No Whisk, No Reward, an all-new small-town romance from Ellie Kay, is coming available now!
How do you know if a risk is worth taking? If you knew, there wouldn’t be any risk.
Following a disastrous appearance on a televised baking show, Sophie Copeland is certain things can’t get any worse. Several calamities later, Sophie finds herself in Green Valley, Tennessee with no plan, no place to stay, and no prospects. But at least she has a temporary seasonal arrangement with the famed Donner Bakery. And that's something, right?
It's not permanent, and it's not a home, but it's still something.
Enter Joel Barnes, a Green Valley mystery, wrapped in rumors, and a whispered connection to the local notorious biker gang. Joel’s got a name for being bad news, but he also has an apartment for rent.
Intrigued by the dichotomy of Joel’s reputation and sexy southern pull, Sophie can’t help but be tempted, even though she knows—given her (bad) luck—she should stay far, far away. . .
Yet as everyone knows, without risk, there’s no reward.
'No Whisk, No Reward' is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book#3 in the Donner Bakery series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
Review:
3 stars
***
No Whisk, No Reward is the third book in the Donner Bakery series, which is a spin off of the Winston Brothers series by Penny Reid and part of the Smartypants Romance world. This book was kind of a mixed bag for me. This is Sophie and Joel's book. Sophie is a pastry chef. She recently appeared on a TV pastry competition show (think Gordan Ramsey), on which she failed spectacularly and was humiliated. As a result, she was fired from her actual pastry chef job afterwards and has found herself adrift. So she decides to drive across the country to Boston from Seattle, to where her best friend lives to help her open a bakery. But, fate has other plans. Along her drive, her car breaks down in Green Valley, Tennessee. While stuck for a few days waiting for her car to be fixed, she explores the town and, eventually, decides to take a temporary job at the Donner Bakery for a few months. She also meets Joel, who is a mysterious guy who rents her a room. They become friends and eventually begin a relationship.
This is the first book I have read by Ellie Kay and I think it is her first book published. While I applaud her for her bravery and effort, the writing felt a little amateurish and unpolished. Some of the dialogue felt silly and unnecessary. There was not a ton of character depth. Joel had very little personality. Sophie was supposed to be cute and quirky, but I found her clumsiness, awkwardness and odd personality annoying. I didn't really enjoy her fascination with Paul Newman (and the way she "conversed" with him). There was hardly any chemistry between the couple. I think the book is supposed to be slow burn, but I didn't feel any burn. I didn't like the way Joel pushed Sophie away, and without much discussion, they get back together at the very end. Also, there was a lot of page time for Penny Reid's characters, especially Jennifer and Cletus Winston. But I didn't find them to be much like the original characters that Penny wrote. I also found Tempest, a character from the second book in the series, Stud Muffin, to be completely different than her book, as well.
As it was, I considered not finishing this book, but I did stick with it and I enjoyed it a bit more by the end. I did like the story in general. I do think this was a pretty good try for a first book, even if I didn't totally love it. I am still enjoying the Smartypants Romance books and look forward to reading more of them in the future.
This is the first book I have read by Ellie Kay and I think it is her first book published. While I applaud her for her bravery and effort, the writing felt a little amateurish and unpolished. Some of the dialogue felt silly and unnecessary. There was not a ton of character depth. Joel had very little personality. Sophie was supposed to be cute and quirky, but I found her clumsiness, awkwardness and odd personality annoying. I didn't really enjoy her fascination with Paul Newman (and the way she "conversed" with him). There was hardly any chemistry between the couple. I think the book is supposed to be slow burn, but I didn't feel any burn. I didn't like the way Joel pushed Sophie away, and without much discussion, they get back together at the very end. Also, there was a lot of page time for Penny Reid's characters, especially Jennifer and Cletus Winston. But I didn't find them to be much like the original characters that Penny wrote. I also found Tempest, a character from the second book in the series, Stud Muffin, to be completely different than her book, as well.
As it was, I considered not finishing this book, but I did stick with it and I enjoyed it a bit more by the end. I did like the story in general. I do think this was a pretty good try for a first book, even if I didn't totally love it. I am still enjoying the Smartypants Romance books and look forward to reading more of them in the future.
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About Ellie Kay
Ellie Kay is an Australian born living in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada who honed her creative writing skills in the colorful, and imaginative world of Corporate Insurance.
Socially awkward, she loves to respond to theatre ticket vendors who say, “enjoy the movie” with, “Thanks, you too,”, but she also likes to cook, travel and spend time with her partner and cat Taako.
Ellie is on a mission to help change the stigma surrounding the Romance genre and hopes to see a day when they are no longer considered “guilty pleasures,” but rather, just a pleasure.
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