Want a second chance romance in a small town? Then this book could be for you.

Sugar Lake seems like a good place to grow up and leave when the time is right. However, it's also a town that Olivia Gale wants to come back to when things aren't going well in her life. With her work and personal life up in the air, she needs time with her family to get herself back on track. However, she never imagined coming back to Sugar Lake would reunite her with Clayton Morris. Yet, it does.

Finding their way back to each other isn't going to be easy, especially with the way Clayton broke up with Olivia in the past. He thought breaking things off with the heroine was honorable, so she could chase her dreams. No way was he going to hold her back from being the best version of herself she could be.

Being back in Sugar Lake and around Clayton brings up all the old feelings for Olivia but can she trust him again? I liked Olivia, but I didn't enjoy the constant fighting between her and her sister, although they did grow closer as the story went on. I also enjoyed the relationship between the hero and his daughter and I really liked Clayton. He does his best to raise his daughter as well as protect the town as a firefighter. Really, the hero is a man to admire because of everything he does for his daughter and the town.

Overall, I found this story started off a bit slow but it did start to grow on me the more I read. The romance didn't shine as much as I would have liked but I enjoyed how Clayton and Olivia found their way back to each other.

I love a good bakery romance. It makes me hungry for desserts as well as food. Add in a firefighter and a single dad for the hero and I'm sold!

In this new series, Big city girl, Olivia Gale returns to Sugar Lake and suddenly very distracted by grown up Clayton Morris waltzing back into her life.

As one of my favorite tropes, I had high hopes for this title and it’s small town romance, but it didn’t quite grab and hold my attention like I thought it would but I can’t quite put my finger on why. I enjoyed the characters, I mean a baker and a firefighter?!

It was a quick, easy read and I would definitely read another title by this author, I gave this title 3.5 stars.

I have no doubt K.M. Jackson is a good writer. I've actually read her once before.

As Good as the First Time just wasn't for me. I truly like the premise of the story. I think if I could have just really got into the story, I would have really liked Olivia and Clayton. I had a HUGE problem with Drea. From the beginning I didn't like her. I hated her attitude and the way she came across. I was hopeful when Olivia volunteered to go to Sugar Lake. But then Drea came along. I love that family places a huge part in this story. Honestly, I'm a black female. I wasn't raised immersed in black culture, so at times it can be a little overwhelming for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the book.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I had read a couple chapters of this book in last year's Buzz Books Romance collection and was intrigued by them. So I figured I'd check out the full book! And as much as I was interested in the book based on the couple chapters I read, the book overall fell kind of flat for me. I didn't find that there was enough meaningful interaction between Clayton and Olivia for me personally. They spent a lot of the book not only resisting each other but also not communicating well and not having the type of important conversations that I would look for with character and relationship development. And not just with the two main characters, I also thought that Olivia and her sister Drea's relationship could have been developed more. I think that a lot of the issues I had with the book though were just based on personal preference and what I enjoy with my reading. Overall the book was entertaining and the characters were interesting, this one just wasn't quite the book for me. I'd still recommend it if you like a sweet, small town romance (almost all closed door romance) with zany characters and a second chance romance, I'd recommend this one.

I've been a fan of K. M. Jackson's writing for a long time - her heroines are funny and feisty and her heroes hot and kind - so I was delighted to read the first book in her new Sugar Lake series, As Good As the First Time.

I think one of the things that I really loved about this romance, was how real the characters seemed to me; and Olivia in particular. Liv has had a pretty terrible day - she lost her job, her boyfriend broke up with her, and now her aunt's not very well - so escaping to Sugar Lake to help with the aptly named Goode 'N Sweet family bakery couldn't happen at a more perfect time. Her relationship with her sister and the way that the two of them snipe at each other made me laugh and also think about the bickering with my own sisters.

And her hero Clayton is just delightful. He's smart and intelligent and a fireman (#swoon) and also a devoted single father. The way that Jackson balances the growth that the individual characters go through separately, with their blossoming revisited relationship seems so true to life. Whatever changes happen in our lives, have to happen through inner and personal growth, and I love the fact that she doesn't just put them in a relationship and make that solve all of their issues.

A delightful read, and one for the keeper shelf!

Olivia recently unemployed and unexpectedly single decides to volunteer to go to Sugar Lake and help out her aunt in her bakery. Olivia is hoping to get her life on track while in her old hometown but what she does not want is any distractions especially from Clayton Morris.

Clayton Morris is the town Fire chief and the man that stole Olivia’s heart and left her when they were younger thinking he was doing what was best for her.

I have started really enjoying this small town romances but they are a little predictable, one of the main characters comes back to town see their old love, old feelings re surface and they almost pick right back up where they left off. This one was a little different but not by much, I still enjoyed the storyline and all the happenings in the small town. I look forward to reading the next story in Sugar Lake.

DNF at 50% - just a so-so romance that I couldn't really feel investment in. It felt like the characters weren't written deeply enough to truly understand.

Olivia returns to Sugar Lake to help run the family bakery. She has just lost her job and her boyfriend so she turns to her favorite hobby of pie baking. Clayton is happy to see her return but she is leery since he broke up with her without explanation years ago. He's now a single dad and a firefighter with half the ladies in town after him. Olivia is job seeking and when a really good offer comes along she has to decide if big business is what she really wants. I liked the story but I found the sibling bickering a little annoying. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

ove once lost, but will it be found again? That is the dilemma that Clayton and Olivia must decide after their young, teenage summer love comes to an abrupt end after Olivia comes to Sugar Lake for the summer to find that Clayton has left without a good-bye. Poor Olivia. Oliva is a city girl with small town roots. Her parents decided to move to New York after they were married which meant that Olivia and her siblings became city slickers, as some calls it. Though Olivia was a city girl, she would visit Sugar Lake every summer to visit her family. Clayton was the golden boy who had a bright future, but a stupid decision caused him and Olivia to take separate paths. Twelve years later, Olivia volunteers to help her Aunt Joyce, who broke her hip, to run the family bakery in Sugar Lake, Georgia. Being back in Sugar Lake means seeing Clayton Morris again and facing the man who broke her heart so many years ago.

Now I wanted to get in to the juicy stuff because this story was hilarious and I just adored Aunt Joyce. The southern sayings and mannerisms were so on point. This was a nice and clean romance and I appreciated how the author wrote her scenes with such charisma. The family dynamic was great and it felt so realistic right down to the cousin rivalry. Once again, Aunt Joyce was hilarious.!!

I was sort of in the middle with this book because while I laughed, I also was looking for more dialogue. The characters talked more to themselves than anyone else. The chemistry between the character was there, but there was nothing special about it. Their relationship did not give me zings or the warm feeling inside. It was okay at best and I feel like I really did not get to know the characters the way I would have if there less monologue. At the beginning, the story started off very vague and it almost lost me for a sec. Thankfully, the author pulled me back into the story. Another thing is the "meh" ending. To me the two most important elements of a book is the beginning and the end. The author failed to pull me in with both and if it wasn't for Aunt Joyce, this book would have a lower ranking.

Grab your book and have at it. One more thing…be prepared to laugh and fall in love with this family.

As Good As The First Time is the first book in the Sugar Lake series of books from K.M. Jackson. If you are a fan of reunion romances or second chance romances, I can highly recommend this book.

Olivia Gale is the more "together" one of her siblings. Her brother is still finding himself and her sister Drea is still figuring out her talents and work goals. When Olivia is fired from what seemed to be her dream job, it happens at the perfect time to go back to Sugar Lake to help her aunt out with the family bakery. I loved that Olivia always baked to relax, and she was so quick to jump in to help her family. I also absolutely loved that her younger sister Drea surprised her by going with her, as I couldn't wait to see how the sister's relationship would change during the trip. Olivia appears to be super serious while Drea is more sassy and fun-loving when we first meet them.

Olivia knows when she returns to Sugar Lake it is possible she will run into her teenage love Clayton Morris, but totally isn't prepared for him to not only be there, but living next door with his young daughter. I have to say I really liked that Liv and Clay slowly reconnected. Liv had to get past her anger and listen to Clay's reason for distancing himself from her and eventually breaking her heart. I could totally feel the connection and chemistry between Liv and Clay from the moment they first saw each other again. I had all the feels for this couple as I read their reunion story.

While I loved the slowly building romance in this book, I have to say I loved the relationship building of Olivia, Drea and their cousins every bit as much. Olivia and Drea really have never been close, yet the more time they spent together the more they seemed to get each other. I love that the relationship between the sisters really seemed to be every bit as important to their character development as the romance between Olivia and Clay. Maybe because I have a sister and a brother the sibling relationships were just as important to me.

Olivia takes her time really figuring out where she belongs in the world. I honestly felt like it was just part of who she was to try everything before finally listening to her heart and going that route. I figured out at the very start of this story she was a baker at heart, but I loved her path to figure it out for herself. I also loved getting a glimpse of what Drea can become in this book. I can't wait to see how her character develops in future books.


As Good as the First Time was a wonderful story. I'm a big fan of finding books in a series early so I can read them in order. I can't wait to see where K.M Jackson takes the characters from this series in future books. I already have several favorites, and I hope they each get their own story along the way.


Rating: 4 Stars (B)

Small town 2nd chance at love romance

I have to admit I had a little trouble getting into K.M. Jackson's As Good As the First Time. I think in part because of the incredibly bad day it started off with and that I found Olivia bickering throughout most of the book with her sister annoying. Nevertheless Olivia/Liv and Clayton have a past love back from when they are little more than kids and it was interesting to discover how the people they had become meshed.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley,

This was another enjoyable romance by KM Jackson. The middle lagged a bit but the characters were interesting enough that I kept reading and was rewarded with a solid HEA.

Olivia Gale is still haunted by her past when her first love, Clayton Morris, promised her forever but left her hanging. She returns to Sugar Lake to help care for her Aunt and help out at the family bakery. She wasn’t expecting Clayton to be in town nor the intense feelings that accompany seeing him 12 years after he left her behind. I found the story a bit long-winded and predictable. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this second chance romance featuring the heroine returning to her small hometown to help out her family. I loved that she had a corporate job that just wasn't going anywhere so when she returned home, while she thought she should return to the big city, she also could see the appeal of her hometown as well. Of course, it doesn't hurt that her first love, Clayton, firefighting hottie, lives there. Family dynamics are what really shined the most throughout the book though and I want more of that in any further books! 3.5 stars.

The first book in a series about a small town called Sugar Lake. The beginning starts off a little predictable, with the main character Olivia Gaye losing her job and man. She decides to go to her place of birth, Sugar lake after finding out her Aunt Joyce needs help at her bakery after dealing with health issues. While there, Olivia runs into local fire chief and first love Clayton Morris, who is a divorced single father.

One of the major things I enjoyed about the story is that it doesn't focus on sex, but the two characters building a renewed relationship with each other. But Aunt Joyce happens to be my favorite character. She's one of those aunts that never had the chance to bare children, but everyone for the most part takes her advice to heart. I also liked the relationship between Clayton and his daughter. I enjoyed reading about this town, and can't wait to read the next book in the series. I noticed sparks between Clayton's reclusive brother Caleb and Olivia's cousin Rhea, so I'm hoping the next book will be about the two of them. The book included some recipes, and of course my favorite, Peach Cobbler, so I'm anxious to try it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed reading As Good As the First Time by K.M. Jackson! This is the first book I’ve read by the author. Her stories are clean, filled with strong family bonds, drama and pies! I’m happy to report there are recipes at the end of the story in case you’re wondering. It’s a small town romance and I felt the community lifestyle and charm quite entertaining. Olivia is a strong heroine, not sure of her feelings after being heartbroken the first time around by her first love, Clayton, who’s now divorced and with a daughter. He sure is sweet as the honey he makes (and a charmer) is all I can say. After many years apart, Olivia’s back in town to help her aunt with her bakery and she learns a few truths about the past and herself in the process. I look forward to reading the next story in the series.

what i’m talking about:
As Good as the First Time is the first book in the Sugar Lake Series. Sugar Lake is one of those wonderful small, southern towns full of quirky characters that are sometimes more fun than the main characters. Aunt Joyce is one of them. Joyce Goode never married, but rather is married to her business, the Goode-n-Sweet Bakery. She is old enough that she should be thinking about retiring, but no one is going to tell her that. When she falls and injures her hip, the extended Goode family sends in reinforcements in the form of three nieces. One lives locally, and two others, Olivia and her sister Drea, come down from New York to help the tide of cakes, pies, and cookies continue to flow. The sisters spent every summer growing up in Sugar Lake and Olivia loves to bake, especially pies. She has a talent and a love for it which Aunt Joyce doesn’t miss and puts her to work right away. For Olivia, after losing her high-powered marketing job, her jerk of a high-powered boyfriend, and even her new high-end flat screen television, returning to Sugar Lake is a welcome low-key change.

Olivia is a control freak. She likes lists, order, and predictability and the pace of Sugar Lake pulls her from that mindset. Mostly, it’s a defense mechanism. When she was eighteen, she lost her heart and her virginity to Clayton Morris, literally the boy next door. After promising her the world, Clayton got another girl pregnant, married her, and left town without so much as a word to Olivia. Needless-to-say, Olivia was definitely not expecting to see Clayton and his daughter back living next door, employed as the Fire Chief, and divorced. Olivia is not about to make anything easy for him, including a long overdue apology.

Clayton, really has no good excuses for what he did. He offers them, but if it hadn’t been over a decade, Olivia may have not entertained them at all. The whole book attempts to rebuild the relationship they lost as teenagers and does so with only moderate success. The story arc was fairly predictable, including the subplots with other family members and townsfolk. For me, this was not a pager-turner where I had to see if they would or would not get back together, if his apology was any good, or if she could let go of her life in New York for small town living. I did, however, come to enjoy Sugar Lake. For Aunt Joyce’s sake, I’ll return to this series to check in on the townsfolk and romances that are yet to come to fruition. I’m keeping my eye on Clayton’s reclusive big brother Caleb.

Now you can’t have a book about a bakery with prize-winning pastries and not offer up a couple of recipes. In the back there are three recipes for Peach Pecan Cobbler for One, Quick and Handy Blackberry Pockets, and Berry Lovely Swirl Pie. All three are beginner baker-friendly.

This is the first book in the new contemporary romance Sugar Lake series. This is the first book and it’s a second chance romance. Olivia lives in New York and on the day of her fathers retirment party loses her job and her boyfriend. At the party her mom gets a call from her sister that she broke her hip and needs help in the family bakery in Sugar Lake. Olivia and her sister decide to help out there aunt so their mom can go on the vacation with their father that they have had planned for ages. Once in Sugar Lake she immediately sees Clayton Morris who she loves years ago when she spent her summers with her aunt.

i had a hard time connecting with this book. I normally love small town romances but it seems more time was spent on Olivia’s family then the development of the romance. The bickering between sisters and the family drama was the main focus not the romance. It felt more of an afterthought. I ended up giving it three stars because it was a easy read and base of the story was there just needed to focus on the romance a bit more.

Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author, K.M. Jackson for the opportunity to read and review the arc of "As Good As the First Time" in exchange for a honest review.
This book is the first in a new series and, also, a new author to me.
"As Good as the First Time" is a story about second chances which the main character, Olivia, needs after she is fired from her job. She goes from having a good job, a nice apartment and a hot boyfriend..... to nothing. She comes home from being fired to a apartment that looks like it's been broken into but, wait, only the boyfriends items are missing AND her flat screen TV!
Olivia jumps at the chance to help her aunt out in Sugar Lake as a way to go forward in her life. As she arrives in Sugar Lake, who should be there. It her first love, Clayton.
And, the love story begins❤️