His North Star by Amanda P. Jones

 

I fell in love with my best friend, but he only ever loved me like a sister. So I moved on—with idiots. In an attempt to ignore the fact that my best friend, Ty, would never love me the way I wanted him to, I dated a lot . I even got engaged to Ty’s cousin. Except my ex-fiancé wasn’t the man I thought he was. When he broke off our engagement and fled to LA, I was left devastated and emotionally wounded. Leaning on Ty—the only man who has ever stayed by my side—I drowned myself in work and helping Ty renovate his new house. When Ty confesses he’s in love with me, I’m torn. He’s all I’ve ever wanted, but I’m scared, shattered, and nowhere near good enough for him—something my ex made sure I knew. How can I risk a relationship with the one person I can’t live without? His North Star is a sweet contemporary romance with a sprinkling of heat romance.

 * Amazon * Goodreads *

Cute, cute, cute! ⭐ I love the cover of this book and how perfectly it matches what is inside.  Ty and Maren have a fantastic relationship and a solid friendship.  It's been built on a firm foundation over the years.  I really loved how easy it was for them to be supportive and have fun.  Of course, friends to lovers generally means you have to wait FOREVER for the kissing to start and yup, that's what happened here.  But the buildup and tension were good so the wait only felt like forever and not forever and EVER.  😂  This was a quick romantic fix for me and I enjoyed it.

Side note:  I got to meet this author recently at an event our library was having.  She is lovely.  I had previously read a couple books by her so it was good to meet her face to face. 

Content:  kissing, some light innuendo.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

Jack and Frost Bake-Off (Christmas in Connecticut #2) by Amanda P. Jones

Jack

I’m living my worst nightmare. Competing on a baking show surrounded by loud people all day. But it’s fine. I’m fine. Our family bakery is in trouble and I’d do anything to keep the memory of Mom alive since Love Bakes is the only place where I still feel her presence. Which is why I’m so determined to win the prize money. No distractions, no friendships, no having fun. It’s all about business. Until I meet bubbly Meg—someone whom I’d normally be annoyed by. Maybe life is about more than work? Meg certainly has me thinking that way. But what about Mom's bakery?

Megan

Paying Mom back to avoid law school is the main reason I signed up for Baking Spirits Bright. I also want to expand my bakery. But when all I can think about is my number one competitor, the gorgeously grumpy people-hater, Jack, my chances of winning diminish like cake crumbs. He’s aloof and ridiculously handsome and pretends not to know who I am. The longer we compete, the more distracted I am by him. How can I win if I’m staring at him the entire time? Although, I’m not even sure I want the money anymore. I just want Jack.

* Amazon * Goodreads *

What a cute book!  Introvert Jack and extrovert Megan are on a baking show competition.  Ironically enough, they also live in the same area and are business competitors in their real life as well.  You can imagine just how well their initial meetings go.  It's a bumpy ride at first but they settle into a tentative truce, which leads to a kind of friendship (where they are both keeping an eye on each other) and eventually they end up kissing in the kitchen.  So appropriate given who they are, right?

I really had a lot of fun reading this book.  It was easy to settle in with and the characters were easy to like.  The desserts Jack and Meg made sounded amazing and I'm glad they weren't sitting in front of me or I would have eaten them all.  Yum!  Who wins this baking competition?  You have to read it to find out!  My lips are sealed. 

This book is on KU if you have that!  It's the second book of the series but can easily stand alone.  The first book is a novella.  Happy reading!

Content:  kissing

- I picked this book up on KU.