You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Yummy!!! Gorgeous Guy. Jelly donuts. Small town. Opposites attract. Best of all it was a slow burn romance that had me flipping page after page to find the HEA.
Welcome back to Green Valley. Jiffy Kate has done an amazing job of bringing in past characters while adding a mega hunky fighter that will leave you drooling for his tenderness alone. Grab it! Read it! And read it again!!!
Welcome back to Green Valley. Jiffy Kate has done an amazing job of bringing in past characters while adding a mega hunky fighter that will leave you drooling for his tenderness alone. Grab it! Read it! And read it again!!!
Everyone could use. Gunnar Erickson. He’s sweet, sexy with a heart as big as his muscles.
Well I finished this at least. I don’t know why I did, I think because I just didn’t want to have to start a new one. There isn’t much to say about this book. It was thin on plot and thick on boredom, then add a heavy dose of melodrama at the end and there you have it. For a title like beefcake and a cover like this I expected this to be steamier, or at least steamy. It was lame. The smut was non-existent and I have no idea why the author made this title choice and cover choice.
This book was actually quite triggering, as wrapped up in lightness as it seems with the cover, blurb and title, it was about serious child abuse and the heroine’s attempts to recover her memories of it. She has serious intimacy issues and was continually triggered throughout the book by her work at a women’s shelter and her man’s violent job as a professional MMA fighter. Not cool, author, not cool, leading me into this dark storyline when I was looking for a light read. And the ott choices with the cutting, murder, death sentence for her birth father and the torment from the biker gang, was melodramatic and totally unnecessary. In fact the whole motorcycle club sub plot made little sense and didn’t add anything to the book. Anyway this was a fail. I am only giving it two stars because the hero was a sweetie, but he deserved a better heroine and a better story.
This book was actually quite triggering, as wrapped up in lightness as it seems with the cover, blurb and title, it was about serious child abuse and the heroine’s attempts to recover her memories of it. She has serious intimacy issues and was continually triggered throughout the book by her work at a women’s shelter and her man’s violent job as a professional MMA fighter. Not cool, author, not cool, leading me into this dark storyline when I was looking for a light read. And the ott choices with the cutting, murder, death sentence for her birth father and the torment from the biker gang, was melodramatic and totally unnecessary. In fact the whole motorcycle club sub plot made little sense and didn’t add anything to the book. Anyway this was a fail. I am only giving it two stars because the hero was a sweetie, but he deserved a better heroine and a better story.
emotional
medium-paced
Beef Cake (Fighting for Love #2) by Jiffy Kate – An MMA fighter and a violence avoidant ER nurse shouldn’t work, but these two really are opposites attract sweet. The persistent MMC and the magic of small town meddling are the only way these two have any hope of working out, but that is the fun of Green Valley! Happy Reading!
3.5 stars.
I really liked Gunnar but could not connect with Frankie.
The pacing took me way longer than usual to get into.
I really liked Gunnar but could not connect with Frankie.
The pacing took me way longer than usual to get into.
Gunnar Erickson never thought his move to Green Valley would include Frankie Petterson. He came to train with his brother, to be a better fighter. But this fascinating woman has him in knots. She works, she volunteers and she never does anything for herself. He wants to change that. He wants her. Frankie does not know what to make of Gunnar, the beef cake that walked in to her ER. He fights for a living and that terrifies her. But she can't seem to stay away. Until her past rears it's ugly head and things she never imagined come to the surface. Can she take a leap of faith and hope he will catch her when she falls? It's sweet and fun with a little darkness that leads to a happily-ever-after and I adore Green Valley and all its residents.
Jiffy Kate are so talented. I loved this book, it doesn’t take the place of Stud Muffin but it is a close second!! So so good. Keep writing all the good things ladies!!
I just love the crew in Green Valley and of course the Donner Bakery so I was thrilled to receive a copy of Beef Cake as an ARC. Our story picks up where things left off at the end of Stud Muffin with Cage’s brother Gunnar arriving into town. Sadly this book isn’t set in the bakery, but we do get quite a few Tempest (and her muffins) cameos. Frankie and Gunnar’s story unfolded in such a natural way. I loved every minute of their attraction, and how sweet Gunnar was in wooing Frankie. As is customary in all things Green Valley the Iron Wraiths are around and causing trouble, but it was woven perfectly into the storyline, and felt like a natural extension of the world of Winston. The writing and characters had great depth, and this one was a bit of an emotional journey. It reminded me a lot of the dynamics and emotions from a combination of Scarlet and Shelly’s stories.
Boy am I loving these Viking fighters.
Gunnar is a flirt but he is also a huge cinnamon roll. He is an MMA fighter who has come to town to train with his badass brother. HE is knocked on his ass when he meets a prickly nurse names Frankie.
Frankie knows that there is violence in her past, but she has no memories before age 7. Her mother will not discuss it but she knows it's wrapped up in the Iron Wraiths.
I loved these two. Frankie has a lot of baggage and she has has no time for this sexy man who fights for a living.
I had some major issues with her mother and the way the history came out. I sure hope Frankie gets to meet Scarlett and Beau & Duane.
Gunnar is a flirt but he is also a huge cinnamon roll. He is an MMA fighter who has come to town to train with his badass brother. HE is knocked on his ass when he meets a prickly nurse names Frankie.
Frankie knows that there is violence in her past, but she has no memories before age 7. Her mother will not discuss it but she knows it's wrapped up in the Iron Wraiths.
I loved these two. Frankie has a lot of baggage and she has has no time for this sexy man who fights for a living.
I had some major issues with her mother and the way the history came out. I sure hope Frankie gets to meet Scarlett and Beau & Duane.
Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
When it was announced that we would be returning to the Penny Reid universe with a second season of SmartyPants Romance, this reader was EXCITED. In my opinion, the first round was a HUGE hit with some inspired, sexy romance. For me, most of the writers were brand new. I hadn’t read their books previously, and I felt like I found some new “friends.” One of those friends is Jiffy Kate. Their first book in this series, Stud Muffin, introduced us to Tempest, a fiery muffin queen, and a former MMA fighter, Cage Erickson. I loved the message of that book and Cage’s acceptance of Tempest’s foibles. He was a swoony hero who made reading that book effortless.
With their newest offering, Beef Cake, we are introduced to Cage’s brother, Gunnar Elias Erickson. He has taken on the mantle of MMA fighting, but he’s decided to move to Green Valley, Tennessee to train under his brother. This is a huge change for him, as he hails from Dallas and a BIG MMA training family, and Green Valley is small-town living. Trying to find his way and gather his bearings, he becomes involved in a gym accident that requires some treatment in the ER. There, Gunnar meets Frankie, and he begins to fall. There is chemistry between these two from the outset. Yet, Frankie, an ER nurse, has an elusive past that influences her staid, solitary life. She works three days a week in the hospital, volunteers with a local shelter twice a week, visits the Piggly Wiggly on Tuesday evenings at closing, and sells her reclusive mother’s jams and wares at the local Farmer’s Market. There is very little room in her life for relationships because she doesn’t allow for it. That is until she meets Gunnar. He plows into her life and asserts himself, pushing her out of her comfort zone. As memories from her past start to awaken, she becomes conflicted, waffling between feelings of a future with Gunnar and wanting to push him away, due to her fear. Will Gunnar and Frankie find a future together? Is it possible for Gunnar to love Frankie enough to help her to the other side?
From the start, Gunnar Erickson won my heart. Like his brother, Cage, he is brash and physically intimidating, but there is something much deeper in Gunnar. He is intuitive about people; he reads them well. This hero is an empath, and he “sees” Frankie, even when she doesn’t know herself. He is persistent, yet cautious. He works diligently to woo her to him. Honestly, there are times when you read Beef Cake when you think Gunnar might be too good for Frankie. He is a “man’s man,” but he has this amazing nurturing side. You feel “seen” with him. Jiffy Kate crafted him in such a way as a challenge to male heroes. Yes, I love an alpha-hole hero like the rest of us; however, I also love a hero who is both masculine and emotionally mature. This is Gunnar.
Frankie is a complex heroine. Honestly, her character IS the tension of this story. From one minute to the next, you are never sure if she will find self-actualization. There is good reason for this. I refuse to divulge Frankie’s secrets, and readers should know that Frankie is like an onion; she has many layers that Gunnar has to peel away to find her truth. Thankfully, he is patient to do this because Frankie doesn’t make it easy for anyone to be close to her. However, this is a protection, a defense. I connected with Frankie in so many ways because I might be perceived as having a prickly shell as a way to protect my tender underbelly just like Frankie. She and I are emotional twins, I think. Jiffy Kate connect us to the history of Green Valley through Frankie’s character, and they offer more insight into Penny Reid’s stories by divulging her secrets.
