Book Review - DEAR HERO

 Author: Hope Bolinger & Alyssa Roat

Pages: 432

Review: 

This book is the most emotionally devastating read of this year for me. It’s funny and also heartbreaking. A hero and a villain who flirt, argue, traumatize, bond and accidentally heal each other???

“I’m tired of pretending that I’m fine when I’m breaking in places no one can see.”

• Online banter
• Emotional vulnerability
• Slow Burn
• found family
• Opposites Attract 
• Villain-hero 

“You say you’re a villain, but I’ve met heroes who cared less than you.”

The emotional intimacy & tension is so strong. And the slow build?? OH MY GOD. It is EVERYTHING. I genuinely sat in silence after reading this book because it had taken me on such a emotional ride that I didn’t know how to come back to real life now.

Both Cortex and Vortex are surrounded by people yet they have this feeling of loneliness with them. For both of them, the messages become a lifeline, and soon after their insults become a base for their connection. The book explores loneliness a lot but still the author balances it with sarcasm. You don't realize how isolated they both are until you catch the moments where the humor breaks it. The moment it hits you, it hits HARD.

“I didn’t mean to trust you. It just… happened. Like breathing.”

Before the romance, chemistry, hero/villain falling in love trope that makes your heart skip a beat, there is friendship that’s built on understanding and honesty they haven’t given to anyone else. The texting format makes their bond more intimate. 

The climax is where everything you love about these characters comes together in a most unforgettable moment.

“Every time you talk, it feels like you’re stitching pieces of me back together.”

Rating:      5/5

Book Review: AMRUT - THE GREAT CHURN: THE GLOBAL STORY OF INDIA'S FIRST SINGLE MALT

AMRUT - THE GREAT CHURN: THE GLOBAL STORY OF INDIA'S FIRST SINGLE MALT

By Sriram Devatha

PAGES: 267

ABOUT THE BOOK:

One fine day in Ooty, Bangalore-based businessman Neelakanta Rao Jagdale mixed single malt whisky with peated whisky, both crafted in his family-owned distillery. This blend would put Amrut on the world map, succeeding beyond Jagdale’s wildest dreams. He had crafted nectar fit for the gods, much like the one that rose out of the great churn of the Puranas, a whisky that would captivate connoisseurs worldwide—Amrut Fusion.

India is a land of whisky-drinkers—of the sort made from molasses, yes, but also premium Scotch. For the latter lot, anything Indian was anathema. Jagdale, a visionary, dared to dream beyond the molasses-based whiskies that India was known for. His strategy was for Indian whisky to be acceptable to Indians, it would first have to be accepted by the Scots. And thus began the journey of Amrut Whisky and its many expressions, the most popular of which remains the Amrut Fusion.

Business storyteller Sriram Devatha follows this exhilarating story, from Newcastle bars, where Rakshit Jagdale conducted blind whisky tastings, to UK sales head and chief distiller Ashok Chokalingam’s travels across the UK trying to sell Amrut. The book covers a lot of ground—Amrut’s branding strategies, alcohol regulation in India, the dynamics of a family business, the Western bias against Indian whisky in the early days, the economic imperative towards premiumisation and, most importantly, the science and creativity that goes into distilling world-class whisky.

Amrut—the Great The Global Story of India’s First Single Malt is the tale of how a home-grown brand attained international cult status. But it is also more than the story of an India that not just consumes global products, but makes for the world—a tale of resilience, innovation and the pursuit of excellence.

BOOK REVIEW:

This book is something different from what I usually read most of the times but I love reading books like this every once in a while. In addition to breaking cultural and literal stereotypes, the book explores the bravery of introducing India's first single malt, made in Bengaluru, to the most demanding whisky drinkers in Scotland and beyond. 

It starts in the early days of Amrut Distilleries, which were established by the Neelakanta Rao Jagdale. India's whisky industry was renowned for decades for its mass-produced, familiar and reasonably priced molasses-based spirits. However, just malt? Scotland, Ireland, and a few Western distillers who had mastered the craft through centuries of tradition were the only countries with that level of expertise. This book is so captivating because of this. It's the story of a distillery that dared to ask, "Why not us?" and a brand that started without a plan. Their journey wasn't easy either.

As a reader, we all can appreciate the scope of what this family-owned business achieved. You see them transition from making regional brandy and rum to pursuing an idea that the majority of the Indian beverage industry didn't even believe was feasible. What makes this book stand out isn't just about it's buisness Story but also for the way Devatha combines heritage and a global perspective. In reference to the mythological Samudra Manthan, where gods and demons churned the ocean to uncover hidden treasures, the title itself is The Great Churn.

The author takes us to Newcastle, England, where Amrut's team held blind tastings to compare their whisky to that of Scotland. Imagining a bottle from India standing next to renowned labels from the Highlands and Islay, imagine the tension of that moment. The responses were invaluable. The fact that it was Indian surprised a lot of tasters. Some even thought it was Scottish. That moment was about changing the story, not just about being validated. The author makes the readers comfortable with the narrative, he describes the technical process that went into Amrut Fusion. The passion is clearly seen in all the pages, even if you have never tasted whisky. You can see why this experiment and blend marked a change for Amrut and India's standing in the world spirits market.

The book is all about heritage entrepreneurship, which is creating something of the highest caliber while maintaining a local foundation. We learn how Amrut handled India's intricate alcohol laws, taxation obstacles and low level of domestic acceptance through Devatha's narration. In India, whisky was primarily valued for its affordability for many years rather than its flavor. The market wasn't prepared to spend a lot of money on an Indian single malt. However, the Amrut team refused to sacrifice the quality. This teaches a valuable lesson that innovation frequently requires time to mature.

For someone who loves to read about history, culture and heritage, this book is invaluable. It tells the story of India reclaiming its heritage in addition to that of a distillery. From weavers & sculptors to spice traders & perfumers, india reclaim it's cultural spotlight. Amrut carries on that tradition, demonstrating that creativity isn't just found in traditional crafts but also develops, adapts and modernizes.

This story has cultural weight because of Indian barley, Indian weather and Indian water. This is a genuinely Indian invention that also happens to satisfy international standards, not a Westernized Indian product. For readers who value India's multi layered legacy, it serves as a proud reminder that our customs can flourish in fields where we haven't traditionally been represented.

All of these things makes the book more than a corporate success story. It’s more of a cultural textbook, the author balances his research and avoids overwhelming the readers with technical terms and copious amount of business information.

Finally this book is a great gift to someone who enjoys stories of Indian grit and glory. 

RATING: 5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sriram loves telling brand stories across mediums, from an Instagram reel to a 200-page volume of narrative non-fiction. His writing is influenced by his learnings as a senior brand manager at a start-up, visiting faculty teaching storytelling for entrepreneurs and even delivering lectures on German grammar and audio engineering. As Consulting Editor at Your Story, he probes the nuances of crafting memorable brands through conversations with founders. In his downtime, Sriram enjoys swimming with his children, teaching them to bubble and even count for their plunges into the pool. He lives in Bangalore.

Book Review - Safecracker

Safe Cracker

By Jesse DeRoy

Page: 416

BOOK SUMMARY:

Jesse Deroy’s debut is a taut and deeply inhabited dive into the criminal netherworld that unfurls with surprising heart, wild specificity, and the tactile pleasure of an intricate well-executed plan.

Grantchester “Duke" Ducaine was born and raised a thief, so working the straight and narrow the last two years has felt like surfing without water. His dad is in the pen and his sister is . . . well, Duke doesn’t like to think about all of the things that are his fault. He’s got more pressing problems, like a bookie who wants to break his thumbs, and a couple of possibly shady Feds who want him to break into an unbreakable safe. When Duke agrees to take the job, thinking he might have the answer to his problems, he discovers that some things are best left unopened.

REVIEW:

If you enjoy heist thrillers with lots of technical detail then read this book. I was hooked by Duke, the man behind the heist, as well as the excitement of the actual heist from the very first chapter. He is tired, has more to him than he shows and is now attempting to escape his past. He is not the type of thief we see in thrillers and hat made him incredibly easy to root for.

The story starts with "Duke" our Ducaine, who grew up in a life of crime. His childhood revolved around lock picks and guns, not school and sports. His father is in prison and his sister is stuck in the criminal world, a part of his past he prefers to forget. Duke tried to live a straight life for a while, but in Los Angeles, he returns to what he knows best, opening safes for cash while trying to stay ahead from who are after him. Then, two government agents approach Duke with a proposal to break into an "unbreakable" safe. The job seems like a way to resolve his all his troubles, his debts and even his past. However, the moment he agrees to it everything starts to unfold.

The plot is solid, engaging and works well for the thriller/heist-lover. It gives you the satisfaction of reading a well executed heist plan and the tension of stepping into danger. I hate too much technical details and it didn't work out for me to provide a 5 star.

RATING: 5/5

---

The Restaurant Kid - With Colored Pages Book Tour

The Restaurant Kid 

By Rachel Phan 

Book Description:

A warm and poignant narrative about finding one’s self amidst the grind of restaurant life, the cross-generational immigrant experience, and a daughter’s attempts to connect with parents who have always been just out of reach.

When she was three years old, Rachel Phan met her replacement. Instead of a new sibling, her parents’ time and attention were suddenly devoted entirely to their new family restaurant. For her parents—whose own families fled China during Japanese occupation and then survived bombs and starvation during the war in Vietnam—it was a dream come true. For Rachel, it was something quite different. Overnight, she became a restaurant kid, living on the periphery of her own family and trying her best to stay out of the way.

As Rachel grew up, the restaurant was the most stalwart and suffocating member of her family. For decades, it’s been both her family’s crowning achievement and the origin of so much of their pain and suffering: screaming matches complete with smashed dishes, bodies worn down by long hours and repetitive strain, and tenuous relationships where they love one another deeply without ever really knowing each other.

In Restaurant Kid, Rachel seeks to examine the way her life has been shaped by the rigid boxes placed around her. She had to be a “good daughter,” never asking questions, always being grateful. She had to be a “real Canadian,” watching hockey and speaking English so flawlessly that her tongue has since forgotten how to contort around Cantonese tones. As the only Chinese girl at school, she had to alternate between being the sidekick, geek, or Asian fetish, depending on whose gaze was on her.

Now, three decades after their restaurant first opened, Rachel's parents are cautiously talking about retirement. As an adult, Rachel’s “good daughter” role demands something new of her—and a chance to get to know her parents away from the restaurant.

Bringing to lyric life the poignancy of growing up in a "third culture," Rachel Phan has crafted a vibrant new narrative of growing up, the strength and foibles of family, and how we come to understand ourselves.

Review:

Ah, that title really caught my eye! 

I love books that talk about food and if it's someone's life story too, I'm definitely more interested. From the Blurb itself, I was curious about what it was like growing up in the family restaurant and how that shaped the author. The combination of the restaurant setting, the cultural background, and Rachel's personal journey makes this book more valuable considering the journey of self discovery.

Don't expect plot twists or suspense, this is a simple book about someone trying to find her  place in her own world, but it is beautifully written and I stayed up for a few nights until 3 am reading it. This book was very insightful and allowed me to learn more about the cultures. In addition, I was able to get a more in depth look at some of the difficulties that are encountered when families are trying to assimilate to the other culture. 

It's entirely about the author trying to figure out who they are while jumping on different ideas about how she should be, based on where she come from. It's about finding her own way when the expectations from her different backgrounds don't quite match up. I really enjoyed this book and learnt about a culture I am not familiar with at the same time. 

Rating: 10/10

Highly Recommended!!

Author Interview - Russell Gaynor

Exclusive Q/A session with the Author of The Mind of the Man-child, Russell Gaynor

Hello and Welcome everyone! 

Today, we have the honour of hosting an author interview with Russell Gaynor. Thank you for joining us, and let's dive into this enriching author interview together!

1. What motivated you to become a writer, and when did you know this was what you wanted to do?

The blame falls to my grandmother and her invaluable integrity. Around her, if you couldn’t do a thing, don’t say otherwise. One day, a very young boy wanted to watch Mighty Mouse instead of her preferred black & white movies, and he made the claim he could write better stories with one hand tied behind his back. To her credit, she did NOT tie my hand behind me, but she did provide a stack of pads and a box of pencils before saying, “Prove it!”

I was passing the halfway point of the second pad (keep in mind, I was 5 and my words took up three lines!!!) when she picked up the first one and started reading. She had not yet finished the first pad when she tossed it down and told me to get my coat. She walked me to the library, sat me down, and read me The Three Musketeers. I’ve been in love with flawed heroes ever since!

2. How many books have you written/ are writing?

The number is north of 50 and getting bigger every year.

3. The title, The Mind of the Man-Child, is intriguing. What makes you choose this title?

This is one of the cases where the title wasn’t created until the story had been told. Among the Prodigian, there are a number of tribes, but the largest and most powerful are the Star-Children and the Man-Lords. The MC is a child of two up and coming wonders from opposing tribes. His father is a Man-Lord and his mother is a Star-Child. Mind of the Star-Lord seemed a bit too puffy for me at the time, whereas Mind of the Man-Child would allow people to make a few errant assumptions.

4. The book deals with some of the complex psychological themes. What message were you hoping readers would take away?

Mind of the Man-Child is Book One of the Lost Children of Earth series, but it’s basically a “What If” story where the history of man is called into question. I believe we’re meant to learn from our past, but like making your way after a serious break-up, don’t go toting your past like luggage, inflicting its weight to burden your present and/or your future.

5. Are there any books, films, or personal experiences that influenced you to develop any of your books?

I’m motivated by the extremes. Really good stories make me write, hopefully adding to the count of good books. Really bad stories make me write to prove it could be and should be done better.

6. What part of writing The Mind of the Man-Child did you enjoy the most?

How the actions of the Prodigian are received by the common human. A crime scene where a Man-Lord Warrior has been having her fun. How do investigators explain glass knocked INSIDE the living room of a third story apartment that’s nowhere near the fire escape? They don’t find any markings where rope or cable might have been used and each victim in the apartment seems to have suffered from spontaneous human combustion. To the Prodigian it’s an easy answer: the attacker used both telekinesis and pyrokinesis. To the FBI investigators tracking a string of equally weird killings, it’s another occasion where they have to shrug their shoulders and press on.

7. What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing this novel?

Coming to the viewpoint that it needed to be re-written! The very first time I wrote it, there wasn’t one single physical description in the entire story. Everyone was a silhouette! The second time I wrote I was too involved in the process, declaring that I was a fantastic writer with each line; sentences were overloaded with adjectives and adverbs. When I finally sat down to tell the story, it was a tremendous experience!

8. How long did it take you to write the book “The Mind of the Man-Child” Series, from the initial idea to the final draft?

It started out as a high-school creative writing essay (where I got an ‘A’!) and it’s been recrafted 10 TIMES! Of course, most of this was before I had confirmed with myself that I wanted to be a storyteller, so it took years!

9. Which character do you relate to the most, and why?

The MC, William. It sometimes feels like I reached into my own history and took out that awkward teenager and then gave him incredible mental capability.

10. What are you working on right now?

On June 3rd, I finished my most recent book, one that is part of a Science-Fantasy series (called Beyond the Outer Rim) which is currently 14 books long and getting longer. I had challenged myself to have 57 books written by the time I turned 57 years old. That book I finished on the 3rd was my 58th. 

Fervency Love

Fervency Love

By Scarlett H. Lovers

Page Count : 504 pages

Blurb:

Love can warm you up or burn you. 

Abigail grew up believing that she wasn’t enough. She has built a wall of indifference around herself over the years, but when fate unexpectedly brings Connor into her life, that barrier begins to crumble.
From the beginning, Connor appears to be the opposite of Abigail. His daily life is filled with friends, drugs, and parties. But one look is enough to spark something between the two, and he quickly becomes the most important person in the world to her. Their every meeting is filled with passion, creating a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
Despite their young age, feelings and desire overcome them. Both are unaware of how much pain and sacrifice it will cost to maintain their relationship. Will they prove strong enough to survive the storms on the horizon?


“I loved you a lot earlier than I admitted, even to myself. I loved you from the very first moment I saw you. I feel the taste of life with you. I started really breathing only when I met you. I've never felt so alive before.”

Review:

"𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔."

This book was completely different from how I was expecting it to be, I certainly didn’t think I would get so emotionally involved with the characters or care so much about them anyways. But the story seemed to get better and better as it went along, it was obvious that there was something between Ve and Gail from the start and after getting closer together, things really start to get interesting, and you’ll be tearing at the pages trying to find out what happens, it'll make you feel like you're inside their heads. 

"𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒈—𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍, 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔."

They went through many ups and downs in their relationship. Regardless of the mayhem and drama they are very much in love. These two characters have a fierce attraction and a thriving relationship like no other that I have read. I can feel the steam coming off the pages.

"𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔. 𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆."

Their feelings were really well shown, all their fears, insecurities, anger and love. This story has so many ups and downs it's an emotional roller coaster! There were definitely moments filled with angst and unspoken feelings between the two characters that really helped make the plot that much more interesting. The author never described things for too long or too little, this was great because I just really wanted to go on with the story.

"𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒔𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚. 𝑪𝒓𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆, 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒕, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑶𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇."

The author has done a wonderful job of creating multi-layered characters, who are flawed and still lovable. In fact this is one of those books that compels you to read it no matter what. The intensity of this novel is almost palpable that will give readers a tangible experience to carry long after the last page. It just might be possible that this book should come with a warning label, readers be prepared to be absorbed for the duration of this novel nothing else will get accomplished until you are done with this book. 

Will they overcome everything and become a couple or will they hate each other and continue to go on different paths?!! 

Rating : 5/5

Ice & Sweet - The Author Agency

𝐈𝐜𝐞 & 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭

By Charlie Novak

Review:

Luke, a skilled baker, who is given the important task of crafting a wedding cake for his best friend's Christmas wedding. When a snowstorm hits, he finds himself stuck at a charming country hotel alongside André, a former boyband member who has transitioned into theater acting. 

Luke and Andre have been friends for years, their relationship has always been friendly yet luke has a crush on Andre. Andre is a former boyband member, who's now a theatre actor. They both met after a long time at their best friend's wedding. 

As Luke is a baker, he's baking their best friend's wedding cake. When he's trying to get to the venue he spots Andre and they are compelled to spend more time together during the storm, their bond begins to grow. 

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:

Second chance

Friendship

Self-discovery

Slow burn

Holiday Romance

Secret Crush

As both of them confront their challenges in their past relationships they're opening up to each other and accept their emotions. 

The book is filled with heartwarming scenes, witty banter, and then holiday vibes makes it a must read for the Christmas season. The writing flows effortlessly,  drawing me deep into the world. It's easy to read, quick and witty.

Rating : 4/5 

Thanks to The Author Agency for having me on this book tour.