With This Cake

Samantha Chase

May 2021 · Chasing Romance, Inc.

About this ebook

Cheery baker dreams of finding Mr. Right…

When your last name is Baker, it’s really only a matter of time before it also becomes your job title. Some might see it as a self-fulfilling prophecy, but for Leanna, being the go-to baker for Meet Me at the Altar is a dream come true. There’s nothing she loves more than to create the perfect desserts to help couples celebrate their big days. But despite what they say about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach, Leanna has yet to lure her perfect man with her sweet treats.

Uptight workaholic dreams of being left alone…

If Brody King is going to take time off, he would much rather it be to train for his triathlon and not his brother’s engagement party. It would be one thing if it was just a regular party, but no, his brother and his bride-to-be had to go over the top and plan a full week of family togetherness and ridiculous wedding games. There’s no way he’s going to survive it.

When Brody crashes into Leanna and a hundred cupcakes are ruined, he does the only thing he can–he offers to help her make more. All it takes is a few cups of sugar and a dash of vanilla before Brody is craving not just Leanna’s sweet treats, but the baker herself.

Ratings and reviews

Leanna and Brody’s story in With This Cake, book two in Samantha Chase’s new Meet Me at the Altar series, is an emotional, heartwarming, tale of two independent, strong, and motivated people who have struggled to find their true love. Leeanna Baker knew that with a last name like hers, she would someday become a baker. As the go-to baker for Meet Me at the Altar, is truly a dream come true for her. Leanna loves creating the perfect desserts to help couples celebrate their big days. Despite all of her hard work and supposedly the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach, she has yet to attract, or find, her perfect man through her treats. Brody King figures if is he has to take time off of work he would rather train for his upcoming triathlon rather than his brother’s engagement party. If it was a normal engagement party, one evening of celebration, he could have handled it. But no, his brother and the bride-to-be had to go to the extremes and plan a week of family togetherness and crazy wedding games. Brody knows there is no way he is going to survive it. While out running, Brody crashed into Leanna, knocking her down, and ruining a hundred cupcakes. Knowing the polite thing to do, Brody offers to help her make more. Working together they decide to be each other’s fake plus-one for the party, except it doesn’t feel like pretend. The magnetic attraction, along with off the charts chemistry building between them has Brody craving not just Leanna’s cupcakes and muffins, but this baker as well. Being a commitment-phobe, it is going to take more than their attraction to change Brody into wanting Leanna to be part of his life. Ms. Chase wrote an amazing, heartwarming and emotional story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sizzling chemistry, amusing banter, and an endearing cast of secondary characters giving Leanna and Brody a chance at love, happiness and the possibility of a forever together. I highly recommend With This Cake to other readers and look forward to the next book in this series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

WITH THIS CAKE is the second instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult MEET ME AT THE ALTAR romance series focusing on the woman who work for, and own Meet Me at the Altar Wedding and Catering services-Skylar, Lea and Josie. This is baker and co-owner Josie Baker , and hotelier businessman Brody King’s story line. WITH THIS CAKE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Told from dual third person perspectives (Josie and Brody) WITH THIS CAKE follows the building romance and relationship between baker and co-owner of Meet Me At The Altar bakery Josie Baker, and hotel businessman Brody King. Brody’s brother engagement party is an extravagant and over the top, four day affair, and our hero let it be known he was none too happy about the excess weekend but meeting the bride’s cousin, and pasty chef Josie Baker gave Brody second thoughts about the overpriced and flashy party, a party wherein he was determined to have fun with out story line heroine but a one-night stand ended poorly, and Josie struggled in the wake of embarrassment and humiliation. In an effort to reconnect with Josie Baker, Brody devises a plan, a plan that will see our couple together for the foreseeable future. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Brody and Josie, and the fall-out as the King family dynamics proves that a little competition threatens the relationship between our leading couple. Brody King is a workaholic but in order to get the promotion he things he deserves, Brody has to prove he is the right man for the job but Brody never expected to meet Josie Baker, a woman who makes him reconsider what it is he truly wants from life and the future. Josie Baker is tired of the bridezillas including her cousin and her upcoming wedding but Josie enjoys baking, and her relationship with Brody sees our heroine baking for the man with whom she is falling in love. The relationship between Josie and Brody begins accidentally as Brody literally knocks our heroine and her cupcakes to the ground. When his family sees Brody as nothing more than a screw up, Brody sets into motion a plan to prove he is worthy, including a relationship with our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are all implied and fade to black. There is large ensemble cast of colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including Josie’s business partners Lea and Skylar, and her cousin Charlene: Brody’s brother Travis, and their parents Marshall and Sylvia King. WITH THIS CAKE is a story of family and relationships, power and struggle; romance, forgiveness and love. The premise is captivating; the romance is sweet and tender; the characters are strong, independent and energetic. WITH THIS CAKE is a welcome and wonderful addition to Samantha Chase’s MEET ME AT THE ALTAR series.

