Emma Rae is a master baker. She's won awards for her wedding cakes. Too bad she's diabetic and can't really eat much of what she creates. Jackson Drake, with the help of his three southern sisters, has taken on a project to honor his dead wife. He's bought a hotel and is turning it into a wedding hotel -- offering any service a bride could possibly want. Emma Rae can't resist Jackson's offer to come work for him as his pastry chef.
Emma Rae's friend and sous chef, the emo Fiona, adds some spark to the mix of characters which are somewhat cliche. The romance is very slow, and builds in a cute and natural way. The idea of the wedding hotel was my favorite part -- I loved all the ideas they came up with for the setting, food, and atmosphere. There are recipes and baking tips between the chapters that were interesting but not important to the story.
I didn't, however, realize Always the Baker, Never the Bride was considered Christian fiction. It's not that I have a problem with that, but I usually don't read anything labeled Christian fiction -- and I felt blindsided. It wasn't heavy -- but there was a lot of emphasis on praying, and relying on God that some might not enjoy. And, I just don't like that in my books. I AM a Christian, so that's not what it's about. I just don't like reading about being Christian. And, I'd like to know that before I read a book.
So, bottom line -- loved the setting and food, liked the romance, could do without the praying.
Published by Abington Press, 2010
eBook purchased
308 pages
Rating: 2.5/5
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I would love a wedding hotel. It would be so nice to have someone else deal with all those small tedious things that you don't want to think about.
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