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Coffee Cake
Burned out after a crash and burn relationship, Liam avoided men except for one-night stands when his needs had to be met. Whitney, his latest one-night stand, seemed to want more. Liam discovered that Whitney was willing to go to great lengths to get what he wanted, but Liam was just as determined to get Whitney out of his life and his shop before he fell for him.
- GenresM M Romance
175 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2012
1 person is currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Kiterie Aine
1 book3 followersKiterie Aine lives in Seattle with her loving husband, adorable daughter, and the cat that owns them all, Taz. She has been telling stories since she could talk, writing since she was able to hold a pencil, and doesn’t look to stop anytime in the near future.
When she is not writing, she enjoys rereading her collection of Neil Gaiman novels, gaming, riding her motorcycle, and attending various conventions with her friends. She is never happier than when communicating with friends and making new ones.
She has held various jobs including being a baker for Café Miranda, cleaning at an animal shelter, working as a transcriptionist and secretary, and everything in between; somehow managing to survive it all. She is happy now to have the chance to stay at home and write, filling her time sharing her vivid imagination and sizzling love stories with everyone.
The above was written by my friend Kita. I tried to write my own bio, but all I could come up with was, 'I like pie.' Although this is a truly momentous fact to know about my life, it simply doesn't sum up the information that goes into a proper bio. Thankfully, not only do I have an amazing friend (Kita) who willingly wrote it for me, but I also can't be held accountable for how decidedly epic I sound. She makes me sound way more interesting than I am. And this little bit of explanation was suggested by my alter ego.
When she is not writing, she enjoys rereading her collection of Neil Gaiman novels, gaming, riding her motorcycle, and attending various conventions with her friends. She is never happier than when communicating with friends and making new ones.
She has held various jobs including being a baker for Café Miranda, cleaning at an animal shelter, working as a transcriptionist and secretary, and everything in between; somehow managing to survive it all. She is happy now to have the chance to stay at home and write, filling her time sharing her vivid imagination and sizzling love stories with everyone.
The above was written by my friend Kita. I tried to write my own bio, but all I could come up with was, 'I like pie.' Although this is a truly momentous fact to know about my life, it simply doesn't sum up the information that goes into a proper bio. Thankfully, not only do I have an amazing friend (Kita) who willingly wrote it for me, but I also can't be held accountable for how decidedly epic I sound. She makes me sound way more interesting than I am. And this little bit of explanation was suggested by my alter ego.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 22, 2012
The novel "Coffee Cake" is as true to its namesake as a novel can be: sweet, warm and satisfying. It's taken my love of coffee shops to new heights.
We're introduced to both Liam and Whitney after a mutually advantageous one-night stand. Unfortunately for Liam, Whitney has more long-term plans – a concept that both horrifies and entices Liam all at the same time. While there's an obvious attraction to Whitney, Liam is too fresh out of a heart-scarring relationship that's left him with a fear of intimacy and struggling sense of self.
The exchanges between Liam and Whitney are witty, light-hearted and clever. Character banter is a fave of mine, and this novel is resplendent with it. Liam's expectations of love and life have been hard-learned and he makes no bones about it in his confrontations and conversations. Whitney, on the other hand, with his optimistic attitude and endearing emotionalism is like that first puff of spring air in lingering winter malaise. The two characters work well with each other and offset one another perfectly.
There were times in the novel I actually felt sorry for Whitney. He works devilishly hard to secure Liam's affections and gets shot down far more than any man's self-esteem should have to manage. Luckily for Liam, Whitney's determined in every sense of the word. While this could get frustrating to readers, Aine has actually managed to infuse each scene with just "that much more", slowly weaving their relationship thread by thread. It's a concept that offers quite a bit of sexual tension to the novel, but it's a tension that's necessary for both character and story development. "Coffee Cake" is more than smut, it's a true romance - a well-written, feel-good, learn-to-love-again romance that will leave the reader with a smile and a warm heart.
We're introduced to both Liam and Whitney after a mutually advantageous one-night stand. Unfortunately for Liam, Whitney has more long-term plans – a concept that both horrifies and entices Liam all at the same time. While there's an obvious attraction to Whitney, Liam is too fresh out of a heart-scarring relationship that's left him with a fear of intimacy and struggling sense of self.
The exchanges between Liam and Whitney are witty, light-hearted and clever. Character banter is a fave of mine, and this novel is resplendent with it. Liam's expectations of love and life have been hard-learned and he makes no bones about it in his confrontations and conversations. Whitney, on the other hand, with his optimistic attitude and endearing emotionalism is like that first puff of spring air in lingering winter malaise. The two characters work well with each other and offset one another perfectly.
There were times in the novel I actually felt sorry for Whitney. He works devilishly hard to secure Liam's affections and gets shot down far more than any man's self-esteem should have to manage. Luckily for Liam, Whitney's determined in every sense of the word. While this could get frustrating to readers, Aine has actually managed to infuse each scene with just "that much more", slowly weaving their relationship thread by thread. It's a concept that offers quite a bit of sexual tension to the novel, but it's a tension that's necessary for both character and story development. "Coffee Cake" is more than smut, it's a true romance - a well-written, feel-good, learn-to-love-again romance that will leave the reader with a smile and a warm heart.
March 11, 2020
Loved it. Utterly scrumptious.
November 4, 2012
I don't like coffee and I can live without cake however this combination in Kiterie's story is absolutely scrump-delicious. You take one snarky, gun shy, starbuckian coffee guru, Liam, who has had his heart ripped out one too many times and stick him with an optimistic baker, Whitney, who has supportive siblings falling out of the woodwork then watch the don't wanna fall in love dance. Liam does everything he can to try and get out of Whitney's orbit but the handsome baker keeps coming back when all his protestations lead to kisses that shut down all thought processes.
You get to the point of Liam's refusal being just annoying when the author introduces the asshole ex who made him into the cool bastard facade. If I was Whitney I would take a rolling pin the guy's head. Not only was he unfaithful but now he comes back flaunting his wifey and 1.5 children in Liam's face.
Liam's only defense in the past was to whisper "I love you" to his latest one night stand. Those guys burnt a path to the front door to get away. Only this time, whispering those words leads to a new recipe of true love...in purple pants.
You get to the point of Liam's refusal being just annoying when the author introduces the asshole ex who made him into the cool bastard facade. If I was Whitney I would take a rolling pin the guy's head. Not only was he unfaithful but now he comes back flaunting his wifey and 1.5 children in Liam's face.
Liam's only defense in the past was to whisper "I love you" to his latest one night stand. Those guys burnt a path to the front door to get away. Only this time, whispering those words leads to a new recipe of true love...in purple pants.
November 4, 2013
3.5 Stars
A "Live Your Life, Buy The Book" Review
I actually really liked this book. A lot!!! So, why the 3.5 stars only? Here is why …. I don’t often mark a book down for being short. I know going into it that is going to be short by it being noted as such on the purchase links, and also by the fact that the location nos / page nos are gonna be low. BUT when a 175 page story then ends at 81% on my kindle …. Well, that then becomes a short, short story.
Even so. Some authors can still capture enough in this now short, short story to have me fully invested in the characters – and Kiterie Aine almost did. Almost. But the ending really was way too rushed, and the subsequent declaration of love was just too much of an overturn of the previous 80% of the short, short story.
It tells the story of Liam – and oh my God but I love these kind of characters. The broken ones, that now live by these “rules” that they have made up to protect their bruised hearts. You know the rules – no kissing, no second dates, no sleepovers – just hook ups … actually that isn’t entirely true. Liam does have sleepovers, but he ends them all with an “I love you” that has the recipient of the declaration running for the hills!! It’s a tried and tested theory that always works. As backup he also gives a wrong phone number. These guys (should they choose to even try) really have no choice but to move along. Liam does not want a boyfriend. Nope. No way. Not ever again. But then, he meets Will, or William, or was it Whitney? Whoever it was – he got under Liam’s skin, and he was determined to stay!
I love, love, LOVED Whit. He was so determined and persistant and the way he got to Liam by using all manner of pet-names just melted me. He tracked Li down to the café he works at and just decided to wear him down until he agreed to go on a date. Liam is horrible to Whit - really nasty! Rudely knocking back all Whit's advances. But he keeps coming back!! Rock meet hard place, or coffee meet cake!
To be honest – I can’t really say much more - we, the readers, know that eventually the chase will become a hard-fought win, and that is exactly what happens – but the chase is delightful. The characters are fun and sexy and the writing is good! Damn… as I write this I realise just how much fun it was to read, and now I feel churlish penalising it for being too short! But whatever. I have to go with my gut instinct which was “Seriously? It ends now??”
In saying that if you have a couple of hours and you want a sweet and sexy book to read – then pick this one up! But remember it ends really abruptly! Forewarned is forearmed! But foremost? Go. Buy the Book! It is a cute, short, short read!
☆☆ETA the authors site clearly states that the story is 175 pages with additional pages as excerpts from other books. So, my bad. BUT subconsciously when a book ends at 81% it feels short especially when I am engrossed (as I was) and keep checking my progress to gauge how much longer I have☆☆
A "Live Your Life, Buy The Book" Review
I actually really liked this book. A lot!!! So, why the 3.5 stars only? Here is why …. I don’t often mark a book down for being short. I know going into it that is going to be short by it being noted as such on the purchase links, and also by the fact that the location nos / page nos are gonna be low. BUT when a 175 page story then ends at 81% on my kindle …. Well, that then becomes a short, short story.
Even so. Some authors can still capture enough in this now short, short story to have me fully invested in the characters – and Kiterie Aine almost did. Almost. But the ending really was way too rushed, and the subsequent declaration of love was just too much of an overturn of the previous 80% of the short, short story.
It tells the story of Liam – and oh my God but I love these kind of characters. The broken ones, that now live by these “rules” that they have made up to protect their bruised hearts. You know the rules – no kissing, no second dates, no sleepovers – just hook ups … actually that isn’t entirely true. Liam does have sleepovers, but he ends them all with an “I love you” that has the recipient of the declaration running for the hills!! It’s a tried and tested theory that always works. As backup he also gives a wrong phone number. These guys (should they choose to even try) really have no choice but to move along. Liam does not want a boyfriend. Nope. No way. Not ever again. But then, he meets Will, or William, or was it Whitney? Whoever it was – he got under Liam’s skin, and he was determined to stay!
I love, love, LOVED Whit. He was so determined and persistant and the way he got to Liam by using all manner of pet-names just melted me. He tracked Li down to the café he works at and just decided to wear him down until he agreed to go on a date. Liam is horrible to Whit - really nasty! Rudely knocking back all Whit's advances. But he keeps coming back!! Rock meet hard place, or coffee meet cake!
To be honest – I can’t really say much more - we, the readers, know that eventually the chase will become a hard-fought win, and that is exactly what happens – but the chase is delightful. The characters are fun and sexy and the writing is good! Damn… as I write this I realise just how much fun it was to read, and now I feel churlish penalising it for being too short! But whatever. I have to go with my gut instinct which was “Seriously? It ends now??”
In saying that if you have a couple of hours and you want a sweet and sexy book to read – then pick this one up! But remember it ends really abruptly! Forewarned is forearmed! But foremost? Go. Buy the Book! It is a cute, short, short read!
☆☆ETA the authors site clearly states that the story is 175 pages with additional pages as excerpts from other books. So, my bad. BUT subconsciously when a book ends at 81% it feels short especially when I am engrossed (as I was) and keep checking my progress to gauge how much longer I have☆☆
December 14, 2012
Saccharine. That's a good word to describe this story. Usually I stay far away from gentle romance stories because they make my teeth hurt. This was certainly cute and definitely sugary sweet. I can't say there was anything wrong with it really though I think it got a little TOO sweet at the end. It wasn't really my cup of tea and while I started off rather enjoying the silliness it started to wear thin. I would have liked W. to have stayed a more aggressive character. In a way it seemed like he fell out of character or the character we were introduced to was no longer the character we were left with at the end of the story.
For those that enjoy intensely sweet romantic stories you'll likely enjoy this as well. For those of us who like a little more testosterone, this might be one to skip.
For those that enjoy intensely sweet romantic stories you'll likely enjoy this as well. For those of us who like a little more testosterone, this might be one to skip.
February 5, 2013
2.5 stars. I was enjoying this book and the banter between the characters until I got bored of reading Liam shooting down Whitney over and over again throughout the book. I felt really bad for Whitney.
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November 5, 2012I wrote it and I hope everyone enjoys the story.
October 14, 2019
I'm a little back and forth with how to rate this story. Both Liam and Whitney (I love that Liam has no idea what his name really is for the first section of the story!) are great characters, fully rounded in many ways. Liam's relationship-phobia is well explained. Whitney's persistence is sweet and really not stalker-ish or overbearing. However. The fact that the story ends at 81% of the book and then I have two excerpts that have NO emotional resonance with this story? SO damn annoying! I read most of the first exceprt -- a Roman slave being sold story -- and although it's not terribly written, I was NOT the right audience for it. And the second story -- vampire/assassin/split-personalities sharing bodies? Um, no. HELLA no. I think I got the whole gist of the world, but as much as I like some BDSM and sometimes some twisted-ness, this is just a hot mess. HOWEVER! I can happily recommend reading Coffee Cake -- just do NOT get suckered into reading the two bits of ick after the end of the story!
July 21, 2015
It was okay. What was the plus in this book was to see the "getting together" part. The rest didn't had anything particular, even the characters. There was not really any kind of plot yet it still had it perks. I enjoyed watching the two characters dance around each other but for me there was a whole blank in the plot, it should have been developed further.
December 3, 2012
I absolutely lived this story. The characters were interesting and the dynamic between them was lovely to watch unfold! Luffles!
June 28, 2018
Bon c'est clair que ce roman ne m'a pas emballé mais il a certainement son public (la preuve en est que ma partenaire de blog Manon a un tout autre avis sur le roman) et c'est plutôt une bonne chose tant le cote unanime des avis sur les livres est parfois rébarbatif.
J'avais lu certains avis sympathique sur ce recit j'etais donc peut etre un peu trop sure de mon coup pour en apprecier reellement le contenu mais j'ai au moins perfectionné mes connaissances sur le poussage de langue dans la bouche d'une autre personne ainsi que sur la torrefaction des grains de café issus de toutes sortes de pays plus ou moins lointains.
Un mm assez bien écrit dans l'ensemble mais dieu que c'est long à se décanter ; on passe les 40 premiers % du livre à voir ce cher Liam fusiller du regard tout ce qui passe sous ses yeux, refuser d'admettre son attirance pour le gentil Whitney (qui est visiblement prêt à le always love you -t'as vu la référence de la mort qui tue ?) et repousser un chevalier servant qui semble pourtant tout avoir pour lui. Trois ans après une rupture difficile je veux bien, mais bon quand même en tant que lecteur on est pas prêt à attendre trois ans de plus pour un dénouement qu'on connait déjà .
Leur non relation etait un pitch interressant , on aime bien quand c'est pas tout cuit comme un cupcake depuis le depart dans la romance , mais il y a trop peu en dehors de ca pour capter une attention constante.
Les dialogues m'ont paru plus d'une fois ennuyeux et répétitifs et même si on a droit à tout le cheptel de vocabulaire pouvant décrire un échange de langue dans une bouche (c'est toujours bien de peaufiner un savoir) un peu trop souvent pour un type qui ne veut pas (mais qui veut bien quand même au fond de lui ) ça n'est vraiment pas suffisant, à mon sens, pour construire une intrigue et ce même pour une intrigue romanesque (tu sais la romance ce fameux genre ou y a rien dedans?).
Whitney est sympathique (et il veut really to love somebody- c'est lourd hein? je sais mais j'aime ca ) , Liam est chiant mais sympathique , sa copine est sympathique, sa patronne est sympathique, les clients sont sympathiques ...bref voila tout est sympathique et on s'ennuie, moi en tout cas je m'ennuie .Même la scène finale ne nous apporte pas l'excuse nécessaire pour avoir tenu tout le livre malgré des personnages sympathiques (zzzz zzzz zzzz ) et qui sont assez crédibles malgré tout. Mais la dynamique (oui hein? surprenant ce mot quand on s'ennuie) de Liam plombe complètement le roman , la trame n'est pas suffisante pour le format quand celui d'une nouvelle aurait été plus adéquate. C’était long à démarrer , une fois en route on a l'impression d'avoir fait trois mètres et quand le final arrive on a l'impression d’être juste arrivé chez le voisin plutôt que d'avoir fait la belle ballade attendue .
Conclusion: si tu aimes la langue, le café et la patience , lâche toi c'est open bar pour le Coffe Cake!
Yop.
http://meninbooks.eklablog.com/
J'avais lu certains avis sympathique sur ce recit j'etais donc peut etre un peu trop sure de mon coup pour en apprecier reellement le contenu mais j'ai au moins perfectionné mes connaissances sur le poussage de langue dans la bouche d'une autre personne ainsi que sur la torrefaction des grains de café issus de toutes sortes de pays plus ou moins lointains.
Un mm assez bien écrit dans l'ensemble mais dieu que c'est long à se décanter ; on passe les 40 premiers % du livre à voir ce cher Liam fusiller du regard tout ce qui passe sous ses yeux, refuser d'admettre son attirance pour le gentil Whitney (qui est visiblement prêt à le always love you -t'as vu la référence de la mort qui tue ?) et repousser un chevalier servant qui semble pourtant tout avoir pour lui. Trois ans après une rupture difficile je veux bien, mais bon quand même en tant que lecteur on est pas prêt à attendre trois ans de plus pour un dénouement qu'on connait déjà .
Leur non relation etait un pitch interressant , on aime bien quand c'est pas tout cuit comme un cupcake depuis le depart dans la romance , mais il y a trop peu en dehors de ca pour capter une attention constante.
Les dialogues m'ont paru plus d'une fois ennuyeux et répétitifs et même si on a droit à tout le cheptel de vocabulaire pouvant décrire un échange de langue dans une bouche (c'est toujours bien de peaufiner un savoir) un peu trop souvent pour un type qui ne veut pas (mais qui veut bien quand même au fond de lui ) ça n'est vraiment pas suffisant, à mon sens, pour construire une intrigue et ce même pour une intrigue romanesque (tu sais la romance ce fameux genre ou y a rien dedans?).
Whitney est sympathique (et il veut really to love somebody- c'est lourd hein? je sais mais j'aime ca ) , Liam est chiant mais sympathique , sa copine est sympathique, sa patronne est sympathique, les clients sont sympathiques ...bref voila tout est sympathique et on s'ennuie, moi en tout cas je m'ennuie .Même la scène finale ne nous apporte pas l'excuse nécessaire pour avoir tenu tout le livre malgré des personnages sympathiques (zzzz zzzz zzzz ) et qui sont assez crédibles malgré tout. Mais la dynamique (oui hein? surprenant ce mot quand on s'ennuie) de Liam plombe complètement le roman , la trame n'est pas suffisante pour le format quand celui d'une nouvelle aurait été plus adéquate. C’était long à démarrer , une fois en route on a l'impression d'avoir fait trois mètres et quand le final arrive on a l'impression d’être juste arrivé chez le voisin plutôt que d'avoir fait la belle ballade attendue .
Conclusion: si tu aimes la langue, le café et la patience , lâche toi c'est open bar pour le Coffe Cake!
Yop.
http://meninbooks.eklablog.com/
May 29, 2022
Sympa, très sympa même mais un peu rapide à mon goût ! Mais si vous avez besoin de fluffy, go direct !
March 12, 2013
All good writers know that there is always room for improvement in everything you write. If we stop improving what is the point of continuing? So I won't focus on where I think this story could be improved. My reason is simple: there isn't much room for improvement in Coffee Cake. I found the flow of the story gentle, a relaxing stream of loveliness that kept me reading even when I should have been going to bed. The characters were devilishly adorable and realistic without being too realistic. We read to forget what is impossible in real life, to lose ourselves in the possibilities of a world a writer creates and shares with us.
Liam and Whitney are wonderful characters. They are both rich, emotional, layered and still leave room for growth which leaves me wanting to read more about them. I feel anyone looking for a quick fall-into-bed story wouldn't be able to appreciate the effort and time that truly committing to a person involves. I enjoyed this story because while it has some very hot, sexy scenes that were more detailed than I expected (which made me very happy), it also develops Liam and Whitney's relationship in baby steps and not by leaps and bounds which would be far less fulfilling to read about.
It's not an easy task to change someone's mind and to discover Whitney had his own insecurities, but didn't allow them to stop him from pursuing Liam, made the ending very sweet. And there is nothing wrong with very sweet.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I enjoyed it so very much!
Liam and Whitney are wonderful characters. They are both rich, emotional, layered and still leave room for growth which leaves me wanting to read more about them. I feel anyone looking for a quick fall-into-bed story wouldn't be able to appreciate the effort and time that truly committing to a person involves. I enjoyed this story because while it has some very hot, sexy scenes that were more detailed than I expected (which made me very happy), it also develops Liam and Whitney's relationship in baby steps and not by leaps and bounds which would be far less fulfilling to read about.
It's not an easy task to change someone's mind and to discover Whitney had his own insecurities, but didn't allow them to stop him from pursuing Liam, made the ending very sweet. And there is nothing wrong with very sweet.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I enjoyed it so very much!
September 7, 2015
I know I am being generous by giving this book 4 stars, but I felt if it wasn't for Liam's constant rejection of Whitney throughout the storyline, this novel would have definitely deserved 5 stars. It was well written and the characters were very lovable except of course Liam on occasion.
This story could have been so much more, but overall, it is a good and short read.
This story could have been so much more, but overall, it is a good and short read.
March 17, 2021
3,5 stars
April 1, 2024
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews