Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Spiced Kisses
SERIES: Kiss Me
AUTHOR: Charlie Novak
NARRATOR: Dan Calley
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours and 33 minutes
RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2022
BLURB:
One broken collarbone, two stubborn men, three interfering chefs, four weeks to go, five chewed garlands, and The Pear Tree covered in snow….
Ben’s Christmas Plans:
1. Finish the staff schedules, get the orders done, and make sure the next month runs smoothly because December is hell.
2. Break collarbone at rugby.
3. Scrap all plans. Drag Ianto in to help.
4. Avoid staring at the gorgeous Welshman, even if he does look surprisingly hot in a Christmas sweater….
5. Remember how much of a pain Christmas is.
Ianto’s Christmas Plans:
1. Take Ben to hospital after accidentally injuring him, even though it wasn’t my fault.
2. Feel very guilty and offer to help Ben with his epic to-do list since he refuses to take time off.
3. Eat my body weight in Patrick’s mince pies.
4. Learn how to tie ribbon bows that don’t look squashed.
5. Try not to fall for the very grumpy Yorkshireman who hates Christmas.
Spiced Kisses is a 78,000-word contemporary MM Christmas romance featuring a lengthy to-do list, holiday hot chocolate, a workaholic who hates December, a Welsh personal trainer who loves it, some very interfering staff, and a little Christmas magic.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the third in this series and as such contains spoilers for the previous books. It can be enjoyed as a standalone.
It’s nearing the holidays and Ben, a restauranteur, has a long list of things to be done to prepare. He doesn’t particularly enjoy the holidays – they are something to be gotten through. His friends have forced him into getting a hobby saying that just spends all his time at work, thinking about work, planning work, etc. So he’s joined a gay men’s rugby league. It’s all great fun until he breaks his collarbone 🙁 Ianto is a personal trainer who is on Ben’s team and unfortunately the guy he ran into when the collarbone was injured. Ianto feels terrible and takes Ben to hospital. Unfortunately there’s not a lot to be done for a broken collarbone except for rest and no to use the arm on the damaged side for weeks while it heals.
With Ben semi out of commission – meaning he can’t drive or lift stuff – in fact he has trouble getting dressed by himself, Ianto offers to help when he can. He realizes the restaurant will be super busy and that Ben has a lot on his plate to prepare. They are fully booked for Christmas and New Year’s and lots of parties, etc. Ben feels a little bit guilty but he enjoys spending time with Ianto and it seems like Ianto might enjoy spending time with him too. Ianto however has a whole different take on the holidays and he loves Christmas. He does his best to not be too overbearing, but bring a little holiday cheer to Ben 😉
In the meantime, it seems that maybe there is a little conspiracy going on. Ben’s friends have wanted to him to find a boyfriend forever. They needs to get through the holidays but they really wish Ben would enjoy it more. So there MIGHT be a little bit of sabotage going to try to push Ianto and Ben together. It’s all in the spirit of the holidays mind you 😀
This was a really cute story! Ianto is adorable and he really really wants something with Ben. He feels guilty about the injury and he really wants to help. Ben’s not tried for a relationship – well in forever. Ianto’s hilarious family get into the act and it’s fun to watch the restaurant team try to find the best ways to make Ben’s life difficult so that he has to rely on Ianto. There’s lot of fun holiday food and parties and decorating too!
Dan Calley does his usual lovely job of narrating this fun story. There are Welsh characters and a vast age range of characters and I never questioned who was speaking. He is consistent with the voices from the previous books in the series as well which is helpful. All in all, this performance made for a delightful holiday read in the middle of summer. If you’re in the mood for a bit of holiday cheer and some happy new year plans, I think you’ll really enjoy this one.
RATING: 
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