Kiss My Cupcake

It’s cupcakes and cocktails vs. beer and pub grub in this delicious romantic comedy about feuding Seattle bar owners from Hunting (Meet Cute). Determined entrepreneur Blaire Calloway’s new bakery/bar is off the ground running, until yummy-looking Ronan Knight moves his pub next door and steals away her customers. Blaire’s desire to succeed without assistance from her wealthy but dysfunctional family makes her instant competitiveness with Ronan understandable and urgent, especially since they’re both in the running to be named the best bar in the Pacific Northwest by a social media influencer who’s holding a contest. As their rivalry ramps up amid increasingly brazen strategies to bring in business, their feud turns increasingly flirtatious and they eventually realize they’ll have to work together in order for either to succeed. Their romance develops at a convincing pace, and their relationships with their families round out the plot, with Ronan’s close relationship with his grandfather serving as a stark contrast to Blaire’s outlandish family. Though the plot stays relatively breezy, Hunting knows when to crank the heat and when to tug at readers’ heartstrings to keep the pages turning. Light and fluffy with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice, this is a winning confection. Agent: Kimberly Brower, Brower Literary. (Aug.)