Romance Review: The Heavenly Bites Novella Collection (Heavenly Bites #1-3) by Christine S. Feldman

The Heavenly Bites Novella Collection (Heavenly Bites #1-3)
by Christine S. Feldman (Author), Elaina Lee (Illustrator) 

Published April 2, 2014

Description:
At the Heavenly Bites Bakery, three very different women bake up delectable treats and find romance with some unexpected but equally delectable men. Find out how in these three short and sweet novellas, previously available only as ebooks but finally available as a collection and in paperback form…

PASTELS AND JINGLE BELLS: When Trish Ackerly crosses paths with Ian Rafferty, the former bully of her childhood years, her plans for a comeuppance fall by the wayside as she comes to realize that the man he is now is very different from the boy he used to be—and that a Christmas romance might just be in her future…

LOVE LESSONS: When bakery customer Mrs. Beasley guilts Nadia Normandy into mentoring unsuspecting accountant Benji Garner in the world of dating, Nadia soon discovers that this particular accountant has a charm all his own. And with New Year’s Eve just around the corner, it may be time for Nadia to make a resolution to sweep her protégé off his feet before someone else beats her to it…

PLAYING CUPID: Free-spirited Aimee Beasley’s plans to match her widowed grandmother up with a distinguished elderly gentleman hit a snag when she learns he’s the uncle of their downstairs neighbor, grim Doyle Berkely, a man with whom Aimee butts heads on a regular basis. But in the process of nudging her grandmother’s romance along, Aimee uncovers a softer side to Doyle that may lead to a little romance of her own…

My review:
The Heavenly Bites Novella collection is a sweet treat all of its own. All three stories feature the best part of romance, falling in love. 

Pastels and Jingle Bells is ultra-cute. Trish’s failed plot to tell off her grade-school bully is my favorite. The story shows that folks change, sometimes in unexpected ways. Trish’s conundrum is even more interesting as time goes by and she hasn’t built up the nerve to tell Ian they knew each other before. Toss in a zombie loving kid and some Christmas cheer, and you have quite a fun read.

Love Lessons is funny and delightful. Mrs. Beasley made an appearance in Pastels and Jingle Bells, but in this one, she’s jumped right into center stage, put on her matchmaking hat, and tricked Nadia and Benji into meeting up. Nadia thinks she’s going to teach Benji how to be a ladies’ man. Benji thinks he’s going to teach Nadia how to make a financial plan. Plenty of foot-in-mouth moments on Nadia’s part. Plenty of blushing and charm on Benji’s. A romance you’ll root for.

Playing Cupid is sweet and chuckle-worthy. Aimee, the recently hired front counter worker at Heavenly Bites is Mrs. Beasley’s granddaughter. When she comes home one day to find Mrs. Beasley and a charming old fellow, she gets the bright idea to help them hook up. But everything gets turned around when she finds out the man was there to visit her downstairs nemesis, Doyle, a stodgy professor who can’t hide his disapproval of Aimee’s carefree nature. Two sweet romances, some epic arguments, and a bit of a mystery make this story a bit meatier than the other two.

Overall, I loved these novellas. They’re the perfect recipe for a feel-good afternoon, or three. Plenty of happily ever after for everyone.

I picked up this collection while it was on a free promotion quite some time ago. At that time, I'd already read Pastels and Jingle Bells, so I knew I'd probably like the other two. I got a little distracted between then and now, but I finally got around to reading the collection. Good stuff!


About the Author:

Christine S. Feldman writes both novels and feature-length screenplays, and she has placed in screenwriting competitions on both coasts. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her ballroom-dancing husband and their beagle.

Links:
Christine's Blog
Amazon Profile
Goodreads Profile

Books by this Author:

Romance Review: Pastels & Jingle Bells by Christine S. Feldman

Pastels and Jingle Bells by Christine Feldman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A refreshingly sweet romance.

This novella features the first romance in a series where the women falling in love happen to work in the same bakery. First up is Trish Ackerly. When her old grade-school nemesis wanders into the shop, Trish dives behind the counter and hides, but her coworker sets events in motion that will make her face her bully. But, he isn't quite as bad as she remembers him...

Alright, first off, this is a cute, well written romance. It's also clean and focuses on those first shivers of awareness and attraction, as well as the confusion of reality clashing with preconceptions. All of it is well done and amusing, and I liked that the story kept a smile on my face the whole time I read it.

I also liked that the main character's first name is the same as mine. I too started off as a Patricia (a.k.a. Patty) and was troubled with similar taunts based on my name. I am now a Trish, like the character in the story, and feel equally uncomfortable being called Patty. Because of this, I related closely to the main character and understood how hard it must be to set those feelings aside to see the man her nemesis, Ian, grew up to be.

On a more technical level, the story is both well-written and well-edited, and the pacing is spot on. Usually, this is the part where I try to balance the review with constructive criticism, but I can't think of anything I didn't like.

This is a quick, pleasant read, perfect for a relaxing weekend, perhaps with a pastry or two handy. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes romantic stories in small bites, particularly those that focus more on the emotional rather than the physical aspects of love.

View all my reviews

Pastels & Jingle Bells on Amazon-It's free today! (check price before buying)