Review: Cake by Lauren Dane

I knew I would be spending a large part of my day in waiting areas - my day started with a dentist appointment, followed by a hair appointment, then car maintenance type things.  So I needed a book that would keep me occupied during those times.  Something fun, not too heavy.  I'd just finished reading Bronze Horseman (800+ page epic set during WWII) and was not looking for any sort of heavy, long-term commitment.

 

And Cake was perfect for what I needed.

 

This is exactly what something called Cake from a line called "Red-Hot Reads" should be - quick, sweet and very hot and sexy.

 

I liked the setting, an art student and a successful artist, their circle of friends and social activity all being in the art world.  As a former art student, I enjoy revisiting this world - even though my own experiences weren't quite this entertaining.  No hot Russian artist to mentor me, darn it.

 

I liked Wren and I liked how she was so determined to succeed in art as well as go after what she wanted.  However, I didn't really love Gregori.  When Wren decided to make the big gesture and tell him how she felt, I cringed a bit, thinking that in most cases, with a guy like Gregori, she would face mortifying rejection.  To me, he didn't seem worth all the effort.  Yeah, I know things worth having take a lot of work and all that, but relationships shouldn't feel that one-sided.  But this is fiction and this is a romance story, in the end, of course we find out the guy feels the same way, but really, I didn't see a lot in the story that indicated he did.  Wren and her friend just assumed that Gregori must feel the same way and went with it, her friend assisting in setting up Wren's plan.  Part of me kept thinking, he's okay for now, but do you really want to be with a guy like that in a "real" relationship?  Yes, I know, I'm overthinking this. I ruin everything that way.  I've noticed I do this a lot with novellas.   

 

Overall, this is a quick, fun story.  Nothing too intense or deep.  And it kept me fully engaged during my day of running errands.  I'd readily recommend this to anyone wanting a quick, sexy story.

 

I received a review copy via NetGalley.