Thirsty by Mia Hopkins
Eastside Brewery #1

Join a gang and you commit for life – Salvador “Sal” Rosas knows this when he gets out of jail. To his homies he is Ghost for a number of reasons. When he gets out of jail after five years he spends six months working hard and strictly keeps the rules of his parole. He knows the gang can call him back at any moment but he hopes against hope that they won’t.

Vanessa Velasco is the woman Ghost used to dream about when in high school then later when in prison. He has wanted her for a long time so when the opportunity arises to live in her garage…he snaps it up. Vanessa is a contradiction in some ways…bright girl that fell for a bad boy, got pregnant, was widowed, became a bookkeeper and is studying to be a CPA. She wants nothing to do with gang members but is attracted to Sal.

Sal is offered opportunities that might lead him away from the gang…maybe. He might end up with Vanessa…if he plays his cards right. He might make something of himself…eventually. But, can he? He has brothers getting out of prison to worry about and plan for but…can he steer them away from the gang his family has been immersed in for decades? Perhaps more will be learned as future books are written.

This is a book about family, values, commitments, change, becoming the person you are meant to be, growth, community and being true to self. It is a book of gangs, is violent, is steamy and it is intriguing.

Did I enjoy it? Yes
Will I read more books in the series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley, Loveswept and Barclay Publicity for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

This is my first book by Mia Hopkins and I'm now a fan. I love Chinita and her evil wiener dog. Sal is an ex con with gang ties and Vanessa is his soul mate. I love how the book is told in Sal's point of view. You get a a great feel for who he really is. This book is a great read.

Favorite quote: Vanessa to Sal ~ "It's like you woke me up after I'd been asleep for five years. Every part of me, awake and alive. But now, without you, I'm twice as lonely as I was before. As if being happy for a short time only magnified my loneliness instead of weakening it."

Thirsty is my first Mia Hopkins book. I found I liked the "real" bad boy hero. Ghost is a mess though. His life is upside down since being released from prison. He's trying to get by...and live the dream. Vanessa is a dream he's had for a long time. But his life and hers are not on the same path.

Thirsty has a real edge to it. It's got a gritty feel to it. It's a got a blend of English and Spanish but I love the reality that they bust into Spanglish too. No worries though, it's translated or easy to figure out for those that would be lost. But I could really go for some puerquitos and beer right about now.

Mia Hopkins is a new author for me and I must say I really enjoyed her work and she's gained a new fan. She has a nice writing style that took me out of my world in the burbs and brought the barrio to life for me. I loved her characters and I was intrigued by the struggles they face on a daily basis.

As a member of the neighborhood gang, Sal was caught and convicted for auto theft. He's served his time and has been released on parole but being back in the barrio has him facing everything that pushed him into that life before. When he finds himself homeless, a kind old woman in the barrio offers him a place to stay. She knows he's working hard to stay straight, keep his head down, and save enough money for a place of his own. Her kindness is what brings Vanessa into his life. She's faced her own hard times but she's fighting hard to make a better life. To Sal Vanessa is everything good in life. She's everything he ever wanted but knew he didn't deserve. Now though if he can stay out of the clutches of his old gang maybe he can have the life he's always dreamed of.

This was a fantastic read and one I highly recommend.

Sal “Ghost” has been out of prison for a few months after a 5-year stint and he doesn’t want to go back. Sal wants to get out of the gang life that he was born into. He’s trying to save money so he can get an apartment for him and his younger brother (for when he gets out of prison), so he rents a garage from an old lady in the neighbourhood. Vanessa was the girl that was gonna get out of the neighbourhood ... until she fell for a gangbanger and got pregnant. When he was killed, a pregnant Vanessa moved back in with her grandmother. Now she has another gangbanger living in her garage and she’s falling for him. Sal and Vanessa start a hot and heavy relationship, but just for the 2 months he’ll be living in her garage.

The book title and series title are very deceiving from the actual story ... don’t get me wrong, the story was very good, just not what I was expecting. I was expecting it to be more about a brewery. This is a raw and gritty story about gang life and it’s expectations. My heart went out to Sal for trying to be a better man and not get caught up in what was expected of him from a life that was decided the generation before him. And Vanessa trying to make a better life for her daughter, but finding it very hard to get away from the past. The twist at the end was a shocker and I can’t wait for the next book.

I received an ARC courtesy of Random House - Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

This was my first experience reading this author's work and I'm sure I'll be reading more. Thirsty grabbed me right away because it's so different from the usual contemporary romances out there right now. These are real people; real characters -- I felt their emotions and their fears . Sal and Vanessa's relationship is steamy, hot and sexy but make no mistake, the storyline will keep you on the edge of your seat with suspense as well. Interesting and informative, sexy and suspenseful -- I loved everything about this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

Slow start but with one hell of a finish.

This was a bitterly fought for love story, but not so much Vanessa and Sal/Ghost's. The true story for me was seeing the bruised and broken Sal drag himself out of a gritty nightmare and grapple his way back to a new life. Vanessa's love was a hard won prize for Sal, but it didn't define him as much as his desperate victory over past demons.

Recently released from prison, Salvador is every bit a ghost as his street name suggests. Sal is a ghost, a shell of a man haunted by past mistakes and armed only with the desperate will to survive. Trying to save enough money to help his brother in jail while trying to stay out of the clutches of his old gang, Sal has no sweetness or hope in his life. Until Vanessa.

"Whatever you want in a man," I whisper in her ear. "Whatever you need. I want to become him."

At first, the introduction of Alan and the brewery made no sense to me. But as Sal slowly ventured out of his treacherous neighborhood, I finally understood that it is Sal who is the ultimate brew needing the right patience, time, and alchemy.

And again, that was one heck of an ending. Up to the final page, I was at peace with Sal's new lease on life but with one paragraph, I am now hooked and waiting eagerly for answers.

Note: I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This wasn't what I had expected. I'm not sure if many readers will find it relatable.

This is the first book of the Eastside Brewery series. I had a really hard time getting into this book, there are a lot of Spanish words that I could not figure out the meaning of from the text. It was different in that it was entirely from the view point of the male character who has just gotten out of jail and is trying to turn his life around but keeps getting pulled back into gang life. I liked Vanessa, she’s a very strong individual. Interesting twist at the end and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This review is based on a galley copy from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thirsty is the book I had been looking to read! I didn't expect how raw and emotional I would feel from beginning to end. The characters were real, honest, and relatable (especially for those of us who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and felt like the odds of attaining happiness were stacked against us). The love story between Vanessa and Salvador might start out a little slow for some readers but the character development is worth the wait. The chemistry between Sal and Vanessa is incredibly sexy and the hot sex scenes will leave sweating for more! This books gets 5 chili peppers from me.

Hmmmm, this was an "Okay" read for me. It starts off really slow, picks up a little bit, but for the most part, left me feeling...blah

Ghost has been out of jail for six months. After living with a homie that cheated on his woman, he finds himself homeless. But only for like, five minutes. Because he's propositioned by a neighbor he kind of grew up knowing. So now he's living in her garage, helping clean through the mess, for only two hundred dollars for two months. He works two part time jobs and is saving money so that he can get an apartment he and his brother can live in once his little brother is released from jail. The twist? The granddaughter of the neighbor is an old crush from school. And although he never dated her, he thought about her a lot while locked up.

Vanessa has been trying not to be like the other cholas. Although she had a little slip a few years back which ended in a daughter. Now with her sights set on being a CPA, she's more focused than ever. But seeing a former school friend starts bringing back old memories and feelings.

Although building the characters is always a good thing while reading, I felt like I spend pretty much the entire first half of this book in blah land. We learn a lot about Ghost and some of his gang affiliations and events. We even get to watch him step outside his comfort zone, learning something new and experiencing different things. But the "pull" of the story was hard for me to stay connected to. I REALLY enjoyed the relationship between Ghost and Alan (father/son type of feel) the most though. Unfortunately, that's probably the only thing that kept me interested.

Reviewed by Chris

Salvador comes out of jail and tries to take his life back. Vanessa is a single mother who don’t want the trouble of another relationship with a gang member.

I liked this book although I thought it was a little slow in the beginning.

But this is what I liked:
* The storyline is good
* The characters are written with a lot of emotions and I sympathise so much with Sal’s struggles to get away from his old life. And I also understand Vanessa and her reluctance to get to involved with Salvador.
* The little mystery plot that pops up at the end was clever, now I have to read the next book
* No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings
* Lots of dialogues
* Hot and emotional love scenes, not the best I’ve read but good enough

A good 4 star read and I will probably read the next in this series. I recommend it if you like bad boy turned good theme.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. For me the romance in this book was secondary. The real story was Ghost's reintegration after jail, and his struggle to find who he really is and wants to be. Both the characters and the story were thoughtful, and I was drawn into the world. I'm really glad I got the chance to read Thirsty, and will definitely look for the next in the series.

Thirsty was an okay read for me. I enjoyed the beginning of the book with a few laughs but as the story went on I was losing interest in the story. Maybe because the story seemed to move at a slower pace than what I expected. I liked the characters: Salvador, Chinita, Vanessa, Brianna, Regina, Alan, Barry and even Eddie, although he showed up closer to the end of the book. I didn't believe in the beginning that Sal thought of Vanessa constantly when they barely knew each other as teenagers. However, I did feel the chemistry between them as adults and there were definitely some steamy moments between the two. This book ends with a huge cliffhanger and although I liked the characters, the story itself was just an okay read for me so I'm unsure if I will read the next book in this series.

Thirsty (Eastside Brewery #1)
By Mia Hopkins
A copy of this book was provided via NetGalley for an honest review.
3 stars
This book was started out little slow for me but as I continued reading, the story started to unfold and I wanted to see Salvador Rosas “Ghost” made it out of the Eastside and make something of himself. Ghost grew up with gang life in his blood. His father and grandfather were both part of the local gangs. So it was only natural that he would follow that path. After a stint in jail, Ghost knows that he must walk the straight and narrow; get his life together not only for himself but for his little brother that would be getting out of jail soon. Ghost works 2 jobs at night to make an honest living. But when he must find a place to live, he is not sure what to do.
Vanessa Velasco knows what life on the Eastside is like. She has lived her whole life. She was the road to getting out of there until she found love; causing her to put her plans on hold. But Vanessa is a tough cookie. She knows how the gang life is but when her grandmother offers Ghost their garage to live in, she must put some ground rules down to protect her family.
Sometimes your childhood crushes become a reality. That reality so much more than you could imagine. As we watch Ghost and Vanessa learn to accept fate and trust again, they show each other a side no one else has seen.
I look forward to seeing where their story leads; will they make it out of the Eastside and accomplish more than they thought possible with their lives? Or will the Eastside consume them like most the locals here?

I had not read Mia Hopkins before. I am a big fan! Loved it!! Please pick this one up!

Thirsty is a fantastic read. It is a completely different storyline than I have read before and I loved it. It's a story of a latino gang member named Ghost, who is newly released from prison and trying to walk the straight and narrow. He wants to leave behind his old ways, but once in the gang, always in the gang. There is no escaping. Ghost reconnects with a woman he has always had eyes for, but she wants nothing to do with him or his lifestyle. The story is very well written. It drew me in and I couldn't put it down. It is an absolute Must Read !!!

This is a new to me author. It took me a minute to get in to the world but once I had a handle on the setting and the characters, it was a pretty easy read. There is a whole lot going on in the story and Vanessa and Ghost are just a piece of it. I still felt like I was missing something. Like there was a prequel that I didn't know about.

I enjoyed the time in Ghost's head and his POV. I would have liked to see more of that and him having to deal with his mental health more. There were lots of references to being "thirsty" in the story, but given the title, I was hoping it was more focused on the brewery.

Not a bad read. Nice twist at the end. Book 2 may bring some more clarity.

Unfortunately this was a dnf for me as I couldn't connect with the hero and Vanessa. I sincerely thank you for the opportunity and also signed up to promo this event and will upload all links on release day! Thank You! ~Ratula