Piece de Resistance: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been aching to read Sandra Byrd's "Piece de Resistance". This wonderful novel picks up where "Bon Apetit" left off. Lexi has returned to Seattle from her bakery training in Paris to run the latest Delacroix Bakery. She is running into some challenges and is unsure if she can do it. She hopes that her interpretation of events and her study of Philippians is leading her in the right direction. She is also at a crossroads in her love life. Will she choose Dan, the Seattle lawyer, who makes her heart skip a beat when he enters a room? Or Philippe, the exotic Frenchman with the beautiful little Celine, who has captured Lexi's heart?
Byrd's writing sparkles like the Bijoux Bakery. I was riveted from cover to cover. The suspense builds as the story progresses, drawing the reader into a deep investment into Lexi's personal and professional choices. You'll believe that these characters live right next door to you.

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Having earned her chef's hat, Lexi Stuart bids au revoir to her glamorous and deliciously satisfying pastry mentorship outside of Paris and returns to her hometown of Seattle, Washington. There, she finds life unexpectedly complicated.She's put in charge of a high-end catering bakery called Bijoux, which should be her dream job, but there's a catch: She has to make this lavish bakery into a successful business in just a few, short months, which will require more than her ability to make an amazing wedding cake. In over her head and at a loss for creative marketing ideas, Lexi isn't sure what the recipe for success needs to be. Stir in a complicated relationship with her French beau Philippe and his daughter, Celine, then add a dash of romance with down-to-earth lawyer Dan, and life suddenly contains more ooh la la than Lexi can handle. With the fate of her career and her love life hanging by a thread, the phrase "piece of cake" has never been more daunting. Lexi learns that she must trust the dreams in her heart and the God who put them there.

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Miss Invisible Review

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(More customer reviews)Freddie is a just your regular almost 30 something woman, who has a job she enjoys, with a boss she hates, trying to find that special guy. Oh and she's also on the bigger side which ironically makes her easy to miss. She's learned to blend in the crowd, pleasing society by eating carrot sticks in public and then going home and downing a pint of ice cream. She's learned to keep her anger inside and stay hidden. Then she meets Deborah, a caterer who gets Freddie to release her true self and become a new person. Once Freddie finds her voice, her life changes- for the better.
Oh I loved loved LOVED this book! The story is excellent, the characters are great, there's so much food in the book! I could really relate to Freddie. I'm not a big girl, but neither am I a size 6 either. I felt the same way she does about how smaller girls always get the attention from society and everyone else gets ignored. And I was really glad that Freddie showed realistic reactions to those girls that wear low cut jeans and belly baring shirts. I loved that there is a character named Deborah in this book. Usually when I read a book where there is a character that shares my name she usually gets it shorten down to Debbie (ugh). Not so here, and what an awesome character Deborah was. I wish I had a friend like her in my life. I really felt for Freddie when her father kept insulting her throughout her life. It really hurt during the party when he did it to her face right in front of everyone. I'm glad that the author did not feel that this book needed to have a tidied ending where Freddie and her father magically get along. I would not have believed it if it was written that way, it would have been completely unrealistic. I just loved how real this book is. Christians do tend to be prejudiced in regards to appearance no matter what they say.
I really loved this book. And I totally did not feel guilty about eating ice cream while reading it either! This is one of the best chick lit books I have ever read, Christian or secular. This is a perfect book to pass along to non Christian readers as well, it's not preachy at all, just a fun good read. If you haven't read any of Laura Jensen Walker's other books, I highly recommend reading those as well. I know I'll be anxiously awaiting her next one!

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A feast of romance and laughter featuring a delightful and courageous heroine that you can relate to no matter what your size.

Convinced that her larger size relegates her to wallflower status, Freddie Heinz hides behind the wedding cakes she creates as a professional baker.But life is about to change for Miss Invisible.

First of all, Freddie's found a new friend who encourages her to come out of her shell.Then Hal, the cute veternarian, starts showing interest in the woman behind the delightful cakes.And when Freddie decides to break every rule in the "big girl's" book and find out who she really is, life gets even more exciting--and hilarious.

Cinderella, look out!Miss Invisible is becoming the belle of the ball--and having a ball in the process.Because when you finally find God's call for your life, any size is the right size--and love can see what the rest of the world passes by.

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Previously Engaged Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been so excited to read Previously Engaged by Elodia Strain. I read Strain's debut novel, The Icing on the Cake, and have been anticipating this sequel.
I love Annabelle Pleasanton, the hilarious, quirky, always-getting-out of scrapes main character. She is dating Isaac Matthews, and she gets the feeling that he's going to propose. He asks her ring size and hints that she should get a short lease on an apartment, but Annabelle keeps waiting for it to happen. In the meantime, she wins a $50,000 "Dream Wedding." Although he hasn't technically proposed yet, Annabelle begins to plan her "Dream Wedding."
There are a few obstacles keeping her from that dream wedding. First, there's Alex who dumped her at the prom, but seems to have had second thoughts. Then, there's Chloe, Isaac's agent, whom everyone seems to think is perfect for him. There's also the fact that Isaac is not into the high end designer suit and fancy food that her dream wedding require. To top it all off, an amazing job offer threatens to come between Annabelle and Isaac.
This is a funny, laugh-out-loud story about a very endearing woman. Through this first-person account, I felt like I really knew Annabelle. Strain's comical and crisp writing style brings the reader into the story like you're listening to your best friend and rooting for her to get out of the awkward situations she manages to get into.
Despite Annabelle's penchant for designer bargains, beneath that cashmere sweater, is a huge heart. She writes "Pink Notes" in a notebook which contains lists of people who inspire her. Amongst her "Pink Notes" are women who run a flower business and bakery whose proceeds go to charity. Inside, Annabelle knows what's important in life and it's a fun ride reading as she makes meaningful decisions with that $50,000 she won.
I love a story that makes me laugh and inspires me at the same time. Elodia Strain's Previously Engaged is that story. You'll find a well-written book with fleshed-out characters who feel real. Funny dialogue and interior monologue accompany this gem. With her clever writing style, Strain has composed a charming book that makes me want to read the next book she has to offer.


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Annabelle Pleasanton has just been given the chance of a lifetime: A $50,000 Dream Wedding. The only problem? She s not technically, 100 percent, all-the-way engaged. Her best friend has seen the ring, and her boyfriend has been dropping all kinds of hints but something seems to be keeping him from popping the question. With interference from all sides, including exciting new job opportunities, eccentric relatives, and ex-high-school-sweethearts, Annabelle begins to wonder if she ll ever get married. In this hilarious sequel to Icing on the Cake Annabelle navigates the crazy, often chaotic twists of life and love and learns some very important lessons along the way about what really matters most.

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Always the Baker, Never the Bride Review

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(More customer reviews)In a word, Scrumptious! Sandra Bricker's latest release had me laughing out loud, craving crème brule, and aching for the hero and heroine as their faltering hearts brought them two steps forward and one maddening step away from each other. Always the Baker, Never the Bride is a story that will delight from first bite until the last delicious morsel. This contemporary romance left me cracking up with every chapter and growling when I had to put it down. I love the way the plot wove in unconventional patterns, and the rich complexity of characters had them jumping off the page. A second helping, please!
-Emily Hendrickson

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Thirty-six-year-old Emma Rae Travis has been baking specialty cakes and melt-in-your-mouth pastries at The Backstreet Bakery in historic Roswell, just outside of Atlanta, for the last six years. But here s the rub about her job as a baker ... Emma is diabetic. When she tastes her creations, it can only be in the most minute portions. Emma is considered an artisan for the stunning crème brulee wedding cake that won her the Passionate Palette Award last year, but she s never even had one full slice of it. When Jackson Drake hears about this local baker who has won a prestigious award for her wedding cake artistry, he tells his assistant to be sure and include her in the pastry tastings scheduled at his new wedding destination hotel the following week. And for Jackson, that particular day has started out badly with two workmen trapped in a broken elevator and a delivery of several dozen 300-thread-count bed linens in the wrong size abandoned in the lobby. But when the arrogant baker he met a week prior in Roswell stumbles into the dining room with a platter of pastries and a bucketful of orders, he knows for certain: It s going to be a really rotten day. Can these two ill-suited players master the high-wire act and make a go of their new business venture? Or will they take each other crashing downward, without a net? And will the surprise wedding at The Tanglewood be theirs?

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