Rating: 4/5

Book #2 in the King Family Series; Tanner was demoted to work at with fathers ice cream company, and is now working with his ex, Lucy. They broke up in the past because Tanner moved to quickly with the “L” word. But Lucy is considering what a second chance could mean for them both.

Not as good as book 1, and with a much sweeter (lol get it, bc ice cream) of a storyline with a second chance & office romance trope. This book addresses emotional manipulation and abuse from parents and siblings, and thing it was done well. Tanner is just ideal goals, and Lucy’s character growth was also very adorable! You get a spicy scene with a couple extra spice references which definitely adds to the strengths of the romance! My only qualm is the sub-plot of one of Tanner’s brother was a interesting kinda story, that I wish we got more too cause it seemed kinda just thrown in there. But other than that, really enjoyed reading this series so far, and can’t wait for Ryan’s story to be released Sept. 2022!!

Thank you NetGalley & Haver Street Press for an eARC copy of Cream and Punishment, by Susannah Nix, in exchange for my honest review!

Cream and Punishment is my first book by Susannah Nix. I loved the play on the book title, second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes, the cover was impossible to resist and the author came highly recommended.

The story is about Lucy Dillard and Tanner King who not only fell in love instantly with Lucy, he told her causing them to break up after only a few weeks of dating because she only wanted a casual relationship. Honest misunderstanding, right?

There’s only one problem, they work together, and when is transferred to her department they’re forced to work out through their breakup. As they spend time together, Lucy begins to realize Tanner is kind, loyal and totally worth falling for.

I have not read MY CONE AND ONLY, the previous book in the series and therefore was a bit lost with all the complex family drama (abusive parents) and relationships (Tanner has a basketball team worth of siblings!), which felt overwhelming and overshadowed the main romance between Tanner and Lucy.

Setting that aside, Tanner was sweet and sexy, and I loved his ability to quote Jane Austen. He’s pretty much swoon worthy. And there’s great tension and chemistry between the two.

I’d very much like to go back and read the first book and then continue with the series.

Cream and Punishment is the second book in Susannah Nix's King Family series, and after loving My Cone and Only, I couldn't wait to read this one!

Cream and Punishment tells the story of Tanner King and Lucy Dillard. It's a second chance romance that's full of feelings, awkward encounters, ice cream, and some great steamy scenes. It was a really fun read and it grabbed me from the beginning. I really loved both characters, too. They felt authentic and I was truly invested in their story together, and I can't resist a great cinnamon roll hero! The added family dynamics that came into play as the story developed really fleshed out the character backgrounds and their struggles.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I highly recommend picking it up along with My Cone and Only! I can't wait to see what comes next for the King Family...especially after that ending!

Thank you so much to Haver Street Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy! This review is voluntary, and all opinions are honest and my own.

What I Loved:
❤ Tanner is my new book boyfriend. I dare you to read this book and not fall head over heels for him.
❤ Lots of funny moments
❤ Lots if swoony moments (see point 1)
❤ Mostly realistic relationship progression
❤ Ice cream bread. Who knew that was a thing? I do now!
❤ Did I mention Tanner is incredible?

Overall I really enjoyed this, probably more so than the 1st book in the series, and I'm really looking forward to Ryan's story.

While I read the e-book, I'm thrilled to see Chris Brinkley narrating this one! I may have to give it a reread on audio down the road!

“ Find and fight for love “ is indeed what happens in Cream and Punishment. I love this new series and while I really enjoyed the first book, this one checks more boxes for my preferences and I really loved it. I’m a sucker for a second chance romance anyway so maybe that’s why I can’t be so biased 🙈.
Both Tanner and Lucy try to find their place in life and in their job so when they are forced to work together, a truce must be made for them to keep their jobs.
I’m so looking forward to read the next books in the series because some of the King brothers sound really interesting and can’t wait to see their own love story evolve.

Very grateful to the author for my review copy.

A huge thank you to the author for my copy!

4⭐️ 4🌶

CW: toxic family/parents

What I LOVED: When I finished My Cone and Only and found out that Tanner’s book was next, I WAS EXCITED especially knowing the tropes his book will have and OMG, I was blown away. I absolutely loved this book! It had all the tropes I love such as lovers to enemies to friends to lovers, second chance and workplace romance. I was eating up all the initial awkwardness given that they went from exes to coworkers and all the unresolved feelings and sexual tension that more times they spent together. I enjoyed their journey as they forgave each other, became friends and eventually, went back to being lovers. Ultimately, I swooned so hard over their chemistry, banter and intimate scenes!

I also loved Tanner and Lucy individually! Lucy was such a strong and smart MC and Tanner was the perfect love interest but with the both of them suffering from toxic families and relationship problems, I was both heartbroken and frustrated by how much I related to them.

