Blogger Chick Chat ~ Trouble on Tap ~ Avery Flynn

Trouble on Tap

Sweet Salvation Series #3

Release Date: July 14, 2015

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 Bookworms

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Synopsis
What fun is life without a little bit of trouble?

Retired supermodel and forever wild child Olivia Sweet is nothing but trouble. The youngest Sweet triplet is back in her hometown, but instead of a triumphant return it's a parade of humiliations. She's broke, homeless and dealing with the fallout from her scumbag ex-boyfriend publishing naked pictures of her to a revenge porn website.

Staid and stalwart veteran Mateo Garcia has seen more trouble than a man ever should in his lifetime. He's gone from pretty boy Marine to a small town police chief with a chip on his should and scars covering the left side of his face. Now his former lover, Olivia, is back in town and living next door.

When the two are forced to work together to fix up the crumbling veterans' center, the sparks fly between the beauty and the man who sees himself as a beast. Not everyone is happy that Olivia is back home though and Mateo has to choose between the town who wants her gone and an uncertain future with a woman who he thinks could never love him...

***Blogger Chick Chat***

Lexxie (@Unconventional Bookviews) and I buddy read all book in the Sweet Salvation series. If you missed our previous chats, you can read them by clicking on the titles - Enemy on Tap and Hollywood on Tap . We've enjoyed our time in Salvation. We hope you do, too!

**

Lexxie: I just had to send you a quick e-mail before I go to bed, about how much I'm loving Olivia and Grumpy-Garcia! They are SO hot together, and I love that this is their second chance - for everything, not just for being together. What do you think so far?

I also really, really hope the mayor will just disappear off the face of the earth.

Me: I finished this morning. I've already had an early morning cry. *sniff* I'm so happy we read this together. 

You know I was worried I wouldn't like this one as much because I didn't feel as connected to Olivia. It felt like we hadn't been exposed to her enough. And we'd never met Mateo. BUT this is my favorite one in the series! Olivia and Mateo are definitely hot together. And as I'm a sucker for second chance stories, this one rocked! You're right - it is a second chance for them...at life, really.

Olivia wanting to make things 'right' for her family, to make the Sweet name bring about more than gossip and snickers, and to prove she is more than meets the eye...all of that just made me adore and respect her.

Mateo's living with his fair share of regrets. And it broke my heart that he felt like he wasn't a person worthy of people depending on him. And ironic considering his job. That he finally realizes (with a little help from a little spitfire of a woman) the error in his thinking made me smile.

Ruby Sue is her usual scene-stealing self in this one. I actually think this is her best performance yet. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your big grumpy-man feelings, but you need to suck it up." That was priceless. Haven't we all needed someone to say "suck it up" at some point in our lives?

They mayor makes my blood boil. I'd been wondering how he kept his office when he made enemies like he does, but Mateo explained it. :) It seems like there is more to his hatred of the Sweets besides that documentary. I wonder if we'll ever find out?

That ending - funny that the girls said Ruby Sue said it was expected of them because I didn't expect it. But it was a nice way to wrap things up.

If I were going to complain about anything, I guess I would have liked the story to be longer - get to see more of the other couples, be in the brewery again, get better acquainted with Luciana. But overall, I was delighted with Trouble on Tap.

What about you?

I definitely agree that Trouble on Tap is a favorite in the series! Even if we didn't know Olivia and Mateo before this story started,I think that both the prologue and their inner dialogues made it very easy to both know, understand and love both of them - flaws and all! And they both needed those second chances, both when it comes to life and when it comes to love - I think that's partly why I loved this so much - apart from how extremely hot their chemistry was ;)

My heart broke for Olivia, the way she just wanted people to leave her family be, and also to make her sisters truly proud of her. It was as if she had put herself in the role of the air-headed model, and because she had done it so well, she had started to believe it herself.

Olivia's ex made me just as mad as the mayor did! And I actually hated that Mateo gave the mayor the heads-up and got him to be all slimy and smarmy in front of a crowd, even if it ultimately helped Olivia in her quest for the veteran center.

