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Lisa Maliga
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The Great Brownie Taste-off (The Yolanda's Yummery Series) Paperback – June 19, 2014

by Lisa Maliga (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 297 ratings
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Yolanda Carter comes from a family of artisans and lives in her deceased grandparent's cottage in Sherman Oaks, California. She works at a small cat shelter but dreams of owning a bakery. Her friend from high school, Teagan Mishkin, knows that Yolanda needs money and suggests better paying work as a cocktail waitress. The interview takes an unexpected turn and she stumbles across a scheme to close down the cat shelter. The plan Yolanda concocts may be the only way to save the shelter. Helped by her parents, coworkers and friends, a rising young blogger also takes an interest in her plight. Will she bake the best brownies of her life? BONUS ~ Includes the winning brownie recipe!
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 4
    The Yolanda's Yummery Series
  2. Print length
    160 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    June 19, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.37 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1499694512
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1499694512
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lisa Maliga has been writing ever since she learned how to put crayon to paper back in kindergarten. Since then, she has learned to type and uses a laptop, citing it as way more convenient. She still makes and uses her own soapy creations, and she sometimes bakes brownies, cupcakes, and cookies. You'll find more about her work at: http: //www.lisamaliga.com

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 19, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1499694512
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1499694512
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.37 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 297 ratings

About the author

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Lisa Maliga

Lisa Maliga

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**Please click FOLLOW on Lisa's author page to be notified of new releases!**

Lisa Maliga is an American author of contemporary fiction, psychological thrillers and cozy mysteries. Her nonfiction titles consist of how to make bath and body products with an emphasis on melt and pour soap crafting. When researching her cozy mystery, she discovered the art of baking French macarons. She continues to bake macarons, always trying new flavor combinations. When not writing, Lisa reads an assortment of books, takes photos, skates, and is working on a series of baking and soaping video tutorials.

You'll find more about her work at:

http://www.lisamaliga.com

http://lisamaliga.wordpress.com

http://pinterest.com/lisamaliga

Subscribe to the Discerning Readers' Newsletter http://eepurl.com/UZbE9

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
297 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mary A
5.0 out of 5 stars A very sweet book
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is indeed a very sweet book. The cover caught my eye instantly. The descriptions of the pastries made my mouth water.

Yolanda's character evokes sympathy. Maybe it's her hazel eyes; maybe her special talent. Her dream is to start her own bakery. Meanwhile, she works at a cat shelter.

I read the book in one sitting, it is very pleasing and easy to read, written in a fluent style.

A good choice to read over the weekend.
2 people found this helpful
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Sharon Gavala
4.0 out of 5 stars A nice Story
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2023
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The books was a nice story. A young woman with a skill for baking and a yummy brownie.Nice that she cared for cats in a shelter but also her own pets. The writer gave her a boyfriend but didn't go so overboard with sex and romance more realistic. Which made the story work. Worth the read and yes it makes you want some homemade brownies.
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?wazithinkin
3.0 out of 5 stars The Great Brownie Taste-off by Lisa Maliga
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2014
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I had a problem getting drawn into this story. Ms. Maliga spent way too much time describing scenes, apparel, and what street or route Yolanda took to work, her friend's house, or back home again. None of this moved the story forward and seemed to be added for word count value alone. Yolanda's boyfriend Zac was an egotistical slump who cared more about himself than anyone else. He holds himself in high regard being the golf pro at Green Palms Mini Golf Course. Yep, you got it. He is the pro at a putt-putt golf course. I found his arrogance off-putting and Yolanda's tolerance of his attitude did not sit well with me. This is not the kind of role-model I like to promote in books.

Yolanda could have been an interesting person if she had shown some emotion or a little backbone. She has a knack for baking and dreams of opening a bakery of her own. It will be called Yolanda's Yummery because everything she bakes is yummy. The Brownie Taste Off gains her some notoriety and temporarily helps the cat shelter. There is more going on than meets the eye with Whisker, Yolanda's newest cat that she adopted from the shelter. This storyline could develop into something bringing in an element of fantasy to the tale.

Yolanda's brownie recipe is included at the end of the story, however there is one secret ingredient that is withheld. It seems to be a "magical" something that was left by her grandmother in the back of the spice cabinet.

