Book Review: Cupcakes for Christmas by Kate Hewitt

Cupcakes for Christmas

by Kate Hewitt

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU 
B&N / iTunes

Always the baker, never the bride…

Olivia James has always been happy running a tea shop and bakery in the Cotswold village of Wychwood-on-Lea and helping her friends find their happily-ever-afters, topped by the perfect wedding cake. But as Christmas approaches, Olivia is home alone and questioning her choices while eating too many of her own specialty confections.

When Simon Blacklock, a handsome, whimsical stranger, breezes into her shop and buys a cupcake and then returns the next day and the day after, Olivia begins to dream. Can romance blossom amidst the sugar and flour? And after a lifetime of living on the sidelines, is she brave enough to star in her own story?

Simon may be hiding a painful secret, but Olivia harbors secrets of her own. If they can dare to risk their hearts, this Christmas might be the most magical yet!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

It had been a lovely surprise to find unexpected friends in a village where a single woman pushing forty was considered a bona fide spinster, someone who should invest in a plaid wheelie bag and a tabby cat.

“You are grossly undercharging, then. Cupcakes the size of a small rodent go for nearly five pounds in London.” “What an unappealing comparison,” Olivia returned with another laugh. “And this isn’t London, it’s the Cotswolds.”

“He’s a bit of a crazy cat.” Which was an understatement? “He’s called Dr Jekyll.” “Ah. The name says it all, really.”

She smiled, or tried to, but she felt strange inside, like part of her had just developed a hairline crack that was surely getting wider and wider.

My Review:

I am decidedly irresolute and uncertain in how to rate this one; I kept waiting for the story to arc and climax and was still waiting upon completion of the tale. The writing and premise were thoughtfully executed and somewhat pensive, although not at all unpleasant. Serious topics and pertinent real-life issues were presented and handled in an informative and insightful manner. The storyline was relevant and realistic, although slowly paced, and featured a gentle and sweet soul named Olivia, who was a cubby bakery owner nearing forty with the dawning awareness of being left behind as her friends were moving on and progressing in their lives, while she wasn’t. Which, naturally, was disconcerting and causing her some restlessness and introspection. In addition to the hideously fatal blow to her ego of realizing she was nearing forty alone, her elderly mother began displaying alarming symptoms. A bright spot on her landscape was a somewhat disheveled yet personable man she dubbed “the cupcake man,” who periodically appeared in her bakery near closing. Although his light was not always bright, he quickly became important and worth the extra care and concern. I greatly appreciated the occasional hits of levity and wit, such as Olivia’s capricious cat who was aptly named Dr. Jekyll.

I did score a new addition to my Brit Word list with bolshie, which Mr. Google informed me was British informal and meant deliberately uncooperative. But one thing I still just cannot seem to wrap my tiny pea brain around was their Christmas tradition of fish pie. I fear I may have scorched the little green legume while allowing that to rattle around my cranium.

Empress DJ

About the Author


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Kate is the USA Today-bestselling author of many books of women's fiction. Her latest releases are A Mother's Goodbye and The Secrets We Keep. Under the name Katharine Swartz, she is the author of the Tales from Goswell books, a series of time-slip novels set in the village of Goswell.

She likes to read women's fiction, mystery, and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.

Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever.