Daphne dreams of opening her own bakery. For now, she runs a pop-up store is a Raleigh high rise during the holiday season. This is her third year and everyone loves her goodies. Except for Grinchy Grincherson.
Tristan is an architect and he hates those stupid shops in the lobby. They make it look tacky. ESPECIALLY the baked goods one. But, when he is suddenly forced into hosting a few holiday parties, he reluctantly asks Daphne for help. Can she rub off on him or will he break his spirit?

I thought this was a cute, quick read. Full of holiday shenanigans. I like Tristan's story arc. Overall, enjoyable Christmas fluff.

Melanie Mendez narrates the audiobook. No complaints. I listened at 1.5.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute and fun little holiday rom-com. Very much gives Hallmark movie vibes. Fade to black with suggestive undertones. Could be read by upper teens and above.

Great synopsis but absolutely awful writing makes this book a no go. The plot is weak and the characters are poorly developed. I do not recommend it.

Baking It Merry is a festive enemies-to-lovers romance that hits just the right holiday notes.

Daphne’s a baker doing her best to keep her holiday pop-up running smoothly, but Tristan, the big-city businessman, is dead set on shutting her down—at least until he needs her help with a family issue.

The narration really brings Daphne and Tristan to life, with distinct voices that made it easy to follow the story—even at my usual 1.8x speed. The switch between characters felt smooth, and the pace kept things moving without any lulls.

While the storyline feels familiar, the holiday charm and the warm connection between the characters keep it from feeling predictable.

Overall, Baking It Merry makes for a cozy, lighthearted listen that’s perfect for anyone looking to enjoy a holiday romance while sipping something warm and snuggling up by the fire.

Enemies to lovers
Hallmark movie vibes
Bakery

Perfect combination to start the holiday season off with.

Great book

Dalphne works hard for two months each year selling Christmas goodies from her gingerbread house located in a local business. She has been part of the craft fair for a couple of years now and is the hit of the fair. But baking isn't her full time job, yet. She dreams of opening her own bakery but lacks a little confidence in doing so. Things are going well this holiday season until she has a run in with Tristan. Tristan hates the holiday fair being in his office building. He doesn't think it is belongs in a nice office building. How can this prickly person and the sweet baker come together. Well, enter Tristan's family. He is having to carry more of the family's holiday parties this year and Daphne has been hired to provide the treats.
These two do not get along well at all. He undoes all the things she does to make for a nice event. Will they ever get along?

enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, baking, funny Christimas loving FMC, supportive family, chase your dreams.

This audiobook was great and the narrator was perfect. This would make a fantastic Holiday movie.
I love a good Holiday book and this one did not disappoint. A strong woman who has created a small baking company during the season so she can do what she loved. The other part of the year she has a web consulting business. She clearly excels at baking as her booth is always busy. Her booth however is the bane of the Grumpy architecture firms boss and he hates it. They of course clash and he can't stand all the cheery holiday things. Overtime as they are brought together you know what happens.
It was a joy to see the relationships being built with other people in the architecture firm , the grumps family and eventually the grump.

If you like a feel good holiday book, you will undoubtedly enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook arc.

The narration could have used more acting, emotion something. This story seemed like the perfect, cheesy in the best way Christmas story romance. Grumpy guy falls in love with the happy woman who loves Christmas. Daphne loves Christmas and baking and she has only one negative about her season job and that’s hot grumpy Thristan. If that wasn’t enough throw in another troupe, fake dating.

Daphne personified a living breathing Hallmark holiday star. She loves Christmas and along with her full time job she bakes (her true passion) and her specialties is CHRISTMAS baked goods….being served at a holiday pop up in a very busy and upscale building. A building that also houses a walking taking Grinch personified in the shape of an architect, Tristan. While he wanted to destroy her pop up and holiday cheer and basically anything happy, Tristan needed her help with a catering snafu. And then he needs Daphne’s help with his family, so Grinchy McGrincherson has to beg and promise to tolerate Daphne’s holiday cheer.

If you want grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, forced proximity love story, this is for you.

Did I find the MMC likable? No. I enjoyed the audiobook version NetGalley afforded me, my only wish was if it was a dual narration. Maybe the male narrator could have made the extremely grumpy and not so redeeming MMC a little better.

Enemies to lovers, holiday and bakers.. this has the recipe for the best holiday read. Unfortunately, for me the MMC was entirely unlikable I could not get past how mean he was and how he did not deserve the FMC at all. It was hard for me to get past that. Because of that it made it hard for me to believe in their relationship entirely. I had a hard time with the dirty talk it was so cringe, that I just couldn't even listen to it lol. I needed a little more depth from this book and more likable main characters for me to make this a hit holiday read.

