Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Not All Chocolate and Cuckoo Clocks
SERIES: World of Love
AUTHOR: Rebecca Cohen
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 132 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 12, 2018
BLURB:
Neither of them wants to fall in love, but getting exactly what they don’t want might be the best thing to ever happen to them.
Mark hopes his boredom with his current job will be alleviated by a short stint in Basel, Switzerland. When he meets Steffen, who struck out on his own from an old-money family to establish an IT firm, Mark expects some fun, great sex, and a clean break when his job is done. The arrangement is perfect for Steffen, who has been content with casual after a betrayal—and has a taste for British men after attending university in the UK. But as they explore the city’s rich history and traditions, Mark begins to see Steffen as much more than a tour guide with benefits. If he isn’t careful, the trip meant to break the lull in his career might end up breaking his heart instead….
REVIEW:
It’s funny, sometimes, how life works. When we decide we are never going to have another relationship again, life brings us someone we can’t live without. Well sometimes. In this sweet little book, that’s what we get. Two men who have been battered by relationships and have decided to give up. Maybe some flings here and there, but nothing more. But life decided otherwise.
Mark was getting sick of life. His life with his ex boyfriend went sour, his job is getting on his nerves, and life just doesn’t seem as fun anymore. So when the opportunity came about for him to take a position for his job in Switzerland, he thought this might be the chance he needs to change things. He has a few months to see if things can be different. He’s finally beginning to enjoy his job again, as frustrating as it may be, but has no time for anything else. He decides to meet a coworker at a pub and meets a man that changes his life. Mark and Steffan both agree that no commitment sex and a good time with Steffan playing tour guide, is what both of them need. It will give both of them something they need to scratch the itch, so to speak, and some company. And maybe put them both in a frame of mind to try again down the road. But the more time they spend together, the more they see that things aren’t how they thought. They are seeing sides to each other that they’ve never seen with anyone else and it’s bringing them together in ways they never imagined.
Mark and Steffan had a connection right off the bat. It was so funny because both of them didn’t want a relationship. Thinking great sex and company would be enough for both of them. What wasn’t funny, though, was why. Both of them had been hurt pretty badly by past relationships. Mark, more than he should have been. The more that is revealed about Mark, the more I fell for him. He is such a sweetheart. He longs for a relationship like his parents. They’ve been married 40 years and still as in love. He wants that. He doesn’t want the bar scene. He wants someone to come home to. To share his life with. But he doesn’t think he will ever find it. Even when things start with Steffan. Yeah it’s fun and exciting, but Steffan catches him off guard in ways he’s not sure of yet. Steffan is having just as hard of a time. Although he is more blunt about things, he is still reserved about things. He is still stung over his past relationship, and hopes maybe Mark will be the time he needs to get himself ready for a new relationship with someone else. What he doesn’t expect is that Mark is getting to him in ways he never thought possible. He doesn’t want to fall for Mark. But any time apart from him and he is miserable. Life just has a way of creeping on you when you least expect it.
This a very sweet love story. Taking place in a beautiful country with tradition and culture, it takes you on a ride of all that is Basel, while making you fall in love with the characters. It’s a good one to curl up with at the end of a day to relax and smile with.
RATING: 
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