Finally, someone is writing for Gen X! This is a breath of fresh air and I can't wait to see what this author does next in the genre. Mira and Cole are outstanding characters.

We're back on the mountain (or near the mountain, really) as Red Falls gets ready for Ashley and Mad's wedding. Actually, their wedding isn't the focal point for Mira and Cole's thing, but it is the catalyst. Because of said wedding, Cole walks into Mira's bakery at exactly the right moment and Mira plants a kiss on the hunky ex-rocker and things move forward from there.

On Mira's end, she's dealing with a lot. Some of it is self-inflicted (I don't meant that in a bad way, necessarily, but more in a "I have obligations and don't see a way out of them" sort of way) and some is the reality of dealing with an aging parent. The fake relationship she starts with Cole becomes more the longer they spend together. Which is kind of something Mira doesn't see coming because she doesn't expect more than that one fake-date night with him. BOY, was she wrong.

As for Cole, he's...well, he's kind of stuck. He's doing the things he loves and he's happy enough. At least that's what he tells himself. But spending time with Mira at the wedding shows him that happiness comes in a lot of different flavors and maybe what he thought was happiness before wasn't quite it. I don't know if that makes sense. Let's just say that Cole does some soul searching after his time on the mountain and he finds a different path that just might give him all the things he didn't know he needed.

A sweet kiss that starts it all, long conversations via text and phone, kiddos who want their respective parents to be happy, a truth bomb that makes Mira reevaluate everything, and an ex-rocker who loves hard. MAN, these two worked NICELY together. *thumbs up*

We love to see a 50 year old woman getting hers. Sometimes it feels like we only really see MCs in this age group when it’s the silver fox falling for the nanny. If there’s no appetite among romance readers for women over 35, then I think we all need to take a long look in the mirror, because this book was hot! And swoony! The chemistry was delectable, and the spice delivered. The characters were compelling, and it was interesting to see how much history they each brought to the relationship. We don’t get so much of that with younger MCs. Also, Cole?? We love a hot drummer who’s not afraid to have his feelings.

I will say that the pacing is a little off. The book drags in the middle, and it also feels like a whole second plot begins at around 60% which is sort of exhausting. There’s also a long stretch in which it feels as if we’re getting just about every conversation either MC is having with anyone at all and then when tragedy strikes, we get almost no details about it, and it unfolds for like one page before we are whisked along to something else. I would have swapped the POV in a few places where I thought we would have gotten more out of seeing things from the other MC.

There are a bunch of disparate secondary story lines, and many of them are given more attention than seems called-for given that they are not resolved. I’m assuming that they will continue in future books in this series, but they are really just a slightly confusing distraction in this one. I didn’t read the first book in the series before this one, so perhaps it would have made more sense if I had.

Overall, a cute story with solid steam and lovable characters that would have benefitted from a bit more editing.

When I read Jess’ novel Come As You Are last year, it was like finding a unicorn! Main characters in their 40s? Small town romance? A hero with some baggage BUT totally GONE for the heroine? It was a great time! So when I was able to receive an ARC of Lips Like Sugar, I knew I was going to enjoy the read. What I wasn’t expecting was laugh out loud moments paired with swoon-worthy, giggling romantic scenes.
Mira is doing what she loves - baking, running a bakery, raising her 14 yr old son, working with her mother, but also finds herself as a caregiver to her mom dealing with early dementia. What she doesn’t have time for is a relationship, but Cole Sanderson walks into her bakery at just the right time to play fake boyfriend for the weekend. Cole is the emotionally aware, gorgeous, flirtatious man of her dreams. He loves her daughter and granddaughter fiercely, misses his days as a famous drummer, but finds purpose with his recording studio and finding new drumming talent. Cole is GONE for Mira and ready to make the unfortunate distance between them work. Mira? Not so much, not yet at least. She has a history of people leaving her and guards her heart and feelings. Jess weaves a lovely romance between these two lonely hearts using banter, humor and one of my favorite things - text messages as they maneuver through the giddy beginning of their relationship. Jess also doesn’t hide from the fact that these two are in their 50s, which was refreshing. In many novels, those over 50 are lovable side characters with their sex life behind them. I loved the fact that here Mira and Cole are sexual, not just looking for a partner. Overall, another great read from Jess K Hardy! She manages humor and emotion like a pro bringing a happy ever after to Mira and Cole.

This book was so good!!

I liked Cole & Mira a lot!! The real-life dynamics within this book - the way the author weaved the real life shit we deal with into this fantastical romance - was just amazing.

Mira is dealing with being a single mom to a teenager, taking care of her elder parent, owning a business, all while dealing with menopausal symptoms. She's so strong and independent, but is it to her own detriment?

Cole is a grandpa!! He owns his own business, too, and is a retired rockstar. He goes to help his best friend by babysitting Little Timber while Mads goes on his honeymoon - but it's not all cupcakes & pastries. Some serious shit goes down & everything just rises to the surface for him.

Cole makes up his mind on what he wants in life. Develops the 'lifes too short' philosophy.
Mira isn't there yet. She's got too much going on.

The fact that these two work through it is amazing.

I loved it when Cole said he got a vasectomy when Roe v Wade got overturned. It was him doing his part to keep from accidentally procreating.

I loved it when Cole met Miras mom & son. That was such a wholesome scene. The vulnerability that Mira showed was so unlike what we know of her up to that point. It's like the curtain was brought back & we were given a glimpse into her heart.

I loved that the ex is what helped her realize the errors of her ways.

This story was raw, real, emotionally charged, and just a wonderful love story

#LipsLikeSugar is a sweet love story that enhances its charming main story by skillfully weaving in a number of major life issues, including aging parents, raising a teen-aged son, running a successful business in a small town, addiction and relapse.

Cole Sanderson and Mira Harlow meet when Cole comes to Red Falls, Montana, for the wedding of his best friend, Madigan. Cole and Madigan are former bandmates and Mira has her own bakery (Glazed and Confused) in Red Falls. Cole lives in Seattle and stops at the Glazed and Confused to do Madigan a favor and pick up some baked goods. Cole arrives shortly after Mira’s ex, Paul, and his new wife, Chrissy, have stopped in at the bakery and begin discussing Madigan’s wedding. Reluctant to admit that she is going on her own, Mira is in the middle of making up a non-existent boyfriend as her wedding date, when Cole enters. Mira takes advantage of the opportunity to greet him as if he were her boyfriend. Cole picks up on what’s going on, plays along in front of Paul and Chrissy, and, after they leave, he enthusiastically agrees to be Mira’s wedding date.

Cole turns out to the be the biggest “cinnamon roll; he’s selfless, funny, talented and observant. Mira is also a generous spirit, a natural caregiver and a wonderful, creative baker. Cole and Mira have a wonderful time at the wedding, and despite misgivings about the distance between Seattle and Red Falls, they stay in touch afterward, via frequent texts and, eventually, phone calls.

Shortly after the wedding, circumstances arise that bring Cole back to Red Falls temporarily for a few weeks. Although both Mira and Cole are supportive of their family, friends and each other, they each have lessons to learn about taking care of themselves and asking for help when they need it.

Mira and Cole are lovely characters and it’s a pleasure to see them grow and figure out how to make their future together a reality. This book is a welcome follow-up to Hardy’s Come as You Are (Madigan and Ashley’s) story but can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC.

Lips
I spent the majority of the time while reading this in a state of swoon: either over Cole, who is a truly outstanding and 🔥🔥🔥 MMC, or at the little 80s callbacks dotted here and there: the music, the Lloyd Dobler references, the fact that Cole and Mira learned they were both at the same Depeche Mode concert in 1988.

But back to Cole, who is the sexiest golden retriever you’ll have the pleasure of reading about. He’s all in on life, and that includes Mira, with whom he agrees to fake date so she can show her ex that she’s moved on.

“We can be anything,” he said. “Anything you want. Imagine your dream wedding date, your perfect night. I want to be that for you.”

Mira, meanwhile, is juggling single motherhood, a family business, and the caretaking of her mother, who is sliding into dementia. It is a lot, and Cole is both a refuge for her and a source of stress: What will happen when he returns home to Seattle, where he has a business, a daughter and a granddaughter?

This book is full of the kind of wonderful scenes Hardy excels at: tender and real and often sexy as hell. Her sex scenes are truly top notch.

Two criticisms, one small, one bigger:
1. At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Mira’s ex, Paul, and his new wife, Chrissy. Chrissy is written as a clingy, shallow bubblehead, which rubbed me the wrong way. It is OKAY for other women to be cool or at least not an irritant, even if they’re an ex’s new squeeze. I’d argue that this is particularly important in a book with middle-aged protagonists, because we all have histories, and few of us are our partners’ firsts. As a result, the beginning of the book felt uneven to me.
2. There is a third-act breakup, which I don’t necessarily mind if it’s done well. But here, the reasons for the breakup didn’t really hold up for me. Mira has a lot on her plate. She’s a single mother of a teenager, runs the family business and looks after her mother. She knows that she can’t leave her town, and so the thought of asking Cole to leave his life in Seattle to be near her is overwhelming to her. That would have been enough to justify her actions, but Hardy works in some stuff from her past: fear of abandonment and a feeling of unworthiness, which I don’t feel were integrated enough into the story to become motivations for rejecting Cole. Also, there are two revelations from her mom and from Paul that triggered a change of heart in Mira. One felt realistic, but the other felt too easy.

