Book Review - The Cake Therapist by Judith M. Fertig

 

 

Claire O'Neil is a talented pastry chef that has a hidden extraordinary talent. Most talented chefs can taste flavors that most of us miss. However, Claire can "taste" the feelings of other people. She can customize her treats to help someone celebrate love, dealing with loss, and connecting with others.

Claire returns home to Millcreek Valley when her marriage starts to fall apart. She is excited to open her bakery and starting over. As she starts meeting with her clients, she senses some of them are hiding secrets, while others are in pain. However, Claire starts to notice a sour taste that is signaling a story that desperately needs to be told.  Claire is used to helping other people with her ability but, will this story help guide her?

The novel had vivid descriptions of the desserts being made. You can tell the author has a deep appreciation for food. However, while the author went into details about the food, I felt like the story lacked some details. I wish more time was spent on certain parts of the novel. The novel had two "different" storylines that ended up converging at the end. Both storylines had promise but, failed during execution. At times, the story felt convoluted and disjointed. Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me and I am hesitant to read any other books by the author.

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Book Review - She Who Knows No Fear: Another Tale of the Heart by by Barbara Bras + Giveaway

Photo Source - Amazon

Cassie is finally getting her dream come true. She is marrying her best friend who is also the love her life. Cassie will never have to be alone again. Until Zack didn't return from surfing one afternoon which causes Cassie to panic that she might lose Zack. Will Cassie be able to get over her fears?

I have not read the first book but it doesn't seem that readers need to read both books. When I first read the summary, I thought the book was about Cassie dealing with Zack disappearing. However, it turns out the book focuses on Cassie dealing with her abandonment issues. I was quite puzzled by the number of different story plots added in but they didn't develop further. For example, Cassie finds out that her grandmother was divorced, hearing thoughts from her dead grandmother and also having the ability to read other people's thoughts. Cassie's ability to read people's thoughts felt like it was added as an afterthought and it was never mentioned by her friends or family. I felt Cassie was a bit childish and helpless by herself. I felt like the conversations were stilted and unauthentic. Overall, I think it was an interesting story but it should have been developed a bit more.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

About the Book

Title: She Who Knows No Fear
Author: Barbara Bras
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Release Date: December 8, 2017
Cassie’s dream is about to come true. She’s marrying her best friend, the love of her life.
She will never be alone again. But when Zack fails to return from surfing, Cassie’s safe world comes crashing down around her and she begins her struggle anew. Haunted by her conviction that her late grandmother left her something that will help her, Cassie discovers hidden “treasures” in the house she inherited. With the help of her stepmother, Cassie unlocks the secrets of her grandmother’s journey and along the way finds the ultimate answer for her own life.

About the Author

In 2015, Barbara Bras left her career to pursue her dream of serving God. She believed that her first step was to share the amazing story of God’s blessings in her life. Wrapped in God’s Grace, A Life Rediscovered does so through a trio of narratives. It begins with the story of her son’s miraculous adoption and the challenging years that followed, her grandparents’ remarkable survival in Armenia, and her own quest for purpose and love. Once written, Barbara realized her life’s new purpose. Captured by St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, she views her writing as a tribute to the God who comforts and strengthens us in hardships and trials, and as her mission to encourage others. Her first novel, She Who Knows, A Tale of the Heart, seeks to inspire and encourage. The sequel, She Who Knows No Fear: Another Tale of the Heart, released in December 2017. Solo Deo Gloria, To God Alone Be the Glory

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Barbara is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card plus a signed copy of She Who Knows and She Who Knows No Fear!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/ca74