In The Mood For Love (Cupcake Lovers, #4)

In the Mood For Love4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

The Cupcake Lovers are back, and this time sweet Sam isn’t leaving until he gets his happy ending.

Okay, I’ve been waiting for this book for a year (read: eternity). It’s the final installment of Beth Ciotta’s Cupcake Lovers, and lots of people are ready for their happy ending (not just Sam and Harper). The book begins with an update on Luke and Rae. Of course they reconciled and are now expecting a baby. After that’s out of the way, we find out Sam has returned to the dating scene and Harper has returned to LA. Sam’s sick of being lonely, sick of being a single parent, and sick of the dates he’s been on. Sam’s realizing he’s looking for a clone of Paula (his dead wife), but anyone who fits the bill is boring. All Sam can really think about is hot sex with Harper, who is the complete opposite of Paula. Still, when Harper returns to town, Sam keeps his distance until he gets a mysterious text sending him speeding to Harper’s home. It turns out Harper’s battling a lot of problems including panic attacks, imminent deportation, and a possible stalker. Sam has an answer for all three, and that plan begins with a marriage of convenience to get a green card and ends with true love.

I adored this book. It really was like eating a cupcake. I knew there was going to be a sweet fluffy ending. Knowing everything was going to work out was the icing on the cake. Seriously, it’s the best brain candy I’ve read all summer (maybe because of the built up anticipation, but maybe because it’s just that charming). Harper and Sam burn up the pages with their chemistry. Their hot and surprisingly chaste courtship only deepened their connection. I couldn’t help but root for the two of them. I love them. I want them to be happy. I want them to be real and be my friends in real life. I also want them to make me cupcakes. The story is sort of uneventful. There is a conflict, but it’s handled in a mature adult way. Neither character goes out of the way to hide something from the other. Both are careful of the other’s feelings. It’s truly just a love story. That may seem boring, but to me it was a breath of fresh air. Most romance stories I read are filled with grown people making the decisions of a precocious four-year-olds. What made me love this book even more are the Easter Eggs Ciotta hides within the main story line. Adam’s happy ending is cute. I’ve been worried about him since Jayce came back into Rocky’s life. Daisy’s continuing love story and search for herself is endearing. Seriously, though, who wouldn’t love a blue sparkly haired old lady? Bottom line, read this book. It’s a totally satisfying end to the Cupcake Lovers series. If you haven’t read the first three and a half (reviews up later this week), start with those, so you can get the most out of this one. Also, I’m totally going to bake some the gingerbread cupcakes from the recipe in the back of the book. Happy reading (and baking if you so choose).

Spoiler
Harper had a former fiancée. He was a soldier who suffered from PTSD. He snapped and committed suicide by police. His dad blames Harper. Ultimately, Sam has a come to Jesus talk with the dad and calms him down. Sam and Harper get married. In the epilogue, she gets pregnant. Adam and Peppy fall in love. It seems that Nash and the new waitress will fall in love. Daisy marries Vince, and she doesn’t die even though it seems like there’s foreshadowing to her death the whole book. Maybe I’m just morbid.