A Sapphic Cocktail of Delight

Remi has been senior bartender at Nueve's for a while, having worked there four years and learned all the tricks of the trade. But the one thing she longs for is her own home, though she loves living with her cousin Ben. She just needs to get promoted to head bartender.
We met Ben - Charlie's BFF - in the first book in the series, Not in The Plan.
There's a proverbial spanner in the works with new co-bartender Maya.
The blonde ice princess is her competition for the coveted bonus that manager Gabriella is handing out if sales increase by twenty five percent.
Whilst Remi needs it to help her buy a new home, Maya needs the fees to get her MA in Nursing. Her passion for healing comes from having a little sister - Harper - with type 1 diabetes and seeing her battle each day.
Both women have until the summer to prove they deserve the bonus, so the competition is on, and it's hot and fierce.
Probably one of the best scenes in the early part of the budding romance, is the fall 'drink menu' part.
Remi and Maya are forced to spend a Sunday together creating and mixing drinks. In their quest to perfect the right combinations, the connection between them starts to build into something more.
I particularly love the scene with Remi minding Harper, whilst Maya is in the shower after the cocktail menu designing session. Remi thinks with Harper, she's discovered a "twelve-year-old Yoda". And she's not wrong, the tween is wise beyond her years, probably having had to deal with type 1 diabetes over half her life has inured her to disappointment and pain, making her a little jaded, but also very smart and sparky. She's definitely a highlight of the book.
Sophie is another great character, never mind Gabriella, Laney and the amazing Darius. I want more of these people.
As with all romances, there are ups and downs, and the structure of the novel is pitch perfect, using something like cinematic 'beats' to create story arcs and increase tension near the end of the book.
The spicy bits are comfortable and well written as well as chilli level spicy, and I loved this book.
It deals with grief, dreams, abandonment trauma, fear and health scares.
Plus a fabulous found family.
But don't worry, there's a very satisfying HEA.

After a little reading slump, I figured a lovely romance would be the way back into reading. I loved Not In the Plan (book 1 of the series) and I loved this as well.

Remi is desperate to buy a house but she needs a little more money to secure her loan. When she's called into work earlier, she meets Maya - her new co-bartender and her competition to win a bonus of a lot of money.

Remi doesn't like Maya, until one drunken menu planning shift where everything changes. A cocktail competition, a camping trip, and an emergency in the hospital - there's a lot of deal with. Remi has spent her life avoiding connections. Is Maya the one to break down the walls? Why does Maya need the money anyway?

I really enjoyed this, I was hooked and desperate to find out what happens. I was very annoyed at the distractions stopped me finding out!

I'll definitely read more from Dana and hopefully more from this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. Apologies that the review came after publication!
Content Warnings

I received an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute quick read. Enemies to lovers style with all the quirks and angst of unwanted attraction. The characters were fun and the story unique in comparison to other books I’ve read. I usually use these kinds of books to pick me up after a rough fantasy novel and this one did not disappoint.

The only con I can recall was some over the top emotional outbursts that I didn’t quite resonate with so it seemed a bit off to me. Other than that this was a good read and would recommend this to anyone looking for a cute little love story.

Different from the normal genres that I usually read. But I really enjoyed it. A great read with enjoyable characters

I thought the i love yous came a little early but i overall thought it was a really sweet book with likeable and relatable characters!

This was a cute and sweet book. I liked it and read it in one day! I would recommend this book to all my family and friends.

I couldn't wait to read In Walked Trouble after reading the first Single in Seattle book, and it didn't disappoint! The banter was great and the tension between the characters was palpable. I really enjoyed this!

I absolutely loved this enemies to lovers romance! It was packed with all the banter, competition, delicious drinks, found family, humor and most of all - love!

💗 Romance
🤺 Enemies to Lovers
🍻 Bartending
🥇 Competition
❤️‍🩹 Healing
🫶 Found Family

Thank you so much Storm Publishing for the gifted copy!

This book is just a good queer fun time! If you've read Dana Hawkins before, you know you're going to love this enemies to lovers queer romance. I again found the setting to be endearing and realistic and loved how honest and flawed the characters were!

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC!

I recently read In Walked Trouble by Dana Hawkins, and I have to say, it was a refreshing and engaging romance novel. The story follows Remi James, a bartender who is finally getting the promotion she deserves. However, her dreams are crushed when she discovers that the promotion has become a one-time cash bonus, and she now has competition in the form of Maya Marek, a beautiful and ambitious woman who is also working at the bar.

