Blog Tour & Early Review | Craft Brew by Leyla Reyne

I’d like to start by saying thank you to A Novel Take for allowing me to be a part of the Craft Brew blog tour! I’ve been reading about these characters since the first Agents Irish & Whiskey book, so I was really excited when to join the tour when the invite hit my inbox.

Craft Brew by Layla Reyne
Trouble Brewing #2
Romantic Suspense M/M
Carina Press | October 8, 2018

About the Book: Assistant US attorney Dominic Price is staring down the barrel of his father’s debts. The bull’s-eye on his back makes him a threat to everyone he cares about, so when his lover wants to go public with their relationship, he bolts. Not because he isn’t in love—he can’t stomach the thought of putting Cam in danger.

Kidnap and rescue expert Cameron Byrne is determined to figure out what trouble Nic is running from, but devastating news from home brings him back to Boston and to the cold case that has haunted his family for two decades. Shoving aside his pride, he calls Nic for help.

Together they search for answers, navigating the minefield of Cam’s past. But when they get too close to the truth, Cam must use every skill in his arsenal to save the man he loves…before it’s too late.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books 2 Read | Carina Press

I don’t know why I’m so captivated by this series. I enjoyed Whiskey & Irish, but wasn’t so hooked I thought I’d follow the spin-off. I ended up liking Imperial Stout more than I expected though, and I liked Craft Brew even more!

I think there’s a bit more chemistry between Nic and Cam, or maybe I’m just remembering them more fondly since I’m reading them now. I don’t know what it is, I just know I really liked this one.

There isn’t a big secret between Cam and Nic, which is one point in their favor. They have relationship reservations, but neither one is trying to push the other away. They’re falling in love, and working hard to take care of each other even though they’re both completely capable of taking care of themselves.

I also like the cases in the Trouble Brewing series. Cam and Nic both had history they need to take care of in order to have a real future with each other. Nic’s case is the full trilogy story, but Cam’s was the focus of Craft Brew. I loved it. It wasn’t about figuring out who the murderer was, instead it was about the toll everything took on Cam and his family. It also gave Nic an opportunity to ‘rescue’ his man emotionally.

It’s also great to see Aiden and Jamie in the role of best friends, and the family that was created by love and loyalty instead of DNA. It was especially important to someone like Nic, coming from such a rotten background.

I’m looking forward to finishing this series, and I’m also trying to figure out if there will be more in this world. If so, I think I’d read it.

Rating:

Thank you to Carina Press for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

He waited for Cam to finish wiping off, then took the rag and tossed it aside. He stretched an arm over him, planting it in the mattress on the other side of his hip, icy blues staring down at him. “I’m not running.”

“You tell me your rental is getting demo’d and you’re getting kicked out, which thank fuck because that place should have been torn down ages ago.” Aside from its proximity to the brewery Nic co-owned, the run-down duplex made no sense for Dominic Price, federal prosecutor and son of a real estate mogul. “Seeing as you’ve been here every night for four months, I made the logical suggestion that you move in.” He flung an arm toward the door. “And then you bolted like the sheets were on fire.”

“I’m leaving for San Diego.”

Shock propelled Cam up to seated again. “You’re what?”

Nic leaned back just in time to avoid a head-on collision. He folded his arms, lean muscles taut as they bisected the myriad of tattoos painting his torso. “The US Attorney down there is taking paternity leave. They need someone to cover.”

“And you volunteered?”

“No, they asked me.”

Cam scooted back against the headboard, letting it hold him up as his world spun faster than he was equipped to handle at this hour.

It was a great opportunity for San Francisco’s best Assistant US Attorney—getting out from under his asshole boss here and taking the reins of an entire operation there. Major problem for Cam, who after a year in the Bay Area had only recently begun to feel at home, in no small part due to the man beside him.

Anger and hurt bested professional goodwill. “Bullshit you’re not running.”

Nic inched closer, laying a hand on his thigh. “You’ll be safer if I’m not here.”

“This is about your father,” Cam surmised.

Author Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart pounding romance. When she’s not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs. Layla is a member of Romance Writers of America and its Kiss of Death and Rainbow Romance Writers chapters. She was a 2016 RWA® Golden Heart® Finalist in Romantic Suspense.