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Sugar & Shadows by Daphne Elliot is a captivating, high-stakes romantic suspense novel that blends small-town charm with intense enemies-to-lovers dynamics.
Book Description
Rule #1: Never work with your enemy.
Rule #2: Definitely don’t sleep with him either
Rule #3: Never get emotionally invested in your quirky small hometown.Unfortunately, I’ve broken all three rules…
When a career-ending scandal sends me back to Maplewood, Vermont, I need to lay low and figure out my next steps. Instead, I find my hometown in crisis. The local economy is struggling, the beloved Maple Festival has been stolen by a rival town, and I’m forced to work side by side with Mayor Gabriel Harding, my childhood rival and the town’s optimistic hometown hero.
Helping Gabe save Maplewood should be simple. I’m a political strategist. He’s a small-town mayor. Together, we’re supposed to save Maplewood.
The problem? Gabe refuses to see me as the villain I think I am. Every time I push him away, he fights harder for me, for this town, and for the future neither of us imagined. Somewhere between arguing over town budgets, getting snowed in together, and one ill-advised one-night-stand, our enemies-to-lovers rivalry turns into an unexpected pregnancy.
Apparently, saving a small town requires public humiliation, emotional vulnerability, forced proximity … and an alarming amount of maple syrup.
As I fight to bring the Maple Festival back to town, I uncover a dangerous corporate conspiracy, become the target of powerful enemies, and discover someone wants Maplewood to fail.
Now we’re fighting for our town, our future and the family we never saw coming.
Because falling for my enemy was never part of the plan.
Neither was becoming a family.
About Daphne Elliot
In High School, Daphne Elliot was voted “most likely to become a romance novelist.” After spending the last decade as a corporate lawyer, she has finally embraced her destiny. Her small-town steamy novels are filled with flirty banter, sexy hijinks, and lots and lots of heart.
Daphne is a coffee-drinking, hot-sauce-loving introvert who spends all her free time in her garden. She lives on a small farm in New England with her husband, two kids, two dogs, twelve backyard chickens, and a hive of Italian honeybees.
My Thoughts
The story follows Sabrina, a fierce and badass political strategist with major Olivia Pope and Leslie Knope vibes, who returns home to Maplewood, Vermont, to lay low after a career-ending scandal in DC. Instead of a quiet retreat, she finds her hometown in crisis—the local economy is struggling, a rival town has stolen the beloved Maple Festival, and a corporate conspiracy threatens everything. To make matters worse, she is forced to work side by side with Mayor Gabriel Harding, her optimistic childhood rival.
What begins as a prickly nemesis relationship—complete with hilarious moments like Sabrina throwing a taco at Gabe—quickly spirals out of control after an ill-advised one-night stand leads to an unexpected pregnancy. As Gabe steps up with intense, protective energy, proving he will do anything for Sabrina, the town, and their unborn child, their rivalry transforms into a deep, genuine bond. Eschewing a frustrating third-act breakup, the narrative focuses instead on effective communication, emotional vulnerability, and teamwork as they fight back against powerful corporate enemies.
Packed with delicious tropes like forced proximity, a he-falls-first dynamic, and accidental pregnancy, the novel also shines through its stellar secondary cast. Characters like Harper the tech genius, Meg the hacker, and Marigold the badass old lady add layers of humor and loyalty, while the underlying mystery keeps readers hooked from start to finish. Delivered with Daphne Elliot’s signature flair for suspense and heart, this delightful page-turner leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series.
Other books I've read by Daphne Elliot HERE!!
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