If you're looking for a grumpy/sunshine book then this is absolutely perfect! Reba is the epitome of outgoing and full of sunshine. She doesn't care what others think and does everything for herself: hair, clothes, makeup and even personality. Towards the end of the book we see cracks of this positive outlook and to me, it just makes her even more likeable.
From the first chapter, Devon seemed broody, grumpy and 100% unlikeable. I think the author purposely made him this way as it took me a while to find his POV enjoyable. He's a workaholic who is insanely private about everything, even from his family.
After the Hero and heroine met at a wedding, Reba incessantly texted Devon with funny memes and cat videos. He didn't seem to blatantly hate this, but he found her overwhelming and a complete contrast to his personality.
After being left with no other options, Devon recruits Reba to help with a bake off he has to participate in for his job. He's desperate to receive a promotion and this seems like a last ditch effort to get it.
I definitely don't this Devon expected Reba to crash into his life and open him up to experiences he never would have dreamt of.
I absolutely loved the dynamic between the two and the side characters added to each main character perfectly. I have to admit I struggled with Devon's character at first but if you push through that, you get to a vulnerable and scared man who opens up very slowly with Reba.
I'm definitely going to read the first book in the Island Bites series. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this! I really enjoyed it.

First of all, this cover, gorgeous. I really enjoyed this book and I loved reading about Trinidad & Tobago, it was such a delight. Everyone go pick up this book tommorow,

I really enjoyed this one!! The characters were great and I loved the couple, despite how annoying the love interest was at first. Their chemistry and banter were fun to read about and the side characters were great too. The whole concept of baking was something I really enjoyed and I'm looking forward to read more of the author's books soon.

A fun lighthearted hilarious grumpy x sunshine romance read.
Reba is a pink haired, rainbow whirlwind of sunshine and is completely unapologetic and confident in her skin and self where as Devon is a workaholic, routine orientated ,sexy, list making, antisocial, introverted grump and is her complete and total opposite.
Reba and Devon slowly begin to fall for each other while Devon is being taught how to bake by Reba for a work competition to hopefully bring Devon's goal of being promoted at Dax Designs closer.
There was so much great banter and I loved seeing the characters push each others buttons and Devon being brought out of his comfort zone both with spontaneity and socially interacting with co-workers and just people in general.
Don't go baking my heart is the second book in the Island Bites series though it can absolutely be read as a standalone and is perfect for fans of grump x sunshine and enemies to lovers romances.

If you enjoy the grumpy/sunshine trope, this is it for you. THE MOST GRUMPY AND RULE FOLLOWER HERO MEETS THE CHAOTIC, SUNSHINE HEROINE WHO HAS PINK HAIR! On paper, they don't make sense, but their attraction says otherwise. There's also lots of baking involved, so have some baked goods in hand because you're going to get hungry pretty quickly.

I love that Reba kept teasing/flirting with Devon and he didn't know what to do lmao. She just wanted to see him smile and counted every time he did!! I love that specific trope in romance books and you can find it here. Such a good follow up to Sweethand.

Thankyou to Little Brown Books for the Arc!

This hilarious Enemies to lovers, Grumpy x Sunshine slow burn is brilliant.
Although a few loose ends with her texting him for a few months and him not replying, I really enjoyed it
I'd definitely recommend reading the first book - Sweethand, as there is a few characters situations already explained in that
Beautiful cover, and a beautiful love story

Devon life is dictate by a routine. Spontaneity is out of his comfort zone and for this he focus all of his attention to his work. Reba is the complete opposite. She's colourful, lout, spontaneous and without a filter in her mouth. The two couldn't be more opposite until Devon doesn't have a choice but ask for her help. He joined a baking competition for his work, and he needs Reba to teach him. They only have seven weeks to prepare, and Devon needs to realise that having someone like Reba in his life can do him good. Reba too needs to understand that there are people who accept her the way she is.

I didn't get into this story as much as I had hoped. I loved the banter between Devon and Reba, and how they changed for the better thanks to each other, but the writing felt off at times. Moreover, as this is book two in the series and I didn't read book one, some characters or situations that were described in book 1 were confusing if someone hadn't read it.

A grumpy sunshine romance.
Was off to a bit of a weird start, didn't quite understand why she got Devon's number or why she was texting him for months even though he wasn't replying.
Apart from that, a very sweet romance, showing you don't have to change yourself to find love and someone will love you the way you are.

Reba and Devon are complete opposites; he has his whole life planned while she’s spontaneous and takes everyday as it comes so it’s fair to say they were not each other’s biggest fans. When they start spending time together and feelings eventually start to grow, they’re both taken by surprise but wounds from past relationships leave them very reticent to move forward. 

