Reviewer: Tina Cream Puff by Demaree Iles
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Date: June 15, 2016
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 136
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On the surface, Charlie LaRue is a nice guy with a pretty sweet life. He has a great home, a lasting marriage, and owns the best bakery in Ransom, Louisiana. But Charlie's not happy. When you've been pushed around your whole life, you either learn to deal with it or you don't; Charlie accepted that long ago as the cost of living. His acceptance, however, had a larger price than expected.
With his seventieth birthday fast approaching, a series of debilitating headaches have Charlie questioning his choices. He hardly sleeps anymore and hallucinates while struggling to make a wedding cake worthy of his daughter's lavish third wedding. Meanwhile his golden anniversary looms, and his insatiable wife and daughter continue to make more demands than ever.
A shadowy secret even Charlie is unaware of, however, is about to be revealed. Once unleashed—for good or evil—there will be consequences.
With a title like Cream Puff you would normally expect some lighthearted chick lit read that provides us with a predictable happily- ever- after kind of thing. This is not to say that this is a bad thing by any means, but if that is what you’re looking for you will be in for a shock because this is NOT that kind of story.
Our protagonist is Charlie LaRue, a good guy who is living a relatively ordinary life and runs a popular bakery in Louisiana. He is just about to turn 70 yrs old when he begins to have crippling migraines. He is also battling insomnia and finds himself hallucinating while hard at work on a wedding cake for his coddled daughter’s third wedding. He feels like he is going crazy.
Now you would think this man would be a cherished individual to his family, but quite the contrary. He is unjustly devalued by them and basically considered mainly a source of income to them.
By now I see you picturing a heart-wrenching tale of a mistreated soul, but believe me, this book is much more than that. It is actually a murder mystery. The book is an extremely short offering with only 136 pages and can easily be read in an hour or two. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is so exquisitely written. I found myself drawn to Charlie and filled with empathy for him. The content will stick with me for a long time I’m sure. So please don’t let the title fool you – you will definitely be missing out if you do.
I would like to thank the author for this touching story. I also have to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.