Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Fairy Cakes in Winter

AUTHOR:  Lane Hayes

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  168 pages

RELEASE DATE:  February 16, 2023

BLURB: 

A grumpy baker, a quirky ad man, and a recipe for forever…

Scott

So this cute guy sits next to me on the plane and proceeds to talk my ear off for hours. Not good. I don’t like talking and I don’t like strangers. But Theo’s sweet, smart, and sexy—the perfect distraction from business woes and personal worries.

Okay, things got overly friendly, but we’re adults and we know the score. I’m too old, he’s too nice, and we live on different continents.

Then, out of the blue, he shows up at my bakery with that pretty smile and a list of wacky marketing ideas—like how to make fairy cakes a thing.

I don’t like fairy cakes.

But I do like Theo, so…maybe?

Theo

The new me takes risks. The new me is brave and confident. The new me flirts with hunky, imposing bears on planes while traveling to a foreign country.

It’s going well, thank you.

However, my plans to do some sightseeing, drink tea, and eat my weight in biscuits every day get derailed when I realize there might be a way to help Scott and prove a few things to myself.

Don’t worry. I won’t fall for the grumpy baker. No way. He’s complicated and broody and—

Uh oh…it might be too late. Help!

Fairy Cakes in Winter is a bisexual, age-gap, grumpy/sunshine MM romance featuring a sexy baker, a sunny tourist, and a few dozen fairy cakes.

REVIEW: 

Theo is off to England to visit his mother and her husband. He is NOT a good flier.  When turbulence hits, he grabs onto Scott, his seatmate, looking for reassurance that he’s not going to die on this godforsaken flight.

Scott just wants a peaceful quiet flight back to England after visiting his family in Seattle over the holidays.  He has NO desire to make friends or chat with anyone.  But he’s not a monster 😉  Theo is obviously a bit of a wreck and Scott spends the rest of the flight talking to Theo and distracting him.

The land and Scott and Theo meet up to say goodbye before they split off to their individual destinations.  But then Theo gets bold and sort of propositions Scott.  And there is a very steamy and rather public encounter 😉

Theo gets to his mother’s place and she is already trying to set him up.  Theo eyerolls this hard.  He has NO interest in meeting some nice English gay man who is moving to San Francisco – where Theo has taken a new job away from his marketing past.  Giles is nice, but literally no spark.  But he does go with Theo to Bath, where Scott has a popup bakery that Theo wants to scope out.

Scott his there and he and Theo arrange to meet. Theo has great ideas to help Scott make his business a success.  But more than that, their chemistry again, is off the charts.  So they have a sort of friends with benefits arrangement.  Theo’s ideas are fantastic and he really helps Scott.  There is a time limit though as he’s headed back to the states after the month is up.  Except now he doesn’t want to leave.  Scott’s not sure he wants to let go of Theo either.  Can they figure out a way to make this work – like forever??

Well this was just a completely adorable and wonderful story!  It’s clear that Lane Hayes loves Bath and bakeries and love 🙂  The meet cute on the plane?  Perfection!  Who of us hasn’t had an unexpected conversation on a plane when we were maybe hoping to just read a book?  In this case, it seems that conversation was fated 😉  That Theo decided he has some sort of infusion of courage to be so bold with the hot man who was his gracious seatmate was the catalyst to this being something more.  Also, full disclosure – one of my friends met her eventual husband on a flight to Las Vegas – they’ve been together over 25 years now.  Scott has had a hard time after his ex broke his heart and he’s moved, but not necessarily moved on.  The future that he had always envisioned didn’t come to pass.  He’s had one night stands, but he’s never seen himself with someone and happy again.  But everything about Scott trips all of Theo’s buttons.  Scott is afraid that he’ll be disappointed again and he’s sure that Theo will go back to his life in the States and he’ll be alone again, just when he’s found that maybe he doesn’t want to be.  I loved Scott’s friends and co-workers and Theo’s mother too!  I really loved Theo’s bravery most of all – opening his heart to Scott and honestly telling him how he felt.  Scott has to fight his fear, but he comes to sense and realizes he’d rather have a life with Theo than a life without him.  So cute!!  Their own sort of The Graduate moment – but with cupcakes 🙂  Ms. Hayes is a definite hopeful romantic!  This was just the perfect story of two men, who on the surface appear to have little in common except maybe lust, but who fit each other so well and offer the precise blend of love and support and encouragement to make a real go of a new life.  I loved every single moment of this story.  Highly recommended.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon