AUTHOR: Courtney Kae GENRE: Queer Romance PAGES: 320 pages RELEASED: 25 July 2023 SERIES: Fern Falls #2 SYNOPSIS: Ben has been baking his grandma’s cinnamon rolls at the family café for years. He’s been quietly in love with Adam Reed, his musician-slash-mechanic neighbor, for just as long. But Ben’s done waiting behind the pastry case. He’s entered a make-or-break competition to show off his own recipes. He’s going to buy his overprotective family out of the business. And he’s going to ask Adam out. TONIGHT. Except his big plans get punched down before they even half-rise. Soon Ben is dashing down the coast to his grandma’s 80th birthday party on the beach, hiding his broken heart in Maywell Bay, California. Sun, sea, and fresh breezes should blow in something new—except they don’t. They blow in Adam Reed, grinning like a pirate and stealing the show as the musical entertainment hired by Grandma for her big bash. Grandma’s signature Heartbreak Tea is the only remedy, and Grandma’s tea could take the paint off a fence. But there’s a burn of truth along with the booze in his bottle, and Ben has a decision to make. Can he take the sweetness in front of him, and brave the bitterness that comes after? Or is a little sea salt just what this cinnamon roll needs? Salty cinnamon rolls? Ew. Ben would never. This book was kindly sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Kylie may have said Padam, but Courtney said Badam…
Ben Parrish has only ever been in the spotlight once before - when he got lost in the woods as a child and his face was all over the news. It’s not somewhere he thought he’d be again until Take The Cake National are filming in Peak Perk Cafe and putting Ben’s delish cinnamon rolls in front of the masses. Everything is going swimmingly, despite Ben’s anxiety, until a moment between Ben and his lifetime crush Adam goes wrong on live television. Luckily, Ben is escaping from Fern Falls for two weeks for his grandmother’s birthday extravaganza - two weekends of all-out parties and spending time with his mother and g-ma. What Ben wasn’t expecting was to be cottage-mates with Adam, who was invited to perform with the band by his meddling grandmother. Now the pair are forced to confront their feelings for one another and see if their Fern Falls crushes can make it in Maywell Bay and beyond… The moment Courtney teased the mutual attraction between Ben and Adam in the previous book, I knew she would be delivering a fabulous story for them, and that she did! There’s something about a friends-to-lovers and forced proximity romance that I just cannot get enough of. I’ll be completely honest - I did struggle a little to get into Ben and Adam’s story. I think it was a mix of it having been almost a year since I read the first book and the majority of the story taking place away from Fern Falls. One of the reasons I LOVED Morgan and Rachel’s story was the magic of a holiday romance in Fern Falls, and while there was definitely the magic of a summer romance in Maywell Bay, it just took a little to get back into the world that Courtney has created. Don’t get me wrong though, Ben and Adam’s relationship was so freaking sweet, just like Ben’s cinnamon rolls, and I just wanted to protect them at all costs. But also, Courtney wasn’t afraid to turn up the heat just a little, which was like the sprinkles on top. Since we were away from Fern Falls, we didn’t get to see that much of Morgan and Rachel which I was a little bummed about, but we do get a nice little update about them, which I always appreciate. And I don’t know if Courtney’s planning a third Fern Falls book, but I wouldn’t mind see Whitney get a happily ever after too… Courtney beautifully outlines the trigger warnings at the start of the book, which includes resurfaced childhood trauma from neglect, mental and emotional abuse from a narcissistic parental figure, as well as anxiety and depression. Despite this, Courtney handles these topics well, especially when it comes to the healing process and moving forward. Get ready for a summer romance that will have you pining for your forever crush by the seaside! |
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