Baking for the Grumpy Firefighter

by Norah Porter

In the quaint rural town of Oakwood, shattered by the loss of her husband, Emma, a devoted single mom, finds solace in the artistry of providing delectable treats from her bakery.

Mark, a valiant firefighter, has a heart fresh and raw with emotional scars. Love is an uncharted territory he is unwilling to explore.

At a charity event, these childhood friends, torn apart by time, are drawn together by a magnetic force. The spark of a rekindled connection ignites something new and thrilling.

Amidst this Small Town, together they embark on a journey of Second Chances. However, a shadow from the past resurfaces and threatens to shatter the tender love they have found.

Will they find the strength to face the looming shadows of their pasts and weather the storms, or will the scars of their past prove too formidable?

Genres: Romance

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2023

Reviews

[Mary Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing for several reasons.
First of all, with a title like "Baking for a Grumpy Firefighter," I would expect more conflict and tension between the main characters; but there wasn't.
Secondly, I was annoyed by the author's use of the 1st person point of view for both characters. For writing about the past, it is easier to write in the 3rd person point of view.
The sentence structure in the narrative needs some work too. Alternating between simple and complex sentences makes the narrative flow better.
I think a good editor would be able to correct this author's work and improve it.

[Funmilola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about the book. Though an okay read, it lacked spark as far as I am concerned. Emma and Mark sounded like an old married couple even while dating. There was minimal excitement (no mention of misunderstandings and issues that come up while dating).

Also, if Emma wasn't going to dig into George's first marriage, there was no point writing about it. There were just too many parts that were not concluded neatly. I mean Emma was afraid of getting involved one second, and the next, she said yes to a marriage proposal. Was there a gap in time there? I think the book should have had an epilogue where Emma had a baby (my opinion). It would have been a fantastic end to the book.

Finally, for a Christian novel, there was nothing to point us to any Christian theme except towards the end, which was a mention of trusting God. The characters seemed quite self-reliant. I think a Christian novel should point the reader to God more than it did in this book.

All in all, it was an okay book, though I got bored with it. I hope her other books are better than this because I can see that she has the potential to write an awesome book.

I received an ARC and this is my honest view of the book.

[ABurch74 · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book with minimal drama, this is the book for you. You will follow along with Emma and Mark and their growing relationship. The story is a sweet telling of the day to day life with a charming couple. If you like sweet, romantic stories, give this book a read.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and Clean

Norah Porter’s “Baking for the Grumpy Firefighter,” is a cute, clean, quick, little romance. I’m sure with some good proofreading and a little editing, it will be even better.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about Emma, a widow and Mark a firefighter. The story jumps around a bit especially near the ending. Some of the drama seemed like overreactions and immature. They do get their happy ending. I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[John Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma was married to George, who died of pancreatic cancer within a year of finding it. Their daughter Lily is only two and dose'nt understand what death is. Mark is Emma's best friends brother, and they have known each other since kindergarten, but he has had a crush on her since middle school and is terribly afraid to let her know, so he has remained silent. Just as he has worked up his courage to ask her out, George steps in, asks her, then months later marries her. Mark finds someone he loves, but she just uses him, then leaves taking all in thier business they built together. Both have dealt with heartaches, but as time, heals so have thier hearts. They learn to heal and love again. Excellent story and the telling of it. By putting God first in their lives, then each other, and learning to communicate and not assume it teaches us all a needed lesson.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma and Mark were a very cute couple and Emma’s daughter was adorable. I did have some issues with this book, however. The writing style didn’t quite mesh with me; there was a lot of unnecessary exposition and the story was structured in a way that every chapter felt like its own short story without a continuous flow. The book felt extremely predictable as well. Thank you to the author for the ARC; all opinions are mine.

[Jacqueline Johnston Cotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet, clean, inspirational romance. The story has a great story line and the characters have wonderful chemistry. Mark and Emma have some ups and downs to get throught to get their HEA. This book is heartwarming in all the best ways. I really enjoyed it. I hope there are more books to follow this one.

[Evelyn Foreman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, clean, wholesome story - easy to read, filled with emotion as Emma and Mark struggle to let go of the pain of the past to hopefully allow for the promise of a future together. But can they move forward and learn to trust? Is there any hope of a happily ever after? Wonderful characters, intriguing plot, a great addition to any library!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, entertaining, sweet read. Mark and Emma are interesting, relatable, fun characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path that they took to get to their HEA. The secondary characters added much to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kathy Itson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about Emma who is a baker and Mark who is a firefighter and their relationship. It was a cute story, easy to read but I felt that is could have been expanded in the later chapters of the book. It felt a bit disjointed.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too removed

Usually when I read I feel like I am in the story. This felt weirdly distant. There were good times in the prose with a huge amount of boring repetition. The story seemed to go on and on and on ad museum. I skimmed most of the last third as nothing seemed to add to the story.

[Pat Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

She’s a widow and runs a bakery. He’s a firefighter. He’s been hurt but likes her. She thinks she isn’t ready to love again but with help from his sister the two find a way to be a couple. Slowly they admit their love.

[justthebooksMarianKreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!
I love the characters and love story of Mark & Emma.
a clean romance of second chance love between small town. Good book to read If you love to read this genre! I’m reviewed it already on Amazon few days ago but writing my review on here too.
You must read this love story book!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.
This was a book that I just couldn't get into.
I found it didn't flow easily.
Emma and Mark were just okay characters. Neither jumped off the page for me.
I guess I also expected to find more angst in the book because of the title and didn't get it.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grumpy and the baker

Baking for the Grumpy Firefighter is a sweet romance. It is a bit overly sweet in some places. Some of the challenges that arise seem random and don't flow in the story.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great love story but...

I really wanted to love this one. Don't get me wrong it was a great story, however there were quite a few errors. Also it seemed a bit disjointed in some parts and one interesting tidbit we never learned the whole story behind it.

[Ann Leatherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is good. I like second chance, clean romances. I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sticky sweet and shallow

It's too short, too sticky sweet and too shallow. Even the 'tension' is sweet. Was this edited at all? You can write better than this.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads like a fairytale, with each chapter being a new adventure.

[Peggy Mangum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok read. Not as exciting as Norah's Books normally are. Nice, Clean, Happy Ending. 😊

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was good, but it was confusing at places.

[Jennifer Cooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute store

This was a cute story but seemed a little young. I had trouble staying engaged in it. But like I said, it is a cute store and wholesome.

[Dev G · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d rate this a 3.5. The beginning has a lovely description and setting of the scene.

Emma is a widowed mom to a cute girl named Lily. Mark is a firefighter loving her from afar. Mark is a sweet guy, just who Emma needs.

Some things seemed out of place like when they talk about how they’re meant to be for a few pages then two pages later Emma’s not ready for a relationship then they get engaged. Also when Emma finds out her dead husband had been married before and she had no idea. Then the subject is just dropped.

There were some grammar errors like sentence fragments, lack of capitalization, and misspelling.

It’s an overall sweet story with sweet characters who get the happy ending they deserve.

I received an advanced copy and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick fun read. Emma and Mark make the perfect couple and face some adversity together. Emma still has some grieving to do, a young daughter to consider and a bakery to run. Mark’s job as a firefighter can be dangerous and stressful. Their journey to find each other is fun, I enjoyed this book.

[Jean Katchmar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was glad I quickly got into the story. Mark and Emma have a hard time showing their feelings and glad that Maggie stepped in to encourage them. They developed a relationship and realized that their world became much better when they relied on each other's traits. I did not understand the need to add the part where Emma finds here late husband's marriage license to someone before Emma?

[Vickie Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. Emma and Mark have been friends for years, but each has been hurt in one way or another. They work together on different items and as they do this, their friendship grows. Mark's sister Maggie is Emma's best friend. Emma has a daughter named Lily and at first she was hesitate of Mark but as she got to know him she began to love him.

[Tami Willard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma is a widow with a young daughter who owns a bakery. Mark is the older brother of Emma's best friend. He feels a connection towards her but has been trying to ignore it while her. What happens when they stop fighting the attraction?
I received an ARC via Bookfunnel. Review voluntarily given.