[Book Review] Love And Other Hot Beverages By Laurie Loft & New York Gourmet Coffee Cinnamon Cappuccino Coffee

Title: Love And Other Hot Beverages
Series/Universe: Standalone
Author: Laurie Loft
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Publication date: July 3rd 2017
Page Count: 425 pages
Age Rating: Adult (explicit sexual scenes, violence, and language)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received an ARC to review
Publisher’s page: Love And Other Hot Beverages

After a rough breakup, Todd Addison wants time alone to grieve. While still dreaming of winning back his ex’s love, he moves across the country and finds work with a construction company. The last thing he needs is the cute office boy developing a crush on him, especially since he’s back in the closet.

Sebastián Nye can’t help feeling sorry for the obviously brokenhearted Todd. Though rebuffed repeatedly, Sebby chisels away at Todd’s resistance, determined to help him forget—a task potentially beyond anyone’s capabilities. He never meant to fall for the poor guy, but he does. Hard.

Desperate to hold on to Todd, Sebby hatches a sneaky plot guaranteed to end Todd’s heartbreak—if Todd doesn’t bail and ruin everything. Just when things can’t get more complicated, Todd’s ex wants him back. And Sebby’s abusive ex is just waiting to catch Sebby alone. Todd and Sebby must decide what’s worth fighting for, what’s worth sacrifice, and what’s worth compromise, or their relationship will begin and end with a broken heart.

My Review

Love And Other Hot Beverages is a roller coaster of romance, angst, and drama.

Todd is fresh off a breakup that has him completely messed up – quit-your-job, move-across-the-country, just-trying-to-get-from-day-to-day messed up. Sebastian (Sebby), who himself has only recently gotten out of an abusive relationship, is determined to help Todd get over his ex and into his, Sebby’s, bed (you’ll find throughout the book that this is Sebby’s go-to coping mechanism: sex). Problem is, once Sebby starts spending time with Todd and experiences first hand his level of devotion to his ex and naturally romantic personality, just sex isn’t enough. Sebby starts to desperately want Todd to turn all that love and adoration his way.

And that’s when things get messy. (Spoilers Below)

Sebby makes some bad choices and pretty much self-sabotages. Sebby doesn’t really believe in monogamy and Todd is very much into one-on-one intimate monogamous relationships – something he and Sebby talk about and he makes very clear. Sebby has these friends who are in a relationship but also like to regularly bring a third into their bedroom, and somehow he gets the idea in his head that Todd needs to have a threesome with his friends so that it will add to his total of sex partners since his breakup and will increase the distance between him and his ex. Todd’s not into it, but Sebby won’t let it go and Todd finally gives in because he’s starting to really care for Sebby and wants to make him happy. And then when Todd goes off with these guys, after Sebby literally pushes him out the door, Sebby gets scared when his abusive ex calls and asks another one of his friends (an ex-lover) to come over – and then he sleeps with the guy.

See what I mean? What the hell dude?

So it’s a mess, but it’s also a really addictive, entertaining mess that you can’t look away from. I was seriously guzzling coffee and shoving cookies in my mouth without looking as I turned pages wide-eyed and captivated. And rest assured, there’s an HEA – it takes a while to get there, but they do get there eventually.

Overall, Love And Other Hot Beverages is unexpectedly good. It’s not your usual romance and not the kind I regularly read, but it’s got that kind of drama that holds your attention and makes you keep turning the pages. I seriously couldn’t put it down until the end – I would definitely pick up more books by this author in the future.

In Love And Other Hot Beverages, Sebby uses coffee to seduce Todd (smart man 😉). And he’s serious about it too – he grinds the beans fresh each time using an old-fashioned turn-crank grinder and then brews it in a French Press using only spring water. On a visit to Sebby’s home, Todd looks around Sebby’s bathroom and is charmed to see the other man had gone so far as to use Spicy Cappuccino shampoo so he smelled like coffee too (again, smart man – using scent association as a seduction technique). To bring a little taste of Sebby’s coffee seduction off the page, I recommend New York Gourmet Coffee Cinnamon Cappuccino Coffee – a medium roast flavored with sprinkles of cinnamon spice on a frothy, creamy cappuccino base.