Batter Up by Roybn Neeley

I've downloaded a ton of new books for this year and have been hoping some would be review worthy. Since not all of them would technically fall into the Clean category, I've added a PG and up rating to some of these. Hopefully, that will help you gauge whether or not you want to give the book a chance.

From Goodreads:

She mixes more than flour and sugar into her cake batter, and he’s about to find out if a little bit of magic is to his taste...

Bakeshop owner Emma Stevens has a secret — a delicious, slightly unorthodox secret. Each Monday, she mixes up a premonition to share with the bachelors of Buttermilk Falls, and sets one lucky man on the path to true love.

When reporter Jason Levine finds himself mixed up in a Las Vegas bachelorette party, he hears the strangest rumour: the marriage is happening thanks to magic cake batter. Seriously sceptical, and sick of frauds, Jason journeys to the backwater town of Buttermilk Falls to expose the baker and release the townspeople from her evil clutches.

But when Jason meets Emma, tempers flare and sparks fly. Will Jason cling to his logic at the expense of a future, or will he let himself fall under Emma’s spell?

My Take: This was a fun read with a little magical baking thrown in. The fantasy element gave a nice little twist and made for some good laughs. Emma's been hosting Batter Up night for a couple years now, continuing her grandmother's tradition of nudging bachelors toward their true love with a little magic cake batter. Too bad the magic only gives the names of men's sweethearts and not women. Emma's cousin Abby keeps trying though, and she pulls a "J" out of the batter for Emma. 

Jason is a journalists who's spent too much time on the down and dirty crime beat of Miami. A detour to Buttermilk Falls to expose a con-artist in a bakeshop sounds like a great diversion. Little does he know how this trip will change his life and his heart.

I really enjoyed the chemistry and the snarkiness between these two as they fought it out and gave in to their attraction. Rating--PG-13. All sex is closed door, but there is quite a bit of talk about it. This is a mash-up of several other popular romance tropes--bakery, journalist out to uncover something just to be converted to the cause, intense rivalry between two girls, an auction for bachelors,

I give this one a 4.5 because it was so fun to read.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure