Craft Brew

Craft Brew (2018) Layla Reyne (Trouble Brewing)

Dominic Price and Cameron Byrne have been serious about each other for months, but Nic is so afraid that the gangster who holds his (estranged) father’s debts will go after anyone Nic cares for, so he and Cam have kept their relationship quiet.

“Did Vaughn take out insurance on it?”

From the folder of horrors that had produced only bad news, she pulled out another sheet of paper— an insurance certificate on the house. His gaze shot to the declared value box, and all the moisture in his mouth vanished. Double the assessed value, last time he’d checked the county land records.

He ran his hands down his face, groaning. “It’s as good as doused in lighter fluid.” He had to get his father and staff out of there.

Cam may not like this, but he accepts what Nic wants. Unfortunately, this means he hasn’t needed to come out to his family as bisexual, so when he is called home for a family emergency, he doesn’t know how to bring Nic up, not wanting to cause drama in a situation that isn’t about him.

We also learn the incident in Cam’s past that led him to work for the FBI–and gave him the skills to work undercover in the last book as a safebreaker.

Now here is something very interesting that I really liked.

“(T)he FBI is already investigating. I don’t want to fuck up that case, and I don’t want to be walled off any more than I already am.”

Cam pressed his lips together, stewing. “We’re walled off too,” he said after a moment. “I can’t access the files on Vaughn or Curtis.”

“All of us are, including Aidan. Conflicts of interest.”

I really, deeply, appreciate this. It’s nice to see a procedural where people follow the rules (even if they’re forced to do so). Of course with Mel and Whiskey no longer working for the FBI, they have their own resources that allow them to work around the FBI. Theoretically this isn’t the best idea for their careers, however, I am more than willing to accept it, since it involves Nic directly, and they are willing to help each other out (found family! yay!)

Oh, Nic’s dad is a giant horse’s ass. Luckily, Cam’s family is wonderful, even if he is unsure how to bring up his sexuality with them.

First, the relationship between Nic and Cam is wonderful. Cam is patient (mostly) with Nic’s fear for his safety, and although Nic doesn’t like that Cam isn’t out to his family, he doesn’t push or force the issue, simply saying that he won’t go back into the closet but Cam needs to talk to his family in his own way and in his own time. I found that willingness to understand each other especially sweet.

The only nit I have to pick is that it feels a bit unrealistic to me that Cam wouldn’t have told Jameson about his relationship with Nic. They are best friends. Jameson immediately knows what’s going on without being told, so it just seemed silly for them not to talk about it, but in the overall scheme of things, it’s a small nit.

Like the previous book–and the previous series–I tore through this book, unwilling to stop reading for anything excecpt sleep and work. She really is very good.

Publisher: Carina Press
Rating: 8.5/10

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