Queen B’s Decree: Oh, Fudge is more of a novella, and it’s a crossover between the Hot Cakes and the Boys of the Bayou series. It features Paige, Josie’s sister (from Making Whoopie) and Mitch, a Landry cousin from the Louisiana bayou.
Paige and Mitch had a hot one night stand six months ago, and yet they continue to stay in contact. When Mitch’s cousin’s fiancee is going back up to Iowa to acquire an alpaca, he tags along to help…and to see Paige again. While Mitch has always been good with no strings attached, he’s starting to realize he wants those strings with Paige. But Paige isn’t your typical romance novel heroine; she doesn’t like, nor want commitment. In fact, she’s prepping for something she calls a “year of aloneness,” even though she’s having a hard time forgetting and moving on from Mitch.
I loved Paige. I love a character that has boundaries and calmly enforces him. Truly, the way her family (and essentially her entire small town) treat her made my blood boil a little. I would like to normalize the fact that not every person needs a significant other or children to enrich their life. The fact that her family and town seems to think there is something wrong with Paige just because she doesn’t want to settle down and be married with children at the age of 22 doesn’t make her life meaningless. Please, let’s not make every romance novel epilogue include a pregnancy or children as that devalues those without. Can we just show a happily ever after with our hero and heroine living their best life?
Let me climb down from my millennial soap box. Back to Oh, Fudge. The writing was superb as always, and even with less pages I still felt like I got a great insight into both Paige and Mitch. Erin Nicholas is a wonderful writer that always catches my attention. Her characterizations never fail. Can’t complain about the heat factor either, as the chemistry between the two was magnetic and sizzling.
Truly, all this did was make me impatient for the conclusion of their story, Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour. Thank god for mulled wine this winter, I wouldn’t be able to survive the wait without it.
Book: Oh, Fudge by Erin Nicholas
Series: Hot Cakes #5
Genre: Contemporary
Hotness: medium-hot salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: prequel of sorts