Cake

 Set against the backdrop of star-studded Southern California, a large renowned family must reconcile with their shared traumatic past so that each might take a chance on love and find the happiness that eludes them.

CAKE: A LOVE STORY

CAKE SERIES • BOOK ONE

-A reclusive rock star going through the motions-

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.

-A vivacious college student embracing life-

When outspoken and fun-loving Casey Caldwell was paired with the famously reserved musician 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 media-shy 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.

-Their worlds are about to collide-

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?


THE THEORY OF SECOND BEST

CAKE SERIES • BOOK TWO

-A brother who lives his life in the shadows of greatness-

Kyle McKallister is the younger brother to one of the world’s most elusive and embattled celebrities. He has carved out a comfortable existence touring with his famous brother and living in the lap of luxury with no commitments or plans of his own, only a deep, haunting loyalty to his brother. But Kyle’s life is about to be shaken up when the opportunity comes to compete on a popular reality show.

-A sister who sets aside her dreams for the ones she loves-

Small town girl Kenzie Williams has come on the show for one thing only: to win. But when a disastrous start forces her to rely on an eclectic band of misfits, she finds herself immediately smitten with a handsome and mysterious cast mate.

-Pushed together by circumstance, two outcasts find love-

But life on the island is just a game. Can Kyle and Kenzie’s fragile spark survive the pressures of the real world?


FIERCELY EMMA

CAKE SERIES • BOOK THREE

Emma, older sister of renowned rock star Jake McKallister, has crafted a quiet existence for herself. Fiercely independent, scorned at work, and indifferent to relationships, she’s spent the past decade trying to move on from the crime that shook her family to the core. Living by a promise she made to herself as a distraught sixteen-year-old, Emma has sworn off marriage and children… until a chance encounter with a scruffy hitchhiker throws her orderly world into chaos.

A wild child raised in mayhem by a teenage mother, fearless Finn Perry cruises through life as the perennial nice guy. Now a struggling actor, he supports himself by performing daredevil stunts. At a crossroads in his life, one thing has always remained constant in his world: Finn’s desire to start the family he never had. The mystery woman who rescues him from the side of the road sure seems like the perfect person for the job.

But unfinished business from Emma’s troubled past looms heavy, threatening to destroy the fledging love she’s found with the only man to ever jump-start her wounded heart.


CAKE: THE NEWLYWEDS

CAKE SERIES • BOOK FOUR

 

You thought their story was over… but a love like theirs has no end. Fate doesn’t own Jake McKallister. At least, that’s what he tells himself. Life is better than ever. He’s at the top of his game, performing to sold-out crowds the world over. He has his health and a solid, fun-loving family to keep him grounded. And he got the girl - the beautiful, quirky girl he’s just made his wife. Yes, life is good. If only fate would stop screaming in his ear. Lucky is the best word for Casey McKallister. She has an awesome support system, a nerd’s dream job at a prestigious accounting firm, and best of all, she’s married to the hottest rock star to ever roam the earth. Yes, life is perfect… until it all comes crashing down around her. They say love conquers all. That’s what Jake and Casey are counting on.


ROGUE WAVE

CAKE SERIES • BOOK FIVE

A love story that survives the test of time.

Keith McKallister is the king of the stoners. You know the type. Every school has one – the hot, fun, dopey guy beloved by the student body but despised by, well, just about everyone else. He spends his early mornings in the ocean and his days trying to get to class on time. Life is as easy as it gets until one poor choice too many catches up with him and he’s forced to reevaluate his path.

Samantha Anderson sits in the front row. You know the type. Every school has one – the quiet, faceless, studious girl who fears the taunts of her peers and fades into the background. Life has never been simple for Samantha, and it’s about to get a little more complicated when Keith slides into the seat beside her with a partnership plan designed for his benefit only. But what Keith brings to the table is more than either of them could imagine.  

Sometimes the person you least expect to make a difference will change your life forever.  Sometimes the person you love the most might be better off without you.


HUNKER DOWN WITH THE MCKALLISTERS

A CAKE SERIES NOVELLA

For fans of the Cake series by J. Bengtsson comes a funny, heartwarming companion novella featuring the Cake characters in lockdown.

Just like the rest of the world, the McKallisters find themselves struggling to conform to a new way of life after the virus confines them to their homes. These connected short stories give fans a chance to catch up on all of their favorite Cake characters as well as enjoy a bonus epilogue and interviews with the characters.

Find out how Jake and Kyle cope with isolation—and each other—after they enter quarantine following exposure to the virus. Follow Finn and Emma as they desperately try to prevent a super spreader event at Perryland—while attempting to ration the toilet paper. And go on a humorous journey with Quinn as he searches for a place to stay after initially refusing to lock down with the others. And in a bonus epilogue, Keith is called upon to lead the family on a secret mission that unites them all.

NEXT IN LINE

CAKE SERIES • BOOK SIX

Just six years old when my brother was snatched off the street, I grew up in the aftermath of tragedy. While other kids were happily playing in the sandbox, I was hiding under press conference podiums listening to my parents beg for Jake’s safe return.

People ask if I’m screwed up after what happened, and I never know how to respond. Life after the kidnapping is all I’ve ever known. Well, that and being the youngest brother to a rock star. Jake was the ultimate survivor. The prodigal son. My king.

But I’m not that worshipful kid anymore, and I’m tired of walking a step behind. I’ve got the talent. I’ve got the drive. And now I’m coming for Jake’s throne.

Grace Note

CAKE SERIES • BOOK SEVEN

I’m the privileged youngest child of the famous McKallister family. He’s a runaway foster kid living rough. We were never meant to meet. This is where our story begins. It’s nowhere near how it ends.

Grace

The beat. The cheers. The thrill of the unknown. I shouldn’t leave the safety of the music arena—my last name is McKallister, after all, and I’m intimately familiar with worst-case scenarios. But I’m drawn by the talent and the turmoil behind the weary eyes of the drummer on the streets. I’ve never seen anyone my age as wild and unrestrained, a lightning bolt of electricity that never hits the same spot on his bucket drums twice. He plays with such confidence, such rage. I have to know who he is and where he learned to bang out drum solos like he owns the night.

I want to help him. No, to save him. If only Rory will let me.

Rory

When I play, I’m in my element. I know how to draw a crowd and how to keep them riveted. For a small period of time every day, I’m special. Talented. Going somewhere. Little do they know I’m going back to nothing: no family, no friends, no roof over my head. When the music ends, I fade into the background like the undesirable I am. And then she shows up, so pretty and polished and pure. I don’t expect her to stay and talk. I definitely don’t expect her to sit down on the sidewalk and drum a song onto my thigh. Yet here she is—anyone’s ultimate dream girl—promising to save me.

Too bad Grace stumbled upon me a decade too late.