Remi and Maya are rivals, constantly trying to one-up each other in their job. However, as they spend more time together, they begin to develop a deeper connection. Despite their differences, they share a passion for their dreams and a desire to succeed. But when their dreams begin to clash, they must decide whether to sacrifice everything they've worked for to be together.

The plot is engaging, with plenty of romantic tension and moments of humor to keep the reader engaged. The characters are well-developed, and their chemistry is electric. The writing style is witty and engaging, and I found myself rooting for Remi and Maya throughout the book.

Overall, In Walked Trouble is an excellent romance novel that explores themes of ambition, sacrifice, and love. Dana Hawkins has created a charming and relatable story that will leave you feeling inspired and satisfied. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romantic read.

A sapphic romance between 2 bartenders, competing for the same bonus at the end of the summer. Overall I liked this book 3.5/5, there was some miscommunication trope (not my fave) but I feel like this book was well done. I loved the title names with the drinks to tie into the story.

What to except
- rivals to lovers
-sapphic romance
-T1D Rep
-awesome side characters
-a bartending competition

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

This is the first book I've read from this author. I specifically chose it because I am trying to increase the number of books I read each month with LGBTQ+ representation. I walked into the book with no information other than the blurb. I'm usually a reader who reads a few reviews or looks through book group discussions before trying new authors, but one I saw the book description as spicy enemies-to-lovers, I knew I'd love it because that's my favorite trope. Yes, please. I loved both characters and felt they were developed well. The plot was believable and relatable. The author does a fantastic job of drawing in the reader's attention from the beginning and keeping it the entire time. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was immediately excited to read this book when seeing it was set in Seattle, a beautiful city close to my heart. There were some descriptions throughout this book that made me feel so homesick for the city, and I absolutely loved that!

This story alternates between following Remi and Maja, although still told in 3rd person. In chapter one, I was Team Remi all the way, but after a few chapters of getting to know the characters, I liked both og them.

Another thing I appreciated was the formatting - specifically, that each chapter is numbered AND has a funny title that's bartender/drinks themed!

This story gave definite romcom vibes, with rivalry between the two women that turned to attraction that turned to love—but not without bumps in the road! All in all, I found this to be a cute sapphic romance novel and I'd definitely be open to reading more books in this series! ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.

A nice, gentle, easy read which I read very quickly. A refreshing change fro.m my usual genre and I enjoyed it immensely. The characters were all great and I felt quite sorry when I finished this one. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I was instantly hooked with this story! It was an excellent sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance with the perfect balance of tension and swoon. Remi and Maya were such well developed characters both individually and together as the romance started creeping in. They both had real struggles in their pasts that made me empathize with them and root for them the whole way.
They had great chemistry as rivals and then more as their romance grew. There could've been more spice but what was there was very good. I really enjoyed the bartending aspect of this story and the cocktail themed chapter titles were so fun! The side characters added a lot to this story as well and made me want to go back and read the first book in this series. The double POV of this was done extremely well- sometimes with double POV I tend to feel like the writing gets repetitive but this didn't feel that way at all. This was a very low conflict fun sapphic read and definitely worth the time!

In Walked Trouble by Dana Hawkins is a rollercoaster ride of wit, charm, and unexpected twists. This sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance will have you laughing, crying, and feeling all the feels. With a protagonist who's equal parts sassy and savvy, and dialogue that absolutely drives the captivating tale, it's a must-read for anyone craving a delightful dose of a romance.

A rivals to lovers Sapphic romance between two bartenders competing for the same prize. I enjoyed this one but more for the great disability rep in the one MC's sister who had type one diabetes than the actual romance which fell a little flat for me and I really didn't enjoy the third act break-up! Recommended for fans of authors like Meryl Wilsner. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: open door

Sapphic enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine with wholly fleshed-out main characters with beautiful arcs. I loved Maya and Remi so much.

If you want to read a novel with impeccable writing, pick up this book by Dana Hawkins. Her literary style caught my interest and attention immediately, and I loved the duality between the two characters. In this book, Remi goes head to head with a new bartender, Maya, for a huge bonus they both need. They start as deliciously plotted out enemies, and then they quickly turn to lovers. The heat in this book was just right, and I loved the subtle tension between the two characters! They were always present when they needed each other, and I really liked the themes of family that come into play part way through the book. Remi finds a family with Maya, and I think that has to be one of the most heartwarming parts of this. 5 out of 5! Wonderful read.

An engaging enemies to lovers story, filled with good sapphic romance. I definitely liked the dialogue and story lines. I laughed and was right there with them once I warmed up to the story and got into it with the characters.