Reviewer: Casee
Cake (Cake, #1) by J. Bengtsson
Narrator: Andi Arndt, Joe Arden
Series: Cake #1
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: May 14, 2016
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible Escape
Point-of-View: Alternating First
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 611
Length: 12 hours and 42 minutes
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Reading Challenges: Casee's 2019 GoodReads Challenge
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Series Rating:

Jake McKallister might have been a rock star, but he was no ordinary one. Surviving an unspeakable crime as a young teen had shaped him into a guarded workaholic, and he now lived his life trying to forget. If it hadn’t been for music and the redemption he found through it, he might not have survived. Career success came easily for him. Personal connections did not.

When outspoken, vivacious college student Casey Caldwell was paired with the famously reserved rockstar for a friend’s wedding, she was prepared for the worst. What could they possibly have in common? She was a bubbly talker; he was a reclusive loner. His life was filled with music; she couldn’t carry a tune. She’d enjoyed a happy childhood; his was a well-publicized nightmare.

Yet despite their obvious differences, Jake and Casey found each other, and her light balanced out his darkness. Would their love be strong enough to survive the weight of his tragic past?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a *full-length* standalone romance. Cake is a love story at heart but does deal with a sensitive topic and may not be for all. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of eighteen.

Cake is the first book in the Cake series. The series follows the McKallister family. This book is about Jake McKallister, the rockstar of the family. No really, he’s seriously a rockstar. Like, for real.

Casey Caldwell never thought she would be walking down the aisle with Jake McKallister. Yet that is exactly what she is doing when she is paired up with him at her friend Kate’s wedding to Jake’s brother. Casey is an easygoing person. She can tell a joke, likes pulling pranks, and is just generally funny. Tbh, her jokes and pranks got old after awhile. Casey and Jake really hit it off during the rehearsal dinner when Casey pranked Jake.

Jake is instantly intrigued by Casey. No one pranks him. Literally no one. There is no one in his life that is bold enough to try. Now he can’t get Casey out of his mind. Jake doesn’t normally do relationships, but he finds himself wanting more from Casey. They decide to keep in touch after the wedding and soon after that, Jake invites Casey to come on tour with him for two weeks.

Their relationship is going swimmingly until Jake’s past starts to come between them. Jake went through a horrific experience during his childhood. That experience has shaped his current relationships and his life as an adult. Jake doesn’t talk about it. He won’t talk about it. Casey accepts that to a certain point. It causes friction between the two until Casey wonders if their relationship can withstand he strain.

Cake was a love story between two people that didn’t see it coming. It was about moving on from the past. It was about healing. It was about fighting for something you knew was worth fighting for. I listened to this book on audio and the narrators were really good. I was instantly pulled into the book and listened to it in a few days.

I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Cake