In the Mood for Love

May 12, 2014
Ciotta’s fourth Cupcake Lovers contemporary (after Anything but Love) complicates the lives of Vermont’s close-knit Monroe siblings (heroes of the previous books) by introducing their cousin, Sam McCloud. Sam has settled into singlehood three years after being widowed, and he often daydreams of the long-ago secret relationship he had with publicist Harper Day. Though she broke it off, Harper still lusts after him. When she’s fired from an L.A. PR firm, her visa is about to expire, and she fears being deported to Canada where she’ll be in danger from someone in her past. Naturally, Sam proposes marriage to help her stay in the U.S. Throw in the birth of a baby, romance between secondary characters, a detective looking into Harper’s history, and a rebel musician, and the town of Sugar Creek comes to life. Deep love of family and strong dialogue bolster a refreshing romance that focuses on the emotional rather than the physical.

June 1, 2014
The good townspeople of Sugar Creek, Vermont, notice that widowed single dad Sam McCloud isn't dating, and they're worried he's going to spend the rest of his days like a monk. In fact, there's a pool going on about his love life. What Sam hasn't shared is his hot fling with public relations whiz Harper Day. Harper has moved from Los Angeles to Sugar Creek's Rothwell Farm, rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a woman waiting for her soldier to return. Living with a mournful spirit doesn't bother Harper after she escaped a massacre at a spa in California, a crisis that caused her to quit her high-profile job and retreat to this small town. Now Harper lives like a hermit because of her debilitating anxiety attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder. To make matters worse, Harper needs a husband, fast, or she'll be deported. Readers will welcome this most recent addition to Ciotta's often humorous, always heartfelt Cupcake Lovers series (Fool for Love, 2012; The Trouble with Love, 2013; Anything but Love, 2013).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)