Such a sweet book.

Piper is the mayor of Honey Creek Texas and her boyfriend mysteriously disappears. Except - he's not her boyfriend. Her brother hires Colby, a Trooper, to come into town and investigate the disappearance quietly. At the same time, Sam, a firefighter, comes into town pretending to be a traveling preacher following in his father's footsteps.

Piper adamantly refuses to acknowledge Colby and his persistent attempts to woo her but the townsfolk quickly support him in his efforts. Sam, still reeling from the death of the love of his life, refuses to acknowledge that he has feelings for April.

Then, there is Pecos. A local high school kid who drives for Uber but never really signed up with Uber. One night after a high school dance, the girl he's been infatuated with asks him to bring her home and their story begins there.

A cute, sweet, romantic story. ( )

*I was provided an advance copy of the book via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.*

I am a big fan of Jodi Thomas, particularly her contemporary romantic fiction stories. Set in charming small Texas towns that I want to spend time in, filled with interesting, relatable, and sometimes quirky characters, her stories bring a cozy comfort with a dash of intrigue.

Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café reminded me of her Laurel Springs series (The Little Teashop on Main and Mornings on Main) but with more quirkiness and more humor. If the mystery in this story played a more prominent role, I would daresay the style could be compared to a cozy, what with the quaint town, quirky characters, and romantic elements that remain clean.

The book alternates between four characters. The primary storyline is that of Piper Mackenzie, the dedicated mayor of Honey Creek who has found herself in a pickle. Colby McBride is the undercover detective sent by her brother, a Texas Ranger, to help find the missing fiancé. It’s a small town, and so to win the confidence of townfolk Colby pretends to be an old boyfriend in town to try to court Piper so that people will open up to him. The public interactions between Colby (with a put-on over-the-top optimistic and flirtatious persona) and Piper are among my favorites in the book.

A separate storyline belongs to fill-in preacher Sam Cassidy. His arrival in Honey Creek crosses paths with Colby McBride, but it isn’t until later in the story when their stories intersect. His character is quiet, filled with self-questioning, and introspection. He meets his match in Anna, a fiesty, loud, opinionated, and short-spoken whirlwind of a woman. She is completely not his type, and of course, he’s immediately intrigued – and her bold, bossy presence provides a bit of levity to his solemn persona. His story is one of soul-searching and personal growth, and both of them have baggage they need to overcome before they find each other.

The last storyline belongs to Pecos, a high school graduate who has big goals, and a simple but somewhat lonely life. He’s a fascinating character (and honestly, I almost would have loved for him to get his own book). When his character is first introduced, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how he fits into the bigger story, but by the end, his weaves in with the other two. By that point, I had fallen in love with his optimistic spirit and positive attitude, and I’d set aside the initial disconnect I felt between his story and the greater book.

One of Thomas’ strongest suits is character development, and it shines in this novel. Piper is the most solidly defined of the characters; she’s driven and direct, but little details show her softer side (like how she leaves her shoes in the office when she looks over the town from the parapet or her collection of soda cans in her office that reflect how much time she devotes to her job. Thomas has a lot of fun with Colby’s character, you can tell. Anna was another character that was a contrast in traits – defensive, colorful, chaotic, driven – and I hope we see more of her because she’s such a burst of personality.

I do love my happily ever afters and Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café delivers them in spades. Admittedly, Pecos’ HEA came in an unexpected manner (and this is where I wish we had more time to spend with his story), and Sam’s HEA was MORE than anticipated.

Additionally, the mystery of the missing sheriff and missing not-fiancé feel like MacGuffins, fading from focus in the second half of the book until the ending.

The book shifts gears at the end as the storylines come together and an unexpected bit of excitement occurs.
Breakfast at the Honey Creek Café is an easy book that provides a comforting escape and neatly tied up endings, something I definitely appreciated. I’m delighted by the characters and can’t wait to see what the next book brings to Honey Creek. ( )

I have seen many readers write about how much they loved Breakfast at the Honey Street Café. I am one of those who have too frequently discovered that books and movies do not live up to the flattering press and am disappointed when I do not feel an inkling of the mass love given to them. Jodi Thomas is a new to me author and I was thrilled to find that was not the case with this book. Yes, I was hooked from the very start.

Ms. Thomas has created a town I would love to visit. While the premise is centered around the disappearance of Boone Buchanan, the story is about life in Honey Creek and how the residents look out for one another. We also find several romances blossoming within this book.

Anyone who enjoys a blend of mystery and romance should enjoy this easy to read story.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing Corp. for my selecting me to receive an advance copy. No promise of a positive review was promised or requested. ( )

It was a slow start for me but did pick up the pace after several chapters. It was too predictable, even from the very beginning. Still, a good read and an enjoyable one. I did find it to be a good, heartfelt story that we all need occasionally. It is certainly one you need to go ahead and stay with if you feel it has a slow start. ( )

Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas. Piper Jane is mayor of Honey Creek. She hopes a rumor won't make her lose her job. Colby,a State Trooper hired by Poker's brother, is there to solve a scandal and protect Piper. A guy claiming Piper is his girlfriend disappears. Piper does not realize how much town loves her. Sam, a son of a preacher, also comes to town. There are ghost stories about the town
Danger flares all through story. Life is good and bad. But that makes it interesting. Suggest you read it. ( )