Imperial Stout by Layla Reyne
Series: Trouble Brewing #1
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date Print: July 31, 2018
Release Date Ebook/Audio: July 23, 2018
Length (Print & Ebook): 272 pages
Subgenre: M/M Romantic Suspense
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Imperial Stout will also be available in Paperback on July 31!
Synopsis
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.
Excerpt
“Turn around, baby,” Cam whispered. He stepped back, only far enough for Nic to rotate, then pulled him close again. “We’ve been dancing around this for months,” he said, walking them back toward the desk, Nic bumping up against it. “You want this as much as I do, if the two kisses we’ve shared are any sign. Unless I read them wrong?”
Chin down, Nic glided his hands up the outsides of Cam’s arms and over his shoulders, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. “You’re not wrong.”
It was a miracle Cam had held out this long. This close to what he’d desired for months, the wild part of him desperately wanted to break free, wanted to play rough and hard with Nic. “Then what’s the problem?” he asked. “You came to my place the other night. You made that move.”
“A lot can change in forty-eight hours,” Nic said, angling his face away.
Cam didn’t let him get away with it, trapping Nic’s chin between this thumb and forefinger and righting his gaze. “The way you feel about me?”
“This is messy, Boston, for a number of reasons, the least of which is you could get killed tomorrow.”
Nic’s blue eyes swirled with a stormy mix of lust and hesitation, the former on the cusp of winning out. Cam just needed to push a little harder.
3.5 of 5 Stars
I was so excited to learn Cam and Nic would get their own story because they’re chemistry in the Irish and Whiskey series was off the charts and I really liked both characters.
Even though this is a spin-off and the start of a new series, I don’t think this can be read without having read the previous series. I read all the Irish and Whiskey books and I was confused at the beginning of this book. The opening scene is mid-op. The criminal informant in the case seems to be well known by Nic but if we’ve met her in a previous story, I don’t remember her. Cam and Nic clearly have pretty deep feelings for each other and if you haven’t read the previous series, you don’t have a full picture of their history.
I liked seeing the previous series’ characters and hope we continue to see them in this one. I wouldn’t mind Bowers going away and there is some foreshadowing about what may happen to him in this book.
The flow of this book is like the Irish and Whiskey series, especially when it comes to the relationship building between Cam and Nic. They have a few stolen moments but the relationship is going to build over the series. The case Nic and Cam, as well as the rest of their teams, are working takes up most of the story and is fast paced. There is a dangling story line with Nic’s father that I’m assuming we’ll get more of in the next book.
I will definitely stick with this as I loved the previous series and like both characters quite a bit in this one. I think if you’re expecting something as good as the Irish and Whiskey series, you’re going to be a bit disappointed.
I had one nitpicky complaint about the book…I wasn’t a fan of the girls coming on to (and other stuff with) Cam as much as they did.
Coming Soon!
Craft Brew
(Trouble Brewing #2)
E-Book and Audio – October 8
Pre-Order: Carina | Amazon | Audio | B&N | iBooks | Google Play
Craft Brew will also be available in Paperback on October 30!
About Layla Reyne
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.
Connect with Layla
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Win a signed set of paperbacks from Layla Reyne: Imperial Stout and Blended Whiskey!
Winners in the USA will receive paperback copies of the prizes; winners from outside the contiguous USA, will receive Amazon gift card of equivalent value. Enter here: