A Touch of a Brogue by Christine Danse was a sweet read but kept me on the edge of my seat with the conflicts.

Loved this. It was sweet but with an edge because as a reader you're aware of the conflict and as Eric digs himself deeper into a hole you know the fallout is coming.
I adored Colm from the beginning, Eric was harder to like, no that's not true, Eric was just as easy to like as Colm, which made his original act hard to understand.
The setting was very evocative, both the pub and Portland, and I'd love to experience both.
And the scene at the zoo was brilliant.
No steam with a HEA.

A Touch of Brogue is a very charming holiday story that had me craving for Irish food I never had before.

The blurb immediately caught my attention. I had a short stint working for a not so popular restaurant before so I have some idea of it how feels to have an empty dining room while the resto next door is overflowing. I also couldn’t forget the huge stacks of dishes I washed when there were more customers.The people I worked with before weren’t as passionate as Colm so I doubt they paid attention to reviews. I wasn’t surprised the restaurant eventually closed.

Eric Rossi, the food critic is very suggestible and a bit of a pushover. He was talked into writing a bad review of the Irish Sisters by his ex even though he has not eaten at the restaurant before. The Irish Sisters is a pub owned by Irish-America Colm who took over the family business.

I felt sorry for Colm. He poured his heart and soul into the restaurant. And I know his food is really good. I could practically taste it off the page. Food is central to the story and food bridged the gap between the two men.

Colm and Eric had great easy going chemistry together. It was fun tagging along with them on their date because they really had a good time. It was only marred by Eric’s mistake. I felt sympathetic towards Eric even though I was exasperated at him for not telling the truth sooner. As expected, he had to drag it out until he was busted and so the Big Fight ensued. He eventually found the courage to say no to bad influence, face the consequences and made efforts to redeem himself. I liked the fact that the price he paid was high because, yeah, that was a shitty thing to do. How he eventually got back on his feet and how Colm communicated with him again was satisfying and nicely done.

Overall, the story is cozy, warm and very enjoyable. Perfect for holiday weekends when you stuffed yourself full of your grandma’s cooking.

P.S.

I received a copy of A Touch of Brogue from Nine Star Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:
4 Stars - minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: This Christmas
Artist: Picture This
Album

Une histoire toute douce, où la romance existe à peine.
Ce qui est mis en valeur ici, c'est l'amour de la nourriture, le lien entre souvenirs familiaux & petits plats. L'ambiance du pub est très sympa, et la relation simple qui se construit entre Eric & Colm est douce comme tout.
Il est quand même difficile de croire qu'un mec passionné comme Eric ait pu se laisser embobiner à ce point par son compagnon, au point de lui faire jeter au feu toute sa déontologie ... Mais bon, cette nouvelle se laisse lire, on passe un moment doux et tranquille, sans aucune prise de tête. :)

"A Touch of a Brogue" is a sweet holiday story with a HEA featuring a pub called The Irish Sisters and a food critic whose bad review of the place has brought it to the brink of bankruptcy.

Christine Danse does a lovely job here of describing a pub that I think most of us would <i>love</i> to visit. The Irish Sisters pub has been painstakingly brought to America and reconstructed and is full of old-country charm and a menu of old favorites with a new twist. All they need is customers ... but a bad review in a prominent Portland publication plus loads of bad Yelp reviews are keeping the customers away.

Although the first part of this tale is a bit slow, Danse sets the scene by giving us a feeling for this pub and what it represents to Colm. Eric's personality is perhaps less developed, and I cannot honestly understand why this kind man who is passionate about food would have written a fake review because his boyfriend (owner of the bar down the street) asked him to do so. But when Eric learns what he has done, he strives to make it right, and the result is a sweet story of second chances. There is little on-page sex but the budding romance between Colm and Eric is nicely done.

4 stars for "A Touch of a Brogue."

I really liked the writing and pacing of this. It felt longer than it was (in a good way). I really enjoyed the characters and found them to be generally realistic and relatable..The food aspects were also great and made me extremely hungry, and also very sad there aren't any Irish restaurants anywhere near me.

Absolutely delightful read! Fun, sweet, and quick. Colm and Eric are adorable. Plus, any stories centered around food and family are a win in my book! This is a perfect evening read in front of the fire with coffee or cocoa!

I did wonder how Eric could be so blind to his ex's manipulation, but felt enough was covered to get the gist of it.

Would love to see a follow-up with Robin and Jamie's story too!

The writing is smooth and mostly error-free!

I received this charming tale as an ARC thanks to Net Galley and Nine star Press!
A Touch of Brogue is a sweet charming and beautiful tale Christmas my favorite time of year! of Portland not far from my own home and so close to my heart! Love, lies and redemption and most of all food! this movie was like a Hallmark Christmas movie crossed with Ratatouille I gave me so many feels and made me so hungry!!
I Love this charming tale and can't wait to see what Christine Danse has in store for us next! thank you and Merry Christmas!