by: Katherine Garbera
Series: WiCKed Sisters
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Release Date: January 21, 2025
Publisher: Afterglow Books by Harlequin
A tea shop owner good girl and a reformed microbrewer bad boy reunite in this wonderfully wicked love story.
Sometimes the second sip is sweetest.
In the cozy town of Birch Lake, tea shop owner Poppy Kitchener thought she’d left her mistakes, and her failed marriage, in the past. But when her ex-husband, Alistair Miller, turns up—as charming and irritatingly handsome as ever—those old feelings float to the surface. To top it off, he has a puzzling pretend they’re still married for his cousin’s wedding in exchange for a lucrative business deal with his family.
Easy enough, right? After all, this could be Poppy’s last chance to get closure, grow her business and use Alistair’s knowledge of microbrewing to help her finish that winning recipe for the tea competition.
But even after all this time, he still knows how to make her laugh. And he’s changed in ways that make Poppy wonder about the man he’s become… Can she trust this new Alistair with her heart, or will a second chance brew up disaster?
From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles…
Brewing Up a Bad Boy is a second chance, fake marriage romance that I found deeper than I ever expected. Ten years ago, Poppy Kitchener and Alistair “Ali” Miller married for all the right and wrong reasons. At the time, nineteen-year-old Poppy was madly in love with the popular, charismatic, wealthy bad boy Alistair. She wanted to be the perfect wife and daughter-in-law, even if it meant sacrificing on her part. Alistair desperately wanted to win the favor of his father and sought out Poppy for her family’s tea recipe, which his family had been trying to get for centuries.
The couple had a whirlwind romance but things were far from perfect. Alistair’s family took possession of Poppy’s family tea recipe and removed her family’s name. Alistair became hyperfocused on his family’s tea business and finally being accepted by his father. The result was a short-lived marriage that lasted way longer on paper. While I haven’t read the previous books, from what I gather, events in those books ultimately lead Alistair to seek out Poppy in America to right the wrongs of the past and attempt to reconcile as a couple.
Second-chance romances are nothing new. What makes Brewing Up a Bad Boy unique to me is the realism. Poppy and Ali both still have lingering feelings of hurt and anger. Some of this is directed within, but most at the other. Ali isn’t my typical romance hero. He has anger issues, which for me are a turn-off, but he truly has worked to control and better himself, which shows in his thoughts and actions. It should be noted that none of his physical or verbal anger is towards Poppy.
I think fans of this series will really love this book. Neither Ali nor Poppy truly owned my heart, but I do see their appeal. Their chemistry is undeniable. Their in-depth conversations were real and you can definitely see their growth. They are a perfectly imperfect couple.
~ Favorite Quotes ~
“Nothing worth having was easy to get.”
“Don’t settle for less than you deserve.”
“Prince Charming pretty much does nothing to save Cinderella. She does it all herself.”
**Received a copy of the author and voluntarily reviewed it.**
Rating: 4
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love this series. enjoyed your review.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm definitely curious about the other books. I purchased the paperback of the first one.
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