Cute story about a man and a woman who start off hating each other and then end up trying to figure out if they do like each other...possibly enough to date? Obviously it’s a predictable ending but loved the storyline and the narrator was great too!

A hate-to-love romance that was funny, steamy, and sweet. Cherisse and Keiran have fantastic chemistry and there were a couple side characters I'd love to read about in a future book. I really enjoyed reading a romance novel that wasn't set in the U.S. or the U.K., especially written by a Trinidadian author. Also, the descriptions of Cherisse's treats made me want to bake. I'll definitely be looking out for more books by Peltier!
Thanks to Dreamscape for the advance audiobook for review!

I almost DNF’d this one, but pushed through because I wanted to see if I could get into it… I don’t think it was really worth it to finish it. Both of the characters just did things that annoyed me so bad, and overall they weren’t bad characters but those things just really bothered me. Like Kieran ALWAYS showing up at Cherisse‘s house without telling her he was coming. It was probably intended to be romantic, but felt manipulative to me. And while the author addressed that, it felt like his explanations and apologies were so forced. I also felt like time progressed awkwardly? Like…. new chapters would start with them being together while i’m the last chapter they were mad or annoyed with each other. I don’t know… this book just didn’t work for me.

I also didn’t love how Cherisse’s cursing was written. I don’t mind the fact she cursed, I do it all the time! The writing of it just felt unnatural, especially with a voice reading out the words to me.

All in all, I was disappointed in this book. LOVED the cover, LOVED that there was bisexual rep for the guys in this book (I feel like we only ever see that in female characters and they still have male love interests, so this one was nice!), and loved the premise of Cherisse being a successful baker. Just overall, there wasn’t enough that I liked to outweigh my dislike of the main characters and conflict.

3.5/5 Stars

Cherisse and Keiran have been rivals since they were teenagers, finding each other unbearable to be around. Now, both are back in Trinidad for a wedding, where they have the covenant roles of maid of honour and best man. This means they will have to work together to pull off a wedding to remember. They didn't plan to fall for each other along the way.

The premise of this book was *chef's kiss*. I absolutely loved the baking descriptions and how Cherisse had her own very successful business. Kieran on the other hand, is successful in the music industry as a producer/songwriter, making Cherisse already wary of him as her last relationship to a music star ended poorly. I thought the banter between Cherisse and Keiran was fun and they had me laughing often. I really enjoyed the two of them together and how their relationship grew from enemies to lovers slowly. I especially love how this is a CHILDHOOD enemies to lovers romance, with Kieran secretly crushing on Cherisse the entire time. Kieran is probably one of my favourite love interests I've read about. He is loving and sensitive, always making sure Cherisse is comfortable with what he is doing. I also love how he is bisexual, and it wasn't made into a huge deal in the book. We need more male bisexuality representation in books! Cherisse made me angry sometimes, the way she treated him was often uncalled for only because he is part of the music industry - unless we didn't get (or I missed) the backstory from their childhood on why she didn't like him. I'm also a big fan of the side characters, especially Remi, Cherisse's bestfriend. Everyone was just so well rounded and had their own personalities.

Overall a steamy and fun romance read, perfect for summer time!

This book swept me off my feet from page one. The pace of the book was really good and I can’t wait to read more books in this series.

This book was so cute! I found it amazing how the other made us fall in love with every single character (that wasn't an antagonist, of course). The setting was really fun and I thought it was cool that it all took place over the time to plan a wedding (from the engagement party to the actual ceremony). Also, the cover is one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen in this genre! The only things that annoyed me were the way Remi was used as the token gay best friend and how we were teased with the idea that she might have a relationship with her high school rival (Keiran's sister, I don't remember her name).

Steamy romantic comedies are my thing! They are my absolute favorite genre and I was so looking forward to listening to this one. Unfortunately, at 80% I'm finally throwing in the towel and marking it as DNF. It's taken me DAYS to get this far and normally I can knock out an audiobook in 1-2 days as I listen while I work.

Pros:
*Love baking, cooking, or any food related books
*enemies to lovers trope
*set in Trinidad
*having to work together as best man/maid of honor for an upcoming wedding.

