It's a business deal that's gone personal. My first Miranda Liasson book is a delightful read. Her characters are witty and endearing and her setting is homey and warm. 

Tessa Montgomery is a pastry chef who sacrificed her dreams after high school to take care of her family after losing her father and helping run the family business. Now the business is floundering and her fiance, Sam, dumped her for another woman. Stuck in a small town. Labeled as a spinster. It's enough to break anyone. Until the sexy hot "Leo the Legend" Castorini walks into her bakery and makes her an offer she can't refuse.

Leo Castorini is back from New York to help his father's restaurant succeed.  All the restaurant needs is some new changes to go with the times, but Leo's dad isn't having it. His dad believes Leo needs to marry and settle down to boost their sales and then he would listen to his new ideas. So Leo offers a deal with the girl who broke his heart in high school. To marry and present a united front to their families and pitch an idea to save both of their families' businesses. But how do you convince two families who have been feuding for decades?

Yes, the idea is ridiculous to marry, move in together, and lie to your families, but it's a love story that will appeal to your heart. After all, desperation is a powerful motive and people have done much worse. I really like Leo's enthusiasm and optimism despite his reputation as a playboy. As a man who doesn't want to be tied down, he definitely embraces his new life with Tessa. He's attentive and supportive when Tessa needs it most and he truly cares about her well-being. Tessa is hilarious with her fantastic sense of humor and teasing jabs which Leo takes in stride. Her reveal about the scholarship Leo won in high school is heartbreaking and says a lot about her sweet and giving nature. She is very tentative about trusting Leo after Sam's betrayal, but how can you be mad at this man's gorgeous megawatt smile that seems to blow all the bad things out of the water.  Of course, there is a secret that puts a crack in their new romance, but with love and forgiveness and wonderful support from family and friends, it truly is a HEA.

I love Tessa and Leo's family and friends. Though there was a feud between the elders in the families for years, Leo and Tessa did an excellent job working together as a team to make everything work out. In fact, the elders may have found some happiness as well.  

I highly recommend this sweet and funny romance with yummy French and Italian food references and lovely family and friends. Another author to add to my TBR list.

Thank you to Ms. Liasson, Entangled Publishing, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an enemies to lovers, fake romance, or second chance at love romance. Take your pick because it could be all three.

I really liked this book. It was very predictable throughout the whole book but the characters are endearing and made you want to keep reading to see how it played out. This is a cute twist on Romeo and Juliet. Leo and Tessa grew up together, their families had a 100 year feud, they competed for the same scholarship, had a little interest in each other in high school but that ended pretty fast. 10 years later and Leo comes back home and the sparks fly between the two. They are both set out to save their family businesses and the only solution of how to do that is to have a real fake marriage. So of course we know what that leads to.

This is a sweet, fun and just enjoyable story. It was fast paced and held my interest. I'd love to see Tessa's sisters have a book.

Such a cute story. I liked all the characters. They were a bit flawed and vulnerable. Leo was attracted to Tessa in high school, but because of some life problems, they didn't work out. Now, years later, Leo is back in town and Tessa is still attracted to him, but their families have been feuding for many years and she knows better than get involved with Leo. When Leo comes to Tessa with a business deal to save both of their parent's businesses, she is skeptical and turns him down. The more she thinks about it, the more she knows he is right. They can help each other. They can keep emotions out of it, right?

Tessa and Leo are the youngest generation of two feuding families, and they have their own competitiveness that goes back to high school. Both the family businesses are in trouble, and they spend the book hoping that their fake marriage will make the older generations take their ideas seriously.
I enjoyed the baking and restaurant running, and the family dynamics. There was a lot of love and tradition in this book, and also learning to listen to yourself and others. Tessa and Leo bantered and squabbled, and they discovered a mutual attraction.
This was a mostly sweet, easygoing book. An enjoyable read.

The Sweetheart Deal
Miranda Liasson
January 25, 2022

Two families, the Montgomery’s and the Castorini’s of the small town of Blossom Glen, Indiana struggle to survive their business issues. The Montgomery’s own a French bakery and cafe. Quite the opposite, the Castorini’s provide townsfolk with their long family history of Italian food. Although both offer delightful cuisine, neither have changed their menus for years. People want something new but each of the owners feel what they offer is the best. Their eldest children, Tessa and Leo have decided that in order for them to help their folks survive the lack of patrons, they will need to work together by proposing a new bill of fare. Tessa is a master pastry chef and would like to go to school in Paris to study and further her talents. Leo, a chef himself, would like to return to New York where he attended school. He had a job he felt comfortable in but with his father’s lack of business skills he needed to return home to make an attempt to settle the accounts. Tessa needed to stay in Blossom Glen to help her mother. Since her father’s death years before, her mother was not proficient at handling the shop. Tessa worked hard at developing new recipes that she knew would sell but getting her mother to agree was another problem.
Leo and Tessa formed an agreement to work together. It was probably not the best of solutions but when nothing seems to succeed sometimes we go to Plan B or C. Liaison’s latest romantic comedy was a delightful story of the two families trying to work next door to each other as well as succeed in their eateries.
The Sweetheart Deal will be published on January 25, 2021 by Entangled Publishing, LLC. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review this new novel by Miranda Liasson. With Ms. Liaison’s request and NetGalley I was able to download the ARC to read prior to publication. It was a humorous, enjoyable selection, especially good with the Valentine season approaching. Don’t hesitate to pick this one up and by all means, enjoy.

