Sweethand (Island Bites)

The book gets points from me because of the setting. It’s so rare to have a Caribbean romance. The descriptions were so good, I felt like I was there.I also enjoyed the lgbtq+ representation. It feltnatural, which was quite a feat against the Caribbean backdrop. Where the book missed the mark with me was with the personalities of Cherisse and Kieran. Although it got better as the book progressed, Cherisse was far too controlled and bothered by appearances. As for Kieran, his over sensitive nature was irritating after a while. I kept waiting for him to take charge and it never happened. The ridiculous singing at the end wasn’t what I had in mind. To be honest I felt like Cherisse was steamrolling him and it was a bit too much. Yes, he should have told her about working with Sean, however she was making a habit of judging him without hearing him out. At the beginning, her excuse was that she didn’t know him that well but now, he could also be annoyed with her that she’s really thinking that he was that malicious.Anyway what happened to the track where she sang? The ending was too abrupt for me. I get that the wedding was the timeframe but still.

For me, the best way to spend a relaxing afternoon is with some sweet desserts and music; so with this book I have everything I need! A romantic story with yummy pastries and good music, what more do I need?It’s not difficult to understand that between love and hate there’s just one step with this story, because Cherisse and Keiran have been surrounding these lines for years. Their chemistry together is high voltage, their verbal fights are legendary but this time they will have to make some momentary peace to help Cherisse’s sister and Keiran best friend on their wedding. As you can imagine, the war between Cherisse and Keiran will be funny and magnetic, and the only way for them to understand each other will be spending more time together. Not difficult when you are the best man and bridesmaid of the wedding, and for them it will be the little push they needed to understand their feelings once and for all.This had been a romantic and funny story; friendship and family surrounding a beautiful love story with interesting characters that make you want to dig deeper into their secrets. This is a book to make you smile on your grey days, because even if it’s just fiction, sometimes the story you are reading is so sweet and lovely that can change the mood of any reader.There are so many secondary characters involved in this story that I hope we’ll see them in another book, and of course how the relation between Cherisse and Keiran progresses!Also, I need to know some recipes of the Cherisse delicious creations, they sounded so yummy! Are you ready to discover “Sweethand”?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free eArc of this title.Okay, so I know they say don't judge a book by its cover, but I have to admit that I was initially drawn to this book because I think we can all agree is an absolutely stunning cover.Luckily for me, the story truly delivered. I immediately loved Cherisse's whole vibe; I loved her Ava, Remi Reba and the gang. Their friendship was so cute and warm (and honestly made me miss my girl, I swear this panini is a MENACE) and so lovely to read. I can tell there are many layers and history there, and you don't get to explore every facet of that in Sweethand, but as its a series, I'm assuming we get more of this in future books, so rather than disappointed, I'm expectant!!As for Kieran King, I will not lie, but at first, I was nervous because I did NOT like this buffoon. But once he got his head out of his ass and started showing some of that personality, I realised (like Cherisse does) that yes, he is a dumb man, but he's also quite loveable.I really love the romance here; the whole enemies to friends to lovers vibe they had going was so adorable, and the whole setting of the wedding and the CAKES (which sound like they tasted amazing omg I am a sucker for cakes) just added to the magic.I think what really cinched this was the setting because even if I weren't suffering from severe wanderlust from being cooped up in my house for a year, the utterly beautiful island setting of Trinidad would've reeled me in regardless. Just reading about it, I can feel the beauty of the island, and it honestly provided such a stunning backdrop for the romance, and I will 100% be re-reading to enjoy this book in the summer weather so I can pretend I am in fact living island vibes.So yeah, this book cover perfectly matched all the loveliness and fun in Sweethand, and I highly recommend it, a GREAT read.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.This was a really enjoyable read. Well written with really lots of cuteness and touches of raunchiness . Reading this was like meeting up with the girls and catching up on all gossip. I really like how Trinidadian society and socialite circles were depicted and normalised. I'm not a romance fan but was thoroughly griped and couldn't put it down. A great lighthearted and heartwarming read.

Cake + enemies to lovers trope = a funny, sweet debut novel. This was a very enjoyable read with alternating pov’s for the two leads Cherisse and Kieran. They both had really good, sizzley chemistry and were very likeable. The supporting characters were all very entertaining and the author did a good job of world building as well. Look forward to more in this series. (4 ⭐️)