Grumpy/sunshine troupe put in a Holiday Romance with forced promixety.
Cozyness overload and put's you right in the Christmas mood!

It's defently sugar-sweet, with a bit of "cinnamon" spice. (closed door spice)

Rating
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Closed door

🎄workplace
🎄enemies to lovers
🎄grumpyxsunshine
🎄hallmark romance
🎄baker and businessman

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Samantha Chase for the ALC of this book.

Baking It Merry follows Daphne and Tristen.
Basically peppy holiday loving girl selling baked goods in the same building as a scroogy man who hates the idea of the small shops and really doesn’t care much for the holidays at all. Boy is asked to host a family
Gathering and is forced to hire said girl. Antics ensue.

This was so cute! Most holiday romances are but there are a select few that do an excellent drop bringing the story to life without dragging it on too long or not long enough to really care about the characters.
This one did just that.
I was in invested in Daphne and Tristen and loved all of it.
Highly recommend if you love romance, closed door romance, or really just love the holidays in general!

This was a super cute, pleasant christmas office, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine romance! It was very Hallmark ESK which i love in my holiday romances!

I really enjoyed the overall storyline and the characters! the story flowed and I listened in 1 sitting. My only note would be that a dual pov narration with 1 narrator is a bit strange for me, but i enjoyed the narrator so it was fine overall.

I would absolutely recommend this & read more by this author!

Grumpy X Sunshine, but make it Christmas so…Grinch X Mrs Claus, I guess?

It was fine just not memorable.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

🎧 Book Review 🎧 I am a sucker for a baking rom com during the holidays and Samantha Chase absolutely delivered with Baking It Merry! Mix together an aspiring baker and a holiday booth at a corporate office with a grumpy architect, also with big dreams but no holiday spirit and you have the perfect start to this holiday story! When a family crisis forces Mr. Grinch to plan the family parties and hire Daphne to cater them, we’re all in for a sweet treat! Melanie Mendez does a fantastic job bringing Samantha Chase’s newest novel to life, making it nearly impossible not to absolutely love the characters! Baking It Merry is a true holiday treat not to be missed!

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: So cute! You’ll want to devour this book like the holiday treats the FMC bakes. If you like Hallmark Movie vibes this one’s for you. Still not convinced, take a look at these tropes. I highly recommend checking this holiday feel good read out when in Releases on 11/19/24.

Daphne loves to bake and for the last few years during the holidays she setup shop in the lobby of an office building, at a small business pop up market. Her dream is one day run a bakery but for now she’s happy delivering holiday cheer through muffins, cookies, cupcakes and special orders.

Tristian is a Scrooge and he hates that there’s a pop up market in his lobby downstairs, especially a tacky gingerbread house selling sweets. He’s under a lot of pressure to get his latest architectural project approved, so he can live up to his families idea of success. It’s making him lash out even more than normal.

So when the grump meets the happy baker its insta hate, these two couldn’t be more opposites. But when Tristan mom puts him in change of hosting a few holiday desert parties he’s forced to turn to Daphne for help. But she’s everything he can’t stand, well maybe everything but her blueberry muffins. So this is going to be a fun holiday season of torture.

Make sure to check this out when it 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙉𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 19𝙩𝙝.

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Enemies to Lovers
* Baker x Architect
* Grumpy x Sunshine
* Forced Proximity
* Fake Dating
* Opposites Attract
* Hallmark Movie Vibes
* Dual POV

♥️🎄🍪♥️🎄🍪♥️🎄🍪♥️🎄🍪♥️🎄🍪♥️

The perfect story to kick off holiday season. Grumpy / Sunshine , Enemies to Lovers, HEA. Daphne was a doll and Tristan came a long way. I was rooting for them the entire time.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Dreamscape Media for the gifted audio book!

Read this book if you like: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, grumpy sunshine

It's a cute small town, enemies to lovers romance with baked goods. The audiobook and narration are great. They were a bit too much of enemies to me. It's a quick read, so a lot is spent on hostility. I still loved it and highly recommend it!

This is an audiobook to get you in the holiday spirit! I listened to in a day! Daphne and Tristian are a fun spin on a holiday romance with tropes like enemies to lovers, fake dating and an HEA. Daphne sells her bakery items at a little market in Tristian’s work building and they have never gotten along. For such a quick book, you do really feel their long standing dislike for the other!