Welcome to Sugartown

Author:   Carmen Jenner

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Series:  Sugartown Book #1

Publication Date:  3rd November 2013

Pages: 255 pages

Book Source:  Amazon Kindle Store

Format:  ebook

Synopsis:  Ana Belle never wanted anything more than to hang up her apron, jump on her Vespa and ride off into the sunset, leaving Sugartown in the dust.

Elijah Cade never wanted anything more than a hot meal, a side of hot arse and a soft place to lay his head at night where he could forget about his past.

But you know what they say about wanting: you always want what you can’t have.

Nineteen year-old virgin Ana is about to discover that’s not quite true because a six foot three, hotter than hell, tattooed, Aussie sex god just rode into town. He’s had a taste of her pie and he wants more– no really, Ana bakes pies for a living, get your mind out of the gutter.

She’d be willing to hand over everything tied up in a big red bow, there’s just one problem; Elijah has secrets dirtier than last week’s underwear. Secrets that won't just break Ana’s heart, but put her life at risk, too. When those secrets come to light, their relationship is pushed to breaking point.

Add to that a psychotic nympho best friend, an overbearing father, a cuter than humanly possible kid brother, a wanton womanizing cousin, the ex from hell, and more pies than you could poke a ... err ... stick ... at.

And you thought small towns were boring.

I honestly am at a loss as to how I want to review Welcome to Sugartown.  It started off great and I was completely involved in the story and the characters and then the ‘feel’ of the book changed.  I can’t really say much at all about the events that lead to this change without revealing spoilers.  I was questioning whether to continue reading at around the 50% mark on my Kindle, but I rarely ever DNF a book.   Then around the 60% mark on my Kindle I was wishing that I had DNF’d this book.

Certain events took place that just turned my stomach, one event was enough but when the second took place I just wasn’t sure if I could…or wanted to continue reading.   I had no idea what the author had planned for Ana and Elijah.

I will say however, that I think this author is very good and there is some great writing in this story.  Carmen Jenner certainly had my emotions running all over the place…she made me laugh, cry, she made me want to hide my Kindle in the bottom of my underwear draw!   

I do feel like so much is left unanswered but there is another book in this series, Holly’s story (she’s a hoot by the way) and I found myself wanting to continue with this series.  If it wasn’t for the event at the halfway mark and definitely the event at the 61% mark I would have probably given this book 5 stars.  I don’t think I should bring my rating down too much just because I didn’t particularly like what happened.

Sugartown is a fictional town in Australia but at the beginning of the book I didn’t necessarily feel like I was in Australia.  (I am Australian btw and live in Queensland).  There was reference to Nutri-Grain and ‘arsehole’ rather than ‘asshole’ but the author referred to a District Attorney and there is no such role in our legal system.  Our equivalent would be a Crown Prosecutor, District Attorney is an American term.

With all due disclosure I read romance.  I love romance with a hot biker boy…I didn’t even mind that he had served time in prison…and maybe it was just that I wasn’t expecting the book to take such a brutal and nasty turn of events.

The author deserves points though for surprising me and not just writing the predictable storyline.  It is a book that I recommend be read and you'll just have to decide for yourself.

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