Pastry chef Tessa Montgomery knows what everyone in the teeny town of Blossom Glen says about her. Spinster. Ice Queen. Such a shame.

It’s enough to make a woman bake her troubles away, dreaming of Parisian delicacies while she makes bread at her mother’s struggling boulangerie. That is until Tessa’s mortal enemy—deliciously handsome (if arrogant) chef Leo Castorini, who owns the restaurant next door—proposes a business plan…to get married.

Leo knows that the Castorinis and the Montgomerys hate each other, but marriage might just force these stubborn families to work together and blend their businesses for success. The deal is simple: Tessa and Leo marry, live together for six months, and then go their separate ways. Easy peasy.

It’s a sweetheart deal where everyone gets what they want—until feelings between the faux newlyweds start seriously complicating the mix. Have they discovered the perfect recipe for success…or is a disaster on the way?

Titles in the Blossom Glen series include — The Sweetheart Deal —♥— The Sweetheart Fix —♥— The Sweetheart Crush —♥—

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no graphic sexual content (well, kisses and closed bedroom doors).

NetGalley ARC

Title:  The Sweetheart Deal
Series:  Blossom Glen #1
Author:  Miranda Liasson
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  January 25, 2022
Publisher:  Entangled Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance, combine that with a fake relationship, a marriage of sort of convenience, and the quirks of a small-town’s gossip mill, and I’m hooked from the very start!  The Sweetheart Deal begins the Blossom Glen series with a delightful romance between the children of parents who have been involved in a generational feud that they are determined to end… for good, or for the good of their family’s businesses at least.  Neither expected their high school rivalry to eventually lead them to the altar, but with determination and crossed fingers, this couple is about to embark on a make it or lose it all adventure… that just might lead to a lifetime kind of love.

Tessa has been defined by this small town by one act… a cheating, now former fiancé.  She’s working in the family’s bakery helping her mother, but her dreams are far more than what she’s doing right now.  Her so-called enemy, Leo, has returned to town and is helping his father run the family restaurant, which is slowly failing.  When Leo comes up with an outrageous idea to get their families to actually begin to work together to save both businesses Tessa is reluctantly on board.  It doesn’t hurt that her former archenemy is as handsome as sin and not as bad as she once thought him to be… or that there are definitely sparks between them as adults.  A fake marriage, over and done in six months, they walk away from each other and put an end to the family feud.  On paper, it’s a perfect plan.  Unfortunately, when emotions get involved, that plan needs some re-writing to get to that happy-ever-after ending they deserve… together.

I had such fun with Tessa and Leo’s romance.  It’s lighthearted, emotional, funny, frustrating, engaging, and just plain delightful.  I loved the banter between this couple and the way they slowly worked their way into each other’s hearts.  Small towns are fun to visit again (I grew up in one, so I know them well), and Blossom Glen is full of quirky, interesting, and sometimes gossiping citizens that I look forward to knowing more about.

If you love a well-written small-town romance, two people who really aren’t enemies, a perfect plan that backfires, and watching two people discover that they really do belong together, then The Sweetheart Deal is perfect for you.  The next story in this series is available now, and I’ll be diving into that one soon, then another story later in 2023 – lots to look forward to in Blossom Glen!

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own – good, bad, or indifferent.*

Available for the Kindle as this title and series are currently in KU