Sugar & Spice Series by Alexis Winter

When my best friend and I decide to open our dream bakery, Sugar & Spice, I expect endless nights of kneading dough and dusting sugar cookies with holiday magic.What I don't expect?My business-savvy bestie reaching out to Asher Mercer—Chicago's most eligible bachelor and the same guy who starred in all my high school daydreams.He's everything I remember—devastatingly handsome, wickedly charming—with a gaze that makes my knees weak and my pulse race faster than an industrial mixer... moreWhen my best friend and I decide to open our dream bakery, Sugar & Spice, I expect endless nights of kneading dough and dusting sugar cookies with holiday magic.What I don't expect?My business-savvy bestie reaching out to Asher Mercer—Chicago's most eligible bachelor and the same guy who starred in all my high school daydreams.He's everything I remember—devastatingly handsome, wickedly charming—with a gaze that makes my knees weak and my pulse race faster than an industrial mixer. I'm not that quiet girl hiding behind textbooks anymore, but sitting across from him in a high-stakes business meeting, watching him study my proposal like he's savoring the last bite of dessert, has my composure threatening to crack.Between building our business and perfecting every recipe these last few years, I've convinced myself that love is just another ingredient I don't have time to measure. But when Asher starts showing up more often with questions about dreams that have nothing to do with profit margins, I feel my carefully constructed walls beginning to crumble like an overbaked cookie.One kiss beneath the mistletoe at his company's holiday party changes everything. Now, with success finally within reach, I'm faced with an impossible choice: stick to my tried-and-true recipe for success, or risk it all on a taste of something sweeter.After all, some of the best desserts require turning up the heat. less

'Tis the season for second chances, and mine just walked back into my life wearing a perfectly tailored tux and a Scrooge-worthy scowl. Zane Mercer—the same bad boy who used to steal my dark chocolate espresso cookies in high school—is somehow even more delicious ten years later.Thanks to his younger brother Asher's generous investment and business mentoring, my best friend Ivy and I are finally opening our dream bakery in downtown Chicago... more'Tis the season for second chances, and mine just walked back into my life wearing a perfectly tailored tux and a Scrooge-worthy scowl. Zane Mercer—the same bad boy who used to steal my dark chocolate espresso cookies in high school—is somehow even more delicious ten years later.Thanks to his younger brother Asher's generous investment and business mentoring, my best friend Ivy and I are finally opening our dream bakery in downtown Chicago.Everything was sugar and spice until Zane started showing up, criticizing our plans while undressing me with those ice-blue eyes.I can't tell if he wants to shut us down or pin me under the mistletoe.Maybe it's the magic of the season, or maybe it's the way he keeps finding excuses to get me alone at holiday parties, but our heated arguments are starting to feel a lot like foreplay.Behind that frosty exterior, I catch glimpses of warmth.And when he threatens to stuff my stocking with coal for testing his legendary control? Well, suddenly being on the naughty list doesn't sound so bad.Everyone says mixing business with pleasure is a recipe for disaster.But as Christmas draws closer and the chemistry between us gets hotter than my bakery’s freshly baked gingerbread, I'm starting not to care what ends up in my stocking—as long as it's from him.This is book 2 in my sweet and spicy holiday duet, Sugar & Spice. less