Much Ado About Latte
Sunday night was our family movie and dessert night! I always look forward to Sunday evenings the most, since our son is getting older and will leave for college before we know it.
Last night we doubled up on the desert with lemon meringue pie and Keylime pie while watching the new Sing 2 movie. I was pretty excited when I discovered we could rent it on Amazon.
Y’all know anything relating to coffee in the title is going to catch my eye and demand my attention, and Much Ado About a Latte by Kathleen Fuller was such a wonderful and heartwarming contemporary romance.
Synopsis: Anita Bedford needs to face reality. It’s time to decaffeinate the dream that she and Tanner will ever be more than friends. Growing up in small-town Maple Falls, she’s had a crush on Tanner for years. But he’ll only ever see her as good, old, dependable Anita. Now she’s finally ready to make her own goals a reality. In fact, that deserted building next door to Sunshine Diner looks like a promising location to open her own café . . .
Tanner Castillo may know how to operate a diner, but he doesn’t know beans about love. After pouring his life savings into buying the Sunshine Diner, he needs to keep his mind on making a success of it and supporting his widowed mother, not on kissing Anita Bedford. First order of business: improve his customers’ coffee experience. Next, he should probably find out who bought the building next door . . .
It’s a bitter cup to swallow when ambition turns longtime friends and coworkers Anita and Tanner into rivals. Now that they own competing businesses, how could they ever compete for each other’s hearts? Or will the two of them come to see what’s obvious to the whole, quirky town of Maple Falls: potential for a full-roast romance, with an extra splash of dream?
Welcome to Maple Falls, where everyone knows your name, your coffee order, and your relationship status.
Do you need to read the series in order?
I hadn’t read the first book, Hooked on You, and was able to navigate the story with ease. However, there were a lot of references to events in the first story that have me really curious, so I do plan on reading it soon.
What appealed to you the most in this story?
The full cast of warm and wonderful characters and the adorable and quaint town really drew me into the story. Each character had their own flaws and struggles, and you feel like you are right there in the midst of it all with them. This added a richness to the storyline and helped create that cozy town atmosphere where everyone knows each other and is supportive.
How was the romance?
I enjoyed the sweet and delightful romance that takes place between Tanner and Anita, and both are so loveable and relatable. I found myself rooting for them to figure out and admit how they felt about each other throughout the story. They had the typical miscommunications, confusion, and personal secrets as obstacles to their relationship, but these two that have known one another for years and were made for one another.
Overall, the progression of their relationship and the chemistry, worked really well and lead to a satisfying ending.
Steam level: PG - Only kissing
How was the pace?
This book held a steady pace and I read it in less than 24 hours.
Do you recommend this book?
If you are someone who loves a small town, clean/closed door romance, with a full cast of wonderful and supportive characters, then pick this sweet romance up soon!
