All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant Blog Tour & Book Review + Win a Kindle!

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse Group. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Kat inspected rows of the same old cupcakes. They seemed to blink back at her, as if they knew she was capable of so much more.

Kat Varland has had enough of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

At twenty-six years old, Kat is still living in the shadows of her family in Bayou Bend, Louisiana. Still working shifts at her Aunt Maggie's bakery. Still wondering what to do with her passion for baking and her business degree. And still single.

But when Lucas Brannen, Kat's best friend, signs her up for a reality TV bake-off on Cupcake Combat, everything Kat ever wanted is suddenly dangled in front of her: creative license as a baker, recognition as a visionary . . . and a job at a famous bakery in New York.


As the competition heats up, Lucas realizes he might have made a huge mistake. As much as he wants the best for Kat, the only thing he wants for himself her is suddenly in danger of slipping away.

The bright lights of reality cooking wars and the chance at a successful career dazzle Kat's senses and Lucas is faced with a difficult choice: help his friend achieve her dreams . . . or sabotage her chances to keep her in Louisiana.

My thoughts-

I love cupcakes and love stories, so I knew this would be a cute book that I would like. I loved the premise- Kat's best friend Lucas, in an effort to show his true feelings for her, wants to make a grand gesture, so he signs her up for a reality baking show. He hopes that the gesture will show her his true feelings and how much he believes in her. I always enjoy a good romance between to best friends who don't realize the other feels the exact same way, but these two almost drove me to the point of insanity. It took forever for them to figure it out, these two who are supposed to be such good friends they tell each other everything, how could they not see how the other felt sooner? Not only that, each of their efforts just has the opposite effect on how the other *thinks* they feel about them. I just wanted to smack the both upside the head! It took way longer than it should have for them to figure out their feelings. I did enjoy the reality show competition and the tension created by judge Thad. I liked reading about how it might be to be on a cooking competition and I love those kind of shows so it was a lot of fun for me to read. I also really loved that there was a recipe included at the end of the book for Kat's secret weapon cupcake recipe. I do wish that several others would have been included though. I think anyone who enjoys a lighthearted modern romance will enjoy this book.

All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes is available at Amazon.com and christian retail stores.

About the author-

Betsy St. Amant lives in Louisiana with her young daughter and has a heart for sharing the amazing news of God’s grace through her novels. A freelance journalist, Betsy is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she’s not reading, writing, or singing along to a Disney soundtrack with her daughter, Betsy enjoys inspirational speaking and teaching on the craft of writing.

Find out more about Betsy at http://www.betsystamant.com/.

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***************************Enter to Win a KINDLE*******************************

Don't miss Betsy St. Amant's latest fiction release, All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes. A "sweet" tale of two best friends and the choices they make between dreams and a possible "sure thing," St. Amant's novel is sure to satisfy your romantic-fiction craving.

Betsy is celebrating with a fun Kindle giveaway and a Love & Cupcakes Facebook party! One winner will receive:

• A brand new Kindle
• All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 18th. Winner will be announced at the "Love & Cupcakes" Author Chat Party on 9/18. Betsy will be hosting a "sweet" book chat, giving away prizes, and answering questions from readers. She will also share an exclusive sneak peek at her next book project!

So grab your copy of All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes and join Betsy on the evening of September 18th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman- Book Review

Julie Charlton is stressed out to the max. She's overwhelmed and feels like with the demands of today's society, her kids are too. Her sister in law is presented with the opportunity to do a reality television show in which she would be living simply- and needs another family to join her. Could this be the change that Julie's family needs? Julie's sister in law Susan, also brings along her teenage daughter. Both women will learn unexpected lessons about themselves and one another.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Almost Amish. I knew it was going to be a book about a reality show that focused on the simple living life that the Amish live, but I also new that with a reality show involved, it wouldn't be THAT simple. I thought it might be interesting to see this story unfold, since these two families indeed are not Amish, but for each of their own reasons, willing to try and live (mostly) like the Amish do. That whole idea interests me because I have said more than once, that I wouldn't mind visiting an Amish family myself for the same kind of experience. Our society definitely has a hard time slowing down or being detached from our various electronics, so I think that this book is easy to relate to. The story is mostly about Julie and her sister in law Susan and it is good to see them both learn from their time being Almost Amish, but I also love the teen point of view offered through their 3 children and that they are willing to go along with their moms' plans. I think too, that when many people think of the simple life that the Amish live, they don't think about all of the hard work that they put in, so it's nice to get a glimpse of how that might affect someone who is not used to living in that way typically being thrown into it.

I did wish that they would have had more interaction with actual Amish people in the book, they mostly just keep to themselves, but other than that, I found it to be a very enjoyable book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to learn about the Amish way of life, learn about others or who's ever dreamed of chucking their cell phone out the window and just hanging out in nature a little

MARK YOUR CALENDARS- According to Kathryn Cushman's blog, Almost Amish will be available via Kindle download for FREE for one day only on August 17 (that's in just a few days!) No Kindle? No problem. You can download a free app for your phone or onto your pc as well.

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*Disclaimer- I received a complimentary copy of Almost Amish via Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of putting together this review. I was not required to render a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.