Welcome to Sugartown

Well Damn. I read this book on a recommendation from an author's website, and I am so glad I did. This book was fantastic. Elijah, please be my book boyfriend. I really love you. This man was wonderful, and not in fairytale kind of way. This was a real man with real problems who messes up and does his best to fix it. This book deserves 5 stars. Please read it, you won't be disappointed!

Over all, I enjoyed this book. The story line kept taking turns I was not expecting. First it's a bad boy romance, then a MC book, then takes a whole new turn. Each one took a little to adjust to, but over all you ended up with a great story.

ARC provided by author in exchange for honest review

****4.5 Sugar-Licking Sweet Stars****

Let me first off say, if Sugartown really existed, I would become the newest resident just to witness sexy bad boy tattoo Aussie biker, Elijah Cade walking around shirtless. Welcome to Sugartown by Carmen Jenner is one of those surprising debut books that totally sucked you in from the beginning to the end. This book had everything from sugar coated sweetness, humor, sexual chemistry, friendly banter, angst, dirty talks, sexual innuendos, and a surprising twist of events that will totally keep you hooked till the very end.

Welcome to Sugartown introduces nineteen year old Ana Belle, who grew up and has lived her whole life in Sugartown. Ana has been labeled the town whore/slut because her ex-boyfriend, Scott, spread these vicious awful rumors about her since she didn't want to give up her V-card to him. So she dreams of leaving Sugartown but due to family obligations of running her deceased mother's pastry shop/diner and taking care of her younger half-brother, Ana is stuck in a town where she wants nothing more than to pack up her bags and leave Sugartown behind.

The once boring Sugartown got a whole lot interesting when hot tattoo biker, Elijah Cade comes riding into town looking for a job at Ana Belle's dad's mechanic shop. Elijah is basically sex on a stick. He oozes sexiness and bad boy player is written all over him. Not only does he scream sex god but he has one dirty mouth.

" I want it. More than you know, but you can't just hand it to me on a silver platter. You should make me work for it, make me earn it."

Ana can't deny the sexual attraction she feels for Elijah. He tries to stay away from Ana knowing that she's a virgin and the boss's daughter. As much as he tries to stay away, Ana is like a magnetic pull for him. Ana's mind and body are traitors and refuses to listen once Elijah works his magic using his hands and mouth. Once these two finally accept that their sexual attraction is something that can't be stopped, they take you on one hell of a steamy dirty talking relationship.

Ana may be a virgin but this girl has sass and spunk written all over her. She does not take crap from anyone especially not from Elijah. Once their relationship was finally getting somewhere, Elijah's dark past and secrets are exposed. His past secrets was the driving force that led Ana to get hurt and scared. Let me tell you, Elijah is definitely no Saint . He has committed and done things that were a complete shock to me but he has atoned for his sins and mistakes. Like all bad boys trying to get back on track with their lives, he has found salvation and redemption in Ana. She is his ANGEL, his HOME.

Well Elijah's secrets is something that Ana cannot bring herself to forgive easily. Ana and Elijah's relationship can only be described as roller-coaster. The beginning is full of playful sweetness but once they reach the top of the roller-coaster everything comes crashing down with lots of twist and turns. Your heart will ache for both them after the traumatic experience Ana went through. Life in Sugartown was not so kind and sweet for Elijah and Ana but through perseverance these two clawed their way back out of the darkness.

What I like about this book was that Ana was able to fight back after the horrific ordeal she went through. As for Elijah, he was a character whom I loved right off the bat. Yes, he did things that had me screaming Why! and yet also had me rooting for him. The once bad boy biker was able to redeem himself. Life and love may not be picture perfect for Ana and Elijah but they truly belonged together. She was the Ying to his Yang. They had sexual attraction and chemistry that couldn't be denied or extinguish. Their relationship was simply scorching HOT.

The title of this book will certainly deceive it's readers because nothing about this book is light and fluffy. Welcome to Sugartown was simply just raw, sweet, intense, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. This book had a great cast of secondary characters who were just a riot of fun. Miss Carmen Jenner did a fantastic job for her debut book because she took her readers on one hell of a HOT STEAMY RIDE full of twist and turns!

I love everything Carmen Jenner!! This is one amazing series!!! I dearly loved it and read all 4 books in a matter of 2 days, that's how awesome they are. Characters are well developed and relatable (at times). I highly recommend this book/series to all !! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!!

Most books I read I have the whole storyline figured out by the 1st few pages, this was not one of those books! Sexy time and very funny dialogue I was expecting from what I had heard about this series, but some of the parts that tore my heart out I wasn’t. This book had all my emotions coming out and had me wishing for my own Elijah.

This was a rollercoaster ride. I loved it! The book starts out sweet and fun but then you get to the halfway point and boom! It takes you on a wild ride! It was gritty, romantic, sexy, and a bit heartbreaking. This is my first book by this author but won’t be my last.

5 Magnificent Stars! In this heart-pounding and addictive love story, Carmen Jenner will have you laughing, crying, and become so spellbound with these small town characters that you'll never want to leave. Who ever said small town living was boring has obviously never been to Sugartown.

"Thanks for the ride, Ana No Last Name."
"Welcome to Sugartown, Elijah Cade."

Sugartown is just a stop on the highway for people heading to somewhere else. Ana has lived there all her life and wants nothing more than to get away from the monotony and small town gossip. Her family owns the local diner and the auto shop. Since her mom passed away, she has been working at the diner making pies and helping to take care of her adorable little brother while her dad runs the garage. When her dad hires a new employee, things get much more interesting.

With the garage directly across the street from the diner, Elijah has ample opportunity to see Ana and for sparks to fly. Right away you can feel the sexually tension between them. Elijah is pretty irresistible, being the good looking, dirty mouthed, tatted up, charming bad boy that he is.

"You came strutting in here all cocky, with your dimples and your tattoos and your big brown eyes and expected us to swoon."
"Baby girl, if that's all it takes to make you swoon then you just wait `til you see what I do with my hands."

After a few more encounters, a drink here, a kiss there, things really start to heat up between Ana and Elijah. Then all hell breaks loose. The beginning of this story is all fun, sexy banter until we find out there is a whole lot more to Elijah Cade than meets the eye. I really don't want to give anything away but, he has a past and the past always has a way of catching up to you. Secrets, mistakes made by both him and Ana, and forces neither of them saw coming bring many obstacles for these two to overcome.

"I [messed] up, baby girl," I whisper. She nods and more tears roll down her face. I smooth them from her skin with my thumbs.
"Tell me how to fix it." Ana gently shakes her head. "I don't think you can."
"Yes I can. I can fix this," I say resolutely. "I'll put us back together with my bare hands, just don't walk away. No more secrets, no more mistakes."

This book shocked the hell out of me. Looking at the original cover (the cover was changed a few days prior to release) I was thinking this was going to be a light, fluffy, cute romance. I mean, come on, it's called, Welcome to Sugartown. How can I not expect something sweet? I couldn't have been more wrong. Like I said, it starts out sexy, snarky and fun but then it gets really gritty. There are some really dark moments in this.

I wasn't expecting the depth this story brought. My heart hurt and broke, raced with anticipation; I had major anxiety and was on the edge of my seat. It packed a huge punch in the emotion department. There were a couple different moments that had me on the verge of tears. The author really didn't hold back. I felt like I was RIGHT THERE with the characters.

"Hey." I tilt her chin up so she can read the sincerity in my eyes.
"There's never been a woman more beautiful than you, Ana." I press my lips to her forehead and smooth my thumb over her cheek to catch her tears.
"There never will be."

I have massive love for these characters. Ana was a great heroine, imperfect, strong, resilient. Elijah was of course hot as hell, with a bad streak, but surprisingly he had a lot of depth and damn did he fight for his girl. That gets me every time. The side characters, Ana's dad (Bob), best friend (Holly), brother (Sammy), and cousin (Jackson) added so much too. Plenty of laughs and witty dialogue to keep me thoroughly entertained.

Welcome to Sugartown is told in first person dual POV, by Ana and Elijah. I wasn't sold on Elijah's POV in the first 10% or so. It just felt a bit rocky to me. Then I don't know what happened, but it just clicked into place. There was never a dull moment and I was completely enthralled by the story from that point forward. I have been known to complain when there is too much going on a story. Somehow everything just worked for me here. I felt like the pacing, the character development, the writing, it all balanced the story in such a great way.

So, do not let the cover or title fool you. All is not always so sweet in Sugartown. I am completely and totally impressed with this. It blew my expectations out of the water. It brings the hot, searing chemistry, snarky banter, surprising plot twists, and intense emotion. I am so proud of Carmen Jenner for writing such a phenomenal debut novel and I can't wait for the next book and get more of Holly's story.

4.5 stars!

This book was better than I expected. The emotional rollercoaster for Ana was mind blowing,and Elijah that poor guy deserved a break. I just like how the story was told the friendships between the characters was spot on. (Who wouldn't want friends to stick by one another like that.) Great job Carmen Jenner can't wait to read more.

this friggin book! just, holy s**t!!! so so great, I loved everything even when I wanted to throw my phone across the room & bawl my eyes out cause my heart was breaking. and Elijah Cade?! I mean come on! the perfect book boyfriend in his own damaged, a**holian way!!! Carmen Jenner has a new fan for life!!

This book was amazing. It first caught me from the beginning and I couldn't let it go. I savored the story took my time. It was hard because it was sooo good! Story took a lot of turns which keeps you wanting more. Looking forward to more sugartown.

Welcome to Sugartown is a sexy, fast-paced, action-packed ride served with a side of pie, sweat, and oil. I would describe the book as Pushing Daisies meets Sons of Anarchy meets Hart of Dixie. Carmen Jenner has created a memorable cast of characters in her debut novel, the first book in the Sugartown series.

Welcome to Sugartown begins with 19-year old Ana Belle going about her normal day, managing her family's pie shop with her best friend, Holly. The story is set in Sugartown, a small speck on the map of big ole Australia, and is surrounded by sugar cane fields. Sugartown is your typical podunk middle-of-nowhere-ville. Ana Belle dreams of leaving behind her boring, small-town life for new possibilities and better things - "bigger cities and open-mindedness." But they're just dreams, so she she stays doing the job her family carved out for her - making pies and making customers' tummies happy.

Her mother passed away from cancer, but her father remarried to a much younger woman who is closer to Ana Belle's age than to her father's (Ana Belle names her the "dragon" which I thought was really funny). Ana Belle is basically left to raise her 5-year old half-brother, Sammy, while her father and step-mother do whatever it is they do.

Ana Belle has a reputation in Sugartown as the "town bike" (everyone gets a ride). What was disappointing to me was that her father believed those rumors. The reader finds out that Ana Belle is most certainly not the "town bike". She's actually a virgin.

Then Elijah Cade swaggers into her shop and turns her world upside down and inside out and makes her heart stop.

Elijah Cade is a man with a past, a flirty smile, lots of tattoos, and a disgustingly hot body. He's a "love 'em and leave 'em" type, traveling from town to town and living a sort of transient lifestyle. Elijah is Ana Belle's father's newest employee and mechanic at "Bob's Bikes an Auto" across the street from the pie shop. From the moment he sees Ana Belle in her waitress uniform, sparks fly between them.

"Ana, this is exactly why you need a distraction like Elijah. Between Sam, your dad, the dragon and the shop you have too much stress in your life. If you don't blow off a little tension, you're gonna explode! And I am not cleaning up chunks of Ana from the shop floor."

After their initial meeting, which was full of hilarious and flirty banter, neither cannot stop thinking about the other. Unable to sleep, Ana Belle distracts herself by staying up all night making pies in her underwear. Meanwhile, Elijah can't stop dreaming about Ana Belle's tatas. Ana Belle reluctantly agrees to go on a date with Elijah, a date that ends with a hot, searing kiss and an attraction that neither of them can deny.

"When I do finally get you naked beneath me-and trust me, it's not a question of if, but when-I'm going to make sure you haven't so much as looked at a drink. I want you to remember everything I do with my hands and my lips and my tongue."

Elijah is really hesitant and cautious to start anything with Ana Belle because he recognizes that she is different from the flings and one-night stands of his past, not to mention the fact that Ana Belle's father threatened serious bodily harm upon him if he hurt her. He tries to stay away from her, but she is not about to let that happen. Their relationship progresses quickly and both of them develop feelings for each other.

"I breathe his breath, he breathes mine. Our eyes are locked, our bodies move into one another, and then, when his mouth meets mind, it's like we both come apart. I taste his whiskey on his breathe. Whiskey and need."

Then Elijah's past comes back to haunt him and, consequently, Ana Belle and crazy things start to happen. At this point, the tone of the book changes along with Elijah and Ana Belle's relationship. The book takes a really dark turn. I won't reveal what happens. But things change dramatically.

The latter half of the book was very different from the first half of the book. The first half was light and fluffy and had this romantic comedy vibe to it with Ana Belle's sharp wit and Elijah's dirty internal monologue. Whereas in the second half, there was a lot of action, plot twists and several very emotional and traumatic events that change the course of the characters' lives.

There were elements of this book that I really liked and several things I took issue with and really didn't like.

I really, really enjoyed Ana Belle and Elijah's witty banter back and forth. Ana Belle's voice was very quirky and funny and I liked her as a character, for the most part. I practically melt to the floor when Elijah calls Ana Belle "baby girl". Normally, I'm not a pet name kind of girl, but I thought that was a really sweet nickname and I could totally picture him half smirking and saying that to her. I admired Jenner's writing style. She did a great job at describing the small-town setting and the motorcycle club culture.

There were several elements of the story that just didn't work for me. The first is a personal book peeve (book pet peeve) of mine - that being instalust. Both Ana Belle and Elijah were insanely attracted to each other from the get go. I don't have a problem when two people have that sort of instant attraction. That happens all the time in books. What I don't like, and didn't like, is when the attraction is really the only thing between them and forms the basis of the relationship. That is what happened in this book, at least initially. In fact, the first 15-20% of the book was both of them fighting their attraction for each other and telling the reader how hot the other person is. It was a repetitive and a little much for me. It wasn't long (12%) before Elijah was saying, "Why the hell can't I walk away?" And I was left wondering how he could feel that way so soon. Neither of them had had any meaningful interaction for him to form this opinion of her, which leads me to my second issue.

From the reader's perspective, there was hardly any "get to know you" time on the page. What I mean by that is, the reader didn't get to see the couple learn more about each other, nor was it alluded to that they had spent time together "off the page". I'm not saying that Elijah needed to court Ana Belle and go on chaperoned dates. I'm also not saying that there needed to be this long drawn out "will they or won't they" period. I simply wanted them to learn more about each other. I have a really tough time loving the couple when it's just meet, lust, attraction, fooling around, deeper feelings with no real foundation. Their "relationship" was a little too fast-paced for my liking. Perhaps, it was because the author wanted to establish their relationship quickly in order to get to the more emotional parts. Eventually, Ana Belle and Elijah got to know each other and this was no longer an issue, but I really wanted that in the beginning of the relationship instead of descriptions of her "tits".

I felt like the amount of drama in the latter half was a little over the top. So much happens, like A LOT happens all at one time, to the point where I felt like it was just too much. Additionally, Ana Belle started to get on my nerves in the second half. Elijah does something that Ana Belle has a hard time getting over. I get it. He made a mistake, but what he did after he made that mistake was a tremendous show of love and twisted adoration. And yet she still refused to even talk to him. Her reaction was a little unwarranted, especially after what Elijah did for her and the punishment he endured (emotionally and physically). The last 10 percent of the book was really rushed and the book ended very abruptly. I would have liked some falling action after the emotional ending, like an epilogue or another chapter.

On a final note, there is cheating (sort of, it's a gray area) in this book. If cheating is something you have a strong issue with, then you may want to take that into consideration before you decide to read this book. Personally, I have no issue with cheating in books, so what happened didn't bother me. I just thought I would give those of you who do have issues with it a heads up.

If you don't have a problem with the things I took issue with, then this book could be a 4 or 5-star read for you. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to the "love" level with this book. Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing what happens in the next installment of Jenner's Sugartown series.

Welcome to Sugartown started out light and fun. The middle was sad, heartbreaking at times and very serious. I happily got an HEA ending, it was funny while dealing with the aftereffects of the serious. I love the tease of how hilarious the next book has potential to be. I am so on watch for this series.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting and kept drawing me back to it every time I put it down. The writer does a wonderful job with the characters, you fall in love with them and hate them too. Very well written. Highly recommend. Please say there is more to come from these characters.

My parents are both trained pastry chefs. So I should know how to bake a pie. But I can’t even boil water without looking up instructions (true story). After this story, I’m so tempted to become Betty freaking Crocker if it meant that Elijah Cade would eat my pie.

Oh - you’ve read this story? You want to bake pies for Elijah as well? I DON’T SHARE!

I really Really REALLY liked this story. It started out innocent enough. Ana lives in Sugartown with her family and runs the pie shop, right across from her dad’s garage. It’s a very small town, with all the fixings you’d expect to go along with it; the pretty boys that are douches, the gossips that encourage defamation, and no real way out.

And in rides Elijah. Because he shows up on a bike, is gorgeous, and tattooed to the high heavens, you know there’s a story, and you better believe it will be a good one. That is, if he ever lets anyone close enough to discover it.

Him and Ana together are hot. If you read the synopsis, you know she's, uh, innocent. And, well, he’s ridden his bike around the block more than a few times. But it still works for them. As their relationship progresses, you slowly learn a bit more of Ana and Elijah as individuals. You being to hope that our boy gets his head out of his arse quickly enough before it starts to diminish hope of an HEA.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Up until this point, I was so taken in by the witty banter; the lightheartedness of it all. And then, all goes to s*** in the story.

Some people like some warning that crap is about to go down. I couldn't care less. As long as I like the story before and after the pivotal moment, the main characters can turn into kangaroos for all I care (HA! — Because I read this books while practising my Aussie accent, I just had to).

I’ll try not to give anything away during the rest of this review, so I beg for your forgiveness for making all this very vague.

Elijah has one hell of a past. And it literally catches up to him. Like any hot-as-f***, brooding, complicated man, he chose not to share that part of himself with Ana. And to say that she’s confronted by it in a horrific manner is really an understatement.

Persistence seems to be a theme after this point, but things aren’t looking for great. I’m praying that this is not one of those WTF cliffhanger books. I mean, I can handle those once in a while, and yesterday was not the day. Then our Elijah does something dumb. I mean really dumb. At this point, I was taking my glass of chocolate milk, raising it in the air, and drinking for Australia (it will all make sense!). I don’t drink, but I was praying to the chocolate-gods to give me strength to get past this point.

Ana and I chose different paths when it came to dealing with Elijah’s dummery (give me a break — sometimes words need to be made up). Sure this was added to a list of flaws, but when you choose not to lay claim, you can’t *itch about it either.

Then the author went somewhere I didn’t think she would. And it broke my heart. It actually had me taking a breather, because long gone were the days of laughing and blissful sighing. The events after ward were fully warranted, but it only broke me further.

Through all this, I have to admit that I fell in love with Holly (the best friend), Bob (Ana’s dad), Jackson (Ana’s cousin), and Sam (Ana’s brother) more than I ever thought I would. They got me through parts of the book where I wasn’t sure anyone could shine a bit of sunshine on.

THEN MY BATTERY DIED ON MY EREADER AS THEY WERE SHARING M&Ms! Panic rocketed through me. This is not how it was going to end! At 11:45pm EST, I was tearing through the house looking for an extra charger.

With 3% battery, I finished the story of Elijah and Ana. I rate books based on whether I think they are worthy of physical space on my bookshelf.

I will allocate 4 spaces to Welcome to Sugar Town - 1 paperback for me, 1 to lend out, 1 as a back up, and 1 in the event I ever meet Carmen Jenner and grow a pair to ask for a signature.

Wow, not at all what I expected.

Honestly, this book took me by surprise in a good way. I saw it debut on GR last night and thought it sounded good, but didn't dive too far into the reviews (Yeah, I'm also a sucker for a great cover). What I thought was destined to be a light, sweet and humorous novel evolved into a much grittier and at times heartbreaking story. The twists and turns of the story took me by surprise and pulled me deeper into the emotions of the characters. Our Hero and Heroine face incredibly heavy issues. Although, I didn't necessarily like the way they dealt with those blows I still kept rooting for them.

Welcome to Sugartown had me hooked up until the bitter end. I was reading like a maniac all the way to 99% but willing the book to go slower so it wouldn't end.

Because I didn't do my research before devouring this book I wasn't aware it is not a stand alone. This is a good and bad thing for me. I usually avoid reading ahead of a series. Now I have to wait until 2014 to get the rest of the story. AND, there is most definitely more story to be told. Carmen Jenner doesn't leave us hanging by a thread but she does a pretty darn good job of tying up a few loose ends while also gearing us up for craving book two. Of course, on the bright side, at least there is more Sugartown on its way and that is truly something to look forward to.

I am in for the long haul.

There really aren't many words to describe this book. A few might be: amazing, phenomenal, OMG, couldn't put it down, emotional, and LOVE. I finished this book in less than a day. Warning though - this book is NOT for the faint of heart. It wil suck you in and leave you reeling. Not a cliffhanger!!

Hot hot hot....hurtful truthful love story. I cried right along with all the characters. I just finished reading and I feel wrenched. Wretched. Revitalized. Loved every second. The only thing I wished were different was that Ana would have had another good And worthy partner instead of what she got.

My parents are both trained pastry chefs. So I should know how to bake a pie. But I can’t even boil water without looking up instructions (true story). After this story, I’m so tempted to become Betty freaking Crocker if it meant that Elijah Cade would eat my pie.

Oh - you’ve read this story? You want to bake pies for Elijah as well? I DON’T SHARE!

I really Really REALLY liked this story. It started out innocent enough. Ana lives in Sugartown with her family and runs the pie shop, right across from her dad’s garage. It’s a very small town, with all the fixings you’d expect to go along with it; the pretty boys that are douches, the gossips that encourage defamation, and no real way out.

And in rides Elijah. Because he shows up on a bike, is gorgeous, and tattooed to the high heavens, you know there’s a story, and you better believe it will be a good one. That is, if he ever lets anyone close enough to discover it.

Him and Ana together are hot. If you read the synopsis, you know she's, uh, innocent. And, well, he’s ridden his bike around the block more than a few times. But it still works for them. As their relationship progresses, you slowly learn a bit more of Ana and Elijah as individuals. You being to hope that our boy gets his head out of his arse quickly enough before it starts to diminish hope of an HEA.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Up until this point, I was so taken in by the witty banter; the lightheartedness of it all. And then, all goes to s*** in the story.

Some people like some warning that crap is about to go down. I couldn't care less. As long as I like the story before and after the pivotal moment, the main characters can turn into kangaroos for all I care (HA! — Because I read this books while practising my Aussie accent, I just had to).

I’ll try not to give anything away during the rest of this review, so I beg for your forgiveness for making all this very vague.

Elijah has one hell of a past. And it literally catches up to him. Like any hot-as-f***, brooding, complicated man, he chose not to share that part of himself with Ana. And to say that she’s confronted by it in a horrific manner is really an understatement.

Persistence seems to be a theme after this point, but things aren’t looking for great. I’m praying that this is not one of those WTF cliffhanger books. I mean, I can handle those once in a while, and yesterday was not the day. Then our Elijah does something dumb. I mean really dumb. At this point, I was taking my glass of chocolate milk, raising it in the air, and drinking for Australia (it will all make sense!). I don’t drink, but I was praying to the chocolate-gods to give me strength to get past this point.

Ana and I chose different paths when it came to dealing with Elijah’s dummery (give me a break — sometimes words need to be made up). Sure this was added to a list of flaws, but when you choose not to lay claim, you can’t *itch about it either.

Then the author went somewhere I didn’t think she would. And it broke my heart. It actually had me taking a breather, because long gone were the days of laughing and blissful sighing. The events after ward were fully warranted, but it only broke me further.

Through all this, I have to admit that I fell in love with Holly (the best friend), Bob (Ana’s dad), Jackson (Ana’s cousin), and Sam (Ana’s brother) more than I ever thought I would. They got me through parts of the book where I wasn’t sure anyone could shine a bit of sunshine on.

THEN MY BATTERY DIED ON MY EREADER AS THEY WERE SHARING M&Ms! Panic rocketed through me. This is not how it was going to end! At 11:45pm EST, I was tearing through the house looking for an extra charger.

With 3% battery, I finished the story of Elijah and Ana. I rate books based on whether I think they are worthy of physical space on my bookshelf.

I will allocate 4 spaces to Welcome to Sugar Town - 1 paperback for me, 1 to lend out, 1 as a back up, and 1 in the event I ever meet Carmen Jenner and grow a pair to ask for a signature.

Wow, not at all what I expected.

Honestly, this book took me by surprise in a good way. I saw it debut on GR last night and thought it sounded good, but didn't dive too far into the reviews (Yeah, I'm also a sucker for a great cover). What I thought was destined to be a light, sweet and humorous novel evolved into a much grittier and at times heartbreaking story. The twists and turns of the story took me by surprise and pulled me deeper into the emotions of the characters. Our Hero and Heroine face incredibly heavy issues. Although, I didn't necessarily like the way they dealt with those blows I still kept rooting for them.

Welcome to Sugartown had me hooked up until the bitter end. I was reading like a maniac all the way to 99% but willing the book to go slower so it wouldn't end.

Because I didn't do my research before devouring this book I wasn't aware it is not a stand alone. This is a good and bad thing for me. I usually avoid reading ahead of a series. Now I have to wait until 2014 to get the rest of the story. AND, there is most definitely more story to be told. Carmen Jenner doesn't leave us hanging by a thread but she does a pretty darn good job of tying up a few loose ends while also gearing us up for craving book two. Of course, on the bright side, at least there is more Sugartown on its way and that is truly something to look forward to.

I am in for the long haul.

There really aren't many words to describe this book. A few might be: amazing, phenomenal, OMG, couldn't put it down, emotional, and LOVE. I finished this book in less than a day. Warning though - this book is NOT for the faint of heart. It wil suck you in and leave you reeling. Not a cliffhanger!!

Hot hot hot....hurtful truthful love story. I cried right along with all the characters. I just finished reading and I feel wrenched. Wretched. Revitalized. Loved every second. The only thing I wished were different was that Ana would have had another good And worthy partner instead of what she got.

I really enjoyed this book. I became so wrapped up Elijah and Ana life seemed to go on without me. I found myself picking my Kindle and sneaking pages in.

What a rollercoaster of emotion, I found myself loving and hating Elijah at the same time. You have to read this book. I loved it!

I could not put this book down, read straight through. I loved the characters, Ana, Elijah, Holly, Jackson and Sammy. Even Bob tugged at my heartstrings. This book had me laughing and crying and definitely hanging out for the next one. 6 Star winner.

So I'm most certainly in love. Carmen Jenner delivered something that was funny, real, not a HEA but is, some tough circumstances, but you know what I loved this book.

Ana runs her mother's diner since she died, takes care of her adorable little step brother Sam all while her dad runs his Motorcycle shop across the street. At 19 she should be out and about, leaving Sugartown behind because it's nothing more than a stop of the road to somewhere else.

Elijah is coming to Sugartown to get away from his past and make a new start. OR at least be the place to stay a while before he moves on. He's had a rough past, he's hot, tall, and looking to stay out of trouble. Ana and Elijah are funny together and of course belong together.

Secrets have a way of ripping relationships apart. However for these two secrets and their pasts may put their relationship through to much they can't survive. It is such an amazing journey for the two. It's not happy lovey dovey, but showing how no matter what you go through, loved ones will help you through. They will be there, and even if your loved one is the cause, they still will be there to protect, care, and love you.

Quite simply I loved it!

After looking at the cover and reading the synopsis, I wasn't expecting what I got. This book takes twists and turns that I never expected, in the most wonderful way. Carmen Jenner has really outdone herself with this one, I can't wait to see what she has for us next.

This book had me laughing out loud at certain parts, and clutching my Kindle at other parts. I really liked Elijah, but Ana really got on my nerves! I can't stand reading about girls, who can't make up there mind. And her best friend Holly, was annoying also.

I absolutely loved this book. There was just enough sugar and sass to make me wish I really knew Ana and Holly and enough spice to make me wish I could google Elijah. It was a great story and now I can't wait to delve into #2

You will experience highs and lows reading this book, but it's so worth it. Your heart will break for Ana, Elijah and even Holly. But just as this book tears you apart, it will also put you back together. It's well written and very real. Be prepared to feel...

Just WOW!! This story really hit home for me. It's beautifully written...even the hard, heart stopping pages. You will laugh, get pissed,then laugh again. Character wise, they are all spot on.

This is a story I will read over & over.

I really loved and enjoyed this book. I really loved and enjoyed the chemistry between the characters. And can't decide which couple I like more Ana and Elijah or Jackson and Holly. Both were funny and just so lovable.

That was so crazy good!!! Crazy being the main description when reviewing this book :). The story line was different than I am use to reading with the motor cycle club and being that they were Australian but it just made it that much cooler. The characters were awesome! There were times when I wanted to smack them and then cry for them- loved them all!! The emotions and events seemed extrememly researched and accurate. I was so excited to read this with the amazing reviews it received and it didn't disappoint. Welcome to Sugartown is fast paced, interesting, HOT, emotional, romantic, and unique. I may go crazy waiting for Jackson and Holly's story!!!

Awesome!!
This book keeps you going from start to finish, unable to put it down.
The good girl with a bad rep and the hot new guy in town have so much chemistry they sizzle!
The ending leaves you NEEDING book 2 in this fantastic series.
Highly reccommended!!

Who said small towns were boring! Loved the storey and the twisted mind of Carmen (don't be offended you have to be a twisted mind to fully appreciate your greatness) told in true Aussie style that had me laughing out loud like a Looney! The characters Ana & Elijah were smoking, but it was Holly's antics that tickled my funny bone so book 2 here I come!

Oh my GOD!!! I absolutely loved this book! I haven't been so absorbed in a book since I don't no when. I love the connection you got with these very real characters, as well as the quick paced story line that had me reading for hours on end just desperate to follow Anna & Elijah on their journey. As hard hitting as some of the content is - I found it extremly well written & totally captivating.
I will personally buy anything that this young Author puts out.
Well done Carmen Jenner - I believe you could have me bursting to read your shopping list! Thank you:) xxx Bring on number 2 please!

This is a small town story interwoven with the background of a Motorcycle Club. I loved the character development of Elijah who even with his flaws and a broken past, fights for his woman and a chance of a new life. Ana is a pretty girl that falls for her fathers new employee but soon finds herself in over her head. This starts out as a sweet story but quickly escalates into something more intense and less predictable. The plot twists are gut-wrenching and change the characters forever. This well written story is sexy and raw but it also ties in the love of friends and family and the idea of never giving up no matter the circumstances. I will be looking forward to more from this author.

This story takes some unexpected twists and turns that reals you in! I love Ana's strong will. Elijah is so darn swoon worthy but dark and broken all the same. Fantastic read! I hope we get more of these two characters!

Alpha male - yes. Strong female lead - yes. Funny complex supporting characters - absolutely. And enough mystery to keep reading. Strong mature writing. Definately a must read, I'll be looking for more from this author.

Loved the first book in the series especially like the main characters best friend, the book has some serious moments and isn't an easy love story but the journey the characters take and their story make it a good read.