Format/Typo Issues: I found no significant proofing errors.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy.** December 4, 2014
8 people found this helpful
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Lisa Rumsey
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2019
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Excellent book Reading this book I love the subject brownies I love brownies great great romance book loved it love it love it
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly entertaining...
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2017
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Normally I love a good murder mystery but I was captured by Yolanda's innocence. She trusted in the good in everyone. I look forward to reading the next installment.
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Maria
2.0 out of 5 stars Boring to me
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2015
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It's a nice idea, a book advocating for homeless cats in the main plotline. It wasn't very well written, there were too many long involved boring descriptions of cleaning the cat shelter and other things. It felt like the author couldn't decide what she wanted the book to be, normal or paranormal. The bits with "dreams" of the shelter cat and the ever-replenishing secret ingredient weren't fully fleshed, though maybe that happens in the sequels.
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Sharon
4.0 out of 5 stars If you love chocolate and cats then you will love this book.
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
Read from June 24 to 27, 2015

(E-book was gifted by the author in return for honest review)

Yolanda Carter, has a passion, that passion is baking. From an early age she has always loved to create food that delights the senses and whets the appetite. She dreams of opening her own shop and it is her dream that helps her stumble on a plot to shut down a cattery where she works to help look after and find homes for her furry feline friends. A friend of Yolanda's suggests that she applies for a job in a bar to help realise her dream. When she goes to apply for a job, the owner unknowingly hands her a letter, with information on plans to turn the cattery into a factory for pre-made desserts and cakes. With the help of a cat called Mr Whiskers, Yolanda sets out to create the best brownies anyone has ever tasted, and save all her furry friends in the process.

There are so many things that I loved about this story about creating delicious treats, and cats. The characters were extremely well written and the story moved along at a steady pace. The main theme throughout is about sticking up for what is right and doing everything in your power to uphold those beliefs. I also loved the character Mr Whiskers, the use of dreams to get his message across to Yolanda, in my opinion, was an extremely clever idea by the author. It is lovely to read stories where you know that the ending is going be a happy one, but you enjoy the journey that the characters take. It leaves you with a warm feeling in your heart and a yearning for chocolate.

There were some aspects of the book that I feel the author could have written differently, one example of this is the relationship between Yolanda and her boyfriend. It seemed slightly under developed. They are a couple that has been together for over a year, but it comes across as more of a friendship than an actual relationship. When he throws a tantrum Yolanda doesn't do anything to defend herself, it is almost like she shrugs it off as normal behaviour. To me it felt like she was a very weak character at the point in the story, not capable of standing up to him when in other parts, she comes across as a strong woman with great vision. I am not sure if this is because this is the first book in the series and there will be more about them in other books.

If you are a fan of cats and food, then this is definitely a book worth checking out.

Bonus material: Brownie recipe that Yolanda makes to save the cattery...minus the secret ingredient
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Top reviews from other countries

Rozietoez
5.0 out of 5 stars no chance of being "Browned" off with this book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2014
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Yum Yum I loved this book you could almost smell the Brownies as they cooked. The slightly mystical references made the story even more enjoyable. Cats and Cupcakes, good verses bad , love and laughter. What more could you want from a yummy book.
2 people found this helpful
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BookReader
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Australia on February 4, 2016
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good read
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M. Leitch
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story with hints of fairy tale?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2015
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A very readable book but, in places, it's very corny too. I read it with enthusiasm but, without spoiling the story for others, there were about three parts of the story-line that are a bit fairy tale(ish). You can see it building up but it still keeps you reading - in case it isn't leading in that direction!
However, still a good read and I would read another of her books to find out if that is her style or if the fairy tale element was just part of this book.
This was my first Kindle book too and it was an enjoyable read, despite the very short corny sections. Having said that, it would have altered the story hugely to replace the corny bits. .
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer R
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2016
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Loved it :) recommended to anyone who enjoys a chic lit with light hearted themes. Easy to read and you want to read on
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LGS
2.0 out of 5 stars Boring
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
It seemed very slow to get started and the dialogue was very stilted. The characters didn't seem to have developed - though Yolanda seems very well meaning. I didn't like the sound of the cat shelter - where they just wandered around freely. Ended up skim reading and clicking through the story.
2 people found this helpful
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