EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
The Sweetest Match
(An Applebottom Matchmaker Society Small Town Sweet Romance Book 1)
(An Applebottom Matchmaker Society Small Town Sweet Romance Book 1)
by Abby Tyler
The Sweetest Match is the first book in the Applebottom Matchmaker Society Small Town Sweet Romance by Abby Tyler. Grab your copy now for only $0.99. Also available: The Perfect Disaster.
The Sweetest Match is currently on tour with Xpresso Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
She hid secret messages in frosting, thinking no one would notice.
Abby Tyler welcomes you to the witty, well-meaning busybodies of Applebottom, Missouri, where the community takes its pies - and its matchmaking - very seriously.
When Sandy Miller emerges from her shack on the edge of town after eighteen years, she finds a job making tea cakes for a little shop on Town Square.
But then everyone starts spotting secret words of love and longing on her cakes.
Andrew McCallister is the first to admit that he never got over Sandy Miller when she dropped out of high school and disappeared. But now she’s back.
He just has to get the guts to talk to her.
When the town summons the pair to a meeting to plan the school’s centennial bash, Andrew and Sandy discover they are the only two members of the committee. As they attempt to rekindle the long-lost flame, Sandy realizes her messages have been seen by the town, and maybe she doesn't regret them after all.
Excerpt
When Andrew McAllister walked in the door of Tea for Two, Sandy knew something had gone horribly, terribly wrong.
She got so startled by the unexpected arrival of her longtime crush that she fumbled her brush and accidentally stabbed the side of the wedding cake she was decorating.
She pulled the end out, frowning at the wound in the perfectly smooth frosting.
Why was Andrew here? She’d worked here for two months with no sign of him.
But the sly look on her boss’s face told her the answer.
Betty knew. She’d seen the secret notes in the frosting and figured it out.
Oh, Sandy wished she hadn’t done it.
Sandy kept her eyes cast down to the cake in front of her as Andrew approached the counter. She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t dare.
What was she thinking, taking such a risk? First a few loops on a series of petit fours that spelled out the word handsome.
Then the words if only and unrequited hidden in the swirls of a wedding cake. It was going to Branson! No one there knew a thing.
But then there was regret entwined in the vines of Josefina’s retirement cake “Surely nobody could have spotted them. They were half-covered in fondant flowers!
Still, he was here, and Betty looked like the cat who ate the canary.
That couldn’t be good.
Her skin prickled as if Betty had cranked the heat. But of course she wouldn’t have. School had just started, and the weather was still quite warm. In fact, Sandy could feel the gentle waft of cool air on the back of her neck.
Regardless, her body was on fire.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“A nice relaxing weekend read that will warm your heart, feed your soul.” ~ I Dig Good Books
“I enjoyed every minute.” ~ Set a Spell Book Blog
“Just what I needed to brighten up my day.” ~ Amazeballs Book Addicts
“Super sweet and such a good romance.” ~ Under Covers Book Blog
“One of those books that just make you feel good.” ~ Diary of a Wannabe Writer
“I connected to this delightful book on page one and was an instant fan.” ~ Books and Bindings
“I enjoyed the light-hearted humour of the book.” ~ Crazy K.A.L.M. Book Reviews
“A nice romantic, quick read with a chick-lit feel.” ~ Wall-to-Wall Books Blog
“I was in a bit of a slump when I picked it up, but it seemed to be just what I needed.” ~ Haddie's Haven Book Blog
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
Sandy Miller has been leaving cryptic love messages on the cakes she decorates. When the Applebottom town busybodies discover that the object of her affection is Andrew McAllister, her high school crush who has recently returned to Applebottom to teach at that same high school, they set out to work some matchmaking magic. Will these two find their second chance at love? Or will the reappearance of a figure from her past ruin her chances of a future?
The story is told from the points-of-view of Sandy and Andrew. This is a sweet second chance romance full of charming characters. Things resolve a bit too easily and move along too quickly, especially in the last few chapters. But it’s wonderful to see Sandy grow from a timid girl into a confident woman.
At the end of the book, you’ll find a sweet treat: a recipe for “Gertrude & Maude’s Chocolate Refrigerator Pie”! Sign up for the author’s newsletter to receive a free epilogue to this book and the books to follow. There’s more matchmaking fun in the next book in the series, The Perfect Disaster, featuring Coach Carter and Ginny.
Warnings: mild sexual references.
Some of My Favorite Lines
“If he was the only thing she ever achieved in this lifetime, it would be enough.”
“I think our biggest dreams always seem ridiculous. That’s what makes them our biggest dreams.”
“Everything about Sandy Miller felt like coming home.”
“You’re a genius. An artist must be full of himself. Otherwise, he will be riddled with self-doubt.”
About the Author
Abby Tyler loves puppy dogs, pie, and small towns (she grew up in one!). Her Applebottom Matchmaker Society books combine the sweet and wholesome style of romance she loves with the funny, sometimes a-little-too-truthful characters she remembers from growing up in a place where everyone knew everybody’s business.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win The Abby Gift Box (includes a signed book, a beautiful inspirational heirloom pie plate, plus Abby swag and gifts; open internationally).
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