Kiss My Cupcake

by Helena Hunting

Overview

As two neighborhood shop owners battle for business, they prove opposites attract in this "deliciously sweet and savory new romantic comedy" (USA Today bestselling author Abby Jimenez).
 


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.
 
"Kiss My Cupcake is a laugh-out-loud romance full of charm, wit and magic. Ronan and Blaire will have you fall in love with their story from their very first encounter. A thoroughly delicious read." —LJ Shen, USA Today bestselling author
 
"With a sweet, sassy heroine and a deliciously sexy hero, Kiss My Cupcake is romantic comedy perfection!" — Melanie Harlow, USA Today bestselling author

Library Journal Best Romances of 2020
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538734674
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	08/11/2020
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	362,829
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. She writes all things romance — contemporary, romantic comedy, sports and angsty new adult. Helena loves to bake cupcakes, has been known to listen to a song on repeat 1512 times while writing a book, and if she has to be away from her family, prefers to be in warm weather with her friends.

Editorial Reviews

★ 06/01/2020

It’s cupcakes and cocktails vs. beer and pub grub in this delicious romantic comedy about feuding Seattle bar owners from Hunting (Meet Cute). Determined entrepreneur Blaire Calloway’s new bakery/bar is off the ground running, until yummy-looking Ronan Knight moves his pub next door and steals away her customers. Blaire’s desire to succeed without assistance from her wealthy but dysfunctional family makes her instant competitiveness with Ronan understandable and urgent, especially since they’re both in the running to be named the best bar in the Pacific Northwest by a social media influencer who’s holding a contest. As their rivalry ramps up amid increasingly brazen strategies to bring in business, their feud turns increasingly flirtatious and they eventually realize they’ll have to work together in order for either to succeed. Their romance develops at a convincing pace, and their relationships with their families round out the plot, with Ronan’s close relationship with his grandfather serving as a stark contrast to Blaire’s outlandish family. Though the plot stays relatively breezy, Hunting knows when to crank the heat and when to tug at readers’ heartstrings to keep the pages turning. Light and fluffy with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice, this is a winning confection. Agent: Kimberly Brower, Brower Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

The hero and heroine’s attraction is front and center, the emotional layers are real and earnestly felt, and the hilarious, awkward moments always land with a laugh.”—Kirkus

"An absolute delight from start to finish, this delicious enemies-to-lovers romance sees an independent and driven heroine and an equally ambitious hero take a journey to love that is unpredictable and filled with hilarity, a dash of sweetness, and a touch of steam."

—Library Journal, starred review

“Light and fluffy with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice, this is a winning confection.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This enemies to lovers romance by Hunting is hands down one that I would read again. Blaire and Ronan will have you laughing out loud at their hilarious antics and falling hopelessly in love right long with them.”—Harlequin Junkie

"A feel-good, humorous, easy, and will-make-you-swoon rom-com...an absolute fantastic ride of a story."—The Nerd Daily

"Perfect for fans of Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient. A fun and steamy love story with high stakes and plenty of emotion."—Kirkus Reviews on Meet Cute

"Helena Hunting's Kiss My Cupcake is another delicious romance from a writer who is a master of the genre."—Popsugar

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2020

Blaire Calloway has worked her 1950s dress-wearing butt off for years to move her cupcake and cocktails business from food truck to full-scale storefront. She won't let a little ruckus from the ax-throwing sports bar next door ruin her dream. She's also not afraid to let the bar's incredibly sexy, plaid-clad manager Ronan Knight know how she feels. Ronan is amused by the fireball who keeps calling him to task and shows it through what he believes is lighthearted teasing. As they both compete in an online contest for best bar in the Pacific Northwest, their rivalry pushes them to keep one-upping the other until an even bigger rival shows up on the scene and forces Blair and Ronan to work together. VERDICT An absolute delight from start to finish, this delicious enemies-to-lovers romance sees an independent and driven heroine and an equally ambitious hero take a journey to love that is unpredictable and filled with hilarity, a dash of sweetness, and a touch of steam.—Courtney Pentland, Omaha, NE

Library Journal

2020-07-14
It’s swanky cocktails and cupcakes versus no-frills pub food in this opposites-attract romantic comedy.

Buttercream and Booze is Blaire Calloway’s baby, and she has big dreams to turn her bar-and-bakery hybrid into a dining destination. It’s the success she needs to prove to her wealthy parents that she can make it on her own after several professional failures. Blaire’s largest obstacle, though, doesn’t seem to be of the financial variety. Instead, it comes wrapped in flannel and wielding an ax. Ronan Knight is nearly ready to open The Knight Cap, a neighboring bar with cold beer, greasy food, and an ax-throwing range. It’s exactly the opposite of Buttercream and Booze and is about to become Blaire’s biggest competition for being named the best bar in the Pacific Northwest. Blaire and Ronan butt heads frequently, leading to scenarios that quickly get out of hand and usually quite messy. The comedic timing delivers with its slapstick, physical humor, and rapid-fire banter, but unfortunately, there’s nothing terribly new here. The gendered stereotypes of men liking meat and big mugs of beer and women preferring delicate bites and dainty glasses is what’s most disappointing; things would have been far more interesting if the roles were flipped in some way. At a time when romance authors are doing such interesting things with the genre and finding new ways to use beloved tropes, this feels like a missed opportunity. Hunting does, however, know how to balance all the moving parts of a satisfying romance rather well. The hero and heroine’s attraction is front and center, the emotional layers are real and earnestly felt, and the hilarious, awkward moments always land with a laugh.

Cute and serviceable but pretty standard.

Kirkus Reviews

Teddy Hamilton and Holly Warren team up to deliver this fun, banter-filled romance. Warren portrays Blaire, an entrepreneur from a wealthy family who is trying to make her own way with a cupcake and cocktails cafe. Hamilton portrays Ronan, the grandson of a neighboring bar owner who has taken on the task of reimagining the business. Warren gives Blaire’s speech a haughty tone and a dynamic tempo as she tries to impress her family and make her business dream come true. Hamilton captures Ronan’s laid-back jokester attitude in rich, fervent tones. The dual narration enlivens this enemies-to-lovers romance novel. S.K.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2020 - AudioFile

Teddy Hamilton and Holly Warren team up to deliver this fun, banter-filled romance. Warren portrays Blaire, an entrepreneur from a wealthy family who is trying to make her own way with a cupcake and cocktails cafe. Hamilton portrays Ronan, the grandson of a neighboring bar owner who has taken on the task of reimagining the business. Warren gives Blaire’s speech a haughty tone and a dynamic tempo as she tries to impress her family and make her business dream come true. Hamilton captures Ronan’s laid-back jokester attitude in rich, fervent tones. The dual narration enlivens this enemies-to-lovers romance novel. S.K.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2020 - AudioFile