STORY-LINE HOPE'S BAKERY BY SOPHIE MAYS:

In Hope's Bakery, single mother Hope Nolan, owns Hope's Bakery; the only one of its kind in her small town. Hope's life has not been easy as her son father's left without a word and never seen again. Since then, Hope stayed away from her church, using work as an excuse. Often her mother tries to persuade Hope to attend and reconnect with her church family.

So far, the bakery's doing well; she's known around town as the “The Wedding Cake Queen”. If things continue to go well, in six months, Hope can hire a helper which will free up much-needed time for her. With her small son to support, her bakery needs to succeed. Watching every penny, doing all the work herself, and worrying if the orders will keep coming, Hope lives with daily stress.

However, disaster looms on the horizon. A new restaurant's opening up across the street serving deserts and coffee, as well as, meals. The chef's extensively trained in Italy; which scares Hope to death. If her bakery goes under, what will she do? How will she support Rylan? Meeting the chef, Michael, she feels attraction immediately. But, she has no time for men or romance. However, Michael will not go away; coming to the bakery every morning for coffee and sweets. How will all this play out? Will love bloom for Hope? My romance book review of Hope's Bakery follows.

CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:

First I must say I loved this book which author, Sophie Mays, filled with emotion and family dynamics. Mays built the romance in Hope's Bakery gently and slowly. The reader discovers Michael's a Christian man searching for forever; not heated emotions of the moment. With Christian values and faith in God, he gently shows Hope a better way of business and life. Including Rylan's a skillful stroke as he's a wonderful child. I wanted to kiss him all over his face and tickle him until he cried for help.

Hope's stress, worry, and fear of a romantic relationship must be faced and resolved. as well as, her control issues. Letting the hurt, betrayal, and insecurities she suffered by her husband's desertion take over her life is not what God intends for her. Developing Hope from a frightened, insecure, and emotionally closed off woman, Mays skillfully led her towards what God wants for her; through Michael's intervention, Hope sees a better way of life. God puts what we need in place when we need it. The Christian lessons in Hope's Bakery are subtle without pushing or preaching; yet spot on. Hope must realize she has a strong man, friends, and a large church family standing ready to help her in any way they can.

With plotting which flowed smoothly and well-developed characters, Mays created a first-class sweet clean Christian romance. Mays writing's clear and easy to follow with smooth transition between the scenes and sets a relaxing pace; making the book enjoyable to read. Hope's Bakery's perfect for a weekend of lazy reading. A satisfying and entertaining read, Hope's Bakery sets a high standard of writing, romance, and values for others. Mays had no need of fluff or sex to sell her story, as her writing ability alone's sufficient. It's wonderful to read a love story which is not full of descriptive sex and four letter words. I would not hesitate to buy this book for my self or a friend.

HOPE'S BAKERY RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4

FINALLY, PLEASE NOTE:

Additionally, I received this book from Love, Light, Faith Publishing and chose to voluntarily review the book with an honest Christian romance book reviews. Lastly, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews on-line and on my blog, are my opinions. Without hesitation I can say, no one influenced my voluntary Christian romance book reviews. ( )

It's nice to see the main character grow in various ways. In the beginning, she's afraid to open herself up to love and even isolates herself from her church family. By the end, she learns that others don't judge her as harshly as she judges herself and makes herself vulnerable by falling in love. She also wants control of her life which manifests itself by wanting to do everything at her business herself, resulting in long hours. She does finally learn to relinquish control.

The writing is well done, and the characters are personable. ( )