Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to this advanced copy of the book to read.

DNF at 20%. I couldn't get into the chemistry of the main characters. I found them trivial and something about it just didn't sit well with me.

This is a fast read if you want a romantic comedy book. It will serve you an enemies to lovers trope story. The first few parts of the book are a little bit dragging, but pushing it through until the end is worthwhile. I appreciate this book and the gender representation. I like the MCs as well, plus add the spice 😉

So I didn’t read the book that came before this, BUT I really had fun with this one so I will be looking into reading it. I actually felt like the characters were likeable and I rooted for them - something that I feel like I’ve been lacking in some of my dreads lately. This was a new to me author, but will be checking out the backlog.

This was a fun quick read. I enjoyed the enemies to lover romance. I can't wait to read more from this Author. Thanks netgalley for the ARC.

This was such a quick and steamy read. It was so fun, because of the angst and tension between Sam and Tiffany. I felt that I related to Tiffany's character a lot. I would definitely read another book by Dani McLean.

Sex & Sours is just the palate cleanser I needed! Light, hilarious, and brimming with my favorite trope, enemies-to-lovers---I couldn't ask for more.
I highly enjoyed this binge-read, and will recommend it to my cadre of steamy romance reader friends!

Fun and easy read ! Literally read this so fast, that’s when you know I liked the book. When you can’t put it down. I highly recommend this book

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc !

I’m not gonna lie, I am a sucker for a good spicy romcom especially with an enemy to lovers trope.

Tiff is a strong willed and independent woman who works as a bartender in a hopping Chicago bar. Sam is a cranky, heartbroken and stubborn manager who has just taken over management of the bar that Tiff works at. Enter all the frustration, drama, steam and spice one would expect from a romcom and it makes for a very entertaining reading. The story progresses as the two of them learn to work together and eventually click.

For the most part I was entertained by the flow of this book and the storyline, along with the characteristics of the main characters. At times I found the writing to be slightly difficult in its flow but overall would still recommend the book.

I am grateful for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy for my honest opinion.

Thank you @NetGalley and Dani McLean for the ARC of Sex and Sours in exchange for my honest review.

Tiff and Sam are the MCs of this spicy rom-com read. This is enemies to lovers and so much more. The author gives Trigger Warnings at the beginning of the book, and I really appreciate that. Tiff is bisexual and she has a tough journey to get to her HEA. Sam guards his heart and tries to be all business, but his new bar serves him up some surprises.

This book was a perfect fit for my reading personality. spice+ drama+ spice+ drama=HEA There were no cringe moments for me. Book flow was great, never bored with the storyline...I was engaged throughout!

This was 4.5 read for me! I look forward to reading more from Dani McLean!

This was a great steamy novel!! Swooooooning over the main characters haha. Can't wait to read more by the author!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, sweet, and spicy read. Featuring one of my favorite romance tropes, enemy to lovers. Both if the main characters are strong willed and ambitious, but kind as well.

I will absolutely add this author to my list of must read upon new releases and will go back and read the first in this series (which you do not need to have read before this one.)


Net galley provided me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review, thank you

I had a hard time finishing this book. Overall, the plot was great and so were the characters, but I found the writing style a bit boring and honestly it took me days to finish.

Tiff is the head bartender at a Chicago bar that recently has come under new management; Sam is that new management, and the two can't seem to stand a single decision the other one wants to make. They are both stubborn, headstrong, and completely unwilling to compromise either of their visions, which makes working together a bit of a mixed bag. Luckily for both of them, they're each talented in their own ways: Tiff is the creative force behind the bar's drinks and Sam is business minded with a vision for how to make the bar profitable. Over the course of fixing up the bar, the two begin to fall for each other.

The thing I loved the most about this book was the bisexual representation from Tiff and how the book manages to speak carefully about the difficulties bisexual people face when dating and the casual way their sexualities are dismissed by others around them, even their romantic partners. This element wasn't shoehorned in or made a massive talking point, it simply existed for Tiff and was something that she grapples with every day. Sam and Tiff have a very well done enemies to lovers arc and they made sure that the power dynamic element of Tiff working for him was not a major factor. Overall, this was really sweet and well written.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I appreciated the bi rep and really loved that that the author showed more sides of bisexuality.. I felt a little kindred spirit with the main female character. I loved her baddass strong personality. I will read more by this author.

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I now have to go and read the first in this series because this book was so good, as well great bisexual representation. Tiffany is a spicy southern girl who has been unofficially been running “The Basement” bar for a while. Sam is the brother of the previous manager coming back to his hometown after a disaster of a breakup. Tiff is also in a relationship with Hanna but that is on the rocks and clearly won’t be lasting long. The two are constantly butting heads with Same having a bit of an inflated ego from managing bars before but has to realize that Tiff has held the bar together in Harry’s absence. Sparks fly along with lots of banter and some important commentary about the hospitality industry’s misogynist attitudes. Also the shower scene was very interesting and all round positive representation all of sexuality’s.

This book was a lot of fun! Enemies to lovers at it's greatest, this book was super convincing of the characterizations for both the leads, and their relationship development felt very realistic. I really enjoyed reading about their romance, and the bi rep for this was everything. I did think the writing quality was just a bit poor at times, especially with technicalities like narrative view and continuity. Overall, with some editing I think this is fantastic!

Sam Copper thought he had a great career as an owner of multiple bars and had made a name for himself—that is until his ex, who was also his business partner, had better lawyers. Sam has now come home to Chicago to take over his brother’s bar and to find a new kind of success. He did not expect to find the force that is Tiffany Young.

Tiff has worked as head bartender for a few years. She’s made the place her own in a lot of ways and has the awards to show for her hard work. She is not at all interested in a new boss, especially one that calls his first meeting on a Monday morning.

Sam and Tiff clash from the start, causing ripples in the bar, as well as the local bar community. But Sam and Tiff also have a fierce chemistry and their fighting is causing serious problems for the bar. However, they also can’t seem to get the other out of their heads and their lives take a sharp turn they never saw coming as they fall in love.

Sex & Sours is an engaging read telling the story of businessman Sam and fiery and strong Tiff. It is the second book in author’s The Cocktail series and mostly stands alone. The first book does feature a different couple, but Tiff is introduced there along with Sam’s brother, Harry, and there were a few times I did feel I did not have the full backstory in some areas.

Sam is determined yet wary. His relationship ended and he lost his business with it, and he needs some time to regroup, but he also wants to make this new bar a success. His brother has told him about Tiff, but Sam wasn’t quite prepared for her in person.

This isn’t really the typical boss/employee novel and that has a lot to do with Tiff. She’s a strong character who speaks her mind, but she is also generous and caring. She comes off as so sure of herself, but there is also a vulnerability just below the surface. She is proudly bisexual and is in a relationship with a woman when we first meet her in this book, and it becomes clear what Tiff will and will not tolerate. When Sam and Tiff get together, there are plenty of sparks, plenty of heat, and a dash of kink. They both think their time together has an expiration date and the progression of their relationship is well written, along with the vibe of the bar setting.

I did have an issue with some of the word choices the characters use as they are in Chicago and there is no indication they are not American. The author’s bio shows her to be Australian, and the characters used words like “crisps” “jumper” and “fringe” and, in the context they were used, these are not American terms and it broke the flow of the story every time for me. This is a problem that should be simple to avoid. I also felt that the last portion of the book lost its momentum with the way Sam handled the situation with his ex at the end and then the culmination of Sam and Tiff’s relationship lacked the spark that made them a great couple throughout the rest of the book.

There are more books planned in this series with maybe a couple of clues for potential MCs and I would certainly check out more of this author’s work in the future.

I was so excited for this one based on the synopsis. Unfortunately this fell flat for me. As I was reading I found the overall pacing to be a bit slow. The characters didn’t have much chemistry to keep my interest. I’ll not be sharing a review outside of NetGalley on this title.

This was a really fun book, and I thank the publisher for the advance copy through NetGalley.

Tw for this novel: biphobia, conversations about bi erasure

I absolutely loved this book! Tiff is a headstrong bisexual (yay bi rep!) head bartender who makes absolutely no apologies for who she is. She's the best bartender in town, and everyone knows it. Sam is the former owner's brother, come to take charge of the bar. He's got a broken heart and a career in shambles, and he's not about to make the same mistakes again.

This is an enemies to lovers story, where I absolutely believed the reasons the characters hated each other. I also believed when they stopped hating each other and why. I love this trope so much when it's done well, and McLean really got it right here. There's also a really good story of being yourself and finding someone who accepts you for being 100% authentically you. These characters compromise with each other, but never compromise on who they are at the core.

What I didn't love was the way the narration switched tenses periodically (not sure if this is an ARC problem fixed in the final text), as well as the way Tiff occasionally talked directly to the reader, but not always, but Sam didn't. I also spotted a few seeming continuity errors.

All in all a fun, easy read. 3.5 stars