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Enchanted Grounds
This title is part of the 2010 Advent Naughty or Nice
When Max ducks into a neighborhood coffee shop to escape an oncoming rainstorm, he's greeted with good cheer, freshly baked cookies, and a mysterious barista, Kristie, who seems to know exactly what Max needs. Charmed by the café, Max returns, and as he makes connections with the other patrons, his creativity returns as well. Between the daily dose of magically delicious baked goods and the nightly dreams of a phantom lover, Max is starting to wonder just how enchanted he is... and if he can keep the dream from ending.
When Max ducks into a neighborhood coffee shop to escape an oncoming rainstorm, he's greeted with good cheer, freshly baked cookies, and a mysterious barista, Kristie, who seems to know exactly what Max needs. Charmed by the café, Max returns, and as he makes connections with the other patrons, his creativity returns as well. Between the daily dose of magically delicious baked goods and the nightly dreams of a phantom lover, Max is starting to wonder just how enchanted he is... and if he can keep the dream from ending.
36 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2010
29 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Moore
67 books3 followersMichelle Moore is a fourth-generation Washington, DC native, definitely a rarity in this day and age. She has a well-documented obsession with travel, television, Frappuccinos, and flamingos. All of these, however, come in a distant second to her love of both writing and teaching. Her days are pretty evenly divided between her classroom, where she teaches elementary special education, and huddling over her laptop at the local Starbucks. What few hours left in the day are spent serving the needs of the household menagerie that currently includes cats (one with cerebellar hypoplasia), chinchillas, a bird, and a geriatric guinea pig. Now that she has achieved her goal of becoming a published author, she's ready to start working toward her second lifelong dream… a flat in Paris and a villa on Grenada.
Visit Michelle at http://michelle_writes.livejournal.com/ or e-mail her at MichelleMooreWrites@gmail.com.
Visit Michelle at http://michelle_writes.livejournal.com/ or e-mail her at MichelleMooreWrites@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 21, 2011
The story begins with author Max suffering a bit of the Christmas blues, still not over his ex who takes refuge in a local coffee shop where amazing the girl knows EXACTLY how he likes his coffee. He spends his time sketching and observing some of the other patrons. That night he dreams of the scent of vanilla and someone warm in his bed. Following more visits to the coffee shop where his creative juices get flowing, and he has more and more explicit dreams about the mystery man.
The paranormal aspect comes in as the barista, who looks exactly line someone who worked in a very similar coffee shop in Victorian times, and the keeps talking about people finding what they NEED at the shop. Three of the young regulars invite Max to their Christmas concert next door and after he offers to help Kristie and is sent to the kitchen in the basement where he finds Josh, a vanilla smelling hottie/baker.
There is little to no romance between Josh and Max, unless you count dreams, it’s more about moving on and a magical coffee shop that helps people find what they need, whether it be friends and collaborators, a break from the Christmas rush, your creative juice or a lover. I thought the paranormal aspect was done well. It was kind of freaky but not so much that people couldn’t justify it in their minds. So the woman knows exactly how you like your coffee, it could happen. People look like people in old pictures all the time, not unusual. Weird dreams happen, it’s not THAT weird, but it was just enough to keep Max off-balance, but coming back for more.
I loved the atmosphere of Enchanted Grounds (which is really a cute name for a coffee shop) and how it was described with regulars and so many people who hang out. It sounded warm and comforting and safe. Also the descriptions of the different cookies and desserts were vivid and drool inducing. This a gentle story, it doesn’t race ahead, people take their time, Max gradually gets his creative mojo back, almost a different time where things moved more slowly. Those who like something less explicit with a bit of the paranormal will find it enjoyable.
The paranormal aspect comes in as the barista, who looks exactly line someone who worked in a very similar coffee shop in Victorian times, and the keeps talking about people finding what they NEED at the shop. Three of the young regulars invite Max to their Christmas concert next door and after he offers to help Kristie and is sent to the kitchen in the basement where he finds Josh, a vanilla smelling hottie/baker.
There is little to no romance between Josh and Max, unless you count dreams, it’s more about moving on and a magical coffee shop that helps people find what they need, whether it be friends and collaborators, a break from the Christmas rush, your creative juice or a lover. I thought the paranormal aspect was done well. It was kind of freaky but not so much that people couldn’t justify it in their minds. So the woman knows exactly how you like your coffee, it could happen. People look like people in old pictures all the time, not unusual. Weird dreams happen, it’s not THAT weird, but it was just enough to keep Max off-balance, but coming back for more.
I loved the atmosphere of Enchanted Grounds (which is really a cute name for a coffee shop) and how it was described with regulars and so many people who hang out. It sounded warm and comforting and safe. Also the descriptions of the different cookies and desserts were vivid and drool inducing. This a gentle story, it doesn’t race ahead, people take their time, Max gradually gets his creative mojo back, almost a different time where things moved more slowly. Those who like something less explicit with a bit of the paranormal will find it enjoyable.
December 13, 2010
This story is just what its title promises: enchanting. Max's gentle adventure at a magical cafe called Enchanted Grounds is a journey of discovery and growing happiness. I liked the dreams he has, and loved that he just accepted the solution to the sort-of-riddle at the end without further questioning. We should all be so lucky as to have a little seasonal miracle presented to us this way. A warm, lovely read!
November 6, 2011
A beautiful little Christmas tale that had me feeling warm and cozy from the moment I began reading. The cafe featured in the title, Enchanted Grounds, is the type of place I'd long to hang out in and never leave, with a friendly proprietor who always knows exactly what you need, and regulars who can't help but grow fond of one another. I would have liked the story to go on for a full novel.
December 16, 2010
3.5 stars. Good short paranormal m/m holiday romance about a guy who finds a mysterious coffee shop and starts to visit it daily, at the same time that he starts having realistic dreams about sleeping and snuggling with a man he's never met...
December 11, 2011
A beautiful short story that left me yearning for more! :)
September 11, 2016
★★½ - Okay to pass the time with, but be prepared to roll your eyes at parts.
October 23, 2012
Very nice read. The ending came too soon and I would have loved to see more between Max and Josh.
August 31, 2016
3.5 stars--A short, sweet Christmas story about a magical coffee house where you can find what you need. My only real complaint--it ended very abruptly. A little bit more would have been nice.
January 15, 2014
The story is like a good cup of hot chocolate. 
Sweet, warm, a little mystic and unfortunately too fast finished.
Sweet, warm, a little mystic and unfortunately too fast finished.
February 10, 2014
3,5 stars
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April 17, 2011to-read
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews