This lesbian romance is a pleasant but rather light-weight read, not quite as good IMO as the first in this series. Vanessa and Grace's relationship didn't feel quite as well-realised, and the inevitable complication which temporarily derails things was not terribly convincing. I don't need lots of angst in my books - and I am glad this one largely eschews such things - but if a 'true love' couple are going to break up, I'd like a stronger reason than 'someone random was snarky to me'..

That weakness aside, though, this moves along at a jaunty rate and if you want a feel-good read, it should do the job quite nicely.

This is a great second book in the series. Really enjoyed Vanessa's story and loved Grace. The chemistry between these 2 was off the charts and despite some dubious choices from Vanessa's part , they made an excellent couple.

Great to see Julia carry on on cocktails duties and looking forward to read Amelia's part, I'm guessing the best for last.

Georgia Beers has done it again. The second book is her Swizzle Stick series met and exceeded my expectations.

In this book, we follow the second Martini cousin: Vanessa Martini. She is an elementary school teacher and stuck in a bit of a rut. Into her life walks Grace, the divorced mother of one of Vanessa’s students—Oliver. What begins as a tumultuous relationship blossoms into a charming love story with the perfect amount of angst, wooing, and spice. We are given many, many tidbits about Julia and Savannah from book one and we see their love and relationship bloom from the sidelines. Georgia Beers *clearly* knows how to write a romance series, she’s one of the best I’ve had the fortune of reading

I am anxiously awaiting the third book. I *cannot* wait to see Amelia get her love story. We have seen her sadness and pain and I. AM. HERE 👏 for her happiness.

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley, author, and publisher for an e arc of this novel.

This is a great romance novel, and quick, fun read. I loved the dating my sons teacher angel, flower-shop/bar parts as well, pet adoption, second chance love; all the elements of a great romance or romcom.

"Grace is tired of being judged by her boss, by the husband she’s divorcing, by her parents. All she cares about now is her seven-year-old son, Oliver. The divorce is making him act out in school, and she just needs to find a way to help him so they can start again. What she does not need is the silent judgment she gets from his teacher. His wildly attractive, super sexy, annoyingly gorgeous teacher."

All the elements of a great romance. I recommend.

The second of the swizzle stick romances involves the youngest of 3 Martini cousins, Vanessa. Honestly, I had a difficult time rooting for Vanessa. Her reluctance at putting in the effort when things get complicated was abysmal, but luckily she has the other 2 cousins to steer her towards the right thing to do. We have all struggled to do the right thing and Vanessa is no exception, yet I appreciated her Wonder Woman efforts when it counted.

I love almost everything Georgia Beers writes and this second book in the Martini cousins series is no exception.

In this book we get know Vanessa, the fun and creative elementary school teacher. Vanessa is the youngest of the cousins and I was expecting her story to be fun ants lighthearted. Her story is, but her love interest, Grace, actually has a bit more of a story and I find her to be the more interesting character. Vanessa is Grace’s son’s second grade teacher. Owen is a bit of a handful ever since his dad moved out. Grace is dealing with her divorce and Vanessa is very judgmental about how she handles it with her son. Some 20 odd years after her parents split she still has heartache about it.

Aside from the physical attraction they share I feel like I’m missing a bit of connection in general. Vanessa and Grace don’t really communicate with each other, they talk to their friends/ family about what’s happening but not each other. I do like how the conflict is handled, Grace stands up for herself and doesn’t take Vanessa’s petty shit.

I appreciate the catch up with Julia and Savannah and of course Amelia. I have a feeling Amelia’s story will be my favourite in the series so I can’t wait to read that one. For this one I just needed more communication between the mains and not just the fun and hot physical stuff.

I'm enjoying the Martini series by Georgia Beers! While I liked the first book, Shaken or Stirred, it honestly hasn't been my favorite among Beers' other work , but I was excited for the potential in the other books in the series. And I did enjoy this one more!

On The Rocks follows the youngest Martini cousin, Vanessa as she is a school teacher with a troublesome student named Oliver. Well it turns out that Oliver's parents are divorcing causing him to act out. This brings Vanessa into contact with Oliver's mother, Grace Chapman and there is an instant connection between them. After Vanessa and Grace keep managing to run into each other, that has to be a sign of something more to come right?

This was really cute overall. Vanessa and Grace had some serious vibes between them and it was palpable from the start. My favorite thing about Beers' writing is how she brings characters together, creates chemistry, and then we watch those feelings grow over time- and this book is a perfect example of that. The flirting is fantastic and this book is hot as well!

I also really dug how Grace's bisexuality was treated in the book and how it was a total and complete non-issue. Everyone in Grace's circle knew she was getting divorced but when she started seeing a women in Vanessa it wasn't a *shock* to anyone. They just rolled with it. I liked that.

And usually that would lead to a perfect rating in a contemporary romance novel for me (I'm not the hardest grader) but this book did also have some issues for me, particularly unresolved storylines by the ending. I'm not the only one with these complaints as I've read some other reviews so I won't harp on them too long, but I would have liked some resolve about Oliver's handling of his Mom's relationship, as well as Grace dealing with her family.

This was a very enjoyable book overall and Beers' definitely brings the charm (and adorable animals) we all know and love in her books. 4/5

3.75 stars. The second book in the series starring the Martini cousins. These books are excellent if you need a cute romance. I enjoyed this book, it has some serious topics, but is still lighthearted and an easygoing read.

The storyline in this book revolves largely around divorce. Grace is in the middle of a divorce (although her marriage has long been over) and her son Oliver is acting out because of it. And with acting out I mean really acting out, boy, he’s a menace. Vanessa is Oliver’s teacher and has to sit Grace down for a serious talk about her son.

I liked seeing how Grace and Vanessa get together, they have some hurdles to overcome. Vanessa is judgmental about Grace due to personal experience with divorce and Grace’s life is a mess due to the divorce and Oliver acting out, and then she receives Vanessa’s judgement on top of it. So, of course there is lots of flirting and they fall in love.

We also get more of Martini cousins, Julia and Amelia, and also Savannah, Julia’s girlfriend from book one. Their friendship is quite special and it is fun to see how they are all different and not afraid to be very direct with each other. And not to forget, there are cuddly pets! One thing that I didn’t really notice in book one, but that threw me a couple of times in this book, was the similarity in the names Vanessa and Savannah, for some reason I kept mixing them up. I’m wondering if I’m the only one here.

The book was good and I enjoyed it a lot, but I do have some minor points concerning the last 25%. It lost its strength a bit for me. Some people acted out of character all of the sudden. Vanessa takes an easy way out leading to a dark moment, which was luckily quickly resolved. Grace’s ex-husband makes a turn that I did not fully believe could be that fast or easy considering they are in a divorce situation where feelings can be deep rooted and not easy to let go. And Oliver, who is so important during the most part of the book, appears to be forgotten. I would have liked to see what happened with him in the end.

All in all, this is a cute low angst romance. It’s well written, as can be expected from Beers, and fans of her books and of the Swizzle stick romance series will most likely enjoy this book. The last book in the series will be about Amelia and from the first book I read in this series I’m most curious about her story. We are promised lots more cute pets in the third book and I’m looking forward to reading it!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Book 2 of a 3 book series. You could read it as a stand alone but you will enjoy it much better if you read book one first.
I enjoyed the first half a lot. Very steamy with lots of chemistry between the two main characters. But then it started to slow down and got a bit repetitive. And I felt like the angst was a bit contrived. The distance between the 2 mains lasted too long. It was one incident and that was going to break them up? Nope, that part didn't work for me. The type of person Vanessa was described as, wouldn't have reacted like that. I would have expected a sarcastic retort or even just brushed it off.
And the ending was predictable.
The problem with Grace's son was never resolved. The way he reacted throughout the story, did not make me think he would warm up to his mother's new relationship. I see real trouble there. And Grace's mother is a whole other issue. What would she say. No, this story is far from over and the epilog should have addressed those problems. There is the real angst. Not the one comment that caused the separation.
I enjoy the 3 cousin's meetings in the bar back and their camaraderie. But not as cute as the first book. But I am interested in how Ms. Beers will deal with Amelia's romance since she's the older of the 3 cousin's.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a 2nd installment in a series but can be read as a stand alone as I have not read the first one and had no problems following the story or connecting to the characters.

The characters are full fletched grown ups who haven't completely overcome their past. It mixes up nicely with the bumps on their road to each other as Vanessa is the teacher of Grace's son.

In the beginning there was a lot of dislike for each other despite the attraction and I liked how they eventually ended up together.

The Martini cousins are so great btw and I need a gang like that of my own.

This book had me smiling a lot and I could not wait to finish it.

This is number two of a series which I think will be of three books but they can be read separately. I've personally not read number one although it is quite clear who the first book centres around.

This series is based around the Martini cousins who have formed a closeness because they are all queer - with On the Rocks focussing on Vanessa Martini.

I took a bit of a punt on this as it's not one I've heard of before and I fancied reading something fairly straight forward and light-hearted. This is a romance novel but I'd say it's more about lust than love. It's sweet at times, smutty at times and just a bit of fun really.

Generally I liked the two protagonists - Vanessa and Grace - both were believable with their own issues and quirks but most of the conversations were quite surface level and if they were deeper they seemed to be glossed over. It would have been nice to see more relationship building and character development. There was one thing in particular as well which was left unresolved but it might be that way so that it can eventually be resolved in book three.

Generally I thought this was okay and I might pick up books one and two but I won't really be in a rush to do it... Unless I just fancy a break from heavier reads.

This is the second book in Georgia Beers' A Swizzle Stick Romance trilogy and I've yet to read the first novel. To be honest though, I think this could definitely be read as a standalone as I didn't feel as though it was difficult to engage with the setting or characters.

I really liked this book, which features a chemistry-packed romance between Vanessa and Grace. Both are devastatingly good-looking, and although Vanessa is physically attracted to Grace from the get go, she's not as enthused in following the attraction due to the fact that Grace's son is in her class and she disagrees with the way Grace is parenting her kid in amongst the break up of Grace's marriage. This wasn't the strongest start to their pairing, even I can admit that, but once these two let go of their prejudice and act on their attraction, this romance is fast-paced and charming.

I loved the way Vanessa woo'd Grace back after being a butthead near the end, but think there are a few unresolved parts of the plot. For instance, I wish Grace stood up to her mother and I would've loved to have a resolution for Oliver and his behavioural issues. This is probably me being pedantic but I really love seeing a story concluded well with no unresolved questions. :)

I’m looking forward to the third book, which will feature Amelia and her new love interest. I thought she was a very interesting character and I'm really excited to read her story once it's out.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

While this is the second in a series of three cousins finding love, you can read this without the first and enjoy it. This book was a little off for me compared to others by Ms. Beers. The relationship seemed a bit immature at times, and while enjoyable to read, this may not be some peoples cup of tea :)

Cute, Christmassy and spicy.

I’m normally a fan of Georgia Beers works. They’re always well written and the characters have a way of feeling so real.

But I really loved this one; especially due to the enemies to lovers trope you have throughout and the dash of holiday feels making it a great winter read.

The book follows Vanessa (33) and Grace (believe she’s 30.) Grace is a mother and florist (I’m here for the Imagine Me & You vibes) and Vanessa is her young sons teacher.

A lot of the enemies to lovers stems from initial judgement but twists with slight betrayals that keep you hooked.

This was the fluffy romance I needed for winter, and it’s always awesome to find one with sex-based scenes that aren’t cringey to read (Georgia Beers handles these excellently, and they feel real, not forced or dramatised.) This is definitely an adult read.

TW/Content notes - personally I didn’t find many, it’s a really light hearted and warm read. Sexual content, mentions of a divorce at the beginning/throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes for the ARC!

This was a very enjoyable romance. Vanessa is an adorable elementary teacher who has her heart in the right place and loves a good drink. I am glad that she was not overly manic-pixie and was assertive.

I love that Grace is a hard worker and is just trying to make ends meet. She's got a lot going on with her son, ex, and crazy boss, so she definitely, and understandably, is tightly wound.

Though the series seems to center around the Martini cousins, the true character arc is through Grace. You experience her struggles in all of her relationships and really see her come out of her shell and gain confidence. Vanessa is the perfect person to compliment her and honestly, my favorite moment in the book is when Vanessa is tipsy, finds Grace in the bathroom and just starts macking on her. Love that bold move! The chemistry between Grace and Vanessa definitely sizzles!

Since there were resolutions with Grace's boss and her ex, I wish there was a little bit more resolution with Oliver and how he reacted to the situation, since he was one of the main 'obstacles' in the romance. Really Vanessa's only hangup was dating a student's parent.

Would recommend for anyone looking for a sweet, snappy, sultry sapphic story!

The Martini cousins are the best, and yes Ms Beers, I love their affectionate snark too. Throughly enjoyable from start to finish. Impressively the author didn’t try and write unauthentic children’s dialogue; it’s always so grating when the is child sounding way older than they should. Impressive because one of the characters has a son and the other is a school teacher. A great read and I’m so looking forward to the final cousin instalment; Amelia needs saving.

I enjoyed this book. It was nice to meet characters from the book before so it was'nt a whole new world, it was kind of familiar. I also liked the story although I have to say the obstacle of her being the teacher wasn't really feasible for me but ok. It was still well written and the characters were well done. So I would recommend it. 4 1/2 stars. Thanks.

This was a bubbly lesbian romance that I read in just a couple of sittings. I really liked the character of Vanessa and I thought that it was also great to have bi representation in the book; I am looking forward to more from the Martini cousins and this series!

The second installment in the Swizzle Stick Romance is about Vanessa Martini who falls for the mother of one of her students. While not a Christmas-themed book, most of the story in this one is around the holidays, which was a very nice surprise given the release date of this book 😊

Even if it’s not marketed that way, I’m going to say that this is a sweet Christmas book, because I could feel the holidays while reading this story.

I’m looking forward to Amelia’s story in the next installment and last book in the series.

I will start by saying Ms. Beers is one of my go-to authors, love just about everything she writes, especially her JuneBug series. This book is part of a series, and I did not read the first one, but I found I could follow along just fine with this one as a stand-a-lone. Vanessa (part of 3 cousins that the series follows), is a school teacher and has certain rules about dating...no student parent is a main one. Along comes Grace, and you guessed it one of her student's parent. At first there is that push/pull between the two, Vanessa coming off as judgemental with Grace and Grace having self-doubt as a parent. Throw in a little blister of a kid and you have a story of will it or won't it happen.

I enjoyed the MCs, but the dialog was just a bit to 'young' for me. I think if you are more into that late 20's type dialog (think Elle Woods of Legally Blonde), you will enjoy this book. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea for character representation. Also the little boy of Grace, he really got on my nerves, I just kept thinking he need some major timeout time for how he treated his mom (going through parents separating or not, he was a little shit).

I enjoyed the relationship between the cousins, I will definitely read the others in this series (those characters seem a bit more older and I assume the 3rd book will be about the oldest cousin). I enjoy the writing style of Ms. Beers, you can tell she really loves up state NY, so even though this book was a bit hard for me to get into, I will always have this author on my go to list.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-Looking forward to more in this series