Mira Harlow, a bakery owner and single mother, is at her wit's end. Her life is in chaos, balancing a 14-year-old son, a demanding business, and caring for her mother. When her ex-boyfriend plans to attend a high-profile wedding, she decides to show she's moved on by asking a stranger, Cole Sanderson, to be her fake date. Cole, a former rock musician, agrees, and the two embark on a weekend filled with unexpected chemistry, humour, and ultimately, the potential for real love.

It is a delightful romcom that brings together two characters at a crossroads in their lives. Mira Harlow, the overworked single mom and bakery owner, is a relatable protagonist whose life is a balancing act. Her stress peaks when she learns her ex-boyfriend will be at a wedding in their small ski town, leading to a wild scheme where she kisses a stranger and asks him to be her date.

Cole Sanderson, the stranger and ex-rock musician, is the perfect counterpart to Mira's chaos. He's seeking a new direction in life, and the fake dating setup provides the spark they both need. Their chemistry is electric from the start, and their interactions are filled with witty banter and heartfelt moments.

The narrative is driven by the humorous situations that arise from fake dating, but it doesn't shy away from exploring deeper themes of family, resilience, and personal growth. Mira's dedication to her son and mother is touching, while Cole's journey from rock star to someone seeking stability adds depth to his character.

The relationship between Mira and Cole evolves naturally, with moments of vulnerability and tenderness that build toward a satisfying conclusion. Jess K Hardy skillfully balances humour with heartfelt emotion, creating a story that feels both light-hearted and meaningful. By the end of the wedding weekend, the question becomes whether this fake romance can turn into something real, and the journey to that answer is both entertaining and endearing.

Tropes/Themes:
*Fake dating
*Single mother
*Wedding drama
*Second chances
*Small-town romance
*Humorous misunderstandings

Overall, Lips Like Sugar is a charming and engaging romantic comedy that will leave readers smiling. Jess K Hardy's skilful storytelling and memorable characters make this book a must-read for romance fans.

I read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I ended up buying the first book but couldn't wait to read this one. I'll read it after, now that I know how adorable the other characters are.
I'm a few of years younger than the MCs, but I was astonished by how accurate everything was. For example, the teenage son and his moods (100%), worrying about your parents whilst still looking after your kids. Being unsure about whether or not your life has the time to accommodate another person, let alone love them. and the issues with menopause. Just so real, all of it.
Definitely keen to read more in this series.

OMG, I loved Lips Like Sugar so much! Cole and Mira have such a strong and instant chemistry and, according to me, the author did an amazing job at making readers feel it. Their love story is sexy, fun, swoony, spicy, and totally dreamy. And, at the same time, it is realistic and relatable. Basically, It's the story of two people who have to overcome their fears in order to find their way to each other. And I loved every single moment of it!
Plus, let me tell you what a joy it was to go back to Bluebird and meet its residents once again. Seriously, I love these characters so much that I wish this series would go on forever.

Lips Like Sugar is a Gen X romance which is a fresh twist to the fake dating trope that brings this couple together. The first book in this series, “Come as You Are”, is still my favorite and I highly recommend checking it out, but this sequel was still a good read! Mira and Cole’s relationship develops naturally as they navigate long distance, their children, and their personal goals. I think both characters were well written and helped each other grow and realize that even as adults they are allowed to do things for themselves. One of my favorite parts of Jess Hardy’s writing is that she thoughtfully touches on hard topics. The first book talked a lot about addiction and while that was mentioned in this book, I appreciate how she openly portrayed dementia development in Mira’s mother. Overall, I think both books in this series are worth the read!

Fake dating is one of my favourite romance tropes. I just can't help myself! The fact that the main characters were older than the usual romance books that I read was really refreshing and I just loved it. I haven't read the first book in the serires yet, but you can bet I'll be rushing to pick it up now!

I didn’t think Jess Hardy could improve on “Come As You Are”. I was so wrong! This series fills a void in the genre, one GenXers like myself are craving. This book has it all: romance, nostalgia, angst, rare honesty, great supporting characters, chemistry, & a fabulous build.

I received this ARC in exchange for a review, but loved it so much that I’ve since purchased it in all formats.

Romance doesn't have an age limit or standard or any guidelines to follow. Jess K. Hardy proves that very well with Mira and Cole. Captivating, heartwarmingly sweet love story from a perspective that would otherwise be overlooked. Mira and Cole will forever be stamped on my heart. Beautifully written, inspiring, and I can't wait to read more Bluebird Basin stories.

Thank you netgalley and publishers for the ARC.

5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

Jess seriously knows how to write a good small town romance. I loved everything about this book and loved the little bits we got of Madigan and Ashley and Murphy!!

Cole and Mira meet one day when he walks into her bakery and then she proceeds to try to make an ex jealous! I loved Cole’s shock in that moment. He was seriously one of the best MCs I’ve read this year. I loved how emotional and confident he was. I loved how event though he’s in his 50s he still believed in love and happy endings. His soul was portrayed so beautifully in these pages. I love when an MC is obsessed with the FMC and Cole was the obsessed head over heels golden retriever I never knew I needed.

Mira’s character was fantastic and I loved her. She’s quirky, but isn’t afraid of being honest with Cole with her se&ual wants. The fact that he could give her more than one O was chefs kiss 💋 I loved that he showed her how beautiful she truly was and how he supported her throughout all of her struggles with her mom and son. The third act broke my heart for both of them, but I was really happy with the way things worked out. Jess you did a fantastic job with this story and I can’t wait for more from this world!

This was a great next installment in the series and really felt like a continuation of the first book. Because of that, I did feel a little lost at times before my memory would get triggered and I'd remember who some of these side characters were. I'd recommend reading book 1 for sure before starting this one and I'd say the shorter the time between the two, the better. I've only read a handful of older MC romances and I'm really enjoying them and the slightly different dynamic of either being a second chance at love or, as is the case here, a chance to go all-in. Mira and Cole have a great depth of character and I love how much we get to see of them outside the main relationship dynamic. We get to see family and friends as well as their own thoughts and worries. I do wish we got to see a little more of Cole's internal thoughts on paper because there were a few places where it felt like the book was missing that extra layer of character development.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. Publication date was March 28, 2024

Absolutely loved this story! I appreciate Jess Hardy for writing extremely sweet, extremely hot romances about men and women who are middle aged and ACT LIKE THEY ARE MIDDLE AGED but still have personalities, quirks, and worries while they are falling in love. More please!!!

4 stars! Highly recommend it I love fake dating to get back at an ex lol Add a rock star and older characters hell ya! I had no idea what the book was about the cover drew me in and I was all for it. I love a silver fox and pictured Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers as our main character! #LipsLikeSugar #NetGalley

This book had everything I didn't know I needed and I could not put it down.

-Main characters in their 50s
-Fake date, real feels
-Long distance pining
-Dual POV
-Golden Retriever Boyfriend

The story opens with Mira working on a wedding cake at her bakery when her ex (Paul) and his wife (Chrissy) show up. Mira finds herself agreeing to sit with Paul and Chrissy at the wedding with her nonexistent wedding date. Cole happens to stroll through the bakery door to pick up tarts for the aforementioned wedding at this time and finds himself in a faking dating situation with Mira. The fake date doesn't last long as they have a true connection that they build through text messages and phone calls. Both are juggling a lot of responsibility and are navigating past relationship trauma. Mira is running her bakery, raising a teenage son by herself and dealing with reality of her mother's dementia. Cole is running his recording studio, helping his daughter and granddaughter, and working with his ex-partner on her music.

Cole falls hard and fast for Mira and she is reluctant to open her heart. Their banter throughout the book is fantastic and you can truly see their relationship blossom. The spice level was perfect and the emotional connection was *chef's kiss*. I also appreciated the Volvo station wagon! Who doesn't love safety?

I really enjoyed this book and would encourage others to pick it up. Jess's writing was phenomenal and kept me up past my bedtime saying "just one more chapter...."

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC
#LipsLikeSugar #NetGalley

Cole Sanderson, former drummer for a popular 90s grunge band, is the epitome of a sexy grandpa and he knows it.

Yeah. I said it. Grandpa.

He's in his 50s. Emotionally mature. And perks up any time his best friend and former bandmate Madigan flexes his giant biceps (let's be honest...we'd all do the same...)

But it's the single mom baker with the emo style and closed off emotions who holds his heart. The question is - does she want it?

"Why do I keep falling in love with people who refuse to love me back?”

Lips Like Sugar is another stellar installment in the Bluebird Basin Romance series. Cole is such a puppy dog when it comes to Mira. He's patient and loving and wants nothing more than to make her happy.

Mira has a huge chip on her shoulders, though, and she doesn't believe she's worthy of love. It takes having the thing she wants most in life taken away from her to get her to realize she deserves her happily ever after.

Lips Like Sugar is available now, so getcha a sweet Gen X romance with some serious spice.

Thank you, Jess K Hardy and NetGalley, for the ability to read this fantastic novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Y’all, this book has everything I could ask for. Over 50 main characters? Check. Deliciously swoon- worthy, beta rock and roll hero? Check. Sexy, sexy times galore? Check.

Lips Like Sugar is the second book in the Bluebird Basin series and focuses on Cole Sanderson, best friend and former bandmate to Madigan, and Mira Harlow, single mother, parental caretaker, and small-town baker/business owner in Red Falls, MT. They meet quite by chance–when Mira pulls Cole into her lie about having a date for Madigan and Ashley’s upcoming wedding. Cole is taken with Mira right from the first moment they meet and insists upon some getting to know you time in order to make their fake date believable to her ex.

What starts out as a fake date turns into a genuine, real connection between the two when they start to get to know each other. The chemistry is real y’all. I really, really loved this couple in all their messy, authentic glory. Cole is only in town for a short amount of time, and he has a whole life back in Seattle, but he can’t stop thinking Mira. She can’t stop thinking of him either, even though she has a mother and son to take care of and a business to run. This begins a relationship through texts and even some facetime sexiness.

Both of them have a lifetime of baggage along for the ride. Mira has issues with being left behind, and Cole knows he tends to fall harder than his partners than they do him, which often leads to heartache, but they fall anyway and fall hard. There are so many soft, sweet moments. So much understanding. These are main characters in their 50’s, so there are frank discussions of what it means to be growing into older bodies, how decisions in their pasts affect their future, and the challenge of taking care of both their children and their parents while still making time for themselves. This is the exact place I am in life, and I connected to each of these characters immediately.

I really love this series. LOVE. Even the easter egg mentions of both music and movies from the 90’s make me smile. The romance between the main couple is super-hot, but also tender and sweet. I love the friendships and how they are a vital part of the main character’s lives. There is just so much to adore about this Gen X romance series. I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.

Content warnings- mentions of past alcohol and drug abuse, secondary characters in drug rehab program, parent with early onset memory impairment.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Mira Harlow has been carrying the world on her shoulders. She's a single mom of a teen while caring for her mother who has the beginning stages of dementia. So what would possess her to kiss a perfect stranger and asking him to be her wedding date? Well, seeing her ex happily married and in her shop with his wife doe the trick. Cole Sanderson came to town for his best friend and former bandmate's wedding. He did not complain when the gorgeous baker tugged him in for a kiss. The connection is instant, but he lives in Seattle, miles and miles away from Montana. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles, including distance, to give each other a shot?

Have you read Come As You Are? If you haven't, do so now. It's the best romance featuring MCs in their 40s and 50s that I've read, until now. I'm not sure which I love more of the two in this series. Cole is a drummer, and everything that comes with that which made me laugh so much because *it's* *true.* The sandwich generation is highlighted here in ways that are so relatable, single mom raising her child while also caring for her mother. And Cole is a new grandfather, giving new meaning to the word Grandaddy. Hardy does such a fantastic job of weaving the realities of life into her Bluebird Basin romances, that make them both relatable and aspirational. I loved this installment and am hoping there will be more! I would recommend this to anyone looking for Gen X rep, rockstar romance, fake dating, phone fun, bi rep, and spicy romance.

I just adore this series so much!! I wasn't sure how Hardy was going to top Ashley and Mad's story, but Cole and his whole heartfelt emotions and Mira together were so precious! I fell in love with both of them so quickly. This town is so lovable, the characters are so charming, and everything feels so meaningful there. I also kind of love the touch of Davis' and Kev's ongoing side story tied in with each one. I'm eagerly waiting for the next, because these swoony Gen X small town romances have me by a chokehold and I'm okay with it.

Lips like Sugar

No one writes Gen X romance characters with such realistic, yet heartfelt tenderness as Jess K Hardy. She’s done it again with LIPS LIKE SUGAR, the second installment of her Bluebird Basin series.
Mira is dealing with sandwich generation challenges: menopause, hot flashes, a teenage son, a mother with memory issues. She also runs a bakery and when she starts fake dating Cole, she finally lets her guard down and enjoys herself. Former drummer, Cole Sanderson, has a demanding ex and a daughter who is struggling as a single parent. He is also one hot hot HOT bisexual grandfather, who knows how to give a wedding toast that makes everyone cry, including the reader. He falls first- the second he meets Mira- and agrees to be her fake date to Madigan’s wedding hoping to get to know her better. He’s so incredibly sweet and emotionally intelligent. He’s supportive and knows when to listen. Swoon!
Mira and Cole are competent, selfless people, with real lives, who do everything they can to support their family and friends. Their chemistry and connection is strong, but that each have deep wounds standing in their way. Along the way, Mira and Cole treat one another with respect and kindness resulting in a touching, tender and sometimes heart wrenching story. I kept turning the pages to see if they would get their much deserved happily ever after. I’m not sure I’ve ever rooted this hard for a couple to succeed.
And…the sex was out of this world. Cole knows how to read the (bed)room. He takes his cues from Mira can deliver whatever the mood calls for, be it gentle, hot, rough, or adventurous. You will never think of Tiger Balm the same way again, I promise.

Thank you to the author and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

It feels a little odd to say that the hero - a sexy, bisexual grandpa - was my favorite part of this romance, but it's the truth. He's a cinnamon roll sweetheart who has lived a wild life and now wants nothing more than to have someone special to spend quiet evenings with. I loved that he was so gone for his girl, and the chemistry between them was obvious right away. The meet cute was great, and I could definitely see why they connected so easily. There's a banter-filled, playful dynamic between them that absolutely worked. However, the black cat heroine drove me kinda crazy - her reluctance to see what was in front of her started to grate after a while. I didn't want her breaking that sweet grandpa's heart, which meant that the first half was stronger than the second for me. But it was another solid installment to the series, and strong overall.

The story follows Mira (50), a woman who is too busy to date. She's got her hands full taking care of her teenage son, ailing mother, and the bakery she loves. So when her ex walks into her bakery and she's too embarrassed to admit she'll be going to a wedding alone, Mira does something completely out of character. It's only after kissing a handsome stranger and claiming that he's her boyfriend that Mira realizes where things went awry. Not only is the man not a total stranger, but he's the former drummer of a famous rock band. Surprisingly, Cole (53/54) actually is interested in taking Mira to the wedding as his date, and the two have a fantastic time. But Cole is only in town for a limited time, so starting up something real is out of the question... right?

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, which isn't required reading but might make the experience better. We get a few scenes revolving around the sober living facility at the heart of book one (including some potentially triggering situations), but this is very much Cole and Mira's story. They were great together, and I loved the lightness Cole brought into Mira's life. Neither one anticipated being single in their fifties, that's just the way things have played out. Cole was such a sweetheart, and I so wanted him to find his happily ever after. Mira, well Mira was a tougher sell. I empathized with her, but I also didn't love the assumptions she made about the situation. I loved the texts and long distance communication, though much of their relationship felt physical in person (which was partially by design). There's a decent amount of heat, plenty of lighthearted moments, and an undercurrent of tension and melancholy. Not my favorite in the series, but I did enjoy it.

This book really snuck up on me! I was aware of Hardy's Bluebird Bassin series from the first book, but I had yet to get around to reading it. But the synopsis of this book had me at "fake dating" and "long distance."

I was so pleasantly surprised by this book, and blown away by Hardy's writing, that I couldn't put the book down! Mira and Cole have incredible chemistry from their first interaction, and I was so pleased to see a return of the "just fake date me for 5 minutes" use of the fake-dating trope instead of the new norm of the mcs needing some long drawn out reason to fake-date. Sure, those 5 minutes between Mira and Cole lead to faking through a wedding, but what develops from there is a beautiful and tender friendship leaning into something-more-land.

Quickly, the friendship gives way to their attraction for one another, but not in a rushed way. I cannot stress enough how thick the sexual tension between Cole and Mira was from the get-go, and the continued development of that, as well as their feelings for one another, was so well done. The book does get spicy around the halfway point, and that continues through the rest of the book. I don't think it's overbearing, but near the end I was like "yes we get it you're hot for one another can we communicate our feelings yet?" And then they did, so.

I also enjoyed how all the side characters were so well fleshed out - Mira's mother and son, Cole's daughter and ex-wife. I did feel a little left out with Ashely and Madigan's romance playing out on the back burner (the couple from the first book) as I haven't read that book, but I think Hardy sets the stage and their involvement up well enough, and I moved past it

Thank you to NetGalley and Jess K Hardy for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a sweet, sexy, mostly lighthearted read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I really love that Jess K. Hardy is writing love stories with Gen X main characters. It's such a delight to read about older characters living though those early, heady, all-consuming days of new love. Cole and Mira were no exception.

This is not a trope-driven book. I know it's marketed as fake dating, but the fake dating lasts for like 2.5 seconds. Beyond fake dating I'm struggling to think of any other tropes utilized in the book, and to be honest I'm not mad about it. I love a trope-y book, don't get me wrong, but it's nice sometimes to read a story that feels...realistic. At its core, this is a story of two people who meet in a chance encounter, experience a deep attraction and connection, and then have to grapple with the fact that they live two states apart and have roots in those places that can't be easily transplanted.

Lips Like Sugar is book 2 in the Bluebird Basin series. While it can be read as a standalone I think the book benefits from having read book 1 first. There's overlap in setting and side characters, and less attention is paid to establishing that background in Lips Like Sugar than in Come As You Are. Plus, the wedding of the two MCs in Come As You Are is featured prominently in the early part of Lips Like Sugar. I don't want to get too into comparing the books, but I will say that book 1 worked better for me than book 2. I'm not entirely sure why, because I enjoyed the main characters in both books equally, neither book is trope-driven, and they're both on the low plot side of the spectrum. I think for me book 1 was enhanced by the additional story layer of getting to know the residents of Little Timber sober living home and Madigan's own journey to recovery that made it a more satisfying read.