Limecello’s review of Sweet Talk (Bakery Sisters, Book 1) by Susan Mallery (caution! music on the site!)
Contemporary romance published by HQN 1 Jul 08

I really enjoy Susan Mallery’s books – both her novels, and the categories she writes. There’s a special quality to her writing that keeps me coming back for more. In a way, I equate her with Diana Palmer – because her writing is loosely formulaic, and in a way you know what you’re going to get (N.B. I mean this as a good thing). Ms. Mallery is an author I make note of, and read her books as soon as I can get my hands on them. In fact, I pretty much picked up Sweet Talk at 1 AM, and read it until I finished it at 4 AM.

Claire Keyes is an interesting heroine, because she’s out of her element. A very well written, dynamic character that seems to have everything going against her, excerpt for her inner core of steel. She’s kind, loving, and loyal – which the reader finds out from page one, and that opinion of her never changes. In fact, she’s so great, it’s hard to believe she’s real, other than the fact that Ms. Mallery does a fabulous job of making Claire human, and relatable. What with everything Claire has to go through, the reader fines themselves rooting for her all the way.

Wyatt Knight is a perfect hero – and typical of the males Ms. Mallery writes. He’s smart, handsome, capable, loyal, and cares a lot more than he’s willing to admit. He’s also emotionally stupid, and knows it, which adds depth to his character, and humor to the book. Wyatt is willing to do anything for his friends and family, and he’s fiercely protective of them. However, he’s also able to see reason, and isn’t so set in his ways that he’ll ignore the truth before his eyes. He’s pragmatic, and his dry humor was quite enjoyable.

The secondary characters were interesting, and I felt that I got a sense of who they were, but they acted as a support net, and the focus of the book was on Claire. A lot of background and the foundation of the family was laid down in this book, so it’ll be interesting to see if the same occurs in the other books. I would have liked a bit more interaction between Claire and Wyatt throughout the book. It felt like they spent very little time together. Only a few dates, and then more drama ensued. Still, the plot flowed nicely, and I enjoyed this story.

Some things that bothered me, however, was how stubborn the secondary characters, particularly Nicole were. The actions of the all the characters were rather unreasonable, and it wasn’t until page 145 – I made note of the page- that Claire finally stands up for herself and doesn’t allow her sister to say ridiculous, hateful, and hurtful things to her with no repercussions. The blind assumptions made about Claire simply because she’s famous really irritated me. A few other mundane details irked me as well, one being the scene early on when Claire drives home from the airport. However, being somewhat accustomed to Ms. Mallery’s writing, I knew there would be a point when all of that changed – and thankfully, it did.

I liked the fact that there were multiple layers of conflict in the novel that all worked together. Claire and her fear that her career was slipping through her fingers, rebuilding a connection with her sisters, the initiation of her relationship with Wyatt, and trying to figure out how to live a “normal” life. I loved how Claire fell in love with Wyatt, but he being a romance hero dropped her cold, and she accepted it. She lay her heart on the line, let him know what was going on, and then got on with her life. Claire didn’t come up with some cockamamie idea to make him fall in love with her, and thankfully the reader didn’t have to go through the agony of pretending to believe that it would work. (Thank you, Ms. Mallery!)

Of course, there was the happy ending – and a very nice one at that. (Though I’m still not sold on the idea that there’s screaming for concert pianists. Clearly I’ve gone to the wrong concerts.) The events in Sweet Talk were all very believable, and the characters warm and likable. I can’t wait to read Nicole’s story in Sweet Spot – and want to see how Jessie develops, and how the series ends with Sweet Trouble. I definitely recommend reading this book, and it’s a must if you’re a fan of Ms. Mallery.

Grade: A-

Is there anything sweeter than a first love?

Don’t ask Claire Keyes. The twenty-eight-year old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance. Her music career has left little room for friends or family – which is just part of the reason she’s estranged from her two sisters.

But now Nicole is sick, and Jesse is AWOL. Despite the fact that Claire can’t boil water, she’s determined to play caretaker. Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list….along with falling in love, or at least in lust, for the first time.

Ambitious? Maybe. But a girl’s gotta dream. And ruggedly sexy Wyatt is a dream come true. Although he keeps telling himself that he and Claire come from entirely different worlds, he lights up hotter than a bakery oven whenever Claire is near. If this keeps up, she just might sweet-talk him into her bed….and her life.

Read an excerpt here.