CLP Blog Tours: Petit Four

A month or ago I had the pleasure of taking part in a spotlight tour for Petit Four: Four Stories, Frosted with Love. I was so excited to read this short story collection that I happily signed on to interview the authors and, eventually, review the anthology for CLP Blog Tours.

Here's the description of the anthology:

Cake is often a major part of life’s celebrations, both big and small. From birthdays to wedding days, cake, in all its delectable concoctions, marks joyous occasions with a sweetness that can’t be beat. But even better is the love that is shared when two people connect over a sweet confection. Maybe it’s a cute new guy wreaking havoc on a broken heart, or a beautiful woman testing the limits of love, or an old beau stirring up long lost desires. Whatever the circumstances, cake can always be relied upon to save the day when it comes to affairs of the heart. In this collection of short stories, cake is the delicious center around which each tale unfolds and romance blooms.
When single mom and journalist, Olivia, sets out to find romance in Cindy Arora’s “Cake Therapy,” she gets a little help from her friends and more than a few slices of cake to coax her off the couch and into the arms of a truly great love. Lucie Simone’s “Aprez Vous” finds success-driven Tara in Paris reminiscing of her long lost love, Jean Marc, and her niece bound and determined to reunite them. In “The Heart-Shaped Secret of Raspberry Jam” by Sue Watson, cake enthusiast, Milly, meets her match in the kitchen, and other places, when new owners take over the tea rooms where she works and her talents and her heart are put to the test. And Scott, mayor of a small seaside community, flirts with political suicide in Joel Zlotnik’s “Her Charms” when he falls for new-in-town Nicole, an entrepreneur with a passion for cupcakes, and whose latest venture proves a little too sexy for the sleepy beach town.
From San Francisco to Paris, from small towns to tea rooms, this anthology tempts readers with humor, style, romance, and the powerful aphrodisiac that is cake. Petit Four is four stories, frosted with love.

The cake theme really came through with the four stories, which I loved. Hey, who doesn't love cake? :) I think the idea was a fabulous one and I'm so glad these four authors came together to create this delicious collection.

The book starts with editor Lucie Simone's "Aprez Vous". The story takes place in Paris and, while I've never been there myself, the city almost becomes another character. I loved the relationship between Tara and her niece, Marissa. Actually, I'd really like to see a full novel about Marissa!

I can never read an anthology without picking a favourite and Cindy Arora's "Cake Therapy" was my favourite from Petit Four. There was something about Olivia's story that really grabbed me and I love the way Arora writes. 

"The Heart-Shaped Secret of Raspberry Jam" by Sue Watson was a lot of fun. I loved reading about the transformation of the tea room Milly works in. I found this story to be a bit...clunky. There were some weird repetitions at the start and I just felt really confused. The overall story was really sweet though (no pun intended!).

The collection concludes with Joel Zlotnik's "Her Charms", which takes place in a small town. I really appreciated the male perspective in a chick lit story (something there isn't enough of) and Scott and Nicole's love story was great to read about. I look forward to seeing what else Zlotnik writes.

Publisher Simon & Fig has another great short story collection because Petit Four is a winner. I really enjoyed every single story in this collection and think everyone should pick up this anthology. 

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Fig, for the purpose of this blog tour and in exchange for an honest review.*