Tapped
The Brewing Passion Series #1
By Liz Crowe
Genre: NA Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
By Liz Crowe
Genre: NA Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received
this book for review from Silver Dagger Scriptorium Book Tours and from the
author. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review.
The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with
the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of
Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
When wealthy brewery owner Austin Fitzgerald meets sexy saleswoman Evelyn Benedict, angry sparks fly. They seem destined to clash, until a hot hookup in a cold beer cooler changes everything.
For Austin, it's a life-altering moment that sets him on a path away from his birthright, while Evelyn must face her fears about committing to a man considered the playboy of the micro-brewing world.
The power of preconceived notions nearly tears them apart—until they meet up with brew master Ross, who opens their eyes to a deeper, even more erotic connection.
But three strong personalities don’t always make for the best emotional mix and when a simple misunderstanding causes chaos, it’s up to Ross to somehow repair the tattered shreds of their relationship.
My Thoughts:
Evelyn Benedict is trying to do her best in a job that is mostly a man’s job. Austin Fitzgerald is a man who knew where his life was taking him. But that was before he met Evelyn. She seems to be like a drug of choice for him. And when they connect – fireworks. I find that sometimes the mood gets ruined because I end up laughing.
Be warned, these two are very graphic about what they want from the other. But don’t expect that to be the whole story. In any relationship there can be obstacles and Austin has two of them – well, actually three. The author has made her two main characters very complicated. Those complications can also get a little confusing. As I got to know them, personally I thought Austin could do better. There were times that I did like Evelyn and that she was work driven. But there were times that I questioned what she felt was more important. And she was frustrating too.
The author complicates things further by adding a third main character named Ross Hoffman. He’s a friend of Austin’s. I found it a little sad that a friend was needed in order to intervene between Evelyn and Austin. But if you like stories with a lot of complications then you may be very happy with this one. Ross does have a redeeming quality because he wants his friend to be happy. The ending may get him there but I thought it left things up in the air. I think it is meant to be that way so that the reader will get excited to see what book two is about but you’ll have to wait and see because I couldn’t find any hints.
I have enjoyed this author is the past. Would I say this is her best? Probably not. Would I read more of Ms. Crowe’s work? Of course. Will I continue to read this series? Even though I thought Evelyn is an okay character, I want to know if Austin and Ross will continue to be friends with Evelyn caught in the middle. And I want to see if our author redeems Evelyn in my eyes.
Evelyn Benedict is trying to do her best in a job that is mostly a man’s job. Austin Fitzgerald is a man who knew where his life was taking him. But that was before he met Evelyn. She seems to be like a drug of choice for him. And when they connect – fireworks. I find that sometimes the mood gets ruined because I end up laughing.
Be warned, these two are very graphic about what they want from the other. But don’t expect that to be the whole story. In any relationship there can be obstacles and Austin has two of them – well, actually three. The author has made her two main characters very complicated. Those complications can also get a little confusing. As I got to know them, personally I thought Austin could do better. There were times that I did like Evelyn and that she was work driven. But there were times that I questioned what she felt was more important. And she was frustrating too.
The author complicates things further by adding a third main character named Ross Hoffman. He’s a friend of Austin’s. I found it a little sad that a friend was needed in order to intervene between Evelyn and Austin. But if you like stories with a lot of complications then you may be very happy with this one. Ross does have a redeeming quality because he wants his friend to be happy. The ending may get him there but I thought it left things up in the air. I think it is meant to be that way so that the reader will get excited to see what book two is about but you’ll have to wait and see because I couldn’t find any hints.
I have enjoyed this author is the past. Would I say this is her best? Probably not. Would I read more of Ms. Crowe’s work? Of course. Will I continue to read this series? Even though I thought Evelyn is an okay character, I want to know if Austin and Ross will continue to be friends with Evelyn caught in the middle. And I want to see if our author redeems Evelyn in my eyes.
Ross would know how to handle this.
Whenever there’d been a woman who’d needed a bit more convincing than their usual flirty banter, or the one-two punch of the handsome dark-haired American and the smoking-hot blond German brewer hadn’t convinced her, Austin had tended to drift away, lose interest. Then Ross used to move in and close the deal alone, give him a high sign, and the fun would commence. It was the ‘Ross Superpower’, they used to joke the morning after as they drank espressos and relaxed before a day of brewing or study.
Austin would admit that he’d never felt this way about a female, at least not this quickly. Women peopled his life, no doubt. Women thrust into his face by his meddling mother. An over-abundance of women during his years in Munich. And finally, the current one, the Chosen One, at this moment likely spending a small fortune on God knew what in Paris. This woman, this Evelyn, completely and utterly confident of her own independence—and of his predator status—would not normally appeal. Typically, he’d write her off.
This has the potential to be way too much trouble. You already have enough to worry about.
And yet…
He groaned and willed his cock to soften, without much luck. Shouldering his way back out to the noisy restaurant, he pulled up short at the vision of Evelyn seated in a chair in the hallway outside the women’s room. She was bent forward, adjusting her shoe, the strong line of her calf and thigh drawing his gaze like a magnet. He blinked as the fall of her thick blonde hair tumbled over her face, the ever-present phone held to her ear.
She laughed at whatever she heard and Austin jumped right into it, wanting more than anything to sleep and wake with that honey-rich sound in his ears. Every easygoing, go-slow bone in his body screeched to a halt and ushered in a need so deep he nearly choked on it.
Mine.
Without a single thought for the possible consequences, he squared his shoulders and pulled her to her feet.
Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance: Worth the Risk,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and
more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”).
With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a
fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
Don’t ever ask her for anything “like a Budweiser” or risk bodily injury.
I love the cover, the title fits the story line, and the excerpt is very intriguing! Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteI think this book sounds like such an exciting, interesting, and intriguing read! Looking forward to checking this book out!
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