Peppermint Mocha Kisses PM Kisses Book #1
Small Town, Gay Romance, LGBTQ Fiction
Independent
March 23, 2024
Kindle
175
Amazon
Randy Miller wants nothing more than to make a living selling the fantastic cookies he dreams up when he’s not working as a web designer. He’s always loved baking, but he’s afraid of taking the leap from hobby to business. Mostly he’s afraid of failing, and of Eli coming up with a better recipe.
Eli Canton has a crush. A big crush on someone who avoids him whenever he can. Eli loves everything about Randy, even if he’s grouchy and seems to work way too much. Eli knows he’s not all bad and hopes to have a chance with him someday.
A broken oven throws the two of them together, and even though Randy doesn’t want to admit it, he likes the time he spends with Eli. And Eli definitely can’t wait to spend more time with Randy. Now if only they can make it past the annual cookie exchange and possibly Valentine’s Day to their own sweet happy ending.
Review by Xanthe
Member of The Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Peppermint Mocha Kisses is a sweet, low angst romance between Randy and Eli. Their families have been friends for years, but Randy has always kept himself apart, coming to see Eli as competition when it comes to their annual cookie exchange, whereas Eli has been crushing on Randy for a while.
Randy is super focused and organized when it comes to his baking. This may be for the cookie exchange, but he also hopes to one day possibly make it into a business. When the family’s oven breaks, after a mini panic, he’s able to use a neighbor’s who just happens to call Eli over. This is their first real chance at conversation and bonding over baking, something they both love. From there is feels like a fast-paced story but it’s a slow burn romance as Eli lets Randy become comfortable with what they are building and focus on the sudden booming business he gets from local businesses. Eli is a huge support, both with the workload and the stress that it brings, as well as another event that threatens to end things before they even begin.
I enjoyed the slow pace of the developing romance between the two men. It seemed like the whole town was invested in their relationship, many commenting on how they thought they would be a good couple. Another thing I liked is that whilst I am all in when it comes to a festive romance, this one may happen at Christmas time but that is pretty much glossed over, just focusing on the MC’s and the baking.
A recommended read from BL Maxwell and I hope to read more like this from them in the future.