Cupcakes and Crumbs by Melissa McClone Blog Tour and Giveaway

Cupcakes & Crumbs (Berry Lake Cupcake Posse #1) By Melissa McClone

Women’s Fiction

Paperback & ebook, 237 Pages

November 17, 2020 by Cardinal Press, LLC

After life takes five women on different paths, a death brings them home. But friendship might not be enough to keep them together.

When Bria Landon and her estranged father each inherit fifty percent of a small-town cupcake shop, her dad hires her worst enemy, and first love, to turn the place into a soulless franchise…or sell it.

To save her aunt’s legacy, Bria needs the help of people who love the bakery as much as she does—her old friends who worked there fifteen years ago. Except each woman is dealing with her own problem:

Juliet, who’s trying to prove she’s more than a trophy wife; Missy, a widow who fears losing the job she loves; Nell, who’s meddling mother won’t stop playing matchmaker; and Selena, a life coach who excels at fixing everyone else’s lives…but hasn’t a clue what’s missing in her own.

Each woman wants to believe their friendship can overcome anything. But as the Berry Lake Cupcake Posse reunite to save their beloved cupcake shop, they soon discover the undertaking will bring more trouble than they expected.

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My Review

There’s just something about the combination of cupcakes and friendship that bring a warm, comforting feeling to a book. And such a feeling was stirred when I picked up my copy of Cupcakes and Crumbs by Melissa McClone.

Following the tale of five women willing to do whatever it takes to save their beloved cupcake shop, Cupcakes and Crumbs stars Bria Larson, a woman who recently lost her aunt to cancer and was surprised with inheriting half of the cupcake shop, and her get-rich-quick father was given the other half. Bria doesn’t want to see her aunt’s establishment turned into something it’s not, so she gathers together her old friends for a fight. And maybe a little romance, to keep the cupcake shop.

At first, I found the pacing a little slow. I wasn’t sure how I felt about all five entries by the five main characters up front in the novel. But after a bit, I slowly grew to forget the way the chapters were set up and enjoy the story more, especially as we dove deeper into Juliet’s character. Who, I might add, turned out to be my favorite.

I appreciated the fact that romance was not the central plot point, but friendship was. There aren’t enough books out there in the adult genre that focus solely on friendship and not on romance, so I loved that small touch. It was almost like reading a Hallmark movie, but at the same time, not, because the settings and the town of Berry Lake could have been pulled right from one of those classic films. And yet it was more fleshed out and had more character than I think a Hallmark movie will ever have.

On the surface, Cupcakes and Crumbs seems like a “fluff book” as I like to call novels that central on light themes without any sort of dive into darker ones. But I can’t call this book a fluff book as McClone takes the time to focus on more serious themes, like abusive relationships, depression, and tension between a parent and child. These themes are handled in a more subtle way without bringing down the lightness of the story while at the same time making them present and noticeable. And because I can’t call it a fluff book, McClone has earned my respect.

Overall, Cupcakes and Crumbs is a beautiful balance between light and heavy, charming and serious, and friendship and romance.

NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the author through Prism Book Tours for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author

USA TODAY bestselling author Melissa McClone writes heartwarming women’s fiction and sweet contemporary romance novels for Cardinal Press, Tule Publishing Group, and Harlequin Books. When she’s not writing relatable characters and sigh-worthy happy endings, she spends rainy Pacific Northwest reading from her Kindle’s ever-growing TBR, napping, and decorating her Happy Planner. Melissa lives in Washington state with her husband, three children, a Norwegian Elkhound, and three cats who think they rule the house. They do!

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

A Cupcakes & Crumbs Prize Pack, which includes: A $10 Amazon gift card, cupcake makeup bag set, cupcake charm, cupcake socks, set of magnetic clips, lip gloss, key chain, sticker, swag pack, and bookmark (US only)

Ends November 25, 2020

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