Love on the Sweet Side

Cute and funny, this book gives you a warm feeling. Maggie has inherited her grandmothers cupcakeshop. She quit her job as pastry chef in LA to move to the town she often visited in the summers of her youth. Colton was her childhood friend she had a crush on. Now they are both adults, is there romance in the air? And who is sbotaging Maggies shop? 

Enjoyed this story. Maggie has issues stemming from her youth and is also very stubborn, but I liked her and her banter with Colton.

That is one idiotic company. 

Wow! Good for you, Jamie! 

He carries a lot of cash on him.

Let someone help you, girl. 

Always make time for family. 

You're too young for plastic surgery, Natalie. And in your cheeks? 

Good hiding spot. 

For the love of Pete, call the cops! 

Lady, your plan is going to backfire. 

Such a psycho. 

Hospital rules suck. 

Why are Dade and Lizzy at odds?

I received this book from net gallery for an honest review.  

Maggie has moved back to Creek Town to run her late grandmother's cupcake business.  She's having lots of problems with suppliers : but is it bad luck or sabotage? 

Maggie followed Colton around everywhere when they were kids: they were best friends.  She had a crush on him but one summer she came home to find him dating Natalie; her broken heart  wouldn't allow her to make any further visits to her grandmother.  

Years have past, but has her heart ever forgotten the guy she loved? 

Colton misses his best friend and doesn't understand why she stopped visiting Creek Town.  One things for sure, his best friend has turned into a beautiful sexy woman.  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  The playful banter between Maggie and Colton made me laugh.  I liked Colton: his flirty behaviour always made me smile.  I loved it when he called Maggie Magpie, I thought it was cute.  Maggie was stubborn but I liked her feistiness and fighting spirit throughout.  Both characters complemented each other nicely.  I enjoyed the suspense/mystery aspect of the book; it made everything more exciting and intense.  I would definitely recommend this book: it was funny, sweet yet sexy.

This is my first book by the author and I enjoyed it. Some of the pace seemed to move slowly but overall I enjoyed the characters, plot and story. Magpie/Maggie is the heroine and she has just returned to town after her grandma leaves her, her bakery. She used to visit her grandma over the summers and was best friends with Colton. However when she was 14 he started dating the evil cheerleader Natalie and since then she avoided him and the town.

Colton dated Natalie for two years and everyone agrees she is a bitch who cheated on him. But she wants him back and Colton now wants Maggie. This story is how Colton convinces her to give him a shot and them falling in love. Maggie always had a crush on Colton but he never  saw her until now. While they fall in love someone is out to get Maggie and its not who you think is all I will say.

This was an enjoyable read and I enjoyed getting to know Colton and Maggie.

https://coyoteuglyswaggerbookblog.wordpress.com/2016/11/05/love-on-the-sweet-side-the-peak-town-colorado-series-by-mariah-ankenman/

Love on the Sweet Side is a great romance with likable characters and a bit of suspense thrown it. Maggie returns to Colorado to manage the bakery left to her by her late grandmother. She is a strong female character, who has not had a lot of good breaks but has emerged confident and strong. Colton is her childhood crush who is known as a bit of a womanizer about town, but he now only has eyes for Maggie.

As a result of what Maggie attributes as a run of bad luck, she is literally falls into Colton's path and a slow romance begins to build. Simultaneously, the bad luck becomes less bad luck and more sinister behavior, which further cements Maggie and Colton's relationship. The story is quite good, as both Colton and Maggie are well-developed characters and the plot has a few twists and turns that surprise even the most detailed clue finder.

In addition to a great plot, Ms. Ankenman develops strong supporting characters such as Colton's brother and Maggie's best friend. Overall, a fun and interesting romance!

What a great read just loved this book,read it in one go couldnt put it down recommended to all cant wait to read more in the future

What a page turner this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.  The author does a great job with the characters and setting.

This book was such a sweet treat. A bit of romance, a dash of mystery, and a pinch of sweet heat. :)
 From childhood friends to more? 
There are twists you don't see coming. All around it was a pleasing story. One that makes you feel good and happy. I really enjoyed Colton's teasing and Maggie's quick wit. The back and forth banter between the was entertaining.
I would love to get a story about Dade and Lizzie. :)

Maggie Evans had moved back to Peak Town, Colorado after her grandmother died and she inherited her grandmother's cupcake bakery. She had spent her Summer's here helping her grandmother in the bakery when she was younger. She wanted to continue the tradition of making yummy cupcakes her grandmother had started.

Colton and Maggie had been best friends all those years ago even though he was actually a few years older he really liked spending time with her. But she had left suddenly and didn't come back. He wanted answers and now that she was back in town, he wanted more than just a friendship with her.

There was drama, suspense and attempted murder just to name a few of H plots in this book. There was also romanc and love. There as also quite a bit of sex. I mostly enjoyed reading the story but the repeated descriptions of their sex life was tiresome, in my opinion.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so enjoyable to read. There is some suspense and drama that just hook you into this story and you just don't want to stop reading. The characters are great and love the best friend phone chats, they are so honest and open and that is what a best friend is all about. The relationship that Colton and Magpie develop is awesome, I love that he was there for her every time she needed him. I loved to read how he fell for her despite her guarded heart, he knew what he wanted and didn't let her get away. The ending was wild and I loved it! This book is fun, flirty and sweet!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

Maggie has inherited her grandmother’s sweet shop. She leaves a high stress pastry chef job and a cheating ex in LA, to make a go of the shop. She had spent many summers in the shop growing up. 

Colton was her best friend in those summers, and her secret crush. He is still living in the small town and single. Colton is sweet, funny, flirty and protective of his Magpie.

Maggie has problems with running her shop almost from the get go. Is it sabotage or just bad luck? 

The romance is slow building, but a fun journey. The suspense adds a little twist at the end. I loved Maggie’s best friend, Lizzy,  and Jamie, her teenage help. I hope we get to see more of all the characters in the next book.

Overall a quick, easy read.

3.5 stars

This is a nice friends to lovers read. The beginning was very engaging, but the middle dragged a bit for me. Thankfully, the later third was more engaging and saved the story.

My biggest complaint is that I didn't really feel the chemistry or connection like I normally do with a friends to lovers story (my favorite kind). The reason I like this type of story so much is because you immediately get a sense of history, and how well the characters know the other's quirks, likes and dislikes.  This makes the usually quick romance more believable, because you know they really know each other. It's the opposite of insta-love. Whether it was the absence of more backstory/flash backs to get a good sense of the bond they shared previously, or the time they spent apart from one another, that feeling of deep knowing was lacking for this reader.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I very much enjoyed this book about a woman, Maggie Evans, who has returned to her grandmother’s home town in Colorado to take over the cupcake shop she inherited.  There she finds a childhood friend, Colton Denning, who has grown up to be a charming, handsome, and flirtatious cowboy.  Of course they fall for each other despite some complications.

There are threats to her shop that keep escalating which drives Colton wild in his desire to protect her.  The culprit won’t be much of a surprise to the reader, but it was still fun reading along with their romance.  Colton was a very engaging hero and I enjoyed their flirtatious banter.  While much of the book was quite predictable, I would still read other books in the series.  

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review

I love my romance with a dash of sweetness, a little bit of heat, and that little added excitement. It’s not always easy finding just the right book that has it all, but Love on the Sweet Side by Mariah Ankenman hit everything on my check list, and then some.

The connection between Maggie and Colton was great. While they have the history from when they were younger, the relationship didn’t seem forced or too rushed. Both had immediate attraction for the other, but there was no jumping into bed. You get that sometimes when the two characters already have a history. But Love on the Sweet Side offers the same development and enjoyment in watching two characters really get to know one another and truly connect that you would expect between characters that didn’t have that shared history. It made it that much more enjoyable to read.

The intrigue around who was going after the shop and Maggie was very exciting. The entire time I had one person in mind of who it was, and I was completely thrown for a loop by the end of it. There was a moment where I thought, oh what about this person, but then it just didn’t seem like the obvious choice. I LOVE that it ended up being that person and I was surprised beyond belief. I love when plot twists and the unexpected can keep me on my toes. That’s the sign of a great writer, having it make sense and all line up, but still making us readers guessing.

It was the connection between the characters and the plot twist that really made me fall in love with Love on the Sweet Side. Of course, I found myself so incredibly hungry throughout the entire book, wanting to chow down on every cupcake Maggie made in her shop. I think I gained 5 lbs just from reading.

Overall, a great read and a definite recommendation. It’s everything you want out of a romance novel, all mixed together for a great end result.

Love on the Sweet Side by Mariah Ankenman is the first book I have read by this author and it certainly won't be the last!  This book had everything I love about romance novels...small town romance, a bakery owner, an over protective hero, cupcakes, and a little mystery thrown in for good measure.  I'm not usually a big fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but it worked for this story.

Maggie and Colton were great characters and I really enjoyed their banter.  They felt like old friends and the transition to lovers was seamless.  Maggie was a great character...strong and feisty... and Colton was her perfect match in so many ways.  And despite their history, this wasn't an insta-love situation.  Their happy ending took a little while and it was worth it.

The mystery was pretty easy to figure out but still entertaining to read.  It was an integral part of the love story and didn't overshadow it in any way.  All in all, this was a really great start to a new series and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Adorable. This book was simply and utterly adorable. I am still smiling!

There was the exact right amount of romance, humor, angst, mystery, and steam, to keep me glued to the digital pages. I read this thing in like four hours, total. Just awesome. I honestly have nothing to complain about. I loved everything about this book. The heroine was strong, yet fallible. The hero was dependable and kind but also assertive. The villain-ish characters were intriguing. The secondary characters were fantastic, too.

Full review on blog: http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/review-love-on-sweet-side-by-mariah.html