Busy Bean Book 3: Cakewalk by Claire Hastings

Busy Bean Book 3

Love isn’t always a cakewalk . . .

Gigi Hawthorne is starting from scratch. She just didn’t realize until her crappy car broke down that she was going to be doing it in a small town in Vermont. With an eye for design and some serious decorating skills, she’s managed to land a job making delectable treats for the patrons of the Busy Bean. Now she’s up to her elbows in sugar and flour, but her thoughts are never far from her gorgeous, brooding landlord.

Holden St. James swears he isn’t a recluse. He goes to the local coffee shop three times a week, doesn’t he? Yeah, maybe he never actually talks to anyone, but with a backstory of loss, pain, and regret like his, he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be very good company anyway. Yet something about his new tenant makes him wonder if maybe it’s time to let someone open the oven door and release a little heat into his closed-off world.

But both are hiding secrets as dark as an espresso mocha cupcake and they’re not sure if they can trust each other. Will the truth break their delicate relationship into sad, sweet crumbs--or will it turn out to be the key ingredient in the recipe for a new life? 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56268356-cakewalk

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My Review: 5/5 Stars 

So nice to get back to the Busy Bean series after the first two! We return with Gigi and Holden as our main characters in this story and it was definitely a great one! So Gigi has run away from her life in Atlanta. After seizing her moment to get away from her abusive husband she buys a new car in cash and just drives. Three days later she finds herself in a small town in Vermont and a flat tired. Little does she know that bad luck may just have been good luck. A stop in the Busy Bean cafe leads her to a job decorating cakes for the shop. What she didn't tell her new bosses is that though she is really good at decorating, she can't exactly bake. But with this new attitude of being a free and independant woman, she believes she can take on anything. Holden, has been in a funk for the last six years after losing his wife and unborn in a horrible way. He's closed himself off and is happy to keep himself away from people. That is until Gigi crashes into his life. He soon finds himself offering the apartment over his garage for her to stay in as she regains her feet. What he doesn't expect is to find himself attracted to a woman for the first time since losing his wife. Perhaps they are just what one another needs to heal from their pasts. But they both carry secrets and sooner or later the truth will have to come to light. I loved this story! Gigi and Holden were such great characters and their pasts were so heartbreaking. It was nice to see them find one another and fall in love. And I was on the edge of my seat knowing that secrets had to come to light but how wold it happen and would they recover. Great, great story! Can't wait for more from this series!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.