Buttercream, Boundaries, and the Bruiser Who Fell for Her

Character Interview: Zoey Daniels | Heroine of Sweet Score

Some people win hearts with grand gestures.
Zoey Daniels? She does it with frosting, fire, and zero tolerance for BS.

The owner of Slapshot Sweets may be known for her signature swirl and cutting-edge cupcakes, but there’s more to this baker than sugar and sass. With Sweet Score releasing July 15th, I sat down with Zoey (and a dangerously good vanilla chai cupcake) to talk about love, labels, and the hockey player she never saw coming.

Q: Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Mason Michaels. Defenseman. Disaster. Thoughts?
Zoey: He’s big, loud, impossible to ignore, and somehow got frosting on my ceiling. So naturally, I fell for him.
(pause)
But it’s not just the dimples. He shows up. He sees people. He saw me. That part? That part wrecked me a little.

Q: You have a complicated relationship with the spotlight. What was it like becoming the center of someone else’s world?
Zoey: Terrifying. Beautiful. Loud. But mostly—it made me rewrite the rules I set for myself.
I didn’t want to be someone’s accessory. I wanted to be chosen, fully and without hesitation. And with Mason… eventually, that’s exactly what happened.

Q: Readers are already loving the teasers from Sweet Score. What do you hope they take away from your story?
Zoey: That softness isn’t weakness. That boundaries don’t make you unlovable. That you can be a mess and still be worth fighting for.
(smirks)
Also, that if a man eats the last cupcake without asking, he better come with flowers and apologies. And maybe a puppy.

Q: Final question—what’s your favorite cupcake on the menu?
Zoey: Oof, that’s like picking a favorite child. But I’m a sucker for the double chocolate cayenne. Sweet with a kick.
(grins)
Kind of like this book.

🎉 Sweet Score releases July 15th – pre-order now or make space on your TBR for a baker who doesn’t back down and the bruiser who falls hard for her.