Review: The Birches by Xavier Axelson

Title: The Birches

Author: Xavier Axelson

Publisher: JMS Books

Length: 73 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: The Birches is an extremely provocative and sensual novella that gives us just the right taste of two captivating characters.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Perfection isn’t everything, although it’s everything Leo wants. His desire to become the perfect chef may keep him at the top of his class, but it drives his friends and family crazy while keeping love and passion on the back burner.

Then Leo meets Dock, owner and chef of the new and popular restaurant, The Birches.

Although Dock isn’t a trained chef, Leo finds the food he cooks delectable and the man behind the food irresistible. The lessons taught at the hands of an untrained cook may be just what this uptight chef needs to let go.

Review: Leo is so tightly wound and so very unhappy to boot. Since the loss of his mother, his one driving desire has been to be the best chef, hands down. So, while it leaves him frustrated, angry and always feeling as though he is a failure, it is still his life’s passion. When his friend convinces him to have lunch at a small restaurant outside town, Leo refuses to admit that not only is the food to die for but the chef is mouthwatering. But, despite the growing attraction, there’s too much going on in Leo’s head to take the time to get to know the strange chef from the Birches.

Okay, first off The Birches contained perhaps the hottest sex scene I have ever read in my life. It happens near the end of this story, and it combines a bit of kink, a bit of domination, and lots of raw sexual power. Leading up to that scene there was increasing sexual tension between the two main characters but nothing tipped the reading audience off to the incredible sensuality that was waiting right around the corner. Yes, the idea of unprotected sex was a bit jarring, but somehow it worked in this instance. I could find fault for the author not tying this one up with a pretty bow, but I felt he stayed true to the overarching theme of his creation, and that was a huge moment of self-discovery and a full emotional release that held Leo captive through most of the novella. A neat happy-ever-after simply would not have been appropriate. Instead, we got an extremely hopeful happy-for-now with the possibility of so much more to come between Leo and Dock.

The Birches is an extremely provocative and sensual novella that gives us just the right taste of two captivating characters. I only wish there would be a sequel, for I really felt these two had much more story to give us.

You can buy The Birches here:
[zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2wUPfIp” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] JMS Books [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B0749RDLM8?d” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Amazon [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2wVmdZ6″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Barnes & Noble [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-birches/id1262482751?mt=11″ style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] iBooks [/zilla_button][zilla_button url=”http://bit.ly/2wV6lFO” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Kobo [/zilla_button]