Mateo seemed like he had forgotten how strong he was after what happened in Afghanistan, as if he had left a big part of himself, his confidence and his heart behind, and now thought he wasn't really worthy of belonging or being cared for at all. You are right that Olivia and her strong attitude, as well as her capability for real love showed him the error of his ways.

LOL Ruby Sue was the best! And I agree, her little speech to Mateo was priceless.

Do you know if there will be another Sweet Salvation Brewery story? I would love that! Or at least something else happening in Salvation! You are right that we need to know more about Luciana, and definitely about why the mayor is so hell-bent on hating the Sweets... It's almost as if he wanted a Sweet girl for himself, and didn't get her ;)

The ending was cute, but also a little bit abrupt. I could have done with another 20-30 pages before that, I think. So yes, a little longer, to see more of the other couples and the brewery. But like you, I was happy with Trouble on Tap overall.

Olivia and Mateo really did need a second chance at life - what they'd gone through, they both needed a chance to prove to themselves, as well as others, that they were more than their looks and their actions. And I was so happy a second chance at love was part of the deal. :)

Olivia's ex was so slimy. He was almost worse than the mayor because he wanted to capitalize on Olivia. It wasn't enough to have taken so much from her...he wanted to take more. Ugh!

I don't know if there is going to be more in this series. I certainly hope so, too. I don't know that I could handle a book on the mayor but I'd really like to know why he's so sour on the Sweets. And getting to spend more time with the triplets, their men, and the brewery would be even more fun!

I've so enjoyed our buddy reads in Salvation, Lexxie! What are we reading next?!? ;)

I really like that sentence: being more than their looks - because they were both kind of hung up on their looks, but for the completely wrong reasons! There was so much more to both of them than the exterior package, you know?

We totally agree about Olivia's slimy ex! I'm actually happy Mateo went to town on him.

I don't think I could handle a book on the mayor either, but maybe at least a short story about Ruby Sue? She knows everything, right? And she would be a hoot to read about, especially because she explained a little bit about her privileged relationship with the Sweets. My heart broke for her and her pecan pie in Trouble on Tap!

I have loved buddy-reading Salvation with you as well, Brandee. We really do need to find something else we can dig into together.

Teaser Tuesdays #69

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB @ A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

***

Trouble on Tap
Sweet Salvation Series #3

What fun is life without a little bit of trouble?

Retired supermodel and forever wild child Olivia Sweet is nothing but trouble. The youngest Sweet triplet is back in her hometown, but instead of a triumphant return it's a parade of humiliations. She's broke, homeless and dealing with the fallout from her scumbag ex-boyfriend publishing naked pictures of her to a revenge porn website.

Staid and stalwart veteran Mateo Garcia has seen more trouble than a man ever should in his lifetime. He's gone from pretty boy Marine to a small town police chief with a chip on his should and scars covering the left side of his face. Now his former lover, Olivia, is back in town and living next door.

When the two are forced to work together to fix up the crumbling veterans' center, the sparks fly between the beauty and the man who sees himself as a beast. Not everyone is happy that Olivia is back home though and Mateo has to choose between the town who wants her gone and an uncertain future with a woman who he thinks could never love him...

***Teaser***

"No one knew better than a Sweet from Salvation that life rarely gave you what you wanted. You had to fight for it."



Lexxie (@Unconventional Bookviews) and I are once again buddy-reading about those Sweet girls! Don't miss our chat, coming soon! :)

Blogger Chick Chat ~ Hollywood on Tap ~ Avery Flynn

Hollywood on Tap
Sweet Salvation Brewery #2
Release Date: November 23, 2014
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Kindle
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Goodreads

Synopsis
For years, Sean O'Dell has hidden his past as a Hollywood heartthrob from everyone at the Sweet Salvation Brewery. Howver, the arrival of nosey efficiency expert Natalie Sweet threatens the status quo. It doesn't help that with her glasses, buttoned-up sweaters and always pulled-back hair that she's uncovered one secret already: His attraction for hot librarian types.

Natalie has had enough of the strong-and-silent Sean submarining her efforts to change the brewery for the better. She's ready to do whatever it takes to make her vision a reality, even if that means taking down a pig-headed and too-hot-for-his-own-good brewmaster.

Sizzling attraction battles stubborn determination as Natalie and Sean go head to head in a battle that's anything but business as usual.

***

Lexxie (@Unconventional Bookviews) and I are continuing this series and our chats about it. We hope you enjoy!

Omigoodness - I don't know where to start! I loved Natalie and Sean's story. I felt like I really knew them better and could empathize with them both. I can't put my finger on the 'why' though. What do you think the difference is between their story and Miranda and Logan's?

The chemistry between Natalie and Sean was combustible, wasn't it? I mean, I could really feel the energy and tension between them. It was sooo good. :) And I'm rather a sucker for the 'forbidden' love angle, even though it was a foregone conclusion.

I giggled so hard over Sean hiding out from Natalie and her clipboard. And then, when he finally read her "billion point plan" and had his epiphany, I giggled some more. Why are some men so dead-set on believing women don't know what we're talking about?!?

The mystery of who was sabotaging things at the brewery had me grasping at straws. I honestly had pointed my finger at someone else. So I truly was shocked at the reveal. Were you?

Speaking of the brewery, I was glad more time was spent in the brewery in this installment. We still didn't get a lot of time with the staff but listening as Sean waxed poetic about his stout recipe made sigh. And wish someone would actually brew it. (Hmm, may have to get James on that one ;) 

I.LOVE.RUBY.SUE!! That woman! I could hug her! I loved Sean's description of her as "a deadly combination of brass-knuckle tough love served with a side of cookies." That's exactly what he got from her, exactly when he needed it.

Could you believe Sean's dad? That guy was a piece of work. What a jerk!

We didn't really see Olivia in this book so I'm curious as to what the next installment will be like. I assumed it would be her book...

So I really enjoyed Hollywood on Tap. It left me feeling like I'd had some of Ruby Sue's famous pecan pie and iced sweet tea. Satisfied. I still can't say why this one was more enjoyable though. I want to know what you think...

I agree, I felt like I got to know both Sean and Natalie so much better! Even if it was just glimpses into their pasts, that was necessary. Like, why Natalie had those pearls, and when she started to use them. And also why she felt like she needed to control was important to understand. Organizing things around her helped her feel more in control, and it showed us a lot about who Natalie was as a character, I think. That is one of the biggest differences between Sean and Natalie's story as opposed to Miranda and Logan in my opinion. Because we got to know them better, I also felt more attached to them.

Oh my goodness, I agree! They were very hot together, their chemistry was off the charts, and I almost felt like cheering for them! And the 'forbidden' angle really worked for me, too! All the reasons why they shouldn't became reasons why they had to ;)

LOL, Sean thinking Natalie didn't even realize he was hiding from her was hilarious, and when she was waiting for him, blue-lipped, in the cold-room I was laughing out loud. I'm not so sure Sean was hiding from her clipboard because she's a woman. I think it was just as much because he wanted to think he had everything under control on his own.

I was totally shocked at the reveal about who was sabotaging the brewery, I was so sure I knew, too, and when the show-down happened I had no idea! 

We did spend more time in the actual brewery in Hollywood on Tap, and we even learned the names of some of the people working there - big improvement! And I loved that Sean shared so much about that stout he wants to brew - I want one like that, too! If you can get James to make one, I'll be happy to come for a tasting ;)

Ruby Sue should have her own installment! She's such a hoot! Knowing everyone, but rooting for our Sweets, I already enjoyed her in Enemies on Tap, and she was another character who was even more present in Hollywood on Tap.

Sean's dad truly got what was coming to him! What an arse! I have never understood people who push their children to fulfill their dreams, rather than the child's own dream. And the way he talked to Natalie was so bad. But she showed her backbone anyway, as soon as she got a little help seeing that Sean might be better than she thought after talking to his dad, that is.

I think we maybe felt like we knew everybody better in this story because we had met them already, and the back-stories were definitely more fleshed out! I loved the fun interactions between Sean and Natalie, and also Natalie's inner musings which showed what made her tick.

I forgot to say anything about Olivia!! I think the next book will be hers, and I'm impatient to finally meet her. I was a little bit disappointed she only appeared in phone conversations once more in this one. However, it seems like the three sisters are really close, and I look forward to meeting her in 'person'.

You're absolutely right, Lexxie. Getting the background information on both Natalie and Sean did help me invest more in their characters. That was a complaint I had about Miranda and Logan - that I wished we'd gotten more about them so I could have been better acquainted with them. I really did feel like I got that with Natalie and Sean. And yes, it also helped that we'd met them previously but I really liked getting the explanations about certain things about them - and I liked that those explanations were given to each other rather than just in their heads. They each gave up some control to let the other in when they gave those explanations.

I got some looks from my family when I was laughing over Natalie being in that freezer. That was hilarious! She was one determined woman!

You're also right about Sean needing control and that was why he was avoiding Natalie's plan. Now that you mention it, I think it's ironic that they both need control in and of their lives but they go about it differently. And that was one more way in which they go together despite being so seemingly different. Sweet and sour indeed.

Ruby Sue should totally get her own installment. But I bet we have to be happy with the role she plays in the lives of the Sweets. I love that she sides with them and will stand up to anyone who tries to run them down.

Yeah, I was disappointed that Olivia didn't come to Salvation like I was expecting. But the sisters do seem very close and I'm really excited to meet Olivia in person as well. :)

It's really too bad we weren't able to be as invested in Miranda and Logan, because they both had a lot of potential, too. I agree about getting to know more about Natalie and Sean, we did learn about their little quirks, and were able to understand them much better! Learning what Sean had gone through as a child-star in Hollywood made my heart bleed for him! And it was not difficult at all to see why he would not share any of that with Natalie or anyone else. When it comes to fame, some people are such vultures!

LOL we both get looks from our families while reading, it seems :D It would be fun if we could ALL meet up one day, you and I could hide somewhere and read (we'd quickly be found because of our giggles, though) and the men and the kids could go hiking or biking ;)

Oh, I hadn't even seen the irony in the way both Sean and Natalie needed control, because they hadn't had any at all when they were younger! Very good point, my dear :)

Yeah, I don't think we'll get an installment with Ruby Sue, but it would be glorious! I hope she'll show up even more in Olivia's book. I think Trouble on Tap will be released in July... a summer buddy- read, maybe?

My Final Thoughts

Overall, Hollywood on Tap was a much more satisfying read than it's predecessor. I felt I knew and understood Natalie and Sean better and therefore was really invested in them. Their chemistry was electric! And the suspense created by the saboteur added that little extra to the story. 

Blogger Chick Chat ~ Enemies on Tap ~ Avery Flynn

Enemies on Tap
Sweet Salvation Brewery #1
Release Date: July 14, 2014
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Kindle
Rating: 3 Bookworms
Goodreads

Synopsis
Brewing up trouble one pint at a time.

Enemies...After years away, Miranda Sweet returns to Salvation, Virginia to save her family's brewery, but her fate is in the hands of her lover-turned-enemy, Logan. What's a girl to do when the only person who can help her is the man who betrayed her?

Lovers...Logan Martin can't believe his luck when the woman who smashed his heart to smithereens walks into his bank asking for his help. What she doesn't know is that he needs the land her brewery is on--and he'll do whatever it takes to get it.

An Irresistible Combination...Their wager becomes a battle between their attraction and their determination to win. But it's in each other's arms that they realize there might be more at stake now than their bet. With the town against the Sweet Salvation Brewery's success, Logan has to choose between what's expected of him and what he really wants...

***

Lexxie (@Unconventional Bookviews) had so much fun doing a buddy read and chat, we decided to do it again. I hope y'all enjoy our chat as much as we did!  ;)

I like that Miranda is confident enough in her skills that she'd shoot to revamp her family's brewery in a bid for a promotion.

I fell hook, line, and sinker for Logan - the Prince of Salvation who didn't want anything to do with that title. I like his persuasiveness (I'm thinking of the pie bet) and I feel for him living a role picked for him.

Natalie is an interesting character. We don't get to see enough of her for her to have much dynamic but I want to know more. I want to see how growing up in Salvation, and having 2 sisters that are mirror images of you, affected her personality.

I wish we could see more of Ruby Sue. I like a little old lady with spunk and she has it in spades. She doesn't shy away from telling anyone like it is. And I'd like to have some of her famous sweet ice tea and pecan pie! (Have you ever had sweet ice tea or pecan pie??)

I think Flynn did an excellent job of conveying the benefits and big drawbacks of growing up in a small town. I think the negatives were more obvious in this story because this is a Southern small town.

I wish we could have a little more backstory on Miranda and Logan - how they came to be together way back when...before everything went to hell. I think that would have made it more clear the hurt between them.

I also would have liked a little more closure - how is Miranda getting out of her deal with her company? what about Logan's dad and his job? There were some things left 'untied' at the end. Although these things may be addressed in the next book...

I also wish we'd seen a bit more of the events that apparently happened off page between Miranda and Logan. I know they had history but since that wasn't well defined, things seem to happen rather quickly. I hope we'll see more of them in the other books. 

I really enjoyed the brew talk. Since hubs has brewed beer and we've done a few ;) brewery tours, I could really envision the brewery, all the equipment, the smells of the mash and hops...Flynn clearly has some experience with beer. ;)

So what did you think?

I agree that Miranda was a pretty kick-ass character on the surface, but I felt like I didn't really get to know her all that well. Between feeling bad because of how the small town had always treated her family, and the way she also felt about her family plus trying to get Sweet Salvation Brewery to become a profitable business, there wasn't a lot of place for character development. 

Logan was great, but I also didn't feel like I got to know him very well. I agree with what you said towards the end of your mail, that it would have been nice to have a little more back story for both of them. 

I am pretty sure we'll get to know Natalie better in the next book, and I hope we'll actually get to meet Olivia then, too! 

Ruby Sue was great, she didn't care what other people thought of her, she stood by the people she enjoyed, and that's it! Of course, she also had her famous pecan pie ;)

Apart from getting more closure - which would have been really great! - I would also have liked to have a little more brewing in the pages of the story. There was very little that really had to do with brewing beer... more about how to turn a business around, and problems with staff. But all of the staff kind of disappeared off the pages after Miranda fired Carl. only Sean was still present and a part of the story. That made the story feel like it was touching on the surface much more than going in depth as it could have, without adding too many pages to it overall.

And I could have done without all the passive-agressiveness of Miranda's boss at the financial company. We never met him either, but he almost had a bigger part in the story than some characters that I thought were more important than him...

I hope some of these things will be taken care of in the second book, because even if I gave three stars, I did enjoy it enough to continue reading about the Sweet girls and Salvation :) I wanna learn how to brew my own beer!

I'm glad you liked Enemies on Tap. :)

I do agree that more character development would have been nice. I think that's why I wanted more backstory, etc. I do like Miranda, Logan, Natalie...but it did feel as though we only get to know them on a certain level. More character development would have made each of the characters more robust and the story deeper.

I didn't even think about the fact we never met Miranda's boss. A lot of time was spent on him and I did *not* like him one bit. But that's part of the reason I wanted closure about Miranda's job. Flynn didn't explain how that was going to be taken care of and it was a pretty big 'loose end'. 

I, too, would have liked more time spent on the brewing of beer. You're absolutely right...Flynn did spend more time on the business aspect of it. And you're right about her staff disappearing from the story with the exception of Carl and Sean. 

We have a common theme going here, don't we? We both want MORE! I gave this 3 stars as well because Flynn did pull me into the story and I do care about the characters. But if MORE was there, Enemies on Tap could have been a richer read. I really do want to read Natalie's story to see if we get the MORE we're looking for.

Yeah, taking care of Miranda's job, and her boss, and make sure both are left behind for good without any trouble coming to show up in the future would have been really nice.

Having most of the staff on the outlines of the story could have worked, but they just plain disappeared, and that made me feel like the story was still a little rough… I'm sure you know what I mean.

Wanting more is a good thing, I guess, and I do look forward to reading Hollywood on Tap. I'm very curious about Sean and his past – hopefully we'll get more backstory ;)

My Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed Enemies on Tap and will continue the series. Flynn got me interested and invested enough to want more of Salvation and the Sweet sisters!