Candy Canes and Cappuccinos

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 Cappuccino 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.

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Stocking Stuffers: Candy Canes and Cappuccinos by Elizabeth Coldwell to read and review.

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.

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 for Alpha Book Club*

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.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ 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". ***** ⭐ ⭐