Sweethand by N.G. Peltier

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! There's something so comforting about contemporary romance. I was excited when I heard about Sweethand because of the fun premise, it's a Black romance and it being by a Trinidadian author. Plus who can resist that gorgeous cover? So I was excited when I received an arc in exchange for review. And I'm a little biased because of the cultural connection I have to this story. And I know the author through the reviewer community. 

This is a dual pov story that follows Cherisse "Cherry", a pastry chef running her own catering business and Keiran, a local music producer. They've know each other since they were kids but never gotten along despite having the same friend group. With Cherry being the maid of honor in her sister's wedding and Scott being the best man they're forced to spend time together to help with planning. Cherry has sworn off dating men in the music industry after a bad breakup and very public meltdown with an ex but that doesn't mean she's against being friends with benefits.

I really enjoyed this one. Keiran and Cherry have a very easy chemistry and it helped that we see them building a genuine friendship first before acting on their attraction.  They're both also very passionate about their respective careers.  I also like that Keiran is very sensitive because you don't often see Black men written like this and within the culture it's expected for men to put up a tough front at all times. I'm very used to the man being more hesitant about his feelings but he was very sure of how he felt and there was more of a concern that Cherry would break his heart. 

The story takes place in Trinidad and Tobago and N.G. Peltier doesn't water down her characters identifies or overexplain phrases or terms that the non Trinidadian audience may not be familiar with. There's also plenty of mentions of good food that had my tummy rumbling. 

I enjoyed the group dynamic as well and I'm curious to see who the next book will be about. And as a small town romance lover it was giving me those vibes. This funny and steamy read was perfect snowy afternoon read.