Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Noble Hops

SERIES: Trouble Brewing #3

AUTHOR: Layla Rayne

PUBLISHER: Carina Press

LENGTH: 320 pages

RELEASE DATE: February 11, 2019

BLURB:

So much for the quiet life. Just as assistant US attorney and brewery owner Dominic Price is settling into a comfy new chapter with his partner, FBI agent Cameron Byrne, the sudden death of Nic’s father puts their happily-ever-after in jeopardy. Nic immediately suspects foul play, his prime suspect a notorious gangster his father was indebted to—only now the loan shark is out for blood.

Cam has been longing for Nic to finally let him in on this very personal case. But when Nic’s belief that he’s the sole Price heir is upended, the line between personal and professional starts to blur, leaving Cam unsure of where he stands.

Nic is depending on Cam’s kidnap and rescue expertise to save his recently discovered family member before it’s too late. But with a dangerous threat closing in, the ghosts from Nic’s past cast long shadows. Any relationship could crack under the pressure, but for Nic, finding his family might mean losing the love of his life.

REVIEW:

I’ll start with a little background.

Noble Hops is third in the Trouble Brewing miniseries. The title comes from the fact that Nic owns a brewery. Like its sister/brother series (Agents Irish & Whiskey) each story has a plot that is concluded, and a background arc that continues through all the books.

Cam and Nic first get together at a wedding (part of the Agents Irish & Whiskey series from which they are also characters). With each instalment of the Trouble Brewing books (Imperial Stout and Craft Brew), their relationship gets closer. Characters overlap, and while one can read the Trouble Brewing series without reading Agents Irish & Whiskey – the experience has more depth if you have.

Noble Hops is the concluding tale and the blurb pretty much nails it. Nic’s father is in debt, and an evil man wants to collect. But, the arc goes much deeper than money – it is personal and involves love, betrayal, witness protection and among other things, murder.

Let’s just get this out there – I LOVED THIS STORY. Having read the other two, I couldn’t wait for this one to be released and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything I hoped would happen, did happen. Granted, some elements of the drama weren’t unexpected, but they were things I was hoping for, looked forward to, and would have been disappointed if they weren’t included. While Nic’s past takes up the lion’s share of the arc, Cam’s plays a part too. The journey Nic and Cam take is both emotional and physical. The sex is explicit and the drama up there, comparable to every good cop show.

Prime characters from Irish & Whiskey make welcome appearances and are badass. It was good to see Mel, Aiden and Jamie again. Given their dominance in the previous series; the author showed restraint in not letting these wonderful characters be more dominant. Focus remained on Nic and Cam. As for the broader story, the percentage of action and emotion is well balanced.

For me, Noble Hops gave me the conclusions I needed along with the right level of drama and heart in the mouth moments to tick all my boxes. Read the other books first though – the experience will be much better.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Carina Press

Amazon