[Book Review] A Dash Of Spice By Calista Fox & Paramount Coffee Fall In Love: Pumpkin Spice

Title: A Dash Of Spice
Series/Universe: Snowed In & Snuggled Up  Holiday Collection Book 2
Author: Calista Fox
Publisher: Calista Fox
Publication date: October 29th 2015
Page Count: 150 pages
Age Rating: Adult (language and explicit sexual scenes)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received a copy to review
Publisher’s page: A Dash Of Spice

Scout Winchester is looking to re-ignite his career. A little sizzle in his love life wouldn’t hurt, either!

After an entire lifetime of preparing to be the next NHL “Great One,” Scout reached the pinnacle in hockey by 29—then hit rock bottom, following a horrific car accident. He walked away from the hospital; but residual injuries forced him to walk away from the spotlight. Returning to Plymouth Rock, Colorado as a hometown hero is all well and dandy, but Scout has broken family fences to mend, job offers to consider…and a raven-haired beauty from his past who deserves the ultimate decision from him.

Ciara St. James still hasn’t found her place in the world. How long can she keep running from her past?

Not dealt the best hand from the get-go, Ciara survives on instinct, personal convictions and an adventurous spirit. She’s learned how to make the best of every disastrous situation, but deep down, there are past pains she hides from everyone… Except for Scout. When they’re suddenly reunited for the Thanksgiving holiday and are snowed in at Win Creek Cabin, Ciara realizes the time has come to stop running. To stop hiding. To snuggle up with the only man she’s ever loved and face her demons while he faces his—and hope they both come out unscathed.

My Review

A Dash Of Spice is the second book in the Snowed In & Snuggled Up Holiday Collection, which follows three brothers returning home to settle some business over the Thanksgiving holiday, reconnecting with family and reuniting with lost-loves along the way.

With two Stanley Cups and one Olympic gold medal under his belt, Scout Winchester is returning to Plymouth Rock, Colorado a hockey rockstar and hometown hero. Amidst the town dedicating an ice rink to him and making a decision about the sale of his family’s cabin, Scout has another important decision weighing on his mind– lingering injuries from a car accident have left him unable to play hockey anymore and he’s got to make a choice regarding a new direction for his career. Also in town for the Thanksgiving holiday is Scout’s longtime friend and lover, Ciara St. James, who’s experienced her own recent setbacks and is back to continue her late Aunt’s legacy with the town’s Pilgrim Society and the Thanksgiving feast reenactment they put on.

Things have always been hot and heavy between Scout and Ciara, but their busy careers have put time and distance between them and it’s been three years since they’ve last seen each other – finally in the same place at the same time, and with the romance of a snowy holiday setting, the pair is quick to make up for lost time 😉

I’ve got to say right off the bat that A Dash Of Spice was a bit, umm, spicier than the previous book in the collection (A Little Bit Of Sugar) – I kind of love that it lived up to its name! Ciara and Scout can’t seem to keep their hands off each whenever they’re in the same room together and things get very steamy, very quickly. Their reconnecting takes place near Thanksgiving, and Ciara hosts a lovely dinner for the Pilgrim Society and their Thanksgiving feast reenactment sponsors (during which Ciara and Scout sneak away for a little rendezvous), but Thanksgiving day itself is only briefly glossed over on the last page – it’s more about the romance and the build up to the big day.

Although this is the second book in the collection, it can be read first, or as a standalone, if you wish, since the events take place concurrently with the events of the previous book. Like the first book in the collection, A Dash Of Spice also briefly touches upon the distance between the Winchester brothers, the hole left in the family by the death of their beloved patriarch, and the return of the boys’ estranged father, while little glimpses of the other Winchester brothers and their stories are scattered around in the background, tying the collection together.

All in all, I really enjoyed A Dash of Spice, it’s a great steamy romance with a lovely snowy, cozy holiday setting. There’s only one more book left in the Snowed In & Snuggled Up Holiday Collection and after how much I liked the first two books in the collection, I am very much looking forward to reading it.

In A Dash Of Spice, Thanksgiving is a wonderful, magical time of year for Ciara. In fact, she loves it so much that for the entire month before Thanksgiving, she refrains from eating turkey or anything with pumpkin in it to make the day feel that much more special. When she’s not refraining from the joy that is pumpkin everything, I definitely think Ciara would appreciate Paramount Coffee Fall In Love: Pumpkin Spice– a smooth, medium roast coffee that tastes just like a piece of creamy pumpkin pie with hints of clove, ginger, and cinnamon.