Early Review | Imperial Stout by Layla Reyne

Imperial Stout by Layla Reyne
Trouble Brewing #1
M/M Romantic Suspense
Carina Press | July 23, 2018

About the Book: Layla Reyne spins off from her pulse-pounding Agents Irish and Whiskey books with Imperial Stout , the first installment in the Trouble Brewing series

It’s a good thing assistant US attorney Dominic Price co-owns a brewery. He could use a cold one. Nic’s star witness has just been kidnapped, his joint operation with the FBI is in jeopardy, his father’s shady past is catching up with him and the hot new special agent in San Francisco is the kind of distraction best handled with a stiff drink.

Kidnap and rescue expert Cameron Byrne has his own ideas about how to handle Nic, but his skills are currently needed elsewhere. The by-the-book FBI agent goes deep undercover as a member of an infamous heist crew in order to save Nic’s witness, break up the crew and close the case before anyone else gets hurt. Nic in particular.

Things heat up when Cam falls for Nic, and the witness falls for Cam. As the crew’s suspicions grow, Cam must decide how far he’s willing to go—and how far into his own dark past he’s willing to dive—to get everyone out alive.

Even though I wasn’t jumping and shouting in excitement when I read the conclusion of Irish & Whiskey, I knew as soon as I saw Imperial Stout I wanted to read it. I was intrigued by both Nic and Cam from the original trilogy, and it never even crossed my mind to pair them together. I’m not sure why; they were HOT.

So, before I get into this book I have to say, I’m pretty sure I missed something important. I probably should have read Tequila Sunrise and Blended Whiskey, because I think the start of Nic and Cameron happened there. Skipping those and jumping right in with Imperial Stout felt like being late to the movie and missing the opening scene. If you decide to read this, read those first. Don’t be like Birdie.

Still, even joining the show late, I really really liked this book! My previous issues felt non-existent. The case was interesting. The overarching storyline of Nic’s family history was interesting, and without the big ‘betrayal secret’ from the first trilogy. (I hate those.) I thought their job and their chemistry were balanced, without rushing either. It wasn’t a slow burn, but since they were focused on work it took a backseat which felt realistic. Still, the romance itself was scrumptious! I loved their heat. I loved that even though they knew it wasn’t the greatest situation, neither really ran from it or kept the other at arms length.

It was also awesome because we got more of Jamie and Aiden, and despite my issues with the story, I did like them as a couple. I loved reading them as husbands, working on the case and having Nic and Cam’s back. It was wonderful being back with these characters, and since I loved this one so much I can’t wait to be back with them again!