I absolutely loved With This Cake! Samantha Chase has once again delivered another wonderful romance in With This Cake, the second book in her new Meet Me at the Altar series. Samantha Chase has once again provided her readers with amazing characters. Each book in this series keeps getting better and better. I love how all the characters in With This Cake feel like best friends! Who doesn't love hot sexy men, strong, passionate females, and loving friends, who always support one another? Samantha Chase continues to deliver all that and so much more. I really enjoyed With This Cake and am looking forward to reading the other books in the Meet Me at the Altar series. I have read other books by Samantha Chase and have always enjoyed her wonderfully written love stories. Samantha Chase has once again shown that she is an amazing storyteller. With This Cake did not disappoint, I could not put it down and loved every page. One of my favorite parts is how Samantha Chase incorporated the title of the book into the love story. I enjoy how Samantha Chase writes from the perspective of the main characters. That way you get to know what is going on in each of their minds. With This Cake is a wonderful love story and is filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. I love the lighter moments where I find myself smiling and laughing out loud and the bittersweet moments that cause me to sigh, say aww to myself with tears filling my eyes. With This Cake be filled with such moments, and with so much more. It is filled with all those things that we have come to love and expect in a Samantha Chase love story, especially the poignant and bittersweet moments that filled this page turner. Who doesn’t love a story about a love at first sight and fake date story? With This Cake is the story of Leanna Baker, baker, co-owner and event planner for Meet Me at the Altar Wedding Services, and Brody King, vice president with King Hospitality, his family’s business. Leanna and Brody meet, when Brody literally runs into her as she is transferring cupcakes from her van to a trailer. Leanna is at Brody’s parents’ estate setting up for her cousin, Charlene’s four-day engagement extravaganza to Brody’s brother, Travis. While Brody offers to help replace the cupcakes he destroyed, Leanna knew she would be able to do it much quicker herself. Brody asks Leanna to be his plus one at all the events over the weekend, Leanna agrees that way they can both avoid their parents judgement. Brody informs Leanna that he is not interested in getting married, or having children, both things that Leanna dreams about. While Leanna and Brody spend more time with one another over the weekend, things change between them. Then Leanna leaves without saying good-bye, realizing that Brody is not the man she thought he was. Brody wants to see Leanna again, so he orders cupcakes, but her assistant delivers them. He places another order and requests that Leanna deliver them. They decide to date and spend whatever time together that their busy schedules allow. I love when Leanna gets real with Brody about her true feelings for him and opens up to him. A surprise plot twist happens and this changes things between them. This time Leanna goes after Brody. I love how Leanna and Elliot show their vulnerable sides, where Brody admits that he has never felt for any woman the way he feels for Leanna. I love that because of Leanna’s love and support that Brody was able to change. I love Leanna’s relationship with Josie and Skye, and enjoyed catching up with them. It felt like a get together with best friends. My favorite part of the book was the epilogue, I truly love how it goes above and beyond the normal happily ever after. I love how Brody fulfilled Leanna’s dreams. With This Cake contains all the things that I have come to love most and expect in a Samantha Chace story, romance, great characters and setting, bittersweet moments and the plot twist that ties it all together. Highly recommend this amazing story

About the author

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that's hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than sixty titles under her belt - including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! When she's not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene...oh, and spending time with her husband of 30 years and their two sons in North Carolina.