Bachelor at her Bidding

Title: Bachelor at her Bidding

(Montana Born Bachelor Auction #2) 

Author: Kate Hardy 

eBook provided by Netgalley 

Published February 27th 2015 by Tule Publishing

How to win a girl in ten cakes…

 

When Dr. Rachel Cassidy comes back to Marietta with a broken heart and a divorce under her belt, going to a Bachelor Auction fund-raiser doesn’t sound like her idea of a good time – and when her sister and friends “buy” her a dinner date with sexy Parisian-trained pastry chefRyan Henderson, that sounds even worse. Ryan doesn’t have time for dating – he’s put his dreams to one side and come back to Marietta to look after his sick grandmother. 

But when he agrees to help a charity fundraiser by offering to cook a special meal to one lucky bidder, he gets more than he bargains for and discovers a woman he might just dare to let himself fall in love with. Then tragedy strikes, just when Rachel and Ryan think they might have a future, opening up old scars and pushing them apart. And if they’re to stand a chance of getting back together, then Ryan’s going to have to be seriously inventive. Can he win the love of his life with ten cakes?

  

 4 stars! 

 A few weeks ago, I started reading the Bachelor Auction series, and met Beau Bennett, who went on a date with Lily Taylor, the Auction Bidding organizer. Now, it's Chef Ryan's turn, the successful pastry chef, whose sweet confections was "almost better than sex". 

 Ryan didn't want to fall in love; he didn't believe in dating, and heck, he even didn't have time to even find the one for him. All he cared about was his grandmother Phyllis, who had stood by him eversince he was a child, eversince he lost his mom and dad in an accident. When her last relationship failed, he vowed to focus all his energy and attention to his ailing grandmother. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Rachel Cassidy was back to her hometown after an ugly divorce. People at Marietta looked down on her; they thought she would never find a man again who'd take her seriously nor love her because her attention is all on her books. Sometimes, she thought, all those hurtful rumors might just be true. Until one night, during the Bachelor Auction bidding, it was Ryan's turn at the stage and he was surprised to learn that the one who won him at the bidding actually bought him for Dr. Rachel Cassidy. If Ryan didn't like the idea of dating before the auction, things changed after he met Rachel. 

These two lonely and brokenhearted souls found each other. Then came the dates, the cakes, the flowers, the sweets, the affection, the emotions. When Grandma Phyllis's delicate condition worsened, things started to get sour between the lovers. Would there ever be a happy ending for them at all? 

 I thought I liked Beau & Lily's story in the first Bachelor Auction series. Turns out, I was wrong. I think I like Rachel & Ryan's story better, because theirs was lighter, sweet and mushy and fun. There was an instant attraction between them, but both were afraid to take the plunge, so they decided to test the waters and waddle slowly. I liked that kind of relationship, not pushing too much, not expecting too much. 

This was a quick & delicious read. I love reading books about love & food, esp cakes & chocolates because those are my weaknesses. I say, this is a perfect afternoon read! 

 Previously read/reviewed: Bound to the Bachelor (Montana Bachelor Auction Series # 2)