Review of Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman

By: Gabi Rutherford

            Leilani, a rising pastry chef, left New York City for Sugarberry Island to take care of her father. She also left to get away from rumors that swirled about her and her boss, Baxter Dunne. The Baxter Dunne, aka Chef Hot Cakes, has his own cooking show and plenty of people swooning over him (including Leilani, when they aren’t working side-by-side). However, shortly after opening her own cupcakery in the sleepy little town of Sugarberry Island, Leilani opens the paper to find that her former boss will be staying in town for a while – with his camera crew trailing along. Will Leilani be able to keep her feelings in check, or will Baxter be even sweeter and harder to resist than before?

Donna Kauffman did a wonderful job of building these characters’ emotions. While this is a romance novel, both Leilani and Baxter have developed thoughts and feelings about the world that surrounds them, and they each have goals of their own. Kauffman shows both Leilani and Baxter’s points of view, which allows the reader to have more of an understanding on what they are feeling. There are also lovely secondary characters who play big roles in both Leilani and Baxter’s lives, and they have wonderful interactions with them. Overall, Kauffman did a fantastic job of writing this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved experiencing Leilani’s emotions with her, as she was deeper than some “typical” heroines in the romance genre. Her character was very fun to see progress throughout the novel. I loved meeting the other members of Sugarberry Island, and as this is the first book in a series, I am very excited to read more! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys romance novels or strong female characters.