Always the Baker, Never the Bride: An Emma Rae Creation [Kindle Edition]

Sandra D. Bricker (Author)

Book Description

They say you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

But who would want a cake they couldn’t eat?

Just ask Emma Rae Travis about that.  A baker of confections who is diabetic and can’t enjoy them.  When Emma meets Jackson Drake, the escapee from Corporate America who is starting a wedding destination hotel to fulfill a dream that belonged to someone else, this twosome and their crazy family ties bring new meaning to the term "family circus." The Atlanta social scene will never be the same!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When diabetic Emma Rae Travis wins the prestigious Passionate Palate Award for her innovative crème brûlée wedding cake, she is thrilled to be offered the position of pastry chef by the new proprietors of the Tanglewood Inn, an Atlanta institution being renovated into a five-star wedding-destination hotel. She is also attracted to its CEO. But Jackson Drake is still mourning his beloved wife’s untimely passing and is unable to reconcile his burgeoning feelings for Emma Rae with his loyalty to Desirée’s memory. Although both consider themselves blessed with supportive family and friends, Emma Rae and Jackson would rather be spared the well-meaning efforts at convincing them to return to their childhood faith. And when Emma Rae’s unappreciative former boss and her ex-boyfriend—the cad and his fiancée are about to become the Tanglewood’s first wedding clients—both suddenly want her back, Bricker’s contemporary inspirational romance really heats up! Topical recipes, menus, and how-to tips entice the reader with an insider’s perspective on the lucrative business surrounding all things bridal. --Lynne Welch

About the Author

For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles and, while writing in every spare moment, worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. Since then she has written three novels for middle-grade readers and several romance novels, including unWANTED: Husband, Change of Heart, Sins of the Past, Wish I Weren't Here, Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas and The Big 5-0h!. Visit Sandra on the web at www.sandradbricker.com.  Follow Sandie on her blog at http://sandradbricker.blogspot.com.

Product Details

• File Size: 391 KB
• Print Length: 308 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1426707622
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (March 1, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00436EZYO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,431 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Scrumptious!!! September 3, 2010

By Jason H Hendrickson

Format:Paperback

In a word, Scrumptious! Sandra Bricker's latest release had me laughing out loud, craving crème brule, and aching for the hero and heroine as their faltering hearts brought them two steps forward and one maddening step away from each other. Always the Baker, Never the Bride is a story that will delight from first bite until the last delicious morsel. This contemporary romance left me cracking up with every chapter and growling when I had to put it down. I love the way the plot wove in unconventional patterns, and the rich complexity of characters had them jumping off the page. A second helping, please!
-Emily Hendrickson

39 of 47 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars not what I expected January 10, 2011

By Mandy Leap

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book started off interesting, but it never picked up. I kept waiting for the relationship between the main character and her love interest to pick up and it never does!!! If you wants lots of wedding advice...this is great. If you are looking for a love story....look elsewhere!

55 of 68 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Free lobotomy! Get yours now! January 14, 2011

By leecypoo

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

It was free, and I still want my money back. I chose this, let's be honest, because it was free and I wanted something very light to read this time around. This is a trite story is about a diabetic baker, (Oh the irony!) who falls in love with her new boss, who, in turn is in love with his late wife and can't escape her memory. There is no point to making the romantic interest diabetic. She is healthy, thin, and beautiful. The men in this book are just like women in their reactions and emotions. I wonder if the writer has ever spoken to a man in her life. Jesus pops up every time a new minor conflict arises, like which outfit to choose. I don't know if this was a romance, spiritual book, or mental health test.

More About the Author

"I'm going to be a writer when I grow up!" Sandra D. Bricker declared these words to her father on a Sunday afternoon in Slidell, Louisiana. She was 5 years old, and was referring to being able to string her cursive letters together to write her full name for the first time, but the declaration proved somewhat prophetic.

By the time she reached high school and her first article was published in The Cincinnati Enquirer, Sandie knew writing was what she wanted to do. For more than a decade, Sandie lived in Los Angeles and, while writing in every spare moment, she studied screenwriting and worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved cross-country to take on a new role: Caregiver.

"I guess most people would see my career as a publicist as a sort of dream job. But giving it up turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me!" she declares. "Not only was I given the gift of getting to know my mother as an adult woman before she passed away, but I was also afforded the blessing of being able to re-focus on writing novels in an effort to pursue my dream of a writing career."

That career weaves a web that draws in every age of reader. Sandie's interest in telling a story knows no boundaries. Three novels for middle readers carved out the beginning of the journey; then Avalon Books followed up with two hardbound romance novels in 2001: unWANTED: Husband (romantic comedy) and Change of Heart (romantic suspense). The response was tremendous, and Sandie was asked to pen a sequel to Change of Heart ... and so Sins of the Past was released in December 2003. Next up was another romantic comedy; Wish I Weren't Here was released in February 2005.

"I'm a Christian woman, first and foremost," she says. "So the last couple of years has been a bit of a dream-come-true. Summerside Press chose me as one of two authors to launch their new Love Finds You line in October 2008 with Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas, a romantic comedy for the inspirational market. So the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"

More hilarity continued to follow from this award-winning author.

Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida (Fall 2009) and Love Finds You in Carmel, California (Fall 2010) for Summerside Press, and The Big 5-OH! (Spring 2010) and Always the Baker, Never the Bride (Fall 2010) for Abingdon Press.

Future books will include sequels, The Big 4-OH! and The Big 3-OH! for Abingdon Press.

After spending nearly 15 years dealing with her celebrity clients' fans, Sandie finds it amusing that she is suddenly the one getting fan mail! "When people were actually buying my books at a recent signing, I found myself wanting to go around and invite them all to dinner or offer to bake them cookies. Hey! In fact ... maybe I'll do that very soon."