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I found this book and was approved for it on @netgalley and even though I found it after it’s publication date (6/12/22), I’m still so glad I did!

I am absolutely in love with this book and I will DEFINITELY be looking up others by this author!

The banter and the description used in this book was top tier. The writing style reminded me sooo much of Tessa Bailey and y’all know how much I love her. I feel like at least very few pages I had a good laugh 😂

There’s no spice but there are totally heart warming moments all around, between the two main characters and between them and others. It pulled on my heart strings with the family issues and how supportive everyone was of each other 🥹

James is arguably the perfect grump imo. I felt like I could relate to him and the struggles he was going through. His conflict wasn’t the right vs wrong, good vs bad, but more of the every day struggle I’ve been through too. Winnie was an absolute spitfire and I loved her character. I loved how in tune she was with everyone and “pushed” to help them. I relate to that ten-fold lol

I didn’t realize this was part of a series so I’ll be going back to read the first book, The Buy-In!

Firstly I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC ❤️❤️

The Bluff is a brilliant read. Grumpy/sunshine is a trope I usually go for and I really enjoyed Winnie and James’ dynamic. I read the book super quick just so I could find out what was going to happen next (enemies to lovers and forced proximity? Now you’re talking my language 😍😍). I loved the way the chapter layout and reading from each characters POV was really insightful and the the text sections were brilliant too!!

I just wish James wasn’t quite so grumpy sometimes…don’t get me wrong, I loved the cave man thing but at times I did think there could’ve been a little bit more to him. Winnie’s character did compliment him completely and they really are great together but I wish he was a little bit more complete on his own.

I loved the storyline, the idea was brilliant and their families and friends brought so much to it. They were all so lovely and vibrant. All in all I enjoyed the book a lot and Winnie is a brilliant MC, loved her to bits!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! I really, really enjoyed this book! Emma St. Clair is one of my favorite authors and I can’t wait to add this to my collection on my shelves!

In a few words: small town / workplace romance, dual pov, grumpy male character, hilarious.

I was definitely not expecting to laugh that much when I started this book but I found myself audibly giggling multiple times!!!
It's the type of book you start reading and just can't stop until you've finished it, and the best thing is: IT'S PART OF A SERIES!!!! I haven't read the first book (as I didn't know there was one) but it's definitely on my tbr now (and I can't wait to read the 3rd one as well). One thing to note as well is that there isn't any explicit content in this book, whether or not that's what you seek it's nice to know about it beforehand.

James just wants to brew his beer and is a bit lost when it comes to the other aspects of his business. Fortunately, Winnie is like a little tornado who came into his life and changed everything. Not that James is happy about it at first, it's HIS business and Winnie has the annoying habit of putting her nose in where it doesn't belong. The worst part is that she actually seems to understand exactly what he wants even when he didn't know he wanted it!!!
Neither James nor Winnie is seeking a romantic relationship at the start of the book, they both try to ignore the attraction they have towards each other but everyone around them can see that they are made for each other. I absolutely loved every single character, especially the side characters who were all endearing (especially the Graham family and Kyoko).

I rated this book 4.5/5 because small-town romances aren't usually my thing but I definitely really enjoyed this one! I would definitely recommend it!!

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Guys, I’ve discovered a new-to-me sub genre: sweet romances. Have you heard of this? I only recently realized there’s this whole genre for people who love love stories but do not want smut. And guess who is like that? Me. I’m like that. I love love, and love a great romance. But I’m tired of these cartoon-covered romance books shocking me with their overt steaminess. So, yes, I will take all the sweet romance books, please!

Now to the book review — The Bluff by Emma St. Clair is a sweet romance that I was kindly given by —- on -NetGalley. And wow, what a fun read!

This book is a great enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, only-one-bed, workplace romance!

When I started it, I didn’t realize it’s actually not the first book in St. Clair’s small-town romance series set in South Texas. So I did miss a bit of the character development of the side characters, but once I got the hang of the setting and world it was easy to jump right into the story of James Graham, grumpy brewmaster, and Winnie, his newly hired temp.

I loved the setting since I was actually raised in San Antonio, so a lot of the local color was familiar to me. And I liked how swoony the romance was, but without anything too steamy that I had to frantically try to skip over. I’ll definitely be checking out more of St. Clair’s writing in the future. This was a solid ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5 star read for me!

I loved this book! It features my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, and grumpy hero! I loved how James tries his hardest to stay away from Winnie. It was so sweet how she tries so much to help him and knows exactly what he wants with his business. I love how Winnie takes care of everyone. James realizes this and then makes it his duty to take care of her! My heart swooned! I love all the passionate kisses between them. I liked how Winnie slowly chips away James’s wall that he built for himself.

Read if you like:
Dual POVs
Workplace romance
Grumpy hero
Small town romance
Kisses only romance

#bookreview
The Bluff by Emma St Clair
I give this book 4 stars

My thoughts
We return to Sheet Cake Texas (l really want to live here) for the 2nd book in the Graham series.
Emma St Clair creates realistic main characters that have relatable struggles to contend with.Then she adds everyday life,chemistry,banter,feelings,
humour,animals and mishaps combined with the interference or help (depending on how it’s received) from a cast of interesting family and friends in this quirky small town.The result…..a well written,easy flowing, entertaining and totally enjoyable closed door rom com that has left me impatient for the next instalment.
With thanks to Netgalley,Emma St Clair and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for my chance to read and review this book.

Book description
Not only am I going to help James launch a successful brewery, but I'm going to find out what makes him tick ... and what makes him go boom.
The more he pushes me away, the more I'm pulled into his orbit. It's a battle of stubborn wills, and I don't plan to concede anytime soon.

Moving to Sheet Cake was not something James thought he’d be doing, especially at the prospect of opening a brewery/bar for his Dark Horse craft beer range. Celebrating his thirtieth birthday by standing in front of the warehouse that will be housing the brewery his family have all invested in. Not particularly fussed about his birthday, he is known to be somewhat of the grump of the Graham family. Something that comes to the surface whenever Wini is nearby and as his new assistant he is prepared to be extra grumpy (to cover his true feelings).

Wini has been holding off selling her neighborly app and currently finds herself sofa surfing at her brother's apartment and taking a new job with the most infuriating man, James Graham. He also happens to be totally hot but after her recent break up she is questioning her love life. Her friends tell her she sticks to safe guts that won’t break her heart.

Their working relationship is fraught with push and pull of each other's boundaries. James is very defensive over his brewery, although somewhat overwhelmed by it all. Wini manages to insert herself into different areas of his life including his family. They clash, they rub each other up the wrong way but there is a fine line between love and hate.

I am beginning to think that Emma St. Clair can do no wrong!
I flew through this one and thoroughly enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope with some grumpy man, sunshine girl written in there for good measure.

This was a good time, enjoyable and cute!

Very cute. I’d say it’s a grumpy/sunshine story, but it’s more extremely grumpy/partial sunshine. And I was starting to get frustrated with James. He’s grumpy for a reason, but he had other weighty issues (like social anxiety and depression) that I didn’t feel were dealt with. But I’m still enjoying this series, and am looking forward to the next book.

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

Oh my gosh!! I inhaled this one, this captured me from the first page, and the giggles erupted from that point onwards. This was such a laugh out loud, all the feels kind of book. I loved everything about it and wouldn't change a thing. The banter, and everything in between had me swooning at this authors feet!! I had a goofy smile on my face the whole time reading this.

James and Winnie’s story captivated me from the first page to the last line, the chemistry is sizzling and the banter is witty but it’s the vulnerability that this couple share that took this story to another level, this book touched me on so many levels. There’s plenty of snarky banter, and some unexpectedly tender moments that left me feeling all breathless and swoonified. The enemies portion of this enemies-to-lovers story was the perfect amount of antagonistic exasperation without venturing into territory that felt too mean. James’ story, in particular, grabbed my heart in its clutches and refused to let it go. They both have dealt with some situations in the past that kept their hearts guarded and the last thing they were expecting was to fall in love. I just absolutely loved them together and how they understood each other, and complemented each other seamlessly. It was such a deliciously layered and complex romance, and I loved their vulnerability. I was cheering them on the whole way.

Emma St. Clair delivers an enemies-to-lovers romance that is full of laughs, feels, and epic chemistry. I devoured this book, completely swept up in the story, and I freaking loved it! It sucked me in from the very beginning and had me leaking some happy emotional tears by the very end. This is such a fun read. On top of that, it’s got achy tender feels, heartwrenching emotion and such a heart-meltingly-sweet romance....I loved James and Winnie’s story so much.