What I LIKED: With the abundance of drama and siblings in the King family, I’m beyond excited for more books and to just learn more about them deeply especially as I meet more of its members and discover shocking revelations from one book to another.

From the first book, I was definitely most excited for Ryan’s book so I was so happy to learn that we’re getting it next! (Also, that cliffhanger ending was to die for!) At this point, the next sibling I’m anticipating to meet is Brady 🤪

What I DIDN’T ENJOY: I think I just hated Lucy’s family way too much that it was hard for me especially to read those chapters with her mother in it.

THIS BOOK IS PERFECT FOR: fans of swoony romcoms with lovable characters! If you’re looking for a quick read with light angst and steam then I highly recommend this series!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy of this book.

Cream and Punishment is a second chance romance which followers Lucy and Tanner who used to date… until Tanner told her he loved her and Lucy ran a mile. A few months later they end up working together and soon come to the realisation that old feelings are still there.

Firstly, I can’t describe how happy it made me to see the author put content warnings at the beginning of the book, this is truly such an important thing to see and not something that’s done enough!

This was a sweet enough book and I loved the workplace setting, an ice cream company?! Mmm yes please… I would have liked some more descriptions of the ice cream being the massive foodie that I am but I still really enjoyed the descriptions that we did get.

It was really nice to see some depth added to this romance story with both characters suffering from difficult family relationships. I thought the author did a great job at this and it added a lot to the book for me.

However, I struggled to feel massively connected to the characters and being a fan of friends to lovers I thought I would really love this one. I’ve never read a lovers-to-exes-to-friends-to-lovers romance before and I was excited for it but it fell a bit flat for me. Overall, it was an easy read and the cliffhanger at the end of the book was unexpected!

If you like second chance, slow burn, workplace romances then I’m sure this one would be one for you!

Once I started this I didn’t want to put it down! I love the grumpy/sunshine element to the story. Seeing Lucy and Tanner find their way back to each other and embrace their relationship in a whole new light was so beautiful. I really didn’t like Lucy’s mom but I’m so proud of her for putting her foot down and standing up for herself and taking what she deserves. When Lucy proposed to Tanner I was so teary eyed. A untraditional bookstore proposal? Perfect. That cliffhanger has me so excited for the next book on the series!

Cream and Punishment is my first book by this author and I enjoyed this so much! I'm a huge fan of second chance romance and this delivered in every single way imaginable. Lucy and Tanner were perfect together. I loved their dynamic and it elevated the book. The book also covers heavy topics which I appreciated.

This is the first book I read from both Susannah Nix and the King Family series. I haven't heard a lot from her and I think this book has was a great way to be introduced to her and her books. Cream and Punishment is a light and fluffy read that discusses true to life issues like infidelities, divorce, and chronic illness. I love how Susannah tackled all of these in her book.

It started out slow and I didn't think it would take me this long to read it because I'm so used to slow burn romances. What intrigued me about this book is that it is a second chance romance, I haven't read that many second chance romance and quite honestly, I didn't like it before. But this gives me a whole new perspective about the trope and I think I'm going to start reading more books about it.

If you're a new reader, learning the English language through books, or if you're just looking to expand your vocabulary, this would be a perfect book for you. It has a lot of uncommonly used words and they would add to your vocabulary knowledge. You have to ready your dictionary because it was quite a lot. and I've never used most of those words before but it was really easy enough to understand based on the context

It was quite confusing at first because of the dysfunctional family they have but you get used to it. I love every character's back story and eventually, their character development and how they handled every issue that they have. It's safe to say that I'm going to expect more of Susannah Nix's works, it has been amazing to discover little gems like this.

Susannah Nix is a new-to-me author but I've heard good things about her writing so I decided to give her King Family series a try. I'm not a stickler for reading a series in order unless there are continuity/world building concerns, which usually isn't the case in contemporary romances with multiple siblings/friends being the main characters so I had no qualms diving into book two, Cream and Punishment. On the surface it's a second chance romance, but it definitely has more depth when it comes to family and relationships. My reading experience was a positive one, so I'm already penciling in book three on my calendar.

Tanner King's family owns a large ice cream manufacturing business in the small Texas town of Crowder. Tanner has worked for the company in various capacities since he was a teenager, but his most recent stint in sales has been a dismal failure. Demoted to being a mascot, his sister Josie rescues him and offers him a job in her marketing department where she is short-handed.  It's a godsend with one major inconvenience – he'll be working directly with his ex-girlfriend Lucy. Their relationship had been great, so great that he'd told her he loved her, at which point she'd bolted, leaving him confused and hurt. Working in the same company they've been able to avoid each other - until now.

Lucy Dillard has a lot going on in her life and no time for a relationship. It was just one of the many reasons she'd ditched Tanner in a panic.  Avoiding him and his scowls had been her main goal along with proving herself worthy of a promotion in the marketing department. With Tanner's reassignment as her co-worker, she's dreading the awkwardness but will fake-smile her way through. But Tanner is respectful and helpful, showing signs that despite what went down between them, he doesn't hold a grudge. In fact, Lucy's beginning to realize that she might have made a big mistake. Will Tanner be willing to give her a second chance?

There's a content warning preface for the reader that the story contains depictions of toxic, narcissistic parents as well as passing references to accidental deaths and cancer. While the latter are not delved into too deeply, there is a lot of time spent on the parental issues.  Tanner's father has been married multiple times, cheated on all his wives, and Tanner has never been able to do anything right in his eyes, hence his constant feelings of failure and unhappiness. I confess, having just finished this book, that I'm not exactly clear how Tanner is related to each of his blood/half/step siblings, though the important aspect is that he gets along well with the majority of them and can count on them in a pinch. There are several scenes with him and various siblings that show their closeness despite their father.

As for Lucy, well her family situation is even worse. She has a mother who, since her husband left her for his assistant, has played the role of victim only too well, leaving Lucy to constantly pick up the pieces. Lucy's brother Matt is nice but clueless to the reality of how hard Lucy works to keep the house in order and keep her mother from going into depressive tailspins, while maintaining a full time job outside the home with dreams of someday not being responsible for anyone but herself. Tanner's initial declaration of love in their short lived relationship had been like another weight on her shoulders, the expectation of having another person to care for without understanding that a real relationship is supposed to be a two-way street. There are some scenes between Lucy and her mother that had me gritting my teeth in empathy for her and for anyone who has experienced that kind of relationship with a family member in real life.

Lucy and Tanner had never gotten past the surface of a real relationship the first time around, so while Tanner still cares for Lucy, he's wary of going too fast when she asks if he'd consider trying again. As they open up to each other about what it's really like for them with their respective parents, Tanner is able to understand why Lucy broke things off and convince her that a real partnership means sharing each other’s burdens. I liked how they both grow over the course of the story, each taking a stand for their own happiness, both individually, and together. The workplace relationship concerns are minimal - they are co-workers and even though Tanner has more clout superficially, he would never do anything to harm Lucy's position.  The attraction between them is real, and there are some sexy scenes that show sex was never a problem for them before or now. Above it all, Tanner comes across as a really nice guy whom any woman could be proud to call her partner, something Lucy is grateful to realize in time. Their happy ending comes with positive outcomes not just for their relationship but for a better balanced family life too. I'm invested in the King siblings now and look forward to continuing the series.

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The King family saga continues in Cream and Punishment and I am ecstatic! Tanner is a complete cinnamon roll of a hero and almost the polar opposite of Wyatt. I love his sweetness, patience, and protectiveness for Lucy. He just wanted her to be happy, just wanted to be her soft place to land when life was tough. Oh, dear Lucy, being the only stable member of a hugely dysfunctional family is stressful and beyond exhausting. Initially, I wasn't sure why she'd break up with Tanner, but as the story progressed and things became clear my heart ached for her. Part of me was amazed by her dedication, but the other part of me was internally screaming for her to stand up and choose herself for once. I was so glad when she did. Their dynamic is sweet sweet perfection.

Literally the only thing I struggled with, is when Tanner says "I can't eat all of this sugar or I'll get diabetes" (or something along those lines). I know a lot of people say that off-handly as a joke (I'm honestly not here to condemn, I really mean this with as much love as possible). Can we all please stop saying that? It's completely inaccurate, and frustrating for people that have to deal with not only diabetes constantly, but also all of the misinformation and unsolicited advice.

I am thoroughly enjoying the world that Susannah Nix has built. With its complexity, and all of the potential for future novels and spinoffs, I could make a pretty long list of all of the things I'd like to see, but I'll sit tight and be patiently-ish waiting for what's next. You could read this without having read My Cone and Only, but why would you!? They're both phenomenal.

I absolutely loved this book!!!

Tanner and Lucy are exes who can’t seem to avoid each other. When Tanner said those three words he thought it meant forever but Lucy had other ideas.

I love second chance romances and I almost love them more when the man is more in love, the best part is Tanner quotes Jane Austen, and the even better part he quotes from my favorite book, Pride & Prejudice!!!

I also loved that this book was a dual POV, in romance novels especially I adore hearing both perspectives as it pains me to not know what the other is thinking.

Thank you NetGalley and Harvey Street Press for this opportunity to review this amazing novel. I also want to thank Susannah Nix for writing this wonderful book! I cannot wait to read more!

Ugh, I loved this book even more than the first book. We are back with the King siblings. Andie and Wyatt from the first book also appear.

I love Tanner so much. He is the sweetest, most perfect guy ever. 😭 I was seriously crying happy tears. I wouldn't change a single thing about this book. I love the author's style of writing.

If you like:
Second chance romance ✔
Sweet gooey cinnamon roll MC ✔
Spice ✔
Family drama ✔

That ending, omg. I can not wait for the next book. Highly recommend this one! Get it January 18th! You should be able to pre-order it now

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Haver Street Press for the ARC.

There are so many things I could say...
Tanner is wonderful. Period.
I get Lucy more than I'd like to admit.
Lucy's mom.... oy. Trigger warning for mental health issues.
Tanner's dad... oy. Slap a ho.
Love the Andie and Wyatt appearances.
THAT CLIFFHANGER THO!

The second entry in Susannah Nix's sprawling King Family series is a sweet second chance romance. Lucy and Tanner dated for a few weeks, but then he dropped the L-word while she was thinking things were casual, and they haven't spoken since. Until now, when Tanner is Lucy's new coworker in the marketing department of his family's ice cream empire. Suddenly they're working together every day, and in danger of losing their heads (and hearts) over each other all over again.

This book comes with a much-needed content warning for relationships with narcissistic parents. Both Lucy and Tanner are dealing with substantial family issues, which may make it difficult for some readers to enjoy this book. But otherwise, this was another great book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

“Because I’m pretty sure you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, only apparently I was too broken to realize it until I’d lost you.”

Is there anything better than a second chance romance? Not in my book! I think this trope has become my favorite in recent months, and books like this one are the reason for it!

Tanner and Lucy were perfect for each other. Or so Tanner thought until Lucy dumped him the minute he said “I love you.” Fast forward six months and these two end up working together at Tanner’s family’s company, King’s Creamery. It’s going to be a little awkward working together but they can totally handle it, right?

I loved this book! Tanner and Lucy compliment each other perfectly and watching them slowly start to rediscover their feelings was everything I was hoping it would be. Tanner is such a cinnamon roll and so easy to love. He is quiet and nerdy with a love for organization and poetry. The man drops literary quotes in the bedroom…what’s not to love? Lucy is fun and (also) nerdy and I loved watching her character develop throughout the story. There are some very complex family issues that both characters have to deal with, so if this is a trigger for you, proceed with caution.

This second chance, slow burn, workplace romance was heartwarming and witty with a lot of depth. And can we talk about those steamy open door love scenes for a minute? *fans face* Wooh! I was not expecting all that, but I am here for it!

With it’s Pride and Prejudice references, dual POV (my favorite) and expert handling of difficult topics, this book has become a new favorite. This is actually the second book in the King Family series, but I read it as a standalone. I plan to check out the first book, My Cone and Only, before the third book is released! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Haver Street Press for the advanced copy to read and review. Cream and Punishment will be available on January 18.

This is a cute but predictable rom-com. Tanner and Lucy have this seemingly perfect enemies to lovers romance. Lucy is a little too immature for my liking, but I enjoyed reading about Tanner.

This is the second book in the King Family series, which is set in the small town of Crowder, home of the King’s Creamery ice cream company. It can be read as a standalone, but reading the first book, My Cone and Only (Wyatt x Andie’s story), would help you fully understand the family dynamics.

Cream and Punishment is Tanner King’s story, and is a second chance romance. The book starts shortly after Tanner having told Lucy that he loves her, leading to Lucy unexpectedly breaking up with him. The two end up having to become coworkers, dealing with both the unresolved issues between them, as well as their respective strained parent relationships.

I really love how Tanner and Lucy grew and developed throughout the book, and the banter between the pair. Tanner, in particular, was my favourite character of the book; he was so sweet and supportive towards Lucy, and he regularly quotes literature! I also enjoyed getting more glimpses of the rest of the King Family, particularly EMT Ryan, who’s book is up next in the series!


Tropes:
- Second Chance Romance
- Forced Proximity (Workplace)
- Hero falls first

CW: toxic parental relationships

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Haver Street Press in exchange for an honest review.]

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC! As always my opinions are 100% honest. Cream & Punishment is the second in the King Family series, and will be available from 18th January.

This book got off to an incredible start by having the TWs listed on the very first page - something I always massively appreciate in a novel. I really enjoyed the trope, which was totally new to me - lovers to enemies to friends to lovers!

The pacing of the first half was great - I loved the office setting and how unique the story was.

This would have been a solid three star all things considered. However, that was until I got to a line where the term PTSD was brought into a sentence about how a character ‘must have been out of their mind’ to break up with someone. Please can we stop the ridiculous references to very serious mental health conditions? These levels of ignorance are not ok.

I also disliked the steamy scenes. I’m all for spice, but the level of detail was way too much for me.

If you want an easy, small town romance you may like this. But after the PTSD line, I was sadly left feeling disheartened.