This had such a good romcom premise, and yes, it was executed, but I was just overall underwhelmed. The characters didn’t seem fully developed (even though they were) and even though I read every word it felt like I could’ve glazed over half off it and still got the full story.

To me, this was a quick summer read that was quirky, but one I likely wouldn’t reread.

I'm so happy I had the opportunity to read this book from NetGalley. I always enjoy Helena Hunting books, and this book was no different. I don't really like cupcakes or cake, but the descriptions of Blaire's creations made me actually WANT to find a specialty cupcake shop and try out some flavor combinations. Back to Blaire, she's hilarious. Being in her mind for a few hours really raised my spirits. Anyway, I really loved the interactions between Ronan and Blaire, their pranks and arguments, and their support of each other. There isn't really any Insta-love (thank God), so readers will have the opportunity to see their relationship change and grow. I definitely recommend this book.

A fun, lighthearted romance! I am a HUGE fan of the enemies to lovers trope and this one was perfect. I enjoyed how the characters were able to banter and mess with each other. Their antics were down right hysterical at times. I caught myself laughing out loud at work while reading this. Love that Blaire is a business savvy baker who is passionate about creating her own success. Both Blaire and Ronan were well-rounded characters that fit together perfectly.

I received a copy of this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley for my honest review. A huge thank you to the publisher. I loved this book. This was a fun, light, and sweet book that I read in one setting. The story was about Blaire and Ronan who respectively owned bars/ cafes. She baked cupcakes. Which all sounded delicious by the way! And he owned the bar next door. They were two neighbors competing for a prestigious online award. Their chemistry was off the charts, the pranks between them were hilarious and the sweet romance was adorable. The ending was perfect. I am so happy I read it. It brought a huge smile on my face and brighten my day.

The queen of Rom-Com has given us another delightful story to temp our tastebuds with Kiss My Cupcake, it’s a fun entertaining stand-alone that will captivate you from the first page. Blaire is excited and looking forward to opening day of her cupcake bakery and last thing she needs is bar next door to start renovating so she decides she need to face the problem head on by confronting Ronan Knight what she didn’t expect was for the attraction she felt for the annoying man standing in front of her. This is one of those enemies to lovers romances you don’t want to miss, the sparks fly, the sarcasm is witty and the characters are adorable. This book ticked all my boxes, I laughed and I smiled a lot as well as swooning throughout this entertaining read so I guess all that’s left for me to say is please one click this gem, you won’t be disappointed.

Blaire Gibson is a work-a-holic lawyer only on a short mandated vacation to Georgia. Holt Mason works equally as hard for his own family business. One look at Blaire has him in hot pursuit and he even gets a second chance to close the win...and that he does. One hot night was all it was supposed to be.

Their lives revolve around work. Dating and a social life are not a priority. She is intelligent, strong-willed, and likes to be in control. He is alpha, confident, and thrives on being in charge. They challenge each other mentally and fight to share power. It's hard to resist his intensity and dirty talk. What could one night hurt?

But when circumstances change, things get a bit more complicated. When Holt is trying to close the biggest deal of his career, he finds himself unfocused and a bit obsessed with one unique woman destined to leave.

This is a story about trust, vulnerability, control, letting go, and priorities. These two detached people unexpectedly find themselves attaching and that is frightening for someone who likes control and order. Their pasts have marked them and caused fears and insecurities in personal relationships. They have been laser-focused on their careers and they do not like to fail. But this whole situation has surprised them.

After work obligations, do they have enough left to give to someone else? And even if they think they do, the fact they live a thousand miles apart and have established lives might be a deal-breaker.

I will be honest. I have not read the Gibson Boys books or the Lawry Family books, but this worked fine as a complete stand-alone and start of a new series. But fans of those series will surely enjoy the cameos. It makes me interested in going back and reading their stories.

Oh my! I loved this sweet and sexy rom com that I couldn’t put down and finished it in two sittings.

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story, and Blaire and Ronan do not disappoint. Blaire is starting a new cupcake business next door to a bar (and ax throwing establishment) Ronan is taking over from his grandfather. The two get off on the wrong foot and pranks and hijinks ensue.

Blaire and Ronan are wonderfully written, so we get a sense of why they act the way they do. Ronan is a sexy hipster-lumberjack with intriguing tattoos. Blaire loves to dress in fifties-style dresses with full skirts, updos, and themed aprons. They are true opposites, except for their mutual desire to get their businesses off the ground and running in the black.

The setting of the story really added to the fun of reading this book. A cupcake and cocktail shop next door to an ax-throwing bar are unique and fun. It was very believable to me that these two establishments would be located in downtown Seattle!

This was a steamy open door romance that fit perfectly with the characters and story. I fell in love with Ronan and his big-hearted efforts to save his grandfather’s bar. If you are looking for a book that will make you say ‘Oh my…’ when you finish -- I highly recommend this one. 4.5/5

Let the fracas of the bars begin, complete with unicorn martini glasses, fake doggy do, and axe throwing. This book swept me off my feet and absconded with my heart! I adore both Ronan and Blaire, but the icing on top for me was Gramps and Dottie's story and how they influenced Ronan and Blaire.

Blaire's family is very restaurant-centric, owning several restaurants around the world, with that being their sole focus. And holy wow, this bunch is way out there and beyond my capacity for words to explain. Her sister is married to Blaire's ex and her cousin goes after anything with testosterone (including Blaire's ex). And her parents! *gigantic eyeroll* Well they’re just one big, perplexing mess, but they’re family. Blaire is a bit of an outlier, and she's determined to make it on her own. She's thrown everything into her new cupcake and cocktails venture, and things are looking promising until the pub next door gets a makeover.

Ronan’s dream is to open a craft brewery, which his gramps has promised to finance. First though, Gramps wants Ronan to bring the family pub, The Knight Cap, into the black. The pub is special to Gramps because he met his late wife and the love of his life there years ago when he was working for his father. Ronan has some great plans for the pub, and setting off the firecracker next door is just an added benefit, and way too much fun for Ronan to ignore.

OMGee, these two are so much fun! A rivalry of epic proportions, complete with snark, sass and pranks, they kept me in stitches and it seemed like the book read itself. And when they finally decide to stop trying to best each other and work together, they are unstoppable.

This one is clever, cute, lighthearted, and steamy, but it's all that heart in heavy doses throughout the book that makes it a phenomenal read and elevates it above the other romantic comedies out there. You’ll love watching the sparks arc and pop between Blaire and Ronan, but watching them grow and change, and seeing them bring Gramps back to life after losing his soul mate will make your heart sing. This story has that extra special, undefinable something that lands it on my list of top reads for the year. If you’re looking for a wild, hysterical, touching ride that will delight your romantic heart, run to the 1-Click and start reading today!

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Kiss My Cupcake from @netgalley. It comes out on Tuesday, August 11th! Okay, I really liked this. I knew I would because I love Meet Cute (there is a shout out to Daxton in this) and Good Luck Charm by Helen Hunting.

Blaire is opening up her dream business a cupcake shop called Buttercream & Booze - which happens to be next door to Ronan’s family’s bar The Knight Cap. Blaire loves 50’s dresses in fun patterns, and Ronan wears plaid and has tattooed sleeves. Things don’t exactly go well when Blaire and Ronan first meet, but eventually, the rivals come together for the sake of their businesses. This book was just fun, and it really made me want to eat a cupcake! It’s a enemies-to-lover troupe, and their banter is so good. Read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the complimentary digital arc in exchange for an honest review. This book releases August 11, 2020.

Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting is a super cute enemies to lovers romance that I loved. The book centers around Blaire, an independent business owner, who is just starting her first store front, Cupcakes and Cocktails (how cute is that concept for a store!). Next door we meet Ronan the proprietor of The Knight Cap, a bar where axe throwing is the name of the game.

I loved the characters in this book. Blaire makes the most luscious sounding cupcakes that she pairs with matching cocktails. And even better, she tends to match her 50s style crinoline dresses to her theme of the day. Ronan is a plaid wearing hipster who is bringing back to life a bar that has been in the family for three generations. The book also includes some great side characters that I also really grew to love. I really hope we see some of these characters in a sequel.

