Title: A Cup of Latte
Series: N/A
Author: Bebe Burnside
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (104 pages)
Publisher: Seventh Window Publications (October 10th, 2013)
Heat: None
Heart: ♥♥♥3Hearts
Reviewer: Eli/Mandingo
Blurb: Tall, dark and handsome, Michael Stafford is one of the biggest names in business. His job is to take struggling companies under his wing and do what it takes to make a profit from them, even if the people working for the company have to suffer from the consequences.
Alan Weissman is a journalist hired to write a fluff piece on Michael Stafford. The only problem is, Alan would rather rip out his eyes than sit across from a soulless creep like Michael Stafford. It isn’t until the interview begins that Alan notices something different about the deeply handsome businessman. Something unexpected and attractive that makes him second guess his opinion of the man with the dreamy brown eyes.
Sometimes all it takes to change your mind about someone is good conversation and a hot cup of latte
Purchase Link: http://www.seventhwindow.com/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=65&products_id=205&zenid=65i6k38g5e2desl3vbnppehnt6
Review: Okay, let’s start with the good stuff. This is a great story premise. I like the idea of how the two men meet and the pace of their relationship, that’s seems very, very real. No insta-love, instead the reader meets two professional men who develop a mutual respect, which turns into a romance – realistic and believable. The story goes well as the reader navigates the relationship that the two men are building while also working on their careers.
Then we get to the conflict/crises moment. That’s where the story derails for me, which is sad since it’s so close to the end. There is no warning that the conflict is coming and as such, it jars the reader out of the calm existence that they’d been experiencing. You’re left with “huh”? The behaviour is first out of character; and then, second, followed by some very blurry moments. These blurry moments were meant to mirror the view of one of the characters, which while an interesting literary strategy, doesn’t help the reader, who simply wanted to be ‘told’ not only what was happening but more importantly why it was happening.
Because the story seemed to need to conclude, the details of the conflict are recounted and as such they lose some of the dramatic punch they would have had they been revealed by using the characters themselves to showcase how the conflict was resolved. For example, the real culprit who created the issue should have been able to openly discuss the issue with the main characters and ask for forgiveness rather than the reader hearing a second-hand recount of her tale of woe and apology. Because of this, the reader is left feeling ambivalent about many of the secondary characters who while they should have moved the plotline along, seemed to have been thrown in haphazardly to simply get to the end. Another example – Why mention Alan’s parents when we’ll never meet them?
Two other minor issues I had were that first Michael’s name kept being misspelled as: Michale, Michel or Michal. One error I can manage, once we get to three, now it’s a distraction. The second was the title. The title should have played up the whole financial/reporter angle, because that’s what the story is REALLY about. I know authors have creative license, but the title really did throw me, I kept expecting more from the coffee front and all I got was two meetings at Starbucks. Maybe Reporting on the Financier or something might have been more apropos. I’m not a writer. I can only say the title didn’t do the story justice.
Finally, what was my overall impression? I liked the story. I had some issues with plot development and the end seemed rushed, but apart from that, the story was very believable and I liked Alan and Michael, despite Michael behaving like a douche nozzle, which was needed to create the conflict. Interestingly all the issues I had with the story are probably solvable with maybe another twenty pages of content.