Reviewed by Jen
TITLE: Imperial Stout
SERIES: Trouble Brewing
AUTHORS: Layla Reyne
PUBLISHER: Self Publishing
LENGTH: 241 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2025
BLURB:
With danger this intense and chemistry this lethal, trouble is inevitable.
Assistant U.S. Attorney and brewery owner Dominic Price has spent months trading barbs and heated glances with FBI agent Cameron Byrne—and now their slow burn is about to ignite. But Nic’s life is complicated enough. His star witness just vanished, his joint task force is unraveling, and his past won’t stay buried.
Cam doesn’t mix business with pleasure, but Nic makes following the rules impossible. To save Nic’s case, Cam goes undercover with a dangerous heist crew to rescue the kidnapped witness. Every move risks his cover, his career, and Nic’s heart.
As the case turns deadly, desire collides with duty, and one wrong move could blow the operation—and Cam’s chance with the man he can’t stop wanting.
Smart, sexy, and action-packed, this first book in the Trouble Brewing M/M romantic suspense series blends slow-burn heat, sharp wit, and high-stakes thrills—now newly updated with a fresh cover and light edits.
REVIEW:
I loved the Irish & Whiskey series, which is where we first meet Nic and Cameron. Unfortunately, this didn’t grab me quite the way that series did. I was a bit confused when this began mostly because I kept feeling like I had missed something. I was looking for more backstory on these two and more buildup to explain their connection. Even without that, it doesn’t take long for the story to take on legs of its own as things pick up.
Much of this story is focused on the case. While Cameron and Nic are both working it from different angles, their paths are intertwined, and though they try to look the other way, their attraction becomes too much and they cross that line. It doesn’t happen until about halfway through the story though, and even longer than that for them to take things further. As I said, a lot of this story is take up by the case, which was a bit confusing on its own. Then there is the other side plot involving Nic’s father. That is something I suspect will be more fully explored in later installments? Anyway, I didn’t fall in love with these guys together as I did with Agents Irish and Whiskey, but it was nice to see them again. Cameron is now partnered with Jamie, but he originally slept with Aidan. It’s all a bit soap opera-ish, but if you’ve read the other series, I think it will make a bit more sense than it sounds.
This story, as the book title suggests, is somewhat centered around the brewery of which Nic is part owner. The references were fun, and it made for an interesting piece of the puzzle. Perhaps we will get to see more of Nic’s partner and friend in future installments.
All in all, while this didn’t have the polish of the other series, it has a lot of potential and room to grow. I’m interested in seeing how things turn out and will definitely be checking out book 2.
RATING: 
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