Cons:
*cringe-worthy moments during what should have been steamy goodness!
*the narrator was fine, but there wasn't enough variation between characters
*at times the writing seemed a bit choppy and didn't flow very well. I wasn't sure if that was because of the writing or narrator.
*It just dragged on!

The audiobook was really great! Story wise, I felt like there was something missing when it comes to these character’s past that made them not feel as flashed out as I would’ve liked and the romance didn’t feel that fully developed! But it was still enjoyable and I don’t regret picking it up at all!

There were a lot of things that I loved about this book and a few things that didn't work for me. I enjoyed the general premise of the story, a pastry chef and a music producer falling in love after hating each other for years. I love me a good hate-to-love story.. LIKE L O V E. But the hate was a little overwhelming and at times was a bit of a turn-off.. I was sitting there thinking "wow they really hate each other how are they ever going to fall in love?" .. so yeah at times their relationship just didn't work for me. I loved them as individual characters, though. They were unique in their own way and I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I found that the narrator did a wonderful job capturing their voices! I'll definitely be tuning in for the rest of the series because I loved the side characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This is unfortunately a DNF at 32% for me. I'm sure that this would be more enjoyable at another time for me, but right now, I can't seem to get into it.

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio ARC edition of this book in exchange for my review.

I really wanted to like this book. I'm new to romance/rom-com/women's fiction/chick lit (whatever it's called!), and the summary sounded good and the reviews are highly rated. The setting is Trinidad and the main characters are Trinidadians - it sounded like it would be interested and I was looking forward to starting the book. But it just didn't work for me. I know women (especially) swearing is a new trend and I understand that this book is reflecting new trends and today's world, but it was a huge turn off for me.

The narration for the book was good, overall. I enjoyed the fact that the narrator didn't force themselves to try different voices for the different characters (outside of Jim Dale, can anyone actually do that well? Not so far as I've heard), and they had a nice lilt to their voice, but the pronunciation for some of the names really threw me off. Maybe that is a Trinidadian pronunciation, and authentic, but I had a bit of trouble following along for that reason, I think.

I feel badly for rating this book down, but for me this book was "OK", which is 2 stars.

A baker and a producer who have been at each other all their lives get thrown together to help with her sisters and his best friends’ wedding.
I liked both characters. The friends were great too.

I loved this book in every way possible. Cherisse has been burned before and is very skittish about getting into a relationship.
Keiran and Cherisse are enemies and they have been for years. They are forced to work together because her sister and his best friend are getting married. they are the main and groom of honour.

Which means lots of interaction and sexual tension. I loved the representation in this book. I am glad that although the setting is in the Caribbean they have added LGBTQA representation

The banter, sexual tension and straight-up smut was so good I didn't want to put it down

Chrystal Bethell (Narrator) did a great job with the voice as she was able to get the accent in there pretty well. I do wish the male voices were a little more recognizable but all in all very good.

Just a lovely read or listen whichever

This is a sweet fluffy story set in Trinidad about two people who have a mutual dislike of each other being forced to work together as Maid of Honor and Best Man in their sister’s/friend’s wedding. I’m always a big fan of the “I don’t like you, but I have to tolerate you because we have to work together” trope that eventually leads to romance, so I was really excited to pick this up. There were so many good things about the story. I loved that Keiran is bi and how much other queer rep there was throughout the novel. I was hungry throughout the whole thing because WOW those food descriptions are no joke. I love how strong-willed and independent Cherisse is both in her personality and in running her own business. That cover is absolutely gorgeous! (I know, I know. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. But look at those colors?!)
Sadly, there were also a few things that made me knock it down a few stars. I actually laughed out loud during one of the steamy scenes because it was so outlandishly cliché that I couldn’t handle it. Don’t get me wrong, I love a little cliché every now and then, but if it’s so cheesy that I cringe and reflexively laugh of secondhand embarrassment, it’s losing points. The end also seemed way too rushed to be properly resolved – I’m not a huge fan of a big gesture apology and immediate makeup. I think characters should actually TALK about their problems before they can be resolved.
I received an audiobook ARC, and while I thought the narrator did a decent job, there was very little difference in the tone/inflection used for each character, so it was sometimes a little hard for me to discern who was supposed to be talking unless it was specifically stated. For some reason, part of my audiobook was also just randomly missing – stopped mid-sentence and skipped to the next chapter, so that was obnoxious. I don’t think I missed a whole lot, but it was still a little aggravating. I hope it was fixed before going public.
Overall, the story was entertaining and the narration was decent. I enjoyed it well enough while it lasted and it was a fairly quick read, though I think I’d be okay if I never ended up reading the sequel.

This is an amazing audio production and a fantastic romance! I just devoured it! Will likely be one of my 2021 faves!

I love baking, so when I spied this romance featuring a heroine who owns a pastry chef business I bumped it to the top of my TBR. Sweethand's heroine is Cherisse—the Sugar Queen of Trinidad—beloved for her delicious treats and charming demeanor. The only person who doesn't seem to like her is Keiran, a music producer and the best man at her sister's wedding. The two have been at odds since childhood, but are determined to play nice for the sake of the wedding. Turns out the close proximity is just what they needed to finally realize how good they could be together.

There were so many lovely things about this book, including the way Cherisse and Keiran's relationship was given time to truly develop, making their journey from sniping at each other to realizing they genuinely liked each other one that was such fun to follow. The friend group really stands out here (hilarious, supportive, and gently nudging our leads along), as does the fact that it is packed with queer characters finding joy and living their best lives, which made it such a delight to read. Keiran is bi, and I particularly loved how Peltier wrote his conversation with Cherisse when he chose to share this with her.

I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Chrystal Bethell. This sweet debut has me looking forward to what N.G. Peltier does next.

This book was super fun and enjoyable, but it's one of those books I couldn't really get into? I was super into it at first and then... not. It's just one of those books with lots of pros and a few cons but that I didn't love 🤷‍♀️

PROS :
• The amazing FOOD DESCRIPTIONS
• Dual POV very well done
• Enemies-to-lovers trope
• So much diversified queer rep
• The hilarious bickering
• Headstrong independent WOC
• Delightful queer secondary characters
• A wedding SLUMBER PARTY for both the bride and groom instead of individual bachelor(ette) parties??? 😍
• Normalizing a woman who swears and drink
• Mom trying to match her daughter (I love to hate this, so it's definitely a pro ahaha)
• Small town vibes
• Consent

CONS :
• The book is veryyy slow burn and dragged on a bit too much for me
• Rushed ending

As I read more and more romances, I am learning that those who claim that books are "enemies to lovers" typically aren't enemies. It's usually a situation of people that don't like each other due to some presumption and/or miscommunication, and that's exactly the category that Sweethand falls into. That being said, this is still a fantastic story.

First and foremost, this story takes place in Trinidad and Tobago with a full cast of Black characters as well as Black queer characters (heck yes for the rep!).

This story follows Cherisse, a phenomenal baker and Kieran (bisexual), a musician. These two despised each other in high school, but now that Cherisse's sister is marrying Kieran's close friend, they are now expected to be amicable towards one another in order to fulfill their duties as maid of honor and best man.

I immediately fell in love with Cherisse and Kieran because of their word sparring. Neither one was willing to let the other get the last word, so the banter was always top notch. Now to the important parts, the steam. Whew, this book was definitely steamy. I definitely had to take some swigs of ice water to cool down while reading this one. It was much appreciated.

If you're looking for a steamy romance filled with charismatic main characters and some amazing side characters then definitely check this one out.

This was ok. I liked the plot, but not much happened. The romance wasn't terrible, but the characters didn't have much chemistry.

DNF at 35%. I’m really bummed to say this book didn’t work for me. I was so excited for it that I preordered the ebook, bought the paper book from an indie bookstore and was super excited to get the audiobook from Netgalley and Librofm. I wanted to love it and am absolutely OBSESSED with the cover.

Unfortunately the story just wasn’t working for me. Best man and maid of honor in a wedding who can’t stand each other but need to work together on wedding events. Okay - it’s been done before but I’m always willing to see the same bones molded into a new story. However the story just wasn’t there for me - I’m not getting where all their animosity comes from and also not feeling any chemistry.

I wasn’t the right reader for this one but will still try other books by the author. And this cover still has my whole heart!!