Cream and Punishment

King Family, Book 2

By: Susannah Nix

Narrated by: Chris Brinkley, Amanda Stribling

She’s not just my ex-girlfriend. She’s my new coworker.

I knew Lucy Dillard was "The One" the first time I met her. Yes, I’m enough of a sap to believe in love at first sight. When I fell for Lucy, I fell hard. Everything was great between us - until the moment she dumped me.

Now I just want to forget about her. Instead, I’m stuck staring at her face all day. But I need this job, so I’ll find a way to be civil and professional.

There’s just one small problem: I’m nowhere close to being over her.

First, we were lovers. Then enemies. Now we’re trying to work together.

I didn’t set out to break Tanner King’s heart, but you know what they say about the road to hell.

I’ve got too many responsibilities and no room in my life for love. I can deal with Tanner’s resentment until he starts working at the desk directly across from mine. Obviously, a truce of some kind is required. We’re both grownups. We can handle this situation like professionals.

There’s only one thing threatening this fragile peace we’ve negotiated: all these inconvenient feelings I apparently still have for him.

Cream and Punishment is book two in the King Family series set in the small town of Crowder, Texas, home of the King’s Creamery ice cream company. Each book is a stand-alone, full-length contemporary romance that follows one of the six King siblings as they find and fight for love.

©2021 Susannah Nix (P)2021 Susannah Nix

I love this series!

The King Family siblings saga continues with Cream and Punishment, book #2 in the series. Tanner thought he had found "the one" in Lucy, but she ran and broke his heart. Lucy was up for a casual relationship, but loving someone means more responsibility and obligations, which she doesn't need more of. She's already been taking care of her brother and mother since she was 12, when her father left. When Tanner gets moved to the Marketing department with the family business, he is working directly across from Lucy. I'm not going to lie, Tanner's enduring love for Lucy brought tears to my eyes. But then I'd start laughing with the sibling antics and get swept away with the steamy parts.

I just loved Chris Brinkley and Amanda Stribling's performance. They are fantastic narrators and two of my favorites.

Second Change to overcome family drama

This is the 2nd in the King Family Series, but it stands alone. You can tell there is a larger world outside this series and there is the story from book 1, but if you don't know anything you will still enjoy this book.

Tanner is a King, he works for his family run business but only because it's what he's always done. He's too old to try and find a new passion or live a different life. But when his sister takes pity on him after being demoted to wearing the mascot suit at the amusement park, he jumps at the chance to be doing anything else. Even if it means working with Lucy, the one that didn't just get away, she ran away... and he still hasn't gotten over her.

Lucy is doing everything she can to hold her family together. Her mother is "fragile", her brother isn't any kind of help, and she's burning out trying to do it all while working full time and dreaming of the day she can break out on her own. She ran from Tanner because his feelings were too much too soon, but as they work together she wonders if she could have handled the whole thing better.

Lucy and Tanner have a second chance at the love then never really stopped feeling, but they need to find a way through all the obstacles around them thanks to each of their family issues. Lucy helps Tanner find some options, new dreams and the courage to go after them. Tanner helps Lucy find the strength to put her foot down and stand up for what she wants/needs in life.

The audio on this was performed by Chris Brinkley and Amanda Stribling. They both did a great job bringing the characters to life. The back and forth inner turmoil was well played on both sides. The level of "put on a happy face" that Lucy was living through could be felt in her inner thoughts/narration. The anger, desperation, helplessness each of them feel at different times it perfectly balanced with the joyous and happy moments when they were together and feeling free to be just themselves.

I requested and was provided a copy of the audiobook. These are my honest opinions.

Cute Romance with deep characters

3.75⭐️(rounded up)
2.5 🌶

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one! Both characters felt more developed and lovable! I loved seeing the struggle from the male main character's perspective. He has worked jobs that he hated to try to make his dad happy, and realized that he needed to try to figure out what he actually wants to do with his life.
I also enjoyed the fact that the love interests worked together, and it was sort of an enemies to lovers.

This book was a cute romance that I would recommend for an enjoyable, easy read!

After finishing the book, and having time to think about it before writing this review... one of the things that really bothers me is the title. You might think that this is a play on words. Cream (because of the family business - ice cream) and punishment. Making you think it is akin to Crime and Punishment. Maybe they work together as detectives or something? No. It has nothing to do with crime.

Sweet Second Chance to Love!

This is the second book in the King Family Series, a Small Town Romance. Lucy and Tanner's second chance to love is sweet, funny, and heartwarming. I loved the family bond, and the friendship in the story. I liked the Epilogue, and the cliffhanger opening to Pint of Contention, the next book in the series. Looking forward to listening to Ryan and Maggie's story. Great narration from Chris Brinkley and Amanda Stribling. I enjoyed it. #HomeCookedBooks

3.5 ⭐️s - a sweet romance, but not without flaws…

Susannah Nix’s second story in the King Family series is good; I enjoyed Tanner and Lucy as a couple. He’s looking to build a family because his is a bit dysfunctional. Lucy also has family struggles, but this cause her to want to avoid attachment at first. Their first time around, she ran from his feelings. The second times, they’re more evenly matched because they actually come to know each other more meaningfully. Following their relationship through the growing pains was satisfying. I love that Tanner is literature guy (he has a cat named Radagast ❤️!) and that that love helped him find a meaningful career path. It was also sweet how he and Lucy shared a bibliophile connection.

One downside for for me was that I felt the story could have been shorter. I understand that the King family drama has to build to play out in other books, but it didn’t always work for me here. I was much more interested in the Lucy’s frustrations with her manipulative mother rather than Tanner’s with is blowhard of a father. The saving grace of the Kings is the connections between this siblings, which was something I did enjoy.

The narrator performances were a mixed bag. Chris Brinkley does his usual excellent work; I’ve adored him since Penny Reid’s Winston Bros series. He is perfectly cast as Tanner, not only in terms of his voice fitting the setting, but his delivery is always so thoughtful and he makes characters that much more genuine. I cannot say the same for Amanda Stribling. She is a new narrator to me and sadly,so far I am not a fan. While I suppose her voice fit the character in some ways, I found her cadence and tone grating. Maybe it’s a voice I have to adjust to, but I don’t know that I want to. Narrator preference is very much a matter of personal taste and she just isn’t to mine.

Overall, the story is enjoyable and I do recommend it, just maybe listen to Tanner’s chapters and read Lucy’s?

I received a review copy via Home Cooked Books. All opinions are my own.

Not as good as the first

This was overly long. Their “obstacles” got old really quickly, however relatable they were. I liked both characters but they were both a little boring.

That whole menstrual cup thing was absolutely unnecessary. I am in no way a prude AT ALL but that was completely ridiculous. She could have spilled a million things on her to make the tired old plot device work, and by that time we’d already suffered through multiple descriptions of kids vomiting on Captain Scoopy. I also didn’t appreciate that the blood was supposed to be soooo groossss like they were 12 years old.

Sex scenes were good but weirdly similar to the first book. It kind of made me feel like all the King boys have the same moves.

Performance from Amanda Stribling was better in this book compared to the first, and Chris Brinkley is as good as ever.

Annoying female reader

I really loved this story. I wish I could give five stars but female reader made this story soooo sad and annoying. Her reading style made me cringed and I skipped half of her reading parts. Please have another female reader to this story. It's too bad that narrator set a tone to this story. Male reader did excellent job. He was the reason I chose this story. That said, this author was new to me. I will look for her other stories with a different female reader.

I loved this second chance romance!

I want a Tanner of my very own!!!

Book 2 in the King Family Series is a second chance romance. Tanner and Lucy dated for a short time several months back but when Tanner got a little more serious in the relationship and confessed his love Lucy broke his heart and breaks things off with him. Now Tanner has been transferred to work right across from her and the awkwardness between the two amps up. He still loves her and the more time they spend together the more she questions her decision to break things off with him….

I am just loving this series so far! Both of these characters have issues within their families and those issues kind of motivate their actions in relationships. Lucy has the absolute worst mother on the planet, she manipulates like it’s a sport and she’s going for the gold medal. Lucy shoulders so much responsibility that is not her responsibility at all. Cleaning, cooking, working, helping pay bills for two grown adults. She longs for a place of her own without shouldering other peoples chores and bills and adding a serious relationship I think was just to much at the time. The best part of this whole book is that while the pair dated before they really didn’t have time to get to know one another but as they work closely together and they know each other more it puts then in a better place to have a successful relationship. They are truly perfect for one another. I also loved the growth as individuals throughout the story.

Chris Brinkley and Amanda Stirbling are back in book two narrating and I gotta say the more I listen from them the bigger fan I become. They both seem to take on these roles and make them their own, with thought, depth and delivery that holds your ears captive as a listener. I think even above their work in book one as Wyatt and Andie they fit Tanner and Lucy perfectly!

This was a good one! the dual POV, the light angst, the great character chemistry and quality sexy times as well as the laughs and emotional moments make this book a well rounded must listen romance in my opinion. I loved it.

An easy listen

Another good story in this series. It has some charming moments and I did chuckle a time or two. I did see a large improvement into the King family members. In here we get Tanner and Lucy who see each other again after she dumped him. It has some tense moments but overall it is the story of what needs to change in their lives in order for them to come together. The story has a slower flow to it but there are a few of intricate plots that need time to cone to fruition.

I did listen to this on audio. Chris Brinkley and Amanda Stribling did a wonderful job on the narration. They are both easy on the ears.

Cinnamon roll hero & a second chance at love

Tanner is the absolute sweetest. He’s the book nerd, English lit major, kinda shy King brother. In love, he falls hard & quick, especially when he’s pretty sure she’s the one. But when that “one” was Lucy Dillard, he ends up heart broken & with an ex.

Lucy is a girl who has lived her life supporting others. Her mother needed more emotional support than Lucy shouldn’t been expected to give at a young age. In turn, she’s also spent her life supporting her brother. Still living at home, the burden of supporting her able bodied mom & brother is becoming too much. She just wants time for herself, time that she can escape & not have someone relying on her.

When Tanner is placed in a situation where his sister, Josie, offers him a spot with the marketing team for King Creamery, he is now burdened with seeing his ex daily. He and Lucy are now coworkers. But how do these two manage working so close together, seeing each other day in & day out? How do they manage to keep things professional when life and responsibilities seem to get in the way?

Tanner & Lucy have this connection that makes them work. Tanner is so naturally caring & Lucy finds it hard to understand why they can’t work out. I love the support that these two offer to each other at every turn.
Now, the parents of these two…they had me pulling my hair out. These “adults” just flat out needed to grow up. But I’m so glad that the MCs in these books are finding backbones for themselves.

Chris Brinkley & Amanda Stribling delivered another outstanding job with narration. Again, the southern charm was on point.