Sophia Rose is here with a review of The Boy With the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and find out about our bad boy bookstore owner and bashful baker.

The Boy with the Bookstore
by Sarah Echavarre Smith
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate

Rating:
Heat Level:

When a baker meets the bookshop owner of her dreams, and he turns into her nemesis, they’ll both have to read between the lines to avoid a career-ending recipe for disaster.

Max Boyson looks good…from a distance. But up close and personal, the tattooed hottie Joelle Prima has been crushing on for the past year and half has turned into the prime example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by his delectable cover.

When she first learned about the massive renovation to the building they share, Joelle imagined that temporarily combining her Filipino bakery with Max’s neighboring bookstore would be the perfect opening chapter to their happily ever after. In her fantasies they fed each other bibingka and pandesal while discussing Jane Austen and cooing over her pet hamster, Pumpkin. Reality, however…is quite different. Her gallant prince turned out to be a stubborn toad who snaps at her in front of customers, dries his wet clothes in her oven, and helps himself to the yummy pastries in her display case without asking.

But beneath Max’s grumpy glares, Joelle senses a rising heat—and a softening heart. And when they discover the real reason for the renovation, they’ll have to put both their business senses and their feelings for each other to the test.

{
“@context”:”https://schema.org”,
“@type”:”Review”,
“datePublished”: “2022-12-14T05:00:00+00:00”,
“description”: “Sophia Rose is here with a review of The Boy With the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and find out about our bad boy bookstore owner and bashful baker. “,
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Caffeinated Reviewer” },
“url”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/12/the-boy-with-the-bookstore-by-sarah-echavarre-smith.html”,
“itemReviewed”: {
“@type”: “Book”,
“name”: “The Boy with the Bookstore”,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Sarah Echavarre Smith”,
“sameAs”: “” },
“isbn”: “” },
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Kimberly”,
“sameAs”: “https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/” },
“reviewRating”: {
“@type”: “Rating”,
“ratingValue”: 4,
“bestRating”: “5”
}
}

Sophia Rose’s Review

A bad boy bookstore owner and a bashful sweetheart baker find that mixing business with budding romance result in more than burned cookies or botched book orders.  A new to me author and a tempting book and baking romance had me salivating even before page one.

The Boy With the Bookstore was as cute as its cover in many ways.  I’ve heard it touted as an enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, bad boy and good girl, or even cranky vs. sunshine.  And, the story would be a little of each actually rather than strongly one or another.

Joelle Prima has been to Paris and had dreams, but her deeply connected Filipino family needed her back home in Portland.  There are compensations though beyond the joy of baking- there’s the hottie bad boy running the indie book shop next door.  She loves his easy smiles and way with people when he comes into the shop and turns out they’ve both been secretly crushing on each other.

Right when they move from secret crush to doing something about it with an encounter that leaves her tingling, the building owner announces renovations are in order so the pair must share a smaller space.  Max loses his suave cool and says words that he regrets, but the damage is done.  They go from romantic to hostile to romantic to hostile to… in their close proximity shop world.

I noticed a previous book by the author and thought it sounded fun, but then this one really caught my eye.  I enjoyed the author’s writing style and the cute presentation of the pair who are gradually falling in love though I’d say they were well on their way during their ‘secret crush’ time since they saw each other all the time and were neighboring shop owners.  The story felt very intimate because it is told first person and alternated between Joelle and Max. 

Joelle is a generous, warm-hearted woman who naturally was a nurturer whether it was family, friends, customers, or even someone who hurt her.  Max is friendly, but his personality is very different because he’d been abandoned and mistreated from a young age by his own parents.  He has built a new rewarding life for himself, but it is a thin veneer over the roiling emotions that lash out at times and particularly on the woman he least wants to hurt.

I confess to struggling through the painful swings of the relationship blowing hot and cold because they were in a forced proximity situation and they both did their fair share of sabotage to the relationship.  Max said the most cutting things and Joelle acted out.  There was misunderstanding and miscommunications to really fuel the drama.

However, the fun, sexy, and tender moments were there as well.  Delicious baking, fabulous family on Joelle’s end, a charming bookshop guy who is book boyfriend material when he’s not dealing with inner demons, and a pair that learn to be stronger together and connected when they were able to form an understanding.