So what does it mean to love yourself? Does it require you to protect yourself from everyone at the expense of “living” life fully? Is it more important to become vulnerable with others so that we can be known by them? These are the hard questions of Beef Cake. Yes, Gunnar is the “beefcake” of this story, yet he also holds the emotional integrity of it in his character. It is through the development of his relationship with Frankie that she is emboldened to find her truth and live her life more vibrantly. He is the catalyst for her change, but ultimately, Frankie does all the hard work for her self. I think this is the beauty of Jiffy Kate’s Beef Cake. It reminds us that, through the act of being loved, we can become better versions of ourselves.
When it was announced that we would be returning to the Penny Reid universe with a second season of SmartyPants Romance, this reader was EXCITED. In my opinion, the first round was a HUGE hit with some inspired, sexy romance. For me, most of the writers were brand new. I hadn’t read their books previously, and I felt like I found some new “friends.” One of those friends is Jiffy Kate. Their first book in this series, Stud Muffin, introduced us to Tempest, a fiery muffin queen, and a former MMA fighter, Cage Erickson. I loved the message of that book and Cage’s acceptance of Tempest’s foibles. He was a swoony hero who made reading that book effortless.
With their newest offering, Beef Cake, we are introduced to Cage’s brother, Gunnar Elias Erickson. He has taken on the mantle of MMA fighting, but he’s decided to move to Green Valley, Tennessee to train under his brother. This is a huge change for him, as he hails from Dallas and a BIG MMA training family, and Green Valley is small-town living. Trying to find his way and gather his bearings, he becomes involved in a gym accident that requires some treatment in the ER. There, Gunnar meets Frankie, and he begins to fall. There is chemistry between these two from the outset. Yet, Frankie, an ER nurse, has an elusive past that influences her staid, solitary life. She works three days a week in the hospital, volunteers with a local shelter twice a week, visits the Piggly Wiggly on Tuesday evenings at closing, and sells her reclusive mother’s jams and wares at the local Farmer’s Market. There is very little room in her life for relationships because she doesn’t allow for it. That is until she meets Gunnar. He plows into her life and asserts himself, pushing her out of her comfort zone. As memories from her past start to awaken, she becomes conflicted, waffling between feelings of a future with Gunnar and wanting to push him away, due to her fear. Will Gunnar and Frankie find a future together? Is it possible for Gunnar to love Frankie enough to help her to the other side?
From the start, Gunnar Erickson won my heart. Like his brother, Cage, he is brash and physically intimidating, but there is something much deeper in Gunnar. He is intuitive about people; he reads them well. This hero is an empath, and he “sees” Frankie, even when she doesn’t know herself. He is persistent, yet cautious. He works diligently to woo her to him. Honestly, there are times when you read Beef Cake when you think Gunnar might be too good for Frankie. He is a “man’s man,” but he has this amazing nurturing side. You feel “seen” with him. Jiffy Kate crafted him in such a way as a challenge to male heroes. Yes, I love an alpha-hole hero like the rest of us; however, I also love a hero who is both masculine and emotionally mature. This is Gunnar.
Frankie is a complex heroine. Honestly, her character IS the tension of this story. From one minute to the next, you are never sure if she will find self-actualization. There is good reason for this. I refuse to divulge Frankie’s secrets, and readers should know that Frankie is like an onion; she has many layers that Gunnar has to peel away to find her truth. Thankfully, he is patient to do this because Frankie doesn’t make it easy for anyone to be close to her. However, this is a protection, a defense. I connected with Frankie in so many ways because I might be perceived as having a prickly shell as a way to protect my tender underbelly just like Frankie. She and I are emotional twins, I think. Jiffy Kate connect us to the history of Green Valley through Frankie’s character, and they offer more insight into Penny Reid’s stories by divulging her secrets.
So what does it mean to love yourself? Does it require you to protect yourself from everyone at the expense of “living” life fully? Is it more important to become vulnerable with others so that we can be known by them? These are the hard questions of Beef Cake. Yes, Gunnar is the “beefcake” of this story, yet he also holds the emotional integrity of it in his character. It is through the development of his relationship with Frankie that she is emboldened to find her truth and live her life more vibrantly. He is the catalyst for her change, but ultimately, Frankie does all the hard work for her self. I think this is the beauty of Jiffy Kate’s Beef Cake. It reminds us that, through the act of being loved, we can become better versions of ourselves.