Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs
Hayden Owens is just a 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, older Neal Kirchner, a successful architect 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.
Neal Kirchner is Asian Indian and British descent. His parents became Christians, shoving their heritage to the side. Neal has returned to the customs and religion his grandmother cherished. On top of being a very successful architect he's heir to the Indian Rose Tea Company, a business that's been in his family for generations.
Neal's passion is high performance cars and he meets Hayden at a fundraiser for the automotive engineering department of Clemson University. They are immediately smitten with each other. 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 threaten to expose his charade, Hayden thinks it's all gone down the drain. Luckily Neal is ready with some innocent trickery of his own, but will their relationship survive?
Neal Kirchner is Asian Indian and British descent. His parents became Christians, shoving their heritage to the side. Neal has returned to the customs and religion his grandmother cherished. On top of being a very successful architect he's heir to the Indian Rose Tea Company, a business that's been in his family for generations.
Neal's passion is high performance cars and he meets Hayden at a fundraiser for the automotive engineering department of Clemson University. They are immediately smitten with each other. 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 threaten to expose his charade, Hayden thinks it's all gone down the drain. Luckily Neal is ready with some innocent trickery of his own, but will their relationship survive?
Release date: February 1, 2020
Excerpt:
The coffeehouse closed at nine. Late in the evening, a slow period hit, and Hayden was wandering along the tables and booths tidying the area, humming under his breath as he worked.
The bell over the door chimed, and before Hayden could turn around, he heard a familiar voice. "You really do have a very nice voice."
Oh God, what do I say?
"Still working the floor, I see." Neal nodded at Hayden's chest and held out his hand. "It's okay to stop in here to see you, I hope? Or did I just make a complete ass out of myself trying to be all smooth and cool?"
"No ... yes ... I mean, no, you didn't make a fool of yourself, and yes, of course it's fine. In fact I love it when you drop in." Hayden bit his lip. He shook Neal's hand quickly. When he tried to draw his hand back, Neal held on for a few seconds more and gave Hayden's hand a soft squeeze. "I'm not --" Hayden continued, or tried to.
"I completely missed the cool and smooth mark though, didn't I?" Neal cut Hayden off. He let go of Hayden and put both hands in his pockets.
No, you blew by cool and smooth a long time ago.
Hayden smiled and said, "I don't have enough information to decide yet." Where did that little clever, flirty statement come from?
"I'll have to work on providing more information." The corner of Neal's mouth twitched up.
Hayden inched toward the end of the case, intending to get behind the counter. He caught a glimpse of Steffie shooing him back onto the floor. Feeling like the proverbial deer in headlights, Hayden froze in his tracks.
Neal glanced around the coffeehouse. "Pretty dead tonight, huh? I like this -- just us."
"Yeah, most of our customers come in during business hours." Hayden shrugged. He heard Steffie hit the bean grinder. The noise made Hayden jump. "They need those caffeine shots to work a long day."
"All that stimulation?"
Hayden gulped and nodded. He turned back to the case. "So, you never said. Decaf or ... not?"
"I like high test."
"Um ... there's --"
Steffie appeared with two mugs in hand. "There were just enough beans left for two cups. It seemed silly to leave them until morning, and I wanted to clean the canister." She plunked the mugs onto the table and nodded at Neal. "It's one of Hayden's favorites. I hope you like it." Turning to Hayden, she put her hands on her hips and smiled far too sweetly at him. "I believe it's your break time."
Neal touched Hayden's arm and dipped his head to the table. "This smells wonderful. Join me?"
Was Steffie in some conspiracy with his apparently newfound friend? Hayden threw caution to the wind, swallowed his shyness and apprehension, and sat down. If Neal was simply on the hunt for a one-night stand, at least Hayden would probably get a nice dinner from him. While they sat together, Hayden scrambled around in his head to find a way to say he wasn't who Neal thought he was without blowing this whole thing.
Neal sipped his coffee, sat back, and smiled. "Very nice. Hint of chocolate, I think."
Hayden nodded and took a taste to confirm which one it was. "Chocolate and caramel. It's a popular brew here. I like it while I'm working."
"Putting in such long hours. How well I can sympathize with those!" Neal laughed a bit, shifted in his seat, and gently brushed his fingertips over the back of Hayden's hand where it rested on the tabletop. "What's your connection to the university?"
