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Bakery Sisters #3
Sweet Trouble
Jesse Keyes has done some serious growing up. With a steady job and a vibrant four-year-old son, Gabe, she's in a far better place than when she left Seattle five years ago... pregnant and misunderstood by almost everyone in her life.
Now it's time to go home and face her demons. But her sisters, Claire and Nicole, aren't exactly impressed with the new and improved Jesse. And then there's Matt, Gabe's father, who makes it clear that he never wants to see her again despite the lust that still smolders between them.
Jesse doesn't know if she can make up for all the mistakes of her past. But the promise of sweet nights with Matt might just give her the extra incentive she needs to make it worth the trouble....
Now it's time to go home and face her demons. But her sisters, Claire and Nicole, aren't exactly impressed with the new and improved Jesse. And then there's Matt, Gabe's father, who makes it clear that he never wants to see her again despite the lust that still smolders between them.
Jesse doesn't know if she can make up for all the mistakes of her past. But the promise of sweet nights with Matt might just give her the extra incentive she needs to make it worth the trouble....
379 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2008
1001 people are currently reading
2413 people want to read
About the author
Susan Mallery
862 books15.5k followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.
Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.
Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.
Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.
Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.
Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.
Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
July 20, 2020
This made me sick. Writing was good, major angst, but such an ugly slant on the betrayed characters. Not Susan Mallery’s usual fare.
Girl with a sexual past is rejected by her sister and her lover because they think she had sex or propositioned the sister’s husband. No one believes her innocence. She’s also pregnant.
Five years later she’s back to introduce her son to the H and make amends to her sister despite not being guilty of anything. No welcome home party for this girl.
Nope, no secret baby scenario as the so-called hero refused to believe her when she told him. Now that she’s back it is now all her fault he doesn’t know his son because she didn’t make him believe her. It never gets better.
The heroine is too much the sacrificial lamb, but she does have grace, strength and growth that the other two vipers do not have. Easier for the sister to blame her younger sister for her husband’s wish for infidelity, and far too easy for the hero to kick her to the curb with a healthy does of slut, and I mean SLUT, shaming. His revenge is to lure the heroine in, make her fall for him again, and then kick her to the curb again and get custody of his son.
Her wanting to be the bigger person and make bridges while these two wallow in their delusional pity parties was hard to read. They were the traitors.
Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.
The ugliness from the H and the sister goes on far too long especially as from the beginning they were the ones that should have been begging for her forgiveness. Truly despicable character. I wish the heroine had escaped with her awesome brownie recipe and never looked back.
Lesson in the hero’s words, Once a slut, always a slut.
Girl with a sexual past is rejected by her sister and her lover because they think she had sex or propositioned the sister’s husband. No one believes her innocence. She’s also pregnant.
Five years later she’s back to introduce her son to the H and make amends to her sister despite not being guilty of anything. No welcome home party for this girl.
Nope, no secret baby scenario as the so-called hero refused to believe her when she told him. Now that she’s back it is now all her fault he doesn’t know his son because she didn’t make him believe her. It never gets better.
The heroine is too much the sacrificial lamb, but she does have grace, strength and growth that the other two vipers do not have. Easier for the sister to blame her younger sister for her husband’s wish for infidelity, and far too easy for the hero to kick her to the curb with a healthy does of slut, and I mean SLUT, shaming. His revenge is to lure the heroine in, make her fall for him again, and then kick her to the curb again and get custody of his son.
Her wanting to be the bigger person and make bridges while these two wallow in their delusional pity parties was hard to read. They were the traitors.
Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.
The ugliness from the H and the sister goes on far too long especially as from the beginning they were the ones that should have been begging for her forgiveness. Truly despicable character. I wish the heroine had escaped with her awesome brownie recipe and never looked back.
Lesson in the hero’s words, Once a slut, always a slut.
October 21, 2017
This is third in the Bakery Sisters series and the details from the other books play an important role here. Yes, you get the pertinent highlights on repeat, but I think the added context is important enough not to skip. Although why you'd want to move on to this story, I'll never know.
I could see in the other books how Jesse has been setup in preparation for this one. We see her screw up enough, and dodge blame enough, that when she is falsely accused of something really horrible we can both understand her frustration in not being believed and see that she still has a ways to go in maturing and taking responsibility. And I worried that Mallery might botch that arc and we'd get a still-immature Jesse having to grow up in this one. Oh how I wish that had been the problem!
Because it turns out that I really liked the person Jesse had become. This book picks up five years after the last one and Mallery stuffed a lot of growth into those years and still made them believable. So I liked Jesse immensely and seeing her weather the prejudices and hurt left over from her departure and stick it out with grace and determination was outstanding.
Only, it really is too bad about Matt. While he isn't quite Satan, he's certainly familiar with hell's playbook and unusually expert in its application. I'll spoiler tag this because details are important but seriously? Read the spoilers and skip the book. Not-a-spoiler is that Matt hatches the diabolical plan to get revenge on Jesse by suing for full custody of their son Gabe. Only he plans on holding off until the maximum pain so that she is emotionally destroyed by that coup de grâce. That's his plan. Now for the good stuff.
And the thing is, the fact there was any story left after the spoiler above relied more than anything else on authorial manipulation. I mean,
I spent this entire book hoping Mallery would pull Matt out of his evil plots before it was too late. It got worse, instead.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes in this book. So the middle of my steam tolerance. Since , I found them mildly horrifying.
I could see in the other books how Jesse has been setup in preparation for this one. We see her screw up enough, and dodge blame enough, that when she is falsely accused of something really horrible we can both understand her frustration in not being believed and see that she still has a ways to go in maturing and taking responsibility. And I worried that Mallery might botch that arc and we'd get a still-immature Jesse having to grow up in this one. Oh how I wish that had been the problem!
Because it turns out that I really liked the person Jesse had become. This book picks up five years after the last one and Mallery stuffed a lot of growth into those years and still made them believable. So I liked Jesse immensely and seeing her weather the prejudices and hurt left over from her departure and stick it out with grace and determination was outstanding.
Only, it really is too bad about Matt. While he isn't quite Satan, he's certainly familiar with hell's playbook and unusually expert in its application. I'll spoiler tag this because details are important but seriously? Read the spoilers and skip the book. Not-a-spoiler is that Matt hatches the diabolical plan to get revenge on Jesse by suing for full custody of their son Gabe. Only he plans on holding off until the maximum pain so that she is emotionally destroyed by that coup de grâce. That's his plan. Now for the good stuff.
And the thing is, the fact there was any story left after the spoiler above relied more than anything else on authorial manipulation. I mean,
I spent this entire book hoping Mallery would pull Matt out of his evil plots before it was too late. It got worse, instead.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes in this book. So the middle of my steam tolerance. Since , I found them mildly horrifying.
February 23, 2019
This is the last in the series and ends with a resolution to the first pregnancy. There are a lot in this series.
Our heroine was extremely immature when she ran away from home. Luckily for her she landed in a place to find help.
Years later she returns with hopes of mending all the bridges she torched. With some work the sister who she betrayed forgives her. Then she plans to make peace with her son’s father so they can get to know each other. Except the sweet nerd she left bears no resemblance to the cut throat business man of today. His revenge is really harsh. I don’t know that I would have forgiven him, or at least what was left of him after I ran him over with my car a few times. Oops! 🚘🤷🏼♀️
Our heroine was extremely immature when she ran away from home. Luckily for her she landed in a place to find help.
Years later she returns with hopes of mending all the bridges she torched. With some work the sister who she betrayed forgives her. Then she plans to make peace with her son’s father so they can get to know each other. Except the sweet nerd she left bears no resemblance to the cut throat business man of today. His revenge is really harsh. I don’t know that I would have forgiven him, or at least what was left of him after I ran him over with my car a few times. Oops! 🚘🤷🏼♀️
May 19, 2016
I've never read Susan Mallery before, but our library had a whole bunch of them and I thought I'd give the one with the most HP kind of plot a chance.
So the plot:
This fairly standard fare - a revengeful hero, everyone hating on the heroine, a plot moppet - but it didn't quite gel for me. I have lots of little quibbles, but the biggest one is the author's habit of putting psycho babble in *every* character's mouth. For instance (and this is a paraphrase) "You can't forgive your sister because if you did then you would have to face the responsibility of your part in the marriage breaking up." Or "You loved playing the victim, which is why you stayed away for five years", etc . . . Every action is analyzed with that kind of phrasing. It's like Oprah wrote a romance novel.
It's not a terrible story or anything. I guess I would compare this to a Susan Elizabeth Philips without the humor, the charming heroes and heroines, and with a lot more brand name dropping. I love SEP, but I didn't love this.
So the plot:
This fairly standard fare - a revengeful hero, everyone hating on the heroine, a plot moppet - but it didn't quite gel for me. I have lots of little quibbles, but the biggest one is the author's habit of putting psycho babble in *every* character's mouth. For instance (and this is a paraphrase) "You can't forgive your sister because if you did then you would have to face the responsibility of your part in the marriage breaking up." Or "You loved playing the victim, which is why you stayed away for five years", etc . . . Every action is analyzed with that kind of phrasing. It's like Oprah wrote a romance novel.
It's not a terrible story or anything. I guess I would compare this to a Susan Elizabeth Philips without the humor, the charming heroes and heroines, and with a lot more brand name dropping. I love SEP, but I didn't love this.
November 26, 2010
I'll admit that I haven't read the other books in the series, so I might have been missing out on some of this story. But maybe not, because the reason I didn't like this story is that I found the characters so unlikeable.
The heroine wasn't too bad, but really, who ends up in bed with their sister's man? Even if, like she claims, "nothing happened", why would you be in that situation if things are totally innocent? And yes, kissing is cheating--you don't have to actually have sex with someone for it to "count".
And the hero! I hardly know where to start with him. He is unjustifiably angry at the heroine, and his reasons didn't hold water. He claimed that she should have let him know she was having his kid. Umm...hello? She did! She told him she was pregnant, she told him it was his, she even offered to submit to a DNA test to prove it, but he would have none of it. He refused to even consider the posibility that it was his child. What was she supposed to do, hold a gun to his head and force him to be a part of his son's life?
The hero decides he's been done wrong (although how he gets there I'll never understand), and decides to get revenge on the hero by destroying her life and suing for custody. When his lawyer tells him that such action means he might end up having to take care of the kid, he replies that "that's what nannies and boarding schools are for." What a heartless pig! Children are not meant to be used as pawns in adult power struggles. Ripping an innocent child away from a loving mother (and the only parent he's ever known) and them abandoning him to be raised by strangers just to satisfy a petty need for revenge is just plain wrong!
I couldn't stand the hero's "poor pity me" attitude. He's the one who refused to take responsibility for his child. He made his own mess. This is not the way a hero is supposed to act. I spent the whole book wanting to punch him in the nose.
I've enjoyed books by Susan Mallery before, but I recommend skipping this one.
The heroine wasn't too bad, but really, who ends up in bed with their sister's man? Even if, like she claims, "nothing happened", why would you be in that situation if things are totally innocent? And yes, kissing is cheating--you don't have to actually have sex with someone for it to "count".
And the hero! I hardly know where to start with him. He is unjustifiably angry at the heroine, and his reasons didn't hold water. He claimed that she should have let him know she was having his kid. Umm...hello? She did! She told him she was pregnant, she told him it was his, she even offered to submit to a DNA test to prove it, but he would have none of it. He refused to even consider the posibility that it was his child. What was she supposed to do, hold a gun to his head and force him to be a part of his son's life?
The hero decides he's been done wrong (although how he gets there I'll never understand), and decides to get revenge on the hero by destroying her life and suing for custody. When his lawyer tells him that such action means he might end up having to take care of the kid, he replies that "that's what nannies and boarding schools are for." What a heartless pig! Children are not meant to be used as pawns in adult power struggles. Ripping an innocent child away from a loving mother (and the only parent he's ever known) and them abandoning him to be raised by strangers just to satisfy a petty need for revenge is just plain wrong!
I couldn't stand the hero's "poor pity me" attitude. He's the one who refused to take responsibility for his child. He made his own mess. This is not the way a hero is supposed to act. I spent the whole book wanting to punch him in the nose.
I've enjoyed books by Susan Mallery before, but I recommend skipping this one.
May 5, 2017
Five years ago, Jesse Keyes met Matt Fenner and helped change him from nerdy computer geek to sexy computer geek. They became friends, and in no time fell in love. Jesse had a promiscuous past, which ended when she met Matt. One night when her sister's husband came onto her, Jesse was suddenly an outcast amongst those she loves. Her sister did not believe Jesse hadn't done anything. Neither did Matt. As a result, when Jesse went to Matt, telling him she was pregnant with his baby, he refused to believe it was his and told her he never wanted to see her again.
In the present day, Jesse has returned to Seattle because her son, Gabe, wants to know his dad. Jesse wants that, too, and she wants to see if there is anything still between her and the only man she ever loved. Plus, she'd really like to prove herself to the sister who never forgave her, to prove that she really has changed. Rejected by Matt and Nicole, Jesse brings Gabe to see the one other relative he has left: Matt's mother, Paula. Despite everything in their past, Paula invites Jesse and Gabe to move in with her. Meanwhile, Matt develops a plan with his lawyer to destroy Jesse.
While she continues to have difficulties with her sister, Jesse keeps pushing Gabe and Matt to spend time together and get to know each other. As Matt spends more time with his son, he starts to love the boy and realize what he's missed, deepening his anger towards Jesse. When Bill, Jesse's friend and the man who helped her raise Gabe, comes for a visit, that anger just gets worse.
When the sisters' bakery burns down, Nicole is forced to realize that Jesse might actually have some good ideas and she is confronted with the fact that she has to let go of the past, bringing the sisters somewhat closer.
Meanwhile, Jesse and Matt have been spending more time together, and she realizes she still loves Matt and has never stopped. Upon expressing these feelings, Matt puts his plan in motion: he has papers served to Jesse, suing for sole custody of Gabe. With the help of his assistant, he realizes what a mistake he made and tries to fix it. But it's too late; Jesse already got the papers. Her family and friends surround her and offer her any help she may need while Matt realizes and full extent of his mistake and that he's loved Jesse all along.
For months he does his best to try to prove to Jesse that she can trust him and love him again. It takes the realization that he has been putting her and their son first, and a stern talking-to from her sisters, to realize that she needed to take a risk and trust Matt with her heart again. Finally, Jesse and Matt get married and vow to love each other forever
This book was fantastic, like I knew it was going to be. Although, I am going to be honest and say that I was completely and utterly frustrated with Matt until he tried to stop the papers from being sent to Jesse. The ironic thing is, I knew that this book was going to drive me deeper into insanity because Sweet Talk did the same thing to me when I read that one. However, I believe that it is the sign of good writing and a great author when I can be taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the novel and feel such intense emotions for the characters. So, thank you, Susan Mallery, for another great novel.
When I read Sweet Talk, I did not like Jesse at all. I now realize that that's because I didn't understand all the circumstances around the situations with Drew. I did the same thing Matt, Nicole, and Paula did: I judged her based on what I believed and what I wanted to see. I have since come to the conclusion that she is a highly incredible character. She has a strength of character that not many people would be able to have in the face of the adversity she had to deal with. She turned into a great person and great mother, someone intelligent with accessible dreams. I now believe that she is the best of the Keyes sisters and she's definitely my favorite.
Matt, oh, Matt...I'm not even sure where to go with himbig little bastard. On one hand, I love him. I thought he was sexy, adorable, and incredibly intelligent. On the other hand, he drives me absolutely insane. He was judgmental, blinded by his anger, and didn't think certain things through. There was many, many times when I wanted to reach through the pages and strangle him. However, in the end, I believe my love for him wins out. I appreciate his efforts to win Jesse over in the end, to make her trust and love him again. He was an aggravating, adorable man who I wanted to kiss and slap at the same time.
Once again, Nicole drove me crazy, but I could appreciate where she was coming from at times, especially her fears of being left by Jesse again. No one wants to go through that. But, I am very glad that she and Jesse finally worked out their issues and are a family again. And Hawk was a sexy beast. I definitely need to read their book.
Gabe was the most adorable little kid ever! I hope I have a kid just like him when I'm older.
I really enjoyed the "cameos" of characters from other Susan Mallery series. Raoul from Fool's Gold: When I realized that it was the same guy, I squealed like a little girl in the excitement. But, I particularly enjoyed the fact that Walker Buchanan called Nicole and Jesse about selling their cakes in his restaurant. When I read his name, I screamed "Walker!" and received weird looks from my sister. Needless to say, I was very excited.
Once again, I have found a great novel from Susan Mallery and I look forward to continuing my quest to read all of her novels.
In the present day, Jesse has returned to Seattle because her son, Gabe, wants to know his dad. Jesse wants that, too, and she wants to see if there is anything still between her and the only man she ever loved. Plus, she'd really like to prove herself to the sister who never forgave her, to prove that she really has changed. Rejected by Matt and Nicole, Jesse brings Gabe to see the one other relative he has left: Matt's mother, Paula. Despite everything in their past, Paula invites Jesse and Gabe to move in with her. Meanwhile, Matt develops a plan with his lawyer to destroy Jesse.
While she continues to have difficulties with her sister, Jesse keeps pushing Gabe and Matt to spend time together and get to know each other. As Matt spends more time with his son, he starts to love the boy and realize what he's missed, deepening his anger towards Jesse. When Bill, Jesse's friend and the man who helped her raise Gabe, comes for a visit, that anger just gets worse.
When the sisters' bakery burns down, Nicole is forced to realize that Jesse might actually have some good ideas and she is confronted with the fact that she has to let go of the past, bringing the sisters somewhat closer.
Meanwhile, Jesse and Matt have been spending more time together, and she realizes she still loves Matt and has never stopped. Upon expressing these feelings, Matt puts his plan in motion: he has papers served to Jesse, suing for sole custody of Gabe. With the help of his assistant, he realizes what a mistake he made and tries to fix it. But it's too late; Jesse already got the papers. Her family and friends surround her and offer her any help she may need while Matt realizes and full extent of his mistake and that he's loved Jesse all along.
For months he does his best to try to prove to Jesse that she can trust him and love him again. It takes the realization that he has been putting her and their son first, and a stern talking-to from her sisters, to realize that she needed to take a risk and trust Matt with her heart again. Finally, Jesse and Matt get married and vow to love each other forever
This book was fantastic, like I knew it was going to be. Although, I am going to be honest and say that I was completely and utterly frustrated with Matt until he tried to stop the papers from being sent to Jesse. The ironic thing is, I knew that this book was going to drive me deeper into insanity because Sweet Talk did the same thing to me when I read that one. However, I believe that it is the sign of good writing and a great author when I can be taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the novel and feel such intense emotions for the characters. So, thank you, Susan Mallery, for another great novel.
When I read Sweet Talk, I did not like Jesse at all. I now realize that that's because I didn't understand all the circumstances around the situations with Drew. I did the same thing Matt, Nicole, and Paula did: I judged her based on what I believed and what I wanted to see. I have since come to the conclusion that she is a highly incredible character. She has a strength of character that not many people would be able to have in the face of the adversity she had to deal with. She turned into a great person and great mother, someone intelligent with accessible dreams. I now believe that she is the best of the Keyes sisters and she's definitely my favorite.
Matt, oh, Matt...I'm not even sure where to go with him
Once again, Nicole drove me crazy, but I could appreciate where she was coming from at times, especially her fears of being left by Jesse again. No one wants to go through that. But, I am very glad that she and Jesse finally worked out their issues and are a family again. And Hawk was a sexy beast. I definitely need to read their book.
Gabe was the most adorable little kid ever! I hope I have a kid just like him when I'm older.
I really enjoyed the "cameos" of characters from other Susan Mallery series. Raoul from Fool's Gold: When I realized that it was the same guy, I squealed like a little girl in the excitement. But, I particularly enjoyed the fact that Walker Buchanan called Nicole and Jesse about selling their cakes in his restaurant. When I read his name, I screamed "Walker!" and received weird looks from my sister. Needless to say, I was very excited.
Once again, I have found a great novel from Susan Mallery and I look forward to continuing my quest to read all of her novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2021
This book broke my brain and NOT in a good way.
Sweet Trouble is a not!secret baby story that begins with the heroine returning to town 5 years after having been rejected -- and her pregnancy renounced -- by the baby's father. She has returned to instigate a relationship between her son and his father as well as to repair the estrangement between herself and her older sisters. No one is welcoming, but the heroine carries on with grace and fortitude in the face of a lot of scorn.
The hero -- do I have to call him that? -- is a rampaging douchebag and hypocrite. The moment he realizes that the heroine's child is his, he sets plans in motion to claim full custody while amping up the revenge element by leading the heroine on romantically while simultaneously excoriating her for keeping his child from him.
She told him about the pregnancy 5 years earlier.
To give some context to their relationship: the heroine slept around a lot as a teen and young adult, right up to the point where she met the hero. She was ashamed of that behavior (she slut-shames herself) and felt it made her unworthy of the hero, but the hero simply asked if the other men were now in the past and gave her his benediction when she said yes. If that had been the end of a romance novel, he would have been the best hero ever for not judging the heroine for her past. But it also would have been a lie because the first time someone (his mother) claims the heroine has been cheating on him with another man (her sister's husband), the hero believes it without question. He calls her a slut and then -- completely unironically -- spends the next five years sleeping around in non-exclusive relationships with other women without ever self-identifying as a slut.
But this hero seems to have a very loose relationship with facts in general. He spends the entire book blaming the heroine for not informing him about his child. He uses that anger as an excuse to justify his revenge. I may have mentioned this above: SHE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE PREGNANCY.
Here's the scene from five years earlier, when the not!secret baby was still a bun in the oven:
But the hero is now filled with righteous anger because she didn't try hard enough to make him believe? Because she didn't contact him when the baby was born? His anger in the present never stops. His sense of having been injured by her never recedes. I expected it to be gradually transformed by a realization that he wasn't mad about the baby (because he had no ground to stand on there) but that he was reliving the sense of betrayal he felt and lashing out from his own guilt.
Nope. He's mad that the heroine he told to go away and never see him again...went.
I loathe this hero. But I have issues with the book beyond that. When he finally pulls his revenge trigger, the heroine sees him for what he is and denounces him in a trenchant speech. Is this where the extended groveling kicks in? No. While still clinging to his righteous indignation over having been denied the first four years of his son's life (gah!), the megarich hero proceeds to demonstrate his devotion by spending a lot of money on the heroine while her horrible family lectures her on the importance of taking risks for love.
She really deserved to walk away from them all with her child and a clear conscience.
This is a one-star book that gets an unearned second star because I haven't read the preceding books in the series. In context, maybe this outlandish hypocrisy makes more sense.
I don't recommend Sweet Trouble, but if you're going to read it, I suggest pairing it with Mallery's equally awful quasi-secret baby story Almost Perfect, published two years later. It's like Mallery has one story to tell about secret babies, and it centers on slut-shaming and blaming the heroine.
Sweet Trouble is a not!secret baby story that begins with the heroine returning to town 5 years after having been rejected -- and her pregnancy renounced -- by the baby's father. She has returned to instigate a relationship between her son and his father as well as to repair the estrangement between herself and her older sisters. No one is welcoming, but the heroine carries on with grace and fortitude in the face of a lot of scorn.
The hero -- do I have to call him that? -- is a rampaging douchebag and hypocrite. The moment he realizes that the heroine's child is his, he sets plans in motion to claim full custody while amping up the revenge element by leading the heroine on romantically while simultaneously excoriating her for keeping his child from him.
She told him about the pregnancy 5 years earlier.
To give some context to their relationship: the heroine slept around a lot as a teen and young adult, right up to the point where she met the hero. She was ashamed of that behavior (she slut-shames herself) and felt it made her unworthy of the hero, but the hero simply asked if the other men were now in the past and gave her his benediction when she said yes. If that had been the end of a romance novel, he would have been the best hero ever for not judging the heroine for her past. But it also would have been a lie because the first time someone (his mother) claims the heroine has been cheating on him with another man (her sister's husband), the hero believes it without question. He calls her a slut and then -- completely unironically -- spends the next five years sleeping around in non-exclusive relationships with other women without ever self-identifying as a slut.
But this hero seems to have a very loose relationship with facts in general. He spends the entire book blaming the heroine for not informing him about his child. He uses that anger as an excuse to justify his revenge. I may have mentioned this above: SHE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE PREGNANCY.
Here's the scene from five years earlier, when the not!secret baby was still a bun in the oven:
"I'm pregnant," she whispered.
"So what?"
She stared at him. What? He couldn't have understood her. "I told you. I didn't sleep with Drew. I'm having your baby."
"No, you're not." He spoke casually, as if he would never consider the possibility that the child might be his.
She grabbed his arm. "Matt, listen to me. This is your baby. Even if you hate me, you have to care about your child. I'm not lying. I can prove it. As soon as the baby's born, we'll take a DNA test."
He looked at her for a long time, then pulled free of her grip and walked to the door. "You don't get it, do you? I don't care, Jess. You're nothing to me but a regret. I don't believe that baby is mine, and even if it is, I don't want a child with you. I don't want anything with you. Ever. I want you to go away. I never want to see you again. No matter what."
But the hero is now filled with righteous anger because she didn't try hard enough to make him believe? Because she didn't contact him when the baby was born? His anger in the present never stops. His sense of having been injured by her never recedes. I expected it to be gradually transformed by a realization that he wasn't mad about the baby (because he had no ground to stand on there) but that he was reliving the sense of betrayal he felt and lashing out from his own guilt.
Nope. He's mad that the heroine he told to go away and never see him again...went.
I loathe this hero. But I have issues with the book beyond that. When he finally pulls his revenge trigger, the heroine sees him for what he is and denounces him in a trenchant speech. Is this where the extended groveling kicks in? No. While still clinging to his righteous indignation over having been denied the first four years of his son's life (gah!), the megarich hero proceeds to demonstrate his devotion by spending a lot of money on the heroine while her horrible family lectures her on the importance of taking risks for love.
She really deserved to walk away from them all with her child and a clear conscience.
This is a one-star book that gets an unearned second star because I haven't read the preceding books in the series. In context, maybe this outlandish hypocrisy makes more sense.
I don't recommend Sweet Trouble, but if you're going to read it, I suggest pairing it with Mallery's equally awful quasi-secret baby story Almost Perfect, published two years later. It's like Mallery has one story to tell about secret babies, and it centers on slut-shaming and blaming the heroine.
July 20, 2020
Let this teach me a lesson that if someone I respect posts a review talking about how horrible a hero is, I should believe them. o_O
This book is so awful in the amount of horrible actions from the heroine's sister and the so-called "hero." These two never take responsibility for their actions in pushing the heroine right out of town. The heroine is amazing, and is the only grown-up in the story, taking things with a grace and a maturity that are admirable to see.
The "hero" never deserves her, never shows me that he ever actually loved her or ever will, and gets a happily-ever-after handed to him just because it's a romance and Mallery was running out of pages. If his revenge plot had happened earlier in the novel, it might have saved the book. Because then more of the book would have been about him groveling and earning the heroine's forgiveness and love. And if he had ever once taken responsibility for his part in the whole debacle, I might have been willing to forgive him. But nope. The entire situation was all the heroine's fault, because...reasons?
In my opinion, the heroine should have never returned home. Maybe she would have found a guy worth having instead of the awful POS "hero" she got stuck with.
This book is so awful in the amount of horrible actions from the heroine's sister and the so-called "hero." These two never take responsibility for their actions in pushing the heroine right out of town. The heroine is amazing, and is the only grown-up in the story, taking things with a grace and a maturity that are admirable to see.
The "hero" never deserves her, never shows me that he ever actually loved her or ever will, and gets a happily-ever-after handed to him just because it's a romance and Mallery was running out of pages. If his revenge plot had happened earlier in the novel, it might have saved the book. Because then more of the book would have been about him groveling and earning the heroine's forgiveness and love. And if he had ever once taken responsibility for his part in the whole debacle, I might have been willing to forgive him. But nope. The entire situation was all the heroine's fault, because...reasons?
In my opinion, the heroine should have never returned home. Maybe she would have found a guy worth having instead of the awful POS "hero" she got stuck with.
April 17, 2010
Mat's a dick. Mat's a dick at the beginning. Mat's a dick in the middle. Mat's still a dick at the end. I like a good flawed character study. But they have to have some redeeming quality. Really.
June 24, 2015
This was a typical predictable romance, not bad I guess but I wouldn't continue the series, I had no clue it was a series but I guess that's how it goes p
November 3, 2008
Jesse has pushed the limits all her life. When she gets kicked out of her house for "sleeping" with her sister's husband, she finds herself pregnant. Her nerdy turned knockout boyfriend wants nothing to do with her nor entertain the idea the baby is his. So Jesse packs up and runs, only stopping when the money and gas run out. Four years goes by when she decides it's time to grow up, go home and face the music. With her son in tow, she's out to right all the wrong.
In the first 2 books you only get glimpses of Jesse. She seems like a screw up who goes out of her way to cause trouble. The truth comes out and you have to feel bad that no one believed her to begin with. She struggles to bond with her sister and show her that she's matured. Nicole doesn't want to hear about any of her ideas and thinks she's only there for her inheritance. Her ex, Matt, is now a success and thinks she's throwing their son into the mix to get his money. All she wants is to be with Matt and have the family she's dreamed of. As much as Matt wants to make her pay for keeping his son from him, he can't ignore the sparks flying everywhere. After the bakery burns down, Jesse takes charge and turns everything around.
Things are looking up until she's accidently served custody papers. Then she realizes it's all been a game. Matt on the other hand is sick about it. In the beginning he wanted her to suffer but after a few nights together he realizes she's not the same person and he wants her in his life forever.
In the first 2 books you only get glimpses of Jesse. She seems like a screw up who goes out of her way to cause trouble. The truth comes out and you have to feel bad that no one believed her to begin with. She struggles to bond with her sister and show her that she's matured. Nicole doesn't want to hear about any of her ideas and thinks she's only there for her inheritance. Her ex, Matt, is now a success and thinks she's throwing their son into the mix to get his money. All she wants is to be with Matt and have the family she's dreamed of. As much as Matt wants to make her pay for keeping his son from him, he can't ignore the sparks flying everywhere. After the bakery burns down, Jesse takes charge and turns everything around.
Things are looking up until she's accidently served custody papers. Then she realizes it's all been a game. Matt on the other hand is sick about it. In the beginning he wanted her to suffer but after a few nights together he realizes she's not the same person and he wants her in his life forever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2012
Such a disappointing end to the series. I liked what Jesse made of herself, I thought she definitely needed the growth, she needed to know she could stand on her own two feet and find other people who could help her. My disappointment comes again at the complete about-face of her sister Nicole and her ex-fiancée Matt. These were the two most important people in her life, and they treat her like crap, and they never really get held accountable for that. At least not to my satisfaction. I felt like the premise for this series had so much potential, but the author made it into a big cliché instead. In every single book there was a variation of the line "if you love someone, you have to take a leap of faith". Well if it means letting someone treat you like crap repeatedly, walk all over you, threaten the things you hold most dear and then one day apologise to make it all better... well I say step away from the edge, luv!
May 14, 2019
Gah! I don't even know where to start...
Instead of going on a long rant, I'll just say that I wanted to do bodily harm to all the characters in the book at one point or another, apart from the four-year-old.
Gah, I tell you! Gah!
Previous book reviews:
✦ Sweet Spot (Bakery Sisters #2)
✦ Sweet Talk (Bakery Sisters #1)
Instead of going on a long rant, I'll just say that I wanted to do bodily harm to all the characters in the book at one point or another, apart from the four-year-old.
Gah, I tell you! Gah!
Previous book reviews:
✦ Sweet Spot (Bakery Sisters #2)
✦ Sweet Talk (Bakery Sisters #1)
June 14, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; book release Sep08
It’s official. Susan Mallery hit a triple for me with “Sweet Trouble”, the final book in her ‘sweet’ trilogy coming out in September 2009. I was lucky enough to read and review “Sweet Talk” and “Sweet Spot”, the first two books of the trilogy which I loved. This author has the ability to play my emotions like a master. I laughed. I cried. I was mad, angry, hopeful, frustrated, excited, pleased…I think the only emotion missing was true fear for my life! This book is about life and emotion and love. There is so much packed into only 374 pages that read smoothly with Mallery’s characteristic deft pacing.
I worried that I wouldn’t be able to warm to Jesse, the third sister. Jesse has a lot to atone for…she’s made a lot of mistakes and hurt the people who love her so much. I just couldn’t see how anyone could redeem such a character. But, it’s been five years since the events of “Sweet Spot” and Jesse has grown up. She returns home with her son determined to make amends and have a relationship with her sisters and her son’s father. Jesse’s story is told in split time. The book flashes back as we learn about her relationship with Matt from the beginning. These flashbacks are intertwined with her current efforts at reestablishing trust with her sisters and Matt. It doesn’t take long to start rooting for Jesse. Yes, she was bad. Yes, she made mistakes. Yes, she made some truly stinker decisions. But when it came time to step up for her baby, that’s exactly what she did. Single parenthood is a hard road and Jesse’s done the best she could. I think she’s my favorite of the sisters because of all those mistakes. Let’s face it, next to her my mistakes look miniscule!! And strong…I admire anyone with that much steel in their spine.
Matt. I admired the young Matt. The older Matt was truly despicable. We’ve all been hurt by love. The ones we love have the power to lift us the highest and bring us the lowest…if not, it’s not love. Watching his actions and reactions to the old and new Jesse and his son, Gabe, were wrenching. Watching him learning to open his heart and love again was heartening and reaffirming. What a pair these two are! And Matt’s initial nerdiness became oh so sexy as he matured. The passion between these two is intense, yet stays well within the bounds of romance vice erotica.
Jesse’s sisters still play an important role in this book. Even if you don’t have a sister, you can still relate to their emotions as they gradually re-establish that special bond that sisters and family have. I was exhausted when I finished this book…in a good way. I came away with a smile on my face. Love wins in the end as in all romances. In “Sweet Trouble”, Susan Mallery closes the trilogy with a story that encompasses love in all its forms. Parental love, romantic love, familial love, and caring love…they’re all here. And they’re going to stay right here, on my keeper shelf, so don’t ask to borrow them…go get your own!
It’s official. Susan Mallery hit a triple for me with “Sweet Trouble”, the final book in her ‘sweet’ trilogy coming out in September 2009. I was lucky enough to read and review “Sweet Talk” and “Sweet Spot”, the first two books of the trilogy which I loved. This author has the ability to play my emotions like a master. I laughed. I cried. I was mad, angry, hopeful, frustrated, excited, pleased…I think the only emotion missing was true fear for my life! This book is about life and emotion and love. There is so much packed into only 374 pages that read smoothly with Mallery’s characteristic deft pacing.
I worried that I wouldn’t be able to warm to Jesse, the third sister. Jesse has a lot to atone for…she’s made a lot of mistakes and hurt the people who love her so much. I just couldn’t see how anyone could redeem such a character. But, it’s been five years since the events of “Sweet Spot” and Jesse has grown up. She returns home with her son determined to make amends and have a relationship with her sisters and her son’s father. Jesse’s story is told in split time. The book flashes back as we learn about her relationship with Matt from the beginning. These flashbacks are intertwined with her current efforts at reestablishing trust with her sisters and Matt. It doesn’t take long to start rooting for Jesse. Yes, she was bad. Yes, she made mistakes. Yes, she made some truly stinker decisions. But when it came time to step up for her baby, that’s exactly what she did. Single parenthood is a hard road and Jesse’s done the best she could. I think she’s my favorite of the sisters because of all those mistakes. Let’s face it, next to her my mistakes look miniscule!! And strong…I admire anyone with that much steel in their spine.
Matt. I admired the young Matt. The older Matt was truly despicable. We’ve all been hurt by love. The ones we love have the power to lift us the highest and bring us the lowest…if not, it’s not love. Watching his actions and reactions to the old and new Jesse and his son, Gabe, were wrenching. Watching him learning to open his heart and love again was heartening and reaffirming. What a pair these two are! And Matt’s initial nerdiness became oh so sexy as he matured. The passion between these two is intense, yet stays well within the bounds of romance vice erotica.
Jesse’s sisters still play an important role in this book. Even if you don’t have a sister, you can still relate to their emotions as they gradually re-establish that special bond that sisters and family have. I was exhausted when I finished this book…in a good way. I came away with a smile on my face. Love wins in the end as in all romances. In “Sweet Trouble”, Susan Mallery closes the trilogy with a story that encompasses love in all its forms. Parental love, romantic love, familial love, and caring love…they’re all here. And they’re going to stay right here, on my keeper shelf, so don’t ask to borrow them…go get your own!
August 18, 2011
What a frustrating story!! I loved it and hated it. I found the way it was written, flashing back five years, and then forward again to the present a bit confusing, and had to keep checking where I was.
I loved the story, and found myself shedding tears on a few occasions, giggling on others. It's a very emotional book, so haave tissues handy and read it alone( to save on embarrassment) By the end of Chapter 17 I hated Matt and wanted him to be run over by the next bus leaving the depot. But, He persisted and came through in the end, with a Happy Ever After, although, I still don't think he's my favorite character, even though he was almost back to the sweet and charming nerdy Matt we had already met.
I was so pleased the Raoul had a cameo, I had hoped he wouldn't just disappear, I think everyone got a mention of some sort.
It was interesting how the roles were reversed with Jesse and Matt, during their time apart, and how stubborn they both were, neither giving an inch.
One thing about these books I found, mmmmm, not sure what, the fact that all the girls ended up with so much wealth, just seemed so convenient I suppose.
All in all a good read and a HEA for all the sisters.
I loved the story, and found myself shedding tears on a few occasions, giggling on others. It's a very emotional book, so haave tissues handy and read it alone( to save on embarrassment) By the end of Chapter 17 I hated Matt and wanted him to be run over by the next bus leaving the depot. But, He persisted and came through in the end, with a Happy Ever After, although, I still don't think he's my favorite character, even though he was almost back to the sweet and charming nerdy Matt we had already met.
I was so pleased the Raoul had a cameo, I had hoped he wouldn't just disappear, I think everyone got a mention of some sort.
It was interesting how the roles were reversed with Jesse and Matt, during their time apart, and how stubborn they both were, neither giving an inch.
One thing about these books I found, mmmmm, not sure what, the fact that all the girls ended up with so much wealth, just seemed so convenient I suppose.
All in all a good read and a HEA for all the sisters.
October 18, 2012
Another great Susan Mallery book. This one wrapped up the series about the Keyes sisters who own a bakery in Seattle and it focused on Jesse.
My heart broke for Jesse. She left five years before after being accused of sleeping with her brother-in-law, which she did t do. Her sister didn't believe her and neither did her boyfriend. While Jesse was away she had a baby (her boyfriend's, but he didn't believe her when she told him). Jesse came back to try and mend fences with her sister and cause her son wanted to meet his dad.
The dad. Matt. *sigh* I can totally see why Jesse fell in love with him. We got to see their relationship start and he was dreamy. But the man he turned into after she left? Not so much. He was a real jerk. And just when he realized he wanted to be a family, he couldn't stop the plan for revenge that he started before Jesse found out what he had planned. I honestly don't know if I would have given him another chance after what he did. Thankfully, I'm not the heroine in this, cause she gave him a chance (finally) and they got their happily ever after.
My heart broke for Jesse. She left five years before after being accused of sleeping with her brother-in-law, which she did t do. Her sister didn't believe her and neither did her boyfriend. While Jesse was away she had a baby (her boyfriend's, but he didn't believe her when she told him). Jesse came back to try and mend fences with her sister and cause her son wanted to meet his dad.
The dad. Matt. *sigh* I can totally see why Jesse fell in love with him. We got to see their relationship start and he was dreamy. But the man he turned into after she left? Not so much. He was a real jerk. And just when he realized he wanted to be a family, he couldn't stop the plan for revenge that he started before Jesse found out what he had planned. I honestly don't know if I would have given him another chance after what he did. Thankfully, I'm not the heroine in this, cause she gave him a chance (finally) and they got their happily ever after.
April 12, 2011
3.5 Stars
This is the last in the Bakery Sisters trilogy, and is about Jesse the youngest sister who comes back after 5 years with her young son Gabe. I didn't really like Jesse in the other books, I thought she was a bit selfish, but this book has changed my mind about her. And by the end I did really like her, and her son Gabe was really cute. What I didn't really like was Matt, her love interest and father of Gabe, even when he had stopped being a cold hearted dick, I still couldn't like him. One minute he was all for ripping Jesse apart and then literally over night he has a change of heart, it didn't seem gradual at all, one moment he hated her and the next he loved her again.
But all in all I liked this series, it was romantic and funny and I liked the relationship between the sisters. My favourite in the series is the second one "Sweet Spot" as Nicole, even though she is a bit of a bitch at times, is my favourite sister.
This is the last in the Bakery Sisters trilogy, and is about Jesse the youngest sister who comes back after 5 years with her young son Gabe. I didn't really like Jesse in the other books, I thought she was a bit selfish, but this book has changed my mind about her. And by the end I did really like her, and her son Gabe was really cute. What I didn't really like was Matt, her love interest and father of Gabe, even when he had stopped being a cold hearted dick, I still couldn't like him. One minute he was all for ripping Jesse apart and then literally over night he has a change of heart, it didn't seem gradual at all, one moment he hated her and the next he loved her again.
But all in all I liked this series, it was romantic and funny and I liked the relationship between the sisters. My favourite in the series is the second one "Sweet Spot" as Nicole, even though she is a bit of a bitch at times, is my favourite sister.
June 26, 2013
This series is not sweet at all. Mrs. Mallery apparently wanted to write hateful characters and decided to put them together in a series. The Keys sisters have a very dysfunctional relationship. And every character on these books lack basic communication skills. The grudges and desire for revenge between the main couple Jessie and Matt were horrible. Matt was a real tool and there was not enough growling to redeem him. The story was predictable and the resolution was not believable. This story left me with a happily ever after that did not feel all that happy.
Narration: Therese Plummer is one of the best narrators I've ever listened to. But she is not a miracle worker so she really could not make this story good. The only reason why I actually finish the book was the great narrator. I don't recommend this book at all.
Narration: Therese Plummer is one of the best narrators I've ever listened to. But she is not a miracle worker so she really could not make this story good. The only reason why I actually finish the book was the great narrator. I don't recommend this book at all.
June 25, 2017
MEU DEUS, QUE RAIVA DESSE MOCINHO!!!!!!!
Ele se tornou um belo de um filho da put@ e eu queria tanto poder entrar no livro e socar o rostinho bonito dele!
E QUE BRONCA DESSA MOCINHA QUE NÃO SE FAZ ENTENDER!!!!!
Eu amo MUITO a Susan Mallery, ela é uma das únicas autoras de "romance de banca" que que conheço que consegue escrever mocinhas feministas, fortes e que quebram estereótipos de como as mocinhas do gênero normalmente se comportam, e é com dor no coração que eu só consigo dar 3 estrelinhas pra esse livro, sabendo que, na verdade, a nota deveria ser 2.5 estrelinhas. :( 3
Ele se tornou um belo de um filho da put@ e eu queria tanto poder entrar no livro e socar o rostinho bonito dele!
E QUE BRONCA DESSA MOCINHA QUE NÃO SE FAZ ENTENDER!!!!!
Eu amo MUITO a Susan Mallery, ela é uma das únicas autoras de "romance de banca" que que conheço que consegue escrever mocinhas feministas, fortes e que quebram estereótipos de como as mocinhas do gênero normalmente se comportam, e é com dor no coração que eu só consigo dar 3 estrelinhas pra esse livro, sabendo que, na verdade, a nota deveria ser 2.5 estrelinhas. :( 3
May 29, 2018
İkinci kitabın ardından bu kardeşin hikayesini de okumak zorundaydım. Bence güzel bir final oldu, her ne kadar Matt'in saçmalıkları biraz yorsa da okuması keyifliydi. Kız kardeş hikayeleri favorilerimden.
January 9, 2020
seriyi tamamlamam gerekiyordu ama bu kardeşlerin habire hamile kalması sıkıcı olmadı mı biraz.
March 21, 2009
What a nice surprise this book was. I picked it up as a bargain from audible and couldn't put it down.
Jesse is a party girl. Raised by her sister, she pretty much sleeps around until she meets Matt. She notices the computer geek at a Starbucks asking a woman out. He's shy, lacks confidence but undeneath it all, he's a hottie. Jesse takes him as a project to do something nice. She shows him what to wear, how to talk to women and gives him dating advice. In the end, they ending up falling for eachother. In spite of all of Jesee's experience with men, Matt is the only one to have ever touched her heart.
Jesse finds herself in a compromising situation with her brother in law and is thrown out of her sisters' house. Matt is by his gloating mother that Jesse cheated on him and mom and the overprotective mom is pretty happy about what happens. Jesse ends up pregnant by Matt and is hearbroken that he doesn't believe her committment to him and doesn't care that she's pregnant.
She takes off and has the baby on her own and pulls her life together. She returns 5 years later to introduce her 4 year old son to his father Matt. When she returns, it is obvious by looking at the little boy that Matt is the father. Matt has also changed. He owns his own company, sleeps around a lot but doesn't do relationships. He's become pretty hardened because of the situation with Jesse. When Jesse returns, Matt becomes determined to make Jesse suffer for what she did to him by leaving him and by not contacting him when the baby was born.
In the end, it's a story with a meaning. We all make mistakes as we are only human, but it's how we fix them that counts....(though some things just can't be fixed)
Jesse returns to town to prove she's a changed person and wants to mend her family relationships and well as her relationship with Matt. She unexpectedly is welcomed with open arms by the least likely person, Matt's mother. Matt and his mother have not really talked since Jesse left because Matt was so upset by the fact that his mother was all to happy about hearing about Jesse's compromising situation. (for which ending up appearing only to be bad, but was not).
Matt is likable is lots of ways, but is a total jerk in other regards. I found it somewhat difficult to resolve him. Overall hes is charming and has a big heart, but sometimes its hard to see as he has lots of emotional baggage. He seems to want to buy love at times, but at other times, that's not the case.
Will the two make a connection after being apart for 5 years? Hard to say when you have someone as set on revenge and bitter as Matt is.
Jesse is a party girl. Raised by her sister, she pretty much sleeps around until she meets Matt. She notices the computer geek at a Starbucks asking a woman out. He's shy, lacks confidence but undeneath it all, he's a hottie. Jesse takes him as a project to do something nice. She shows him what to wear, how to talk to women and gives him dating advice. In the end, they ending up falling for eachother. In spite of all of Jesee's experience with men, Matt is the only one to have ever touched her heart.
Jesse finds herself in a compromising situation with her brother in law and is thrown out of her sisters' house. Matt is by his gloating mother that Jesse cheated on him and mom and the overprotective mom is pretty happy about what happens. Jesse ends up pregnant by Matt and is hearbroken that he doesn't believe her committment to him and doesn't care that she's pregnant.
She takes off and has the baby on her own and pulls her life together. She returns 5 years later to introduce her 4 year old son to his father Matt. When she returns, it is obvious by looking at the little boy that Matt is the father. Matt has also changed. He owns his own company, sleeps around a lot but doesn't do relationships. He's become pretty hardened because of the situation with Jesse. When Jesse returns, Matt becomes determined to make Jesse suffer for what she did to him by leaving him and by not contacting him when the baby was born.
In the end, it's a story with a meaning. We all make mistakes as we are only human, but it's how we fix them that counts....(though some things just can't be fixed)
Jesse returns to town to prove she's a changed person and wants to mend her family relationships and well as her relationship with Matt. She unexpectedly is welcomed with open arms by the least likely person, Matt's mother. Matt and his mother have not really talked since Jesse left because Matt was so upset by the fact that his mother was all to happy about hearing about Jesse's compromising situation. (for which ending up appearing only to be bad, but was not).
Matt is likable is lots of ways, but is a total jerk in other regards. I found it somewhat difficult to resolve him. Overall hes is charming and has a big heart, but sometimes its hard to see as he has lots of emotional baggage. He seems to want to buy love at times, but at other times, that's not the case.
Will the two make a connection after being apart for 5 years? Hard to say when you have someone as set on revenge and bitter as Matt is.
January 26, 2012
I had a couple of issues with this book. My first was that I wasn't sure that I would be able to like Jessie. In the first book I hated her, the second I saw where things weren't entirely her fault, but there were things that were. Sure, Jessie did change and it seemed like it was for the better. I did think she had very unreasonable expectations when she finally went home. I can't believe that she expected it all to be rainbows and puppy dogs.
My other issue was with Matt. It annoyed me that he kept saying that Jessie kept Gabe from her, that she didn't tell him. I call bullshit! She did tell him and he was as cruel as he could be with words. If someone had spoke to me like that I would leave and think that they didn't care either. Granted, Matt did think he had a good reason to believe Jessie cheated on him, but he seemed to throw all the fault on Jessie.
I hated that Jessie was a doormat to Matt, that she was living in the past and what happened in their relationship. Matt turned into a stone cold bastard.
I was annoyed with Nicole too. Even when she knew what really happened with Jessie and Drew she was still a bitch.
I think it this book wasn't so negative, or maybe it is just my point of view, I would have liked it better.
My other issue was with Matt. It annoyed me that he kept saying that Jessie kept Gabe from her, that she didn't tell him. I call bullshit! She did tell him and he was as cruel as he could be with words. If someone had spoke to me like that I would leave and think that they didn't care either. Granted, Matt did think he had a good reason to believe Jessie cheated on him, but he seemed to throw all the fault on Jessie.
I hated that Jessie was a doormat to Matt, that she was living in the past and what happened in their relationship. Matt turned into a stone cold bastard.
I was annoyed with Nicole too. Even when she knew what really happened with Jessie and Drew she was still a bitch.
I think it this book wasn't so negative, or maybe it is just my point of view, I would have liked it better.
October 6, 2016
3.5 stars
I read the previous two books 5 years ago and I don't know why I didn't read this one back then. It started out really strong and it was straight to the point which I really liked. However while I liked Jesse, I couldn't stand Matt, who was a complete jerk. I can understand him holding some type of a grudge but doing the things he did was a bit too much in my opinion. I really enjoyed reading the scenes with Gabe, and he brought a smile to my face (I love kids!!).
I do want to mention that the development of Matt and Gabe's relationship was realistic. Matt was pretty weird and clumsy while dealing with his son, which is understandable. In a lot of single parent books there is an instant click between the other parent and child when they meet for the first time. Which comes across a bit fake in some stories. It was done really good in this one. I still hated Matt until 90-95% of the book, that is why I rated it 3.5 stars. I was expecting more development in the relationship of Jesse and Matt. Also the ending was super rushed.
January 28, 2011
This is a little tricky to review because I genuinely have mix feelings about this one.
For starters, this is Susan Mallery's baby and it's crazy for me to NOT like her stuff. Liking it is never a problem, but loving it...that poses a bit of a challenge.
One, the hero is an ass. Well, maybe not an ass but charming he is certainly not. I'm not a big fan of stories where I don't like the main guy because I have plenty of that in real life.
Two, I find some of the lines bordering on being cheesy, which is weird for me because I never felt those in any of SM books.
But there is a certain cuteness about the story that keeps me going and wishing that I had read the first two books before I indulge myself with this one.
So, I'm giving this one a three-stars rating and will definitely be on the look out for Sweet Spot and Sweet Talk.
For starters, this is Susan Mallery's baby and it's crazy for me to NOT like her stuff. Liking it is never a problem, but loving it...that poses a bit of a challenge.
One, the hero is an ass. Well, maybe not an ass but charming he is certainly not. I'm not a big fan of stories where I don't like the main guy because I have plenty of that in real life.
Two, I find some of the lines bordering on being cheesy, which is weird for me because I never felt those in any of SM books.
But there is a certain cuteness about the story that keeps me going and wishing that I had read the first two books before I indulge myself with this one.
So, I'm giving this one a three-stars rating and will definitely be on the look out for Sweet Spot and Sweet Talk.
December 31, 2014
Two-haiku review:
She was a screw-up
Ran away, had his baby
Will he take her back?
Real trust issues here
Learning to change and grow up
Very good romance
Read in "Bakery Sisters Bundle" kindle book borrowed from library.
She was a screw-up
Ran away, had his baby
Will he take her back?
Real trust issues here
Learning to change and grow up
Very good romance
Read in "Bakery Sisters Bundle" kindle book borrowed from library.
April 22, 2015
I've had this series sitting around for quite a while, a hand-me-down from a friend. While they were all pretty much what I expected, I kept feeling like the characters were having the same arguments throughout all of the books.
March 6, 2023
Read this for the grovel. Read this for the sister drama. Read this for the baby. What I did not do was read this for the man.
I hate the ever living fuck outta Matt. Why do men have the audacity to do anything???
Matt and Jesse are best friends turned lovers. Matt was once an awkward nerd and Jesse made it her life's mission to turn him into the suave, charismatic stud that she thought he had the potential to be. They fell in love. Then Jesse finds out that Matt is going to propose, and she freaks out because she doesn't believe she's the kind of girl anyone should ever want to settle down with, and in the beginning of her relationship with Matt, she was surprised and overwhelmed with how he didn't treat her like a whore but with respect instead. She believes he's better than her. Her brother in law tells her that's all she's good for, and takes advantage of her vulnerability and kisses her before his wife walks in. His wife, Jesse's sister Nicole who had practically raised her, kicks Jesse out of their home and joint business because her husband (who came onto her) tells his wife that Jesse is the one who came onto him. While all this is happening, Jesse finds out she's pregnant with Matt's kid. Matt's mom finds out from Nicole why Jesse no longer lives at home, and gleefully tells Matt all about his cheating homewrecking girlfriend. When Jesse goes to tell Matt that she's pregnant, he kicks her out and tells her he wants nothing to do with this child since he doesn't believe it's his.
Okay with all this happening, I think Jesse is ABSOLUTELY justified in leaving Seattle and NEVER returning for as long as she did. Her relationship with her sister? Ended. Relationship with her brother in law who she considered a really good friend? Obviously, ended. Relationship with the man she loved who's child she carried? Fucking GONE. I'd also run and never turn back. She struggled, pregnant and alone, then as a single mother getting her associates' degree while working like crazy at a bar. She was making the best out of a situation where no one she loved believed anything she was saying and didn't want to know. They left her alone and would never have found her if she didn't seek them out 5 years later. No one reached out.
How the fuck was she supposed to reach out? She's emotionally crushed by all this shit that was given to her for something she didn't do aka she didn't fuck her awful brother in law. How dare they expect her to accept Matt for his parting words of "once a slut always a slut"??? And then Matt, who doesn't understand what it's like to experience anything that Jesse went through (men rarely do to be honest), decides to get revenge by making her fall back in love with him and then serving custody papers to take her son, the only thing she's had the last 5 years, away. He doesn't even want the kid! Sure, he spends time with him and ends up liking the kid but the fact he was literally doing all this shit to take away a child from their mother and plan on setting them up with nannies and whatever, that just pissed me the fuck off.
Anyway I'm really annoyed that at the end, Matt didn't even have to grovel so hard. It took 2 months for them to get back together for real for real and while it's great that they worked out everything I still feel like Jesse was done wrong on so many levels and deserves better than him and her sister.
Adios 🌊
I hate the ever living fuck outta Matt. Why do men have the audacity to do anything???
Matt and Jesse are best friends turned lovers. Matt was once an awkward nerd and Jesse made it her life's mission to turn him into the suave, charismatic stud that she thought he had the potential to be. They fell in love. Then Jesse finds out that Matt is going to propose, and she freaks out because she doesn't believe she's the kind of girl anyone should ever want to settle down with, and in the beginning of her relationship with Matt, she was surprised and overwhelmed with how he didn't treat her like a whore but with respect instead. She believes he's better than her. Her brother in law tells her that's all she's good for, and takes advantage of her vulnerability and kisses her before his wife walks in. His wife, Jesse's sister Nicole who had practically raised her, kicks Jesse out of their home and joint business because her husband (who came onto her) tells his wife that Jesse is the one who came onto him. While all this is happening, Jesse finds out she's pregnant with Matt's kid. Matt's mom finds out from Nicole why Jesse no longer lives at home, and gleefully tells Matt all about his cheating homewrecking girlfriend. When Jesse goes to tell Matt that she's pregnant, he kicks her out and tells her he wants nothing to do with this child since he doesn't believe it's his.
Okay with all this happening, I think Jesse is ABSOLUTELY justified in leaving Seattle and NEVER returning for as long as she did. Her relationship with her sister? Ended. Relationship with her brother in law who she considered a really good friend? Obviously, ended. Relationship with the man she loved who's child she carried? Fucking GONE. I'd also run and never turn back. She struggled, pregnant and alone, then as a single mother getting her associates' degree while working like crazy at a bar. She was making the best out of a situation where no one she loved believed anything she was saying and didn't want to know. They left her alone and would never have found her if she didn't seek them out 5 years later. No one reached out.
How the fuck was she supposed to reach out? She's emotionally crushed by all this shit that was given to her for something she didn't do aka she didn't fuck her awful brother in law. How dare they expect her to accept Matt for his parting words of "once a slut always a slut"??? And then Matt, who doesn't understand what it's like to experience anything that Jesse went through (men rarely do to be honest), decides to get revenge by making her fall back in love with him and then serving custody papers to take her son, the only thing she's had the last 5 years, away. He doesn't even want the kid! Sure, he spends time with him and ends up liking the kid but the fact he was literally doing all this shit to take away a child from their mother and plan on setting them up with nannies and whatever, that just pissed me the fuck off.
Anyway I'm really annoyed that at the end, Matt didn't even have to grovel so hard. It took 2 months for them to get back together for real for real and while it's great that they worked out everything I still feel like Jesse was done wrong on so many levels and deserves better than him and her sister.
Adios 🌊
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2023
Anger and revenge play big roles in the third book in this series.
Should I run out to purchase brownies from a local bakery? Would they be as good as Jesse's?
The disaster in the bakery reminds me of how things end for the bakery business in "This Time Next Year," my current audio book listen.
Should I run out to purchase brownies from a local bakery? Would they be as good as Jesse's?
The disaster in the bakery reminds me of how things end for the bakery business in "This Time Next Year," my current audio book listen.
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