The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap

September 2, 2013
Kincaid (Outside the Lines) shares a Christmas-themed preview of the setting for her new series, a snowy Blue Ridge town called Pine Mountain, with Kauffman and Angell in a triad of loosely linked foodie novellas. Kaufman’s goofy but adorable “Where There’s Smoke” pairs sweet, klutzy Clara Parker, who nearly burns down her house trying to bake, with her old best friend, fireman Will Mason. In Angell’s “The Gingerbread Man,” a witty frame story is out of sync with the core tale of lonely snowbound people creating a semblance of familial holiday comfort. Kincaid’s “Sugar and Spice” sweetly and competently executes a classic cooking romance story of two chefs striking sparks as they go head to head in a big competition, and the bakery that Pete Mancuso and Lily Callahan set up together with the prize money is sure to be a meeting place for new couples as the series launches.

October 15, 2013
Who'd have thought that December could get so steamy in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Three friends learn just how hot it can be as they link up with the men of their dreams in this lively anthology that includes recipes along with each novella. A cookie columnist who doesn't bake (just sets things on fire) reconnects with a schoolmate who's turned into a hunky calendar-worthy firefighter in Kauffman's saucy "Where There's Smoke..."; a secret baker of X-rated gingerbread men rescues a stranger when his car crashes in a snowstorm in Kate Angell's tenderly nostalgic "The Gingerbread Man"; and a cookie bake-off pits a caterer against a pastry chef in a competition that has sweet and spicy results for them both in Kimberly Kincaid's delectable "Sugar and Spice." VERDICT Linked by the annual Christmas cookie auction, this trio of deliciously sensual novellas from two veteran authors and one newcomer practically melt the snow from the Pine Mountain rooftops and are the perfect reward for readers who like their holiday treats with a hefty helping of spice. Both Kauffman and Kincaid live in northern Virginia, while Angell resides in Naples, FL.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Three best friends attend their small-town community Christmas cookie swap, bemoaning their loveless state, but the holiday season will prove to be their most romantic ever. Clara, Abby and Lily have been friends since childhood, and they are each devoted to their Blue Ridge town of Pine Mountain. Abby and Lily are both baking entrepreneurs, while Clara can't boil water, so it's no big surprise when Clara has one of her friends bake her cookies for the annual cookie swap. It is, however, a huge surprise when Clara's assigned to write a column on holiday cookie baking for the local paper. Trekking to the bookstore a town away for a cookie cookbook for beginners, she runs into Will, her college crush/friend, who is now the hunky cover model for a charity beefcake firemen's calendar. Still reeling from the attraction she's never forgotten, Clara is both mortified and fascinated when she nearly burns down her house, Will comes to her rescue, and she winds up in his guest room. Holiday yearning and romance ensue. Meanwhile, Abby, who has created an online business selling anatomically correct gingerbread men through the innovative use of peppermint sticks, regrets her decision to bring some of her wares to the conservative community's cookie swap. Saved by a gorgeous stranger who walks in off the street and pays a fortune for the still-boxed cookies, Abby is stunned an hour later when she finds the handsome man unconscious in his wrecked car, the victim of a storm-related accident, and takes him to her isolated cabin to wait out the blizzard. Finally, Lily is preparing for the event of her life, a cookie baking contest at an area resort. She's up against one of the best chefs around, Pete Mancuso, who just unwittingly humiliated Clara in front of the whole town. Lily wants nothing more than to beat the arrogant man and put him in his place, but the more time she spends getting to know him, the more she realizes his place is right by her side. Three writers, three fun, sexy Christmas romances--light, sugary holiday fare.

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.