Truth Or Dare (12/6)

Truth or Dare is a weekly meme invented by Jenna Does Books. Each week she gives you the choice between a Truth or a Dare. For the brave ones, you are allowed to do both!

TRUTH: If you could kiss any fictional character, who would you kiss?

DARE: Interview a blogger or author. (One question should include the word “MONKEY”.)

Once again I've chosen dare, because they are so much more fun. I was very lucky this week, as somehow 2 awesome authors agreed to the interview.

First up is Jennifer Rush!

1: What is your favourite holiday and why?

A hard question. Hmm...I love Halloween mostly because of the costumes, and the decorations. 

2: What is the one thing you've always wanted for Christmas but never gotten?

A Ford Mustang :D

3: If you could give a stuffed monkey to one of your characters who would it be?

Cas. He's appreciate it more than any of them! He's a goof like that.

4: Do you make resolutions at New Year? And maybe share one?

I have in the past, but I suck at keeping them. Usually they're about staying more organized, exercising more, etc. Nothing exciting! 

About Jennifer Rush

Jennifer Rush lives in a little town on the shoreline of Lake Michigan with her husband and two children. She grew up wanting to be an Egyptologist, but realized she hated the desert and declared herself a writer instead. She won her first writing award in the fourth grade (a Mickey Mouse pencil was the prize) and has been crafting stories ever since. In her free time, she likes to read, Photoshop, and consume large amounts of caffeine.

Her debut YA, ALTERED, released January 2013 from Little, Brown. The sequel to Altered, ERASED, releases January 7, 2014.

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

And now the lovely Donna Kauffman!

1: What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

A favorite holiday tradition is going out in the evenings and looking at  the Christmas light displays in and around our area. My dad did this with me and my three sisters, and I did with my two sons, who will now go on to do it with their children. Many great memories from those car rides, both as a child and with my children.

2: If you could give a stuffed monkey to one of your characters, who would you give it to?

Well, I can honestly say I've never been asked this one before! I would give the stuffed monkey to little Miss Lilly Westlake from my Cupcake Club series book, BABYCAKES. As with the endangered sea turtles in that story, Lilly has a fondness for animals in need. I'm sure she would give Mr. Monkey a very good home!

3: What is your favourite cupcake?
My favorite was the recipe that won the national cupcake contest we held in conjunction with Cupcake Club book #3, SWEET STUFF. The Sweet Peach Tea cupcakes suited the series really well, and have surprisingly complex and super yummy flavors. Second runner up would be the Red Velvet cupcakes from Book #1, SUGAR RUSH. (And those recipes are in the backs of their respective books!)

4: Do you make resolutions at New Year? And maybe share one with us?

I do make resolutions! I just leased my dream home in the Blue Ridge mountains, so my New Years resolution this holiday season is to actually have everything unpacked by the end of the year. Seeing all the packing boxes piling up, I'm not sure how successful I'll be!

About Donna Kauffman

USA Today bestselling author of the Cupcake Club Romance series (and brand new Bachelors of Blueberry Cove series!), DONNA KAUFFMAN has seen her books reviewed in venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan. She lives just outside of DC in the lovely Virginia countryside, where she is presently trying to makeover her newly empty nest into something that doesn’t have to accommodate piles of sports equipment falling out of her coat closet (okay, out of every closet...and under every bed....), size 13 cleats and sweaty uniforms cluttering her foyer (and stairwell, and laundry room, and...), and a kitchen that should have come with a traffic light. And a pantry monitor. (Anyone with a clever idea on how to repurpose lacrosse sticks into matching reading lamps, she’s all ears!) When she’s not stripping paint, varnishing an old auction house find, or trying to avoid bodily injury with her latest power tool purchase, she loves to hear from readers!

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Total Book Geek

 

Review: Honey Pie (Cupcake Club #4) by Donna Kauffman

It has been about a year since I've read the first book in the Cupcake Club serie by Donna Kauffman. (Click here for the review of Sugar Rush.) I was going through a Foodie Romance fase and her and Louisa Edwards' books were definitely my favorites. Honey Pie was released TODAY and I'm very happy I once again get the chance to go back to Sugarberry Island to get reunited with Miss Alva, all our other favorite characters and to get to know one very lovely (read gorgeous) Dylan and one mysterious Honey.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Mocha Chocolate Chip… Caramel Fudge…Strawberry Lemonade…Butter Rum…There’s no such thing as guilt when it’s another delicious bitch and bake session with the women of the Cupcake Club…

When Honey D’Amourvell inherits property on tiny Sugarberry Island, she’s prepared to start a whole new life. Her plan is simple—make a home, open a shop, and maybe, finally, find a place to belong. But the building she now owns is leased to none other than the owner of Babycakes, which means her spot is already occupied. Honey isn’t sure how to put down roots when she has nowhere to plant them. But sexy, softhearted mechanic Dylan Ross seems determined to help. He’s everything she never imagined she would find in a man, and each kiss is more persuasive than the last…

Soon enough, Honey is another important ingredient in the spicy mix of the Cupcake Club. But will Dylan convince her that what she craves most is his love?

Review:
Honey has packed up her old life into her Beetle and rode halfway across the country to start over on the island that her dear aunt Bea loved so much. Only to arrive and find out the shop her aunt left her is now leased to Lani for her Babycakes shop. There is no going back, partly because her car broke down, but also because she made this terrifying decision and she just can't go back.

Luckily Dylan, the mechanic, is here to the rescue. It's just, he's not the knight in shining armor type, nor does he ever want to be. He would rather stay away as far as possible from Honey, but he's a fixer and he's into that island mentality of helping even if you didn't ask. Dylan was the first person she met on the island and after discovering her "gift", he didn't freak out one her. Which naturally made her freak out a bit.

"Sugar, we all have a little bit of crazy in us. It's what keeps it interesting."

Now Honey's "gift" is something special and the reason why she has lived such a lonely and secluded life so far. It was not because she wanted to, but it was out of necessity she had to stay away from people physically, which of course also created emotional distance. Being confronted with Dylan was not what she expected at all. The way he accepts her, which she knows is not easy at all, makes her yearn for that closeness and it looks like she might get it as well.

"What was it about her that made him want to move mountains, slay dragons, he couldn't rightly have said"

Dylan on the other hand chooses to stay away from people, simple because he wants to. He has had a very difficult family situation, which is now all in the past, but not something a little town like Sugarberry Island could forget. Everything has been very eventful and now he just want peace and quiet, no more drama. So for the life of him he can't figure out why he keeps thinking of Honey, when she screams drama (even if it's unintentionally).

Surprisingly way less food and cupcakes involved in this book compared to the others. Honey is absolutely no baker and just participates in the Cupcake Club as a taster. Also the paranormal theme was a major surprise to me, but definitely made it very interesting setting up roadblocks between Honey and Dylan you would never expect.

"We Southerners deal with this ungodly heat by being unbearably civilized."

I love it that all the characters from the previous books make a cameo appearance. Miss Alva is still my favorite character, she's amazing and I adore how she keeps everyone on their toes around her. So Honey Pie has plenty of humor, lots of drama of course, some delicious cupcakes, a bit of the occult and a smoking hot man, everything a woman could ever want!

There are plenty of Foodie Romances out there these days, but which one is your favorite ?

Connect with Donna Kauffman:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

        

Total Book Geek

 

Book Review: Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman

Title: Sugar Rush (Cupcake Club Romance Series #1)

Author: Donna Kauffman

Genre: Chick lit / Culinary Romance

Description: When baker extraordinaire Leilani Trusdale left the bustle of New York City for Georgia’s sleepy Sugarberry Island, she didn’t expect her past to follow. Yet suddenly, her former boss, Baxter Dunne, aka Chef Hot Cakes, the man who taught her everything pastry, wants to film his hit cooking show in her tiny cupcakery. The same Chef Hot Cakes whose molten chocolate brown eyes made Lani’s mouth water and her cheeks blush the color of raspberry filling–stirring all kinds of kitchen gossip, much of which Lani wished was true…

Lani’s friends are convinced that this time around, Baxter is the missing ingredient in her recipe for happiness. But convincing Lani will be a job for Baxter himself. And he’ll need more than black velvet frosting to sweeten the deal…

Review: Leilani Trusdale moved to Sugarberry Island to take care of her father and to start her own cupcake shop, leaving her hectic life and one very handsome chef behind in New York. But when that said chef, Baxter Dunne, brings his new tv show to her bakery, things are about to flare up. Finding out why Leilani left and what the true reasons are for Baxter to turn up in her kitchen, will put her on an emotional rollercoaster.

Luckily she has the help of her Cupcake Club. Well it's more Sugarberry's answer to Betty White, Alva Liles and her best friend Charlotte coming to visit Leilani in this time of relationship crisis, invading her kitchen. Baking cupcakes and all other delicious goodies, while complaining about their problems, getting up to date with the latest gossip and talking about men. In this case it's mostly about Baxter Dunne of course. He has the entire town wrapped around his finger, now all he has to do is convince one Miss Leilani Trusdale.

This is a very fun book to read, I especially love Alva Liles character. It's those old ladies you have to be careful about. Within the first two chapters you get a very clear outline on what is going on and what the characters want from each other, then the rest of the book is getting to that point. Leilani has her bakery in Georgia, Baxter has his restaurant in New York and neither wants to leave their life behind. So tough choices and decisions are to be made, but in the end it's what you want most. I like that this are real problems you can easily relate to and makes the story very believable. Donna Kauffman did an excellent job. Her writing style is very fluent and the book is finished before you know it. There is a good mix between the drama and the humor.

Definitely read this if you love cupcakes, hot chefs, small town life and Betty White :) Luckily for us the second book in the series is already out, so there is even more to read!

Extra: At the end of each book you’ll find the recipes for the cupcakes they made in the story and if that isn't enough you can always check out Donna Kauffman's Cakes By The Cup Blog for even more delicious ideas.

Links: Excerpt   Facebook Page   Twitter   Website

Buy: Buy at Amazon   Buy at Barnes & Noble