Too much angst in Evans and too much ego for Jake. Could not finish this book which saddens me because I thought I should enjoy it more

3.5 Stars
I’m actually a little disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this one more then I did since I fell in love with this duo’s previous hockey series. Overall, I did enjoy this one. It was just hard for me to fall in love with the main man, Jake. He wasn’t a very good friend. He just expected her to forgive him and move on from his ghosting her. Maybe it’s just me.

Sweet as Pie
Evie and Jake
Alicia Hunter Pace
From the cover I thought this would be another light, zany romance around cooking. Something involving a cat and a crew of crazy friends. Don’t get me wrong,it is a lighter romance but it is quite substantive. Jake is a professional hockey player and Evie, a baker. They’ve been friends from the cradle- their moms are best friends. But Jake went off and married Evie’s cousin- a marriage that lasted only a few months. Then Jake ghosted Evie. Jake and his hockey team move to town and Jake asks for forgiveness. Evie, being a ‘yes’ girl and having been in love with Jake all her life agrees to forgive him. But it isn’t easy and she not quite successful. It will take Evie finding her own inner ‘no’ girl to finally say yes to Jake.
I would recommend this book to my patrons and would like to have it in time for Halloween or Fall book lists.

Evans Pemberton has achieved her life long dream of owning her own pie shop. Established with the help of a local business woman in Laurel Springs her shop, Crust, is thriving. If only she could say the same thing about the rest of her life. Her childhood best friend and lifelong crush Jake Champagne has just moved to town as a part of the new pro hockey franchise and he seems intent on restoring their friendship. Evans is just as inclined as always to forgive, but finds forgetting the past this time is just a little more difficult, especially since it involved Jake marrying and subsequently divorcing her golden haired cousin and ghosting on their friendship. But as Evans and Jake spend more time together, it seems like he may be interested in more than just friendship, but can they take all the best ingredients from their friendship and turn them into something as sweet as pie?

Cute contemporary romance novel with a little bit of hockey team antics on the side. I thought the backstory between Evans and Jake was really good and provided some nice tension up-front as they tried to get their friendship back on track. The family dynamic was also fun with their mom's being best friends, although I thought we could have used a little bit more of that drama aside from just the one weekend. Jake and Robbie's friendship is fun and we see a bit more of that as things get wild than we do of Evans and her friends. The moment Evans has with her mentor Clair during all the upheaval is great, but I would have liked to see more female support and friendship all around (it was alluded to, I just didn't see it on the page). Cute fun novel if you're looking for a quick read!