A delightful read of a second chance romance. Carolyn thought she was living her dream in New York as a chef when a family tragedy happens and she has to return home to Marietta. Not in her plans of having a four year old, Emma and Roscoe, a not well mannered dog. Carolyn's high school boyfriend, Matt is the town vet and has entered the Bachelor Bake Off, he has asked Carolyn for help. Matt has never stopped loving Carolyn, now if he can only get her to see this where her heart really belongs.

Ms. Jump has packed this book with plenty of emotions that will keep you turning the pages. How can you not fall in love with this book, a puppy, a little girl and a handsome town vet, who is learning to bake.

This is the first book in Bachelor Bake Off series, can't wait for more. I highly recommend this book.

I was delighted to see Shirley Jump join the Tule Publishing Group. I have enjoyed her stories for years. A Teaspoon of Trouble was no exception. In this story we are reminded how life can turn on a dime, which is exactly what happens to the main character, Carolyn. Actually, it could give you a second chance when you least expect it. All of this happens both the sad and the glad in this lovely longer novella with twelve chapters.

While a Teaspoon of Trouble does not have the deep character development of some of other books by Shirley Jump that I have read, it still has likable main and supporting ones. The story also begins on a sad note but becomes more upbeat as it progresses on a bumpy road for Carolyn and Matt. I found it very enjoyable.

Carolyn Henderson is a career-driven chef, focused on achieving her dreams with no desire to settle down and have a family. When her sister and brother-in-law die in a car crash, she is stunned to discover that her sister made her guardian to her 4-year-old niece, Emma. Returning to Marietta so that she can figure out her future she runs into her old flame and current town vet, Matthew West. He is the embodiment of what she left behind when she moved to New York all those years ago; home, family, the one person who you belong to and who belongs to you.

When behavioral issues with her niece's dog arise she cuts Matthew a deal he can not refuse. Train the dog in exchange for baking lessons to help him win the Bachelor Bake-off. For Matthew, Carolyn is the one that got away. Worse still he let her go so that she could live her dream. But now he realizes that he cannot make the same decision again. And Carolyn is slowly discovering the reason why her sister chose her to raise Emma.

an ok read, very sweet

After her sisters untimely death, Carolyn suddenly finds herself wholly in charge of her niece, and a dog. Carolyn doesn't have the first idea how to be a mom, and heads to Marietta, her parents place for 2 weeks to regroup and find a solution, and comes face to face with Matt, her childhood sweetheart.
Though 10years have passed, the connection between them is as strong as ever. But with Matts life in Marietta, and Carolyn's in New York, will love slip through their fingers second time around ?
A teaspoon of trouble was a heart touching, emotional read. My heart went to little Emma, the little soldier trying to cope with all the changes life brought her. Roscoe, the dog provided some cute and funny moments.
Overall a good read.

Kicking off the Bachelor Bake Off series in Marietta, Montana is a sweet story about loss, family and most of all love, old and new. Ms Jump has created a wonderful story depicting how the small town can draw you in, while for some push you away...the latter based on fear. The emotions run high in this first book, setting the bar for the remaining books in the series to match its intensity and the level of familiar comfort that runs under it all. My appetite has been whet (not just my reading appetite either...my stomach rumbles just from the talk of the bake off) for the remaining stories and the reoccurring characters that appear throughout.

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

This was a sweet and and short story about two high school sweethearts meeting each other after 10 years. One of them, Carolyn dreamt about the big city and being a head chef there, and Matt dreamt about staying in his small town of Murietta and becoming a Vet.

Ten years later Carolyn is so close she can taste it, but them her sister dies leaving her a dog and 4 year old niece. This story starts when she picks Emma up and the dog and they spend 2 weeks in Murietta with Carolyn's parents. Carolyn is verty anti dogs and kids and she is hoping her parents will let her leave Emma and the dog with them.

Matt enters the story when the dog goes rogue and Carolyn takes him to the vet where she meets Matt again. He suggests she train the dog to listen to her and thats when she notices he is going to be in the Murietta Bake Off Contest. However, she remembers that he can't boil water so she offers to tutor him, if he tutors her in dog speak.

And thats how the two reconnect. At times I got tired of Carolyn going on and on and on about not being a dog and kid person. I just felt she kept distancing herself from everyone and I got tired of her tunnel vision. I would understand it at 20 but at almost 30 most of us have grown up and learned how to roll with lifes punches. She was given this huge gift. Her sister is dead but she left someone important behind and Carolyn at times does not appreciate that she has life and instead is more about her job than appreciating what she has. She came off selfish and when she picked the big city over Matt at 18 I understood but at 30 to pick her job and the city over a child I just could not sympathize.

Anyways I did enjoy the story though I was not a big fan of Carolyn. Ben I totally loved. He was sweet and romantic and he really loved Carolyn. I am really happy the author had him marry and fall in love with someone else in the last ten years even if he ended up divorced.

2.75 Stars

A Teaspoon of Trouble is part of Bachelor Bake-Off, a series penned by multiple authors set in Marietta, Montana.

This entry brought high-school sweetheart Carolyn Henderson and Matthew West back together after their split up at the school's parking lot ten years ago. Matt was now one of the town's small animals Vet and Carolyn a renowned sous-chef in Manhattan. She was only back in town to figure out what to do after her dead sister appointed her as guardian to her four year old niece.

I was set to love this story! Second chance romance, small town, cute kid and adorable puppy! There's more than enough potential, right?? Unfortunately, after such promising start, as the story progressed I found myself disliking the character. Make that characterS, as Matt was almost as bad as Carolyn in some cases.

The story was told in alternate POVs from both character's view. The good thing about Matt was that he's the kind of guy who didn't hold grudge and saw things in positive way. From his eyes, Carolyn sounds almost like an okay woman, struggling with her own grief yet trying her best in a difficult situation. However, Carolyn's own POV gave me impression that she was a callous and selfish person. Her parents were no help; in fact they left me thinking: no wonder she turned out like this the way her parents treated her.

So yeah, this first entry to Bachelor Bake-Off series was not much of a success for me. Not a total bust, as there's still heart-wrenching or adorable moments here and there involving the kid and puppy; and the writing is far from bad. I guess, after a while, I just got tired of Carolyn's hot and cold toward Matt and her plan for the future. Personally, I think this story could be trimmed into shorter pages as to alienate boredom from said endless hot and cold. And perhaps work on the ending a bit. As much as I like the ending - yes, that last few pages did lift up a bit of a point from me - it could tweak a bit better, imho.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an awesome sweet read that is filled with emotion. The last person Matthew West expects to see in Marietta is Carolyn Henderson. Yet here she is in his veterinarian office with an unruly dog and a little girl that is the sweetest thing Matt has ever seen. Carolyn was his high school sweetheart but she broke his heart on graduation day when she let him know he wasn't enough to keep her in Marietta. She had plans and didn't look back when she left town. They may never be close again but they each have something the other needs. Striking a deal to help each other out has them spending a lot of time together. Will they be able to walk away from each other again?

I highly recommend this one.

It's a sweet romance, but very repetitive. Also the idea that a women who is driven by work and doesn't want children secretly wants to play happy families is a very backward idea.

I have been reading Shirley Jump novels for years and have yet to figure out how she does it. She waves her magic wand and takes a sweet story and turns it into a deeply moving life lesson. So it's only fitting that Teaspoon of Trouble supplies light hearted comedy and realistic situations. Somehow, she manages to tackle a lot of story in a small amount of time. The importance of family, dealing with grief, facing fears, taking on some heavy hitting responsibilities all while staying true to yourself, falling in love and following your dreams. That was a mouthful, but she delivers it all in a calm, entertaining and thought provoking way. Carolyn and Matt may seem too good to be true but they make for a fun combination.