Review: Frosting and Flames: A Small-Town, Forced Proximity Romance by Allie Winters

Frosting and Flames: A Small-Town, Forced Proximity Romance by Allie Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author, all opinions are my own.

This book was super cute. Rachel has returned home to help run the family bakery. She has a head for finance, and wants nothing but to make the bakery a success. Unfortunately, her parents want to do things the way they have always done things, which is why the bakery was failing in the first place. Her conversations about staffing, inventory, and the price of ingredients fall on deaf ears, but Rachel knows that she has to make some changes fi they want to stay afloat. Fortunately the product is good and Rachel and her sisters love what they do. Nick is a local firefighter, who has spent years atoning for a mistake he made as a teenager. He had a rough childhood and his mistake impacted Rachel's family. When a small fire at the bakery brings them back together they are forced to face what happened when they were in high school. They find themselves running into each other often around town and through a series of unfortunate events (or fortunate depending on how you look at it) they end up running a fundraiser together. They are able to rebuild a friendship and more as they get to know each other.

I really enjoyed getting to know Rachel and Nick. Their relationship gets off to a rocky start, but that is expected once you understand the backstory. Rachel is overworked and stressed about the bakery, and she has just gotten out of a serious relationship where her trust was broken and she was deeply hurt. Nick on the on the other hand is a super easy going bachelor, who while his teen years were rough and he made some bad choices has turned his life around and has become a model citizen. His crush on Rachel goes way back, and he is willing to put the work in to earn her trust and be ready for her to be in a relationship at her pace. Their lines of communication got crossed a few times, but they quickly worked things out without a ton of prolonged angst. Most of the drama was caused by Rachel's ex, who is nothing but drama.

This was a great small town romance, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Allie Winter's always delights with her characters and romantic plotlines.

By the way, I want a recipe booklet for all of the delicious things they were making at the bakery 

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