vrijdag 3 juli 2015

Candis Terry – Second Chance at the Sugar Shack

The first book in the Sugar Shack series, published July 19, 2011.
Genre: contemporary romance with a ghost
Cover: how can you refuse to buy this one?

Second Chance at the Sugar Shack photo 9780062115720_zpshu3ghnwu.jpg
Kate Silver's back in town, and her dead mother just won't leave her alone.
Kate usually spends her days dressing Hollywood A-listers, but after her estranged mother dies she finds herself elbow-deep in flour in her parents' bakery . . . in Deer Lick, Montana. She thought she'd left small-town life far, far behind, but it seems there are a few loose ends.
The boy she once loved, Deputy Matt Ryan, is single and sexy and still has a thing for her . . . and handcuffs.
Her mother, who won't follow the white light, is determined to give maternal advice from beyond the grave.
And somehow Kate's three-day stay has, well . . . extended. She never planned to fill her mother's pie-baking shoes - she prefers her Choos, thank you very much. But with the help of a certain man in uniform, Kate quickly learns that sometimes second chances are all the more sweet.


When her mother dies, Kate has to go back home of course, for the funeral. Her sister is a very successful lawyer, working on a big case, and her brother is a famous baseball star. So when the funeral is over, Kate is voted to stay at home to help their father deal with the bakery shop and his wife’s death. After all, dressing famous people is not as important as their own jobs. It doesn’t matter that Kate has build a successful business on her own, making just as much money as they do, that stars need her advice, and that you are only as successful as your latest star … and right at this moment, Kate has a star with a horrible taste and no inclination to listen to her, or her very capable assistant.

Kate and her mother never saw eye to eye, with her mother always telling her she was no good. She also hated working in the bakery, as she was not allowed to try anything of her own, but had to follow her mother’s recipes to the letter.
But now she has to stay for a few weeks, at the most, and with her father gone fishing, she can do what she wants with bakery. Including a makeover. It certainly has faded and is outdated. But that still is not enough to keep her busy mind occupied. While interviewing for helpers, she learns that many local girls can’t afford a pretty gown for their senior ball, and as she has lots of fancy clothes in storage, and of course knows all the starts and designers, she starts a second hand fashion store as well.

Her old boyfriend Matt Ryan wants to run for sheriff in the next election, and for that, he needs to be married. But no matter how much he wants Katie in his bed, she is not fit to be his wife. After all, she ran off just when he was about to propose to her. He needs someone solid, someone who will stay. And Katie will go back to Hollywood as soon as she can leave again.

Or will she? Her new recipes and her cake decorations are a huge success, and she enjoys being part of the community like she never was before. Her mother was much loved by everyone. In fact, her mother never left. Every time she drivers her mothers big old car around town, she pops in the back seat to give her some unwanted advice, and to try to make things up with Katie. Telling her things she never did before and being genuinely sorry for what she said that made Katie run away.


I had read reviews about Candis Terry books before, and with this adorable cover, I could not resist picking it up. And I enjoyed it a lot. I like Candis’ writing style and her sense of humor. I also liked Kate from the first page, and I could understand her trouble with her mother. She dearly loves her father, but he defers to his wife in everything. Matt was running hot and cold though, and he irritated me a bit at first, but I understood his doubts about Kate and he came through in the end.
And of course the cute puppy Kate rescued plays a part. I liked the ghostly mother, giving advice, and wanting to see her children happily married, and finally giving her grand children. She is not done yet!

I sure want to read more books in this series.

8 stars.



buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian

4 opmerkingen:

  1. Yea, the pup would have made me pick this one up as well. Glad it was good!

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    1. O yes, that would certainly tempt you Melissa, and that is why there are so often animals on book covers ;)

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