Sweet Trouble (Bakery Sisters) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Susan Mallery (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This sticky-sweet conclusion to the Bakery Sisters trilogy (after 2008's Sweet Spot) wraps up the story of Jesse Keyes, the younger sister of fraternal twins Claire, a celebrated pianist, and Nicole, a Seattle baker. Jesse returns to Seattle five years after her self-imposed exile, bringing her four-year-old son, Gabe. Jesse knows Gabe's father is her ex-boyfriend, Matt, but both Matt and Nicole think Jesse had an affair with Nicole's then-husband. Matt acknowledges his son after a DNA test, but as Jesse yearns for him (inexplicably, given his curt mannerisms and reprehensible behavior), he's secretly planning to hurt her by getting custody of Gabe. Nicole and Jesse squabble over the past, but when tragedy strikes, the sisters must pull together and Matt must make a decision. Mallery provides the standard mix of romantic angst and sibling melodrama, leading to a heartfelt if predictable ending. (Sept.)
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Product Description
Jesse Keyes has done some serious growing up. With a steady job and a vibrant four-year-old son, Gabe, she's in a far better place than when she left Seattle five years ago…pregnant and misunderstood by almost everyone in her life.

Now it's time to go home and face her demons. But her sisters, Claire and Nicole, aren't exactly impressed with the new and improved Jesse. And then there's Matt, Gabe's father, who makes it clear that he never wants to see her again despite the lust that still smolders between them.

Jesse doesn't know if she can make up for all the mistakes of her past. But the promise of sweet nights with Matt might just give her the extra incentive she needs to make it worth the trouble.…

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373773056
• ISBN-13: 978-0373773053
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,150 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet end to the Bakery Sisters series, September 23, 2008

By	Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Jesse Keyes is the ne'er do well sister who left town pregnant under a cloud of suspicion after failing to get her family and boyfriend to believe her when she was suspected of sleeping with her brother in law. It's five years later and little Gabe has been asking about his father, so she decides it's time to return to Seattle to heal old wounds with her sister and with Matt. Only Matt is just as excited now as he was five years ago and suspects Jesse's true motivation is his vast fortune. But one look at Gabe and he sees the resemblance. Rather than blaming himself for not believing her, he instead decides to destroy her, by making her fall for him all over and then getting full custody of Gabe. But when his feelings start to change, he is not sure if he wants his heart ruled by passion or revenge. Her attempts at reconciling with older sister Nicole are met with trepidation at first, particularly when Nicole discovers that Jesse is so grounded - enough so that she wants back into the bakery to prove herself. Armed with a recipe of to die for brownies, she tries to revamp the bakery, despite Nicole's misgivings.

Mallery's final installment in the Bakery sisters trilogy is an interesting story, and would easily be my favorite if it weren't for one thing - the constant flashbacks. I would have preferred a prologue that contained all this material then the jump five years later. All it does it confuse the flow of the story. The character of Matt is kind of a jerk. Jesse really should have made him squirm a bit more. And Nicole, who was so nasty in the first two books has grown and is finally a mother, but still is somewhat bitter, making her still a character you wouldn't want as a friend. But Mallery ends the series on a high note - despite the flaws, it is a sweet and uplifting story, and little Gabe will steal readers hearts.

© Tracy Vest, September 2008

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great final of the "Sweet" series, September 8, 2008

By	norarobertsismyqueen "S.M." (Germany) - See all my reviews

I normally love Susan Mallerys series and don't worry the new "Sweet" series is another favourite of mine.
Book 3 in the series is called "Sweet Trouble" and is about Jesse finally coming back after she left Seatlle pregnant 5 years ago because of trouble with her sister Nicole and her boyfriend Matt.
But she's not coming home alone, with her is her adorable little boy Gabe who's actually the reason for her return because he wants to meet his father Matt.
Ok, Jesse was kind of a bad girl in the first two books, "Sweet talk" and "Sweet spot", but even more was she a young woman not too sure about herself and her surroundings and on the search to find her place. Ok, she made some stupid mistakes but when reading the book you understand why she did them.
Actually Jesse is my favourite sister because she is so human and managed to make the best out of her situation. She is a great mother to Gabe, way more self-confident than she was 5 years ago and finally ready to be a full member of the bakery.
Matt is still bitter because he thinks Jesse cheated on him and he manages to stay bitter through nearly the whole book (dumb, but hey he's a man, what do you expect). He nearly destroys his chance of a Happy Ending with Jesse and Matt but thankfully he comes to his senses before its too late.
At the end it's up to Jesse to decide if she trusts the new/old Matt and especially herself to take a another chance with him.
All in all I loved this book and can recommend the "Sweet" series to anyone who loves romances and a little sister interaction.
Next up is the "Lone Star Series" and I'm sure Susan Mallery produced another hit with this.
Enjoy.
S.M.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Bookmarks from Wild on Books!, August 31, 2008

By	Natalie S "ns65" (Nashville) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Some say you can't ever go home again. That might be true but bad girl turned single mom Jesse Keyes is going to test that theory.
Jesse Keyes left Seattle years ago with her tail tucked between her legs. The sister she lived with hated her and the man she was in love with, Matthew Fenner, didn't want anything to do with her. He didn't even care that she was pregnant with his baby. Of course, at the time he didn't actually believe that the baby was his, despite Jesse's protestations to the contrary. Now, years later, Jesse has come back home to the town in which she grew up in order to put to rest some ghosts of her past and possibly make new memories.

Jesse has spent the last five years of her life working to overcome her reputation and be a mom to Gabriel. Gabe has been asking questions about his father and because of this, Jesse decides to return to Seattle so that her son might know his father. She knows that her return will be tough but she doesn't count on the animosity she encounters. Her sister still hasn't forgiven her for sleeping with her now ex-brother-in-law which is funny since Jesse didn't sleep with him. Meeting Matt after so long takes a toll on Jesse's psyche as well, he is livid she has kept his son from him and with his anger comes action. The plan? Matt intends to make Jesse pay dearly for not telling him about his son.

I anticipated SWEET TROUBLE like no other after having read SWEET SPOT. Since Susan Mallery wrote SWEET TROUBLE, I knew I would be in for an emotional roller coaster ride. There is a thin line between love and hate because more than once I found myself hating Matt Fenner. I became angry at him for being unrealistic and hateful to Jesse, notwithstanding the fact that she did not tell him that he had a son. Then, he would do something so sweet for Jesse that I would love him again. Jesse's character was so realistically written she could be anyone who ever made mistakes and tried to pick up the pieces of their life and succeed. The romance and sexual tension between Matt and Jesse was oftentimes heady and explosive. I wanted so much for Matt to love Jesse like she deserved and while he did, finally, I got teary-eyed more than once at the emotion turmoil both characters faced.

Susan Mallery never fails to deliver a highly poignant and ultimately satisfying read. Immersing myself in SWEET TROUBLE for an entire afternoon, I hated to see Matt and Jesse's story come to an end. As with every book she has ever written, Susan Mallery's SWEET TROUBLE is definitely a keeper! ***Natalie S. for Wild on Books***