Craft Brew (Trouble Brewing #2) by Layla Reyne
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: Paperback – October 30, 2018
Genre: M/M Romantic Suspense
Order now:
Carina:
http://bit.ly/2luKFZr
Book Synopsis:
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.
Tropes and Themes: Workplace romance, forced proximity, friends-to-lovers, coming out
Excerpt:
“Solve it,” his mother said, snapping him out of his
thoughts.
He didn’t have to ask what she was referring to. It was
the reason he’d decided to join the FBI. But the unsolved case of Erin’s
disappearance was cold for a reason. He’d been unsuccessful, like every other
detective or investigator who’d touched the file over the past twenty years.
“I’ve tried.”
“Need to know,” she said, increasingly winded. She set
the book in her lap and laid the card over her heart, tapping it. “No time.”
He laid his own hand over his mother’s, struggling for
words. “We don’t know that. The doctors—”
“No time.” She closed her eyes and a tear slid down her
cheek. “Need to know if she’ll be there waiting for me.”
Cam’s head swam as his heart drowned. He had to lay his head
on the bed and make himself breathe. His mother’s fingers carded through his
hair, coaxing and calming. “Please, Cameron.”
Dragging in a breath and sucking back his own threatening
tears, he righted himself and squeezed his mom’s hand. “I’ve tried. My entire
career.” She was the last person he ever wanted to disappoint again, but he’d
hit a brick wall on Erin’s case, time and again.
She flipped the book to the last page and held it out to
him. Taking it, he was surprised to find the normally blank couple of pages at
the back filled with his mother’s meticulous handwriting.
Dates, locations, and details.
He looked back up at his mother. “Are these case notes?
When did you start this?”
“The past year, after you left. Kept you both close.” She
tapped the side of her head. “Kept this going too.”
Something else he came by honest.
He stared at the scribbled on pages, running his
fingertips over the amateur sleuthing his brilliant mother had been doing.
She covered his hand, stopping its movement. “Need to
know.”
He couldn’t disappoint her. Especially if this turned out
to be the last thing she asked of him. Not when he’d failed her before.
“Are there more books with notes?”
“That series.” The words were thin, a battle to get out.
“Started rereading. By the bed at home.”
He clutched the book in one hand, her hand in his other.
“I’ll try.”
She squeezed, a fraction of her normal strength. “Hurry.”
Post from the Author - Layla Reyne:
Whiskey Verse Bromances by
Layla Reyne
Craft Brew (Trouble Brewing #2) is my
favorite book I’ve written to date, and while Cam and Nic’s romance, Cam’s
family, and the mystery of his missing sister are a big part of that, so is the
found family aspect that really shines this installment. Cam and Nic were
already being pulled into the Jamie-Aidan-Mel-Danny family unit in the Agents Irish and Whiskey series, and
those bonds only strengthen in Trouble
Brewing. Within the Whiskey Verse family, I especially love the bromances
on display in Craft Brew, between
Aidan and Nic and Cam and Jamie.
Aidan and Nic
They’ve
come a long way, huh? I love how Aidan and Nic’s bromance developed from
casually dated when Aidan and Jamie were on a break, to highly-effective work
colleagues (one an FBI agent, the other the federal prosecutor on his cases),
to allies against Nic’s boss, to Aidan all but bullying Nic into his “family”
because that’s what Talleys do. And just as Nic came to Aidan’s aide in Barrel Proof, Aidan is there for Nic in Craft Brew as things heat up with the loan shark threatening Nic
over his father’s debts. The final scene of the book is actually between Nic
and Aidan, and I’ll be honest, that scene was a surprise to me. But it demanded
to be written and it’s one of my favorites to-date. The level of trust there
between them—Nic willing to put the future well-being of his loved one in
Aidan’s hands, if need be—felt like the right place between these two men who
hold each other in such high regard and who are becoming best friends and
family.
Cam and Jamie (and Nic)
Cam was introduced as Jamie’s best friend
in Single Malt,
and we’ve seen glimpses of their bromance in earlier books, but I loved showing
it more concretely in Craft Brew.
Jamie drops everything to go to Boston with Cam when there’s a family
emergency, and he stays by Cam’s side, as friend, cook, hacker and stunt
driver, when Cam delves into the case that tore apart the Byrne family and
drove Cam into the FBI. He’s also the best friend who calls bullshit—on both
Cam and Nic—when it comes to admitting the depth of their feelings for one
another. Speaking of, I was also surprised and delighted at Jamie and Nic’s
friendship developing and solidifying more firmly in Craft Brew. These two were not always on the best of terms, but
with the both of them caring deeply about Cam (and Aidan), they’ve found common
ground. And when their skill sets are combined, watch out. It makes for one
hell of a chase and shoot-out scene!
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.
Author Links:
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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/laylareyne/
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/laylareyne
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