Cover Image: The Solid Grounds Coffee Company

The Solid Grounds Coffee Company

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Member Reviews

This is a solid chick flick, but a fun read! It has fun dialogue and you can learn a lot about coffee as well.

"I was holding out for the perfect so I didn't have to deal with the real." That is one of the best quotes of the book. Ana hid behind the image she projected on to others and was afraid to deal with the real issues in her own life. And how often do we do that? If we can imagine perfection or even project a perfect, put together image to those around us we don't have to deal with the real us that is hidden inside. But that is not a fun way to live and the truth can come around in very awkward and uncomfortable circumstances.

If you want to learn about coffee in a fun way, this is the book. There were a lot of terms used that I don't understand and I sure don't measure my coffee when I'm making it, but it made me wonder how much better my coffee would be if I did.

The one true thing in the book is that there are farms Colombia who have had to grow coca for the drug cartels because they couldn't make money growing coffee, but now there are faith-based organizations working with these farmers so that they can once again grow coffee. It is a pretty convincing story for free-trade coffee. I liked that aspect.

While the book was fun, it was a little too focused on romance for my preference and not something I would want to read all the time.

I received this book from Tyndale via NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review.

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Analyn Sanchez has sacrificed a lot as a crisis manager at a publicity firm — her personal life, relationships, and at times even moral compass. She just hopes her expensive condo and label-exclusive wardrobe will prove to her traditional, Catholic family that the climb to the top was worth it. When she’s sent to cover up a scandal that has severe consequences, Ana realizes she can no longer ignore her conscience. A decision that costs Ana her job.

A devastating climbing accident and a career-crumbling decision has landed professional rock climber Bryan Shaw alone, sponsorless, and jobless. With nothing left to lose, he buys a coffee farm in Colombia only to face that his globe-trotting ways have left him unprepared for life as a business owner.

Returning to the United States after a long absence, Bryan offers Ana a position in his new company in hopes of solving their predicaments. She, however, finds herself reticent to join forces with the impulsive, unpredictable, and handsome man who makes her heart flutter against her better judgment. As the business brings them closer together, Ana starts to wonder if there is more to the climber than she realized or if it’s all an act, and he’ll vanish from her life once again.

The Solid Grounds Coffee Company concludes The Saturday Night Supper Club series with a strong tale of forgiveness and second chances. Carla Laureano pens relatable characters who stumble along the redemptive journey and the discovery that their worth lies not in the past but in Christ.

One of my greatest pet-peeves are stories in which bad decisions led to zero consequences. This novel is no such book. The protagonists mess up — big time! They also find restoration, but that doesn’t mean their choices don’t carry consequences. They have to face the fallout of their actions. Novels like these are crucial. People need to be reminded that one is never too far from God’s love, but there is also a reason for the instructions He gives us. We see this clearly in Ana and Bryan.

I also liked how the protagonists came to the realization that they needed to turn their lives around prior to reconnecting. It made their changes genuine and not a decision prompted on the desire to win the other (another Christian Fiction pet-peeve of mine). For that matter, their separate arrivals at the conviction that they needed to change, paved the way for them to find each other once more in a healthy, lasting manner.

Solid writing has the reader walking through Boston, smelling the coffee, and living the tale right alongside Bryan and Ana. The Solid Grounds Coffee Company can be read alone though readers do glimpse the protagonists meeting and initial interactions in earlier installments. Fans of Laureano and redemptive stories will enjoy this tale.

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Sadly, I tried and tried and tried, but I couldn't get into this book. I understand when I read Christian romance there will be moralizing and the perspective will be an American evangelical one, with its specific ethos. I can't fault the author for writing within the parametres of her genre. It just isn't for me anymore. My notions of a Christian ethos for romance, what I look for, are totally different. And, I can overlook much if the writing is elegant and engaging, but while I found some of the ideas intriguing, the writing was stilted.

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As always, I loved Laureano's interesting premise, the high stakes of the plot line, and the tantalizing push and pull of the characters' romance as they each forged through their respective journeys. Sad to see this series to come to an end. I loved the friendship between the three women and how they were written as if they were my own best friends!

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Award-winning author Carla Laureano concludes her contemporary romance series set in Denver’s food industry, featuring three young professionals: Rachel, Melody, and Ana.

In The Solid Grounds Coffee Company, publicist Analyn Sanchez handles clients in crisis, and she does her job well. But when she is asked to cover up a client’s choices that cross the line and go against her own values, she refuses and Ana loses her job.

Professional rock climber Byran Shaw has lost his sponsorships after a climbing accident and some bad decisions. Impulsively he buys a coffee farm in South America, even though he has no business background. Bryan returns to Denver and offers Ana a role in his company, doing the things he is ill-equipped to do. What happens next surprises them both.

Like her earlier books, Laureano creates another delicious story with complex characters, and a realistic faith journey. Characters from her earlier books make an appearance, to the delight of her readers. The author provides enough backstory to allow a reader to enjoy this as a stand-alone title. Neither of her main characters are perfect – Ana is a workaholic, and Bryan was a “player” but he is trying to change. Both are on a journey that will change them to the better. The theme of honesty, faithfulness, and God’s redemptive love run throughout the story.

Just as her earlier books give the reader an insider’s view on restaurants and the food industry, Solid Grounds Coffee Company offers the same on the coffee industry. Who wouldn’t want to spend some time with a clean romance and a good cup of coffee?

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I have loved both previous books in this series so I walked into this book expecting to love it. And I did! It was great. The characters were well developed and likable like friends. The plot line moved well and was interesting. Loved the coffee focus. It was similar to but different from the previous books. I was glad to catch up with other characters from the previous books. I would love to see another book in this series.
I received a digital copy from netgalley. This in no way influenced my review. All thoughts are my own.

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This novel captured by attention by the cover art...and held it throughout the entire story. Don't let this novel pass you by...Savor it. You will not be disappointed. Five Stars.

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Another terrific installment to the Saturday Night Supper Club series!

Bryan Shaw is one of the best rock climbers in the world. After a climbing incident in Colombia involving his past flame, Bryan loses his sponsor, turning him into an unemployed hobbyist. The night before he plans to return to the States, Bryan is approached by a man who is in need on an interpreter to help with a ministry that converts farms used to grow drug products into coffee beans. This chance encounter leads to Bryan purchasing the coffee farm to see if he can put that BA degree he has to good use.

Ana Sanchez is a high-profile public relations specialist in Denver. She makes her living cleaning up other people’s messes and she is one of the best. When a high maintenance client puts her in the position of trying to cover up the drug overdose of an underage girl, Ana makes a judgement call, which saves the girls life but lands Ana on a paid suspension. Now with loads of time on her hands, she is not sure what to focus her time on.

When Bryan returns to Denver to start up a roastery business, he visits and old group of friends who run the Bittersweet Café. Ana is there too and while the two are polar opposites, Bryan offers Ana a business proposition to help get the roastery off the ground. She accepts the challenge and the two begin to work closely together. While neither is looking for a relationship, they become closer. Could this match bring fulfillment to their lives?

This series is such fun to read. Each installment has become like a member of the family or at least of the supper club on family and friends night. Even though this is the third in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I loved the story between Bryan and Ana. They both had to overcome their demons, Bryan in the early stages of the book and Ana in the later part, but they were still able to do it. Ana’s story spoke volumes to me. She had been through so much and always took failure as a personal blame and built walls up around herself so that even her most personal friends could not get through. Once those walls finally came down, she was a different person. I feel as though she could easily be one of my closest friends.

I’m not a coffee drinker, but I learned a lot about the process. It was very interesting to see what all goes into making a cup of coffee. Laureano did a lot of research into this process and if you love cover art, there is a story behind it that you can read about. If you haven’t picked up a supper club novel yet, then you need to grab a copy of one today!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

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I have loved this series from the first book, The Saturday Night Supper Club, and couldn't wait to read Ana's story. It was totally worth the wait! The characters in these books come off of the page and feel like real people that I would want to be friends with. Rachel and Melody are both in the food industry, one as a chef and the other as a pastry chef. Ana works in a public relations/publicity firm helping people deal with crisis management. She has a very stressful job, but makes time for her friends when she can. In this book a previous character is brought back, Bryan Shaw, a professional rock climber who has returned home to Denver to make a fresh start. Ana volunteers to help him with some publicity/marketing for a new business and the story takes off from there. I couldn't put it down!

The books in this series don't have to be read in order, because the author does such a great job with filling in the backstory, but I would highly recommend that you do read them all. Before reading the books in this series I had not read any books by this author, but I plan to read everything else that she has published and will publish in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Tyndale House Publishers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I thought Ms. Laureano did a wonderful job of portraying Ana Sanchez's character throughout the series. She's a "fixer" tasked with repairing the reputations of those who find themselves in a public relations nightmare due to their foolish, bad behavior. She's smart, well-paid, and a force to be reckoned with...until she's suspended from her job.

Bryan concerned me a bit at the beginning of the book. I'd had high hopes for him and wasn't sure how the author would redeem his stupidity or make the romance believable. But the incident provided the impetus to mold him.

The Solid Grounds Coffee Company gets 4.5 stars from me.

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I’ve enjoyed reading this series by Carla Laureano and this book brings to a satisfying conclusion all of the storylines in the three books. Ana has been one of my favorite characters in this series, and I was glad to finally read her story.

There are strong themes of redemption and forgiveness in this book. Bryan is a “prodigal son” who has returned to a relationship with God and is attempting to leave his old life behind and make a new start. Ana is drawn to Bryan, but she has things in her own past that makes it hard for her to trust him. As they work together to promote Bryan’s coffee company, they discover that they make a great team. But even though Bryan has repented and is making a new start, the consequences of his past still remain. Ana has to decide whether or not she will let fear and her desire for perfection rule her heart.

There’s some good lessons in this book for all of us about giving and receiving forgiveness and trust. This is a very good Christian contemporary romance, and I’ll look forward to reading the next series by this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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!I loved this book so very much!
Ana finally gets to tell her story and I wasn't disappointed.
Ana was kind of hard to connect with but as I've said before, you don't have to connect with the characters to enjoy a fabulous read! But, I will say this about her. She's one amazing woman that's for sure and certain! I'd love to have her talent! I loved that Carla showed that she was flawed just like the rest of us and has self doubts too. We all do!
Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing but I felt that Mason had that one coming to him It's sad about politician's families how their children and wives get caught up in it. I didn't really even like Mason because he was too dirty and underhanded to care about anyone else but himself!
I'm glad to see Rachel and Melody were back. These are the most amazing women! I admire them very much!
Carla has a way of making her characters coming to life for us and I've made friends with them and I felt myself drooling over their food. (Too bad there isn't any recepies) I'd like to try cooking some of Rachel's delicatessens myself except for the lamb. Ick!
Sometimes our lives don't pan out the way we want them to. Take Bryan's for example? I liked his get go. He didn't let life get him down. He just got right back up and tried something new. I rooted for him the whole entire time.
I don't drink coffee but I did learn a lot from this awesome story. Diet Dew is my to go drink.
I never knew so much went into making coffee! My goodness!
There is a Bible reference in this story but I will let ya'll figure it out. I don't want to spoil it for ya.
I highly recommend this book. Ya'll just have read this awesome book! You'll be glad you did!
My thanks to Netgalley and Tyndale publishers for a complimentary copy. I was NOT required to write a positive review. NO compensations were received and all opinions are my

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5+ stars - Best for Last 

[Book 3 in the excellent Supper Club series moves the focus to Ana & Bryan. It can be read as a standalone, but the other books give the characters & story greater depth & richness.]

Ana lives a lifestyle that leaves little time for introspection, & that's just how she likes it. She's really good at what she does, & her all-consuming job has become her identity. Till she gets suspended for doing the right thing. Suddenly, she's kind of lost. 

Bryan is recovering from a lifestyle that was superficial & self-absorbed, but after being that way for so long, people are wary as they can't be sure he'll stick with it. 

Ana helps out Bryan, and as they discover what a good business team they make, things begin to percolate(!) between them. Eventually, they begin to consider the possibilities of becoming a full-time team. However, though they may be willing to break from their pasts, their pasts may not be done with them yet. 

This installment is not only every bit as good as the first two, I actually think it managed to be even a little better! The author's writing is immediately engaging; and once I became immersed in it, I was unable to put it down till the end. The pace never lagged, and the story successfully manages that balance of being wonderful, yet always still believable. The only bad part was when it was over! 😉

*Clean romance level: passionate kisses, hero is a former player & in prologue sleeps with a woman but there are no graphic details - & the act has real life negative consequences 

*Religion: overtly Christian, though low key & not preachy; heroine is from a Catholic family but has apparently left it for another denomination, author is respectful but makes a reference to the "pageantry" of the Mass indicating ignorance of the purpose of liturgy (though if h's family is only culturally Catholic, as they seem to be, such ignorance might actually be accidentally consistent)

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The Solid Grounds Coffee Company is book number three in Carla Laureano's The Saturday Night Supper Club series. I had read book one quite some time ago, but not the second, so I was vaguely familiar with the characters and their history, but not as much as if I'd read book two first. Regardless, I would say this would have been find as a standalone, but you will certainly appreciate the history and relationships more if you read the series in order.

Like the other books in the series, this is one that will definitely have you wishing you had a delicious treat nearby... in this case a hot mug of coffee!! Food and drink is definitely a huge part of this story and this series, which I'm sure many will thoroughly enjoy. In fact, you'll walk away from this one with more knowledge on roasting coffee than you ever dreamed possible!

For me, I must admit that this one was--- to put it in coffee terms--- a slow roast. It wasn't super fast paced and at times, it did seem like it was getting off to a slow start, but in the end the payoff was worth it. There were a few surprise moments that I didn't see coming, and I loved watching these two imperfect characters of Ana and Bryan as their relationship developed... what a perfectly sweet love story it was! Both had dealt with bad decisions in their past and whereas Bryan and grown from his experience and gone onto a fresh start with no secret about his former life, Ana struggled with perfectionism and putting on a mask to hide that past. In as many ways as they were different, they were also very much alike, making for an interesting dynamic that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall, this was a great read and one that I would certainly recommend.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts are 100% my own.

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3.5 stars

A great conclusion to the final book in the Supper Club series. Not a surprise that Ana & Bryan will finally pursue more than a passing friendship. It was a unique approach with plenty to reveal about both of their past lives. The connection was genuine, and I liked how they both were guarded. Something that you’d expect from the older age bracket.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.

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A great addition to the Saturday Night Supper Club series. An entertaining and well written romance. Great plot and well developed characters. I highly recommend this book as well as previous books in this series. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

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This was a much anticipated book for me. I've read the previous two, and really looked forward to this one. Ana and Bryan were a great couple, and this book was fun to read...once I got into it. However, the prologue of this book was a bit of surprise. It's not often you read Christian Fiction with a fade-to-black intimacy scene. While these things do happen in life, and it was a pivotal moment for Bryan, it was an uncomfortable way to start the book. But in the end, Bryan learns that we are not defined by our mistakes when we find our redemption in Christ. And although there are still consequences for our actions, we are new creatures. A good story of redemption and the way faith changes lives.

I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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In this series the author highlights one of the three friends in each of the books. The series kicked off with Chef Rachel Bishop and writer Alex Kanin who create a Super Club. Then next up is baker & pastry Chef Melody Johansson story in Brunch at Bittersweet Café where readers learn about her love interest, private pilot Justin Keller. This book focuses on Analyn Sanchez and Brian Shaw who have been part of the Super Club for years.

I loved how transparent and real this story was as Brian who was raised in the church as gone his own way. He’s been climbing mountains all over the world only thinking of himself. Then he has a near death experience with a close friend. He has a come to Jesus moment that changes everything. Life never looks the same for him. He viewed his life like the prodigal son. His brothers did everything right and he went out of his way to not be anything like his dad or them. He learns talk is cheap. Things aren’t easy making the change to being authentic and real. People keep expecting him to act like he always did. It was awkward but over time people came to see he changed for good. There was no way he was reverting back to his old ways. But the choices we make in life always have consequences. Brian and Analyn both have baggage. Brian’s is out in the open. Analyn holds hers close to her chest.

I liked how the author had this message naturally woven into the story. It wasn’t preachy just transparent, reflexive and real. I liked how this author shows that just because you’ve become a Christian life isn’t suddenly perfect. Live can get messy. You might have to clean up some messes or make the best at living with the consequences of the choices we made way back when. It doesn’t define who we are. There is no magic that happens once we make God the Lord of our life.

During this change he met a friend who shared his passion to grow and sell coffee. Brian then buys a coffee farm, spends a few months learning the trade from a master roaster and felt he was ready to roast beans and sell them for a living since his climbing career ended. Ana has some great ideas and wants to help since she is in between jobs. It was a lot better than the high paying job she has been doing. It was more rewarding. The author introduces the reader to the coffee industry and what is going on in other countries. I found it fascinating to learn how coffee is grown, harvested and roasted.

I loved these characters, their friendship, their honesty and how the dinner club came to be. This story took some surprising twists and turns. All the while I enjoyed these ladies their Bo’s and how they helped Rachel get her wedding venue picked out. It was just plain fun on many levels. It’s a rich, rewarding read that would work well for your next book club meeting.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com

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Carla Laureano is a new-to-me author, and, being a church librarian and a member of a book club, I’ve read a great deal of Christian fiction! I think her writing was quite good; she kept me engaged and interested in the characters and the plot throughout.

My only complaint was there was a little too much detail about coffee roasting. I do love a good cup of coffee! And it didn’t take up too, too much of the storyline. Just sayin’.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes authentic characters, a good romance, and Denver!
I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Carla Laureano’s third book, The Solid Grounds Coffee Company is the final book in her Saturday Night Supper Club series. If you thought reading the first two made you hungry for all kinds of dishes and desserts, well this one will make you want coffee, really good coffee – now!
Aptly named for its main characters’ journey, both are searching for solid ground to build their lives on. Bryan Shaw is the best friend of Alex, and Ava is best friends with both Rachel and Melody from the previous first two books in the series.
Bryan’s new interest in growing and beginning a coffee company introduces a great deal of information about growing, roasting, and the entire fair trade coffee business. Ava also is drawn into the business but for far different reasons. (I learned way more about fair trade and coffee in general than I ever knew was out there.)
I loved that I really got to know Ava and Bryan, as in the previous books, they were there, but you didn’t see their personalities and get to know them. This is a story of second chances and becoming who you really are underneath who you thought you were or pretended to be. Reality often has a way of pulling away all the pretenses and outward facades.
They both travel through some ego shattering events in their lives and become their true selves with the help of their friends and faith in God.
I recommend this book highly and recommend that you read the other two books in the series first. You will be happy you did!
I was given an ARC copy of the book by NetGalley (thank you). The opinions are completely my own.

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