A Teaspoon of Trouble

I had a little trouble getting into Carolyn and Matt's story at first. The hangups Carolyn has to change her career direction is very realistic to a lot of everyday people's choice's. Plus how she ends up with custody of her niece. It is always interesting how we have a tendency to stick with a path even if we don't love it until something pushes us another way. Matt's steady persistence pays off in the end. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Carolyn Henderson has never thought of herself as being a mom. However when her sister and brother in law are killed in a car crash she learns she has been left custody of her four year old niece Emma and her rowdy dog. Instead of immediately returning to her life in New York she goes to visit her parents in Marietta Montana. Local veterinarian Matthew West was heartbroken when Carolyn left home years ago to follow her dreams of being a chef. Now he has been chosen to be part of the Bachelor Bake-off. When the two meet again at the vet clinic they agree to trade dog obedience lessons for cooking lessons . With one lesson in both of them realize there is more there but is either of them willing to admit there feelings to the other? I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting and kept me reading. It was a very good start to the new series.

A Teaspoon of Trouble by Shirley Jump is book number number one in the Bachelor Bake-Off series. This is chef Carolyn Henderson and vet Matthew West's story. One day Carolyn is a chef with her dream job almost a reality then she is responsible for her four year niece and a large rowdy dog after a family tragedy. Carolyn is back in Marietta so she can figure out how to handle the changes in her life. Matt and Carolyn dated in high school but Carolyn was so ready to leave Marietta that she walked away from their relationship. Their paths cross again when Carolyn needs help with her niece's dog. Matt agrees to help Carolyn with the dog if she will help him with the Bachelors bake-off. Will they get a second chance at love? This story is sweet and emotional story. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This was a very emotional story. Carolyn is a chef who goes to her parents' house in Marietta to try to reorganize her life when she gets custody of her neice after her sister's death. She runs into Matt, her high school boyfriend, and things get complicated. Carolyn needs help with her neice's dog, and Matt needs help with his baking skills for the charity bake off contest. I loved all of the characters so much. Carolyn's fear of failure, of change, of messing things up for Emma felt very real. Matt balanced her out very nicely, even though she was determined to stay the course and move back to New York. I enjoyed this story so much. I'm hoping we get some glimpses into their future in other stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Teaspoon of Trouble by Shirley Jump, the first entry in the Bachelor Bake-Off series despite is making me cry. This is another wonderful collaboration of authors, created by Tule Publishing. The Bachelor Bake-Off is a fund raiser by the town to buy a rundown house in Marietta and refurbish in the memory of firefighter Harry Morgan as a teen center. Each of the bachelors entered into this “contest” are not cooks. In this story, Caroline Henderson, a type-A cook, returns to her parents’ home in Marietta, Montana with her young niece Emma and Emma’s unruly puppy. They had just lost Emma’s parents in a car crash and Caroline was named guardian. The entire family is struggling with their grief and Caroline has no idea how she will be able to return to her highly demanding job in Manhattan with Emma and be able to be the parent Emma deserves. I was truly able to relate to Caroline as I had unexpectedly loss my sister a couple of years ago. Although I’m not a guardian to my adult niece, she knows my family is there for her and that I am a surrogate mom for her. When Caroline left ten years prior she broke the heart of Matt West her high school sweetheart. Matt has become the town veterinarian, taking care of the pets and animals of the residents of Marietta, a town he loves. He has also been entered into the first Bachelor bake-Off when he doesn’t know how to cook. When Caroline brings in Emma’s dog the two reconnect. These two make a deal; dog training lessons for cooking lessons. Both are stubborn and hard headed as they try to make sense of this second chance they have. This was a sweet, fun and entertaining story with very likeable and authentic characters that you want to cheer on, hoping for that happy ending. The characters were well written with complex characteristics. The story line was riveting and kept my attention to the very end. I enjoyed reading this book and had trouble putting this book down, reading it in one day. I am truly looking forward to the next entry in the Bachelor Bake-Off series. I highly recommend this book to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

A delightful read of a second chance romance. Carolyn thought she was living her dream in New York as a chef when a family tragedy happens and she has to return home to Marietta. Not in her plans of having a four year old, Emma and Roscoe, a not well mannered dog. Carolyn's high school boyfriend, Matt is the town vet and has entered the Bachelor Bake Off, he has asked Carolyn for help. Matt has never stopped loving Carolyn, now if he can only get her to see this where her heart really belongs. Ms. Jump has packed this book with plenty of emotions that will keep you turning the pages. How can you not fall in love with this book, a puppy, a little girl and a handsome town vet, who is learning to bake. This is the first book in Bachelor Bake Off series, can't wait for more. I highly recommend this book.

This is an awesome sweet read that is filled with emotion. The last person Matthew West expects to see in Marietta is Carolyn Henderson. Yet here she is in his veterinarian office with an unruly dog and a little girl that is the sweetest thing Matt has ever seen. Carolyn was his high school sweetheart but she broke his heart on graduation day when she let him know he wasn't enough to keep her in Marietta. She had plans and didn't look back when she left town. They may never be close again but they each have something the other needs. Striking a deal to help each other out has them spending a lot of time together. Will they be able to walk away from each other again? I highly recommend this one.