I wish Sugar Lake actually existed. The author did such a great job in the description of the setting, that it felt real. Too Sweet to Be Good was a very written romance novel that warmed my heart.

Too Sweet to Be Good is a sweet and sexy romance between Alexandrea and Kellen. Both are great characters and I really enjoyed this story.

Meh.
it started out good and i got hungry because of all the mentions of pastry and stuff. But idk? the characters were here and there and his grandmother and her aunt were throwing them together, as some kind of matchmakers and it sounded somewhat interesting, but fell flat and boring. I wasn`t interested or invested enough in the story or the characters.

KM Jackson takes us on another great stay in Sugar Lake with “Too Sweet to be Good”. If you visited last year in the previous installment, you know that the Goode N’ Sweet bakery is every bit of too sweet and good.

Now that the bakery is back on course, Alex is feeling like its time to go back home to get HER life back on course. If you can believe in the magic of this small town, its not impossible to think that Aunt Joyce and grandmother Betty had their hands in a little match making.

Kellen is torn between keeping his grandparents dream alive and at the same time follow his own. Little does he know with a little faith, patience and many visits to the Good N’ Sweet proves that he just might be able to have both and so much more.

Alexandria is feeling her talents are being wasted in Sugar Lake and is torn about going back home when Ms. Betty comes in and make her an offer she can’t refuse.

Kellen and Alexandrea lovingly know as Suit and Boots…you will get this when you read the book, are thrown to together to work on behalf of Ms. Betty, they immediately bump heads. Ms. Betty and Alex have devised a plan, she is adamant about how she wants it executed. Of course, Kellen believes his business and financial mind knows better. He quickly finds he is outnumbered and outsmarted.

I enjoyed this one as much as the one before and I am certain you will to. I recommend you add this one to your list.
Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and give my thoughts on this.

3.5 for this book.

It was a good start especially about a bakery and fixing an old theater. Alexandrea (I love her name) and Kellen have legit chemistry!

I like how Kellen's grandmother is setting him up with Alexandrea and how they both save the theater!

Not a fan of the ending though. Sorry!

Thank you for the chance Netgalley and Dafina!

I’m finally back in Sugar Lake! I read the first book in the series last year, and couldn’t be more delighted to be back with Jackson’s creations, finally getting to see Alex get her HEA!

Jackson is so very adept at creating a full and well-rounded world, and the community of Sugar Lake shines through in this novel, as it did in the last, with our hero’s grandmother deserving a very special shout out.

Alex and Kellen find themselves butting heads over the local theatre – to sell or not to sell, that is the question – and end up falling in love along the way. It’s a charming romance that takes place in the kind of diverse small town we love to see at PHS, and proves once again what a skillful and moving writer Jackson is.

Settle in for laughter, frustration and some very happy tears over the most perfect of endings.

Too Sweet to Be Good is the second book in K.M. Jackson's Sugar Lake series. Alexandria "Drea" Gale came back home from New York to help with her family's bakery business. She jumps into another project to earn some cash -- renovating a local theater building. The project gets to be a bit stressful when the theater owner's grandson starts sticking his nose into the project. Kellen wants to sell the theater to help his grandmother financially and feels Drea's innovative ideas are too great a risk. But.....he also thinks she is attractive. Can you feel the romantic tension???

Too Sweet to Be Good is a feel-good, lighthearted romance. I don't usually read romance novels. I requested this review book totally by accident, but I actually enjoyed reading it. The characters and town are quirky and entertaining. The recipes included sound yummy! And, I had to know what happened between Drea and Killen. They were either going to kiss or kill each other. ha ha.

Cute story! It's good to step outside of favorite genres once in awhile and mix things up a bit.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. **

TW: for death of grandparent, mentions of grieving.

Loved this so much for the following reasons:

- meddling grandmother who keeps finding new ways to push Drea and Kellen to being alone, together lol. Gotta love Ms. Betty
-the yummy treats mentioned. I wish I had some honey biscuits mmmm
- small town that's so vividly rendered it feels like a character too
- not quite a meet cute between Drea and Kellen that results in them creating nicknames for each other and so much snark. Boots and Suit lol
- the push and pull between the two. Tension because Kellen isn't for the theater renovations and Drea is now working with this grandma to help with said reservations
- moments that made me cackle!
- interesting secondary characters
- that epilogue that nearly made me cryyyy

there's also some recipes at the end of the book.

