Brief Reviews: Always the Baker Never the Bride; Love Your Frenemies

Always the Baker Never the Bride, by Sandra D. Bricker, AF, 2010, Kindle ebook, 308p, rating=4
Source: own

They say you can't have your cake and eat it too. But who would want a cake they couldn't eat?
Just ask Emma Rae Travis about that. She's a baker of confections who is diabetic and can't enjoy them. When Emma meets Jackson Drake, the escapee from Corporate America who is starting a wedding destination hotel to fulfill a dream that belonged to someone else, this twosome and their crazy family ties bring new meaning to the term "family circus." The Atlanta social scene will never be the same! (Goodreads)

I nibbled on this book in between review commitments and distractions.  I really liked it!  A lovely blossoming romance story with awesome recipes and wedding tips.  It had interesting character dynamics, nice Southern setting, and a giggle-inducing non-preachy Christian chick-lit plot.  A definite good find.

Totally scored on this ebook.  I caught it on a Kindle freebie day ..caught the next two installments for free as well!  Woohoo!!  :)

 Love Your Frenemies by Mina V. Esguerra, AF, 2011, Kindle ebook, 121p, rating=3.5
Source: own

Kimmy Domingo was the kind of girl everyone hated and envied -- until her fiancé dumped her a week before their wedding. Soon after, she quit her job, hopped on a plane, and just hid from everyone who knew her. A year later and she's back in Manila to be maid of honor at a wedding she can't miss.
Kimmy's home because she's ready to start over, but she also knows that some people at that wedding were responsible for the mess her life turned out to be. The first step to recovery? Cutting off the ones who caused her troubles to begin with: her best friend and her first love. (Goodreads)

What a cute story.  Well worth the $.99 I paid to purchase it.  Of course, I liked the setting ..Philippines!  My native country, so I caught on to the lingo/customs.  Anyway, this book was about getting personal with Kimmy, the protagonist.  We get her point of view through see-sawing of past-present time line.  Although romance was in the midst, the main focus was understanding one's role in the intimate, economic, and social dynamics of family and friends.  The tender twist towards the end was a nice surprise ..the kind that you would find yourself wanting to touch base with your best friend at that very moment and tell him that you're thinking of him.  Nice.