Ben’s Bakery and the Hanukkah Miracle

Ben’s Bakery and the Hanukkah Miracle (2018) Penelope Peters

Adam Bernard has spent the last ten years caring for his father and coaching his pee-wee hockey team. He could have made the NHL draft, but caring for his father was more important than hockey. But now his team has been invited to a tournament in Boston, and he’ll have to leave his father over the holidays.

Ben Daniels was once an Olympic-level speed skater, but when that got derailed, he took over a bakery. Right now, he’s struggling to stay in the black while not putting up Christmas decorations until after Hanukkah is finished–even though his friend (and volunteer accountant) says it might put him out of business.

This was fine. It was cute, and I actually adored the bakery bits (I want to learn how to make Hanukkah doughnuts now). I also loved the kids. I know a lot of people dislike kids in romance novels, but these were written as honest-to-dog pre-teen boys.

“You should go. The guy was cute.”

“Pierre,” hissed Francois.

He was! And Coach is single! He could ask him out after he gets his free donut.”

“That is so crass. He has to buy the donut if he’s going to date the guy. Otherwise he just looks cheap.”

“Coach! Richard lost his contact lens!”

It was easy to pretend exasperation when he was really just grateful for the interruption. “Why was he wearing his contacts?”

“So he could see?” suggested Pierre.

“Hope he can see the puck,” said Nilsson, amused.

“He can’t even see it with his contacts, sir,” said the boy seriously.

The main characters were… fine. I don’t understand how Adam actually lived. I mean, I thought pee-wee coaching jobs were volunteer? Certainly not enough money to support a grown man? Even in Canada.

I also didn’t quite get the panic Sheldon had at Ben’s finances–was this Ben’s first year owning the bakery or third? Didn’t they have past years for financial projections?

I didn’t particularly like how Adam was an ass about religious matters, but that’s more on me in this instance, since I know that people do care about such things, I just don’t quite understand the uproar. But some people do and that’s my failure of understanding, not their issue.

So, it was cute. And a nice escape.

Rating: 6.5/10

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