Saturday, February 27, 2016

Frisked in Fondant by Nikki Duncan


A kiss by any other name would never taste as sweet as his.

When Gisella Sands isn’t busy creating magical wedding cakes, she shows the outside world the lighthearted, teasing manner that fools everyone, even her friends at Tulle and Tulips.

Once she’s home alone with her cats, the façade falls away. No one would guess that her tragic past is her only companion in the night. Or that this confectionary genius has never tasted the sweetness of a man’s kiss.

The less Kyle Riley talks, the more others fill the silence—a handy skill for a homicide detective, not so much for a social life. Dedicated to his job, he’s never been tempted to take more than one taste of any woman. Until he responds to a home invasion and finds Gisella, the bridesmaid he walked down the aisle at a friend’s wedding, bleeding on the floor.

In a heartbeat, all thoughts of keeping his professional distance disintegrate. But when the heat melts the walls guarding their secrets, their recipe for one perfect night could fall flat.

Warning: Contains a man who rarely strings more than fifteen syllables together, and a woman who can read him like a cookbook. When strong and silent meets sweet and bubbly, something’s bound to boil over.

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Book 6
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Samhain  Publishing



Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie☆☆☆☆
In such a short novel, there is no time for a happily ever after, but we do get a happy for now, which is better. The leads met a little while ago, and so have some history, which also makes the events much more believable. These things matter in shorter novels, as rushing is not always sexy. We get plenty of context and enough detail about their pasts to make this a well-rounded story. The snippets about Gisella's friends will have me reading more of these books, that is for sure.


Angela☆☆☆☆
Not having read any of the previous installments in this series or any of this author’s work, I still found myself unable to pass up Frisked in Fondant because the blurb was just too appealing. After finishing it, I’m very happy that I didn’t say no to it because Gisella and Kyle’s story proved to be even more enjoyable than I expected.

Even though it’s clear that the two are barely more than passing acquaintances, having been paired together in a mutual friend’s wedding, the connection between them is undeniable. But rather than creating an insta-lust or insta-love feel to the novella, Kyle’s presence gives Gisella a sense of safety and security she hasn’t experienced since her parents’ deaths when she was a child. That Gisella discover this when he’s called to the scene of a home invasion and discovers that she is the victim of an extremely violent attack proves tricky as he is the lead detective on the case. Duncan’s ability to establish such a powerful connection between the two without falling into the insta-love trap was quite impressive.

I enjoyed Kyle’s inner struggles as for the first time in his career, he was finding it impossible to keep his personal feelings out of his professional duties. I also enjoyed that while he did this, he didn’t suddenly become the overly sensitive male we frequently see in romances. He did have his moments of sensitivity, such as when he asked his father “How’s it make you feel when Mom walks in the room?” But they were along the lines I would expect of a man in his job and with the past the author provided, including the broken nose he delivered toward the end of the book. The sexual chemistry between them is steamy and I liked how the author treated Gisella’s inexperience. I was further impressed by how Duncan was able to make Gisella’s attack and tragic past powerful, without being graphic in the details. I might enjoy reading dark and violent romances, but it wasn’t appropriate for this one and I appreciated the authors decision not to take it there. The author’s handling of the crime spree felt realistic and I liked the way it played out. All in all, I found Frisked in Fondant to be a thoroughly enjoyable read, giving me more depth and character connection than I expected to find in a novella of its length, enough so that I found its length to be irrelevant as it was a whole story. I look forward to checking out the other books in the Tulle and Tulips series.



Days once filled with heart stopping puppy chases and aborted hangings of Vampire Barbie now resound with the high notes and low notes, the trills and vibratos, and the dynamics of two budding musicians in the hectic life of Nikki Duncan. The athletic equestrian turned creaky jointed author is drawn to the siren song of a fresh storyline.

Nikki Duncan plots tragedies over breakfast, sexual adventures over lunch and turns to sensual phrases after dinner. Every story greets her with the anticipation and pleasurable excitement of unraveling her characters’ motivation and keeps her writing well past the witching hour.

The only anxiety and apprehension tormenting this author comes from pondering a heartfelt outcome to satisfy her characters and readers.

Nikki loves to hear from readers, so don't be shy.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Frisked in Fondant (Tulle and Tulips #6) by Nikki Duncan to read and review.

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