I found From Scratch through a twitter promo and the low, low price of $0 tickled my YOLO instinct. I downloaded and read it over the course of one evening, and what a pleasant evening it was.

Though From Scratch suffers from some grammatical errors, the characters and plot are first-rate. Professor Mary Woods hates being a professor, even though she's quite good at it. When she's skipped over for the prize tenure position, it's the last straw and on an impulse which is impressively followed through, she decides to move to the little town of Sea Port and become the town baker. Once there, she meets the stoic Miguel Santos and the jokester William Knox, both old marine corps buddies. Who may be in love with each other. And her. They all figure it out.

I love stories where the adults act like adults, treat each other respectfully, and each has a healthy dollop of self-awareness. Each leg of the triad is fully fleshed out, and I love the descriptions of the men's burgeoning bisexuality. Jackson describes it as opening a door to a previously unknown possibility. As a bisexual woman, I can confirm that's what it feels like. Plus, bi men are underrepresented in fiction, and the whole arrangement of M/F/M avoids the potential ick factor of straight male gaze intruding on two women enjoying each other.

The writerly goodness doesn't stop there. Jackson takes pains to establish that Mary, Santos, and Knox are happy and surviving before any relationship, but together they thrive, which was a lovely reprieve from the whole "romantic love fixes everything" trope. Instead of the isolated romance heroine cliche, Mary has a whole group of distinct female friends who support her, plus family. The sex is lushly written. The twist obstacle at the end had me turning pages faster and faster. The ending itself left me a gooey, happy mess.

Overall, From Scratch felt like a breath of fresh air. It's feel-good premise and authentic gender, race, & body rep put it a step above the rest. I'm eager for more of Jackson's work and recommend From Scratch to all romance fans interested in a happy, fluffy triad love story.