That said, these things wouldn’t stop me from recommending this book to literally any romance lover, especially those who are craving romance with protagonists who aren’t in their 20s.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Hardy's first book and was excited to go back to Bluebird Basin -- and this did not disappoint. I think the most special thing about this series is the way it centers the Gen X experience in a sexy, nuanced way. There are pop culture references (including a nice discussion on realizing the movies of your youth are problematic) and lovely reflections of the ways that parenting is unique to this generation. I particularly loved the discussion of Cole's later coming out as bisexual and Mira's chosen single-parenthood. As a millennial, I loved the way that this was truly written for Gen X readers and can teach the rest of us a lot about a generation that doesn't get a lot of press. The discussions on being "sandwich caretakers" were especially heartwrenching and Mira's mom's early memory problems were treated with a realistic care (shout out to including the work of speech therapists in memory care!).

Narratively, it's a simple fake dating to catching feelings to how does this work, but its in the soft moments and tender discussions between Cole and Mira that Hardy's craft shines. I continue to love the way that Hardy includes honest discussions about bodily changes and sex (a hysterectomy in the first Bluebird and a vasectomy in this story). Another five star read from THE BEST author telling Gen X stories right now.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book!

This is a cute, fluffy romance with spice! And the main characters are middle aged, which we don’t see often within romance books. He’s a drummer, she’s a baker, and they both fall in love unexpectedly. He falls first and falls hard, she lives guarding her heart from heartbreak. Definitely recommend!

Sometimes a book is just magical. Characters sound and act exactly like you think they would. The writing is funny and clever and sweet. Chemistry is off the charts. They live messy, realistic lives; caring for a teen and an elder and never yourself, recognizing your own destructing/protective patterns, and still repeating them even so, showing up for friends and walking the line between vulnerability and protecting your heart. Lips like sugar is a book that has a rare alchemy of Hardy's mastery and confidence in the world of Bluebird Basin, her writing, and her deep understanding of her characters.

Mira is a baker raising her son and caring for a fading mother. Flustered in front of a now-married ex, she invents a fake date for the wedding they are both attending. Lucky for Mira, in walks Cole, a man made to"Yes, and..." a situation like a boss. Mira kisses him hello with a "babe!' and a whispered apology? Cole follows up with a tiny observed compliment only a long-time partner would think to make. A later scene where they are making up their backstory (and almost burning a bar down with their chemistry) is a delight. What ensues is a relationship build that had me alternating from internal delighted screaming and goosebumps. It's a little gift for someone used to only providing, its communication that gradually deepens in intimacy, its running after the kiss you know you'll regret not having.

Cole is a romance hero for the ages, sexy, vulnerable, deeply committed to his family and friends (one of my highlight notes about something he does is just "A king"). Mira is so used to putting herself last she throws up walls and relationship rules as fast as she can, even though in the end these walls are as stable as a pyramid of Qtips. Their Low Moment comes on the way it does in life, like a car crash you see coming and don't want but can't seem to stop. The way forward comes with reflection and recognition and a push from their people. "She took a step toward him, pulled by that magnetic force that drew her in one direction over and over again: due Cole." Sigh.

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.

I read the first book in this series and couldn't believe that I was able to get the second one. Hardy tackles tough subjects such as addiction and overdose in such a beautiful way. Falling in love is never easy and although you would think it gets easier as you get older you would be wrong because Mira and Cole prove to us readers that no matter how much you age some bad habits are impossible to break. What starts as a chance encounter kiss to prove to her ex boyfriend that she does actually have a date to the wedding that is the talk of the town. Cole who happens to be the grooms best friend and drummer of his band happens to walk into Mira's bakery at just the right time. This book promises two main characters in their 50's, steamy encounters, and a happy ending. Before you read please read the content warnings. Although this book can be read as a standalone it does help to read the first book in the series to understand some of the characters a little better.

Thank you, Netgalley and Jess Hardy for the ARC! I loved the first book in this series so much that I requested this immediately and had to start reading it the minute I got access. 🙂 As a middle aged single mom, I didn't even realize how much I would appreciate romances featuring middle aged single moms until I read Jess's books, so thank you, Jess! I related to Mira in many ways, and Cole was just so sweet. Even when reading a book with a guaranteed happily ever after, I can tell how much I love them when I'm so happy and satisfied for them when I get to the end and the writer has done such a great job that you feel like they really earned it.

*Sigh* I loved this book so much. I really enjoyed Come as You Are, but gosh, something about this one got me even more.

In this return to Bluebird Basin, Mira is overwhelmed in her life taking care of her mom, raising her teen son, and running the town bakery. Caught off-guard by her ex and his new wife in her bakery, she kisses the next stranger who walks in and launches a fake relationship with him for a date to Madigan and Ashley’s wedding. That stranger just happens to be Madigan’s best friend and best man, Cole. Fortunately, or unfortunately, for Mira, Cole is an excellent fake date and an even better real man she connects with him in a way that can’t be ignored.

I’ve found that it is really refreshing to read books with older main characters. It’s like getting a glimpse into the closer-than-it-appears future and being reminded that it’s never too late to experience something new, to grow, to welcome someone into your life, or to still be learning things about yourself. Mira has the weight of the world on her shoulders and excels at putting everyone else’s needs before hers. The man that is Cole is exactly the kind of man she needed to crash into her life. The way he listens to her, pays attention to learn how best to support her, and handles her with such care is a beautiful thing. He’s not infallible or perfect by any means. He has his own complexities to work through and decisions to make. The two of them together show that making space for others in already full lives is complicated at any age, but the right person is worth the effort.

There’s so much I haven’t even touched on in this review, but it is absolutely worth the read. I’m already looking forward to what is still to come in this series. Thank you to NetGalley and Jess K Hardy for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fake date, real feels

Pathological optimistic, Drummer, and Johnny Knoxville lookalike Cole, meets Emo mom, realist, and Bakery owner Mira in the Gen X romance.

Mira & Cole pretend to be a couple at Madigan and Ashley’s wedding (to save face in front of Mira’s ex) and sparks fly.

I loved Come as You Are (the first Bluebird Basin book) and adored this one too!

There was so much to love about this book. -Relatable characters: resident gen xers in facing things that most our age deal with.
-sprinkled in humor
-kick ass movie and music references .
-plenty of steam!

“Sometimes it’s the mess that makes life beautiful “💗

Fingers crossed that the friend Jen with the red curly hair ( Ahhh! I’m a Jen with redish curly hair 😂) gets her own swoon worthy book! Feel free to hook her up with a Chris Cornell look alike with a beautiful full sleeve and nice shoulders 😁 I mean…. A girl can dream!

I really enjoyed this Gen X love story. It felt like (what I would assume would be) an accurate representation of love later in life, and it was the perfect amount of steamy. II appreciated the individual challenges outside of the romance aspect, and the related character development. I'll definitely be reading more Jess K. Hardy moving forward!

ARC REVIEW (thanks NETGALLEY!)


“Could a person hurt themselves from
Holding back huge smiles all night? Like a mouth sprain?”

Yes Mira, they can- I’ve been smiling through this whole damn book. I’m sitting here in the afterglow massaging my cheeks. Goddamnit it was so good. Fuck insta-love or insta-lust, I’m now here for insta-intimacy, thats exactly what this book felt like, intimate. As soon as Cole and Mira meet they just *clicked* and it was so beautiful and joyful to read. I’ve been loving the Bluebird Basin series and FINALLY reading about people my own age with actual real life issues. Jess just gets it cuz she’s one of us.

This beautifully written novel was a long-distance romance done well. The insecurities of both main characters was showcased perfectly without bogging down the story, and not one scene took up undeserved space. Clearly the author knows her Gen Xers and 80s/90s pop culture. Truly an enjoyable read.

A gorgeous, thoughtful, soft, and sexy book - everything I love about Jess Hardy!!!

I didn't think anything could top the sweet magic of Jess Hardy's COME AS YOU ARE, the first book in the Bluebird Basin series, but I love LIPS LIKE SUGAR so very very much. Jess Hardy does an absolutely expert job of giving us mature characters who have some life under their belts but still so much to learn. Watching Cole and Mira develop trust, friendship, and love alongside their sizzling physical chemistry, is just a JOY!

Cole is everything I want in a romance hero--soft, emotional, sexy as hell, and ultimately devoted to making Mira's life easier. And Mira is so special and wonderful: creative, devoted, an active mom and daughter, and a punk at heart.

This book is a fantastic journey I want to travel again and again! Love this series and can't wait for more!

Cole Sanderson has ruined me for all other book boyfriends. An untied bowtie and black rimmed reading glasses?! Undyingly attentive to Mira and teasing the line between corny and achingly sweet?! Openly loving with his man-best friend and wrapped around his granddaughters' baby-fingers?! And, Cole won't hold back in telling Mira what she does to him. Regularly. His adoration completely glimmers off the page. I devoured this in hours while laughing out loud, and I wish I could stay in the Bluebird Basin world for longer! Y'all know I love love for people who aren't usually centered in the romance world, and a hot-flash having, Sandwich generation caregiver like Mira is exactly that. There is so much to be said for writing love and making love without mentioning ripped or youthful bodies, and I so appreciate this approach. The pacing was excellent, and the side characters were engaging and loveable too! Sign me up for the eternal Jess K Hardy hype squad!