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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
This was OK. It was more angsty than I would have liked, with Frankie *spoiler alert* turning out to be one of Razor Denning's kids who he cut over a period of time while her mother was addicted to drugs and trying to get off. It's part of the Donner Bakery series, but the only link was via Tempest - the Duchess of Muffins and Cage, who is Gunnar's brother.
I was rooting for Gunnar and Frankie the whole time.
I hope we get a follow up with Frankie meeting some of her half siblings *cough Winston brothers* and new characters too!
I hope we get a follow up with Frankie meeting some of her half siblings *cough Winston brothers* and new characters too!
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Sweet story.
Patient, devoted Hero.
Heroine with issues, she has a connection to the Wraiths and has scars.
Deals with domestic violence but not very detailed.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
No other woman or man drama.
HEA.
Epilogue.
Patient, devoted Hero.
Heroine with issues, she has a connection to the Wraiths and has scars.
Deals with domestic violence but not very detailed.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
No other woman or man drama.
HEA.
Epilogue.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
Beef Cake by Jiffy Kate is new full length novel set in the Green Valley World. An opposites attract story between an ER nurse and an MMA fighter.
Frankie Reeves is an ER nurse who hates violence and Gunnar Erickson's job as an MMA fighter is nothing but violence. When she stitches him up in the hospital he makes it his mission for their paths to cross again and again until she gives him a chance. There's much more going on in Frankie's life that she needs to come to terms with and the violence in Gunner's life may be too much for here to handle.
"I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of person, and I know I want all of Frankie."
Gunnar is not only a viking hottie, he has a sweet personality to go along with it. Seriously his character is just precious and you can't help but fall completely in love with him. He is sexy, charming, caring and understanding, the complete package. Based on what he does for a living you would have expected him to be a brute of sorts. Nope, no even a little bit. He was a gentleman and so wonderful to her from minute one trying to be respectful of the obvious boundaries she had and trying so hard to get to know her anyways. I enjoyed Frankie's character to but her hot and cold with Gunnar, while understandable, was still frustrating. She has layers upon layers of secrets and walls that even as a read I found it difficult to really know her as a character. Though, I really appreciated how she wanted to work on her self and feel more stable before really committing. They were really cute together when Frankie would let down her walls.
"He's everywhere, consuming every part of me - mind, body, and soul."
Overall, I think Beef Cake is a great addition to the Donner Bakery series and the Green Valley World. This is my first introduction to the author, Jiffy Kate, and I will be on the lookout for her future releases.
Beef Cake by Jiffy Kate is new full length novel set in the Green Valley World. An opposites attract story between an ER nurse and an MMA fighter.
Frankie Reeves is an ER nurse who hates violence and Gunnar Erickson's job as an MMA fighter is nothing but violence. When she stitches him up in the hospital he makes it his mission for their paths to cross again and again until she gives him a chance. There's much more going on in Frankie's life that she needs to come to terms with and the violence in Gunner's life may be too much for here to handle.
"I've always been an all-or-nothing kind of person, and I know I want all of Frankie."
Gunnar is not only a viking hottie, he has a sweet personality to go along with it. Seriously his character is just precious and you can't help but fall completely in love with him. He is sexy, charming, caring and understanding, the complete package. Based on what he does for a living you would have expected him to be a brute of sorts. Nope, no even a little bit. He was a gentleman and so wonderful to her from minute one trying to be respectful of the obvious boundaries she had and trying so hard to get to know her anyways. I enjoyed Frankie's character to but her hot and cold with Gunnar, while understandable, was still frustrating. She has layers upon layers of secrets and walls that even as a read I found it difficult to really know her as a character. Though, I really appreciated how she wanted to work on her self and feel more stable before really committing. They were really cute together when Frankie would let down her walls.
"He's everywhere, consuming every part of me - mind, body, and soul."
Overall, I think Beef Cake is a great addition to the Donner Bakery series and the Green Valley World. This is my first introduction to the author, Jiffy Kate, and I will be on the lookout for her future releases.
https://celebrityreaders.com/2020/04/01/beef-cake-by-jiffy-kate/
I received a free copy through Smartypants Romance in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4.5 stars — This was a FANTASTIC new addition to this series!! I did read Stud Muffin before this one, and while I’m personally glad I did, you wholeheartedly could read this one as a standalone without missing anything.
Frankie was such an intriguing heroine! She was SO CLOSED OFF it was insane! But for very good reasons, as you find out in the book. I loved the way the authors showcased her journey, so you saw her natural reactions, her defense mechanisms, saw when she wanted more, saw Gunnar breaking through those walls, and saw her genuinely getting help when her past was revealed and she knew she couldn’t do it all on her own. It was just a fantastic illustration of one possible reaction to abuse PTSD. I think in many ways I could have easily grown frustrated with her and the way she would slam those walls up, but I didn’t…I was able to understand where it was coming from, and I had hope it wouldn’t be forever.
Gunnar was absolutely adorable. Like, another A+ book boyfriend. Occasionally I would feel like he was almost too similar to his big brother Cage (presuming you read Cage’s book), but the differences were subtle. He really had a deeper intuition about him, and I loved the way that came through in his courtship of Frankie. I loved that he was persistent, but not just for the sake of the challenge. He was sweet, sensitive, caring, open…and so passionate about his sport.
I loved what they brought out in one another, and how they fit with one another so perfectly. I adore the way, like his big brother, he was constantly checking in with Frankie and not pushing her past her hard boundaries…but nudging her to help her open up. I loved the way Frankie appreciated all the little quirks of Gunnar, and wanted to break her barriers for him. It was definitely a satisfying build up and resolution.
As always, great side characters. I loved the story with Helen and the shelter and what we learned about Frankie because of it. I loved seeing more of the fighting with Gunnar (even if that’s not a sport that interests me) — I especially adored the benefit fight, and seeing him interacting with his brothers.
Yup. It’s seriously always refreshing when you can read two books in a row in the same setting and get a completely different story out of it. I seriously hope we get Vali’s story next!
I received a free copy through Smartypants Romance in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4.5 stars — This was a FANTASTIC new addition to this series!! I did read Stud Muffin before this one, and while I’m personally glad I did, you wholeheartedly could read this one as a standalone without missing anything.
Frankie was such an intriguing heroine! She was SO CLOSED OFF it was insane! But for very good reasons, as you find out in the book. I loved the way the authors showcased her journey, so you saw her natural reactions, her defense mechanisms, saw when she wanted more, saw Gunnar breaking through those walls, and saw her genuinely getting help when her past was revealed and she knew she couldn’t do it all on her own. It was just a fantastic illustration of one possible reaction to abuse PTSD. I think in many ways I could have easily grown frustrated with her and the way she would slam those walls up, but I didn’t…I was able to understand where it was coming from, and I had hope it wouldn’t be forever.
Gunnar was absolutely adorable. Like, another A+ book boyfriend. Occasionally I would feel like he was almost too similar to his big brother Cage (presuming you read Cage’s book), but the differences were subtle. He really had a deeper intuition about him, and I loved the way that came through in his courtship of Frankie. I loved that he was persistent, but not just for the sake of the challenge. He was sweet, sensitive, caring, open…and so passionate about his sport.
I loved what they brought out in one another, and how they fit with one another so perfectly. I adore the way, like his big brother, he was constantly checking in with Frankie and not pushing her past her hard boundaries…but nudging her to help her open up. I loved the way Frankie appreciated all the little quirks of Gunnar, and wanted to break her barriers for him. It was definitely a satisfying build up and resolution.
As always, great side characters. I loved the story with Helen and the shelter and what we learned about Frankie because of it. I loved seeing more of the fighting with Gunnar (even if that’s not a sport that interests me) — I especially adored the benefit fight, and seeing him interacting with his brothers.
Yup. It’s seriously always refreshing when you can read two books in a row in the same setting and get a completely different story out of it. I seriously hope we get Vali’s story next!
Sweet story.
Patient, devoted Hero.
Heroine with issues, she has a connection to the Wraiths and has scars.
Deals with domestic violence but not very detailed.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
No other woman or man drama.
HEA.
Epilogue.
Patient, devoted Hero.
Heroine with issues, she has a connection to the Wraiths and has scars.
Deals with domestic violence but not very detailed.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
No other woman or man drama.
HEA.
Epilogue.
I love this series. I was drawn to Gunnar in Stud Muffin and was so excited he was getting his own book. I fell in love with Frankie too. She was so strong yet so guarded. She had a lot on her plate and learned to deal with things by blocking emotion. It is why she was such a great nurse, but not so great with relationships, with anyone.
I loved that Gunnar made her drop her defenses, she could lean on him. When she opened herself up to love and to someone else, it was a beautiful thing. I especially loved the twist and tie in to Green Valley with this book. It brings me back to my favorite Winston Brothers book. The emotions I felt during that read came right back up. I can't say too much because I don't want to spoil it, but this book gave me all the feels.
I loved that Gunnar made her drop her defenses, she could lean on him. When she opened herself up to love and to someone else, it was a beautiful thing. I especially loved the twist and tie in to Green Valley with this book. It brings me back to my favorite Winston Brothers book. The emotions I felt during that read came right back up. I can't say too much because I don't want to spoil it, but this book gave me all the feels.
Beef Cake is the all new (all amazing) book from Jiffy Kate. If you have read Stud Muffin from the first Smarty Pants release or if you have ever read anything in the Penny Reid Universe then you are going to throughly enjoy this book!
Gunnar and Frankie make for such a wonderful story. Frankie is a nurse, she doesn’t get attached to people easily, and well, Gunnar (an MMA fighter) gets attached from the start. Put these two together and the chemistry flies off the page.
From the opening line I was hooked. I love a good opposites attract romance. Throw in some emotional moments mixed with some great humour and this book thrives. Another amazing addition to the Penny Reid Universe, and such a wonderful book to start the spring launch!