For the very first time, Danyelle Ferguson has published a fiction book, and I am among the lucky few to read it just as it came out of the oven. And it smells good!
First off, the official book blurb, then I will invite you in to what I think of the book now as I have just put it down. (pst! Don´t miss out on the giveaway further down the page)
Sweet
Confections (Indulgence Row series, #1) by Danyelle Ferguson
Book
Blurb
According to Rachel Marconi chocolate heals all
wounds. That and throwing darts at pictures of her ex-boyfriend. Burned by yet
another bad relationship, Rachel decides to reprioritize her life, putting her
dream to compete on a Food Network Challenge on the top of her list and dating
at the bottom crossed out in red sharpie. But what's a girl to do when a
certain sexy guy keeps asking her out?Cue in Graydon Green, a former pro hockey player turned restaurant owner. After a lot of persistent and humorous teasing, he finally convinces Rachel to commit to a date. Just when things begin to warm up, threatening notes directed at Rachel arrive. When her bakery is vandalized, Graydon's protective streak goes on red alert. Is it her obsessive ex-boyfriend stalking her? Or maybe a challenger trying to sabotage the competition?
Either way, Rachel is definitely going to need more chocolate - perhaps drizzled over ice cream and devil's food cake.
I knew
nothing of the story before I started to read. The first sentence jumped out on
me: “Life as a single chick sucked”. The oral way of writing starts straight
away. And the choice of words tells me immediately that this will be a light,
humorous tale. In my mind I picture an ordinary boy meets girl story where
finally the girl no longer is a single chick who thinks life sucks. From A to
B. Not too complicated. But no. It is not that simple.
Rachel, the
red head with the accompanying temper, shows that side of her straight away,
and we quickly learn her way of coping with life in general - food, in all
shapes and forms, but most importantly in the form of cakes through her bakery,
Sweet Confections. (We even get some of the recipes at the end of the book!)
She breaks up with her boyfriend Nico the same night she meets a stranger for
the first time, Graydon, who “rescues” her from her ex-boyfriend. They meet
later by coincidence and a friendship begins to grow. But is Rachel really
ready for a new romance? Can she trust men again? And more importantly, can she
trust Graydon? Something bad seems to be happening around her increasingly. Who
is out to hurt her? At the same time she is accepted to join a baking contest
with her partner in cake-crime, Kristen. But all the time there is someone
lurking in the shadows, not wanting her to succeed in life. But who is it?
It is easy
to recognize oneself in the character of Rachel. There are a whole lot of us
out here with the dream of running our own bakery, being able to produce
wonderful pieces of heavenly taste. But
Rachel is more than a cake-perfect-woman, she is a real person, with anger,
with quirks, with the tendency to put her foot in the mouth, to do things she
regrets, but also a loving, warm and caring character. You definitely root
for her through the book, hoping things will turn out at the end.
In short, I
smirked and smiled and laughed while reading. And while reading I had to resist
the temptation to check the end, to see who was responsible for what.
In other
words, if you have time to relax with an easy-to-read book with interesting
characters, humor, love and a twist, Sweet Confections is for you!
Purchase Links
Also available on Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBookstore.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author
Danyelle Ferguson discovered her love for the written word in elementary school. Her first article was published when she was in 6th grade. Since then, she’s won several awards and her work has been published world-wide in newspapers, magazines and books.
Danyelle grew up surrounded by Pennsylvania’s beautiful Allegheny Mountains. Then she lived for ten years among the majestic Wasatch Mountains. She is currently experiencing mountain-withdrawal while living in Kansas with her husband and family. She enjoys reading, writing, dancing and singing in
the kitchen, and the occasional long bubble bath to relax from the everyday stress of being “Mommy.”
Website: http://www.danyelleferguson.com
Thank you so much for your review, Katinka! I'm so glad you connected with Rachel. Your review made me smile. =)
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