*eARC provided from publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Sam is a small town girl and amateur baker who is invited to participate in a baking contest by her celebrity crush, Michael, "The Cake King". She doesn't know why he'd invite her, a nobody, to bake for him. But of course, we know. It's because he *likes* her. Cue more sex (and seriously cringe-worthy dirty talk) than a 150 page novel needs.

This book put me in an unusual dilemma. I felt it was too short for meaningful character and plot development, but if it was ANY longer, I most likely would have set my kindle ablaze. This book kept the story at a mostly surface-level, which is almost a complaint, but I truly didn't like these characters and I don't want to read anything deeper about them. So... it's a textbook Kobayashi Maru. Just kidding. It's obviously not that, it's just a short book with some cute potential to which it fails to live up.

And I really wish there had been more baking. It's called the Cake King. I don't think I'm wrong for wanting more descriptions of food.

While this was a short cute read, it wasn’t my taste. Everything happened so fast. You started out reading about the cake off then bam three pages later she going out with the “producer” of the show.

Nothing felt right to me about this book. Things didn’t really add up or meet what really would happen in the world. Such as one of the other contenders saw the producer at her door but didn’t do anything didn’t rat her out, hold it over her head you know something interesting.

This was... not good.
The writing was too simple, the story was - was there a story? Poor baker girl is competing for a job for a rich biker baker.
He sees her, wants her and shows her how rich he is while he’s giving her a good time (you know what I mean).

That was so weird. I didn’t like it.
But I liked the cover.

Honestly I only finished it by how short the story is but I had lots of struggles trying to keep my interest afloat and it felt more like I was forcing myself rather than enjoying it.
I believe this is a book for a very specific taste and shamely it wasn't for me.
I couldn't connect with any of the characters and I felt no interest to whether the story could lead us. I don't support Sam's attitude towards other women and I dream about a future where we don't have the need of drawn each others down.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet and kind of funny, this was otherwise a just okay novel to while away a few hours. I enjoyed myself but wasn't overly thrilled.

The Cake King by Rosie Chase

Cute and fast paced romcom.
Quick read, I breezed thru this story in a short period of time. Although at times predictable I enjoyed the characters very much. I definitely recommend this one of you're looking for something sweet and fast to read

3.5/ 5 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #UnderHillPress for this book in exchange for my honest review.

i really don't know where to start.

this short novella seemed more like a chance to throw in all possible clichés in one (short) story. i didn't have high expectations for it, and yet. i was disappointed. because the premise isn't bad in itself, i just found that it was done very poorly.

let's start from the beginning, shall we? sam is a twenty-something years-old woman living in a small city in the south of the US who, for some ~unknown~ reasons, is chosen to compete in a baking contest. she accepts the offer, because she (supposedly) loves baking and the bakery she works in is close ro shutting down. but oh boi who will she fall in love with?

you guessed right. THE micheal godwin, or as people like to call him, The Cake King (who is the organisator of all of this).

anyway, it seemed like a pretty good book when i first read the synopsis. and let me tell you: it is full of clichés. in general, i don't mind them, no no, i LOVE them, but in this book it was cliché after cliché after cliché, and seemed like the intent was to write a cute cliché story but actually turned to be anything but that.

i didn't connect to the story, nor did i connect to the characters. they were one-dimensioned, the secondary ones were just here to ~bring the couple together~, and there wasn't any depth in any of them. i am aware of the story being a novella, but come on man.

PARAGRAPH WITH A MINOR SPOILER

the main characters were...i don't know how to describe them. first there is sam, who i liked at first but then made THE worst decision ever for love. and i just thought, so you just give up everything, aka a chance of winning a contest and a wonderful baking career for A MAN?! 💀

END OF PARAGRAPH

and then there's the prince charming: micheal. every inch perfection. not one flaw. rich. kind. humble. you name it. but what annoyed me the most was that one page he's like "i don't know what idea you made of rich people but i am EVERYTHING. BUT. THAT.", and then the next page he proceeds to show exactly the opposite, by bringing sam to a date on a PRIVATE JET to his HOUSE THAT HAS A PRIVATE BEACH. because that's not the idea we have of rich people.

anyway, this book was...something. i am glad i picked it up because i had a good laugh, that's it.

I wasn't a massive fan of this book, The writing was not my favorite and I didn't really like the main characters. The story just seemed to moved way too fast and felt very unrealistic. I felt like the author was trying too hard to make it something that it wasn't.

This was a fun, short and smutty novel with lots of cake. I enjoyed reading it and it was fun as a break between books, but it wasn't a 5 star read for me.

I love baking competitions (my family has one on Christmas every year) and a book about one pulled me in! It was a fun story but the relationship felt like it went from zero to 100 so fast!

2.5 to 3 Stars

This story reminded me of a more grown up Sweet Dreams book. I liked the foodie parts a lot — the baking contest — and all the descriptions/scenes about baking. But it’s insta-love, which I’m not a big fan of.

Lastly, this was a nice introduction to other characters, who will likely get their own stories.

DNF

It's not that this isn't well writing or good, it just wasn't keeping my attention and I found myself not caring for it at all.
I requested this because I'd read a backing romance before that I really enjoyed and I guess I thought this one sounded similar enough that I would probably enjoy it too, but sadly I didn't.

I don't normally rave about sweet romances, but after I finished The Cake King by Rosie Chase, I went and shared the link on a few bookish pages as a must-read. There was just something extra sweet about this read and it wasn't just all the sweet bakery treats in-between the pages. The Cake King starts with Sam being part of a baking competition - sort of a reality TV "Top Baker" show. Michael aka The Cake King's sister Megan is having her Wedding at the end of the book and he is trying to get the best baker to make her wedding cake. This will also benefit the baker and help them kickstart their careers. As Sam gets near the end of the competition, she starts to doubt herself as the other participants are from big named bakeries or popular social media influencers and she is a foster kid from the backwoods near the Appalachian Trail. Around the middle of the book though, we learn that Michael fancies Sam and vice versa. Of course, though Sam is shy and not one to put herself out there as she is afraid of being hurt and also believes she isn't good enough as nobody famous like Michael wants a girl from the middle of nowhere right? Wrong. The latter half of the book is Michael and Sam's romance blossoming but what will happen near the end of the competition where Sam has to make the biggest decision of her life - continue the competition as she is in the finals or drop out and go back to her normal life as her foster dad turns ill? Is her HEA with Michael over before it even properly began or will Michael prove to Sam that he isn't giving up and will have her one way or another?
Find out in this sweet romance read The Cake King which as you finish you will want to move onto Book #2 which I went and got on Kindle Unlimited straight after finishing this book.

A funny and lovely story, but I thought that the relationship escalated too quickly, even for a short story.

Awww. This was adorable!! This author has amazing story telling, I love her writing style. This was such a quick read for me and I loved it!

#NetGalley #TheCakeKing

⭐⭐⭐

This book is so cute! I read it in one sitting, and I honestly wish it was longer. There are so many fun characters and good dialogue, I just wanted it to keep going.

Sam is lonely baker who is invited for a competitive job interview/baking contest by "Cake King" Michael. We get to meet all the other competitors, who are all fun, interesting ladies. Michael and Sam begin dating and the rest is history.

I love how this author show us how they develop from strangers to a couple. Sam is worried that Michael's fancy, rich person lifestyle is so far removed from her that they would never work. Michael refuses to apologize for his wealth, and instead shows her he is more that the Cake King.

This book is more than a romance- Sam's loneliness is not only filled with her relationship with Michael, but also the bonds she forms with the other bakers.

This is the first book in a series. I am truly excited to read the next one. And I really want to read more about Rei!

This book was a cute quick read for lovers of baking, rom-coms, and hallmark channel movies. If none of those tickle your fancy than look elsewhere. At times, this book was almost too sweet, but it was also laugh out loud funny so, for me, that evened out things while reading it.

A sweet and steamy read, plenty of fluffy romance with definite sizzle a plenty. A great romantic comedy too, a fun and frisky short read.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Its a sweet and steamy short novel that I just devoured. Sam Davis is a baker from a tiny town. She gets an invitation to compete against other pastry chefs from her baking idol Michael Godwin aka The Cake King. Reminds me of a reality tv show. Can’t wait to read more in this series.

Holllly Steam. I mean it was insane. If you like dirty books than this one is for you. It was just a little too steamy for me.