I loved this book! It had all the Hallmark moments you always look for in these books! Especially right now, this was just what I needed :) Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this early!

Romance, clean; contemporary
Cute light romance, more of a 3.5 for me as a reader. Very fun, light romance. Claire's mom keeps trying to set Claire up. Eric is one of those unfortunate men, however, he likes Claire, and as their relationship develops and Clair's Mom's deception and his begins to unravel a bit, he is feeling very conflicted. Their sweet, genuine attraction and budding feelings made for a nice honest romance, with that fun chemistry that makes any romance fan want to read. Fun setting, twist in the backstory, but their fun interactions, and obvious attraction and great chemistry made for a fun romance. Eric is such a fun H, he makes us want to root for his success and for Claire and he to get a HEA. Fun, cute escape read as always!
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review, my opinions are my own.

I really disliked the character Claire and her dynamic with her mom. The rest of the book was a pretty good read.

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

Love by Chance by Kacy Cross
Source: NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing
Rating: 2½/5 stars

Claire is utterly convinced that Fate is going to drop her perfect partner into her life and when that moment happens, it will be utterly perfect! Why should Claire doubt when Fate has already dropped the perfect business partner in her lap? Though their bakery is fledgling, they are doing OK and always hustling to do better. Thanks to Claire’s mom, she and her partner are able to take on lucrative catering jobs in addition to their onsite sales. It’s at one of these events that “Fate” chooses to introduce Claire to her perfect man.

Eric is everything Claire could want in a partner. He’s kind, generous, successful, handsome, and their first meeting story is everything Claire has always dreamed about. An accidental meeting while she’s catering an art gallery event is just the kind of story Claire will delight in one day telling her children. Unfortunately, Claire is the only one who thinks her meeting with Eric is the result of Fate and the universe.

For years, Claire has struggled with her mother’s incessant meddling in her love life. Claire’s mother is utterly convinced she knows better than anyone the type of man Claire needs and only she, Claire’s mother, can find him and bring the two together. Time and time again, Claire has told her mother to back off and let her live her own life and make her own decisions regarding her romantic entanglements. The instances of meddling have become so blatant, offensive, and uncomfortable that Claire has begun to pull away from her once close and loving relationship with her mother. In order to prevent the separation, Claire’s mother has once again said she will cease all involvement in Claire’s love life.

As the weeks pass, Claire is deliriously happy with Eric. Both her personal and professional life is blossoming, and Claire is happier than she can ever recall being. For Eric’s part, Claire is just about perfect, and he can’t believe his good fortune in meeting her. The only problem Eric has with the relationship is the circumstances under which it was begun. Claire has no idea of her mother’s involvement nor that Eric is still in contact with her mother. Eric has repeatedly asked Claire’s mother to divulge the truth to Claire before she discovers the truth on her own. Once again, Fate steps in!

The Bottom Line: I’m going to tell you the same thing several men told Claire’s mother, she is the reason I didn’t like this book! It really is true that a single character can ruin an otherwise good book. Though I wanted to excuse Claire’s mother and her behavior as the actions of a woman who loves and deeply cares for her daughter and wants nothing more than her happiness, but by her own admission, Claire’s mother is so involved in Claire’s life to avoid dealing with her own life and issues. Additionally, her actions have been repeated so often as to speak to her selfishness and self-interest rather than care and devotion to her daughter. Claire’s mother and her abhorrent actions are such a dominant theme in this book that is hard to overlook her and really appreciate the rest of the story. Claire and Eric are fine characters, her bakery is wonderfully scrumptious, and their love story is endearing, but all of that is tainted and overshadowed by the antics and shenanigans of her mother. I think I can safely say, this book is an easy one to bypass.

Love love love this story! My Heart was breaking for Eric and true love. Well written and so Romantic!

A sweet, quick romance that keeps you interested throughout. Once I started reading this book I could not put it down, I finished in a matter of hours.
Claire has always dreamed of meeting the perfect guy by chance, just like the story her parents had for their meeting. So, she is tired of her mother meddling in her love life by setting her up on blind dates without permission. She asks her to stop meddling and just let her meet someone the way she wants. Then, just as she has always dreamed, she meets Eric at an art gallery, just by chance or so she thinks....
The writing flows in the story and weaves in the supporting characters flawlessly. I enjoyed getting to know the characters of Claire and Eric and they left me wanting more of their story. I recommend this book, especially if you're looking for a feel good romantic story. I look forward to reading more books by Kacy Cross soon. I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Claire, a pastry chef struggling to make her restaurant succeed, is too busy to pursue romance. That doesn't stop her loving but meddling mother, Helen, from setting her up on dates. Even after Helen promises to stop her matchmaking efforts, she can't help herself. She convinces Eric, a pediatrician, to meet Claire at a gallery event. Eric and Claire feel an immediate connection, and their meeting becomes a magical first date. But the longer Eric and Claire see each other, the less comfortable Eric feels about hiding the fact that Claire's mom set them up. Meanwhile, Claire loves to talk about how she trusts Eric, and how they met by chance. How will she react to the truth? This witty, sweet romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Coconut Cream Lime Tart.

Review:
This book definitely read like a Hallmark movie; which it was. It also read to me a lot like the movie Because I said so... where the mother falls in love and realizes what it is at the same time she is trying to find her daughter one Which coincidentally, in the movie, they are both pastry chefs! The characters are likable. The hero is a nice guy. The mom is a bit of a meddler. I tried to separate the movie from this book; it was a bit hard for me. I love the movie and if I wasn't such a fan then this might have been better for me. Still, overall, it was a very sweet read and worth the read.

Romance and Mom is a crazy combo! When Mom thinks she is your matchmaker run, just run. Loved the book and entertained by the movie. Both are fun and provide clean romance. Fast enjoyable read. As with all Hallmark books there's a great recipe at the end. One of these days I am going to start making these.

Thank you to Hallmark and NetGalley for me to allowing me to read and review.

Love By Chance is a sweet, warm-hearted, romance about a pastry chef, her constantly meddling mother, and a great pediatrician who falls victim to the meddling mother. I really enjoyed the characters and setting and didn't want it to end. Such a feel-good story!

Claire's mother was a meddler in the worst kind of way. For Claire. For us, not so much, because Helen who created the major problem that made the story so much fun to read! Helen needed to be needed by Claire and she thought the way to fill that void in her life was by arranging Claire's. And finding her a perfect match. The problem is that Claire wanted to find her own. Have it happen naturally so she would have a romantic story to tell her children and grandchildren.

Oops!

Eric was the unsuspecting bystander who just happened to relent to Helen's persistence and go to see Claire for himself. And happened to fall deeply in love with her at first sight.

See the conflict here?

Mistakes are heaped upon mistakes to create the perfect storm of RomCom magic. Claire, Eric, Helen, and Helen's husband, Sam, were all allowed to share their thoughts in a third-person manner throughout the story, which was a great choice.

I enjoyed seeing Eric and Claire at the hospital with one of Eric's young patients, bringing her cheer and pastries. Their kindness and love for children touched my heart. I also liked seeing Claire and her business partner, Mario, try to figure out which patron was the anonymous food critic they were expecting. And the result of them being wrong and saying things they never would have dreamed of uttering in the critic's presence. (And, I might add, I'm quite proud of myself for figuring out this mysterious person's identity right away!)

If you enjoy clean RomCom with witty humor, I highly recommend Love by Chance. And I'm excited to add Kacy Cross to my list of authors to follow!

No. Just no.
A manipulating mother who keeps doing things against her daughters wishes because she thinks "i know what's best for you" - I liked maybe a few pages, but when i realized that i've watched half the movie and i had to turn it off back then. And this book was also hard to read, i had hoped maybe it wasn't as awful as the movie, but for me it was.

This was a fun quick read. The heroine's mother may have hit a new standard for most interfering mother ever. Claire was so focused on having a fated fairy tale romance, she refused to look past her mother's interfering when she was set up with a guy, causing a lot of subterfuge and heartache all around. Plus she had the added stress of making her bakery a success.

Sometimes love surprises you
Kacy Cross introduces her readers to Claire Michaels who struggles together with her partner Marco to run "Gilded Sweets Bakery" in spite of various challenges, such as an ancient temperamental oven in her book "Love By Chance. Based On the Hallmark Channel Original Movie". Claire's interfering mother Helen is another challenge. She wants to see her daughter married and tends to arrange "not so accidental" encounters with eligible men for her. It seems that meeting Eric at an gallery event where Claire offers desserts to those present does not fall in this category. Their developing relationship and Eric's creative ideas to promote "Gilded Sweets Bakery" seems just to be a "natural" event. But how does Eric deal with the fact that Helen originally wanted to set them up? And what will Claire do when she discovers the truth?
This was the first book by Kacy Cross which I read and I highly recommend it. It is a relaxing fast read and very enjoyable, especially since the story also contains some surprises. Additionally there is another Hallmark original recipe included, this one for Coconut Cream Lime Tart.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#LoveByChance #NetGalley

This book was okay- but I couldn't finish. I usually like Hallmark stories, but this one wasn't doing it for me...
so it was a DNF for me.

If you love Hallmark movies, this book is for you!

Unlucky-in-love and highly-driven small business owner Claire is struggling to make a rousing success of her dream – creating cakes and tarts in the perfect local cafe. She’s got a history of failed matchmaking attempts from her mom, Helen, who takes meddling in her daughter’s life to a whole new level, and has sworn off relationships to focus on baking and business.

Helen is incredibly proud of her people-reading and matchmaking skills. She means well, and just wants her daughter to find the happiness she’s enjoyed for so long. At the same time, we come to find that Helen is struggling with her own identity and fears as she gets older and looks at the changes that the next chapter in her life will bring. However, we quickly see that she is going about things ALL wrong.

Our hero Eric is a nice, normal guy who gets caught up in one of Helen’s schemes. We have some hints that he and Claire may have met organically on their own, but Helen’s meddling definitely accelerates the timeline. The problem is, Claire has become very upset with Helen for her interference, and forbidden her from matchmaking. Now that Helen is positive she’s found the perfect guy for Claire (with both Claire and Eric in quick agreement), she’s afraid that her previous association with Eric may ruin everything. So her solution is to keep it a secret from her daughter, and she manipulates Eric into playing along...

I enjoyed reading Claire and Eric as a couple and as individuals. Both characters were well defined, likable, and funny - “good people”. The book and the characters have everything you would expect from a Hallmark book/movie, and they are honestly one of my “go to” entertainment sources for lighthearted fun with a guaranteed HEA.

In true romance style, we see our trio stumble through misinformation and misunderstandings all along their path. I’ll be honest in saying that Helen is over the top. We see where she is coming from, absolutely. But her methods leave a bit to be desired. Nevertheless, the story moves along at a nice pace, is well fleshed out, and written in a light, positive mood; true sweet & clean Hallmark fashion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Hallmark Publishing, I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Love By Chance: Based on the Hallmark Channel Original Movie
by Kacy Cross
Rating: 4/5

When I saw that this story was available for review, I jumped at the chance. I am a huge fan of Hallmark Channel Original Movies that just make you cry and feel good inside. I knew I would enjoy the book version of the movie, Love By Chance, because I'd get to read and understand the characters better. It did not disappoint.

What do you do when your mother likes to control everything about you and is obsessed with your love life? Claire is a pastry chef who co-owns a struggling bistro but is determined to make it work. Her mother is determined to find her a husband at any cost. Claire's mom, Helen, has a sixth sense about these things and considers herself a successful matchmaker. When Helen takes things a tad too far, she meets someone new who she insists is perfect for Claire - Eric, a pediatrician. Helen somehow convinces Eric to go to an art gallery event that Claire is catering. When the two meet, sparks fly and now Eric has a problem. He is quickly falling for Claire but hates lying to her. Meanwhile, Helen is still trying to control everything with Claire while neglecting her own husband and their plans for retirement. What happens when the truth comes out?

I loved reading this version of the original movie because I was able to be inside the head of the different characters and really understand their motivations and thoughts for their actions. Helen still frustrates me to no end but I know her heart's in the right place. I loved the Epilogue because that wasn't in the original movie. There's also a recipe in the back of the book which I definitely want to try out.

The book is basically the movie in written form but with a more filled out story which I enjoyed reading. I highly recommend this book for lovers of Hallmark Channel Original Movies and clean, sweet romance.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

Trademark Hallmark- cute, contemporary romance with just enough conflict to make it interesting.

Claire doesn’t want to be set up by her busybody matchmaking mother, but when she sets her up with Eric, they hit it off. There’s conflict, but also the HEA that we expect from Hallmark stories.

Fans of the movie will love the novelization, and fans of author Kacy Cross will love her adaptation of it.

Easily a four star read, and seriously cozy for reading while curled up this winter.

**I was graciously provided with an ARC by NetGalley and the publishers. All opinions are my own.**

Another sweet love story by Hallmark. Claire, bakery owner is single and very focused on her work. Her mom is determined to play matchmaker. Claire wants to meet her future husband by chance, just like her parents. When her mom finds the perfect guy she cant help by intervene.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Love by chance is a delightful, charming and sweet read. Eric and Claire are wonderful characters. I truly enjoyed reading their story. Its a wonderful well written story. I thought the storyline was really good. Its a page turner. This story kept my interest through out the story.
Thank you to Hallmark Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.
I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Love By Chance is a sweet, romantic story that will leave you hungry for sweets. Claire owns her own bakery and is very close to her mom. It was funny to see how far Helen, Claire's mom, would go to find a sweet guy for Claire. At one point she seems to go too far and what ensues is funny and horrible at the same time.

Eric is a pediatrician who ends up in one of Helen's schemes. That scheme made a fun and humorous story. This was written to go with one of Hallmark's movies. I have never seen the movie but after reading this book I really want to watch it. This is also the first book I have read by Kacy Cross and I plan to see what other books she has written because I enjoyed this book. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.