Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe

Synopsis Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around. Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law. Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves. My thoughts: BRUNCH AT BITTERSWEET CAFE is a slow moving romance. I was excited to read it - but found it draggy and easily put down - a good thing on deadline, but I wasn't excited to pick it up again.   Justin was sweet, not as cocky as most pilots I know, and border-lined on being a jerk sometimes, though to be honest he had good reasons. Melody too had reasons to be cautious, and she was more focused on her career than a relationship with anyone except her best friend. A sweet, slow romance. More conservative readers need to be warned of soft swear words, as well as alcohol consumption (wine and beer). The faith message is very weak.  I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.  Click here to purchase your copy. About the Author Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night. Guest Post from Carla “Confessions of An Erstwhile Baker” Like most females, baking is encoded somewhere deep down in my DNA. Call it nature or call it nurture, but at the earliest age, I figured out that the cute boy in my English class would talk to me if it involved chocolate chip cookies. Got my heart broken or had a friend betray me? I grabbed the mixing bowl and went for the brownies (even better if they’re served à la mode.) My friend was having a birthday? I made a cake drowned in pounds of buttercream. I quickly graduated from the boxed mixes to the real thing when I got married and had a kitchen large enough to roll out dough. I would comb magazines for the best recipes and spend my weekends trying them out. I quickly became known for bringing beautifully iced Christmas cookies and delicious homemade cakes to work. Then my husband and I moved our young family from Los Angeles to Denver, a relocation that was about 1000 miles northeast and 5000 feet up. Suddenly, every recipe I’d perfected in the previous eight years failed. Cookies burned to crisps, cakes fell, and don’t get me started on candy making. Gradually, I adapted my recipes (my beloved never-fail Toll House recipe took eight tries to get right) and even became an avid artisan bread-baker. Then disaster. Or at least, what a baker would consider a disaster. After developing chronic health problems, I discovered that among other things, I was sensitive to gluten. The horror! In order to heal, I turned to the paleo diet, which eliminates all grains (there goes most gluten free recipes) and all processed sugars (there goes everything else). I’ve tried baking paleo-style, and while I can now make cakes that even my gluten-fiend family enjoy, it’s just not the same. So what’s a once-obsessive baker do when she can’t eat her creations? She bakes for other people and goes on faith that they actually taste good… considering she can’t taste them herself. It struck me that there was a spiritual lesson in that, and an obvious tie to Brunch at Bittersweet Café, which deals in large part with Melody’s faith journey. There are times when we have no idea if things are working out the way they’re supposed to, in which case we just have to trust the “recipe” and the input of friends and family who love us. Sometimes our instincts tell us when we’re off track, and sometimes we need that outside nudge from our “taste-testers” to put us back on course. In any case, what Melody and I have in common is that we both bake to show our love for the people around us. And the process of baking my favorites, even knowing that I can’t enjoy them myself, can still be a selfless way to show people they’re important to me. Fortunately, macarons, which happen to be made with almond flour, are still on the menu. Blog Stops Quiet Quilter, February 12 Among the Reads, February 12 Lighthouse Academy, February 12 By The Book, February 12 The Power of Words, February 13 As He Leads is Joy, February 13 Cultivating Us, February 13 Blossoms and Blessings, February 13 Fiction Aficionado, February 14 The Lit Addict, February 14 Christian Chick’s Thoughts, February 14 This Chattanooga Mommy Saves, February 14 All-of-a-kind Mom, February 15 Just the Write Escape, February 15 100 Pages per Hour, February 15 Splashes of Joy, February 15 Bibliophile Reviews, February 16 Texas Book-aholic, February 16 Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 16 C Jane Read, February 17 Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 17 Moments, February 17 Back Porch Reads, February 17 Cordially Barbara, February 18 Genesis 5020, February 18 Simple Harvest Reads, February 18 (Guest post from Mindy Houng) Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 18 Livin’ Lit, February 19 Kat’s Corner Books, February 19 Life with the Tribe, February 19 Stephanie’s Life of Determination, February 19 Through the Fire Blogs, February 20 Remembrancy, February 20 Vicky Sluiter, February 20 Living Life Free in Christ, February 20 2014 and Beyond!, February 21 Daysong Reflections, February 21 Inklings and Notions, February 21 Pause for Tales, February 21 Cafinated Reads, February 22 Tell Tale Book Reviews, February 22 two points of interest, February 22 Ashley’s Bookshelf, February 22 My Devotional Thoughts, February 23 Two Girls and a Book, February 23 The Christian Fiction Girl, February 23 For the love of books, February 23 God is Love, February 24 Book by Book, February 24 Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, February 24 Janices book reviews, February 24 Lukewarm Tea, February 25 Carpe Diem, February 25 A Baker’s Perspective, February 25 Bigreadersite, February 25 Giveaway To celebrate her tour, Carla is giving away a grand prize package of a macron baking mat, a macron book, and a paperback copy of Brunch at Bittersweet Café!! Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/db0f/brunch-at-bittersweet-cafe-celebration-tour-giveaway