Sweet Trouble
Bakery Sisters, Book 3

Susan Mallery

Publisher:
HQN

Release Date:
September 1, 2008

Genres:
Contemporary Romance

ISBN:
Print
9780373773053

Bookmark Rating:

Reviewed by
Natalie S.

Review Posted:
August 2008

Jesse Keyes left Seattle years ago with her tail tucked between her legs. The sister she lived with hated her and the man she was in love with, Matthew Fenner, didn’t want anything to do with her.  He didn’t even care that she was pregnant with his baby. Of course, at the time he didn’t actually believe that the baby was his, despite Jesse’s protestations to the contrary.  Now, years later, Jesse has come back home to the town in which she grew up in order to put to rest some ghosts of her past and possibly make new memories. 

Jesse has spent the last five years of her life working to overcome her reputation and be a mom to Gabriel.  Gabe has been asking questions about his father and because of this, Jesse decides to return to Seattle so that her son might know his father.  She knows that her return will be tough but she doesn’t count on the animosity she encounters. Her sister still hasn’t forgiven her for sleeping with her now ex-brother-in-law which is funny since Jesse didn’t sleep with him.  Meeting Matt after so long takes a toll on Jesse’s psyche as well, he is livid she has kept his son from him and with his anger comes action. The plan? Matt intends to make Jesse pay dearly for not telling him about his son. 

I anticipated SWEET TROUBLE like no other after having read SWEET SPOT. Since Susan Mallery wrote SWEET TROUBLE, I knew I would be in for an emotional roller coaster ride. There is a thin line between love and hate because more than once I found myself hating Matt Fenner.  I became angry at him for being unrealistic and hateful to Jesse, notwithstanding the fact that she did not tell him that he had a son.  Then, he would do something so sweet for Jesse that I would love him again.  Jesse’s character was so realistically written she could be anyone who ever made mistakes and tried to pick up the pieces of their life and succeed.  The romance and sexual tension between Matt and Jesse was oftentimes heady and explosive.  I wanted so much for Matt to love Jesse like she deserved and while he did, finally, I got teary-eyed more than once at the emotion turmoil both characters faced. 

Susan Mallery never fails to deliver a highly poignant and ultimately satisfying read.  Immersing myself in SWEET TROUBLE for an entire afternoon, I hated to see Matt and Jesse’s story come to an end.  As with every book she has ever written, Susan Mallery’s SWEET TROUBLE is definitely a keeper!

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