REVIEW: The Cupcake Diaries: Sprinkled With Kisses by Darlene Panzera

In The Cupcake Diaries: Sprinkled With Kisses by Darlene Panzera, Stacey McIntyre is enjoying her job at Creative Cupcakes, working for Andi, Kim and her cousin Rachel. But what she really hopes to do is finally save enough money to get an apartment and then eventually a small house to call her own. Years of moving around after losing her family home to a tornado in Nebraska has taught Stacey to be prepared for anything. But settling down sure does sound heavenly to her.

‘While having a date would be nice, a sense of security would be even better.’

Stacey has always been socially awkward, so the thought of finding a date for an upcoming wedding has her feeling nothing but despair. She plans on capitalizing on her new assignment running the mobile cupcake stand at Cannon Beach to hopefully find a nice guy to ask her out. But what she finds is Dave Wright, the handsome guy in the ice cream truck parked right next to her who is stealing away her customers. As the competition heats up, so does Stacey’s feelings for Dave. She’s been burned before when it comes to romance. Can she possibly trust him with her heart and hope that this time things will turn out as sweet as the cupcakes she sells?

“Sorry, girls,” he said with a wicked grin. “Cupcakes have no place on this beach.”
“See?” Stacey whispered to her cousin. “He is the enemy.”
“A very good-looking one,” Rachel reminded her.
“If only his attitude matched his appearance,” Stacey muttered.

Sprinkled With Kisses, the fifth installment of The Cupcake Diaries, is a charming and sweet romance with a beachside setting and lots of interesting characters.

Admittedly, I haven’t quite read all five stories in this series yet, but I enjoyed learning more about Stacey in this one. You can read each woman’s tale independently and fully understand what happens, but I would caution that each story continues to give us updates on the previous couples, so if you don’t like spoilers, you might want to read these in order. Darlene Panzera’s writing was again filled with honest emotions and set in our female protagonist’s POV so we can truly understand what she is going through, which worked well.

Stacey and Dave were pretty darn cute together, I thought. They were obviously attracted to each other, although Stacey didn’t really believe he could like her for herself–and Dave had been hurt badly when his marriage ended so he focused on work, not romance. I loved that they ended up working great as a team when things went wonky in Dave’s ice cream truck, and their partnership pushed them in a more romantic direction. Of course, my favorite part was the end, where everything worked out and we see how their HEA comes to be. Gotta love guys and their grand gestures of love.

If you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable, clean romance, Sprinkled With Kisses would be a nice way to spend a relaxing evening.

Book Info:

Published March 18th 2014 by Avon Impulse

Fans of Debbie Macomber will adore the fifth installment in Darlene Panzera’s sweet Cupcake Diaries series … a tale of sand, sun, and summer love!

Stacey McIntyre thinks she’ll pay off her debt in no time when Andi, Rachel, and Kim ask her to manage Creative Cupcakes’ stand on the beach. But selling cupcakes isn’t as easy as it seems. Especially when Dave Wright, the handsome owner of an ice cream truck, proves he’s as determined as the dive-bombing seagulls to take away her sales.

Dave’s done with dating and done with beautiful, headstrong women like Stacey. Then the refrigeration system in his truck breaks, and instead of gloating, Stacey helps him out of a tight spot … and is rewarded with a kiss.

Now Stacey isn’t sure where they stand. Will Dave push her back into the role of rival? Or can she convince Mr. Wright that working together will lead to sweeter rewards?