Domestic Goddess is the first book in the Bachelor Bay series. It was a DNF for me. I tried over and over to get into this one and no matter how many times I tried it just didn’t happen. It may be somebody else’s cup of tea but not mine.

Domestic Goddess is the first book that I have read by Deborah Schneider and it definitely won’t be my last! I loved the chemistry and banter. I got swept away by these characters and their story!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Bailey Holmes has to decide the concept for her next TV show. She is at a stage where all her plans professionally and personally has fallen apart. Her family is planning to renovate their lodge with the help of contractor Max Cumberland. It was an okay read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

This book was an easy read and a good palette cleanser between other reads in that it was fun, but forgettable. The characters felt like caricatures and while I enjoyed the setting and the plot, it was not the most endearing or engaging read - it was simply okay.

Domestic Goddess was a happy read- sweet romance with very likable main characters. I am a junkie for food & hgtv shows so this book was righ up my ally.

I thought the author created a fantastic chemistry between Bailey & Max. She also wrote a fun & lighthearted story that leaves you feeling good.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

The story started off with quite a bang. Bailey, the domestic goddess of a TV show is only weeks away from her dream wedding when her fiancé tells her, he'd rather be a woman. To Bailey's misfortune that moment is witnessed by a gossip reporter and soon her carreer hangs in the balance.
To get away from it all, Bailey goes on a trip to her mother's, who lives on a small island. On the ferry Bailey meets hot carpenter Max...
To cut this story short. There is instant chemistry between Max and Bailey. When they are forced to work together to salvage Bailey's show this chemistry adds to the problems in Bailey's life.

What I liked was the idea of the book. But the execution left a lot of questions open. There is never a dialogue between Bailey and her former fiancé. Female friends and family members recommend sex as the panacea to cure all ailments. It found this a lot superficial.

This story has a cute premise, but it failed to keep my attention. Since I never finished the book, I did not post a review online.

Still not sure what I think about this novel. I had to force myself to read it and I wasn’t impressed with lead female. I appreciate that she had faults but I didn’t enjoy her personality. Maybe because she felt more like a caricature of an actual reality star? I also couldn’t get into the plot. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the leads and there were multiple areas that drug. There was nothing wrong with the author’s writing style, I just didn’t enjoy the story.

If you love watching shows with a food & home focus and enjoy a fast-paced romance, then definitely check out this book.

Bailey is the hostess of the show, Domestic Goddess, which shows viewers how to have a more beautiful life. She's got big plans for the next season with many of the opening shows set to chronicle her wedding. Only there's a little problem... the groom to be is more comfortable in a dress. There goes the wedding!

Off to visit her mother and aunt, she is uncertain about her future. Dared by her producer and friend, she wears a 'sexy' outfit on the ferry where she meets a guy who causes all sorts of internal turmoil. Then she learns he's her family's chosen contractor for renovations.

I won't give away the whole thing, but it does go through the typical attraction / fighting attractions / can't fight this attraction pattern used in many chick lit options. And, when they finally give into their attraction, clothes start flying.

Overall, a fun escape type of read.

The premise of this book and it's setting in the San Juan islands of Washington made me excited to check it out.

I sympathized with Bailey in the beginning as she experienced personal and professional difficulties right before traveling to spend time with her family. However as the story progressed I had a hard time connecting with her character or any of the others.

I liked some of the banter and sweet moments she shared with Max, but overall found this story and characters fell short for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bailey Homes was the epitome of perfection. She did everything right and to the world she was poised and proper. Now, that the season was wrapping up on her show, Domestic Goddess, she could finally take it to the next level. During the next two months, she planned on organizing new episodes revolving around her upcoming wedding to Dudley. The new season was sure to take her show to the next level. Her level of detailing and planning would ensure that the first six episodes of the new season would showcase the "Wedding of the Century." Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. She catches her fiance, Dudley in her dressing room, not quite looking like the man she knew. He was completely dressed up as a woman. To top it all off a reporter from the gossip rag, Chatterbox, catches Bailey whacking Dudley on the top of his bald head with a whisk. So much for showing the world how perfect she is!
Bailey decides maybe it would be a good idea to hide out at Horseshoe Island and regroup with her family. Her family owns the Blue Moon Lodge and agrees to let Bailey use the lodge as a renovation project for her show. The only drawback is Max Cumberland, the hot carpenter she met on the ferry ride over to the island who would also be a part of renovating the lodge. Sparks had already been flying between the two of them on the ferry ride. Now, that they would be renovating the lodge together, those sparks are about to get a lot hotter.
DOMESTIC GODDESS is a light and fun read. The character development of our main character, Bailey, really develops as the story progresses. She has faults and she learns to see herself in a new light and she really grows as a person. Max was the perfect hero for her. He was attracted to her right from the beginning. Their love story progresses and you find yourself really immersed in their romance. Secondary characters are well written and lend an air of humor into the story. All in all, I would recommend DOMESTIC GODDESS if you are looking for an easy and lighthearted read.

I was excited to get this book because it had a great premise but it fell flat for me. After 50% I just started skimming because I could not stand the heroine. She was such a bitch. And after I read "she wasn't thin like a model, she had an almost 30 inch waist" I thought that was the most ridiculous statement ever. The romance was way too slow, but no wonder because the heroine had such an attitude about everything. Then the ending was so abrupt, which didn't really make sense. I assume there are more books coming in the series but I am not interested in continuing

I enjoyed this book which included cooking and restoration with TV reality show and a nice romance thrown in. I read this book in one sitting on the beach

Very cute book. Bailey and Max end up hosting a fixer upper show after her other show goes haywire due to a lot of unforeseen events. The chemistry between them is hot but can they risk messing up something that would be great for both of their careers?

No angst, no cliffhanger, just a slightly steamy romance.

I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book started off very strong but then quickly lost its steam. It did turn out to be a cute romance story but the in between was a bit slow,whiny, and long.

This is the first book in the series and also the first i have read by this author,it wont be the last this was a good read it had a good storyline and likable characters i really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more in the future.

The blurb of this book was like catnip for me. I love home improvement shows and I love a good contractor hero/heroine, so this one was my dream novel.

The beginning drew me right in. Bailey is on the verge of going big time with her lifestyle show. Her next season is planned around her perfect wedding to her perfect fiance. Right before filming the last episode of the current season and being interviewed by a local journalist, she walks into her dressing room to discover her fiance dressed as a woman, ready to reveal to her he's transgender. Of course the journalist does a hatchet job on her and the future of her show is put in jeopardy.

Bailey decides to go ahead and visit her mother and her aunt at their fishing lodge out on a Puget Sound island for mother's day, as planned, while her producer/friend negotiates with her sponsors and tries to salvage the show. On the ferry ride she meets Max, a contractor who specializes in restoration renovations. They have mad chemistry until Bailey learns that he's bidding for the job of renovating her family's fishing lodge and gets her back up about his using her to get it. Of course it ends up being this self-same job that will put her show back on track, with Max as the sexy contractor co-star.

There were so many promising themes throughout the book. Bailey's difficult relationship with her mother, her fiance's difficult coming out, Max's hands-on surrogate fatherhood, etc. My problem with the story started as I realized that the focus would be more in bringing Bailey down rather than building her up.

When she realizes that the fiance is transgender, she also realizes that she was using him and didn't love him. We never get a conversation between them, just Bailey's demoralized exchange with her producer Meg. What's the solution? Hook up with another guy, of course! In fact, there wasn't a conversation throughout the book between female characters that didn't circle back to the wonderfulness of wangs. This miracle appendage can cure phobias, restore self-esteem, solve professional problems and give back happiness! (heavy sarcasm)

By the time the abrupt ending came about, I didn't like any of the characters very much, except for Max the sexy contractor.

Great read. My first book by this author. Thought it was really good. Cannot wait for more in this series

I needed a break from fantasy, Teen angst and just everyday stress. I was hoping that by reading Domestic Goddess it would allow me to melt all of it away and it did for the first half of the book. I really enjoyed Bailey and her neurosis, she reminded me of myself. Bailey is controlling, determined and independent. We figure this out in the first scene of the book and I was sympathizing with her when Dudley (anyone still think Harry Potter when they hear this name?) dropped a bombshell at the most inappropriate moment and Baily came out looking like the bad guy. 

So she needed a small getaway while her producer fixed everything. I really enjoyed her and Meg relationship and wished it was a showcased a bit more in the books. Bailey and Max first encounter was a bit instant attraction for me, Bailey who is such a great character is turned into a horny mess who suddenly cannot vocalize. I understand that because the book is short that this instant attraction thing needs to be there but it doesn't mean I have to love it. 

Max was great though and I loved that he stood up for himself whenever Bailey became a bit more controlling. They really balanced each other out. Bailey Mother and aunt however were a different story. It's not that I hated them, I just didn't really like them. I can really put my finger on why because their personalities should really be up my alley. 

The story in general was quick and fun even if the ending was a bit rushed. There was never any doubt that Bailey and Max wouldn't end up together so any small fights that got in the way seemed slightly unnecessary.

Overall the book was fun, quick and just the thing I needed as an 'inbetween' read. I do recommend it to anyone who likes quick, cozy romances.

I was really interested in this book based on the cover and the description. However the book just didn't do it for me. I really struggled to get through some parts and thought about skipping to the end. I just didn't really care for Bailey. She's not my kind of heroine. The worst part I think was the ending. It seemed like the author just decided ok I'll stop now, tack on a happily ever after, and call it done. There was just too much going on for it to end the way it did.