DAY 21
Reviewed by Tammy
TITLE: Dances and Cookies
SERIES: 2015 Daily Dose – Never Too Late
AUTHOR: Felicitas Ivey
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 54 pages
BLURB:
After living hard in the big city, Paavo settles down in the country with a bakery and his cat. He tutors the local college students, and life is good. Chinese exchange student Xue needs a little more help than some, and Paavo motivates Xue with the promise of a dance if he passes his lit class. Xue is smart and funny, and Paavo wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, even with the age difference. But he doesn’t know if Xue is interested or even gay.
Maybe the dance they’re both looking forward to will make the feelings between them clear.
REVIEW:
Paavo gave up living the fast life in New York City years ago when he realised that his job destroyed more lives than it helped and he hated what he was doing – hustling and lying to clients, all to make money! After he escaped to the country he bought a bakery and adopted a huge cat. When the college students realised how knowledgeable Paavo was on just about any subject, they convinced him to tutor them. Paavo has been tutoring Xue for the last year, Xue is a Chinese exchange student who needs a bit more help with his studies than others. To get Xue motivated to do well in his lit class Paavo promises him a dance if he passes.
It’s while they’re performing their dance in the middle of the bakery that one of the Paavo’s old work colleagues Heike arrives. Heike’s there to convince Paavo that he never should have left New York nor him, the only thing is Paavo never thought of him as anything other than a colleague. While Paavo is busy dissuading Heike that there will ever be anything between the two of them, Xue decides he’s going to have to show Paavo exactly how he feels about him. When Paavo gets over his shock that Xue is just as attracted to him they decide to explore the possibility of a relationship. The one big thing holding Paavo back is the fact that he is thirty-seven and Xue is only just twenty-one, far too young for him. Xue sets out to prove to Paavo that age means nothing to him and when he was living in Hong Kong he used to visit a club that was for the express purpose of older men hooking up with men a lot younger.
Whilst he’s apologising to Paavo for harassing him when he was incredibly drunk, Heike reveals that he too is leaving New York. Paavo convinces him to talk to his new aide/lover to see if he is willing to leave it all behind and start fresh somewhere else. Paavo knows he’s in love with Xue but he also knows that Xue has a duty to his family. Xue has come to the realisation that Paavo is the one for him now all he has to do is convince is uncle that he doesn’t really want his gay nephew living and working for him in Hong Kong!
All in all, Dances and Cookies is an incredibly sweet short story about how you are never too old and you can find love in the strangest places with the most unexpected person. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves reading m/m romance with realistic storylines.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Hi Tammy I enjoyed your review and have to add another story to my long wish list, although I wonder would you have preferred a longer version or was this just enough?
Thanks for reviewing this one. I must say the cover is great, makes me want to get up and make some coffee although it’s well past midnight LOL. I really like the age gap theme and i will put it on my TBR list.
I really like the sound of this even more so after reading your review.
Don’t see as many Chinese heroes so this is great!
Interesting and different MCs, especially with a Chinese MC in a modern day setting.