Served Hot by Annabeth Albert is a short and sweet romance who’s main focus is on discovery of each other and development of the relationship.  There is a touch of angst, a little heat, and a happy ending.  I received one copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.

Served Hot by Annabeth Albert

Title: Served Hot
Series: Portland Heat Book 1
Author:  Annabeth Albert
Publisher: KENSINGTON (March 3, 2015)
ASIN: B00ONTR778
Format/Length: ebook, 112 pages
Genre:  M/M, Contemporary
Heat Rating: 3
Star Rating: 3 1/2

Purchase Link:

Amazon / Goodreads

Author Info:

You can learn more about the author by checking out the authors website. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Blurb:

Robby is a self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby, eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but “the usual”—small vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their slow-brewing relationship to the next level. David, however, is newly out and single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The question is: Will someone get burned?

 

My Review:

David is newly out and single and doesn’t really know what to do when he encounters the adorable Robby at the local coffee cart.  So, he keeps coming by every single day and just acts as normal as possible.  Robby is just about equally clueless when it comes to flirting but David intrigues him and doesn’t seem to be taking the initiative in their little game of cat and mouse.  Things continue along day after day with each of them wanting to take things farther but not knowing quite how to do it.

They dance around each other, with David grieving the loss of his previous partner and Robby unused to a guy who doesn’t take control.  When Robby finally gets up the nerve to ask David out I think they are both relieved that the hard part is over!  They get to know each other slowly…and it isn’t always perfect.  There are awkward moments and sexy moments and a lot of growth for both of them.

I loved the realism of both of these characters…neither was perfect and the relationship seems like it had it’s ups and downs just like every other normal relationship.  This is a short story, though, and it is hard to go from start to finish in such a short book.  There is some jumping around to allow for that time progression, which means you  miss some things along the way.  I would have rather had a longer book and actually followed the relationship in a bit more of a detailed fashion.

Overall, I enjoyed Served Hot and thought it was a sweet and sexy romance between realistic characters that I actually liked.