My Favorite Kidnapper

My Favorite #1

by Melanie Moreland

I touched her confectionary creation, and she told me off.
Slapping my hands and cursing in her own unique fashion.
No one talked to me that way.
I liked it.
I liked her cake even more. So, I took her to Italy to bake for me.
I should have asked her first, but I had a feeling she’d say no.
I brought her cat, though—that should count for something.
Now, I just need to convince her to stay.
And forget that little word.
Kidnapper.
I’d prefer lover.
But we’ll wait until she doesn’t want to kill me in my sleep.

Author's If you are looking for a wealthy hero swooping in to fix all your problems to a gorgeous setting with lush descriptions to transport you away to an ornate villa in the sun, look no further for nonstop sexy banter with a lot of will-they won’t-they tension.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Rom Com, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook

518 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 2023

About the author

Welcome Romance Readers!
Join my newsletter for news on upcoming releases and sales CLICK HERE

Make sure to follow me on Amazon for new release alerts CLICK HERE

Join me on Facebook in my reader group CLICK HERE

Check out my excerpts on Verve Romance CLICK HERE

A bit about me:
NYT/WSJ/USAT International bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of lots of lovely years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.
While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys travelling, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.
Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She's learned happily ever-afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story. 

Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Favorite Kidnapper by Melanie Moreland is a stand alone, sexy, sweet romance filled with humor, a baker who can make cakes that are more art than they are desserts, and a grumpy, very wealthy man with a very sweet tooth.

Brianna Michaels is twenty six years old. She lives in Toronto. She’s a very talented baker, her specialty is her elaborate cakes. Brianna grew up in the system. She has managed to put herself most of the way through school but with considerable debt, she’s taking time off, working for the world’s worst boss in a bakery which is just one of her jobs. She’s barely keeping her head above water. She is currently working on her wedding cake creation for her friend from college when she first meets him, the cupcake snatcher.

Dante Frost is thirty eight years old and owns art galleries in several cities and several countries, as well as other businesses. It’s his God-daughter’s wedding day and he’s there early, scoping out the area when he sees the most elaborate creation he’s ever seen. And when he snatches a few extra cupcakes, he realizes they are also the most delicious he’s ever tasted. What’s even better is the way he seems to get the hackles up with the sexy little baker! No one has ever spoken to him that way but she just lets it fly. He’s going to need more of this baker’s sweet creations. And maybe more of the baker as well.

“You-you high handed, cupcake stealing motherplucker”
“Motherplucker? Oh, you wound me,” he said with a laugh.

Did I mention our Brianna doesn’t swear and hearing all of her swear word substitutions are so much fun. Even more fun is the way she stands up to Dante. But, when it’s clear to him that he just can’t seem to shake his obsession with the baker and she’s not going to cooperate, he decides to take matters into his own hands!

“What was it about this girl that brought out all these foreign feelings and desires?”

I can’t wait for you to meet these two. I loved the way that Dante and his pushy ways, slowly helped Brianna to see herself differently. He was able to give her a reprieve from a life that was slowly sucking her dry. And she softened him. He smiled, laughed even. And had all the cake he could ever desire.

“For the first time in my life, I felt sexy. Desirable. He woke something in me I didn’t know existed. I wanted more.”

In true Melanie Moreland fashion, she ends the book with an epilogue that gives us several glimpses into the future of these two. And it’s amazing. But you guys. In a year, when someone mentions this book to me, it’s the “extended” epilogue that you have to download that I will be thinking about. That’s all I can tell you. And just don’t miss it. Make sure you get it. You won’t be sorry.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this one of the most unrealistic and cliche romances I have ever read, YES.
Did I absolutely devour it anyway, also YES.

My Favorite Kidnapper follows Brianna, who is struggling to make ends meet at her bakery job. When she meets a strange man at her friend's wedding, sparks fly as the two get into a little tift over him stealing some of the cupcakes she made for said wedding. Unbeknownst to Brianna, the man, Dante, is her friend's uncle. When Dante kidnaps Brianna away to his villa in Italy, to make cakes for him and get to know each other; Brianna is rightfully upset. However, as Dante explains what he wants from her, Brianna hesitantly agrees to stay and bake for him while they explore their chemistry.
While this may be super unrealistic and cliche, I loved every second of reading it! It was absolutely adorable and had so many enjoyable tropes including age gap, opposites attract, forced proximity, and he falls first. This was a super easy read and rather simplistic, but the fun I had reading it outweighed any issues. The only real fault I'll say I had with the book was the unnecessary third-act breakup, it was resolved rather fast, but because of Dante's stubbornness, the two were still separated until Brianna decided to fight for them. There was absolutely no grovel from him and it was super disappointing.

[DIVINITY🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Favorite Kidnapper is so cute and cozy 🥰 I was smiling like a schoolgirl at my tablet and twirling my hair in my fingers ☺️
It's probably more of a 3 ⭐️ but my feelings wouldn't allow me to click that number..so it is what it is 🙃

Brianna aka Bee is a struggling baker living in Canada. She is in a lot of debt and lives in a crappy apartment. Dante aka zaddy aka our favorite kidnapper🤭 is going to his goddaughter's wedding and sees the most beautiful cake he has ever seen. He tries the cupcake and falls in love. When he gets a glimpse of the feisty, beautiful baker he knows he must have her and her cakes even if he must take her by force and drug her. But don't let that stop you from reading this. He treats our girl like a QUEEN. Plus he lives in a villa in Italy, has a ton of money, housekeepers, and a big personality🍆

Tropes
-Age gap
-Forced proximity
-title said grumpyXsunshine but he wasn't super grumpy

Spice level
🌶️🌶️

Things I did not like
-3rd act breakup which was so stupid. It's resolved pretty quickly but this is my biggest pet peeve.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and the characters. The writing is easy and simple to follow. If you want to smile or giggle a little I would recommend🙂

[EmmaSkies]

Me: I’m so blah about reading right now I’ll take literally anything that catches my eye

Also me: Okay so apparently not anything

•

DNF @ 28%, but I knew in the first few minutes and I shouldn’t have tried to keep going 💀

An attempt at mixing romcom and dark romance with genuinely the worst writing I’ve encountered all year. I was fully prepared to lean into a ridiculous plot, I knew what I was getting myself into, but boy was I not prepared for the writing to be so painfully bad.

This is my punishment for straying from my carefully curated vacation TBR. Fine, I guess I’ll pick up something I know is going to be good.

(On the bright side, I have now reached my goal of DNFing 3 books this year and it only took me to the end of August! Slowly but surely getting better about not forcing myself to finish books I’m not enjoying)

[Leticia (jerseygirlsbookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No one ever told me off. They didn’t dare. But she had. More than once. And I had liked it."
I think everyone knows I’m not the biggest rom-com fan unless they have an emotional side that pulls me in. But this? This was different. And I loved it.
An over-the-top alpha kidnapper with a sweet tooth who falls in lust with the baker and kidnaps her?
Yes, please.

"I should probably tell him off for kissing me too. And touching my cake. But especially the stolen kiss. That was what I was the most pissed off about.
At least, I thought it was."
Brianna is an incredibly talented baker who is invited to bake the cake at Dante’s goddaughter’s wedding. They don’t know each other—in fact, she thinks he’s an overbearing asshole employee, and she wants to report him to management when he eats and steals her cupcakes—but he kisses her, and she kisses him back.
And that kickstarts it all.

"Who are you?"
"Nobody."
"Wrong answer, Little Bee."
"It’s all I’ve ever been."
"Not anymore."
She runs away, but that won’t stop a man with as many resources as Dante. He tracks her down, only to find out she lives in a crappy apartment and that her talent is going to waste at someone else’s business.
And he decides to save her.

"Brianna had crawled under my skin and stayed there. She invaded my thoughts, slipped into my dreams, wove her way into every aspect of my world."
I’m not sure if this is a conscious decision, though. He may lie to himself and tell himself all he wants is her baking and maybe getting her in his bed, but the truth… The truth is that this guy is as annoying in his order-barking, do-what-I-want-the-way-I-want-it way as he is swoony.

"Who paid off a stranger’s debts, then asked them to bake them some cakes in return?"
So yeah, he kidnaps her. And her cat. Whose name is Roomba (love it). And takes them to Italy of all places—I mean, if you’re going to be kidnapped, at least make it worth your while. And to a villa, no less, where she gets everything she ever wanted without even asking for it.
What does he ask for in return? For her to bake for him. Sixty cakes in all.

"You’re going to react to my mouth everywhere soon enough, Little Bee. I’ll show you how not old I am then when you’re screaming my name."
Some funny business follows, and their interactions are to die for! I love how she doesn’t swear, how she pushes his buttons calling him an old man, but especially how she starts falling for the guy, even though she doesn’t mean to.
He makes it kind of impossible, though.

"As for being grumpy with you, I find it difficult. You make me want to smile."
It’s weird because she’s been told by his goddaughter that he is a detached, grumpy man who only cares about work. That may be true, but not with her.
And she becomes the center of his world.

"You sass off and call me that, you get fucked, Little Bee. Until I’ve had my fill. You’ve been warned."
"And I’m waiting."
She resists as much as she can, but when she can’t take it anymore… I think this is probably one of the spiciest Melanie Moreland books I’ve ever read. I absolutely loved them together—how she teases and pokes him every step of the way, and he grunts and grumbles, but he’s a goner for her.
We all know it, even though he might not.

"Again, you prove you are the worst kidnapper in the history of kidnappers. You are going to be kicked out of the club. You don’t give the kidnappee a credit card and tell her to go shopping."
Their days are spent together. Even her cat, who didn’t like anyone, takes a liking to Dante. Without realizing it, they’re living the fairy tale. Yes, there’s still banter. Yes, she likes to make fun of him and push his buttons. But he pushes back every time, and I found myself smiling without even meaning to.

"A real man likes having something to hold when he makes love to a woman. I like your softness. How you feel when I hold you. How you move with me. Not a flat board, but a real woman."
I needed to include this quote. As a curvy woman myself, with my own insecurities, I love how Dante makes Brianna feel. He doesn’t “tolerate” her curves—he loves them. And that is how a real man loves a woman.
Other things are happening around them, and they’re coming to try and ruin what they have. The elements of suspense only add to their story, though.

"Being in his arms was the first time I didn’t wonder where I belonged in the world."
The girl who had nothing finds the guy who will stop at nothing to make her happy. And that was sweeter than all the cakes Brianna baked!
P.S. I read the bonus epilogue. PLEASE don’t skip it. If you haven’t fallen in love with Dante by then, I can guarantee you will.

[Yasemin˚｡⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

The premises of the book was rlly promising and I was excited to read it, but it sadly didn’t deliver 😭

The weirdest thing was the MMC kissing her when they just meet like 5 min. ago 🤡 He ended up doing that a lot: randomly kissing her.  

The 3rd act breakup was your usual i-need-to-protect-you-so-i-am-breaking-your-heart 💀 These authors need to stop with that immediately! 


The bonus epilogue was the cutest though 😩

[Nunu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reasons to love this:
-Age gap
-dual pov
-he has a sweet tooth
- kidnapping (duh, the sexiest thing ever)
-innocent fmc
-he is daddy material in every way
-his dirty talking is NICE🤌
-CAKES


In short this is a story of a man falling for a baker and decides to just kidnap her and fly her and her cat to Italy. So romantic 🤭

I listened it as an audiobook and the performance was very enjoyable. My nightshift went smoothly listening to this 🤣 I giggled and probably kept my patients up all night but it was totally worth it!

If you need a cozy,short, fun read with a satisfying ending then please go ahead and give this one a try.

[Ana | SheSaidYestoBooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ummmm… not sure! This guy kisses her almost immediately after “meeting” her, then proceeds to stalk, drug, and kidnap her. He also says some super cringey and weird things that definitely give off some r*pey vibes. Are you sure this is a RomCom? DNF.

✓ Alpha Billionaire
✓ Age Gap
✓ Plus Size
✓ Insta-love
✓ He Falls First

[(betts) ⚜ · Rating 1 out of 5]

*edit* after further consideration I decided to add this little image to sum the whole review of the book:


for context: this is our Holy Father, the Prime Minister Sergio(ne) Mattarella 💕




I can say I read this as a palate cleanser and to pass time.

Her attempts at not cussing gave me the icks and the second part of the book I just skimmed through I couldn't wait to finish it.

Also, I would like to see Dante's blood sugar results lmao.

1.5⭐

[Laurens.Little.Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute! The extended epilogue was perfect and really brought things full-circle 🥰

FTRC

[Ester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an amazing book!
I loved Dante and Brianna’s love story! You can feel their attraction since the beginning.
Even if the “kidnapping” thing made me think I might no like it or have contradictory feelings, the way it is narrated and how you can see both character opinions and feelings, the “kidnapping” is totally right. I’m down to being kidnapped by him as well!
I loved Brianna’s strong character and determination, she knows what she wants and fights for it, that end was totally unexpected. I also loved her wit and how she provoked him.
And about Dante, I started to worry about his health, eating so many sugar and so.. but he is adorable, how he treats and protects her and they way he wants to make her happy.. that got me swooning.
I totally recommend this book.

[Lori R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a delightfully charming RomCom that had me smiling one minute, then swooning the next. From one page to another, I was either entertained, feeling happy, hungry for cake. Usually all of the above.

By the end of the first chapter, a spark was there and it was already sizzling. As I turned each page, I was more and more hooked.

The sass of Brianna (Bri), the cockiness/confidence of Dante, and the snark & banter between them was so much fun to read. Bri was not afraid to stand up to him. She could definitely hold her own. I loved it when she wanted to rile him up by calling him ‘old man’. He, on the other hand, did not. And he could not wait to show her he was anything but.

Bri absolutely did not want to like Dante. He was a thief of cupcakes FFS! And then he offers to take her to Italy so she can bake for him to work off her debt?? The audacity.

Not only does Dante not like taking no for an answer, he also couldn’t stand the thought of leaving to go home and not seeing her again. Soooo, there may have been a teensy weensy kidnapping thing that happened to make sure he *would* see her again.

Bri has had a rough go at life. But it has only made her stronger. I loved watching her strength and determination throughout the book. As her confidence grew, so did Dante’s infatuation. And love and adoration. It didn’t matter how strong she was, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop herself from falling for him.

The cupcakes and frosting and sugary treats? I swear I drooled as I craved them throughout the book. The frolics in the pool? The swim lessons with Dante? Yes. Please and thank you. This story was fun, it was sexy, and it satisfied me in all the ways.

p.s. Best. bonus epilogue. ever!!!
OH. MY. HEART.

[Erin Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Star review My Favorite Kidnapper by Melanie Moreland

eBook/Audio review
I was beyond excited when I heard that Melanie Moreland had a new standalone releasing. Having read so many books by Ms. Moreland I knew I was going to be in for a well-written, entertaining story with characters whose story I would quickly become invested in and I was right.

I fell hard and fast for Dante Frost and Brianna Michaels (aka Little Bee) and their unconventional love story. Dante is such a swoon worthy older man and one I could easily fall for myself. Every time I read one of this authors book, I think I have a new favorite but this time I believe that My Favorite Kidnapper may top the list for a long time to come.

Brianna has had a hard life, being brought up in the system and yet she has achieved so much in her young life. She is a cake decorator who Dante falls for hard. What follows is an unconventional, yet entertaining story that left me with a smile on my face.

Such is the descriptive writing, I found myself transported to Italy and the places that they visit. I loved that through Dante’s love and support; Brianna really came into her own.

This book is a little gen, it is a witty romantic comedy that I had a hard time putting down when real life got in my way and don’t get me started on the epilogues, totally awesome.

Narrated by John Lane and Maxine Mitchell, the story came to life for me with their performances. Their voices are easy to listen to and they brought the passion, romance and love to life and certainly did not only the characters, but the story justice .

Edit review

[AddictedToReadingRomance · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks I just read?!?!?!? Oh yeah, I love Brianna so much that now I’m going to use all her words lol. My Favorite Kidnapper is now definitely my favorite book of the month, my favorite book of the year, and my favorite Melanie’s book. Oh Brianna!!! She is special, perfect and the most wonderful heroine ever. Her personality is fantastic, I just love her. I want to be like her when I grow up. And Dante! Oh Dante! What can I say? He is the charmiest, yes, he definitely need a special word (even an invented one). At 34% of the book I just wanted for Dante to kidnap me. Dante with all his passion and possessiveness, and I can totally say obsession, makes everything way better. This book is going to make you laugh out loud with all of Brianna’s occurrences. Roomba is Roomba lol. I love how romantic Dante is with Brianna and how he take good care of her, showing her how much he love her without himself even notice. Brianna is the light Dante needs in his life, he’s not even grumpy with her. Just an “old man”, right Brianna? Winky face. Thank You Melanie for giving us the kidnapper we didn’t knew we wanted/needed. And don’t forget the epilogue and the extended epilogue. Just marvelous!

[Darlene I read WAY to many books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed more fluff books, so this one was a fun read.

Dante met Brianna when she was setting up cupcakes and kinda stole some, so she glared and "hated" him she found out who he was from her friend he was Uncle Dante Brianna was already annoyed with him but knew she'll never see him again. Little did she know she was wrong she's kidnapped by him, and he wants her to make him bunch cakes.. yes, a bunch of cakes a certain amount, and then he'll let her go. So that's how they ended up in his villa, and I laughed at the banter between them two and how she even told the cops of her kidnapping they laughed it off.

Dante was such a good guy. Despite the kidnapping, he gave her everything she wanted, from talks to clothes. They did have a rough moment when an enemy wanted to ruin Dante bussiness and this forced Dante to push his love away. I'm glad our girl fought him, but I wish she hid from him and made him go loom for her.

No ow drama tiny om drama, no cheating, Drama, sexy times, virgin gal no manwhore

Recommend-yes
Cover-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat level-🌶🌶🌶

Slowinsta
Age gap
38H/26h
Push away from h
Drugged
Seperation few weeks
Violence
Praise kink
No condom
Hea
Epilogue

[alli☀️]

Dnf at 6%.
He literally was already kissing up on her without her asking. Multiple times. I wanted this to be a slow-burn.

[Karen_Lee_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Favorite Kidnapper
By Melanie Moreland

My Favorite Kidnapper kept me laughing from the first stolen cupcake to the last cake baked. I snort laughed and had tears running down my cheeks.
Brianna and Dante are not like any other couple I’ve ever met, from pushing buttons to telling people he kidnapped her, Author Melanie Moreland gives us a story of how the right couple can bake, eat cake and fall in love!

Brianna is a baker, she wants to own a bakery; she’s tired of being taken advantage of at her current job. Brianna baked the most amazing cake for her friends wedding, oh it was beautiful, everything was perfect~until it wasn’t. There were cupcakes missing, several…but who ate them? Well, she found out who had removed them and then she gave him a piece of her mind…and threatened to have him arrested….

Dante Frost, uncle of the bride, trusted Art Dealer and the man with the biggest sweet tooth was about to get a piece of Brianna’s mind. He actually got a lot more than a piece of her mind…but that’s for you to find out!

Do they argue? Sure in a way that works for them. Does she like him? Well, cupcakes, icing etc, missing on the big night…maybe not a the beginning. Can you tell me about the kidnapping? I could but really you need to find this out for yourself. Who is Roomba? Honestly, some of the best comedy scenes include Roomba…tears will roll down your cheeks because Brianna, Dante and Roomba have this story to share with you and you need to read it to get the full effect.

From the titters, giggles and guffaws; My Favorite Kidnapper gives readers a romantic comedy that you can’t put down! Author Moreland’s ability to write some of the best comedy I’ve read is the icing (on the cake)! This one has “risen” to the top of my 2023 reads!

[M L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down this is a must read for 2023! You could not find a more unique and hilarious story! Melanie has definitely got a hit with this book. Dante and Brianne - two totally different people at the right place at the right time. Dante thinks she is creative and exquisite. Brianne thinks he is arrogant and privileged. But for him, it is love at first site, he just doesn’t know it yet. She quickly gets under his skin and he quickly realizes she isn’t like other women! So, Dante is ‘forced’ to do the unthinkable in order to get what he wants. And what ensues after that is hilarious and so dang sweet!! You will laugh and you will cry, but you will not regret grabbing this one for your shelves!! Absolutely one of my new favorites!!

[Lolina ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tell me why Dante was one second away from a lawsuit 💀. and a trip to the hospital (praying for his blood sugar) 🏃‍♀️.

-=-

Ok, so I'll split this up into two parts:

※ 👹ᵀʰᵉ ᶜᵘˢˢ ʷᵒʳᵈˢ 👹
※ 🥰 𝐿𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 🥰

-=- Ṱ̛̥̦́͞h̰̖̻ͮe Cͮͣ͂ͭū̦̓̋ͫ͟ś̢̭̥͎̀s͓̟̦ͣ̾ W͉̳̖ͫ̍͑ò̜͉r̒ḑ̥̆̊ͨ̚s -=-

What was up with the heroine and her refusal to swear? Like ok, fine I get it, but why are you coming up with the GOOFIEST substitutes known to mankind😭.

I genuinely couldn't take her character seriously: Girl you're 26, what are you stomping your feet yelling 'Dumbledore' for BYE (I'm not even joking). Why are you acting like we're back in the playground 💀.

Here are some of my favs 👹(end my suffering I beg you):

※ "h-e-double-hockey-sticks"
※ "Dumbledore"
※ "You son of a monkey"
※ "What the cuss"
※ "You son of a biscuit."
※ "Fudgsicle"
※ "motherducker"
※ "cock-a-doodle-doo"

(and more 🥰🔫) I GOT GOOSBUMPS BYE.


And of course, the H ate this up, and found it endearing- but I'm not even going to get into that 😭.

--

-=- 𝐿𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 -=-

That aside I actually liked the book at times. I loved Dante (in the beginning at least, conflict aside). He was a horrible kidnapper and was genuinely delusional over the h- but we love to see it.

I did lose interest towards the end, but there were some funny scenes, and was generally really cute (I didn't know kidnapping someone could be so sweet 💀).

-=-

IN SUMMARY:

Things I liked:

※ age gap
※Forced- Proximity
※sunshine x grump
※comfort-care
※Loads of domestic scenes
※THE EPILOGUE

& Things I didn't:

※Goofy ah conflict (it was literally so unnecessary)
※ The pacing (it was very insta in the beginning, then dragged)
※ How the h was treated like a baby in the end
※some really cringy moments

-=-

Overall I didn't love the book but it was fun.

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Favorite Kidnapper is so cute. Super cute. Both Dante and Brianne are just adorable. Miss Moreland surely knows how to write rom com, despite the title of the book.

I was smiling and happy while reading the book. Some banter are cheesy but hey, it is still cute.

4 stars

[ya.vl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Не знаю як кому але мені сподобалось 😸
Книга легка, смішна, трохи на якусь казку похожа😄 читаючи її я почувалась ніби маленька дівчинка яка вірить в чудеса🥰
Події відбуваються дуже швидко, мене спочатку напрягло те, що він чуть не з самого початку поцілував її, хоча вони ж незнайомі були🤷🏿‍♀️ потім я заспокоїлась і не серйозно сприймала цю книгу
Розуміла прекрасно що в житті точно такого не буде, так читати було краще
Якщо нічого не очікувати від неї то книга нормальна а якщо тверезо дивитись то вона дуже крінжова🤷🏿‍♀️
Хочеться поставити 4⭐️ але правильніше буде 3⭐️
І до речі, якщо викрадення то тільки таке😀 на інше я не погоджусь😉

[Stephanie Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Melanie Moreland at her very best, and My Favorite Kidnapper may be my favorite story by this amazing author. Dante was the ultimate fantasy, and although Brianna was stubborn and hesitant, we both forgave him pretty quickly for whisking her away from an awful life without waiting for her permission and giving her all she ever dreamed of in exchange for her cakes. What follows is a wonderful love story about two people who never planned on each other falling madly in love. This book is scorching hot with all the feels, funny and sweet, and leaving me in my feelings for a long time after that ending. We all need a man like Dante...and endless amounts of cake. 5 huge stars.

[Christina (stinarinareads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3✨
1.25🌶️

This was an OK read. It left me a little wanting, to be honest. For this premise to work in fiction for me, a kidnapping trope, the author has to really, REALLY lean into the OTT campiness of it all, and I just don’t think that was the case here; everything felt a little mild overall. Even the kidnapping. Nothing felt deep or heavy or urgent. It was a decent read, and if you want to dip your toes in OTT-land with more vanilla spice, this is probably what I’d recommend.

This has an age gap romance, FMC 26 x MMC 38, and I would also argue this has reverse grumpy x sunshine, with the FMC having more black cat energy and the MMC, who is supposedly supposed to be the grumpy one, being more cheerful with good humor.

The absurdly quick third act breakup and the absurdly quick resolution of it made it all feel moot.

Overall an OK read, probably not for me, but would be a real hit with other readers. I started skimming towards the end.

[♡Naz♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can always count on Melanie's books to get me out of a funk. 🫶🤌
I needed a fun and easy read after the roller coaster of emotions that I have been going through after finishing my last read, and this gave me exactly that.👌

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only the incomparable Melanie Moreland can write about a kidnapping billionaire with a heart of gold! I absolutely blew through this read – it was so incredibly enjoyable! First of all, I fell in love with this cover – I mean, Brianna’s facial expression on this illustrated cover says it all! From the first moment I read my very first Melanie Moreland book, I knew I found a special author and she continues to prove it time after time. I don’t know how she comes up with the story lines and characters that she does, but she does it so amazingly well. I always connect with her characters immediately and My Favorite Kidnapper is no different. Who doesn’t love a specialty cake baker who is as sweet as the confections she bakes and who doesn’t swear – ever! I laughed so hard every time she substituted a swear word with one of her replacements and it was often because Dante certainly knew how to get his Little Bee riled up. Dante is much like many of Ms. Moreland’s male characters – fiercely protective, alpha, possessive, but sweet as sugar when it comes to the people he loves. And as always, this author writes the very best epilogues that gives the readers a glimpse into the future of her characters. That being said, whatever you do, please don’t miss the extended epilogue that is offered at the end of the book. Grab a box of tissues and enjoy! I'm so very grateful to have been given an opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book.

[⋆Isaᵕ̈ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cute cover right?

“Take me upstairs and frolic me with your massive Richard Rooster, Dante.”

Yeah, no.

1 ★

[катя⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐3.5, it was fun but that's all, epilogues were sweet.

[пустунка · Rating 4 out of 5]

от я зараз розумію всю кількість косяків, ред флегів і кринжових моментів тут. але все одно чомусь мені це сподобалось.

я прочитала це легко (наскільки то можливо з нечитуном), багато разів Данте і Бріанна заставили мене посміхнутися, десь закотити очі, але це було без роздратування, а з якимсь спокоєм і дрібка веселощів.

отже, це було так. вони познайомилися на весіллі, де Данте дядько нареченої, а Бріанна її подруга і по сумісництву кондитер (весільний тортик її заслуга). і як таку знахідку Данте упустив би? він її викрадає, щоб дівчина готувала йому торти. єс, це такоє собі, але мені зайшло (трохи трешу саме те, щоб зацікавити). Данте хоч і владний та самовпевнений (надто), але потішив мене. Бріанна бубочка, і цей чоловік чи не єдиний в її житті, хто оцінив її по-справжньому, бо вона прекрасна. а життя до неї ніколи не було поблажливим. коротше, легеньке чтиво у кінці з елементами драми, але то навіть розрядило солодку обстановку. так чому мені це сподобалось? бо це солодко. факт.

4/5

[Sabi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely one of the fastest love at first sight I've ever read!

I was so excited for the premise but as I read it through, I think the kidnapping trope is not for me.

 The fact that it's basically all romance and not a romcom didn't help as well. The cover was rather bright for an intense novel...

[it.sgottabethebooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a craving for something sweet and MM delivered. Bordering on the line of morally grey and alpha, Dante is a character that will leave a long lasting impression so save a spot in your heart because he will embed himself so deep that you will wonder how you never had a Dante before now. Bri isn’t your typical heroine in distress, she is quite the opposite actually. She is strong and despite all her hardships she stood tall. But seeing the love unfold between the characters was a sight to behold. Dante and Bri’s story satisfied my sweet tooth and then some with their banter, the swooniness of Dante and sassiness of Brianna. This is beyond an enjoyable read. It is a book I wish I could read again as a first-timer. It is a story that will leave a mark on your heart and will have you feeling all sorts of warm and fuzzy.

Audiobook:
I am addicted to John Lane and Maxine Mitchell’s narrating chemistry. Every book I listen to performed by this duo is out of this world. They possess my undivided attention just as much as Dante obsessed over Brianna in the story. John brought Dante’s character to life with his hypnotizing and soothing yet strong tenor as Maxine did the same with Brianna in her captivating and sweet melodic voice. The banter, the sweetness and the steam were in perfect ratio as this duo narrated the authors story with a dash of their own personalities shining through only enhancing what was already perfectly created characters to next level perfection. The range of emotions I felt is why I love this author’s storytelling as well as these narrators. Their performance is once again top notch leaving me needing to relisten to what is my favorite audiobook this year.