KISS MY CUPCAKE

It’s swanky cocktails and cupcakes versus no-frills pub food in this opposites-attract romantic comedy.

Buttercream and Booze is Blaire Calloway’s baby, and she has big dreams to turn her bar-and-bakery hybrid into a dining destination. It’s the success she needs to prove to her wealthy parents that she can make it on her own after several professional failures. Blaire’s largest obstacle, though, doesn’t seem to be of the financial variety. Instead, it comes wrapped in flannel and wielding an ax. Ronan Knight is nearly ready to open The Knight Cap, a neighboring bar with cold beer, greasy food, and an ax-throwing range. It’s exactly the opposite of Buttercream and Booze and is about to become Blaire’s biggest competition for being named the best bar in the Pacific Northwest. Blaire and Ronan butt heads frequently, leading to scenarios that quickly get out of hand and usually quite messy. The comedic timing delivers with its slapstick, physical humor, and rapid-fire banter, but unfortunately, there’s nothing terribly new here. The gendered stereotypes of men liking meat and big mugs of beer and women preferring delicate bites and dainty glasses is what’s most disappointing; things would have been far more interesting if the roles were flipped in some way. At a time when romance authors are doing such interesting things with the genre and finding new ways to use beloved tropes, this feels like a missed opportunity. Hunting does, however, know how to balance all the moving parts of a satisfying romance rather well. The hero and heroine’s attraction is front and center, the emotional layers are real and earnestly felt, and the hilarious, awkward moments always land with a laugh.

Cute and serviceable but pretty standard.