Author: Susan Wiggs
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Genre: Romance
Source: Tavia at HarperCollins

Goodreads: The New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookstore returns to Perdita Street with a can’t-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption, and love between a San Francisco baker and a barbecue master from Texas.

Jerome “Sugar” Barnes learned the art of baking in his grandma’s bakery, also called Sugar, on historic Perdita Street in San Francisco. He supplies baked goods to the Lost and Found Bookshop across the street.

When the restaurant that shares his commercial kitchen loses its longtime tenant, a newcomer moves in: Margot Salton, a barbecue master from Texas.

Margot isn’t exactly on the run, but she needs a fresh start. She’s taken care of herself her whole life, pulling herself up by her fingernails to recover from trauma, and her dream has been to open a restaurant somewhere far, far from Texas. The shared kitchen with Jerome Sugar’s bakery is the perfect setup: a state-of-the-art kitchen and a vibrant neighborhood popular with tourists and locals.

Margot instantly takes to Jerome’s grandmother, the lively, opinionated Ida, and the older woman proves to be a good mentor. Margot thinks Jerome is gorgeous, and despite their different backgrounds their attraction is powerful–even though Jerome worries that Margot will simply move on from him once she’s found some peace and stability. But just as she starts to relax into a happy new future, Margot’s past in Texas comes back to haunt her… 

Ope’s Opinion: Once again Susan Wiggs wrote a story that made me keep flipping the pages. I liked the pull yourself up by the bootstraps attitude that Margot had throughout the whole book. Each time she was pushed down, she figured out how to deal with it. I just think she was pushed down a couple of times too many. There also seemed an unlikely hero who just stepped in and saved the day – this happened too many times to feel real.

I did like Jerome and his relationship with Margot. The relationship moved at a slow paced and they were friends first. I did like the small side story of Jerome’s mom and dad.

I have enjoyed other books by Susan Wiggs more than this one. I will read her again.