Title: Whiskey to Moonshine

Series: Dreamspun Desires 74

Author: Elizabeth Noble

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (228 pages)

ISBN: 978-1-64080-382-4

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (15 Jan 2019)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖💖 5 Hearts

Reviewer: Prime

Blurb: Drunk on love.

Like a well-aged whiskey, master distiller and old-money entrepreneur Malone Kensington is elegant and refined. Unfortunately he’s also a perfectionist who is more dedicated to the success of his generations-old company than his own love life.

That company needs a public spokesman.

What Colton Hale lacks in sophistication, he more than makes up for with the charisma that’s allowed him to survive on the street from a young age and charm his way into the lucrative—if overwhelming—public position at the Kensington Distillery. When Mal takes Colt under his wing, hoping to polish off his rough edges, opposites attract and a passionate romance blossoms despite the differences in age and background. But can it survive a Kensington Board of Directors who believe Colt is nothing but a gold digger and a kidnapper determined to profit from the love of Mal’s life—dead or alive?

Purchase Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK 

Review: Whiskey and Moonshine is a really charming romance set in Tennessee, obviously amongst whiskey and moonshine stills by Elizabeth Noble. Noble is an author who is certainly on my radar and in my mind as an author whose style and stories I enjoy, and combined with the fact that this is part of Dreamspun Desires line, I was totally down to reading this book.

The story may revolve around whiskey and moonshine, but it is one particular company that is run by a very sexy man who is dedicated to his family’s company and making it more accessible for the younger generations that is the focus of this story. I say that and it sounds like we’re talking about an old guy – we’re not, he’s thirty-six, but the company has been in the family for three generations and it does need to catch up to the current generation.

The story opens with Colton Hale, he’s twenty-four and has been living on the streets of Toledo since he was fifteen, which was when he had been kicked out of home for being gay. The most recent run in with violent thugs has Colton ready to make a new start, so he gets the first bus that will get him out and his new adventure starts. The bus ride brings him to the Kensington family’s whiskey distillery. They’re a rich and hugely successful distillery in Tennessee. Colt manages to get himself a job and just six weeks later shows his ingenuity and passion for his work that leads him to another job for the company.

Mal, the head of the Kensington family company which had been previously run by his mother, sees a lot of potential in Colton. There’s the potential Colton has to help sell the whiskey brand on social media and help the company branch out, but he has to hold back his attraction for the man, even though he knows Colt’s shady past. The two men work well together and Mal decides to use the age gap between them as the excuse he needs to mentally force himself from pining for his social media face of the company.

Alright. I have to do this. I’m about to nerd out and dedicate a paragraph gushing about how awesome it was to read a book that appreciates the Joss Whedon TV showed Firefly. Because I’m a browncoat and the fact that it features so prominently in a book I enjoyed was shiny. So, if you’re not a fan and didn’t appreciate words such as browncoat or shiny, perhaps switch off for the next paragraph.

Right, I’m going to admit. I’m a total sucker for Firefly. Because of that I see the name Mal and I think Captain Malcolm Reynolds – though I can never say I was disappointed to realise that this Mal is short for Malone. Whatever. But it is sweet and smart Colt, who hasn’t had the best 9 or so years of his life getting into Firefly into the book that got to me. I really enjoyed the imagery conjured when Colt mentions the last line in the theme song, relating it to the backdrop of the rambling Kensington distillery/estate. But the best part, when everything seems to be falling apart Colt uses a Firefly reference to get Colt to help him.

This was a really enjoyable story. The characters were relatable and felt accessible to the reader, or at least to me. I’m not sure how to go about recommendations. I mean, it isn’t actually set in a boardroom with a powerful CEO finding love in unexpected places, but this is definitely an employee to lover romance and Mal is certainly a powerful (sexy-as-sin) CEO. So, I suppose if you like any romance set around vineyards (I’ve read a few of those of late) then this is another one to enjoy. There is also an interesting celebrity element, where Colt navigates the world of social media and gains fame as the face of the Kensington brand. Also, in terms of Colt this is a rags to riches romance too. As already mentioned, Firefly fans will be tickled to see love for the awesome show.

Title: High Test

Series: Dreamspun Desires 47

Author: Elizabeth Noble

Genre: Contemporary

Length: Novel (202 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (1st December 2017)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: 💖💖💖💖 4 Hearts

Blurb: The coffee is rich. Hayden isn’t. But Neal doesn’t need to know that – yet.

Hayden Owens is just your typical graduate student working his way through school as a barista for the Owens Coffee Company – no relation. But he keeps the “no relation” part to himself when he meets dashing architect Neal Kirchner, a successful older man from an old-money family. Hayden doesn’t exactly lie, but he figures it can’t hurt for Neal to believe he’s a rich kid. After all, Hayden doesn’t want Neal thinking he’s a gold digger.

The closer they become, the harder it gets for Hayden to come clean. Something always seems to get in the way. When a company bankruptcy and a jilted, vindictive woman threatens to expose his charade, Hayden thinks it’s all gone down the drain. Luckily, Neal is ready with some innocent trickery of his own.

ISBN: 978-1-63533-964-2

Product Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Elizabeth Noble is relatively new author to me, I think other than listening to the audio for this book some couple months ago, I’m not aware of any other of the author’s works. At least on the Dreamspinner Press website there are only three works available and one of them won’t be out until December. Regardless, first off I’m going to say that this is one of those books which I found more enjoyable as an ebook as opposed to listening to the audio. I can’t put a finger on the reason why, but there you have it.

Admittedly, the plot rather simple and predictable. It’s one of those types of books that I recommend for people who want something easy and relaxing but don’t expect too much in terms of literary excellence. It’s a great book to just relax and escape with. I read a very intense book last night which I absolutely adored, even though the emotions were high I found this to be the perfect come down book after that experience.

High Test is a Cinderella – Cinderfella? – tale. Hayden Owens is struggling to get himself through college where he is a graduate student trying to complete his PhD. All he wants to do is graduate and design cars that are engineering works of art. When he is forced to attend college function, schmoozing with movers and shakers ready to donate Hayden meeting Neal Kirchner. Neal is older than Hayden but their connection is instant. When Hayden leaves at the end of the night so that he can get the last bus, he realizes too late that he forgot to get Neal’s number. This first night was the start of confusion that Hayden finds too hard to get the courage to admit to Neal that he doesn’t come from a rich family. This is the main plot of the book and while there is some angst and drama, it’s a mild and simple book.

As a side note one thing that I really liked here was that Hayden was a PhD candidate (only directly referenced once or twice) and despite this his intelligence was put right to the background of the whole story. From experience, I know that we do tend to be completely obsessed with our work, but the whole antisocial nerd is a tired stereotype. The other thing that I really liked that while this would be classed as a May-December plot, the whole age difference is only referred to a couple times. I also find the whole age gap thing a bit tiresome, especially when a big is made about age gaps few than ten years. Admittedly this is a larger age gap, but I was all for the romance.

This is a simple, fun and sweet romance, as I said before, it’s a bit of a Cinderella story and if that’s your thing, go for it.