Kiss My Cupcake
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4.3 • 333 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
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
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Need a laugh? Of course you do. And that’s why you should pick up Helena Hunting’s romantic comedy, a wonderfully entertaining enemies-to-lovers story. The couple at the center of it all are Blaire Calloway, the owner of a cupcakes-and-cocktails shop, and Ronan Knight, the “GQ lumberjack” who owns the rowdy bar next to Blaire’s business, which hosts events like axe throwing. The two entrepreneurs go head to head, trying to win customers away from each other—and their competition is as hot as their attraction for each other. We particularly adored Hunting’s determined and quirky heroine, who reminded us a bit of the women in Jill Shalvis’ books.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
Customer Reviews
Great fun book
4.5 stars. This was a very fun and entertaining book. Blaire is getting her Cupcake store ready to open and all of the sudden there is tremendous noise from next door. She goes to give the owner of The Knight Cap a piece of her mind. Ronan doesn’t seem phased by Blaire coming in and a tremendous rivalry was born. The first half of this book is an extreme enemies to lovers, but then they have to join together to try to save both of their stores. I enjoyed the sparing between Blaire and Ronan in addition as they came together. There were many laugh out loud scenes and supporting characters. Definitely recommend this one!
Kissing More Than Cupcakes
Blaire and Ronan are neighboring businesses that end up being rivals. Blaire has been working hard to establish her cupcake/cocktail bar while Ronan is trying to bring née life into his grandpa’s bar. When Ronan moves up his opening day to the same day as Blaire’s, the opening salvos are fired. The biggest battle is fighting against the crazy attraction between them.
Sweet & sassy
Sweet with a lot of sass! A very nice guy, friendly and playful, meets this sassy, June Cleaver dressing type who doesn’t fall for his charms. He has his work cut out for him if he wants them to get along as business neighbors. This was a fun, charming story!
Blaire comes from restauranteurs royalty, but she decided to strike out on her own. When you meet her family, you’ll realize why, it’s a necessary move to keep her sanity. After many years of incessant work, little hours of sleep, a lot of learning, she finally opens up her cupcake store called Buttercream & Booze. With a novel approach, mixing delicious cupcakes with matching cocktails, it’s a recipe for success. But she has a new storefront neighbor, who renovated the bar into an axe throwing bar and diner, with loud music and a charming owner who promises to take away a lot of her clientele. Never mind that he’s a gorgeous and friendly hunk!
Ronan took over his grandfather’s bar, The Knight Cup, to renovate it and bring more clientele in. He had a deal with Gramps that he would improve the operation and then Gramps would help him start his brewery, which is Ronan’s ambition. What Ronan didn’t expect was to have such an enticing neighbor, and with such an enticing trade: delicious cupcakes. Pretty soon he and his Gramps were addicted!
Blaire and Ronan had outrageous chemistry that at first looked like fighting, then competition, then turned into co-hosting events. It really felt like foreplay! His daily visits to Blaire’s store to indulge and moan at her daily cupcake inventions are comical. There’s a scene during a bridesmaid event, in which Blaire got back at Ronan for all his tricks, that’s hysterically funny.
This is one of those books that you read with a smile on your face. It alternates funny moments, with cute moments, and some serious with a touch of angst. The scenes with Gramps, Ronan’s grandfather and owner of The Knight Cap, are tender and poignant. The scenes with Blaire’s family are cringe worthy with a touch of weird.
Initially, I didn’t like the contentious interactions between Blaire and Ronan. While Ronan was having fun playing tricks on Blaire to raise her hackles, she was always uptight and snarky. I liked her because she was nice with everyone else but with Ronan she was so nasty. Then I saw why she was so defensive about her business, and loved how she worked it out for the benefit of both. Their fighting eventually changed into banter, into cooperation, playfulness and finally loved creeped in. As a love story it was exceptional, as a family tale it was inspiring, both sides supporting the other. A great mixture of laughs, sighs, and happy cheer!