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Sugar and Salt (Bella Vista Chronicles #4) by Susan Wiggs-Review

About The Book

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…

Grab A Copy Here

My Review

This is my first Susan Wiggs read. Based on the cover I expected it to be a light summery bakery and romance read. Now I know it’s unfair to judge a book by it’s cover and that’s what I did.
What I got when I read this is a whole lot more.
The book is pretty intense,emotional and dramatic if you were to ask me.
It starts off with what we assume is a well to do woman who has worked towards opening her own restaurant her whole life. She is a master chef who was taught the skills years ago as a child by her mother. She was poor growing up but her mother always did her best by her.
She worked hard and it’s opening night at her fancy restaurant, the critics are there and she’s nervous but she’s got this. Until she doesn’t.
It takes us through an emotional back story of the woman. There are many characters and we finally see how they all mesh together.
She has a chance at real love for the first time but she’s so afraid to share her past experiences with him. Will he give her a chance if her past is told?
There are some very intense parts that may cause some to stop reading. I am wondering if all her books are like this? Overall in the face of adversity our main character had to make some very hard and life changing decisions. Very much an eye opening book. The characters are very well written and realistic.
Tasty recipes also included.

Expected publication: July 26th 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

About The Author

I like to believe I am the person my dogs think I am.

I phone my parents every day, as they are elderly and adorable, and they read me stories every day of my freakishly normal childhood. I was a writer before I learned to read, by creating scribbles on paper and dictating the stories to my saintly mother. You can see examples here: https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/104585203815605467940/albums/5587379107269629729?banner=pwa&partnerid=pwrd1.

Untold eons later, I still read and write everyday and I’ve gotten very good at it. I live in a ridiculously gorgeous place in the world–an island in Puget Sound, Washington where we have a lot of the same flowers you grow in the UK. But bigger slugs. Much bigger slugs.

I have lots more to tell you, so please join me on Facebook and check out pictures of my dogs and tell me what’s on your mind. https://www.facebook.com/susanwiggs

Does this sound like a book you’d read? Do you have a favorite by this author?

Thank you for stopping by. Have a day filled with sunshine.

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Can’t Wait Wednesday

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This author has so many books out and I’ve never read one by her yet. The cover is so pretty and the synopsis sounded so good that I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it out. Books about food are deliciously fun to read.

Sugar and Salt by Susan Wiggs publishes July 26,2022 384 pages William Morrow publisher Amazon Buy Link Here

Book Summary

The New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop brings readers a can’t-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption, and love between a San Francisco baker and a barbecue master from Texas.

Jerome Sugar 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’s Sugar 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 mother, the lively, opinionated Ida. The older woman proves to be a good mentor, and Margot is drawn to Jerome. 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…

Does this sound like a book you’d enjoy reading? Let me know in the comments.

Have a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by.