Fairy Cakes in Winter
by Lane Hayes
Narrated by Michael Dean
Blurb:
A grumpy baker, a quirky ad man, and a recipe for forever…
Scott
So this cute guy sits next to me on the plane and proceeds to talk my ear off for hours. Not good. I don’t like talking and I don’t like strangers. But Theo’s sweet, smart, and sexy—the perfect distraction from business woes and personal worries.
Okay, things got overly friendly, but we’re adults and we know the score. I’m too old, he’s too nice, and we live on different continents.
Then, out of the blue, he shows up at my bakery with that pretty smile and a list of wacky marketing ideas—like how to make fairy cakes a thing.
I don’t like fairy cakes.
But I do like Theo, so…maybe?
Theo
The new me takes risks. The new me is brave and confident. The new me flirts with hunky, imposing bears on planes while traveling to a foreign country.
It’s going well, thank you.
However, my plans to do some sightseeing, drink tea, and eat my weight in biscuits every day get derailed when I realize there might be a way to help Scott and prove a few things to myself.
Don’t worry. I won’t fall for the grumpy baker. No way. He’s complicated and broody and—
Uh oh…it might be too late. Help!
Fairy Cakes in Winter is a bisexual, age-gap, grumpy/sunshine MM romance featuring a sexy baker, a sunny tourist, and a few dozen fairy cakes.
*****
Excerpt:
The flight attendant directed traffic with a smile, pointing the college-aged twentysomethings hefting giant backpacks to the far side of the plane before picking up her microphone. She gave the usual rambling speech, asking passengers not to crowd the aisles or stuff winter jackets into the overhead bins…Yadda, yadda.
I listened with half an ear for important info, like when this tin can was expected to get in the air and what time we’d land in London. Not that it mattered. I’d been on the late flight from Seattle so often, I knew I was in for a nine-and-a-half-hour ride and that I’d arrive at Heathrow sometime in the late afternoon. I also knew I’d be too disoriented to care about anything other than grabbing something to eat on my way home.
I had to admit, I was one of those weirdos who kind of liked the hum of airplane noise, and there was something vaguely comforting in the routine I’d established over the past seven years. I shrugged off my coat and made sure my headphones were within reach—along with my iPad, reading glasses, and the Ziploc bag of homemade trail mix my sister had sneaked into my carry-on bag. Then I buckled up, settled in, and hoped like hell that the seat next to mine would magically remain open.
Of course, that rarely happened. And I highly doubted my wish would come true this time around ’cause A, cross-Atlantic flights were rarely empty, and B, I didn’t have that kind of luck. The best I could hope for was a quiet neighbor. I peered over at the empty window seat and sent up a quick prayer for it to stay that way before slipping my readers on to check messages on my phone.
My ten-year-old nephew informed me he’d already beat my high score on Madden, my parents asked if there was any way I might finagle a trip home in the spring, and my sister claimed she’d added more M&M’s to her trail mix this year. She also asked if I was okay.
I sent an exclamation sign to Emmett, a heart symbol to my folks, and a thumbs-up to Heather. None of those messages required a wordy response. I’d learned that it was best to stick to basic communication with my family. Emmett was happy with the occasional poop or wind emoji, and my parents liked hearts. Real words got tricky. My parents knew that coming home for Christmas had been a stretch for me. I couldn’t swing another trip too soon, and it was best to avoid circular arguments.
And questions that might spark conversations about an old ex and his new wife. Yep, a thumbs-up was much easier.
I added another for posterity and was about to switch my cell to airplane mode when a new message from Becca lit up my screen.
Call me when you land! I’ll pick you up. Btw, I made a gorgeous lemon meringue pie I’m dying for you to try. Safe travels! xo
*****
Review:
This is my first book by Hayes and I was pleasantly surprised – it was scorching, sweet, and funny.
Scott is deliciously grumpy and stoic. He’s had his heart broken badly enough that he’s not in a hurry to try love again. Too bad fate has him sitting next to bubbly, sweet Theo, who’s fear of flying has him talking Scott’s ear off. Before he realizes it, the flight is almost over and he didn’t mind it a bit. And definitely not when things get a little hot in an airport bathroom; after all, what can it hurt since they’ll never see each other again … until Theo walks into his bakery a couple of days later.
Not usually one to take chances, Theo finds himself acting quite out of character but there’s just something about Scott that draws him. And Theo knows he can help out the bakery. It’s a great opportunity to help him evaluate the direction his life is taking him … and get to spend even more time with the sexy baker. He just needs to remember that falling for him is a horrible idea.
With Fairy Cakes in Winter, Hayes gives readers appealing characters who find themselves in a realistic situation with minimal angst. It’s a slow, but definitely steamy, build to an enjoyable HEA.
Oh, I did this as an audiobook and I rarely listen to them – I had a horrible experience AGES ago that was so bad it still makes me hesitant today 🙂 – but Dean has a pleasant voice and does a fantastic job bringing Hayes’s characters & their interactions to life. Made me brave enough to get another one to try out!
*****
Author Info:
Lane Hayes loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016, 2017, 2018-2019, 2020-2021 Rainbow Awards. She loves wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.
My Readers’ Group, Lane’s Lovers: https://bit.ly/3aIbMYg
My Newsletter: https://bit.ly/3cICfaK
Blog: www.lane-hayes.com
Twitter: twitter.com/LaneHayes3
FB: facebook.com/LaneHayesAuthor
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/lanehayes
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/lane-hayes
Instagram: instagram.com/lanehayes3/
Goodreads: goodreads.com/LaneHayes
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@lane_hayes
*****
Giveaway:
To celebrate the release of Fairy Cakes in Winter, Lane is giving away the Winner’s choice of an audiobook or ebook of your choice from her published works!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win!
*****
Romantic Reads and Such 