As for story I really enjoyed watching these two build their businesses through cute concepts, online marketing, and creatively themed events. The book acknowledges the tough road independent small businesses can have but that the rewards can be sweet when you follow your passions. Pacing is pretty quick with a lot of interesting things going on throughout.

This book will appeal to romcom lovers. If you love to bake, or just read about incredible desserts, this is the book for you. I'd say the steam factor on this one is about a medium.

So long story short - Kiss My Cupcake is a fun romcom with great characters and a fun story that I highly recommend. It makes a great vacation read.

3.5 stars
Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting was one of those books that there were things I really liked about it, but also things that didn’t work. It was a cute book and low on angst which is something I appreciated, but it also felt a bit lacking.
Blaire is opening up a bakery/bar called Buttercream and Booze but shortly before her opening she has a run in with Ronan Knight who is renovating the bar next door to her business. This sets up the adversarial relationship between them and honestly put Blaire in a pretty bad light right off the start, but we immediately see the attraction between the two as well.
I felt like this story was kind of all over the place; we have Blaire’s insistence she wants to do this on her own with no help from her family, but she has no problem relying on her former business partner, her best friend, and eventually Ronan. Personally I could have done without the whole issue and meeting of her family as they truly didn’t add anything to the story or move it forward. It felt almost out of place in this book. Because Ronan’s bar is a family business, his family being a part of the story was believable and necessary especially his grandfather. The whole rivalry between them seemed a bit manufactured at the beginning and when it should have become more of a rivalry because of them vying for a spot on a YouTube influencers best bar in the Pacific Northwest, then instead join forces.
The thing is I did enjoy their rivalry, their friendship, and was happy when it became more although I felt like more time should have been focused on their relationship outside of work, yet I also understand they were both running businesses that needed their attention and dedication. I just felt like we really saw very little of them as an actual, normal couple without outside influences.
Fans of Helena Hunting will no doubt enjoy the story as it features her trademark witty banter, and characters that are flawed yet endearing, but for me this book was a little uneven, a bit too long in some areas, but short in others.

Trigger Warning: body shaming by family members and talk of extreme diets

Helena Hunting, author of Meet Cute, is at it again! And I think this book is even better!

This book was everything I needed! Enemies to lover, check. Sexy male main character, check. Good writing and fun dialogue, check. And the best part, now I am insanely craving delicious cupcakes and drinks! I also am dying to find a fun bar by my apartment that has themed nights that I can go to!

Also we got a fun little mention of Daxton and possibly Kailyn (though her not by name)!

Characters

Blaire is our main character and we read most of the story from her POV. She is spunky, independent, and someone that you'll rooting for! I love her fashion sense and how she is true to herself!

Ronan is our leading man, and we do get some chapters from his POV. He is a great guy, with a killer sense of humor, and such an admirable love for his family.

Henry, aka Gramps, is Ronan's grandpa and I wish we got even more of him! He was such a sweet man, and I love how close he and Ronan are!

Not a character, but each chapter ended with a fun tweet type note that the stores posted and they were all so fun to read!

Romance

This is a romance book, so obviously this is important, and it did not disappoint! It's no surprise I loved this as enemies to lovers is my favorite trope ever, but this book did it SO WELL! This was not a case of toxic people giving into attraction and just ignoring all of the awful things that happened before. No, this was two people who were never bad to each other, just some minor pranks and teasing, slowly becoming friends, and then something more. This was so beautifully done and really shows that this trope can be done tastefully, without promoting toxicity.

There were some steamy scenes in this one, but nothing too long or too detailed. But the sexual tension was definitely off the charts!

My absolute favorite thing about this romance was that it didn't fall victim to any of the overused and annoying tropes that authors use when they're just trying to make drama, aka jealousy or lack of communication. There were some moments when I felt like this could happen, but then they characters were actually mature human beings and talked to each other and never let anything fester. Truly iconic. I need more books to do this lol!

Plot

This plot wasn't anything revolutionary, honestly I've probably read similar fanfics, but it still managed to hold its own and keep me entertained the entire time!

Overall

I really loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a light fun romance read!

Ronan and Blaire
I am usually first in line when a new release comes out for Helena Hunting's books. Her stories are usually the perfect mix of fun, steam, and escape. Kiss My Cupcake just did not get me there. I had a really hard time connecting to the characters and the story in this book.
I usually am a fan of the quirky girl but Blaire was hard to love and easy to like. Blaire’s family is way over the top, almost too over the top. This book needs more interaction between all the characters especially since both had involved back stories. Ronan almost read like the tragic hero who had never experienced any kind of love. But from what little we do know about him His grandparents loved him deeply. I know this was an enemy to lovers, business competitor’s trope but it needed another antagonist.

While this story was not my jam doesn’t mean it won’t be someone else. I am a huge Hunting fan and I will be back from whatever is next. This was a 3/5 star read for me. It is cute and quirky I just felt it needed something more.

Helena Hunting does it again. I could not put this book down. Hunting has this way that captivates her readers with a story that will have you laughing and swooning days after. My cheeks were hurting from the smiling, there were scenes that had me absolutely dying from the tension.

This slow burn has two characters that I loved! Together they were a force! Ronan and Blaire were incredible and I think these two will leave a lasting impression on my romantic heart.

5 star Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting

A stand alone novel from the very talented Helena Hunting who wove a story that drew me in and held me captivated from the first to the last chapter. I love Ms. Hunting's style of writing and I found Blaire Calloway and Ronan Knight’s story to be quirky and fun.

I loved how feisty, sassy and determined Blaire was to make her cupcake business a success. There was so much banter and humour within these pages as Blaire and her shop neighbour Ronan go head to head. The relationship that builds between them as their rivalry intensifies led to some laugh out loud moments.

However when big business comes in and threatens both Blaire and Ronan’s blossoming businesses they band together to take them down. The chemistry between them sizzles and the secondary characters were just as entertaining. Ronan’s relationship with his family was heart warming and added an additional layer to the story.

Kiss My Cupcake is a great example of a romantic comedy at it’s best and Helena Hunting continues to make me swoon and laugh, often at the same time.

This was everything I wanted in a romance novel. Hate to love trope, fun characters and laugh out loud banter. 5 stars.

Can I just start by saying how much I'm dying to visit Buttercream & Booze? What a cute name and a great concept. I really enjoyed this story and the slow build of romance between the leads. The chemistry was believable and I think the development of both characters was good; I found it a little surprising there were so many Blaire chapters in the beginning; I didn't necessarily need them to alternate, but it felt at times that Ronan's POV was unnecessary since the book was so Blaire heavy. I will say I found the Epilogue a little too kitchy and didn't love the business proposal they land on, I guess I could understand the rationale but also felt it was a bit unrealistic in concept.

Nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed this and look forward to more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting my wish on this one; definitely enjoyable and recommendable!

I have not read many Helena Hunting novels but this one takes the (cup)cake! Talk about a feisty (yet bubbly) leading lady and a sexy lumberjack/hipster bar owner. If you like banter, sexual tension, and a tattooed man having cupcake-gasms on the daily, this is the book for you! I probably would too if I had a bite of one of Blaire’s cupcake creations!⁣
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I binge read this book within 24 hours and it was just what I needed! This book will make you laugh, swoon, and be extremely hungry afterwards!

This was everything I wanted it to be and so much more for a romance between a sassy cupcake shop owner and an ax wielding lumberjack bar owner! Helena’s signature humor is on full display in the pranks, the mega watt snarky banter, and the swoony sexiness! This is definitely in my top 5 favorite books of Helena’s and it’s bound to be a new favorite for others as well, whether this is your first book of hers on your tenth+!! You’ll be cravings one of Blaire’s cupcake and you’ll want to try axe throwing by the time you’re done reading this sweet treat!

This was a cute, quirky story that seems written specifically with millennials in mind. However, Ronan's hipster garb and Blaire's throwback fashions aren't just to be cool-- they have deeper meaning. Some family drama and business competition thrown in, but overall the angst and tension is relatively light.