When Donnie met Will, it looked like the recipe for true love. But Happy Ever After took just a bit more work.Donnie’s new romance with silver fox veterinarian Will looks like a real recipe for love. But first he has to deal with the problems of his job, his friends’ demands, and worries about Will’s privileged background. To say nothing of Donnie’s thwarted dreams of a catering career—and baking … career—and baking something that doesn’t come out a disaster.
Will is fascinated and entranced by Donnie. A mature, professional businessman, he’s far less confident in romance—and in the bedroom. Yet his eagerness to look after Donnie and show him a better life are misguided, and have a disastrous effect of their own.
Donnie is everyone’s friend. He’ll help anyone out. But who’s there to help him when he needs it?
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Aww this gave me all the feels – recommended
There is something so wonderful about Clare London characters – I love them all. Donnie and Will are two of my favorites and I am so pleased she carried on with their story after they met in the Accidental Baker. A beautiful love story – recommended.
I enjoyed reading about Donnie and Will in The Accidental Baker so was very pleased that they have their own story! There is a brief recap of their first meeting in this, but it’s written so it doesn’t feel repetitive if you’ve already read it. I also enjoyed seeing other characters from that story, and revisiting them as now established couples. It was like catching up with old friends. I had a particular soft spot for Simon in this one when he comes to Donnie’s rescue.
I thought this was a very sweet story with flawed characters who are their own worst enemies. I found Donnie very easy to relate to. He’s a nice guy who goes out of his way to help people, and thought the situation of everyone taking that for granted and reacting negatively when he finally says no, very realistic. I felt his frustration, and Will’s who tries so hard to be who Donnie needs that it all backfires. I enjoy stories with characters who are opposites yet find common ground to build a friendship, romance, and more. I thought it was a nice flip with having Will the one who is less experienced, with romance as well as people, as he’s the older man in the relationship.
This story also has a fabulous sense of community being family. I loved the way everyone rallied around each other. It left me with a nice fuzzy feeling.
I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy reading sweet, low angst stories with likeable characters and a lovely sense of family. 5 out of 5 stars.
I totally enjoyed Zest. It was a sweet, cute love story. Donnie and Will are a perfect couple. I love books with baking or cooking in it and this was so cute. I definitely recommend this book.
Donnie was such a doormat fir everyone. His nature was just too kind for his own good. Maise (his bff) kept harping on it to Donnie, but she had no problem talking advantage of Donnie too! Grrr… Donnie and Will were so cute together. Both lacked self esteem and bumbled around together-sweet! I was elated when Donnie stood up to Liam and then bulldozed him into free services for charity. And finally, Will was vindicated for past harrassment from Gerry due to his parents perseverance!
I would rate this 3 stars.
This is actually the second book in this series. The first book, Accidental Baker, works like a prequel. It would be helpful to read it first because it introduces the reader to four couples. Yes, it’s an insta-everything meet cute, but it has a magical realism quality that makes it charming. Zest is very different stylistically, with less dialogue and being more inside the characters heads, with a lot of explaining. It focuses on Donnie and Will, alternating their POV. There are three more books planned, one for each couple, with obvious involvement of all the couples in this small community. Since it starts the next day after the previous book, I found the long recap odd and a little annoying.
I wanted to like these characters, but it was difficult for me. Will is too good to be true, but there isn’t much depth there. He seems less fleshed out than Donnie even though the reader gets his POV also. Donnie is uneven. Yes, at his age he is still figuring things out. This is his first real relationship. Still, at times I found him patiently and softly taking charge when he needs to and then wobbling to please everyone. He has self esteem issues, but is pretty easygoing and gets taken advantage of. He doesn’t like Will speaking for him, yet he he opens up to Trev and allows him to intercede on his behalf rather than dealing with his friends and their expectations on his own. When he has to take on so much responsibility, he is overwhelmed and shuts down. I also found it odd that Will talks to Donnie about employment right after sex with neither of them seemingly worried about dating and working together every day, or what would happen if this doesn’t work out, let alone Will making himself vulnerable as a business owner to being exploited or a lawsuit. The love scenes themselves don’t really add anything to this story.
As for the secondary characters, I didn’t like Donnie’s friends, Maisie or Henry. Abi isn’t in this book at all. Will has no friends, having just moved to town. Simon has a walk-on. Trev is used as a foil for Donnie to find help in unexpected places. Jez and Eric pop up. Will’s ex is vapid. Will’s mother is very inconsistent as a character all within the same scene. My opinion would be that the character interactions weren’t handled deftly. People are complex and the writing needs to show that rather than having the people be so contradictory, which doesn’t automatically make them multidimensional. When the main conflict of the story comes to a head, it didn’t ring true to me and I wasn’t emotionally invested. I have read other books by this author that I have enjoyed in the past, so maybe this series just isn’t my cup of tea.
Oh Donnie and his baking and his love and zest for life. Will calms and settles him. What a wonderful quirky cute read in the Accidental Baker series. I love the characters in these stories with all their quirks and faults.
I actually did a happy dance when I found out that Clare London planned follow up stories for the couples formed in The Accidental Baker. (By the way,if you haven’t read it yet,you really should, because it’s so good! )
In Zest we have the full story of Donnie,who meets Will after the Easter eggs incident. Donnie is the sweetest, most caring and most generous man,always the first to offer his help and time to others. I was so sorry to see how little he thinks of himself when he starts comparing points in life and accomplishments with Will’s. And Will, almost 40 and yet so innocent and new to so many things.
Donnie and Will together are adorable and so good for one another. They both have some growing to do,individually,and there are some difficult patches in their relationship but thankfully they learn to talk about their problems and help each other get past which ever hang-ups are tearing them apart.
Zest was so much fun to read. Not only because of Donnie and Will,but also because of the other characters. It was great seeing some of the other people from The Accidental Baker, all obviously involved in their community and into each other’s lives.
I really enjoyed Zest and I can’t wait to see which couple is next to have its own story!