So, it was a qualified success for me and I would definitely reach for more of the author’s books particularly if food and Asian heritage are present.  A hard-fought relationship and a struggle to keep their small shops alive made for an engaging contemporary romance premise.

Amazon | Audible

The Boy With the Bookstore by Sarah Echavarre Smith delivered a foodie, Asian heritage, contemporary romance. #bookreview #SophiaRose
Click To Tweet

Source

Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2022/12/the-boy-with-the-bookstore-by-sarah-echavarre-smith.html

Stalking Throckmorton by Gary F. Jones is the story of Chris Throckmorton, an accountant in the town of Rockburg, who is struggling to find a way to finance an experimental treatment for his son’s leukemia. One day he gets a letter from his ancestor Otto Kessler, who has left the remaining Kesslers in Rockburg assets hidden in a safe in an office in a tunnel beneath the brewery. The only problem was that the brewery was demolished, and the tunnels were sealed. To find it, Chris must navigate the intricacies of this small town’s residents. Unfortunately, Chris soon learns there’s another player in this hunt, a long-lost relative, Carl Kessler, who is willing to kill to get a particular object from those assets.

This was a fun read. From the get-go, this treasure hunt was set into motion and held onto you until the very end. I loved this small town with its quirky characters; they were vibrant and really added flavor to this story. There was great humor that I found ridiculous at times, and I enjoyed that. The romance I feared at first was out of place, and the story soon fused beautifully with it. Although I like it wasn’t this perfect romance either, it had embarrassing moments and times of imperfectness that made it golden. The ending was humorously perfect. It was a good laugh, so brilliantly done.

One part of the novel did confuse me; it reads like Carl goes back and forth between knowing and not knowing about Chris. I felt like we needed a clearer introduction to the fact Carl knows of Chris. Nevertheless, if you love a good treasure race in the ordinary spaces of life, I highly recommend this book.

Stalking Throckmorton is a humorous and thrilling mystery novel with a treasure hunt and a bit of romance. This is the perfect book to sit down with and unwind after a long day if you want to escape into a realistic adventure where the untold treasure may or may not be everything you dream of.

Pages: 340 | ASIN : B09YVJSCWG

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/14/stalking-throckmorton/

One seemingly ordinary morning, a mom made pancakes for her children when two jumped out of the frying pan and ran out the door! These two pancakes are named Pablo and Priscilla; they are the DanSing Pancakes. So off they ran into the woods to find a place to live and figure out what they were here to do. Through a dream, the two discovered their purpose here in the world. They have been sent to teach children the dangers of drinking and drugs. Now teaching kids to be healthy is hard. So they had to find a way to do so that would get their attention. A new song and dance was the answer, and together Pablo and Priscilla created an engaging tune to teach children to stay away from drugs and alcohol.

DanSing Pancakes’ Healthy Choices Musical Story is a well-written and entertaining children’s book. This fantastic story has been developed by a team of creators, Joe Coleman, Rick Vitacco, Philip B. Auerbach, Aubrey Morgan Foster, Tracy Foster Pyke, Tracy Saunders, and Shayna Small. This is more than just a picture book. There is an audiobook that accompanies this story and a QR code that takes readers to the song on YouTube. As well as there is a pledge sheet for children to sign and additional activities to help foster healthy habits in children. This team of creators has gone above and beyond to create an accessible learning experience for children.

The whimsical artwork will draw in young readers and keep them engaged, whether they are reading the story or listening to it being read in person or the audio version of the story. The rhythmic storytelling makes listening and reading it out loud fun, ensuring that the message is not lost and will want to be heard over and over.

DanSing Pancakes’ Healthy Choices Musical Story is everything an educational and thought-provoking children’s book should be. It has fun characters, music, an entertaining and original storyline, and an important message about making smart choices. This phenomenal story would be an excellent addition to classrooms, after-school centers, libraries, and homes.

Pages: 44 | ASIN : B0B14J7L23

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/14/dansing-pancakes-healthy-choices-musical-story/

Stan and Allen: A Book About Gender by Huxley Ren Bunn is a story about a non-binary alligator named Stan who loses their umbrella, which is trouble for them since they get sunburnt without it! Their friend Allen joins them and proposes they visit the “Mud Slug” for some lemonade. As they get their drinks and wonder where their umbrella went, they are misgendered by a few friends. Stan takes this opportunity to help educate their friends as well as the audience on the definition of non-binary and what it means to each individual person’s identity.

This story is a great and fun introduction to gender, especially for younger kids, as it covers gender identity and common misconceptions and questions. It clearly defines the words, making them easy for a younger audience to understand and grasp. With the beautifully abstract art style, it is much more captivating and exciting for a child. The colorful, large text and diagrams help the reader to visualize each term and lesson.

The overall storyline is adorable and educational. It really shows how common it is to be misgendered in a person’s day-to-day life. And it can be difficult for some people to know what pronouns to use, so the story emphasizes the importance of not being afraid to ask! In addition, the characters are all different colorful animals, and they’re cute. Overall, the book is a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it for children and even adults!

Stan and Allen: A Book About Gender is a well-crafted children’s book explaining non-binary and different pronouns at an age-appropriate level. The story is delightful and engaging and encourages children to accept themselves and others around them.

Pages: 38 | ISBN: 1665731184

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/14/stan-and-allen/

A Body Hair Experiment: An Intimate Lens on Gender is a thought-provoking mix of visceral photographs and elegant prose. This exceptionally perceptive photo essay features photographs by O Zhang and text by Eli Cohen. Cohen reflects on the always tense relationship that body hair has with the human body and, via his experiment, highlights how body hair is acceptable on certain bodies and (mostly) unacceptable on others.

The experiment had Cohen completely remove all the hair on the left side of his body only, leaving the other half naturally hairy. He mentions that hairlessness was never an option for him, not even the rejection of it. His lines on how he had never viewed himself as a subject of desire make the readers question how society terms certain bodies as constitutive of being desirable and others as not.

Preceded by Zhang’s close-up of a man’s stomach (one hair-covered arm angled towards the tuft of pubic hair in presumably an act of concealment) and succeeded by spliced halves of a close-up of the nipple—one side completely hairless with the pores sharply defined and the other with wiry black-grey coils, the question of subjects of desire also gently extends in the reader’s mind to body parts significant of desire. Cohen’s wondering about the ‘feminine choices’ regarding body hair and the natural extension of perceptions of women who choose to make a feminine choice shows us just how insidiously notions of seriousness and frivolity are tied up with femininity. 

I am giving A Body Hair Experiment: An Intimate Lens on Gender by Eli Cohen and O Zhang 5 out of 5 stars— Zhang’s gorgeous photography graphically brings home the reality of gender norms being broken and unsettles ingrained notions of gender-specific beauty practices. Cohen’s writing and his musings on what this act of deliberate part-hairlessness and part au naturel involves—from the physical sensation of smoothness, of hairiness, of the preparation, of the embracing, and of the disconcerting sensation of unevenness—invite readers to the possibilities of body hair while also highlighting the strong cultural notions it carries.

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/14/a-body-hair-experiment/

Needles is a wispy little Christmas tree with high hopes for the holiday. He’s so eager to get to the Christmas tree lot to fulfill his dream of being a beautiful Christmas tree that brings joy to people. Unfortunately for Needles, no one wants a lean tree. Will Needles find the perfect family, one that will cherish him? Find out in Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree.

Author Richard Wagner has created a charming Christmas picture book that will inspire children to never give up hope. This is also a highly relatable story as well. I’m sure that many people have gone to the tree lot looking for a big beautiful tree, snickering or ignoring the small meager trees. This beautiful book sheds light on those lonely trees, and will certainly make you want to buy one for yourself.

The illustrations by Sydni Kruger are absolutely gorgeous. Each page is illustrated from edge to edge. Each piece looks like it could have been painted by Bob Ross. I was especially drawn to the scene where Emily finds Needles on the side of the road. The deep purples on this page really set the mood.

Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree is an inspiring children’s book that is filled with vibrant illustrators that kids will be looking at long after the story is over. This is the perfect kid’s book for the holiday season, or for any parent or teacher who wants to educate young readers on the importance of perseverance.

Pages: 38 | ASIN: B0BNLWZP2T

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/12/14/needles-the-forgotten-christmas-tree/