Bonus: Sweet Talk

HQN Books

Sweet Talk
Susan Mallery
2008

The Summary
"Is there anything sweeter than first love?

"Don't ask Claire Keyes.  The twenty-eight-year-old piano prodigy has never had a regular boyfriend, much less a real romance.  Her music career has left little room for friends or family--which is part of the reason she hasn't seen the family bakery or her two sisters in years.

"But now Nicole is sick, and Jesse is AWOL.  Despite the fact that Claire can't boil water, she's determined to play caretaker.  Connecting with her sisters tops her to-do list...along with falling in love, or at least lust, for the first time.

"Ruggedly sexy Wyatt just might fit the bill.  Although he keeps saying that he and Claire come from entirely different worlds, he lights up hotter than a bakery oven whenever Claire  is near.  If this keeps up, she might just sweet-talk him into her bed...and her life."

The Good
I really liked Sweet Talk.  As the first book in the Bakery Sisters series, it sets the tone and creates a sweet, romantic little story about a young woman who hasn't had the opportunity to find love in her own live, a young woman who's struggling to win back the trust and affection of her sisters.  It combines fiery romance with family drama, making it appealing in two very different ways.

I appreciate how Mallery sets up the book, but, more importantly, I appreciate how she takes time to set up the entire series.  She's careful to give plenty of background information, to build the characters and their stories and give them some added depth, and she's not bad at depicting character quirks and development.

As Claire and Wyatt's relationship matures and takes on brand new dynamics, I liked the fact that they faced real problems as a couple.  For instance, I like that Wyatt is intimidated by Claire's success and fortune, that he must come to terms with her wealth; I like that Claire has to grow as an individual, that she has to readjust her expectations and confront her fears in order to pursue a healthy relationship.

It doesn't hurt that she's practically fearless when it comes to her sisters and Wyatt.  She seems so quiet and demure, almost timid, but she's a courage figure with a heart of gold, and she's willing to jump into danger without any hesitation whatsoever if it means protecting the ones she loves.  She seemed a tad unrealistic, but I really learned to like her.

The Bad
Sweet Talk is another one of those predictable romances.  Don't get me wrong, I liked it for the fact that it didn't stay secluded to complicated romantic relationships but incorporated equally complicated sibling relationships--and I liked that it didn't quite keep to the usual outline for romances.

But it was still pretty obvious where Mallery was going with her story.

The Ugly
The horrible things that sisters sometimes say to one another when they're angry.  It's a bit heart-breaking.