I really liked these characters and the way their relationship evolved although I felt like the  book was bit too slow at times (and then perhaps a bit too fast towards the end). Even though I’m in no way similar to her and she actually kinda stressed my out, I LOVED Reba and and her energy; I loved her colourful clothes and hair, the way she loved life and I found her confidence in herself inspiring. 
Devon was a lot more subdued; he had trouble dealing with people and had to control all sides of his life. I loved seeing him (very) slowly starting to let go and do stuff he thought he’d never do. And thankfully everything worked out in the end! I’d be lying if I said he didn’t piss me off a bit at times but at the same time, I could relate to a lot of his thoughts/ feelings so it never lasted long because I knew that if I were in his shoes I’d often have the same reactions.

Being opposites, they brought out the best in each other and took the other out of their comfort zone. Reba loved making him uncomfortable, which was fun to see and their banter was amazing! I also loved how they didn’t rush into a relationship and got to know each other better during their baking lessons before anything happened. I feel like that was extremely important, especially because of how different they are, because it shows they knew exactly who they were falling for.

Overall this was a really good book, with great characters who grow throughout the book. If you’re looking for a good romance to read this summer, definitely check this out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A companion to Sweethand, Don't Go Baking My Heart follows Reba, a bakery assistant with a flair for life, chaos and colourful hair, and Devon, an architect who likes to live his life in lists. This romance was fun and a great mix of spicy and sweet. I loved the way the main characters brought each other out of their comfort zones to try new ways of doing things, and how they brought out the best in each other. There was a really great friendship build-up to the romance, and this book is the classic grumpy x sunshine trope!

I really loved Devon. It wasn't confirmed on page, but from the way he interacts and feels around other people, I don't think it would be far-fetched to guess that he is somewhere on the autistic spectrum. I would really love for this to be confirmed by the author, because it's so rare to see an autistic MC in a romance book I think!

There was great inclusion of friends and family being central to the story and the characters' lives in different ways, which was lovely to see. I do think the pacing was off towards the end, with a very rushed ending. The whole book is leading up to a bake-off at Devon's work (this is literally the reason for the romance occurring in the first place) but we only see that for literally about 5 pages, which was disappointing. One thing I do love about these books is that we get a Happy For Now ending, and with there being companion novels, you get to see from the sidelines how the previous main romance is going - I loved seeing Cherisse and Keiran being happy together in their first year of dating! I'm very excited for the third book in this series, Remi and Maxi's novel!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for my honest opinion. Thank you to N. G. Peltier and Little Brown books for giving me the opportunity to read Don’t Go Baking My Heart before its release.
I was immediately attracted to this book when I saw it on Netgalley due to the cover, knowing nothing about the Island Bites series before hand. I quickly downloaded the first book in this series and devoured it within hours, so my expectations for Don’t Go Baking My Heart were high.

I was NOT disappointed. I adored the character of Reba in Sweethand, so getting a book centred around her and her love life was just a treat. I found that Devon and Reba’s relationship was just the perfect combination, their individual personalities bringing out new sides in one another. Reba’s zest for life and refusal to blend in was inspiring and I enjoyed seeing her attempts at bringing the organised, sensible Devon out of his shell through the art of baking.

I’ll admit, the inclusion of baking within this series really hit a spot I didn’t know I needed within romance books; as an avid baker myself it was a pleasure to read about romances forming through a hobby that I love.
This book was not all sweetness however, as Devon and Reba’s relationship hit the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. The pair played to one another’s strengths, and I really felt for Reba’s insecurities around men not treating a relationship with her seriously due to her exuberant personality.

I enjoyed the inclusion of Cherisse and Kieran; they never overtook the plot, but we got a glimpse into how their relationship is progressing after the events of Sweethand. I can’t help but find myself hoping that Peltier will continue this series with the next book focusing on Maxi and Remi, but regardless, N. G. Peltier is an author I’ll be keeping an eye on for future releases!

This story sounded so great and that cover definitely made me decide to request it Asap.
I enjoyed the banter and quirkiness of them together.
She’s really down to earth and when they have to actually go on a date , she freaks out about how her mother will behave in front of him.
That’s the most reliable thing that I always love to read in romance books.
Baking and cooking are definitely Teo separate and different kind of jobs and these two show it in spades.
I really felt the chemistry and loved how they both are flowed characters that grow and still try to find themselves even when their life it’s turner upside down.

If you’re looking for a romance story, let it be this one!

3.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
Let’s just say I’ve got Elton John on repeat in my head now. We love a pun here and this title was the first thing that jumped out to me and made me want to read this book. In Don’t Go Baking My Heart we follow Devon who, as any workaholic is, is completely obsessed with organisation, lists and spreadsheets. After realising that maybe taking part in work extra curricular activities could baluster his work portfolio and put him on his merry way to becoming principal of Dex Designs, Devon signs up for the baking competition. Only one problem he has no idea how to bake. Enter Reba, the beautiful chaos with pink hair. Being a pastry chef assistant Reba is used to baking all day every day. One thing she isn’t prepared for, is serious Devon’s proposal, to teach him to bake a cake. The unlikely pair strike up a flirtation that could be ny-on impossible to resist.

Devon’s character was the classic grumpster that we all love and Reba, the chaotic mess, is our lovely sunshine who injects some spontaneity into our hero’s life. Their chemistry was jumping off the page from day dot and I was having the time of my life. The romance was steamy and the fun plot was engaging. One thing is though was the pacing. Was a little off in the middle to end and everything was dragged out too long and then wrapped up way too quickly. I would have liked there to be some more angst between them before making the big dip into sexy times. All in all a fun quirky hot romance that left me hungry for a Rubiks cake and a beautiful chaos T-shirt.

Review will appear here : https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/loony_lucy

The story of Devon and Reba. Opposites attract, or will they? Took me a while to get in to it and felt like I had missed some of the backstory.

The idea of this book is just so cute, but it didn't work for me. Something about the writing just felt so stilted and that pulled me out of the story.

But if you're looking for a new grumpy/sunshine book this summer, you should see if this one is for you.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "Don't Go Baking My Heart" by N. G. Peltier.

I loved the book. I was very excited to read it after reading Sweethand last year and I can say it exceeded my expectations. I loved the dynamics of the main couple, polar opposites who had a mutual respect f each other's boundaries.

In many books, a character like Reba is often berated by the love interest and changed but her character stayed true to herself throughout the book. She was multi faceted and her fears about being in a committed relationship were valid. The same could be said about Devon who was a stickler for the rules, due to previous failure. The characters grew together and I was heavily invested in their story.


I would definitely recommend this book to others.

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

This one is really hard to review, as I liked it, but I really didn’t love it. The ‘rocky road’ of romcom books, I finished my slice, it was full of bits and pieces I like…but I won’t be reaching for it again. It’s not often I say this, but I think it could have been a bit shorter - the miscommunication happening earlier on, the reconciliation too. The baking contest fell to the background and I really didn’t like how that arc ended. I think a big issue I had is that I didn’t love Reba. At the beginning, I did - my notes app read ‘Devon is a selfish workaholic and Reba is the perfect, fun counterpart’; but as the book went on her constant mental monologue about how hot she was and wanting to be admired etc, I wasn’t a fan. Something I love in books is a woman who isn’t afraid to be herself and pushes for what she wants, and Reba was the first…but not the second. I didn’t find her relatable - but others definitely will, and that’s the great thing about books!

We see her human-ness at the end, but I think if we’d have seen that earlier and seen her open up earlier, and seen it was a bit of a facade, this book would have had a way higher rating.

I love Devon though. He was someone I really warmed to as the book went on - he wanted a serious relationship, someone to build a life with. He had a plan, and obvious anxiety with social situations and moving off that plan. I agreed with him that a promotion shouldn’t hinge on being social with work colleagues; but on ability.

The spice in the book is amazing and honestly was what kept me invested as I was reading. I wish there was way more of it; as it was great

I liked the premise of this book, with the bake off and baking lessons being the basis of it, and I love grumpy sunshine so I was really looking forward to reading it, but I did struggle with it at the start. The beginning seemed to drag on whereas the ending felt slightly rushed so the overall pacing felt off.

I also initially struggled to want Reba and Devon to get together. I'm more like Devon and enjoy organisation and routine and a lot of the things Reba did would have made me really uncomfortable so I found it hard to want Devon to be with her. This did change as the book went on and we got to know Reba more and Devon started to become more open and by the end I did like them together.

That all being said, I did like the banter between the characters and loved seeing the characters from Sweethand again!

Unfortunately, due to the formatting of this book, the file isn't entirely readable. It was readable on my phone if I zoomed in a lot but this isn't something I can do for the whole book due to my eye problems. However, I love this author, so I did manage the first 30 pages just to confirm that, as I thought, this book is going to be amazing.

N.G. Peltier's writing is so natural. She makes the characters feel super real and the setting is always spot on. I'm super intrigued by Devon. We usually see characters like him through the other person's POV so I loved being in his head for what I have read. I also love the concept of rigid characters being forced to loosen up through something creative and, if the rest of the book is anything like Sweethand, I'm sure I'll be super hungry by the time I finish it.

I've already pre-ordered this book and can't wait to read it when it's released. N.G. Peltier is pretty much an auto-buy author for me, as Sweethand was a breath of fresh air in the contemporary romance world and I can already tell Don't Go Baking My Heart will be no different.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "Don't Go Baking My Heart" by N. G. Peltier.

I devoured this book in almost 2 hours, that's how obsessed I was. Peltier's writing style is absolutely gorgeous and I was hooked. The plot and all its side characters were well developed, resulting in a gorgeous story. Sexual content in a book isn't my cup of tea, but I didn't feel uncomfortable reading this which was absolutely amazing so thank you N. G. Peltier.

This is a must buy for any contemporary romance lovers.