"The high-performance engine design program," Hayden said. He fiddled with his glasses for a second. Another sip of his coffee and Hayden tried to hide how mortified he was by his responses. "Car engines."
"Really? That sounds fascinating. I'd love to know more."
"I ... um ..." Hayden took a deep breath. "Most people think it's geeky and boring. Too much math and not enough cool cars." He realized right away there'd been no questions about the coffeehouse franchise and why Hayden would have a career outside of what Neal must think was Hayden's family's business.
Neal laughed. It was smooth and pleasant. "I'm an architect, so sort of a related field, remember?" He drained his coffee mug and reached for Hayden's. "Finished?"
"Um ... yeah. You don't ..."
"Nonsense." Neal stood up and took both mugs back to the counter, handing them over to Steffie. "Thank you. That was very tasty." He took out a few bills, but Steffie waved him off.
"Our secret," she said and took the mugs.
Neal returned to the table. He rested one hand on Hayden's shoulder for a few seconds. "I'll see you soon. I look forward to our second date."
Before Hayden could process what Neal had said, let alone respond, Neal was out the door. Second date? Had he just had a first date and not even realized it? He twisted in the chair and looked over at Steffie. She was smiling smugly and rocking on her heels.
The coffeehouse closed at nine. Late in the evening, a slow period hit, and Hayden was wandering along the tables and booths tidying the area, humming under his breath as he worked.
The bell over the door chimed, and before Hayden could turn around, he heard a familiar voice. "You really do have a very nice voice."
Oh God, what do I say?
"Still working the floor, I see." Neal nodded at Hayden's chest and held out his hand. "It's okay to stop in here to see you, I hope? Or did I just make a complete ass out of myself trying to be all smooth and cool?"
"No ... yes ... I mean, no, you didn't make a fool of yourself, and yes, of course it's fine. In fact I love it when you drop in." Hayden bit his lip. He shook Neal's hand quickly. When he tried to draw his hand back, Neal held on for a few seconds more and gave Hayden's hand a soft squeeze. "I'm not --" Hayden continued, or tried to.
"I completely missed the cool and smooth mark though, didn't I?" Neal cut Hayden off. He let go of Hayden and put both hands in his pockets.
No, you blew by cool and smooth a long time ago.
Hayden smiled and said, "I don't have enough information to decide yet." Where did that little clever, flirty statement come from?
"I'll have to work on providing more information." The corner of Neal's mouth twitched up.
Hayden inched toward the end of the case, intending to get behind the counter. He caught a glimpse of Steffie shooing him back onto the floor. Feeling like the proverbial deer in headlights, Hayden froze in his tracks.
Neal glanced around the coffeehouse. "Pretty dead tonight, huh? I like this -- just us."
"Yeah, most of our customers come in during business hours." Hayden shrugged. He heard Steffie hit the bean grinder. The noise made Hayden jump. "They need those caffeine shots to work a long day."
"All that stimulation?"
Hayden gulped and nodded. He turned back to the case. "So, you never said. Decaf or ... not?"
"I like high test."
"Um ... there's --"
Steffie appeared with two mugs in hand. "There were just enough beans left for two cups. It seemed silly to leave them until morning, and I wanted to clean the canister." She plunked the mugs onto the table and nodded at Neal. "It's one of Hayden's favorites. I hope you like it." Turning to Hayden, she put her hands on her hips and smiled far too sweetly at him. "I believe it's your break time."
Neal touched Hayden's arm and dipped his head to the table. "This smells wonderful. Join me?"
Was Steffie in some conspiracy with his apparently newfound friend? Hayden threw caution to the wind, swallowed his shyness and apprehension, and sat down. If Neal was simply on the hunt for a one-night stand, at least Hayden would probably get a nice dinner from him. While they sat together, Hayden scrambled around in his head to find a way to say he wasn't who Neal thought he was without blowing this whole thing.
Neal sipped his coffee, sat back, and smiled. "Very nice. Hint of chocolate, I think."
Hayden nodded and took a taste to confirm which one it was. "Chocolate and caramel. It's a popular brew here. I like it while I'm working."
"Putting in such long hours. How well I can sympathize with those!" Neal laughed a bit, shifted in his seat, and gently brushed his fingertips over the back of Hayden's hand where it rested on the tabletop. "What's your connection to the university?"
"The high-performance engine design program," Hayden said. He fiddled with his glasses for a second. Another sip of his coffee and Hayden tried to hide how mortified he was by his responses. "Car engines."
"Really? That sounds fascinating. I'd love to know more."
"I ... um ..." Hayden took a deep breath. "Most people think it's geeky and boring. Too much math and not enough cool cars." He realized right away there'd been no questions about the coffeehouse franchise and why Hayden would have a career outside of what Neal must think was Hayden's family's business.
Neal laughed. It was smooth and pleasant. "I'm an architect, so sort of a related field, remember?" He drained his coffee mug and reached for Hayden's. "Finished?"
"Um ... yeah. You don't ..."
"Nonsense." Neal stood up and took both mugs back to the counter, handing them over to Steffie. "Thank you. That was very tasty." He took out a few bills, but Steffie waved him off.
"Our secret," she said and took the mugs.
Neal returned to the table. He rested one hand on Hayden's shoulder for a few seconds. "I'll see you soon. I look forward to our second date."
Before Hayden could process what Neal had said, let alone respond, Neal was out the door. Second date? Had he just had a first date and not even realized it? He twisted in the chair and looked over at Steffie. She was smiling smugly and rocking on her heels.
Reviews
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Lelyana's Book Blog: Lelyana gives 4 stars and says: Yeah, Cinderella is my favorite story ever! Of course I liked this one, with the addition of sexy times together, good writing, and an MM.
Yeah guys, read this book. Read the review. Boy Meets Boy Reviews: Sara gives 4 stars and says: High Test isn’t just the name of Hayden’s favorite coffee blend, it’s also a lovely and light romance that made my Monday bearable. It’s a romance that proves age is in the eye of the beholder and the truth will set you free, even if the truth was already known. Read the review.
Rainbow Book Reviews: Christy Duke gives 4.5 stars and says: This romance hit every one of my buttons for sweet, gentle, and nice. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a lot of variety in my reading, but sometimes I want something just like ‘High Test’ that has me believing in their love and egging them on. I loved the small amount of conflict that arose because I really liked the way the author wrote it and its resolution. Read the review.
Becky Condit gives 5 stars! Here are a few of her comments: This is a sweet story with just a bit of angst, but mostly just two men finding their way together. I loved the author’s use of diverse religious beliefs and ethnicities, something that is often lacking in romance novels. Read the review.
Boy Meets Boy Reviews: A Reader Obsessed gives 4 stars to the audiobook! Where this story excels at are the MC’s. Hayden’s got a shy endearing thing going on behind some nerdy glasses and a kind heart. Neal is unpretentious, caring, and only wants to take the time to really get to know Hayden to make sure they’re compatible. I liked the dynamic between these two, and I appreciated the slow burn. This wasn’t hurt at all by the excellent narration by Colin Darcy. Read the review.
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Love Bytes Reviews: Cheryl gives 4 stars and says: On the whole, the book was a quick and satisfying read and just the kind of thing to lift your spirits during this difficult time. Read the review.
Bayou Book Junkie: Mari gives 4.5 stars and says: This was a cute Cinderfella story, we even get Hayden escaping from the student function and leaving Neal to catch the bus. I loved that age didn't really play much of a part in it and that even if there were obvious economic differences between them, when Neal offered Hayden his help, he did it in a way that wouldn't wound his pride or make it feel like a handout. Very recommendable May-December read! Read the review.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Reviews: MelanieM gives 4 stars and says: This is a lovely romance and their interactions and personal dynamics as they work their way towards a relationship will have you rooting for the couple. Read the review.
Divine Magazine: Debbie Attenborough gives 4 solid stars and says: Its a great read, flows well, and while I saw that maybe Neal already knew that Hayden wasn't who he thought he was, it was kinda fun watching it all unravel. Read the review.
Love Bytes: Kimberley gave 4 stars and says: I was really captivated by the story. And truly enjoyed it from the first page to the very last. I don’t know what my problem was but clearly I was not thinking because I really enjoyed this book and actually look forward to reading more from this author. Read the review.
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I've fortunate to have many lovely reader comments and reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you to everyone who comments.