SUGAR RUSH – Donna Kauffman
A Cupcake Club Romance , Book 1
Brava
ISBN: 978-0-7582-6634-7
January 2012
Contemporary Romance

Sugarberry Island , Georgia – Present Day

A word of warning: Reading SUGAR RUSH is harmful to any diet plans as you drool over the cupcakes mentioned in this tale.

Pastry Chef Leilani Trusdale had left New York City and the restaurant Gateau behind after her attraction to food television star chef (and Gateau's owner) Baxter Dunne went nowhere. Her heart safe on the little island where her father resides, Leilani runs a specialty cupcake bakery, and she's happy. Then Leilani learns that Baxter is going to be filming an episode of his show on the island. In her shop. Working alongside her. Leilani's safe world is about to come crashing down. Can she resist Baxter's charms?

Baxter rocketed to the top as one of television's hottest chefs, and his show is now going on the road. His first planned stop is Sugarberry, where he hopes to reconnect with Leilani and learn why she hightailed it out of town months ago. Why would someone who created cupcake masterpieces want to open a shop in a dinky town off the beaten path?  But Leilani wants nothing to do with him and keeps him at an arm's length. Is there any way he can get closer to the woman he has never forgotten? Or will he admit that he feels more for her than that of a fellow chef?

Donna Kauffman has created a tasty treat for readers in SUGAR RUSH. Leilani literally ran away to escape the effect her unrequited feelings for Baxter was causing. While life is certainly a change in a small town catering to folks who wouldn't know the differences between haute cuisine and a chain restaurant in Atlanta , she's happy cooking up several dozen decorated cupcakes a day. She can't deny the good that exposure on Baxter's show will bring to her business, but can she hide her attraction to him?

Baxter is determined that Leilani will be a part of the show because she is a very capable cook who deserves more than working in a small town. But the more he stays in Sugarberry, the more it becomes clear to him that she has created a home for herself here, even if the townsfolk, like elderly Alva, are a bit off the wall. Leilani's New York City friend Charlotte provides a sounding board as she frets over her feelings for Baxter. Then there is Leilani. She is like a part of his soul that has been empty during the months after she left. She makes him laugh and makes him enjoy living life. Yet she pushes him away. Can he break down the walls she has erected? Even as he begins to admit his feelings for her, he also realizes that Leilani belongs in Sugarberry. Will his career prove to be a stumbling block to their happiness?

SUGAR RUSH is a quirky, fun tale with Leilani and Baxter learning to really get to know each other while surrounded with several eclectic characters that provide for some humorous interaction. The chemistry between Leilani and Baxter is slow to grow at first, but once they kiss, their attraction for each other begins to smolder out of control. Will they make it work? Find out for yourself in the delightful SUGAR RUSH.

Patti Fischer