Title: Beignets
Series: Coffee Cake: Book 2
Author: Michaela Grey
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (198 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (9 Oct 2015)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: Malachi Warren barely survived a series of assaults on his life. But survive he did, though not without baggage. Now, Malachi must pick up the pieces of his shattered life—the most important piece being his boyfriend, Bran Kendrick, who is dealing with problems of his own.
Stagnating at his job at a small-town café, Bran’s pride keeps him from asking Malachi—or anyone—for help. Desperate to do something, Malachi secretly pays a celebrity chef with a bakery in New Orleans to take on Bran as his apprentice.
As Malachi and Bran begin to make a new life in New Orleans, the specter of Malachi’s PTSD and the growing stress over the secret he hides from Bran threaten their relationship.
Before it’s too late, Malachi must confront his past and face his fears about the future, all without losing himself—and Bran—in the process.
ISBN: 978-1-63476-632-6
Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6929
Reviewer: Prime
Review: Beignet is the sequel to Coffee Cake, so if you’ve not read that one, go back. You won’t be disappointed and I doubt you’d get far in this book by skipping it.
We return to the lives of Bran and Malachi. Unlike the first book, where we explored Bran’s life as an asexual, we are instead exploring the life of the young, college age couple now that they’ve been together for six months. Other than Bran now aspiring to be a baker, Malachi is unsatisfied with his arts degree (though he is a talented artist), much of the book deals with the aftermath of the traumatic events of Coffee Cake which has led to Malachi having frequent panic attacks (it’s probably PTSD).
Malachi’s terror is very real and how Michaela Grey has dealt with it is both intense but definitely with the care and attention needed. I think I would have been disappointed, especially after the wonderful and personal way in which Coffee Cake was written, if Malachi’s trauma was dismissed with nothing more than he got a few nightmares and then he got over it.
That being said, with the characters already deeply developed, we develop a very relatable and very real layer of complexity to both men. Bran is a big, sweet teddy bear who is intent on making himself a better man than his father was after his abusive childhood. But that isn’t even scratching the surface, especially with the drama that plays out at the end as we begin to breathe a sigh of relief that everything is working out well. Seriously, I shed a few tears there!
I’m a little disappointed we don’t get to hear more from Bran, though the first book was more his story, and now in this instalment, it is Malachi’s story that takes priority. I’m also a little disappointed that we didn’t get to hear more from the big protective brothers, Tristan (Mal’s brother) and Callan (Bran’s brother). But honestly, they are just my personal thoughts and by no means took away from my enjoyment of the book.
This is a must read for anyone who has read Coffee Cake. But I think in general, this is an excellent series to indulge if you are looking to read a story about a couple of ordinary guys that is very complex and deep.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *