He should be off limits, but he’s the best kind of trouble.
Briar
My father gave me the family brewery as an early Christmas present.
Generous, right? Except every single person on staff just quit, and I only have a budget that’ll last through the end of the year.
I need a miracle.
Lucky for me, my best friend Hannah’s big brother, Liam, is a genius brewer, and she convinces him to quit his job and come work for me. She only has one condition: I can never date him. It’s an easy agreement to make. I’ve vowed to stay away from men after an embarrassing breakup, and I’d never sleep with someone who works for me. Besides, Liam’s an amateur boxer and frankly a bit terrifying.
Only…it turns out my best friend’s brooding, insanely talented big brother is the only man who’s ever really understood me.
Liam
I promised my sister not to date any more of her friends, because the last time I tried, it ended badly.
Very badly.
I took this job thinking it wouldn’t be a problem to stay away from Briar. She’s a daddy’s girl who looks like a princess and talks like a boarding school teacher. Not my type. But the woman I wrote off knows a lot about beer, and she’s a whole lot tougher than I gave her credit for. I want to run this brewery with her…and I want her too. To my complete shock, I’m falling hard for my boss, and if my sister finds out, there will be hell to pay.
** A standalone romcom in the Babes of Brewing series **
Note: There are TWO different versions of this romcom:
1) A spicy open door version with some strong language and sex scenes
2) A closed door version with mild language and only kissing.
Please choose the version that’s best for you!
Briar sees her father as a shrewd, cutthroat shark in the business world, but the guy really comes off as a sadist. He’s worked hard to sow discontent and turn the staff against Briar as she prepares to take over the brewery. She wants to believe that he means well but that’s pretty tough to believe, since the entire staff just quit and Daddy Dearest is only giving her enough operating capital to last a few weeks. Her own father is setting her up for failure but Briar doesn’t give up easily. She has a plan and is going to prove him wrong. Once she gets a brewer. And staff.
Hannah comes to the rescue, suggesting Liam consider the job and he accepts it on the spot. He’s been bored and unfulfilled the entire time his current brewery, so a change of pace is the thing he wants most in the world. He’s got plans too so they make a good team, but their increasing attraction to one another really complicates things. They’re already working under incredible pressure to meet aggressive deadlines with minimal resources so the last thing they need is another problem. And kissing your boss/employee, is always a problem. It’s not even the big one though, that honor belongs to Hannah. Liam once dated her bestie and when their relationship ended badly, it cost his sister her BFF. Briar and Liam have both vowed not to even look at one another, but the more time they spend together, the tougher it gets to keep that promise.
I loved these characters and their story. The banter is great, it’s a funny and sweet slow burn that I couldn’t put down. They’re surrounded by a great supporting cast, including some new regulars and we finally start getting to know the mysterious Nora. I liked everything about it. I’d like to thank the author and The Author Agency for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
