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Lively St. Lemeston #4
A Taste of Honey
Fire and ice cream...
Robert Moon risked everything, including his father’s hardwon legacy, to open his beloved Honey Moon Confectionery on the busiest street in Lively St. Lemeston. Now he’s facing bankruptcy and debtor’s prison.
When a huge catering order comes in, he agrees to close the sweet-shop for a week to fill it. There’s only one problem: his apprentice is out of town, so his beautiful shop-girl Betsy Piper must help Robert in the kitchen.
Betsy’s spent the last year trying to make her single-minded boss look up from his pastries and notice that she would be the perfect wife. Now the two of them are alone in a kitchen full of sweet things. With just one week to get him to fall in love with her, she’d better get this seduction started...
She soon discovers that Robert brings the same meticulous, eager-to-please attitude to lovemaking that he does to baking, but can kisses—no matter how sweet—compete with the Honey Moon in his heart?
Robert Moon risked everything, including his father’s hardwon legacy, to open his beloved Honey Moon Confectionery on the busiest street in Lively St. Lemeston. Now he’s facing bankruptcy and debtor’s prison.
When a huge catering order comes in, he agrees to close the sweet-shop for a week to fill it. There’s only one problem: his apprentice is out of town, so his beautiful shop-girl Betsy Piper must help Robert in the kitchen.
Betsy’s spent the last year trying to make her single-minded boss look up from his pastries and notice that she would be the perfect wife. Now the two of them are alone in a kitchen full of sweet things. With just one week to get him to fall in love with her, she’d better get this seduction started...
She soon discovers that Robert brings the same meticulous, eager-to-please attitude to lovemaking that he does to baking, but can kisses—no matter how sweet—compete with the Honey Moon in his heart?
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2017
About the author
Rose Lerner
19 books575 followersI discovered historical romance when I was twelve, and took my first stab at writing one a few years later. My prose has improved since then, but my fascination with all things Regency hasn’t changed. When I'm not writing and researching my own stories, or helping other authors write and research theirs over at Rose Does The Research, you can find me reading, watching, cooking, doodling, rambling, and daydreaming in Philadelphia.
Sign up to be notified when my next book comes out! https://www.roselerner.com/#news
FYI: I use this space for recs of books I wholeheartedly love only. My recs are honest, but I have social relationships with some of the romance authors whose books I rec.
Sign up to be notified when my next book comes out! https://www.roselerner.com/#news
FYI: I use this space for recs of books I wholeheartedly love only. My recs are honest, but I have social relationships with some of the romance authors whose books I rec.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
August 26, 2017
(reviewed from an arc provided by the author)
3 1/2 stars. Disclaimer: this novella is dedicated to me! Well, okay, it's dedicated to any number of people:
"For everyone who read Sweet Disorder and told me they would have married Mr. Moon."
Robert Moon is the adorable confectioner who wooed Phoebe with delicious goodies she failed to appreciate in Sweet Disorder. I remember wanting to pick him up and cuddle him. He is no less sweet here, even when in quite saucy situations. (Amazingly enough, I don't think there are sex scenes involving chocolate or caramel sauce, though some kitchen tools get quite a workout.)
Robert is well matched with Betsy, his adoring shopgirl, who manages to seduce him despite being almost as inexperienced as he is. The erotic parts of their romance are charmingly clumsy and experimental as the two figure out together what they enjoy. The fact that they're unsophisticated and diffident but still get their freak on really made the story for me.
They also make discoveries together about the forces driving them -- Robert's ambitions for his shop, and Betsy's ambitions to be a perfect wife to him -- and how to be more accepting of themselves as fallible human beings.
There are lots of atmospheric descriptions of period food, cooking and eating, and also just some lovely detail that bring the scenes to life:
"She laughed, setting the bonnet down with her gloves. Dappled sunlight snuggled up to her like a lover, making bright spots in her yellow hair and a sunny circle the size of a farthing on one striped shoulder."
If you enjoy historicals about everyday, untitled people, don't miss this one.
3 1/2 stars. Disclaimer: this novella is dedicated to me! Well, okay, it's dedicated to any number of people:
"For everyone who read Sweet Disorder and told me they would have married Mr. Moon."
Robert Moon is the adorable confectioner who wooed Phoebe with delicious goodies she failed to appreciate in Sweet Disorder. I remember wanting to pick him up and cuddle him. He is no less sweet here, even when in quite saucy situations. (Amazingly enough, I don't think there are sex scenes involving chocolate or caramel sauce, though some kitchen tools get quite a workout.)
Robert is well matched with Betsy, his adoring shopgirl, who manages to seduce him despite being almost as inexperienced as he is. The erotic parts of their romance are charmingly clumsy and experimental as the two figure out together what they enjoy. The fact that they're unsophisticated and diffident but still get their freak on really made the story for me.
They also make discoveries together about the forces driving them -- Robert's ambitions for his shop, and Betsy's ambitions to be a perfect wife to him -- and how to be more accepting of themselves as fallible human beings.
There are lots of atmospheric descriptions of period food, cooking and eating, and also just some lovely detail that bring the scenes to life:
"She laughed, setting the bonnet down with her gloves. Dappled sunlight snuggled up to her like a lover, making bright spots in her yellow hair and a sunny circle the size of a farthing on one striped shoulder."
If you enjoy historicals about everyday, untitled people, don't miss this one.
October 17, 2017
I've given this a B at AAR.
I remember Robert Moon, the owner of the confectionery and patisserie in Lively St. Lemeston, as the shy but rather appealing young man who attempted to woo the heroine of the first book of the series, Sweet Disorder. His patroness, Lady Tassell, encouraged his courtship by offering him the money he needed to pay off all his debts because she desperately wanted to prevent Phoebe Sparks from marrying her son, Nick. Well, now the sweet sweet-maker at last gets his own story in A Taste of Honey, an erotic novella that is the fourth in Rose Lerner’s Lively St. Lemeston series. Set in a fictional Sussex village, the three previous books have treated readers to – among other things - an in depth look at the way local politics worked outside of London in the early nineteenth century, a wonderfully detailed exploration of the life lived by those below stairs and a thought-provoking look at how an initially unequal marriage can become something true and lasting. The author writes beautifully and with great insight and scope, but given the length and nature of this tale, the focus here is firmly on the central couple and their foibles and insecurities.
Robert Moon risked everything when he sold his family’s bakery in order to open the Honey Moon confectionery in Lively St. Lemeston. Unfortunately, the shop isn’t doing as well as he’d hoped, or, at least, hasn’t done well enough quickly enough which means he is in financial difficulties, and if it hadn’t been for the help of Phoebe and Nick Dymond six months earlier, he could easily have found himself declaring bankruptcy. Things since then have been going reasonably well, but he still isn’t making enough money to be able to afford to get married, and he longs to ask the lovely Betsy Piper, who works in his shop, to be his wife. But thoughts of matrimony are going to have to wait – again – while he works to fulfil the large order he has just received from the rather officious Mrs. Lovejoy to supply the food for the town assembly in a week’s time. It’s a very tall order and one which means Robert will need to close the shop for a week in order to meet the deadline – but if he can pull it off, the money he will earn will bring closer his dream of proposing to Betsy.
Betsy has harboured hopes of her employer for best part of a year, but hasn’t so far managed to divert his attention from his pastries and other gorgeous confections. She wants so much to prove to Robert that she will make him a good wife that when he asks if she will work as his assistant while he prepares the food for the assembly, she jumps at the chance to help him. But, as her friend points out, what Betsy needs is to get Robert to see her as a woman rather than a helpmeet, because she’s already proved her usefulness to him in that way many times over. Betsy realises this is true. If Mr. Moon is not seeing her as anything other than a useful employee, it’s time to change tack; she needs to take the initiative and seduce him, and if, once the assembly is over, he still hasn’t asked her to marry him, she will accept he’s not likely to and will find another job.
Thrown into close proximity in the kitchen, Betsy soon finds – and takes – the opportunity to seduce Robert, and (lucky Betsy!) quickly discovers that her employer is as thorough, meticulous and inventive when it comes to lovemaking as he is when making tarts or ice cream. Both characters are relatively inexperienced (he’s a virgin, she isn’t but had just the one lover quite some time ago), so we witness them experimenting and learning together, working out what they like and how to give pleasure to one another. The sex scenes – and there are quite a few – are earthy, awkwardly charming and sometimes clumsy; but there’s an undeniable sweetness to them and there’s never any doubt that these two people care for each other and share a connection that relates to more than just the sexual.
While Robert and Betsy are getting to know each other physically, they are also making discoveries about each other on a personal level. Betsy comes to understand how important the Honey Moon is to Robert, his fear of failure and of letting everyone down and his ambitions for the shop, how he wants it to be
– for the local community. And Robert is surprised to discover that Betsy’s fears of not being good enough echo his own; even though to him, she’s perfect.
One of the things that Ms. Lerner does so well in all of her books is that she allows her characters to be human and, well, normal. Sometimes they’re selfish. Sometimes they’re irritable, or just downright unpleasant. Yet their flaws and frustrations are easy to understand and their dilemmas are realistic; and even given the shortened timeline necessitated by the shorter page-count of a novella, the author nonetheless manages to create a suitable amount of believable tension and drama while bringing her two lovers to a greater understanding of themselves and each other.
The descriptions of the food and cooking processes of the period are evocative and the book is full of lovely turns of phrase which bring the scenes fully to life in the mind’s eye. It’s not necessary to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one – although I’d strongly recommend doing so because they’re very good. A Taste of Honey is a sweet and spicy addition to the Lively St. Lemeston series, and if you’re in the mood for a quick, saucy read, then it might be just what you’re looking for.
I remember Robert Moon, the owner of the confectionery and patisserie in Lively St. Lemeston, as the shy but rather appealing young man who attempted to woo the heroine of the first book of the series, Sweet Disorder. His patroness, Lady Tassell, encouraged his courtship by offering him the money he needed to pay off all his debts because she desperately wanted to prevent Phoebe Sparks from marrying her son, Nick. Well, now the sweet sweet-maker at last gets his own story in A Taste of Honey, an erotic novella that is the fourth in Rose Lerner’s Lively St. Lemeston series. Set in a fictional Sussex village, the three previous books have treated readers to – among other things - an in depth look at the way local politics worked outside of London in the early nineteenth century, a wonderfully detailed exploration of the life lived by those below stairs and a thought-provoking look at how an initially unequal marriage can become something true and lasting. The author writes beautifully and with great insight and scope, but given the length and nature of this tale, the focus here is firmly on the central couple and their foibles and insecurities.
Robert Moon risked everything when he sold his family’s bakery in order to open the Honey Moon confectionery in Lively St. Lemeston. Unfortunately, the shop isn’t doing as well as he’d hoped, or, at least, hasn’t done well enough quickly enough which means he is in financial difficulties, and if it hadn’t been for the help of Phoebe and Nick Dymond six months earlier, he could easily have found himself declaring bankruptcy. Things since then have been going reasonably well, but he still isn’t making enough money to be able to afford to get married, and he longs to ask the lovely Betsy Piper, who works in his shop, to be his wife. But thoughts of matrimony are going to have to wait – again – while he works to fulfil the large order he has just received from the rather officious Mrs. Lovejoy to supply the food for the town assembly in a week’s time. It’s a very tall order and one which means Robert will need to close the shop for a week in order to meet the deadline – but if he can pull it off, the money he will earn will bring closer his dream of proposing to Betsy.
Betsy has harboured hopes of her employer for best part of a year, but hasn’t so far managed to divert his attention from his pastries and other gorgeous confections. She wants so much to prove to Robert that she will make him a good wife that when he asks if she will work as his assistant while he prepares the food for the assembly, she jumps at the chance to help him. But, as her friend points out, what Betsy needs is to get Robert to see her as a woman rather than a helpmeet, because she’s already proved her usefulness to him in that way many times over. Betsy realises this is true. If Mr. Moon is not seeing her as anything other than a useful employee, it’s time to change tack; she needs to take the initiative and seduce him, and if, once the assembly is over, he still hasn’t asked her to marry him, she will accept he’s not likely to and will find another job.
Thrown into close proximity in the kitchen, Betsy soon finds – and takes – the opportunity to seduce Robert, and (lucky Betsy!) quickly discovers that her employer is as thorough, meticulous and inventive when it comes to lovemaking as he is when making tarts or ice cream. Both characters are relatively inexperienced (he’s a virgin, she isn’t but had just the one lover quite some time ago), so we witness them experimenting and learning together, working out what they like and how to give pleasure to one another. The sex scenes – and there are quite a few – are earthy, awkwardly charming and sometimes clumsy; but there’s an undeniable sweetness to them and there’s never any doubt that these two people care for each other and share a connection that relates to more than just the sexual.
While Robert and Betsy are getting to know each other physically, they are also making discoveries about each other on a personal level. Betsy comes to understand how important the Honey Moon is to Robert, his fear of failure and of letting everyone down and his ambitions for the shop, how he wants it to be
“A slice of joy, a morsel of calm when they’ve need of it. A place that won’t ever turn them away.”
– for the local community. And Robert is surprised to discover that Betsy’s fears of not being good enough echo his own; even though to him, she’s perfect.
One of the things that Ms. Lerner does so well in all of her books is that she allows her characters to be human and, well, normal. Sometimes they’re selfish. Sometimes they’re irritable, or just downright unpleasant. Yet their flaws and frustrations are easy to understand and their dilemmas are realistic; and even given the shortened timeline necessitated by the shorter page-count of a novella, the author nonetheless manages to create a suitable amount of believable tension and drama while bringing her two lovers to a greater understanding of themselves and each other.
The descriptions of the food and cooking processes of the period are evocative and the book is full of lovely turns of phrase which bring the scenes fully to life in the mind’s eye. It’s not necessary to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one – although I’d strongly recommend doing so because they’re very good. A Taste of Honey is a sweet and spicy addition to the Lively St. Lemeston series, and if you’re in the mood for a quick, saucy read, then it might be just what you’re looking for.
October 2, 2017
I have given this some considerable thought since I read it (on the day after it was published, because this was a rare pre-order for me).
Obviously, Rose Lerner is on her own curve now because books 1-3 of this series were outstanding. Some of the best historical romance of the last few years. Her earlier standalones are pretty good too. So, my hopes were high. Then I heard this was more of an erotic novella with some baking thrown in (from Rose herself on Twitter) and I felt a bit disappointed. Her last novella wasn’t that great for me, and was dominated by sex.
Don’t get me wrong, Rose Lerner has some serious sexy time (writing) skillz, but I think part of the reason for the stonking success of those scenes is the build up to them. The masterful characterisation and the yearning romance she can create between two people is nothing short of magic. And it has you staying up until 3am because You Simply Must Know What Happens To These Two Crazy Kids. And her sex scenes are part of that characterisation, they’re part of that specific romance. Not too many authors are doing that. I love the way Hoyt writes sex, but you could interchange her sex scenes book to book with very little difficulty, as you could with Balogh, or Carla Kelly, or Grace Burrowes. You can’t do that with Lerner because she builds the scenes into the fabric of the book.
Perhaps I carried all those expectations into this and can’t judge it fairly, but I’ve got some distance, and thought about it, and I’ve decided: this is just a three-star book.
The writing is great. There are some brilliant descriptions of period desserts and the process of making them. This book was obviously lovingly researched. As ever with Lerner, the writing was period-appropriate with some lovely turns of phrase.
But-but, the characterisation felt thin. Too much telling, and not enough showing (likely a product of the word count restriction). Betsy, in particular, felt quite cardboard and a bit of a stereotype and Mr Moon never rounded out into more than a stressed out, impecunious baker.
The sex was very good and perfectly well-written. Lerner does not stray into those awkward words or. clichés that historical romance writers so often use to convey the historical time period of their novels, but which just end up jarring the reader and are, fundamentally, not sexy.
However, it was kind of formulaic. This book isn’t explicit enough to be erotica, or crude enough. There’s some ‘butt-stuff’ (again, Lerner’s words) of the kind I have not encountered before in m/f historical romance, but even that is not edgy or graphic enough to take this book into erotica.
Erotica, isn’t, in my opinion [perhaps there’s some professional publishing definition that I am unaware of], just about the number of words dedicated to sex, it’s about how the author approaches that sex and writes it and about how the characters develop and relate to that sex. Erotica hinges on sex – the high flying exec with control and commitment issues who needs to be dominated - Personal Geography, the heroine with body confidence issues and sexual embarrassment and a hero who finds she is willing to satisfy the sexual proclivities he’s long considered a perverse embarrassment - Unbound, the sexually abandoned wife who is desperate to learn how to please her husband and goes to a man reluctantly defined by his sexual prowess The Lady's Tutor.
This book is not defined by the significant amount of sex within it. What we have here is a large number of sex scenes that could be in any (well-written) modern historical romance novel and a plot about saving the bakery and two people who can’t admit their feelings, but the sex doesn’t fold into that plot. This is not erotica.
Also, I couldn’t shake the thought that this is a strange plot choice and backdrop for a sex-laden novella. This baking desperately needs to get done, the bakery needs to be saved and this order and the money it will bring in is the only way to do it. It’s made clear repeatedly that time is short, and, yet, these two are using a lot of their time shagging. Plus, for a conscientious baker, Mr Moon seems to be surprisingly willing to put his creations at risk of getting sprayed with the kind of icing they really, really do not want.
Look, I sound super down on this. And I’m not. It was good, it passed the time, and it’s a lot better than much of the stuff that’s out there. But, it didn’t quite hold together for me.
Obviously, Rose Lerner is on her own curve now because books 1-3 of this series were outstanding. Some of the best historical romance of the last few years. Her earlier standalones are pretty good too. So, my hopes were high. Then I heard this was more of an erotic novella with some baking thrown in (from Rose herself on Twitter) and I felt a bit disappointed. Her last novella wasn’t that great for me, and was dominated by sex.
Don’t get me wrong, Rose Lerner has some serious sexy time (writing) skillz, but I think part of the reason for the stonking success of those scenes is the build up to them. The masterful characterisation and the yearning romance she can create between two people is nothing short of magic. And it has you staying up until 3am because You Simply Must Know What Happens To These Two Crazy Kids. And her sex scenes are part of that characterisation, they’re part of that specific romance. Not too many authors are doing that. I love the way Hoyt writes sex, but you could interchange her sex scenes book to book with very little difficulty, as you could with Balogh, or Carla Kelly, or Grace Burrowes. You can’t do that with Lerner because she builds the scenes into the fabric of the book.
Perhaps I carried all those expectations into this and can’t judge it fairly, but I’ve got some distance, and thought about it, and I’ve decided: this is just a three-star book.
The writing is great. There are some brilliant descriptions of period desserts and the process of making them. This book was obviously lovingly researched. As ever with Lerner, the writing was period-appropriate with some lovely turns of phrase.
But-but, the characterisation felt thin. Too much telling, and not enough showing (likely a product of the word count restriction). Betsy, in particular, felt quite cardboard and a bit of a stereotype and Mr Moon never rounded out into more than a stressed out, impecunious baker.
The sex was very good and perfectly well-written. Lerner does not stray into those awkward words or. clichés that historical romance writers so often use to convey the historical time period of their novels, but which just end up jarring the reader and are, fundamentally, not sexy.
However, it was kind of formulaic. This book isn’t explicit enough to be erotica, or crude enough. There’s some ‘butt-stuff’ (again, Lerner’s words) of the kind I have not encountered before in m/f historical romance, but even that is not edgy or graphic enough to take this book into erotica.
Erotica, isn’t, in my opinion [perhaps there’s some professional publishing definition that I am unaware of], just about the number of words dedicated to sex, it’s about how the author approaches that sex and writes it and about how the characters develop and relate to that sex. Erotica hinges on sex – the high flying exec with control and commitment issues who needs to be dominated - Personal Geography, the heroine with body confidence issues and sexual embarrassment and a hero who finds she is willing to satisfy the sexual proclivities he’s long considered a perverse embarrassment - Unbound, the sexually abandoned wife who is desperate to learn how to please her husband and goes to a man reluctantly defined by his sexual prowess The Lady's Tutor.
This book is not defined by the significant amount of sex within it. What we have here is a large number of sex scenes that could be in any (well-written) modern historical romance novel and a plot about saving the bakery and two people who can’t admit their feelings, but the sex doesn’t fold into that plot. This is not erotica.
Also, I couldn’t shake the thought that this is a strange plot choice and backdrop for a sex-laden novella. This baking desperately needs to get done, the bakery needs to be saved and this order and the money it will bring in is the only way to do it. It’s made clear repeatedly that time is short, and, yet, these two are using a lot of their time shagging. Plus, for a conscientious baker, Mr Moon seems to be surprisingly willing to put his creations at risk of getting sprayed with the kind of icing they really, really do not want.
Look, I sound super down on this. And I’m not. It was good, it passed the time, and it’s a lot better than much of the stuff that’s out there. But, it didn’t quite hold together for me.
Read
August 10, 2024DNF @ 30% with massive respect for the horniness this book has. Simply… too much horniness for me at this present moment? Did not know it was possible and yet here we are lol. Would not recommend reading this in a public place unless you are made of sterner stuff than I… look forward to keeping this in my back pocket as a kind of “break glass in case of emergency” horny read tho!
August 25, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up
There wasn’t very much character growth or a grand plot or adventure in this short story/novella, but rather it was a “one week in the life” kind of story about a young, working class man and woman, his small-town confectionery shop and the mutual love that had, until this week, remained unspoken. Oh, and lust, too. So. Much. Lust.
This was a new to me author so I had no idea what to expect. I definitely didn’t know how hot, or how funny, it would be, or how much I would be rooting for their HEA. It was a very enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
Betsy had often thought there was something immodest in the motion of driving the pestle into the mortar—more so when she watched Mr. Moon’s expert, forceful strokes, and his shoulder moving beneath his shirt. Even with most of the ovens banked, the linen clung damply to him. Always before, she’d tried to put it from her mind. But Jemima had said, Make a few dirty jokes, so he knows you know what’s what. “This poor mortar,” she said, glancing at him. “She’ll be that sore in the morning.” Mr. Moon dropped his pestle with a clang. It rolled across the kitchen and under a table on the far side of the room.
***
“May I?” he asked, and when she said he might, he lifted her against the wall and took her again. “I’d like you to come while I’m in you,” he said earnestly, and she obliged him with very little effort. She felt very smug indeed as she walked home. She was a seductress. Betsy Piper, confectioner’s shopgirl and seductress. She ought to have cards made up at the printing office.
***
She blushed and smiled. Her hair was tumbling down, on the side. “Should we, outdoors?” “We’d hear someone coming.” He twisted that loose hair around his finger. “So soft.” It was a miracle, the way she looked. There was more architectural mastery in the tilt of her nose than any half a dozen cathedrals one cared to name.
There wasn’t very much character growth or a grand plot or adventure in this short story/novella, but rather it was a “one week in the life” kind of story about a young, working class man and woman, his small-town confectionery shop and the mutual love that had, until this week, remained unspoken. Oh, and lust, too. So. Much. Lust.
This was a new to me author so I had no idea what to expect. I definitely didn’t know how hot, or how funny, it would be, or how much I would be rooting for their HEA. It was a very enjoyable way to pass a few hours.
Betsy had often thought there was something immodest in the motion of driving the pestle into the mortar—more so when she watched Mr. Moon’s expert, forceful strokes, and his shoulder moving beneath his shirt. Even with most of the ovens banked, the linen clung damply to him. Always before, she’d tried to put it from her mind. But Jemima had said, Make a few dirty jokes, so he knows you know what’s what. “This poor mortar,” she said, glancing at him. “She’ll be that sore in the morning.” Mr. Moon dropped his pestle with a clang. It rolled across the kitchen and under a table on the far side of the room.
***
“May I?” he asked, and when she said he might, he lifted her against the wall and took her again. “I’d like you to come while I’m in you,” he said earnestly, and she obliged him with very little effort. She felt very smug indeed as she walked home. She was a seductress. Betsy Piper, confectioner’s shopgirl and seductress. She ought to have cards made up at the printing office.
***
She blushed and smiled. Her hair was tumbling down, on the side. “Should we, outdoors?” “We’d hear someone coming.” He twisted that loose hair around his finger. “So soft.” It was a miracle, the way she looked. There was more architectural mastery in the tilt of her nose than any half a dozen cathedrals one cared to name.
September 26, 2019
Robert Moon risks everything when he chooses to close his beloved Honey Moon Confectionery for a week in order to fulfill a large order. Unfortunately, his apprentice is out of town which means he's going to have to rely on Betsy Piper—but only if his boners will let him!
Betsy, meanwhile, would like Robert to Get On Her. Deciding enough is enough, she sets out to seduce him. They proceed to get extremely lewd on and around the food. SafeServe Certified persons, please avert your eyes.
1. That mortar, though. Dear Rose Lerner: PLEASE CONFIRM IT WAS NEVER USED IN OR AROUND A KITCHEN AGAIN. dlkfjlksdj
2. This is a short story! It works because Robert and Betsy are pretty damn into each other and just need that final shove to acknowledge and move towards reconciling those feelings.
3. I would have liked slightly more Robert because he felt a little...underbaked (*SNERK* MY PUNS ARE GREAT). I don't know if that's because he was already drawn in Sweet Disorder which I have not read. I think that would have addressed why Betsy was so hung up on him?
3. Ultimately, while the story was fine and enjoyable, what I am truly taking away from this reading experience is the fact that I really enjoy Lerner's prose!!
Betsy, meanwhile, would like Robert to Get On Her. Deciding enough is enough, she sets out to seduce him. They proceed to get extremely lewd on and around the food. SafeServe Certified persons, please avert your eyes.
1. That mortar, though. Dear Rose Lerner: PLEASE CONFIRM IT WAS NEVER USED IN OR AROUND A KITCHEN AGAIN. dlkfjlksdj
2. This is a short story! It works because Robert and Betsy are pretty damn into each other and just need that final shove to acknowledge and move towards reconciling those feelings.
3. I would have liked slightly more Robert because he felt a little...underbaked (*SNERK* MY PUNS ARE GREAT). I don't know if that's because he was already drawn in Sweet Disorder which I have not read. I think that would have addressed why Betsy was so hung up on him?
3. Ultimately, while the story was fine and enjoyable, what I am truly taking away from this reading experience is the fact that I really enjoy Lerner's prose!!
October 14, 2017
3 1/2 stars
February 11, 2024
Thus concludes my 5 year tour of this little area with Lerner. I love her books, I love how she writes sex with no shame (but doubts about that too) I love how her characters are by all accounts very normal people. This was no different, although I could've done with a few more pages to develop the couple and resolutions more, but that's novella life for you.
September 12, 2017
I absolutely adore Rose Lerner's, Lively St. Lemeston series. Fans of this series will be excited that Mr. Moon, baker extraordinaire, (a minor character from Sweet Disorder) is the hero. If you have not read this series, each one works very well as a stand alone. Besides this book, the others are full length.
The blurb of this one drew me in right away:
Robert Moon risked everything, including his father’s hardwon legacy, to open his beloved Honey Moon Confectionery on the busiest street in Lively St. Lemeston. Now he’s facing bankruptcy and debtor’s prison.
When a huge catering order comes in, he agrees to close the sweet-shop for a week to fill it. There’s only one problem: his apprentice is out of town, so his beautiful shop-girl Betsy Piper must help Robert in the kitchen.
Betsy’s spent the last year trying to make her single-minded boss look up from his pastries and notice that she would be the perfect wife. Now the two of them are alone in a kitchen full of sweet things. With just one week to get him to fall in love with her, she’d better get this seduction started...
She soon discovers that Robert brings the same meticulous, eager-to-please attitude to lovemaking that he does to baking, but can kisses—no matter how sweet—compete with the Honey Moon in his heart?
A baker and his shop girl? How cute is this?? And it is adorable. Coming in at about 140 pages, it's a quick romance but it felt realistic and believable. After Mr. Moon's apprentice had to leave for personal reasons, Betty steps up to help him when he gets a very big order in. She has been lusting after Robert for a long time, and decides it's time, now that it's just the two of them in the shop, to step up her flirtation and go for a kiss.
It was strange as well, knowing she planned on seducing Mr. Moon. Strange to look at his familiar face and think, I’m going to kiss him, and not how lovely it would be if he asked her to go walking with him. It made her feel powerful, humming with could-bes and just-maybes. It also made the pit of her stomach wobble like jelly with nerves.
Robert feels affection for Betsy as well, but because his finances are crumbling and he is close to bankruptcy, he feels like he can't offer Betsy anything, so he might as well not even try. When a large catering order comes in, it gives him hope that maybe he can pay off some debts and put a little in savings. But first, he has to prepare all the food, and the more inexperienced Betsy needs to help.
When Betsy decides to ramp up the flirtation, she of course turns to baking for her cues, which I loved:
Betsy had often thought there was something immodest in the motion of driving the pestle into the mortar—more so when she watched Mr. Moon’s expert, forceful strokes, and his shoulder moving beneath his shirt. Even with most of the ovens banked, the linen clung damply to him.
Always before, she’d tried to put it from her mind. But Jemima had said, Make a few dirty jokes, so he knows you know what’s what.
“This poor mortar,” she said, glancing at him. “She’ll be that sore in the morning.”
Mr. Moon dropped his pestle with a clang. It rolled across the kitchen and under a table on the far side of the room.
I adored Betsy - she knows she wants Robert and she goes all in for it. She doesn't care that he isn't rich. The thought of working in the shop, a shop that would also belong to her, excites her. She wants to support him, and help him - and help him get naked. It's all very cute.
And can I mention that our hero, Robert, is a virgin? He has been too busy in life to have sex! And Betsy is not a virgin, and all about teaching him pleasure. Robert thinks it can't be too hard:
"But I learn quick," he added hastily. "It can't be much trickier that a good pie crust."
Let's hope not, Robert!
After all this cuteness, I do have one complaint. And it may sound weird - but there was too much sex in this novella. I wanted more cute - pie crust and mortar pestle flirting!! I felt like every chapter was overrun with a sex scene. I didn't need all of that - but that's just my opinion.
Otherwise, very cute and adorable. If you have not read Rose Lerner, I highly recommend her books. They are smart, and sexy, and her characters absolutely shine.
Grade: B
The blurb of this one drew me in right away:
Robert Moon risked everything, including his father’s hardwon legacy, to open his beloved Honey Moon Confectionery on the busiest street in Lively St. Lemeston. Now he’s facing bankruptcy and debtor’s prison.
When a huge catering order comes in, he agrees to close the sweet-shop for a week to fill it. There’s only one problem: his apprentice is out of town, so his beautiful shop-girl Betsy Piper must help Robert in the kitchen.
Betsy’s spent the last year trying to make her single-minded boss look up from his pastries and notice that she would be the perfect wife. Now the two of them are alone in a kitchen full of sweet things. With just one week to get him to fall in love with her, she’d better get this seduction started...
She soon discovers that Robert brings the same meticulous, eager-to-please attitude to lovemaking that he does to baking, but can kisses—no matter how sweet—compete with the Honey Moon in his heart?
A baker and his shop girl? How cute is this?? And it is adorable. Coming in at about 140 pages, it's a quick romance but it felt realistic and believable. After Mr. Moon's apprentice had to leave for personal reasons, Betty steps up to help him when he gets a very big order in. She has been lusting after Robert for a long time, and decides it's time, now that it's just the two of them in the shop, to step up her flirtation and go for a kiss.
It was strange as well, knowing she planned on seducing Mr. Moon. Strange to look at his familiar face and think, I’m going to kiss him, and not how lovely it would be if he asked her to go walking with him. It made her feel powerful, humming with could-bes and just-maybes. It also made the pit of her stomach wobble like jelly with nerves.
Robert feels affection for Betsy as well, but because his finances are crumbling and he is close to bankruptcy, he feels like he can't offer Betsy anything, so he might as well not even try. When a large catering order comes in, it gives him hope that maybe he can pay off some debts and put a little in savings. But first, he has to prepare all the food, and the more inexperienced Betsy needs to help.
When Betsy decides to ramp up the flirtation, she of course turns to baking for her cues, which I loved:
Betsy had often thought there was something immodest in the motion of driving the pestle into the mortar—more so when she watched Mr. Moon’s expert, forceful strokes, and his shoulder moving beneath his shirt. Even with most of the ovens banked, the linen clung damply to him.
Always before, she’d tried to put it from her mind. But Jemima had said, Make a few dirty jokes, so he knows you know what’s what.
“This poor mortar,” she said, glancing at him. “She’ll be that sore in the morning.”
Mr. Moon dropped his pestle with a clang. It rolled across the kitchen and under a table on the far side of the room.
I adored Betsy - she knows she wants Robert and she goes all in for it. She doesn't care that he isn't rich. The thought of working in the shop, a shop that would also belong to her, excites her. She wants to support him, and help him - and help him get naked. It's all very cute.
And can I mention that our hero, Robert, is a virgin? He has been too busy in life to have sex! And Betsy is not a virgin, and all about teaching him pleasure. Robert thinks it can't be too hard:
"But I learn quick," he added hastily. "It can't be much trickier that a good pie crust."
Let's hope not, Robert!
After all this cuteness, I do have one complaint. And it may sound weird - but there was too much sex in this novella. I wanted more cute - pie crust and mortar pestle flirting!! I felt like every chapter was overrun with a sex scene. I didn't need all of that - but that's just my opinion.
Otherwise, very cute and adorable. If you have not read Rose Lerner, I highly recommend her books. They are smart, and sexy, and her characters absolutely shine.
Grade: B
September 13, 2017
I imagine A Taste of Honey was what you’d get if The Great British Bake-Off was an erotic HR. Except instead of soggy bottoms there were sexy times. A LOT of sexy times, though not nearly enough involving food I’m sorry to say (unless you count that one butter scene…lawd).
Much like Listen to the Moon, I can’t say I exactly loved this novella. But it was surprisingly(?) cute and I enjoyed reading it. Mr. Moon and Betsy were a couple of dumbs in love, pining hard for each other from afar while struggling to keep Mr. Moon’s confectionary afloat. Not that either of them actually spoke of their feelings because that would’ve been way too easy right? Sigh. Reason did eventually prevail and feelings of love were at last exchanged, after MANY kitchen tuppings of course. Personally I would’ve preferred more conversation and romance in addition to said tuppings, but that’s just me. However, their HEA did ultimately prove to be extra sweet; lame pun intended.
Now I eagerly await for more full length Lively St. Lemeston books in the near-ish (PLEASE GOD AND ROSE LERNER) future.
P.S. Don’t read this while hungry. No seriously, DON’T.
Much like Listen to the Moon, I can’t say I exactly loved this novella. But it was surprisingly(?) cute and I enjoyed reading it. Mr. Moon and Betsy were a couple of dumbs in love, pining hard for each other from afar while struggling to keep Mr. Moon’s confectionary afloat. Not that either of them actually spoke of their feelings because that would’ve been way too easy right? Sigh. Reason did eventually prevail and feelings of love were at last exchanged, after MANY kitchen tuppings of course. Personally I would’ve preferred more conversation and romance in addition to said tuppings, but that’s just me. However, their HEA did ultimately prove to be extra sweet; lame pun intended.
Now I eagerly await for more full length Lively St. Lemeston books in the near-ish (PLEASE GOD AND ROSE LERNER) future.
P.S. Don’t read this while hungry. No seriously, DON’T.
February 16, 2018
I pre-ordered this novella like I pre-order everything from the author. I didn't expect terribly much from a smutty short, truth be told: while I like Lerner's sex scenes (as I've repeatedly stated here) for how they push the envelope and show intimacy that can be both sexy and ungratuitous, and original in how non male-gaze-y they are, I like my romance heavier on the plot side, and the description seemed to promise a book a little lighter on that. I gave it a try and stopped reading after a chapter because the language was too distracting for me; I am a non-native speaker and thus taught to pay lots of attention to the grammar (I do it for a living, after all) and the non-standard use of certain forms, though probably true to epoch, threw me. It was hard to turn off the grammarian and stop looking at should hads and the like. It took me months (and ) to come back to the novella, at which point I devoured it in two sittings, no longer distracted.
The truth is, yes, it's a little lighter on plot than usual. And there is a whole lot of sex: well-written and occasionally amusing and cute and moving and even mildly kinky (and it was good, though not quite what I wanted - still, kudos for writing pining while having relations). But if I'd expected that this would be it, I should have known better. Lerner excels at writing a relatable emotional character arc, and she does it here again. The characters' journey may take place over a short amount of time (not my fave) but it still packs the punch. And the social issues are rendered with nuance and a light touch. I found the villain to be vividly believable, the ending satisfying. A 3.5 star read, and a way to tide me over until the next proper full-length novel, I hope.
The truth is, yes, it's a little lighter on plot than usual. And there is a whole lot of sex: well-written and occasionally amusing and cute and moving and even mildly kinky (and it was good, though not quite what I wanted - still, kudos for writing pining while having relations). But if I'd expected that this would be it, I should have known better. Lerner excels at writing a relatable emotional character arc, and she does it here again. The characters' journey may take place over a short amount of time (not my fave) but it still packs the punch. And the social issues are rendered with nuance and a light touch. I found the villain to be vividly believable, the ending satisfying. A 3.5 star read, and a way to tide me over until the next proper full-length novel, I hope.
August 26, 2017
4.5 stars. This is sweet, saucy, and smart, as I expected given how much I loved the first three Lively St. Lemeston books. As this is a novella, the timeline is compressed, but it still feels satisfying even at the shortened length. I loved Robert and Betsy and their relationship. They had oodles of chemistry and their relationship was both a) hot and b) well grounded in non-sexual personal compatibility. Loved reading about the baking and all the yummy food.
This is very warm and sweet and fun but there is also some drama to add heft and nuance. Robert frets over the finances of the Honey Moon confectionary and he has a difficult relationship with Mrs. Lovejoy. Betsy is jealous of Robert's failed courtship of Phoebe (in Sweet Disorder) and is worried she won't be the kind of wife Robert needs/deserves. Amidst all the sexy times in the kitchen and cuteness there's a little (thankfully well written and non-contrived) miscommunication between Robert and Betsy at times. None of this is heavy enough to take away from what a feel good story this is, but there's just enough drama to make these characters' feel three dimensional and for their lives to feel real.
I also appreciate how much the town itself feels like a character in these books. The reader can tell a lot of care and research goes into writing these books.
Very happy to have read this. I'm reminded I've got to read the non-Lively St. Lemeston Lerner books I've got on my kindle.
This is very warm and sweet and fun but there is also some drama to add heft and nuance. Robert frets over the finances of the Honey Moon confectionary and he has a difficult relationship with Mrs. Lovejoy. Betsy is jealous of Robert's failed courtship of Phoebe (in Sweet Disorder) and is worried she won't be the kind of wife Robert needs/deserves. Amidst all the sexy times in the kitchen and cuteness there's a little (thankfully well written and non-contrived) miscommunication between Robert and Betsy at times. None of this is heavy enough to take away from what a feel good story this is, but there's just enough drama to make these characters' feel three dimensional and for their lives to feel real.
I also appreciate how much the town itself feels like a character in these books. The reader can tell a lot of care and research goes into writing these books.
Very happy to have read this. I'm reminded I've got to read the non-Lively St. Lemeston Lerner books I've got on my kindle.
September 14, 2017
So, I think I just found myself another HR novelist to obsess over. c: A Taste of Honey is a pretty short read, clocking in only a 140 pages but the book surely was intense.
For the last one year, I have been desperately trying to find an HR novel featuring a role reversed relationship with a soft masc hero and I can't even express how happy I was to find it in this book (and surprisingly so since I suck at reading blurbs so I had no idea what would happen in the story)
Also, may I just point out how rare it is to find HRs about the everyday lives of normal people? (the only ones I have encountered so far were all written by Courtney Milan whom I worship) Now, I like Dukes and Viscounts like any other HR girl but sweet Lord, the opulence at times gets a bit drab and boring. Like, how many attractive young Dukes exactly existed in the 1800s? Yeah, so repetitive. I also really liked the sex scenes which had a sheen of adorable awkwardness which was realistic given how Robert (the hero) is a shy lil cinnamon roll who gets flustered easily and blushes whenever Betsy flirts with him. ALSO CONSENT!!! I loved how he would ask for her permission to do stuff rather than you know, take his pleasure disregarding his partner's wants. So my inner feminist was pretty happy.
For the last one year, I have been desperately trying to find an HR novel featuring a role reversed relationship with a soft masc hero and I can't even express how happy I was to find it in this book (and surprisingly so since I suck at reading blurbs so I had no idea what would happen in the story)
Also, may I just point out how rare it is to find HRs about the everyday lives of normal people? (the only ones I have encountered so far were all written by Courtney Milan whom I worship) Now, I like Dukes and Viscounts like any other HR girl but sweet Lord, the opulence at times gets a bit drab and boring. Like, how many attractive young Dukes exactly existed in the 1800s? Yeah, so repetitive. I also really liked the sex scenes which had a sheen of adorable awkwardness which was realistic given how Robert (the hero) is a shy lil cinnamon roll who gets flustered easily and blushes whenever Betsy flirts with him. ALSO CONSENT!!! I loved how he would ask for her permission to do stuff rather than you know, take his pleasure disregarding his partner's wants. So my inner feminist was pretty happy.
September 21, 2017
I gave this 4 stars at Romantic Historical Reviews.
The world of Ms. Lerner’s Lively St. Lemeston is much different to the one I experience in my usual historical romantic reading, and it always takes me a few chapters to adjust and settle in. These stories aren’t about dukes and duchesses, wealthy tradesman or even ruthless and diabolical men and women who have used cunning and smarts to become powerful. Instead, the Lively St. Lemeston series features normal people with very human, real and recognizable problems. Yet although I can appreciate (and like) Ms. Lerner’s affectionate and moving portrayals of everyday men and women, A Taste of Honey doesn’t quite deliver on the escapism I look for when I crack open a romance novel. Fortunately, Ms. Lerner is a terrific writer and the quality of this story transcends its tough luck premise; though short, A Taste of Honey is a sweetly moving and erotic workplace romance in which the romantic relationship that develops between its flawed principals is awkward, charming, and oddly endearing – and in spite of myself, I smiled when it ended.
It’s been quite a while since I read Sweet Disorder , the first book in the series, and I only vaguely remembered Robert Moon, the hero of this story. But for those of you who haven’t read that novel (it’s not necessary), or are similarly memory-challenged, he owns the Honey Moon Confectionary in Lively St. Lemeston and when we first met him, local elections loomed, the Tories needed more votes to secure their candidate, and the Honey Moon wasn’t turning a profit. Desperate to secure the financial future of his shop (and despite a secret affection for his shopgirl, Betsy Piper), Robert agreed to marry a young local widow in order to secure two additional votes for the Tories in exchange for financial security at the Honey Moon. The pair were ill-matched, the plot convoluted and destined to fail, and the widow fell in love with and married another man. When A Taste of Honey begins, Robert is still single and wants to marry Betsy… but the shop is nearly bankrupt, and he faces a possible stint in debtor’s prison. Unwilling to pursue a relationship with the beautiful Betsy with the Honey Moon on the verge of failing, he keeps his regard for her to himself.
The solution to Robert’s problems arrives in the form of a large catering order from the haughty Mrs. Lovejoy, who is hosting the local assembly and wants Robert to cater the event. Payment for the order will keep the Honey Moon open, provide funds to pay off his creditors and means Robert will finally be able to pursue Betsy. Unfortunately, his apprentice Peter is out of town; fulfilling the large order will require him to close his shop for a week, work non-stop with Betsy to complete the order on time, and take on additional debt. Robert agrees despite his misgivings about Mrs. Lovejoy (who frequently changes her mind and seems to dislike Betsy), and concerns about the small margin for error should they fail.
Meanwhile, Betsy harbors a secret tendre for Robert. She wants to marry him, support him at the shop and be his helpmeet in every way. Hurt by his proposal to the widow Phoebe Stark – despite knowing why he did it, and tortured by thoughts that Robert doesn’t think she is good enough for him – she’s convinced this week working together is just what she needs to secure his affections. When her closest friend urges her to seduce him, she decides she will – if she has to. Not quite a virgin (she had a brief liaison some time back), she isn’t afraid of sex or pleasure and she wants Robert. So, after a long morning working alongside him, and growing increasingly bold with her suggestive innuendos that he fails to respond to, she seduces him.
Robert is a virgin. He’s shocked when Betsy suggests they have an affair, but he’s more than willing… and eager. What follows – a week in which they awkwardly and sweetly discover pleasure in each other – only complicates their relationship. Robert is consumed with thoughts of Betsy and all the things he wants to do to and with her, but convinced he can’t commit to her until his the future of the shop is secure. Betsy is similarly consumed with her feelings for Robert; she’s convinced she can and should be his partner at the Honey Moon and in life, but she’s hurt by his focus on the shop and silence on the subject of their relationship. Meanwhile, between passionate and erotic encounters in the kitchens, they work together to fill the catering order – which the insufferable and condescending Mrs. Lovejoy changes on a daily basis.
A Taste of Honey is a novella and the pace of the story is necessarily brisk, but Ms. Lerner paces the relationship perfectly. After all, Betsy and Robert knew and liked each other long before this story began and compressing their relationship into the week Robert has to fill the catering order is cleverly done. Unfortunately, the short format doesn’t provide much opportunity to explore the principal characters outside of their relationship to each other, and if you aren’t already familiar with Robert and Betsy from Sweet Disorder, you may wish you knew a bit more about them and the secondary characters that comprise the community of Lively St. Lemeston. That said, I liked both principals very much, and Ms. Lerner does a terrific job balancing their sexual exploration with their discoveries about each other – his/her fears, dreams and desires. In lovemaking, they’re eager and adventurous partners; outside of it, they’re cautious and plagued with doubts. It’s a frustrating, tender and confusing courtship… until the horrible Mrs. Lovejoy (more like killjoy) unknowingly helps them find their way to a deliciously satisfying happily ever after, complete with a side dish of revenge.
The Lively St. Lemeston series takes a very different approach to the Regency-era novels most romance readers have grown accustomed to. I won’t lie – I still love my dukes, rakes and tortured heroes – but Ms. Lerner makes a compelling case for this alternate version – ordinary men and women and their equally strong hopes and dreams. It’s not quite the escape I usually like in my romance novels, but it’s a fascinating, addictive and romantic version nonetheless. Readers looking for something a bit different should sample this sweet and charming honey of a story.
The world of Ms. Lerner’s Lively St. Lemeston is much different to the one I experience in my usual historical romantic reading, and it always takes me a few chapters to adjust and settle in. These stories aren’t about dukes and duchesses, wealthy tradesman or even ruthless and diabolical men and women who have used cunning and smarts to become powerful. Instead, the Lively St. Lemeston series features normal people with very human, real and recognizable problems. Yet although I can appreciate (and like) Ms. Lerner’s affectionate and moving portrayals of everyday men and women, A Taste of Honey doesn’t quite deliver on the escapism I look for when I crack open a romance novel. Fortunately, Ms. Lerner is a terrific writer and the quality of this story transcends its tough luck premise; though short, A Taste of Honey is a sweetly moving and erotic workplace romance in which the romantic relationship that develops between its flawed principals is awkward, charming, and oddly endearing – and in spite of myself, I smiled when it ended.
It’s been quite a while since I read Sweet Disorder , the first book in the series, and I only vaguely remembered Robert Moon, the hero of this story. But for those of you who haven’t read that novel (it’s not necessary), or are similarly memory-challenged, he owns the Honey Moon Confectionary in Lively St. Lemeston and when we first met him, local elections loomed, the Tories needed more votes to secure their candidate, and the Honey Moon wasn’t turning a profit. Desperate to secure the financial future of his shop (and despite a secret affection for his shopgirl, Betsy Piper), Robert agreed to marry a young local widow in order to secure two additional votes for the Tories in exchange for financial security at the Honey Moon. The pair were ill-matched, the plot convoluted and destined to fail, and the widow fell in love with and married another man. When A Taste of Honey begins, Robert is still single and wants to marry Betsy… but the shop is nearly bankrupt, and he faces a possible stint in debtor’s prison. Unwilling to pursue a relationship with the beautiful Betsy with the Honey Moon on the verge of failing, he keeps his regard for her to himself.
The solution to Robert’s problems arrives in the form of a large catering order from the haughty Mrs. Lovejoy, who is hosting the local assembly and wants Robert to cater the event. Payment for the order will keep the Honey Moon open, provide funds to pay off his creditors and means Robert will finally be able to pursue Betsy. Unfortunately, his apprentice Peter is out of town; fulfilling the large order will require him to close his shop for a week, work non-stop with Betsy to complete the order on time, and take on additional debt. Robert agrees despite his misgivings about Mrs. Lovejoy (who frequently changes her mind and seems to dislike Betsy), and concerns about the small margin for error should they fail.
Meanwhile, Betsy harbors a secret tendre for Robert. She wants to marry him, support him at the shop and be his helpmeet in every way. Hurt by his proposal to the widow Phoebe Stark – despite knowing why he did it, and tortured by thoughts that Robert doesn’t think she is good enough for him – she’s convinced this week working together is just what she needs to secure his affections. When her closest friend urges her to seduce him, she decides she will – if she has to. Not quite a virgin (she had a brief liaison some time back), she isn’t afraid of sex or pleasure and she wants Robert. So, after a long morning working alongside him, and growing increasingly bold with her suggestive innuendos that he fails to respond to, she seduces him.
Robert is a virgin. He’s shocked when Betsy suggests they have an affair, but he’s more than willing… and eager. What follows – a week in which they awkwardly and sweetly discover pleasure in each other – only complicates their relationship. Robert is consumed with thoughts of Betsy and all the things he wants to do to and with her, but convinced he can’t commit to her until his the future of the shop is secure. Betsy is similarly consumed with her feelings for Robert; she’s convinced she can and should be his partner at the Honey Moon and in life, but she’s hurt by his focus on the shop and silence on the subject of their relationship. Meanwhile, between passionate and erotic encounters in the kitchens, they work together to fill the catering order – which the insufferable and condescending Mrs. Lovejoy changes on a daily basis.
A Taste of Honey is a novella and the pace of the story is necessarily brisk, but Ms. Lerner paces the relationship perfectly. After all, Betsy and Robert knew and liked each other long before this story began and compressing their relationship into the week Robert has to fill the catering order is cleverly done. Unfortunately, the short format doesn’t provide much opportunity to explore the principal characters outside of their relationship to each other, and if you aren’t already familiar with Robert and Betsy from Sweet Disorder, you may wish you knew a bit more about them and the secondary characters that comprise the community of Lively St. Lemeston. That said, I liked both principals very much, and Ms. Lerner does a terrific job balancing their sexual exploration with their discoveries about each other – his/her fears, dreams and desires. In lovemaking, they’re eager and adventurous partners; outside of it, they’re cautious and plagued with doubts. It’s a frustrating, tender and confusing courtship… until the horrible Mrs. Lovejoy (more like killjoy) unknowingly helps them find their way to a deliciously satisfying happily ever after, complete with a side dish of revenge.
The Lively St. Lemeston series takes a very different approach to the Regency-era novels most romance readers have grown accustomed to. I won’t lie – I still love my dukes, rakes and tortured heroes – but Ms. Lerner makes a compelling case for this alternate version – ordinary men and women and their equally strong hopes and dreams. It’s not quite the escape I usually like in my romance novels, but it’s a fascinating, addictive and romantic version nonetheless. Readers looking for something a bit different should sample this sweet and charming honey of a story.
October 27, 2017
This book returns to The Honey Moon confectionery that we first visited in Sweet Disorder. Phoebe and Nick may have ensured that Mr. Moon's pressing debts were paid by Lady Tassell, but the shop isn't making a profit yet. Robert Moon still worries about bankruptcy.
He never really wanted to marry Phoebe because he's more than half in love with Betsy Piper, the shop assistant, but he can't afford to marry her. Besides, he has no idea if she has any feelings for him at all.
Then Robert gets an order to provide food for an important assembly for which he'll be paid £25. That will get him out of debt and then he can ask Betsy to marry him.
Betsy has been in love with Robert a long time, but she thinks he never notices her as a woman. Jemima, her best friend, encourages her to seduce Robert.
So, the action in the book takes place over the next week while Robert and Betsy work together to prepare the confections for the assembly. Betsy indeed seduces him - in fact, so much action takes place that it's a wonder the sweets are (a) completed at all, and/or (b) not spoiled from either neglect or from a surfeit of bodily fluids. And I sincerely hope that marble pestle was never used in preparing food again!
I like the characters of Robert and Betsy, especially Robert. He's really a sweet guy, even if he seems awfully young in this book (is it just me, or did he seem older in Sweet Disorder?).
This is a novella, and of course it can't be as developed as a full length novel. I know it's meant to be erotica, but in this case, I thought the copious amounts of sex actually detracted a bit from the plot. I did love the ending, though - a satisfying resolution.
He never really wanted to marry Phoebe because he's more than half in love with Betsy Piper, the shop assistant, but he can't afford to marry her. Besides, he has no idea if she has any feelings for him at all.
Then Robert gets an order to provide food for an important assembly for which he'll be paid £25. That will get him out of debt and then he can ask Betsy to marry him.
Betsy has been in love with Robert a long time, but she thinks he never notices her as a woman. Jemima, her best friend, encourages her to seduce Robert.
So, the action in the book takes place over the next week while Robert and Betsy work together to prepare the confections for the assembly. Betsy indeed seduces him - in fact, so much action takes place that it's a wonder the sweets are (a) completed at all, and/or (b) not spoiled from either neglect or from a surfeit of bodily fluids. And I sincerely hope that marble pestle was never used in preparing food again!
I like the characters of Robert and Betsy, especially Robert. He's really a sweet guy, even if he seems awfully young in this book (is it just me, or did he seem older in Sweet Disorder?).
This is a novella, and of course it can't be as developed as a full length novel. I know it's meant to be erotica, but in this case, I thought the copious amounts of sex actually detracted a bit from the plot. I did love the ending, though - a satisfying resolution.
September 13, 2024
Hard to believe Robert was as anxious about this big order for the shop and potential bankruptcy if he screws it up when he and Betsy are always taking sex breaks. Their ability to stop working despite everything they needed to do stressed ME out! And I know health codes didn’t exist back then but I still don’t appreciate people having sex in the kitchen where they are making food they will then sell to other people. Yikes.
Characters: Robert is a white confectioner and virgin. Betsy is a white shop girl. This is set in 1813 Lively St. Lemeston, England.
Content notes: slut-shaming by secondary character, discussions of husbands who kill their wives, financial stress, classism, health code violations (sex in professional kitchen, pestle used as dildo), forgetting to eat, past parental depression, MMC’s mother had miscarriages, past death of MMC’s siblings (cholera, influenza), FMC’s father left when she was a child, unsafe sex practices (butter as lube, pestle from the kitchen used as dildo), on page sex, sensation play (ice), pegging, outdoor sex, “manhood” as euphemism, gender essentialism, casual use of colonialist language, mention of man’s father and brothers who died in a sailing accident
*Love it or Leighve it* (aka cleaning out my Kindle)
Purchased: 2019
Characters: Robert is a white confectioner and virgin. Betsy is a white shop girl. This is set in 1813 Lively St. Lemeston, England.
Content notes: slut-shaming by secondary character, discussions of husbands who kill their wives, financial stress, classism, health code violations (sex in professional kitchen, pestle used as dildo), forgetting to eat, past parental depression, MMC’s mother had miscarriages, past death of MMC’s siblings (cholera, influenza), FMC’s father left when she was a child, unsafe sex practices (butter as lube, pestle from the kitchen used as dildo), on page sex, sensation play (ice), pegging, outdoor sex, “manhood” as euphemism, gender essentialism, casual use of colonialist language, mention of man’s father and brothers who died in a sailing accident
*Love it or Leighve it* (aka cleaning out my Kindle)
Purchased: 2019
December 1, 2019
3.5
This was wonderful and sweet. I liked how food tied into it so intricately and that it was the woman who took the initiative. I also loved that the two were so open to exploring and trying new things. However, I thought it was a stretch to go from I-couldn't-possibly-kiss-you to pegging in less than a week. Despite that, the message of openness and willingness for those you love was one I appreciated. Not to mention Lerner just goes places that a lot of such authors don't. All in all, a successful read for me.
This was wonderful and sweet. I liked how food tied into it so intricately and that it was the woman who took the initiative. I also loved that the two were so open to exploring and trying new things. However, I thought it was a stretch to go from I-couldn't-possibly-kiss-you to pegging in less than a week. Despite that, the message of openness and willingness for those you love was one I appreciated. Not to mention Lerner just goes places that a lot of such authors don't. All in all, a successful read for me.
November 2, 2021
Since it was a novella I understand you can only cram so much in, but I would have loved if this book was a full length novel so we could learn a little bit more about these lovely characters. Sexiness was non-stop and kinky surprises aplenty!
August 26, 2017
As much as I dislike making trite remarks, there's really no other way to describe Lerner's writing than "sweet."
Lerner has a real talent for concocting relationships that are realistic without being banal and in which both characters so obviously care for each other. It's really the equivalent of snuggling into a nice, warm blanket. This book was certainly no exception -- you have such an easy time rooting for Betsy and Robert. They're so likable! They're so, well, normal in their struggles and it ends up being refreshing, especially in a genre wherein there are usually murder plots, guns, jewel heists, pirates, an endless number of dukes, that sort of thing. Sometimes you need to take a break from all that.
My only gripe is that this is such a short adventure. I kept forgetting the page count and felt as though things were really hurtling along when they needn't have been. Gladly, I would have read an extra hundred pages or so.
Lerner has a real talent for concocting relationships that are realistic without being banal and in which both characters so obviously care for each other. It's really the equivalent of snuggling into a nice, warm blanket. This book was certainly no exception -- you have such an easy time rooting for Betsy and Robert. They're so likable! They're so, well, normal in their struggles and it ends up being refreshing, especially in a genre wherein there are usually murder plots, guns, jewel heists, pirates, an endless number of dukes, that sort of thing. Sometimes you need to take a break from all that.
My only gripe is that this is such a short adventure. I kept forgetting the page count and felt as though things were really hurtling along when they needn't have been. Gladly, I would have read an extra hundred pages or so.
November 1, 2017
3.5 stars
So delicious! I would have preferred a bit less sex and some more character background/development but it was a highly enjoyable read nevertheless.
This is a historical erotic novella, full of deliciousness. It's rich in food detail that will make you crave all the Victorian desserts. We have two characters who want to be together but neither feels truly worthy of the other. I liked how it was the heroine who she took the imitative despite her doubts and fears. Mr. Moon is a lovely beta hero - a virgin who is opens himself to carnal pleasure and love. I feel the sex scenes were a bit too much for such a short read and would have preferred more character development (especially insight into their background and motivations). Still, fans of the series will no doubt enjoy seeing Mr. Moon get his HEA after his disastrous misadventures in courtship in book 1.
So delicious! I would have preferred a bit less sex and some more character background/development but it was a highly enjoyable read nevertheless.
This is a historical erotic novella, full of deliciousness. It's rich in food detail that will make you crave all the Victorian desserts. We have two characters who want to be together but neither feels truly worthy of the other. I liked how it was the heroine who she took the imitative despite her doubts and fears. Mr. Moon is a lovely beta hero - a virgin who is opens himself to carnal pleasure and love. I feel the sex scenes were a bit too much for such a short read and would have preferred more character development (especially insight into their background and motivations). Still, fans of the series will no doubt enjoy seeing Mr. Moon get his HEA after his disastrous misadventures in courtship in book 1.
August 10, 2024
I give thanks for sussex to rose lerner, who is blessed both with a rich and modern imagination and with a real knack for research and verisimilitude. this book was STUPID funny, and these people were STUPID horny.
really enjoyed this vid, as recordings of the sussex dialect prove a bit difficult to find
also this was a book that was very heavy on the sex—which I often find historical romance novelists write about shockingly dully!—and yet I enjoyed it immensely because rose lerner is that good
really enjoyed this vid, as recordings of the sussex dialect prove a bit difficult to find
also this was a book that was very heavy on the sex—which I often find historical romance novelists write about shockingly dully!—and yet I enjoyed it immensely because rose lerner is that good
September 20, 2020
I often have trouble with romance novellas because the length doesn't allow for as much character development as I like in romance, but this one packed in a TON into a short length. Completely delightful.
October 12, 2017
***This review has also been posted on Xpresso Reads
At this point, it should surprise no one that I am a huge fan of Rose Lerner’s HRs so when I was approached to review A Taste of Honey, I was all over it. A romance b/w a shy baker and his assistant was more than enough to tempt this reader with a ginormous sweet-tooth.
As always, Rose Lerner’s romances distinguish themselves because they are so down to Earth. They aren’t about annoying aristocrats (although, lets be real, I also adore my aristocrats) but about the ordinary peeps who are having a jolly good time with their lives.
A Taste of Honey tells the story of Robert Moon & Betsy Piper. They have a huge order to complete within a week but things heat up..
A Taste of Honey may just be a novella but it is jam packed with swoons, character development arcs and BAKED GOODIES. It’s definitely worth the read if you need a quick pick-me-up or if you, like me, also have a giant sweet tooth.
Note that I received an advanced copy of this book for review.
At this point, it should surprise no one that I am a huge fan of Rose Lerner’s HRs so when I was approached to review A Taste of Honey, I was all over it. A romance b/w a shy baker and his assistant was more than enough to tempt this reader with a ginormous sweet-tooth.
As always, Rose Lerner’s romances distinguish themselves because they are so down to Earth. They aren’t about annoying aristocrats (although, lets be real, I also adore my aristocrats) but about the ordinary peeps who are having a jolly good time with their lives.
A Taste of Honey tells the story of Robert Moon & Betsy Piper. They have a huge order to complete within a week but things heat up..
A Taste of Honey may just be a novella but it is jam packed with swoons, character development arcs and BAKED GOODIES. It’s definitely worth the read if you need a quick pick-me-up or if you, like me, also have a giant sweet tooth.
Note that I received an advanced copy of this book for review.
November 18, 2018
Rule #1: Don't you dare judge this book by its cover.
It is 1813 and Robert Moon is a mess. His beloved Honey Moon Confectionary is popular but still on the verge of bankruptcy. So, when a huge catering order comes in he can't turn it down even if it means working day and night with only his shop-girl, Betsy to help get the job done. His goal? Have enough money to ask her to marry him.
Betsy has been trying to get Robert to notice her for a while now to no avail. With a week in the kitchen together at hand, she takes her friend's advice to flirt to hilarious levels.
This was a surprise of a story that I probably would have missed if it wasn't for the ladies in my book club being really good at picking books. I think when you read a lot of regency romances you start to expect certain tropes and Lerner gives a nod to them and then pulls you into a completely different story. The characters are not experienced in the matters of the heart but the way they jump off the cliff and explore that was sexy and fun at the same time.
You will never think of a mortar and pestle in quite the same way. I promise.
It is 1813 and Robert Moon is a mess. His beloved Honey Moon Confectionary is popular but still on the verge of bankruptcy. So, when a huge catering order comes in he can't turn it down even if it means working day and night with only his shop-girl, Betsy to help get the job done. His goal? Have enough money to ask her to marry him.
Betsy has been trying to get Robert to notice her for a while now to no avail. With a week in the kitchen together at hand, she takes her friend's advice to flirt to hilarious levels.
This was a surprise of a story that I probably would have missed if it wasn't for the ladies in my book club being really good at picking books. I think when you read a lot of regency romances you start to expect certain tropes and Lerner gives a nod to them and then pulls you into a completely different story. The characters are not experienced in the matters of the heart but the way they jump off the cliff and explore that was sexy and fun at the same time.
You will never think of a mortar and pestle in quite the same way. I promise.
January 4, 2018
One of the more common tropes in historical romance is the aristos leaving tradesmen's bills unpaid because a gentleman always pays gambling debts to another gentlemen, but hoi polloi have to wait their turn.
But if you're one of those tradesmen you could be one bad debt away from bankruptcy or debtor's prison yourself. You had to put up the capital to fund your venture, unpaid bills mean you can't pay your creditors.
I hadn't planned on this being a screed on market economics, but part of what I enjoyed most about A Taste of Honey was its focus on ordinary people with businesses to run and bills to pay rather than the ton, bakers and shopgirls instead of dukes and countesses. We met Robert Moon earlier in the Lively St. Lemeston saga, but now he gets his own story, and it's as hot and sweet as cakes fresh from the oven. Be warned, if you're dieting this book will make you moan in frustration because while the sex between Robert and his assistant Betsy is hot, the pastry and confection descriptions are even hotter.
Lerner has earned a reputation not only for writing excellent romance but for her ability to bring in local color and ordinary people to her stories. It's a nice change from the glittering ballrooms and Almack's, just as a good loaf of rye makes a nice change from fluffy white breads.
But if you're one of those tradesmen you could be one bad debt away from bankruptcy or debtor's prison yourself. You had to put up the capital to fund your venture, unpaid bills mean you can't pay your creditors.
I hadn't planned on this being a screed on market economics, but part of what I enjoyed most about A Taste of Honey was its focus on ordinary people with businesses to run and bills to pay rather than the ton, bakers and shopgirls instead of dukes and countesses. We met Robert Moon earlier in the Lively St. Lemeston saga, but now he gets his own story, and it's as hot and sweet as cakes fresh from the oven. Be warned, if you're dieting this book will make you moan in frustration because while the sex between Robert and his assistant Betsy is hot, the pastry and confection descriptions are even hotter.
Lerner has earned a reputation not only for writing excellent romance but for her ability to bring in local color and ordinary people to her stories. It's a nice change from the glittering ballrooms and Almack's, just as a good loaf of rye makes a nice change from fluffy white breads.
September 14, 2017
This was quick and very enjoyable. It was an employee/employer historical romance, so of course I had to read it. When you add that to the fact that I'm a Rose Lerner fan, there was almost no way this book wouldn't work for me. Betsy and Robert were sweet, though I liked that Betsy was the more outgoing and rougher character. I don't remember anything about these characters from Sweet Disorder, but I think that the fact that both characters liked each other for a while before this novella started was well-done. It certainly helped with the whole physical aspect of their relationchip, since it otherwise would've felt rushed. I do wish Betsy and Robert would have talked more, but since the working relationship was already established before this book started, this didn't bother me overly much.
May 31, 2023
(3.5) pegging?? in my historical romance?? love to fucking see it!!!! anyway I did thoroughly enjoy this but tbh there wasn’t enough plot to give it a higher rating,,,most of this was in fact just erotica haha but hey at least it didn’t make me cringe and there was no clueless virgin trope thank god
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2021
Read this one a while back and meant to add it on here, because I liked it quite a lot. Loved the historic flavor, pun totally intended. I thought the novella format worked especially well as you had a sense of the history between the characters from the beginning.
September 16, 2017
This was a cute, hot, delicious read. Minus one star for the squickiness of unsanitary situations (kitchen sex), but otherwise it's a quick and sexy read that will leave you a.) hungry for all the desserts and b.) eager for more Rose Lerner!
October 4, 2017
3.5. I think it just suffers from being a novella so characters and relationships aren't able to develop and it jumped much too quickly to sex and only sex for a big portion of the book.
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