Kiss My Cupcake, a standalone opposites-attract romantic comedy, was a deliciously sassy and sweet romance, and exactly the lighthearted and fun distraction I was hoping it would be. Helena Hunting knows her way around endearing characters, and she gave her readers two who were easy to fall for in Blaire, the quirky, modern-day-June-Cleaver, cupcake baker, and Ronan, the tatted, plaid-wearing lumber-jerk.

Blaire and Ronan may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but the chemistry crackling between them was as thick as the buttercream on one of her cupcakes. Slapstick-style pranks and Hunting’s witty humor pair perfectly to fill out the comedy portion of this romance. When the competition between this couple shifts focus and Blaire and Ronan team up against a bigger rival, the sparks really begin to fly. The build-up of this relationship along with the undeniable attraction burning between Ronan and Blaire made me giddy, and I absolutely adored all of the wonderful supporting characters.

Low on the angsty drama but high on the sweet, steamy romance, Kiss My Cupcake was hot and humorous and full of sweet, happy feels. Engaging, entertaining and amusing, and I polished off this easy-to-read treat with a smile on my face. Helena Hunting’s Kiss My Cupcake gets 4.5 smooches from me!
~Danielle Palumbo, Red Cheeks Reads

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Pub for a copy of Kiss My Cupcake in exchange for my honest review.

Blaire is finally seeing her dreams of own a cupcakery come true with the opening of Buttercream and Booze. Buttercream and Booze is not just a cupcakery but also a spot to sit back and enjoy a cocktail while eating a delectable cupcake. Everything seems too good to be a true and it might just be when she meets Ronan, the owner of the bar that's about to open next door. Ronan and Blaire don't exactly hit it off on the right foot. Ronan might be easy on the eyes in his form fitting flannel for his axe throwing bar but he also acts like a teenager. Although Ronan acts like a teenager and Blaire gives him the cold shoulder she can't seem to shake his appearance everyday to get one of her cupcakes. When a famous Youtuber hosts a Best Bar of the PNW contest that could put a bar on the map it's every man and woman for him/herself...or is it?


Kiss My Cupcake was my first Helena Hunting novel. It's sweet but also slightly steamy. I was disappointed that the sexier parts didn't come until over halfway through the book. Ronan and Blaire had a lot of chemistry so as reader you knew it was only a matter of time, even if it wasn't a romance. I'm looking forward to picking up more past and future books by Helena Hunting.

This was an adorable hate to love story with steamy romance and more. The two characters I loved so very much and loved reading about each of their businesses.
Gah seriously adored this so much.

Let me start off by saying I've never read a Helena Hunting book before, and now I'm basically questioning every life decision I've ever made! I adored this book! It was well written, funny, cute, steamy, and exactly what I needed right now. From the clever title through the final sentence, the story held my interest and I was completely invested in rival business owners, Blaire and Ronan. I loved the witty banter between them as well as the competition and chemistry, both of which got pretty hot. Highly recommend this one if you're looking for a fun, light romance {with a good bit of steam} that will keep you smiling throughout.
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Blaire Calloway had planned every Instagram-worthy moment of her cupcakes and cocktails shop launch down to the tiniest detail. What she didn't plan on? Ronan Knight and his old school sports bar next door opening on the very same day. He may be super swoony but Blaire hasn't spent years obsessing over buttercream and bourbon to have him ruin her chance at success.
From axe throwing {his place} to frosting contests {hers}, Blaire and Ronan are constantly trying to one up each other in a battle to win new customers. But with every clash, there's also an undeniable chemistry. When an even bigger threat to their business comes to town, they're forced to call a temporary time out on their own war and work together. And the more time Blaire spends getting to know the real Ronan, the more she wonders if it's possible to have her cupcake and eat it too.

Book Chat Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Publication! Kiss My Cupcake is out now!

I’ll admit, I’ve been in a bit of a slump and haven’t been loving any book recently. This one turned it right around for me! I loved this book! It is the perfect romcom for me!

First: I love female entrepreneurs and the cupcake shop was like a dream come true!

Second: Enemies to Lovers—competitors to collaborators—I love this trope! It was done so well. The witty banter, the competitiveness of it all. I love that they were always trying to one up each other.

Third: I need to see the movie! Like this would be so funny and I need to see who will play Ronan!

Also I was all for Harry Potter night at Buttercream and Booze! I mean yes I want to dress like a Hufflepuff and eat a themed cupcake!

These two were as cute as can be. Blaire is a strong, independent business owner who is trying to make it on her own. Ronan is also a business owner who is updating his grandfather’s bar.

These two have this back and forth banter with witty comebacks that will have you cracking up. I loved the messages each one would send each other and how Blaire would always put hers on a cupcake.

I got so tickled when it came to Blaire’s family. Watching them interact was hilarious, and seeing how Blaire interacted with them made me so proud of her. She knew when to stand her ground and stick up for herself.

If you love low angst, funny, and an overall sweet romance, you definitely need to grab this one!

