Make It Sweet

by Kristen Callihan

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan comes a charming, emotional romance about redefining dreams and discovering unlikely love along the way.

Life for Emma isn’t good. The world knows her as Princess Anya on Dark Castle, but then her character gets the axe—literally. The cherry on top is finding her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She needs a break, and sanctuary comes in the form of Rosemont, a gorgeous estate in California promising rest and relaxation.

Then she meets the owner’s equally gorgeous grandson, ex–hockey player and current recluse Lucian Osmond, and she sees her own pain and yearning reflected in his eyes.

He’s charming when he wants to be but also secretive and gruff, with protective walls as thick as Emma’s own. Despite a growing attraction, they avoid each other.

But then there’s an impromptu nighttime skinny-dip, and Lucian’s luscious homemade tarts and cream cakes start arriving at Emma’s door, tempting her to taste life again…

In trying to stay apart, they only grow closer—and their broken pieces just might fit together and make them whole.

• ISBN10: 1542016886
• ISBN13: 9781542016889
• Publish Date: 23 February 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Montlake
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Proceed With Caution:

This book contains mentions of parental death, child abuse, and brain injuries.

The Basics:

Make It Sweet is a Contemporary Romance starring ex-hockey star, Lucian, following a debilitating head injury and actress, Emma, who's just been killed off from her show.

My Thoughts:

It took me a little bit to settle into Make It Sweet because it has a kind of weird tone. It feels more like Women's Fiction at first, but not really, but kind of. Then it hit me that it was more that the characters felt much older than they are. Lucian and Emma are not yet thirty, but they read like they're middle-aged. Like they've been there, done that, and where does life go from here? It was weird. They both acted like life was nearing the end and that their best years were behind them.

I did enjoy Make It Sweet overall. I adored how Lucian was an amazing hockey player and an equally amazing pastry chef. And he's not ashamed of his cooking talent! He embraces it as it's the one thing that keep him calm, busy, and connected to his late great grandfather. Meanwhile, Emma is essentially Emilia Clarke on GoT. At least until the writers kill off her character with no warning. Now she heads to Lucian's grandmother's estate to get her head together before figuring out what to do next. She wasn't completely defeated though. She knows what kind of role she wants to go for next and she's going to get it!

The main thing that dropped my rating a bit was the ending. One of the main conflicts is Lucian's hockey career. He knows that another head injury could cause permanent brain damage or even death, and yet he feels like he has nothing else. Which didn't really work for me, because he was very happy cooking and baking. On top of that, he makes his final decision about returning to the game or not on wanting to be with Emma rather than on the fact that playing could kill him. I suppose it's meant to be romantic, but um...he spent the entire book dealing with headaches and mood swings and lamenting that he can't play anymore, and yet that doesn't factor into his decision at all.

Make It Sweet was a sweet romance. I do believe that Emma and Lucian are good for each other, since they understand what the other is going to. But the tone and resolution were off for me.

[scarr]

This book had two things I love: hockey-related-romance & food porn. The descriptions of food and food preparation *sigh*.

The romance was a little under-developed. The main characters had great backstory and the premise was promising; however I found there were some missed opportunities and awkward dialogue.