| Title | : | Candy Canes and Cappuccinos |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1640803092 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781640803091 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 24 |
| Publication | : | First published December 1, 2017 |
Stocking Stuffers.
Kyle is struggling to run his coffee shop on his own after his partner walked out on him. He has his eye on Steven, who comes into the shop each day, but hasn’t worked up the nerve to express his interest. When Steven asks Kyle to help out with Christmas lunch at the homeless shelter where he works, Kyle is too exhausted to agree. He donates his tips but still feels he’s blown his chances with Steven and made himself look like a selfish jerk.
On Christmas Day, Kyle sees a way to make amends—to both Steven and the needy people depending on his kindness. It’s the right thing to do, and Kyle hopes he can clear up the misunderstanding and show Steven the type of man he really is. Maybe then they can consider some dessert when the lunch at the shelter is over….
Candy Canes and Cappuccinos Reviews
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Kyle is busy running a coffee shop. Steven is the director of a homeless shelter down the street. They flirt over coffee until Steven needs Kyle's help on Christmas day.
The chemistry between the men, albeit difficult to develop in 30 pages, was entirely missing. The dialogue was a little stilted too. Includes: candy canes, one steamy scene, and very abrupt ending. -
This was an okay story, but overall the writing was just not that great. I can only guess how hard it is to write decent and authentic dialogue, and not many authors can really pull it off. Here the conversations felt awkward and made me cringe.
Kyle has just opened a coffee shop and is trying to run it by himself since his boyfriend decided to leave him for someone else. Kyle has been crushing on a regular of the coffee shop for some time now, but he’s too scared to ask Steven out. When Steven asks Kyle to come help him for an hour or two in the homeless shelter on Christmas day, Kyle declines, but then regrets it immediately. Now he has to think of something to make things right again..
I know I can’t expect a lot of depth in a 24 pages story, but there was a little too much going on without adding at least a little more background . I was also very surprised that Kyle thought sending money would be the exact same thing as spending two hours in a soup kitchen serving lunch to the homeless.
It was a nice short, but nothing more.
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An ARC of Candy Canes and Cappuccinos was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This review has been cross-posted at
Gay Book Reviews. -
Short and fun with a HFN. It's okay though according that Steven and Kyle has just met and never been in a date before. One moment of truth, one date at Kyle's house, sexy time together, hopefully leads to their HEA. Who knows? Christmas is full of miracles after all.
A sweet short Christmas story to look forward to.
*ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press for an honest and unbiased review.* -
4 Stars
Kyle meets Steven when he comes into his coffee shop, Cool Beans. Kyle has developed a bit of a crush on Steven and he’s pretty sure Steven feels the same, so when fate puts them together on Christmas Day, his suspicions are confirmed.
This was a sweet and sexy holiday read, well-written with likable characters. Very recommendable!
*copy provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review* -
2.5 stars. This would have been better without the completely unnecessary sex scene that felt awkwardly thrown in at the end. I thought it was cute in the beginning, but the cheesy and abrupt ending definitely brought my rating down.
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A lot is packed into this super-short story. Perhaps too much for me to feel like I got to know either character well enough to really root for him.
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✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ FOUR-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩
> > Judging a Book by it's Cover < <
I have not seen an individual cover for this title, only the cover for the collection as a whole and therefore will not be judging this short story by the collection's cover.
> > Looking Deeper < <
POV ~> Third-person.
Kyle has been single-handedly running the coffee shop since his jerk of a boyfriend (now ex, obviously) ran off with their "best friend". The bright spot to his day is seeing Steven every day. Steven runs a homeless shelter not too far away and enjoys his fresh-brewed coffee and a sweet of some sort each day. They are attracted to one another but neither act on it. It takes a tragic incident to bring them together for the holidays.
Chemistry was okay, but hard to gauge the depth of their feelings with the story being so short. Dialogue was good. Plot had potential to expand upon later, if desired, but otherwise was a bit flat. The conclusion is barely just vaguely implied as an HEA.
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Rating: [R] ~ Score: 3.65 ~ Stars: 4
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⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐ -
Kyle's been working himself ragged trying to run his coffee shop by himself after his partner took off. He may have his hands too full to do anything extra but that doesn't stop him from wanting to get to know one of his patrons better. When the opportunity to do so occurs, Kyle finds he's just too tired to help and when he watches Steven walk out the door he's left feeling selfish. However, fate has other plans but will it be enough for Kyle to reach out and make amends?
Candy Canes and Cappuccinos is a delightful little holiday novella/short story. Its easy to understand Kyle's conflicted feelings of exhaustion and selfishness, lets face it we've all had that moment when the clock/calendar just doesn't let us help the way we really want to. We also know that as this is fictional holiday tale and fate always has a way of making things right so its no real mystery that Kyle will be able to help in an even bigger and most welcome way. Could Candy Canes and Cappuccinos been better with more pages? Perhaps knowing what awaited Kyle and Steven after the holiday season would make it more HEA but sometimes we don't need tons of words to get the message out, especially when Christmastime is involved. If you are looking for a fun holiday ditty that will make you smile, than Candy Canes is definitely one for your list. -
2.5 Stars
I liked the premise for Candy Canes and Cappuccinos, but I just don’t think there was enough page time to make it all work believably. Kyle is overworked at his coffee shop and Steven is a very charming customer who flirts with Kyle on the daily. Steven is the director of the towns homeless shelter and he reaches out to Kyle for help and Kyle kind of blows his chance to impress Steven. Circumstances happen and Kyle gets the chance to redeem himself, which was a lot, but all worked out in the end, the only problem was their was very little focus on the two of them together so I never felt the chemistry. I was told there was, but I didn’t really feel it. The sex scene at the end felt really rushed and too much for where they were in their relationship, if you can even call it that at this point. I would have liked for them just to chill and get to know each other at the end, I knew that that’s what both characters wanted and I wanted it for them, I just wasn’t buying it for them just yet.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review** -
Homeless shelters can be sad places, especially at Christmas. On the other hand, seeing people pull together and strangers helping out is an incorporation of the Christmas spirit that always give me hope. This story is a good example – it shows how Kyle, working hard to make his coffee shop a success despite his ex walking out on him, finds his way back into helping others as well. It isn’t that he is selfish or ignores others’ needs, but having to fight so hard for his own financial survival had made him a little self-centered. Nothing that meeting Steven can’t cure…
Please find my full review on
Rainbow Book Reviews. -
Kyle is running his coffee shop on his own since his partner left him for his best friend. He hasn't had time for anything but work and is looking forward to a relaxing day off on Thanksgiving. He is interested in a customer, Steven that is running the local homeless shelter.
Ths is a cute, fun, short story. I enjoyed both characters and the plot to the story. It is only 26 pages so it is a quick, easy read to fill a lunch hour or short appointment. -
Super short but actually super nice story.
Kyle could be bitter but glad he was portrayed as liking christmas and was fairly civil to the ex. Wanting his day off was understandable, though he did show his good side with the tip money.
Steven we didn’t really get to know. The incident which brought it all together was OK and it all worked out like any good Christmas tale - even had snow! -
Coming to the rescue takes a business crush to a how new level. I kind of felt bad for Kyle because he was being hard on himself and thought maybe Steve was being judgy. But in the end you release it was all alright.
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I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Candy Canes and Cappuccinos is as sweet as its title suggests. Despite a bad year, Kyle remains optimistic in his outlook on life, both professionally in his thriving coffee shop and personally with the crush he has on one of his regulars, Steven. This is pretty obvious after his ex-boyfriend stops by to drop off some books and brag about his holiday plans with his new beau, who used to be Kyle’s best friend. Instead of letting this one-two punch get him down, he puts a smile on his face and keeps doing what he enjoys, serving coffee and his baked goods to customers. That is, until his favorite regular comes in and puts a real smile on his face. But when a much hoped for invite to spend time together comes in an unexpected form, Kyle turns down Steven’s invitation with a knee-jerk response and then feels guilty afterwards. When an unfortunate series of events gives Kyle the chance to, in his eyes, redeem himself to Steven, he wades right in to make Christmas better for some people who really need to know that good still exists in the world. And if Kyle gets his Christmas wish to spend some time with Steven, getting to know him better and whether or not there might be more to their flirtation, well that’s a beautiful way to cap off his year.
I found Candy Canes and Cappuccinos to be a really cute holiday story. I liked how Kyle didn’t let the visit from his ex ruin his day, and how the visit from Steven brightened it almost immediately. I did find Kyle’s guilt about turning Steven down a little extreme given the circumstances, but that’s likely due to his religious upbringing he “mentions” in passing when thinking about his deceased parents. While the events that led to Kyle and Steven spending Christmas together were sad, the combined efforts of many were heartening and gave Kyle the chance for some sexy one-on-one time with Steven. I enjoyed Coldwell’s writing and thought the author did a lovely job with Kyle and Steven’s Christmas beginning.
Please note: My review is of an unedited, pre-release copy of this book and assumes that any errors were corrected prior to publication.
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2.5 stars. Unfortunately I just didn't get a feel for these characters, so I wasn't really engaged in the story. Probably would have been better as a longer story.
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This is a nice slow building romance between two weary heroes.
It is quick good read that will make you happy. -
3/5
HFN but still cute. -
A Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Review An Alisa Review:
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Kyle and Steven have been flirting with each other for months but never took anything further. Kyle has worked hard to make his coffee shop successful and doesn’t think before he gives Steven an answer. I did love how he stepped up when he was walking and knew the people from the shelter needed help. Despite their flirting neither of them know much about each other and they get a little bit of a chance to talk. However, I couldn’t help but feel that Steven pushed Kyle a bit too much once they were alone and I didn’t like the explanation that it means more so it’s okay -
2-2.5 stars
Candy Canes and Cappuccinos had a cute plot for a Christmas short, but it failed to deliver in all the ways I expect from my holiday stories. After having his boyfriend and business partner unexpectedly leave him, Kyle is left trying to run a new coffee shop on his own and manage his attraction for Steven, a regular customer. Though the men get together rather quickly after finally admitting their mutual attraction, the men have flirted for months and I was happy this wasn’t a case of insta-love. Nevertheless, I didn’t really feel the connection between the two.
The writing itself was okay, but I found the pacing a little unnatural and the dialogue stilted. Additionally, while the conflict and resolution was nice in theory, it all felt a little too convenient and cheesy. Between the lack of chemistry and awkward flow, I never really fell for this couple or their story. Candy Canes and Cappuccinos ended up being a short that was cute in plot, but flat in execution and I can’t say that I’d reach for this one again.
Reviewed by Annie from
Alpha Book Club
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review to come
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3 Hearts
A lovely start to a sweet couple.
Kyle is dealing with a lot, running the Cool Beans coffee shop after his ex bailed on him for another man. For the last few months he’s been crushing on a customer Steven who works runs a homeless shelter. When Steven asks Kyle to help out at the shelter on Christmas, Kyle puts his foot in his mouth when he answers quickly but honestly saying he wanted to the day off since he’s been working long and hard hours. But seeing the disappointment on Steven’s face makes him rethink his choice.
I like that Kyle wasn’t a full on grinch, just honest and tired but given the circumstance he turns things around. His offer to Steven was sweet and perfect to make amends though I wish the end didn’t end the way it did. For me, the story was sweet and I would have been fine with a cuddle on the couch with a bit of making out and not what we got. It didn’t fit the story for me but it was still a sweet read.
