Review: 4.5 Stars
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 20, 2013
In Strawberries for Dessert, readers got to see workaholic Jon and flamboyant Cole fall head over heels for each other. Then, they saw them get interact with the rest of the Coda guys and get married in Paris A to Z. Now, Jon and Cole are a happily married couple who are ready to move to the next step: becoming parents. The journey to parenthood isn't easy (nothing ever is with these two), but it was worth all the emotions (happy and sad) by the end.These guys are one of my all-time favorite couples in all of romance and I was super excited to see Marie Sexton focus on them again. Both Jon and Cole were just as wonderfully complex when they were first introduced. I loved watching their different reactions to the journey to being fathers and how well things were lined up according to their personalities. Cole and the nursery was just heartbreaking while Jon's continued efforts to keep his spirits up made me smile.With the guys on their way to being fathers, it made sense to use this book to look deeper into their own experiences growing up. Readers already knew quite a bit about Jon's father George and how much things changed for them after Jon's mother's death. I liked how realistic their relationship was: never perfect, but full of love. It was also great that Sexton decided to have George's point of view during a key point in the story. His feelings for both guys are so well-written and it was nice seeing a different view on their unique dynamic.One of most intriguing parts of Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding for me was the resolution of the estrangement between Cole and his mother. She never appeared in earlier books in the series, but had a definite reputation. Marie Sexton is great at making sure her readers know that there are always multiple sides to every story and this particularly relationship was no exception. No one came out of their interactions looking like a saint and I appreciated it.All in all, this was a fabulously entertaining read that made me sigh with happiness by the end. I love rooting for characters to fall in love just as much as the next romance reader, but it was great to see a favorite couple developing a life together after the happily ever after. Jon and Cole's story comes to a conclusion in a wonderful, emotional way and I found it very satisfying.(less)