Series: Berry Lake Cupcake Posse #2
Publisher: Cardinal Press, LLC
Release Date: April 22, 2021
Genre: Friendship Fiction
Sometimes the sweetest beginnings come from bitter endings…
Juliet Monroe’s comfortable world has been turned upside down. She’s struggling to leave her trophy wife identity behind and make ends meet as an event planner. When her handsome new neighbor needs to throw the perfect birthday party for his niece, Juliet offers her services. If she pulls this off, maybe she can get her life back on track. But to do so, she’ll need the help of the Cupcake Posse. Too bad her friends are grappling with problems of their own:
Missy’s recovering from injuries; Nell’s trying to thwart her mother’s matchmaking efforts; Selena’s trying to make things happen for her friends and herself; and Bria’s facing obstacles she never anticipated trying to save her late aunt’s bakery.
Join the Cupcake Posse as they work together to navigate the difficulties of life, loss, and love. They continue to rely on each other, never losing sight of the importance of friendship and family, but will that be enough to save the Berry Lake Cupcake Shop?
My Review 💜
Tiaras & Teacups picks up exactly where Cupcakes & Crumbs left off, which was exactly what I was hoping for, since book one leaves us with quite a few unanswered questions. Sadly, the answers to some of those questions are more heartbreaking than what I was expecting, but the trials that each friend is going through brings them, and the reader, even closer into the Posse's circle, continuing the flesh out each character, and bring us deeper into their worlds.
Juliet has a major role in this book, as the story begins with her world being completely turned upside down. Reading her story was both empowering and freeing, while also being deplorable, all thanks to her verbally abusive and manipulative husband Ezra, and her domineering and self-absorbed grandmother. Both of these heartless characters had me audibly growling at the pages, which shows great writing on Melissa's part, and I hope to see them both get what they deserve in future books, but will have to patiently wait and see what happens. Seeing Juliet grow so much in this novel was refreshing, and I hope that as the series continues that we will get to see her grow and develop even more. She is the sweetest character, and truly deserves nothing but the best.
Watching Nell navigate a new relationship was humorous, and gave some much-needed comic relief to an otherwise heavier novel, what with her seemingly dating two guys just to keep her mom off her back, and one of them being her polar opposites. The adventures they go on had me giggling, as I was with Nell all the way. There's no way I would've done what she did!
Selena is there to give support to the other members of the Posse, though she too is also dealing with a personal struggle that she is keeping to herself, but she felt more like a side character in this novel. I really hope she gets more of the spotlight in a future book, as I adore the scenes with her and her husband. Talk about #relationshipgoals!!!
Missy is in recovery the entire book, and is not always the best patient, which isn't surprising given her character, but she also shows growth throughout the book, and is more motivated than ever to getting the cupcake shop up and running again. I honestly cannot wait to see where her imagination takes the shop!
While Nell, Selena, and Missy are all dealing with their own issues, they all pale in comparison to the situations Juliet and Bria find themselves in. Just like Juliet, Bria's world is also upended when her father is arrested, and being held as a possible suspect in the cupcake shop fire. Not only was she already trying to deal with her relationship with her father, but now she is fighting to find out the truth, not knowing what to believe anymore, and honestly I was with her. There is still so much mystery surrounding who is behind the fire, putting even more tension on the story as a whole, and still leaving questions unanswered, but that's not all Bria is going through. She is also blindsided with a major change at her job, as well as her and Dalton navigating the waters of their budding relationship. I do have to say, those two are adorable together, and there are several scenes that had me swooning.
Tiaras & Teacups leaves you with quite the cliffhanger at the end, which I was not expecting at all, and I loved it, while hating it at the same time. I love a good surprise, but I hate thatI have to wait until April 2022 to find out what happens next!! What am I going to do until then?? Since I haven't finished The Beach Brides/Indigo Bay miniseries yet, which is a prequel to the Berry Lake Cupcake Posse series, I think I'll go back and read those.
I cannot rave enough about this series!!! The Posse is just incredible, and I love seeing women uplifting other women through tough times. This is what we all need right now!! And can we all just stop for a moment and appreciate how insanely delicious the cover is?! Oh my gosh!! I am still dreaming about attending one of Juliet's tea parties!
My Rating: ★★★★★
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*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read through Kindle Unlimited. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.
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