Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Keith Walker, a mall bookstore employee, is struggling to get through another miserable holiday season while trying to preserve a crumbling long-term relationship. One of his few comforts is his morning coffee made by a good-looking, younger barista. Austin Novak felt an attraction when Keith started frequenting the coffee shop, but he doesn’t think the older man has any interest in him or his graphic novel collection.

A Christmas week snowstorm buries the city and locks Keith’s car into its parking spot. Keith decides to show Austin his gratitude for helping free the car from the ice with a dinner invitation. The meal becomes complicated when Austin meets Keith’s boyfriend, Shawn, and things go downhill from there when Shawn announces he’s heading to Cancún with his coworkers. Keith is caught between keeping his boyfriend happy and keeping his job. But Keith might not need a plane ticket to find the happiness that’s been missing from his life.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2016 Advent Calendar "Bah Humbug."

 

Book Review

There was something in the description for 'Iced', or maybe just the picture of Keith I got from reading it, that made me want to delve into this addition to Dreamspinner Press's 2016 Advent Calendar. I could feel the despondency dragging Keith down and since I think I've been in that position a few times in my early thirties, well I just wanted to read about someone who got free and had a happy ending.

Keith is not having a good life and his oh so crappy boyfriend, Shawn, needs to be stabbed. Okay, that might have been my overprotectiveness coming through, but I despise seeing someone get disparaged constantly by the person who is supposed to love them. Keith seems to be in a rut and I was hoping that Austin might be the one to help him get out of it.

I would be a total Scrooge "Bah Humbug" too if I worked in retail at the mall over Christmas. I can't even begin to imagine how horrific that would be and then to have to go home to a failing relationship? Keith really deserves all the kindness and love he can get. So when he makes a sacrifice for Shawn in hopes of salvaging their relationship, and then comes home to find Shawn screwing someone else on their couch, well, that just feels like the end to Keith. Luckily he has made a good friend in Austin and has someone to turn to for help.

'Iced' is an enjoyable, sweet read that definitely showcases some of the worst things that can happen during the holiday season but also some of the best.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 47 pages/15437 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	01-December-2016
Price	$1.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/iced-by-jon-keys-7977-b