The book was just really sweet and lovely and I hope there's a book 3 for a certain bartender

Too Sweet to Be Good, us a charming Southern romance. Set in a charming lake community, there is a lot to love about this story. The characters, the setting, the romance it has Hallmark movie written all over it, but with more depth. I enjoyed this book and eagerly await more in the series.

What I’m Talking About:
Too Sweet To Be Good is author K.M. Jackson’s second offering in her Sugar Lake series. I welcomed the opportunity to visit the tight little lake community that thrives on southern hospitality and gossip. The “outside world” is slowly discovering Sugar Lake’s charm and looking to cash in on resort real estate development around the lake. Mr. Henry and Mrs. Betty Kilborn have accumulated quite a healthy real estate portfolio which, now that Henry has passed away, their grandson Kellen manages from Atlanta. Part of that portfolio is the beloved, vintage Redheart movie theater. Mrs. Betty wants to renovate it, turning it into a center for the arts. Kellen wants to sell it to a large real estate conglomerate, forming a relationship which will propel their interests into the big league. Kellen, more than anything, wants to improve their holdings and leave a legacy of which his grandfather would be proud.

Jackson does characters well. I didn’t especially like Alexandrea “Drea” Gale in the first book, As Good as the First Time. She came across as self-centered, frustrated, and skating by on her good looks, but with no real direction in her life. Drea does some much needed growing up in this book which makes her much more likable. Probably the single thing that makes us like her most is that Mrs. Betty has decided she likes Drea. Her recommendation goes a long way with me. Frankly, the “little old ladies” in Sugar Lake are some of my favorite characters in the series so far. What Too Sweet To Be Good lacks, in my opinion, is the family meddling by aunts and cousins and “little old ladies” who proliferated the first book.

Then there’s Kellen Kilborn, Mrs. Betty’s grandson and country club stuffed shirt. Jackson tries to paint him as an aloof, all about the bottom-line kind of guy AND loving grandson. He’s more one than the other and clearly, he’s conflicted. The way Drea gets to him only adds to his confusion. They do exchange clever banter and it’s nice to see Kellen soften as the story goes. Poor Kellen doesn’t really have a choice. The reader is left waiting to see him figure it out, not worried if he will.

Unfortunately, even while there is a designated “bad guy” in this story, she is entirely peripheral. The threat never feels real. In that sense the reader is never stressed or worried about the outcome of the story. It comes off as a little flat. This is an easy poolside read that you can pick up and put down, not a keep you up at night page turner. Now that the Goode sisters, both New York “yankees,” have both been dispatched, I hope the next book in the series will concentrate on some of Sugar Lake’s more longtime and interesting characters—like Caleb Morris, Drea’s sister’s elusive brother-in-law.

About the Recipes:
Jackson doesn’t claim to be a great pastry chef, but she does enjoy baking. Like the first book, there are two new pie recipes in the back. She’s included Oh Honey Yes You May Pie made with apples, plums and peaches, and Honeyed Peach, Pear, Black and Blueberry pie which is self-explanatory. Even though she’s used labor-saving ingredients like canned fruit, the directions are not beginner-friendly—lacking the details a beginner would need. An experienced baker will be able to fill in the blanks, so I put the difficulty level at intermediate. I made the Honeyed Peach, Pear, Black and Blueberry Pie. (Pictured) My rule is the first time I make a recipe, I make it as written. As you can see, it’s soupy. I knew there would be too much liquid for the amount of thickener. Even though I added fifty percent less, it was still swimming after cooling entirely. However—it tasted really good! I am kind of a fresh fruit snob and didn’t have high expectations, especially after scooping a piece out with a spoon. I was very pleasantly surprised, and my family made similar comments. I’ll make adjustments next time, and the rest of this pie is going to be ice cream topping.

My Rating: B, Liked It

This was a sweet light-hearted romance. The story takes place in one of those small towns where everyone knows each other's names and people frequent local small businesses on a daily. Think Hallmark movie but with more diverse leads. It has plenty of Southern charm and our lovebirds have a sweet chemistry together. Perfect rainy weekend read.

Well I did not know that this was the second book to a series, so not that I was lost but something were alluded to that I figured would have been from a previous book. If you ever read a small town romance book before than you kind of know some of things that occur like people are in your business, but they care and and these two had a love hate relationship and you wanted to know what would happen..Enjoy!

This was a very enjoyable sweet, clean read. I loved the interaction between all of the characters.

Too Sweet to Be Good is a very well written romance. Great plot and cast of characters. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Alex and Kellen are like oil and water, they do not mix well. Unfortunately, they have to work closely together on a project in Alex's hometown. Too Sweet to Be Good is a feel good story that sneaks up on you. Alex and Kellen keep you on your toes. Throw in a few sub characters and you have a sweet love story. A simple read with a lot of love.

Alexandrea Gale has been living in New York pursuing her dancing career until she has to go back to Sugar Lake to help her family's business.
Kellen Kilborn is now in charge of his family's real estate company after his grandfather's passing. He's determined to sell a local theater they own in Sugar Lake as part of the deal but his grandmother is not having it. This is where Alexandrea aka Boots comes in. Ms. Betty has hired her to help design the theater to restore it to its glory and expand the ideas she and her late husband had.

Kellen wants to sell it, Alexandrea is determined to help make his grandmother's dreams come true. Who will win this battle?

Boots and Suits (Kellen) had a nice back and forth going on that I liked. Too Sweet to be Good was very sweet and heartwarming. The town was charming, the idea of restoring the local theater was my cup of tea as I love older theaters. I haven't always a fan of small-town romances but over the years they've become some of my favorites because I appreciate how much the location serves as a secondary character. It is no different with this novel, and I wouldn't mind visiting this town.

I will say that while I liked Kellen and Alexandrea's dynamic a lot, I sometimes wished they had a little bit more spark to them. However, like the story, their relationship does give readers the easygoing, light feeling that I can appreciate.

This was a very short read. Liv gets fired and dumped in one day. I would of liked the book to be longer unless I missed something?

I love small-town romance. Such great characters! Can't wait to read more of the Sugar Lake series.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for ARC. All opinions are my own.

Alexandrea and Kellen both come home to their small town in Georgia to help their families. In her case, it was reviving a bakery and in his, it's to figure out why his grandmother won't sell the theater she owns. Alexandrea is the reason! She's been working on a a plan to revive it. This might have started out as a money making enterprise but she's committed. Kellen is worried about his grandmother and he's not looking for love. Well, we all know what's gone happen. These two do a nice dance- there's good dialogue , two characters to root for, and a spunky plot. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for a summer afternoon.

Suit and Boots (or Kellen and Alexandrea) just rolled up together perfectly....just like Ms. Joyce's honey biscuits, lols.

Alexandrea is still in Sugar Lake helping her Aunt Joyce and right now, she's not quite if this little small sleepy GA town is where she wants to stay or if she should be making her way back to NY. But she has an unexpected boost in enthusiasm when Kellen's grandmother Mrs. Betty offers a dream job.

Kellen just wants his grandmother happy, he's worried about her happiness and health especially after the sudden lost of her beloved husband, his grandfather. But Kellen also wants to keep his grandfather's rich legacy going and also perhaps build his own in the process. So when his sweet grandmother won't budge on selling a property that is beloved by the family, Kellen has to make his way back to Sugar Lake to find out why.

What he doesn't expect is Alexandrea jumping into the seat of the bumpy ride he is about to take when he returns to Sugar Lake (see what I did there, lols).

You know what I loved most about this book? The fact that even though Alexandrea and Kellen had their issues with one another, this author always managed to keep their story sweet and...funny.

Too Sweet to Be Good is truly a feel good story. It's a book you can pick up one lazy weekend that will keep a smile on your face. I highly enjoyed it and if you tend to flock towards sweet small town romances, then this is definitely a book to add to your reading list.

*Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read/review.