth, I appreciate the disclaimer and was prepared for the topic to come up in the story. Ms. Thompson deals with infant loss with heart, honesty and tenderness. I rarely cry at a book but this story had me in tears as Brandi reveals her secret to Trapper. Trapper’s reaction is what I would expect when hearing such devastating news. I especially cried when Brandi received support from an unlikely source. There is also a great cast of supporting characters. Those to love and those to hate and loathe, especially one character I wanted to reach through the book and shake some sense into! I look forward to reading the rest of the love stories the Emerson Pass Contemporaries has to offer. I highly recommend The Sugar Queen.
The Sugar Queen is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.
This story will not soon be forgotten
This town of Emerson Pass had a lot of history that everyone in the town knew. Out of only a handful of people who were the ones who had settled in it originally, a whole town grew. One big happy family. Well maybe not always happy, but they survived. And through a lot of pain, hard work, love, and much tribulation they grew a town. Now their tribulations had paid off. But life goes on…everything changes and yet life remains the same. For Brandi, aka the Sugar Queen, her life hadn’t been so easy. When Trapper, the love of her life went away to play pro hockey, she had been devastated. Pregnant and conflicted not knowing how she would be able to keep the baby when her mother was set on putting it up for adoption. But in the end, it didn’t matter because that decision was made for her. Now, after ten years, Trapper was back, no longer able to play hockey due to a knee injury. Seeing Brandi for the first time, he knew he was still in love with her. Little did they both know they would have to face many more trials before they could finally be together. I marveled at the talent Ms Tess Thompson has as I read this book. I could hardly put it down and couldn’t stop thinking about it until I picked it up again. My heart ached for Brandi and what she went through. Tears came unbidden to my eyes for her. Furthermore, as I read about the losses the townspeople had to go through during a devastating fire that swept down the mountain, it also made my heart rejoice when there was plenty of people who came together to help each other out. And, of course, the happy ending was fantastic. This is a story not soon to be forgotten and one I can easily highly recommend.
This story starts as a common young love rejection trope. Ready to graduate high school, she suddenly rejects going on to college with him. He is a sports star headed for a great career. He has his great career and comes back to town years later, never sooner. It takes quite awhile into the story to find out why she rejected him. There is also some building of the series back story about the town. The words of Pastor Lund are particularly notable and wonderful. The final scenes are heart warming.
I have throughly enjoyed Tess Thomson’s Historical novels of Emerson Pass and was curious as to how the contemporary story would be. I loved it! The descriptions of life in a small town in the Rockies made me want to be there! It became clear soon in the story the relationship of the present characters to the past characters in her historical novels and I really enjoyed how that tied together. I am very eager to read the next Emerson Pass novels – past or present!!!
Charismatic heart touching homecoming feel story of undying love!
Kinda cheesy but also heartwarming.