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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Love this series, Can’t wait for book three and just read book two! This is the second book in the Emerson Pass series. Love that it covers the history and back story but if you didnt read book one you can still follow and enjoy book two.The Sugar Queen is Brandi’s nickname as she is an amazing baker who owns a very popular bakery in town. 10 yrs ago Brandi broke up with her High School sweetheart and best friend with out any explanation and sent him off to college and to play NHL Hockey. Now 10 years after a successful career and injury he is retired and back to Emerson Pass. Can they have a second chance? Can Brandi open up to Trapper and explain why she sent him away. You have to read this book and find out! No spoilers from me.
I say the same thing every time I read a book by Tess Thompson – she is one of my favorite authors, and this is yet another homerun for her.
This is the second book in the Emerson Pass series, and it’s just as amazing as the first one. This book is set in current time, but it brings in a lot of the lore and history from the first book. This book also mentions some of the people/companies in the Cliffside Bay series, which I really love.
The characters in this book are just as amazing as all of her characters are. It’s a very emotional book – there is a lot of tragedy, but there is a lot of happy moments as well.
I cannot wait to see what Tess Thompson comes out with next!
Wow Tess I love this book. I dont know how someone can write a book so romantic and tragic and lovely.
I love this town. I wish to live in a town like Emerson Pass and Cliffside Bay. Go from tragic to happiness. I am scared to live in an area that could just catch fire. My heart hurts for this town.
Love this series. Everyone needs to read this book.
I recieved this book from the author in exchange for honest review.
Tess never disappoints. Sugar Queen is a story of love and sacrifice, friendship and family, and forgiveness vs bitterness. I highly recommend
Author Tess Thompson has once again knocked it out of the park…or in this case a goal. I seldom get emotional reading a book. This one was an exception. Not only is there the disparity of losing a baby but even more so the mother/daughter relationship. This was written very well.
Thank you the author for proving me with an advanced copy. This review comes from my own thoughts and feelings.
Superb!!!
Completely CONSUMING!! The Sugar Queen absolutely captivated me right from the very first paragraph. I barely came up for air. I could not walk away from this book. The Emerson Pass Series is just so unbelievably special. Tess Thompson has created a series where characters are family and the town is home.
This book grabbed my heart and ran away with it. My heart is raw. My emotions are all over the place. One of my favorite reads this year, I absolutely will be recommending this series to everyone!
The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass is book number two in the Emerson Pass series. To fully enjoy the book, I recommend reading the first book prior to reading The Sugar Queen.
This is another heartwarming tale by Tess Thompson. In this book we meet Brandi and Trapper (and many of their friends). I enjoyed meeting these new characters and look forward to reading more about them in future books.
Thank you, Ms. Thompson, for another beautiful story that was very hard to put down! A huge thank you to Ms Thompson and her publishing team for an ARC of The Sugar Queen.
The Emerson Pass series alternates between past generation (historical) to present generation (contemporary). The second book in the Emerson Pass series – The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass is a present day second chance love story. Brandi and Trapper were high school sweethearts. Ten years ago Brandi made the decision to let Trapper go to pursue his dream of playing hockey. Brandi’s life after Trapper left for college was hard and she had to grow up fast while her parents made things difficult for her to move on. Tess does a great job of connecting the past with the present through the stories the characters tell as well as love letters that were saved from their ancestors. The characters are so lovable you want them as friends!
Once again, Tess Thompson delivers a contemporary second chance romance that readers will devour! #womenssagas #friendshipfiction #romanceliteraryfiction
Life has been chaotic and stressful lately! I was looking for an escape for a few hours- this book was the perfect escape! I ended up staying up late to finish it because once again Ms Thompson’s characters pulled me in and hooked my heart!
Brandi has had a rough life and especially last few years. I loved her and her resilience! Trapper was the perfect Hero! He was sweet and kind! Their story was hard to read at times (as evidence by the tissues near me) but I loved it! The villain was one we have all seen! I am so glad there was a Happily Ever After for them!
I am already planning my next trip to Emerson Pass and to hang out with the characters again! I can’t wait to read more of their stories! I’m already picking who the pairs will be!!
This book begins with a trigger warning. The loss of an infant is an integral part of this story, and her story is as much a part of this love story as any other character. Please don’t let that stop your from reading this book. Ms. Thompson handles this loss with incredible sensitivity and understanding.
A home town hero returns to find the girl he fell in love with running a bakery in their home town, years after she inexplicably broke up with him. Trapper still has feelings for her, but they are mixed up with lingering heartbreak from a long ago parting.
She loved him enough to give him up so he could realize his dreams, but didn’t trust him enough to share the truth or love herself enough to believe in their relationship.
His family built this town, and the history of his family and this place is very much a part of his present. Walking into the bakery he knows that he wants Brandi in his present too.
The past is intertwined with the present in a story of love and tragedy. The truth almost comes out – and then the town is evacuated for a forest fire. Their reunion happens in the aftermath of the fire, but the truth is evasive and threatens their rekindled relationship. Over and over, Brandi retreats from the truth, believing that it will rip them apart. When the truth is finally forced out of her, their newfound relationship falters as he struggles with loss and her sacrifice.
Trapper and Brandi fight for love, as every generation before them has loved and lost and persevered. In the end they are ready to write the next chapter in their love story, with courage as their only map.
Just finished reading this book and I love it! What a great intro to all the characters we’ll meet in the modern books of the series, and the first love story with Brandi and Trapper. They have a life long love for each other and go through so much. I loved following their story with it’s twists and turns and many tears (theirs and mine). I definitely recommend this book and can’t wait for the next book in the series!
The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass by Tess Thompson is the second book in the Emerson Pass Series.
This was a very emotional read but so worth it to get to the end. I highly recommend to anyone that has or hasn’t read Tess Thompson.
I love this new series from Author Tess Thompson. It’s a great read and had me hooked after chapter one. Perfect for quarantine reading!
The Sugar Queen was such a hard, but healing book for me. Brandi & Trapper make mistakes, get hurt, and learn incredible lessons about love and forgiveness in this book. The way Tess wove past characters that we’ve come to know and love throughout the book is incredible. The story line is heartwarming and lots of feels happened with this book! I am already wanting to pick up the next installment of Emerson Pass and fall back in love again! A perfect Hallmark movie in the making!
A perfect story of love and tragedy! I love how relatable the characters were. I felt what they felt and even cried a little! The author effortlessly blends the first book (which is a completely different era by the way) into the present, allow those pieces of history to shine through. That isn’t an easy feat in my opinion. The whole book just flows and keeps you wanting more! If you haven’t read anything and everything by Tess Thompson, you should. You won’t be disappointed!
Every. Single. Time. I read a test Thompson book I think it’s my favorite one ever… Until I read the next one. The Sugar Queen, the second book in the Emerson Pass series, was a treasure to read. Brandi and Trapper’s love story is sweet and a beautifully read. I love how The author has leaped from the past in book one, to now in book two, yet keep both time eras characters real and connected. Can’t wait for the next book!
I get all the feels from this new series!!! I love the smooth transition from the past to the future!!!
This book takes you through so many emotions and I loved everyone of them! Such a heartbreaking story serves as its background and is an example of how you don’t always know why a person makes the decisions they make. The story also shows how circumstances can change when we take the time to understand each other. The story is again set in the town of Emerson Pass, but many generations later in the families we first read about in The School Mistress, bringing us to current times. I love books set in small towns and this was no exception as Tess Thompson creates a beautiful, sweet town with characters that pull at your heart strings. This was such a sweet story and I eagerly await the next book in the series. Thank you so much to the publisher and author for providing me with an ARC at my request. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Book Review: The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass (Book 2) by author, Tess Thompson
A love found, a love lost…
Two young lives now facing life apart, torn by the inexperience of youth, and the hopes and dreams for their future together, now extinguished and forever distanced by their broken hearts. Or are they…
As the hands of the clock continued to tick by, ten years had now passed since that day, the day that split Brandi’s heart in two, and with it came change, personal tragedy, secrets and hurt as a new part of history was being written. With an uncertain future and the struggles of rebuilding her life, that past comes full circle in a way she never expected, and most certainly was unprepared for.
A town rich in history, it’s captivating scenery, lovable yet flawed characters, it’s true sense of community and the authors ability to weave a narrative around delicate subject matter with purpose, meaning, empathy and grace, is nothing short of masterful.
Tess Thompson has created a treasured “welcome back” gift to its readers as she guides you through the familiar and introduces the future~ and does so seamlessly in a way that will fill you with the emotions that make for a truly wonderful experience within the stunning mountain region of Emerson Pass, Colorado.
The Sugar Queen of Emerson Pass will not only touch your every emotion but leave you with the feeling as if your gliding through a Calum Scott song, full of heart and hope that leads you to the truest of loves… A story of second chances where “courage is the only map.”
5 Stars
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