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Cupcakes and Mistakes
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Expected 24 Jul 26275 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 18, 2026
What a pleasure it was to read this heartwarming tale of love—a complete refresh from my usual dark romance reads.
I instantly connected with Riley. Her chaotic nature and internal struggles felt genuine, heartfelt, and incredibly relatable. It was impossible not to root for her, and even harder not to fall a little bit in love with her along the way.
Then there’s Elton—an MMC readers are guaranteed to swoon over. His unwavering loyalty to his family and the way he falls in love so completely and wholeheartedly is beautifully written. Watching his journey unfold was one of my favourite parts of the story.
This book is uplifting, emotional, and at times wonderfully frustrating in all the right ways. There truly is something for everyone: a mother’s love, the bonds of girlhood, ambition and success, the contrast between different social classes, family dynamics, and, most importantly, love.
I can’t wait to learn more about the surrounding characters. A special nod to the mysterious Jeeves, who completely captured my curiosity. I only hope there’s much more to come from this wonderful found family, because I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet.
I instantly connected with Riley. Her chaotic nature and internal struggles felt genuine, heartfelt, and incredibly relatable. It was impossible not to root for her, and even harder not to fall a little bit in love with her along the way.
Then there’s Elton—an MMC readers are guaranteed to swoon over. His unwavering loyalty to his family and the way he falls in love so completely and wholeheartedly is beautifully written. Watching his journey unfold was one of my favourite parts of the story.
This book is uplifting, emotional, and at times wonderfully frustrating in all the right ways. There truly is something for everyone: a mother’s love, the bonds of girlhood, ambition and success, the contrast between different social classes, family dynamics, and, most importantly, love.
I can’t wait to learn more about the surrounding characters. A special nod to the mysterious Jeeves, who completely captured my curiosity. I only hope there’s much more to come from this wonderful found family, because I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet.
June 24, 2026
**ARC Reviewed I received from the author**
Tropes: Small town/beach town romance, Single Dad (Uncle), He falls first, found family.
We first meet Elton after he saves Reilly from a drunk guy who doesn’t understand the word no. They spend the night together and in the morning there is a bit of a misunderstanding and Reilly leaves the hotel mad and never wants to see him again. Fate has other plans though.
Reilly is a baker who is trying to save her money to open up her own bake shop. She ends up giving baking lessons to Elton’s niece after he ends up getting cupcakes from Reilly at the bake shop she works at for her birthday. Elton and Reilly have great chemistry. They are hot from the get go.
I love the struggles that Reilly and Elton go through. They both have misunderstandings and have issues they need to work through. I enjoyed the character growth for both of them. The spice was amazing too. This was a great small town rich guy romance.
Tropes: Small town/beach town romance, Single Dad (Uncle), He falls first, found family.
We first meet Elton after he saves Reilly from a drunk guy who doesn’t understand the word no. They spend the night together and in the morning there is a bit of a misunderstanding and Reilly leaves the hotel mad and never wants to see him again. Fate has other plans though.
Reilly is a baker who is trying to save her money to open up her own bake shop. She ends up giving baking lessons to Elton’s niece after he ends up getting cupcakes from Reilly at the bake shop she works at for her birthday. Elton and Reilly have great chemistry. They are hot from the get go.
I love the struggles that Reilly and Elton go through. They both have misunderstandings and have issues they need to work through. I enjoyed the character growth for both of them. The spice was amazing too. This was a great small town rich guy romance.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Where do I even start! Leanne Buxton hits the ground running with a 🌶 🌶 🌶 spice rating in chapter one. The spice continues throughout the book too.
The story follows Reilly, a wonderful sweet character who you will want to be best friends with. Her dream is to open her own bakery on her own terms. She is backed by her best friends Thea & Sarah who bring love, support and hilarity. Not to mention her mum, neighbour (come aunt) and dog Chip.
The MMC Elton is a very sexy, very wealthy man with a troubled past that creates issues within the relationship. He is dealing with being a surrogate father for his niece and support for his sister. Thank goodness for Jeeves!
Special mention for "twatface Timothy" who is the cause of Reilly's mistrust along with her absent father. I did say her friends were hilarious!
The story is non stop, excellent pace, great spice and tension. You will kick your legs in excitement and want to have words with the characters. Fighting through the whole book for Reilly & Elton.
Leanne Buxton chapters 29 & 36!!
Now back to Jeeves! His very hot friend (not his real name) with special abilities and an interesting past. He keeps Elton safe and is his confidant. He and Thea grow a very interesting relationship that I hope with be a book of its own. Sharp dressed man, brooding with tats! You know you want his story too!
Favourite quotes (too many but):
"Do not buy her a bakery! ... He either has a direct line into my brain or he is psychic. "
"He smiles down at Thea ... His voice drops a few octaves becoming sinfully sexy."
"F#ck, Reilly. You look so good on your knees."
The story follows Reilly, a wonderful sweet character who you will want to be best friends with. Her dream is to open her own bakery on her own terms. She is backed by her best friends Thea & Sarah who bring love, support and hilarity. Not to mention her mum, neighbour (come aunt) and dog Chip.
The MMC Elton is a very sexy, very wealthy man with a troubled past that creates issues within the relationship. He is dealing with being a surrogate father for his niece and support for his sister. Thank goodness for Jeeves!
Special mention for "twatface Timothy" who is the cause of Reilly's mistrust along with her absent father. I did say her friends were hilarious!
The story is non stop, excellent pace, great spice and tension. You will kick your legs in excitement and want to have words with the characters. Fighting through the whole book for Reilly & Elton.
Leanne Buxton chapters 29 & 36!!
Now back to Jeeves! His very hot friend (not his real name) with special abilities and an interesting past. He keeps Elton safe and is his confidant. He and Thea grow a very interesting relationship that I hope with be a book of its own. Sharp dressed man, brooding with tats! You know you want his story too!
Favourite quotes (too many but):
"Do not buy her a bakery! ... He either has a direct line into my brain or he is psychic. "
"He smiles down at Thea ... His voice drops a few octaves becoming sinfully sexy."
"F#ck, Reilly. You look so good on your knees."
Review of advance copy received from Author
Cupcakes and Mistakes was such an easy, feel-good read with a cast of genuinely likeable characters. My standout favourite was Reilly. She is exactly the kind of woman I'd want as a best friend.
Reilly is working tirelessly to save enough money to finally open the bakery she's always dreamed of owning.
During a night out with her best friends, she's cornered by a creep who clearly doesn't understand the meaning of the word no. Enter Elton: a gorgeous billionaire who swoops in to rescue her before whisking her away to his hotel suite for a very memorable night.
The next morning, however, everything comes crashing down. Reilly overhears Elton on the phone showering someone with endearments while lying about where he'd been—and who he'd been with—the night before. Believing she's just been the other woman, she storms out, leaving him with a colourful insult and a not-so-polite hand gesture.
The biggest stumbling block for me was the miscommunication trope, which plays a major role throughout the story. It's a trope I generally try to avoid.
That said, I still found myself enjoying the cosy, comforting atmosphere of the book. Leanne has a talent for creating characters who feel authentic while giving them just the right amount of quirky charm. I even found myself wishing the side characters had more page time.
And then there's Chip... Reilly's dog completely stole the show. Every scene he appeared in was a delight, and he was easily one of my favourite characters in the entire book.
Reilly is working tirelessly to save enough money to finally open the bakery she's always dreamed of owning.
During a night out with her best friends, she's cornered by a creep who clearly doesn't understand the meaning of the word no. Enter Elton: a gorgeous billionaire who swoops in to rescue her before whisking her away to his hotel suite for a very memorable night.
The next morning, however, everything comes crashing down. Reilly overhears Elton on the phone showering someone with endearments while lying about where he'd been—and who he'd been with—the night before. Believing she's just been the other woman, she storms out, leaving him with a colourful insult and a not-so-polite hand gesture.
The biggest stumbling block for me was the miscommunication trope, which plays a major role throughout the story. It's a trope I generally try to avoid.
That said, I still found myself enjoying the cosy, comforting atmosphere of the book. Leanne has a talent for creating characters who feel authentic while giving them just the right amount of quirky charm. I even found myself wishing the side characters had more page time.
And then there's Chip... Reilly's dog completely stole the show. Every scene he appeared in was a delight, and he was easily one of my favourite characters in the entire book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
**⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️**
Started this in a reading slump and somehow emerged cured.
*Cupcakes and Mistakes* is the perfect feel-good palate cleanser. The chemistry between Reilly and Elton was off the charts, the spice was *spicing*, and I spent an embarrassing amount of time kicking my feet while reading.
I was slightly concerned Elton was about to go full Christian Grey with the gifts and grand gestures, but thankfully he stayed firmly in the "obsessed but still a walking green flag" category.
The character development was so well done, with the backstory woven naturally throughout the romance, and I already need more of the side characters.
Also, I did message the author saying, "damn you, mother..." after a certain scene. You'll know exactly why when you get there.
If you need a cosy, sexy, heartwarming romance to pull you out of a slump, this is it.
Started this in a reading slump and somehow emerged cured.
*Cupcakes and Mistakes* is the perfect feel-good palate cleanser. The chemistry between Reilly and Elton was off the charts, the spice was *spicing*, and I spent an embarrassing amount of time kicking my feet while reading.
I was slightly concerned Elton was about to go full Christian Grey with the gifts and grand gestures, but thankfully he stayed firmly in the "obsessed but still a walking green flag" category.
The character development was so well done, with the backstory woven naturally throughout the romance, and I already need more of the side characters.
Also, I did message the author saying, "damn you, mother..." after a certain scene. You'll know exactly why when you get there.
If you need a cosy, sexy, heartwarming romance to pull you out of a slump, this is it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4⭐️
🌶️🌶️
Thank you Leanne Buxton for sending me an e-arc copy of Cupcakes and Mistakes.
Cupcakes and Mistakes is such a lovely, cosy romance book. I really enjoyed the story. I was hooked from the first chapter.
I really like Leanne’s writing style. It is an easy read, with funny and heartfelt moments between Reilly and Elton.
Both characters are great together despite their miscommunication issues they had throughout the story.
I also really liked the side characters in the story especially Dorothy. Reilly’s next door neighbour she is hilarious! And Reilly’s dog chip 🥹 who is so adorable!
I can’t wait to read Thea and Jeeves’ story next!
🌶️🌶️
Thank you Leanne Buxton for sending me an e-arc copy of Cupcakes and Mistakes.
Cupcakes and Mistakes is such a lovely, cosy romance book. I really enjoyed the story. I was hooked from the first chapter.
I really like Leanne’s writing style. It is an easy read, with funny and heartfelt moments between Reilly and Elton.
Both characters are great together despite their miscommunication issues they had throughout the story.
I also really liked the side characters in the story especially Dorothy. Reilly’s next door neighbour she is hilarious! And Reilly’s dog chip 🥹 who is so adorable!
I can’t wait to read Thea and Jeeves’ story next!
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars
I just finished this spicy contemporary romance, and it had me completely hooked from Chapter 1 all the way to the very end. I loved everything about it, the storyline, the characters, the chemistry, and the emotional journey. The pacing was perfect, keeping me invested throughout, and the ending left me completely satisfied.
If you're looking for a romance that's steamy, engaging, and packed with characters you'll fall in love with, this is definitely one to add to your TBR.
An easy 5-star read for me! ❤️📚✨
I just finished this spicy contemporary romance, and it had me completely hooked from Chapter 1 all the way to the very end. I loved everything about it, the storyline, the characters, the chemistry, and the emotional journey. The pacing was perfect, keeping me invested throughout, and the ending left me completely satisfied.
If you're looking for a romance that's steamy, engaging, and packed with characters you'll fall in love with, this is definitely one to add to your TBR.
An easy 5-star read for me! ❤️📚✨
Review of advance copy received from Indie Reviewers
✨ This book had me hooked from the very first line! I flew through it because I just had to know what was going to happen next. The storyline kept me invested the whole time, and I absolutely loved Reilly and Elton—they were so easy to root for. The supporting characters made the story even better, and now I’m already ready to pick up another book by Leanne. If this is your sign to read it, consider it delivered! 📚🤍
Review of advance copy received from Author
Absolutely adorable sweet and spicy romance book I adored Reilly's feisty attitude and her fierce loyalty to her friends and family and Elton was super hot but a bit clueless but I loved their interactions and the story had such a feeling of sweetness and joy that it's a really easy read absolutely perfect for enjoying in the sun
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews