Review: The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap

Title: The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap
Author: Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell, Kimberly Kincaid
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: September 24th 2013
Source: Netgalley & Kensington

★★★★

Four Stars.

The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap is a collection of three stories that all center around three good friends around Christmastime. I'm not always a huge fan of these kinds of romantic reads, but I was definitely (and pleasantly) surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. It has just the right amount of steam, romance, and Christmassy atmosphere to make it an enjoyable December read.

The first thing that drew me in, admittedly, was the cover & title. It sounded cute, and the cover is just as adorable. It's simple, but effective, and would catch my eye on a holiday display.

The first story is called Where There's Smoke by Donna Kauffman, and I adored it. This story takes a look at the clumsy Clara Parker, who despite being unable to cook is given a job for the paper writing about Christmas cookie recipes. When a sexy fireman named Will shows up to save the day, Clara has to decide if she can open her heart again to this hero. I loved this story. I thought Clara was relatable- not TOO clumsy, but definitely not graceful and notoriously known for being single. And Will? Absolutely dreamy. I'd like one of him for Christmas too. Their relationship was cute and quirky and I was cheering for them all throughout the book.

The middle story is The Gingerbread Man by Kate Angell. Even though this was my least favorite story out of the three, it is still worth a read and is far from bad. Abby is known in her town for making gingerbread man cookies that are, well, anatomically correct. She even added a box to the cookie auction, but was a little surprised when a stranger was the one who ended up bidding on the risque treats. It isn't long before Abby saves a stranger from a snowy road- but could he be what her life has been missing? This was a fun read- with gingerbread man fun bits, how can it not be? I just wasn't as connected to Abby and Lander as I could have been, so I wasn't as invested in the story.

And the final, and possibly best, story is Sugar And Spice by Kimberly Kincaid. Lily is a caterer who takes her cooking, and her job, very seriously. Entered in the holiday bake-off against a seriously sexy and competitive pastry chef named Pete, their passion becomes hotter than the kitchen that they're baking in. This was fun and steamy to boot, and is the perfect thing to heat up a cold winter night.

All in all this is a solid collection of stories that are great to read during the holidays. Romantic and fun, this is a great pick for those of you who love romance stories without the smut. Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for my chance to read this.