Book Information:
Book Name: Served Hot
Book Name: Served Hot
Author Name: Annabeth Albert
Release Date: March 3, 2015
Publisher: Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Press
Cover Artist: Kensington Art Department
Goodreads
Goodreads
Blurb:
In Portland, Oregon, the only thing hotter than the coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries are the hard-working men who serve it up—hot, fresh, and ready to go—with no reservations…
Robby is a self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby, eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but "the usual"—small vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their slow-brewing relationship to the next level. David, however, is newly out and single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The question is: Will someone get burned?
First in the new Portland Heat series!
Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
A little idea niggled at my brain—like an evil elf had tapped me on the shoulder. “You know, if you give me your card, I could call you if you leave your wallet behind again.”
There. His cheeks went dusky pink. I finally got a blush out of him, but hell if I could decipher what it meant. I could predict people’s taste in coffee, down to preferred syrup flavor, but I still sucked at decoding anything as complex as human emotions.
“Ah. Um.” He did the nervous cough thing again.
“Never mind.” I wiped my hands on my apron. “I’d better get back.”
“Wait.” He opened the wallet, plucked out a white card with a blue logo, and offered it to me. His broad fingers brushed mine again as he handed it over. Another barely there touch, but I felt the charge all the way down my spine, like I’d chugged a triple shot.
My breath tripped with wishing he’d add a “call me anytime.” Brian would have. But David just stood there silently. Straighter than the Fremont Bridge and denser than a concrete pylon.
Pages or Words: 30,000 words
Robby is a self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby, eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but "the usual"—small vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their slow-brewing relationship to the next level. David, however, is newly out and single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The question is: Will someone get burned?
First in the new Portland Heat series!
Categories: Contemporary, Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
A little idea niggled at my brain—like an evil elf had tapped me on the shoulder. “You know, if you give me your card, I could call you if you leave your wallet behind again.”
There. His cheeks went dusky pink. I finally got a blush out of him, but hell if I could decipher what it meant. I could predict people’s taste in coffee, down to preferred syrup flavor, but I still sucked at decoding anything as complex as human emotions.
“Ah. Um.” He did the nervous cough thing again.
“Never mind.” I wiped my hands on my apron. “I’d better get back.”
“Wait.” He opened the wallet, plucked out a white card with a blue logo, and offered it to me. His broad fingers brushed mine again as he handed it over. Another barely there touch, but I felt the charge all the way down my spine, like I’d chugged a triple shot.
My breath tripped with wishing he’d add a “call me anytime.” Brian would have. But David just stood there silently. Straighter than the Fremont Bridge and denser than a concrete pylon.
Pages or Words: 30,000 words
Buy The Book:
Mari's Review:
*** ARC provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***
I absolutely adored this story. It was short, but Annabeth Albert managed to make it so that the length felt just right (even if I’m greedy and would’ve loved to read more of Robby and David.) It was sweet and angsty and it even made me cry, which is a good thing in my book.
Robby was adorable and I completely fell for him. So easygoing and willing to be patient and give David the time he needed even with as difficult as competing with the ghost of David’s lover was for him. He owns a coffee cart and has been crushing on David for as long as the other man has been coming to get his coffee, almost every day, at pretty much the same time.
David was Robby’s opposite in so many ways. Methodic and shy, a broken man who hadn’t processed his guilt over the death of his lover and who had such a hard time letting Robby in, no matter how many times Robby proved himself to him. I can’t say I loved him quite as much as I loved Robby, but that was mostly because he could be so dense, so unable to see past his own grief and actually notice how his actions affected Robby, that I wanted to slap some sense into him.
Their progression into a relationship was slow, but understandably so, considering all that David had gone through. The chemistry between Robby and David was undeniable and romance and angst were interspersed in the story in such a way that my heart would break at one moment and root for this lovely couple on the next.
All in all, a fantastic book that I just couldn’t put down until I finished. Annabeth managed to make me fall in love with her characters and since this is the first book in a series, I’m truly looking forward to what she has in store for us next. Whatever it is, it’s bound to be just as amazing as this story was.
*** Rating: 4.5 Sizzling Stars ***
About The Author:
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.
Represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Literary Agency
Finding Annabeth around the web:
Favorite type of dessert?
Salt & Straw’s sea salt caramel ice cream. It’s worth the trip to Portland!
What’s the most embarrassing gift you ever received?
An ex-boyfriend once showed that he did not know my taste in lingerie at all.
Parker Williams, 3 Chicks After Dark, Bayou Book Junkie, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, BFD Book Blog, Charley Descoteaux, Inked Rainbow Reads, MM Good Book Reviews, Andrew Q. Gordon, Hearts on Fire, Love Bytes, Amanda C. Stone, Molly Lolly, Prism Book Alliance, Queer Town Abbey, Christy Loves 2 Read, Emotion in Motion, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Cate Ashwood, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Up All Night, Read All Day, Multitasking Mommas, Cathy Brockman Romances, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Fallen Angel Reviews, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, Velvet Panic, My Fiction Nook, Foxylutely Book Reviews, The Hat Party
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