If you’re into cute, funny and quick rom-com that have a feel good feeling, Blaire Calloway is a baker and finds herself in a rivalry with the business owner next door, Ronan but when a third business comes to threaten both their places, they decide to put their pettiness and fighting aside and learn to work together. I loved Ronan's broody attitude, and Blaire's bubbly personality mixed that fire so if you’re a fun of the sunshine and grumpy, you’ll enjoy it. It’s fun, witty, sweet. Definitely a great summer rom-com read!

Kiss My Cupcake started a little slowly, but after a chapter or two the fun, flirty dynamic between Blaire and Ronan really started to fly. This novel was an enemies-to-lovers story, and more of a slow burn than an 'insta-love, which is always a plus for rom-com. For fans of Helena Hunting, there was even a mention of some of her characters from other novels! Overall, this was a quick, fun, read. For fans of 'Meet Cute', this one will not disappoint!

This rivals romance was so much fun! I love all the snark that Blaire gives to Ronan, and their little game of one-upmanship is hysterical. This book is all kinds of sexy and sweet, with a dirty-talking hero and a uptight baker who can't stand the sight of him... at first. But as Ronan and Blaire join forces against a bigger threat in the neighborhood, she finds that he's not all that bad of a guy. And the bickering becomes the biggest form of foreplay with these two.

Her family is a bunch of whackadoodles, and I loved how -- even though they were barely friends at the time -- Ronan sticks up for Blaire amid all of the put-downs and slams her family dishes out along with Thanksgiving dinner. At first glance, June Cleaver-loving Blaire and "tattoo lumberjerk" Ronan are complete opposites. But as they get to know one another, they learn that they have so much in common. And her love for 50s dresses was born from a similar place as his penchant for plaid shirts.

I wish that Helena Hunting would have given some kind of recipe list to go along with Kiss My Cupcake, because some of those creations that Blaire sells sound incredible!!

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily left a review.

Gahhh this book was good! I loved the sassy banter in this one. I giggled throughout the entire book. It was definitely a fun read and one I couldn’t put down! Helena did a fantastic job with making you fall for the characters from the very beginning. This book was just too darn sweet!

This is an enjoyable, fun, flirty, and entertaining read!!

Kiss My Cupcake is an enjoyable, fun, flirty, and entertaining enemies-to-lovers romance about two business owners competing against each other since the day they meet, and ignoring the strong and undeniable chemistry between them.

Blaire is feisty, smart, gorgeous, and a fighter. She wants to succeed on her own, apart from her family business, and her dreams are finally coming through when she opens her own bakery.

Ronan is the guy next door to her bakery. with a sexy lumberjack air that includes tattoos, and a brut's manners, but with a soft and caring side that can't be seen. ⁣However, in the end, I loved how they end up working together in order to keep their business afloat, when a lower prices business opens in their turf.

clairement, j'ai dévoré l'histoire de Blaire et Ronan, j'ai adoré leurs batailles, leurs bons mots, leur histoire, la façon dont l'autrice la met en place et la déroule petit à petit. Ils ont hyper attachants, j'ai eu le sourire tout le long de ma lecture et ça m'a permis de complétement déconnecter du quotidien. Evidemment, j'ai eu à plusieurs reprises envie de cupcakes et de bière, j'ai aimé les voir se battre puis s'allier, ils sont touchants et le final est vraiment hyper mignon. Une lecture géniale d'un bout à l'autre !

An ARC was generously provided. "A balanced diet is a cupcake in one hand and a beer in the other."

Blaire Callaway is finally realizing her dream of opening a bakery. Even with a meddling family who are well known in the restaurant industry, Blair has worked hard to establish Buttercreme and Booze. And she's not about to let her competition next door keep her from making a success of that business. For Ronan Knight, making The Knight Cap profitable, would lead to being able to open his own brewery. So let the games begin!!
I wasn't too sure about Ronan. So he needed a few chapters to grow on me. I liked Blaire. I do wish she would have been more forceful in dealing with her family. But after finishing the book, I really loved the witty banter between the two characters. This was a really quick read. Fans of Hallmark and Rom Com in general will love this book.

Such a light, low angst delight! I've been loving playful, easy rom coms more and more recently, so this hit the spot in a big way. It's sweet and sassy with just a touch of sexy; the kind of book you can devour in one sitting with a smile on your face the whole time. The characters are both likable, the chemistry is there, and the bickering/bantering makes it such a fun read. This is lighter and more of a straight-up rom com than I'm used to by Hunting, but it really worked for me.

The story follows Blaire, a woman finally achieving her dream of opening up a cupcake shop. Everything seems to be going according to plan until she meets Ronan, her lumberjerk of a new business neighbor. He runs the bar next door and the two seem to trade jabs every time they cross paths. They're total opposites who seem to get along like oil and water... until they need to pair up to help their businesses. As rivals become allies, it changes the dynamic and these two see each other in a whole new light.

This is very much Blaire's story, with just hints of how Ronan is feeling along the way. She's a sassy heroine who can hold her own, so that wasn't an issue for me. Sure, I would've loved more Ronan - who wouldn't - but it keeps the story light. It's an "enemies" to lovers romance where our couple may bicker but there's more underneath it all. There's some humor and playfulness with just a little bit of steam, choosing instead to focus on the lighter elements. While this doesn't have the grit or sexuality of some of Hunting's other books, the tone works perfectly for the story. It's exactly what you'd expect from a book with the title - lots of foodie goodness, banter, and an uncomplicated story, executed with the skill of a seasoned author. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review of this rom com.

Oh how I love me some Helena Hunting stories!

Kiss My Cupcake is everything I know and love!  We got cupcakes, cocktails, a swoony tattooed hero and a heroine that is just divine!

This is the story of Ronan and Blaire.  Competing business owners and rivals for the title of Best Bar in the Pacific Northwest.

Blaire is feisty, she is fun and she is a fashion goddess! I loved how her in her quest for normal reflected in what she wore and she made no apologies for it.  Her very eclectic upbringing further pushes her for normalcy.  I loved her initial reaction to Ronan and her inner dialogue when it came to him.

Ronan is swoony, dressed in plaid! I loved his history and the reason for fighting to bring his family bar back from the brink.  I love how he feeds of riling Blaire up and his nickname for her is precious and so spot on!

The fireworks and hormones fly with these two from the get-go! I loved their interactions and the push and pull of their personal and business relationships! The dialogue and chemistry between these two was epic!

The secondary characters bring a completeness to the story and I love to see some of them get their own stories in the future!

I just love Helena Hunting's writing and I love an enemies-to-lovers romance. Plus, cupcakes?! Yes, I was here for this story. Ronan and Blaire's banter was wonderful and kept me invested the whole way through. There is just something about that back and forth that turns into a-whole-nother type of back and forth, if ya know what I mean? I just wanted them to get to it! Their families added some good elements to their story in different ways. Ronan's grandfather was great. Blaire's family, not so much. As per usual, Helena Hunting brought the laughs with the realness. Overall, this was a sweet enemies-to-lovers romance that made me soooooo hungry with the amazing food descriptions. I'd obviously recommend it!

Ronan and Blaire are both opening their own establishments to prove to family members that they can do things on their own. Things do not start off on the right foot and they quickly become enemies when they are constantly trying to one-up each other. When a big-name restaurant moves in across the street they call a truce and start to work together. Kiss My Cupcake is a enemies to lovers sugary romance which is told in the dual first-person point of view.

Kiss my cupcake has all of the feels, will have you laughing out loud and craving cupcakes. The tension between Ronan and Blaire as they attempt to fight their attraction is comical but when they do finally start their truce they are as sweet as a cupcake. Gramps is great at putting in his two cents without anyone knowing he is doing it. I hope that some of the side characters like Lars and Daphnie get their own books. Helena Hunting has been a TBR author of mine for a long time and I am glad I finally got to read her books and will be adding all her backlist to my TBR.

*ARC generously provided in exchange for my honest review.*

3.75 stars. This was a cute book! Kiss My Cupcake is a standalone book and is Blaire and Ronan's story. Blaire has dreamed of opening her own cupcake and cocktail shop and her dream is finally coming true. Ronan has just taken over his family bar next door. When the two meet, a rivalry begins between them and their shops, as well as an attraction to each other. They soon find themselves competing for business and also in a best bar social media contest. But they also find that they really like each other. Soon they are working together to make their businesses better and falling in love.

This book had a good story. It was a low angst and low heat level story, but it was very cute. I enjoyed the cupcake and the rival bars theme, as well as the descriptions of Blaire's cute outfits. There was a fun, frenemies to lovers vibe and I enjoyed the "wrapped up in a bow" HEA ending. This book would make an adorable rom-com movie. I did think it felt a little too light and I didn't feel a ton of emotions from it, but the cuteness factor and how entertaining it was made up for that.

Overall, this was a fun, sweet, easy read. Blaire and Ronan were cute together. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Ms. Hunting in the future!

Kiss My Cupcake is everything I want in a romance and more! Filled with sweet banter, massive desire, and undeniable chemistry! I quickly fell in love with the writing of Helena Hunting and found myself unable to put the book down.

Opening a bakery next door to a bar wasn't the plan, but as Blaire vies for customers, she finds herself trying to pretend her attraction to Ronan doesn't exist. Like all good romances, this leads to comedic moments and a relationship I love to see succeed.

Thank you Forever, Netgalley, Helena Hunting, and Social Butterfly for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

Super cute. Low angst, almost minimal conflict. Gives you all the happy feelings.

Kiss My Cupcake is filled with lovable characters, fun small shop shenanigans, and a romance that is completely sweet and a bit steamy. I really enjoyed these two as people and a couple, although Ronan stole the show for me.

The plot is very low angst, and the conflict while there comes late in the plot and is resolved very quickly. My preference is for a bit more angst and substantial conflict, but it is a light and fun read with some good themes about family and relationships.

If you love low angst books, this is a must read for you. It was sweet and fun and entertaining, as any Helena Hunting novel is.