I've only read one other by Miranda, and, in all honesty, it wasn't a favorite. I did want to give her another try and I'm so glad I did. I think this was a much needed light and breezy romance fit for my current mood.
Tessa and Leo strike a bargain in order to further their own heart's desires, all work related, of course. What's a fake relationship between frenemies? I think it may be edging up to be a favorite trope.
I quite enjoyed the overall relationship arc and the full cast of characters. It was easy to binge this book in a handful of hours between my Kindle and audio. I think the narration by Virginia Rose perfectly suited the story. The audiobook was great!
Thank you to Entangled and NetGalley for the advanced copy and Dreamscape Media for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Easy read for planes and sitting on the beach. A retelling of Romeo and Juliet with a slight twist. Thank you to Net Galley for providing an advance copy.

I adored this one! The Sweetheart Deal by Miranda Liasson is the first book in her new series Blossom Glen that follows two rivals as they find themselves working together to save their respective family-owned businesses. I don’t know what it is about Liasson’s writing, but she pulls you in to the story and makes you feel everything about the characters and town and businesses featured. Tessa and Leo’s story hits on some of my favorite tropes: nemesis (not really enemies here) to lovers, fake marriage, and business deals. With a Romeo and Juliet set up, The Sweetheart Deal captured my heart and had me grinning through the entire book.

Tessa Montgomery is stuck. She’s never left her home town, her ex-fiancé cheated on her a year ago, and her family’s bakery is barely making ends meet. She has her own dreams but can’t live them out until she knows her mother and sisters will be okay. I hurt for Tessa. She is so misunderstood by her family and the people in her small town. She dreams of being a pastry chef, but her family’s bakery bakes “only bread” and her mother will not budge on that. So she bakes desserts in her free time and gives them to people just so she can at least practice her skills. Tessa is closed off emotionally, has dated most of the single guys in town, and has to face her ex every time he enters the bakery asking for advice on his new lover (seriously, the guy is….just no words). Then enters Leo Castorini with a deal of his own.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Leo at first. I was already super invested in Tessa and wanted to protect her at all costs when he entered the bakery. Leo has lived the life that Tessa wanted. He left Blossom Glen for New York after winning a scholarship they were both up for in high school and never came back. But now he’s back to stay. His father’s restaurant is going under unless Leo does something drastic to save it. The only problem is his dad won’t listen to his ideas, says it’s a “family” restaurant and no one will respect Leo until he is a married, family man. So Leo proposes a trade with Tessa: they get married and save their families’ businesses in the process. Nothing at all could go wrong, right 😉

I liked both of these characters individually, but y’all! Together their chemistry burns through the pages. I loved the banter between them. Tessa and Leo acknowledge fairly quickly their differences and accept that they are working together as partners. In accepting this, they both have each other’s back. They are partners in a true sense. I loved the backstory of how they grew up together, the families have a generations long feud, and their marriage is not only going to save the businesses but end the feud. The alternating POV between Tessa and Leo help us to understand the motives of each character. This also helps us understand when there is a miscommunication that the other person isn’t a complete jerk. I love these two! Have I said that enough?!

Overall, I really enjoyed The Sweetheart Deal, finishing it in just under day. I love the small town setting. All the characters, not just Tessa and Leo, are fully fleshed out, and I’m invested. I’m so excited to see who’s story we will get in the next installment. If you are a fan of enemies to lovers and fake relationships, you are in for a treat with this one! Highly recommend!

Two failing businesses, headed by stubborn individuals and a feud that has lasted several generations is the backdrop to a business agreement disguised as a marriage. When Leo’s father won’t listen to reason and make changes to his restaurant and at the same time says that Leo needs to be a ‘family man’, he comes up with the madcap plan to join forces with Tessa. Together the two businesses will be stronger but the only way to get the Montgomery’s and Castorini’s to interact with each other is to make them one family. Six months to get the businesses on a stronger footing and the marriage/partnership will be dissolved and Tessa will follow her dream of studying to be a pastry chef. Neither intend the marriage to be anything other than temporary but best laid plans…
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In The sweetheart deal by Miranda Liasson,
A baker and a chef begrudgingly join forces to help their struggling family businesses and sparks fly!
This was super cute wholesome romance and the characters are loveable and relatable.
I give it a 3.5⭐ rounded up to 4⭐
If your into feuding family drama, marriages of convenience, and hea. This book checks all those boxes.

The Sweetheart Deal is the first book in The Blossom Glen Series. It is a cute story with a twist on Romeo and Juliet.
Tessa works at her family’s boulangerie and helps take care of her sisters and her mom . She has always dreamed of owning her own bakery but puts the family’s needs before her own happiness.
Leo tries to convince his dad to update the family restaurant to drawn in new customers . His father is reluctant to change. The businesses are next to each other but the family has been feuding for years. Leo comes up with a plan to try and save both businesses.
Miranda Liasson delights with her new series . Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an Arc for my honest opinion.

A great start to a new series by Mirànda Liaisson and my first 5 star read of 2022. Tessa and Leo's families have businesses next to the each other, and although not rivals, are enemies due to a century old feud.

Tessa want to add pastries to get families bread bakery but her mother refuses. Leo wants to revamp their Italian restaurant by adding farm to table options along with takeout. His father is hesitant to make changes because he thinks Leo will leave.

Leo and Tessa decide to enter a business marriage to convince both their parents that expansion and change is good. What can go wrong?

It's a wonderful story of first live, redemption, and second chances. You'll cheer on Tessa and Leo as they traverse the boundaries of their relationship and forge ahead with new and innovative ideas.

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

3.5 stars. A fun, foodie Romeo and Juliet story.

Tessa runs her family's bread store. Leo and his family own the Italian restaurant next door. And their families have been sworn enemies for 100 years. But both the businesses are struggling, so Leo proposes a new business arrangement: get married for 6 months so they can be taken seriously by their parents and get some changes implemented at both shops. But lines start to get blurred and maybe it's not so clear cut after all.

First off, I really enjoyed the premise of this story. Plus it's super foodie, so what's not to love? Both families are a lot but also love Tessa and Leo so much. They are also absolutely there for each other and help build each others' self-esteem in a way that's great to see, even when they're verbally sparring.

On the downside, the third-act break-up was super annoying. There were so many other ways that this book could have gone and you know exactly what's going to happen at like the 20% mark. I feel like all the growth they worked so hard on of months just disappeared.

Overall, if you enjoy marriage of convenience and enemies-to-lovers stories, then this is a fun option to try out. Although I definitely recommend that you have easy access to chocolate croissants while reading.

very fun story to fill a few hours with, along with a cup of hot coffee! It has family loyalty, competition, a long time family feud and a marriage of convenience (or business you could call it). Tess has forfeited her long time dreams to help her sisters and her mom to fulfill theirs. She works nonstop in the family bakery making bread items while her true passion is pastries and desserts. Right next door is a family owned Italian restaurant that has a family feud going with them dating back at least a hundred years. Leo comes back home after a long absence to find his dad struggling to keep the restaurant in the black. With the restaurant and the next door bakery both failing, Leo comes up with a business arrangement that includes marriage to Tessa. Such a tangled web of deception!
What will happen with this secret agreement? Will they find themselves in a tangled mess that will only makes matters worse or even work to solve their problems?
This was a very engaging story with very lovable characters. I could almost smell the delicious food and oh I wanted one of Tessa’s desserts! But thank goodness it was fiction because I’m trying to lose a pound or two!
I received a complimentary ebook of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley but was not required to write a review positive or otherwise.

So Good. Tessa helped her mom and grandmother run the local bakery. Leo had come home after a successfull career in the city but came home to help his dad's restaurant Both business were in trouble and were right next to each other. However, due to a 100 year feud, they did not get along..Leo and Tessa come up with a plan ot help both businesses. It was working to an extent, but of course, problems arose.
The characters in the story were all very good. Each family had to make some changes to grow and admit their mistakes or problems.. The ending was PERFECT!

This was my first book by this author, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. Tessa and Leo are two characters that are so easily to fall in love with. Both just want to help their family businesses succeed. Tessa is so self sacrificing and has a heart we all should strive to have. Leo is an idealist. He just wants to be heard and given a chance to show that his ideas can turn things around. This was a great storyline, especially with the whole family feud aspect. It had heart warming elements, with just the right amount of chemistry between it's characters. This was a start of a new series, so I'm looking forward to the other books coming up.

3 1/2 stars - First time reading this author - I know, she's written plenty of books. This was a cute story of a marriage between two dueling families with the goal to save both families businesses.

The Sweetheart Deal is full of charm and sweetness. Romance fans are sure to love it!

Full review to come on FreshFiction.com.

Have you ever been so desperate that you would marry someone if it would save the two families' businesses? Sounds a little drastic but hey if it works no harm no foul, right? What could possibly go wrong? Entertaining story. Enjoyable rom-com.

This was my first read from Miranda Liasson and am looking forward to reading more of her books. Tessa Montgomery and Leo Castorini had been feuding since they were in high school. Their families didn’t see eye to eye neither kinda like the Hatfields and McCoys. Leo’s family run the Italian eatery next door to the Montgomery bread store. Neither family would step foot inside each other businesses. Until Tessa starts baking her sweet desserts late at night and taking them next door. I loved how they both wanted to help their parents out to keep their family businesses afloat. What I enjoyed the most was why the two were always competing with each other and what Tessa gave up.

I received this as an ARC for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.