In The Mood for Love by Beth Ciotta – a Review

In the Mood for Love
Cupcake Lovers series – Book #4
by Beth Ciotta
Release Date: July 1, 2014

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
When Harper Day blows into the small town of Sugar Creek, Vermont, she takes the sleepy community completely by surprise. A stunning beauty and frenzied workaholic, the celebrity publicist based out of L.A. maintains she will only be in Sugar Creek for vacations. The cozy atmosphere of Sugar Creek, however, has other plans. Haunted by a troubled past and insecure about her future, Harper finds solace in doing publicity for the Cupcake Lovers. Now if only she could get her life back in line, and put a stop to this newfound attraction she has for one of the members…

Sam McCloud feels an intense connection to Harper, which makes things way more complicated. Still reeling from his wife’s untimely death and focused on raising his two young children, Sam doesn’t have the emotional strength to get close to a woman again. But when he finds Harper in a jam and the best solution leads to them constantly being together, Sam cannot deny their attraction. True, Harper is from a different world and still struggling with her past, but Sam is determined not to lose another woman he loves…

 Review:

In the Mood for Love by Beth Ciotta is the 4^th book in her Cupcake Lovers series. Since I have not read the first three books, I can safely say that this book can be read as a standalone. But I will add that after reading this wonderful romance, I will be going back to read the other books in this series.

This series takes place in a small town, Sugar Creek, Vermont. Of late, I have really been enjoying these romances that take place in small towns. We meet our hero, Sam McCloud early on, fraternizing with his friends, some of whom have found their loves from the earlier books; which does not matter when reading this. Sam is a widower, and his friends keep pushing him to start seriously dating again. However, what the town doesn’t know, is that Sam is sexually aroused by Harper Day, our heroine. The two of them are not interested in any commitment, but they can’t seem to control their lust for each other.

Harper is a well-known publicist in L.A., but she also helps promote the Cupcake Lovers. She visits Sugar Creek often, when she is able, as the town and the friends she has made have become her salvation. Harper is beautiful, strong and personable on the outside, but underneath it all, she has some major issues. She has a stalker from Canada that she hides from, and she also suffers from anxiety attacks, which no one sees, until one day Sam does. Harper suddenly loses her job, and is at risk of having to leave the U.S. and be forced back home to Canada. Sam comes to the rescue, and what follows is a beautiful romance.

This was a nicely done slow build up to their romance, with Sam being the first to realize that he was falling in love with Harper, and he begins to second guess his determination to meet a woman who knows how to handle children. I loved how Sam slowly built up Harper’s confidence, and knew when she was starting her anxiety attack. He knew just what to do to get her mind away from her fears. Sam was so perfect for Harper. Once she allows herself to open up and tell Sam all, Harper becomes more confident. With each passing day, she begins to see that she loves him too.

In the midst of this wonderful romance, we spend time with the fabulous characters of Sugar Creek, including Sam’s kids. There is also the mystery about the stalker. I loved the premise of the Cupcake Lovers club, and at the end of the book there are a few cupcake recipes. Beth Ciotta has created a delightful story that also tugs on your emotions, as you see what Harper is going through, as well as the joy of watching this romance build. You truly do need to read this book, and if you can start with the first book, though this will read fine as a standalone.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher