Book Review: Trouble Brewing

By Sara Steven

After working long hours brewing in her garage, Piper is determined to prove herself—and to ignore the chemistry she has with Blake Reed, owner of Minnesota’s newest gastropub who is going to stock four of her brews. She wants her craft beer to stand on its own merits and knows that the tight-knit male-dominated brewer community will assume the worst if she starts anything with one of her vendors. No way she’ll risk everything she’s invested in her budding business on a guy who might not stick—no matter how charmingly handsome and funny he is, right?

And Blake has a conflict of his own—his haughty family wants him to ditch the gastropub and support his father’s political campaign. Well, that, and the fact that he knows Piper’s snark and sass is the perfect blend of crisp and refreshing for him. So Blake and Piper make a pact: she’ll go out with him if, and only if, two additional pubs start carrying her beer. Sticking to the pact proves harder than either of them expected—especially since the attraction is off the charts between quirky, independent Piper and smart, charming Blake.

Then Piper gets a once-in-a-lifetime offer that could launch her company to the next level—and take her away from Blake. Are she and Blake just drunk in love, or do they have something real that’s worth risking her dreams for? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

There is a fighting spirit within Piper, an entrepreneur who wants to do it all, and do it all on her own. I appreciated that drive within her, even in the moments that begin to feel a bit like self sabotage. Coming from a background of having a really hard time asking for and receiving help, I could relate and identify with Piper in that way, although she takes it to higher extremes where her craft beer is concerned.

She doesn’t want anyone or anything to reroute her from her dreams, and that includes Blake. She had no inclination of the chemistry they’d have, a new type of hurdle that presents itself in strange and beautiful ways, and she senses that it’s going to come down to having one or the other, because she isn’t sure she can have both her passion and the man she’s falling hard for.

Piper’s story is a unique one. I didn’t know much about the brewing industry before reading Trouble Brewing, and I found it interesting, the various processes and behind the scenes views we get from her perspective, a woman in a male-dominated field, trying to break into the brewer community. I felt I learned a lot more about her through her interactions with Blake, and with the friendships she forms through the process of standing on her own two feet, one ale at a time.

Sometimes, we discover what’s really most important to us, through the hurdles and obstacles that are thrown our way, when we least expect it. That was presented to us time and time again within Piper’s story, ultimately discovering what is really worth fighting for.

Thanks to Gallery for the book in exchange for an honest review.