⭐️Camaraderie, Charismatic, Cute⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Talk about a perfect romance that is not just steamy, but emotionally well-balanced too and Helena Hunting will be there. A glorious feel good romance that I devoured in two days.

SYNOPSIS (from Goodreads)->

Blaire Calloway has planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcake and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn’t plan on? Ronan Knight and his old-school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony, but Blaire hasn’t spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.
From axe throwing (his place) to frosting contests (hers), Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one-up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there’s also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they’re forced to call a temporary time-out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it’s possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

REVIEW->

The Plot ->

The premise is fresh with a enemies-to-lovers trope. Blaire and Ronan are adjacent business owners and are both attracted to and repulsed by each other. The introduction of their families into the story and slowly bringing them together is well plotted. I really liked the underlying theme of portraying Blaire as a motivated, self-sufficient businesswoman and not as a damsel in distress.

The Characters->

Ronan initially came off as annoying and I was part scared of disliking him. But beyond the first chapter, he quickly became adorable, gentle and charming. Blaire is a bad ass, powering through her struggles and is determined. I like how her attraction for Ronan did not come in the way of their healthy competition. Also none of the characters (that mattered) were patronizing or judgmental. There isn’t much of a character growth here. The characters learn to be with each other without giving up on their identities.

The Writing ->

The story is told from Blaire and Ronan‘s point of view and that keeps the narrative unbiased and entertaining. All the chapters end with a social media update from the business and that is a cute treat!

Thank you Forever Pub for gifting me a copy of this book.

Favorite quotes from the book->

“They really love the concept of conditional independence.”

“I know I always talked about not compromising my dream, but I realized I really love having a partner. Having the right partner.”

“I am glad he loves you enough to deal with the rest of us.”