Hey there—look at you, finding me!
Welcome to my little corner of the internet. In case you stumbled in here looking for dessert recipes… sorry to disappoint. I’m J. (Jill) Bengtsson, author of The Cake Series. And while my books aren’t actually about cake (tragic, I know), they are rich, addictive, and occasionally leave you crying into a napkin.
So, what do I write? Contemporary love stories about 'real' people living extraordinary lives. You will root for them. You will love them. You will embrace their families as your own. But, most of all, you will remember them. My heroines are strong, nurturing, and quirky while my heroes are what dreams are made of—gorgeous, committed, and in need of a little saving. Set under the glittering lights of the West Coast entertainment industry, my novels are for the dreamer in all of us.
WHAT LASTS
CAKE SERIES • PREQUEL
Falling in love is the easy part.
It’s the late 80s when wealthy East Coast socialite Michelle Carver meets Scott McKallister, sun-crusted California local and frontman of an underground heavy metal band who flirts like he’s got nothing to lose. It’s instant chemistry. And when Scott promises a night she’ll have to lie about later, Michelle can’t resist.
“From the day I met Scott, life asked me to choose.”
Michelle’s status-obsessed family has plans for her that don’t include marrying down. When the secret romance is discovered, Michelle must decide between the future she was raised for and the man she’d risk everything to keep. Their story ends the way every romance promises: with a happily ever after.
But that was only the beginning.
Told across multiple eras, What Lasts is a story about love that survives beyond the honeymoon phase: when kids arrive, money gets tight, and real life moves in. Marriage isn’t about finding “the one,” or even learning to pee with the door wide open. It’s about choosing the same person, again and again. Scott and Michelle think they’ve figured that part out…
…until the day one of their children doesn’t come home.
FACEBOOK GROUP
I have a Facebook Page called the Banana Binder for readers who want a more behind the scenes look into the Cake Series.
As the name suggests, this is a lighthearted and enthusiastic group of Cake fans that freely share their input and ideas. We’d love to have you.