What do you think?
Rate this book
The Eighth Night
A Chanukah Secret Admirer Romance
Davi has eight nights to try and convince his former professor that he should break his rule: no students for lovers. Dr. Sol Gerber has another plan in mind. After the first night, Sol goes out of town and arranges for someone else to get the gifts. That someone else is his TA, Jon Ellis, a hot blond grad student in Literature.
Over eight nights, Davi delivers gifts ranging from socks to a hotel room key. In between chance meetings and the secret admirer gifts, the two men connect, finally meet. and sparks fly.
Davi has eight nights to try and convince his former professor that he should break his rule: no students for lovers. Dr. Sol Gerber has another plan in mind. After the first night, Sol goes out of town and arranges for someone else to get the gifts. That someone else is his TA, Jon Ellis, a hot blond grad student in Literature.
Over eight nights, Davi delivers gifts ranging from socks to a hotel room key. In between chance meetings and the secret admirer gifts, the two men connect, finally meet. and sparks fly.
51 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Caraway Carter
28 books43 followers**Get Carried Away - Updates on recent releases.**
Caraway Carter has worn numerous hats. He’s been a furniture salesman, a dresser, a costumer, an actor/waiter, a rabble rouser, a poet and most recently a writer. He loves words and stringing them together, he loves sex and sexy men, and he writes relationship fiction that reminds you—it’s never too late for love. And he has lived his tagline. He married his husband on Halloween, at the age of forty-nine, and they are the loving parents of an adorable cat named Molly.
Caraway Carter has worn numerous hats. He’s been a furniture salesman, a dresser, a costumer, an actor/waiter, a rabble rouser, a poet and most recently a writer. He loves words and stringing them together, he loves sex and sexy men, and he writes relationship fiction that reminds you—it’s never too late for love. And he has lived his tagline. He married his husband on Halloween, at the age of forty-nine, and they are the loving parents of an adorable cat named Molly.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 14, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
4 stars
This was such a super fun holiday read! I like how the beginning of the book introduces all our main characters—it’s a small, but intimate cast—and that it’s not 100% crystal clear which pairing we were supposed to root for. In fact, I had to read the first several “chapters” to finally rid myself of the idea that there would be a menage between Davi, Jon, and Dr. Gerber. Still, it’s a refreshing change to read a short story that’s all about the get-together, but doesn’t make the pairing a foregone conclusion from page one.
The presentation was a nice mix-up, too. Instead of staid chapters that plod along, the story is broken up into chunks by the scene. The location and/or who is narrating generally dictate where there is a break. Having Davi, Dr. Gerber, John, and the assistant Heather take turns relaying the events help build a bit of suspense and keep things interesting.
The best surprise for me was the depth these characters show despite being such a short story. Over the course of the book, we get to see Jon and Davi interact like real people, not strictly love-interests. Part of that is because Davi is so focused on getting in Dr. Gerber’s pants, we see his initial reaction to Jon is summed up by his epithet for the guy: Hot Jon. Yet as Dr. Gerber manipulates them so their paths cross more and more often, we see Davi begin to really warm up to Jon. They connect over a love of an obscure sci-fi writer and their respect for Dr. Gerber. In another twist, the fact that Davi is open to dating older men is a complete 180 from Jon’s feelings about large age differences. I really liked that these characters get to know each other as people and they show shades of complexity like anyone else, even in such a short story.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
4 stars
This was such a super fun holiday read! I like how the beginning of the book introduces all our main characters—it’s a small, but intimate cast—and that it’s not 100% crystal clear which pairing we were supposed to root for. In fact, I had to read the first several “chapters” to finally rid myself of the idea that there would be a menage between Davi, Jon, and Dr. Gerber. Still, it’s a refreshing change to read a short story that’s all about the get-together, but doesn’t make the pairing a foregone conclusion from page one.
The presentation was a nice mix-up, too. Instead of staid chapters that plod along, the story is broken up into chunks by the scene. The location and/or who is narrating generally dictate where there is a break. Having Davi, Dr. Gerber, John, and the assistant Heather take turns relaying the events help build a bit of suspense and keep things interesting.
The best surprise for me was the depth these characters show despite being such a short story. Over the course of the book, we get to see Jon and Davi interact like real people, not strictly love-interests. Part of that is because Davi is so focused on getting in Dr. Gerber’s pants, we see his initial reaction to Jon is summed up by his epithet for the guy: Hot Jon. Yet as Dr. Gerber manipulates them so their paths cross more and more often, we see Davi begin to really warm up to Jon. They connect over a love of an obscure sci-fi writer and their respect for Dr. Gerber. In another twist, the fact that Davi is open to dating older men is a complete 180 from Jon’s feelings about large age differences. I really liked that these characters get to know each other as people and they show shades of complexity like anyone else, even in such a short story.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
December 1, 2017
A very quick read, I sneaked this one in during the length of time my kids were in music lessons. Cute, quirky, and just the right amount of holiday fun. Despite the steamy nature of some of Davi’s gifts, this is a sweet romance rather than a hot one.
Everything about this has, to me, a flavor of authenticity. While there is a bit of falling in love and a happily-for-now ending, that isn’t what I liked best. My favorite part in the whole thing was when Davi and Jon talked about the books they loved. Maybe my bias is that I’m a book enthusiast myself, or maybe it’s that I was finally reading a story where the characters had more in common than finding each other hot. Either way, that part rang so true to me that I almost cheered.
Besides that, I loved the university setting, the distinctly Jewish flare, and the few side characters. All of those elements were so well-drawn and brought me right into the story. If I have any complaints, it’s that we may never get to revisit this place. I’ll have to settle for re-reading it, perhaps right on the eighth night itself.
For a authentic detail, humor and heart, and sweet holiday fun, this gets 5 stars.
Everything about this has, to me, a flavor of authenticity. While there is a bit of falling in love and a happily-for-now ending, that isn’t what I liked best. My favorite part in the whole thing was when Davi and Jon talked about the books they loved. Maybe my bias is that I’m a book enthusiast myself, or maybe it’s that I was finally reading a story where the characters had more in common than finding each other hot. Either way, that part rang so true to me that I almost cheered.
Besides that, I loved the university setting, the distinctly Jewish flare, and the few side characters. All of those elements were so well-drawn and brought me right into the story. If I have any complaints, it’s that we may never get to revisit this place. I’ll have to settle for re-reading it, perhaps right on the eighth night itself.
For a authentic detail, humor and heart, and sweet holiday fun, this gets 5 stars.
December 6, 2017
The Eighth Night by Caraway Carter is a cute story. It kind of had a love triangle feel to it. Davi is a journalism student and wants the older teacher Dr. Sol Gerber. Dr. Gerber has a strict no student rule. Dr. Gerber gets a new cute TA named Josh. Josh is attracted to his teacher's mind, but that is it. Davi is jealous of Josh and his time spent with Dr. Gerber. Feeling threatened and needing to up his game, Davi decides to use the eight days of Chanukah to leave a gift for the Dr. as a secret admirer, leaving one present a day with the help of the department secretary Heather. But will it be enough to get Davi what he wants? And what does it mean when he sees Josh wearing the secret admirer gifts that are supposed to be going to Dr. Gerber. It was a cute story with a happy ending. The only thing that I would have changed was having Dr. Gerber's pov instead of Heathers pov with the confirming that the presents were being picked up each morning. I didn't really think that we needed Heather's pov as she wasn't part of the triangle. Just my opinion. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.
December 8, 2017
I very much enjoyed this story. It's a gentle romance, quite short, straightforward, low on angst with a dash of humour and a lovely ending - perfect for this time of year regardless of which festivals we celebrate.
November 23, 2017
I read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I really enjoy this author and his writing style. I really enjoyed this story. I laughed at the antics of Davi and how far he was willing to go to impress. This was such a sweet story that it was fun to follow his journey.
I really enjoy this author and his writing style. I really enjoyed this story. I laughed at the antics of Davi and how far he was willing to go to impress. This was such a sweet story that it was fun to follow his journey.
December 29, 2017
I found this story alright. I was not blown away by it, but it was entertaining. It was a fast, easy read, with no editing errors or misspellings, the tone was always upbeat and cheerful, with different points of view, which I always enjoy, and I really liked the pretty book cover, too. I also found the premise of the story quite pleasing. A secret admirer is one of the sweetest, oldest plot devices and I always look forward to a secret admirer becoming a not-so-secret lover, so I was ready to cheer Davi on to get his man, and I will not say anymore less I give away any spoilers. My only problem was that I found the main characters, with the exception of Hot Jon, unlikable, which was weird for me, because I usually like the main characters or at least find them somewhat relatable, but I couldn't get past Davi's flightiness. At one point he is described as "the kind of guy who doesn't notice they're cute," but he did not seem that way at all, on the contrary he came off as very cocky and sometimes even brash, and flaky. The way all the main characters acted had me thinking "Why are you doing that? This could be solved if you only spoke out," and sometimes their reactions to things didn't seem rational, but I can't go into detail, because it would be spoiling the book, and that's just rude. In the end, it was a nice story to read, but I found the main character annoying, and thought the resolution was almost too easy, but I appreciated the opportunity to review it in advance.
November 15, 2017
Davi has a crush on one of his professors, Dr. Sol Gerber, who has a strict "no dating students" policy. Davi hopes to change the Sol's mind by tantalizing him with eight nights of gifts in celebration of Chanakuh. Sol has other plans and it involves his TA, Jon Ellis.
A sweet and short read. The story has an omni narrative approach involving the feelings and thoughts of Heather, Davi's best friend, Dr. Gerber, Davi and Jon and their part with Davi's plan. As with PS, I thought the main character, Davi was a bit fickle but when it came down to choices and what the heart wants I thought it worked out very well with the characters.
I also liked that the book made me curious enough to look up some interesting facts. I wasn't aware of what a pinwheel in BDSM was. When it was mentioned I was thinking along the lines of a child's toy.
An ARC copy was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review
A sweet and short read. The story has an omni narrative approach involving the feelings and thoughts of Heather, Davi's best friend, Dr. Gerber, Davi and Jon and their part with Davi's plan. As with PS, I thought the main character, Davi was a bit fickle but when it came down to choices and what the heart wants I thought it worked out very well with the characters.
I also liked that the book made me curious enough to look up some interesting facts. I wasn't aware of what a pinwheel in BDSM was. When it was mentioned I was thinking along the lines of a child's toy.
An ARC copy was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review
November 7, 2017
Davi admires a professor he’d taken a class from. So much so, that he decides to gift him every night of Chanukah. The professor turns the tables on him, ensuring that his TA, Jon, receives the gifts instead. Secret admirers. Fairy godfathers / godmothers. Holiday gifting. All come together in this tender romance of new beginnings.
This is such an interesting story, in that one of the characters is so enamored of a college professor, that he can’t see the ‘forest for the trees!’ Once the professor and his best friend help him step back and discover what has been in front of him the whole time, love opens his eyes to a future of possibilities.
I received an ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed this advanced copy.
This is such an interesting story, in that one of the characters is so enamored of a college professor, that he can’t see the ‘forest for the trees!’ Once the professor and his best friend help him step back and discover what has been in front of him the whole time, love opens his eyes to a future of possibilities.
I received an ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed this advanced copy.
December 3, 2017
This was a fun and cute read that I really enjoyed. Davi and Jon make a great couple and I loved the premise of this story. The gifts Davi left were intended for someone else but Jon got them and once Davi realized who had received them he began to see Jon in a different light and fell for him. Jon thinks he has a secret admirer and wants to meet whoever is leaving the gifts for him. I do wish that it had been longer and had more of Davi and Jon together. There wasn't enough of them as a couple so I felt a little cheated that this didn't have a real HEA ending. It would be wonderful if this story was continued in another book. I look forward to reading more books by Caraway Carter.
I was given an ARC to review by the author.
I was given an ARC to review by the author.
November 30, 2017
I finished the book because I agreed to leave an honest review for an advanced copy. While I liked the build up to the relationship between Davi and Jon, I just wasn’t feeling the sparks between them. I enjoyed the sneakiness of Davi’s crush and his best friend setting him up with Jon, but I never really understood Davi’s infatuation with the professor. I was confused and simply not hooked from the beginning. I wanted more interaction between Jon and Davi, more flirting, more...something.
If you are looking for a short, sweet read, this could be it. However, if you are looking to feel the emotion and tension between the main characters, this is not the book for you.
If you are looking for a short, sweet read, this could be it. However, if you are looking to feel the emotion and tension between the main characters, this is not the book for you.
December 2, 2017
I received the book in return for an honest review.
In general I really love stories like this ..... secret gifts, surprises and a happy end.
I have to admit I'm a little torn ....... on one side I thought it was really cute how much effort Davi put in winning xxx over ...... on the other side I was a little baffled how quickly he changed the recipient of his ardent love. I actually didn't feel that certain something, that spark, between those two.
So I have to admit - I liked the idea, I liked the funny and entertaining writing, but I'm not that sure about the story itself. All in all a nice, cute and lovely read. But not my favourite 'Caraway Carter'. Thank you nonetheless.
In general I really love stories like this ..... secret gifts, surprises and a happy end.
I have to admit I'm a little torn ....... on one side I thought it was really cute how much effort Davi put in winning xxx over ...... on the other side I was a little baffled how quickly he changed the recipient of his ardent love. I actually didn't feel that certain something, that spark, between those two.
So I have to admit - I liked the idea, I liked the funny and entertaining writing, but I'm not that sure about the story itself. All in all a nice, cute and lovely read. But not my favourite 'Caraway Carter'. Thank you nonetheless.
November 24, 2017
I love secret admirer stories, and this one did not disappoint. Davi has a huge crush on his professor, Sol. Unfortunately, his number one rule is that he doesn't date his students. This doesn't deter Davi though. He plans on giving him a gift every day for Chanakuh. I loved the twist Sol puts on the secret admirer gifts. It helps Davi to open his eyes to the person he should be with. The ending was sweet, but I wish it was longer.
An ARC was generously provided, by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
An ARC was generously provided, by the author, in exchange for an honest review.
December 2, 2017
I received this eBook pre release in return for a review.
This entertaining novel frequently left a smile on my face as I read it over dinner and breakfast. An easy read, the voice of the story flits between the inner thoughts of the four protagonists. Using the Hanukkah tradition of gifts over eight nights, we watch the courtship dance mutate, resulting in a delightful HEA.
This entertaining novel frequently left a smile on my face as I read it over dinner and breakfast. An easy read, the voice of the story flits between the inner thoughts of the four protagonists. Using the Hanukkah tradition of gifts over eight nights, we watch the courtship dance mutate, resulting in a delightful HEA.
November 13, 2017
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Hmm. This was a cute story but I just felt like something was missing. Davi is so set on making Sol his he blind to anything else, even the fact the Sol is in a relationship. I’m not sure what I think about his idea to give the gifts and that it will seduce him. He notices Jon with the gifts and then begins to be charmed by this TA and they make a connection. I had trouble with how quickly he was able to switch his affections but it’s a sweet ending for them both.
Hmm. This was a cute story but I just felt like something was missing. Davi is so set on making Sol his he blind to anything else, even the fact the Sol is in a relationship. I’m not sure what I think about his idea to give the gifts and that it will seduce him. He notices Jon with the gifts and then begins to be charmed by this TA and they make a connection. I had trouble with how quickly he was able to switch his affections but it’s a sweet ending for them both.
February 16, 2018
Another sweet love story which takes place during the Decenber holidays, and involves gift-giving, but this time the holiday is not Christmas but Hannukah. I don't want to give away too much of the story but it involves the giving of secret Hannukah gifts which get misdirected to a different recipient, and ends with the beginning of a beautiful relationship. It's short, sweet, and romantic.
Read
November 22, 2018Content Warnings
As a romance, this was pretty cute; I liked it despite the premise of a student pushing a professor's boundaries. I liked the part where they talk about their favorite books. As a Chanukah romance, it wasn't especially satisfying to me. It only included the secret admirer Chanukah gifts, no other holiday elements. While I appreciated the small sprinkling of Jewish references, it didn't give me the satisfaction of a romance that centered the holiday.
As a romance, this was pretty cute; I liked it despite the premise of a student pushing a professor's boundaries. I liked the part where they talk about their favorite books. As a Chanukah romance, it wasn't especially satisfying to me. It only included the secret admirer Chanukah gifts, no other holiday elements. While I appreciated the small sprinkling of Jewish references, it didn't give me the satisfaction of a romance that centered the holiday.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews