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Cupcakes & Chardonnay
A marriage of sweet convenience ... and intoxicating temptation
Three years ago, Suzanne Austin dumped wealthy playboy and wine heir Daryle Catterton— and hasn't regretted it once. Now the owner of the hottest cupcake shop in San Francisco, her only relationship is with her business and she likes it that way ... until Daryle shows up with a business proposal she can't afford to refuse.
She knows Daryle will hold up his end of the deal, but can she hold up hers without losing her head when their old chemistry gets uncorked?
Three years ago, Suzanne Austin dumped wealthy playboy and wine heir Daryle Catterton— and hasn't regretted it once. Now the owner of the hottest cupcake shop in San Francisco, her only relationship is with her business and she likes it that way ... until Daryle shows up with a business proposal she can't afford to refuse.
She knows Daryle will hold up his end of the deal, but can she hold up hers without losing her head when their old chemistry gets uncorked?
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2013
49 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
Julia Gabriel
40 books162 followersJulia Gabriel writes contemporary romance that is smart, sexy, and emotionally-intense (grab the tissues). She lives in New England where she is a full-time mom to a teenager, as well as a sometime writing professor and obsessive quilter (is there any other kind?). If all goes well, she’ll be a Parisienne in her next life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
December 20, 2015
Cute book, probably better as a beach book or plane ride book. It ended abruptly in my opinion. And of course, a lot of it was unrealistic as far as Miss and Mr Perfect but still its fun to read a book like that sometimes...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2014
This was a cute, tame, predictable read. Gravitated towards the title (who wouldn't?) but there were some big issues that took away from my enjoyment: lack of detail (light on Darryl and Suzanne's prior relationship, how come Suzanne never met Alanna? What happened during time in between -and how long was that? How come pregnancy was not addressed since condoms weren't mentioned?) etc.) And there were abrupt transitions at times - one moment they are one place and the next they are home - mentioning "heading home" or transportation of some time would have really helped to connect passages. Also changed POVs suddenly without notice so was jumpy going back and forth between characters. Average read, just nothing to wow me.
September 8, 2016
This book was OK. Very easy to read, but a bit too cliché. After all, you can't have a story take place in San Francisco without the typical disastrous earthquake at the end.. But other than the stereotypical stuff, I liked the characters and enjoyed the fast pace of the book. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
August 16, 2014
3.5/5.0
This is a sweet story about two people given a second chance at love.
Read full review in the 2013 May issue of InD’tale Magazine.
This is a sweet story about two people given a second chance at love.
Read full review in the 2013 May issue of InD’tale Magazine.
December 30, 2018
Suzanne dumped Daryle 3 years ago and opened her dream a bakery that specializes in cupcakes. Daryle is now back and wants to marry her. His mother is dying and won’t leave the wine company to him if he isn’t married and she has to approve of his choice. If she marries him she can open her second store.
May 8, 2020
Great 👍
I enjoyed this book. The characters had chemistry, Suzanne and Darryl, I liked them a lot.
The other characters were good also.
It ended with a HEA which was super. The only thing is it was a little too short.
#9 Bookhoarders Challenge - Finally! On your TBR forever. (05/17/2015)
I enjoyed this book. The characters had chemistry, Suzanne and Darryl, I liked them a lot.
The other characters were good also.
It ended with a HEA which was super. The only thing is it was a little too short.
#9 Bookhoarders Challenge - Finally! On your TBR forever. (05/17/2015)
February 27, 2021
Damn! I LOVE Julia Gabriel’s books!
Daryle was a playboy jerk who broke her heart once. Once bit, twice shy, right? So when he proposes a marriage of convenience to save his inheritance, Suzette says , “Hell, no!” till he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. We all know the ending, but the journey is a delicious read. And I’d really like a cupcake, right about now!
Daryle was a playboy jerk who broke her heart once. Once bit, twice shy, right? So when he proposes a marriage of convenience to save his inheritance, Suzette says , “Hell, no!” till he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. We all know the ending, but the journey is a delicious read. And I’d really like a cupcake, right about now!
November 18, 2019
Not much to this book. There was no intrigue and the entire story was predictable.
January 9, 2022
Haven’t read a romance novel in a while, this book was a good way to enjoy the genre again. Plenty of romance, tension and drama and a very good story.
February 2, 2014
I loved this book. The story is short and sweet. The characters are well developed and interesting. The only character I didn’t like was Brent, Suzanne’s best friend and former boss. I thought his inclusion as the voice of reason was overdone and made him look juvenile and foolish, not someone who could provide good guidance to Suzanne or could ever run a successful restaurant. Three years ago, Suzanne dumped Daryle Catterton, with no regrets. She hasn’t really thought much about him lately, until he comes in to her Cupcakery with an unusual proposition, from which both stand to gain much. However, the devil, as usual, is in the details—and following through on them as agreed to by both. I found the proposition that Daryle makes interesting and would definitely present a challenge for any business-oriented woman. However, Suzanne is a strong woman and great businesswoman and makes a choice she can, she thinks, live with. I loved the character Suzanne, because she seems very strong and oriented toward her goals. However, at the same time, she has just the right touch of softness to makes her believable and someone after which many would aspire. Initially, Daryle is just another trust fund baby, not caring much about what happens to anyone else but himself. However, as the story progresses, we see he has moved beyond that and becomes a fairly likable fellow, finally with his head screwed on right. This is a short book, a novella actually, but is a fantastic read. Because of its brevity, there is not a lot of drag to the story and any reader can read it in a fairly reasonable timeframe, even with a busy schedule. I think any reader who enjoys a good romance with all its ups and downs would enjoy it. I know I did. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.
June 30, 2016
2.5 stars. An enjoyable enough read. I do think the conflict was silly and that these two are old enough that they should have learned to communicate by now.
As a California girl, I always wonder how anyone not indepently wealthy and/or a trophy-wife/vanity careerist can make enough money from cupcake selling to afford San Francisco rents and employee salaries? It must be miraculous. Good thing she found herself a nice wealthy winery owner.
And these ubiquitously solvent cupcake bakers so prevalent in romance novels...how do they do it?!? How can I get in on the action?!? (...Oh well, it's a fantasy, right?)
As a California girl,
As a California girl, I always wonder how anyone not indepently wealthy and/or a trophy-wife/vanity careerist can make enough money from cupcake selling to afford San Francisco rents and employee salaries? It must be miraculous. Good thing she found herself a nice wealthy winery owner.
And these ubiquitously solvent cupcake bakers so prevalent in romance novels...how do they do it?!? How can I get in on the action?!? (...Oh well, it's a fantasy, right?)
As a California girl,
August 10, 2016
This story opens with an usual premise, with the heroine’s ex-boyfriend swanning into her life with a proposal. Marry me so I can inherit the family vineyard and I’ll give you two million dollars when my mother dies.
An offer not many would have to think about in most situations, but Suzanne remembers Daryle [with an ‘e’!] as a spoiled rich boy who glides through life cushioned by the family fortune and too lazy to wash his clothes so he bought new ones!
If that wasn’t sand under the toenails enough to put any hard working girl off, he calls her Suzy Q. If it were me I would reject him on that premise alone. But it isn’t me, and Suzanne could do with the money to expand her successful cupcake business. Despite the fact Daryle still sets her hackles up, he barges back into her life and orders her around – then throws her mobile phone out of his car window – seems he hasn’t matured much in the three years since they last met.
Suzanne is however fixed on the money, so goes through with the society wedding. However suffering pangs of shame and self-disappointment, the only person she knows who is invited to the wedding is her friend Brent, who pops up now and then as the – annoying – voice of reason.
There is an inevitability about this novella, but that doesn’t spoil the route the characters take to reach a mutually satisfactory goal. I enjoyed it.
An offer not many would have to think about in most situations, but Suzanne remembers Daryle [with an ‘e’!] as a spoiled rich boy who glides through life cushioned by the family fortune and too lazy to wash his clothes so he bought new ones!
If that wasn’t sand under the toenails enough to put any hard working girl off, he calls her Suzy Q. If it were me I would reject him on that premise alone. But it isn’t me, and Suzanne could do with the money to expand her successful cupcake business. Despite the fact Daryle still sets her hackles up, he barges back into her life and orders her around – then throws her mobile phone out of his car window – seems he hasn’t matured much in the three years since they last met.
Suzanne is however fixed on the money, so goes through with the society wedding. However suffering pangs of shame and self-disappointment, the only person she knows who is invited to the wedding is her friend Brent, who pops up now and then as the – annoying – voice of reason.
There is an inevitability about this novella, but that doesn’t spoil the route the characters take to reach a mutually satisfactory goal. I enjoyed it.
February 21, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this. It was well put together with strong characters and a good story line. I liked the fact that Suzanne's best friend/former boss was always looking out for her. There was lots of "brotherly"history there that went well with her past with Daryle and her former heartbreak. There could easily be an open door with regards to Brent's story (does it include Seth?) for future stories, as well as the sister. The fact that Suzanne was a workaholic and had left him because of his lack of work ethic, only to find that shortly after she "dumped"him, this seemed to change, was what I believe was Iris's hidden reason for the marriage. It's too bad we didn't get more of Iris, but such is life. Great love story. Not too long and not too short. Perfect
January 18, 2015
Cute, short and predictable romance, but anything involving baking and wineries always piques my interest. Could have been better developed, but then it wouldn't be short. The sexual scenes didn't leave much to the imagination, so if that bothers you, be forewarned. It revolves around two former lovers who haven't seen each other in years. The attraction is still there. The female character owns a cupcake shop and he is running a winery. A proposition is made that can benefit them both in their business and personal life.
I found it enjoyable, Just what I was looking for after reading a series of serial-killer mysteries. It a nice change of pace when I needed something light.
I found it enjoyable, Just what I was looking for after reading a series of serial-killer mysteries. It a nice change of pace when I needed something light.
February 7, 2014
Ok, first of all I have to say that I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review, so I read this book and I loved it, it is a sweet story, easy reading, happy ending.
I read it today, it was a cold day and I did not have to much work so I started reading this book and I could not leave my kindle away, it got me, I was wondering how it will work between them, Suzanne is just like me, saying no but wanting it hahahaha, I liked Brent and I hated him too! Iris is the kind of woman we all want in our lifes and Daryile <3
If you ask me, I absolutely tell you to read it.
I read it today, it was a cold day and I did not have to much work so I started reading this book and I could not leave my kindle away, it got me, I was wondering how it will work between them, Suzanne is just like me, saying no but wanting it hahahaha, I liked Brent and I hated him too! Iris is the kind of woman we all want in our lifes and Daryile <3
If you ask me, I absolutely tell you to read it.
January 8, 2015
The story starts out when Daryle, the man that Suzanne dumped walks into her cupcakery store. He needs her to marry him so that he can inherit the family company. She was the only one to dump him. He was mega rich and woman flocked to him, so it hurt his pride when she left for that same reason, too much money. But his mom wants him to settle down and knew that Suzanne would be the only one to hlep. This is their journey of rediscovery that love was really there in the begining. Looking forward to more works by Julia Gabriel.
February 12, 2014
I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review.
I'm not normally a romance reader, but with two of my favorite things in the title, I was inspired to read it. The characters are interesting and the story moves right along, keeping you turning the pages. In my opinion, although the outcome is predictable from the beginning, I felt the ending was rushed just a bit. I would have liked to see that play out a bit longer. Overall, an enjoyable book that I would recommend!
I'm not normally a romance reader, but with two of my favorite things in the title, I was inspired to read it. The characters are interesting and the story moves right along, keeping you turning the pages. In my opinion, although the outcome is predictable from the beginning, I felt the ending was rushed just a bit. I would have liked to see that play out a bit longer. Overall, an enjoyable book that I would recommend!
January 4, 2015
This is a very predictable "marriage to satisfy his mother's requirement for his inherence." Daryle and Suzanne were a couple until she dumped him 3 yrs ago. She needs $$$ to expand her business, he needs Suznne to marry him ...and she's his mother's pick.
The story is light fluff and perfect for a mindless beach read. The book's writing is without major flaws and far better than many free books from Kindle, but there is no real substance to the plot.
The story is light fluff and perfect for a mindless beach read. The book's writing is without major flaws and far better than many free books from Kindle, but there is no real substance to the plot.
August 4, 2015
Short and Sweet
This book should have been labeled a Nivella. The pages are listed as 243 pages and I understand that most stories aren't always the amount of pages listed, but to stop the story at 57% and then give us a bunch of chapters of previews, that just wrong. I've read 2 other books by this Author and was very happy with the stories and even though this is a cute story, I feel that it was rushed.
This book should have been labeled a Nivella. The pages are listed as 243 pages and I understand that most stories aren't always the amount of pages listed, but to stop the story at 57% and then give us a bunch of chapters of previews, that just wrong. I've read 2 other books by this Author and was very happy with the stories and even though this is a cute story, I feel that it was rushed.
February 11, 2014
I got a free copy of Julia Gabriel’s Cupcakes & Chardonnay from Story Cartel. It’s a short novel, 128 pages long and only took me a few hours to read. Still, those few hours of downtime had been enjoyable...
Read the entire review at:
http://dealogy.wordpress.com/2014/02/...
Read the entire review at:
http://dealogy.wordpress.com/2014/02/...
November 24, 2015
I enjoyed most of the book; there's nothing wrong with a little bit of angst and tension. However, I don't like when people continuously beat around the bush when they could just talk to each other and stop fretting. Also, the ending was extremely abrupt and that took me by surprise and left me wanting more of an actual ending.
January 3, 2015
Engaging but then
Good story that kept me reading, but all of a sudden story ends. Seems like author just stopped and even though plot could have been further developed, too schmaltzie an ending
Good story that kept me reading, but all of a sudden story ends. Seems like author just stopped and even though plot could have been further developed, too schmaltzie an ending
January 5, 2015
Cute, easy read and well-written
I enjoyed the story very much, except for the graphic sex scenes. This book has good flow and character development from start to finish. Happy endings are just the best!
I enjoyed the story very much, except for the graphic sex scenes. This book has good flow and character development from start to finish. Happy endings are just the best!
December 29, 2015
A very cute and fluffy story! I was able to relate to Suzanne, saw bits of myself in her, and I admired her strength, independence, and work ethic. I really liked Brent, not so much Darryl. I would read more by this author! Now I'm hungry for cupcakes ;)
June 10, 2015
Wine and sugar = sex
Sure, he's your rich lazy ex, but what harm could a sham marriage do, especially if you end up with a couple of millions after...
I kept waiting for the pregnancy announcement, but a cancelled divorce works too. A fun and sexy read.
Sure, he's your rich lazy ex, but what harm could a sham marriage do, especially if you end up with a couple of millions after...
I kept waiting for the pregnancy announcement, but a cancelled divorce works too. A fun and sexy read.
January 6, 2017
Nice romance
This book is nicely written. It has a good balance of relationship turmoil and romance. The main characters are both strongly attracted to each other while trying to reject each other at the same time.
This book is nicely written. It has a good balance of relationship turmoil and romance. The main characters are both strongly attracted to each other while trying to reject each other at the same time.
February 19, 2013
I liked this one. Nice easy read, although I would have like the ending to have been a bit more developed. It seemed to just stop. Would recommend this for a good snow day book.
June 3, 2013
Way to go mom. You did well. You will get it after you read it. Loved it.
June 29, 2013
Cute story. A bit predictable. Quick read.
August 28, 2014
Love it!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews