ARC Review: Power & Pavlova by Jay Hogan

From the blurb:

ETHAN SHARPE is living every young Kiwi’s dream—seeing the world for a couple of years while deciding what to do with his life. Then he gets a call.

Two days later he’s back in New Zealand. Six months later his mother is dead, his fifteen-year-old brother is going off the rails and the café he’s inherited is failing. His life is a hot mess and the last thing he needs is another complication—like the man who just walked into his café,

a much older…

sinfully hot…

EPIC complication.

TANNER CARPENTER’s time in Queenstown has an expiration date. He has a new branch of his business to get up and running, exorcise a few personal demons while he’s at it, and then head back to Auckland to get on with his life. He isn’t looking for a relationship especially with someone fifteen years his junior, but Ethan is gorgeous, troubled and in need of a friend. Tanner could be that for Ethan, right? He could brighten Ethan’s day for a while, help him out, maybe even offer some… stress relief, no strings attached.


It was a good plan, until it wasn’t.

Heather's rating:





I waffled around with my rating on this one a little bit, mostly because it is a slower-moving book and it took me about a week to read. But, in the end, I felt the feels I wanted to feel.

Powder and Pavlova is an emotional, moderately angsty read, with great secondary characters and some real-life relationship complexities. It was my first read from Jay Hogan, and it made me want to read her whole backlist.

There was a big helping of insta-lust, which usually doesn't work for me, but underneath that, these guys were both wrestling with some real pain. One, the loss of a career and an identity that he has to confront for the first time in years, and the other the death of a parent and the new responsibility as a caretaker for his brother. These aren't light issues, and they are treated with a lot of respect and realness.



Though the book moved fairly slowly, I felt like the progression was organic and made sense. Even the conflicts didn't feel manufactured. Plus, there is SO much potential for more stories in the series with all of the awesome side characters.

A wonderful read, even if it was a bit attraction-forward for my tastes. I can't wait for the next in the series.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Buy this book:

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Enjoy, everyone!