Brewbies

Townsend Harbor, Book 2

By: Kerrigan Byrne, Cynthia St. Aubin

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Stella Hunter

Darby Dunwell is not a Bond Girl, though she's been blessed with the body of one. An east coast, ivy-league, trust fund kid, she flees a life of expectation, elocution, and executive board rooms to follow her one true love: Coffee. The deeply eccentric seaside tourist hamlet of Townsend Harbor throws its doors wide open for her sex-positive, bikini-themed coffee shop named Brewbies.

Compulsive rule-follower Sheriff Ethan Townsend is known for helping old ladies across the road, breaking up bar fights, and keeping the sleepy town safe from the flood of seasonal tourists. After having his heart publicly stomped on, he no longer bothers to ask the name of the woman he's going to forget in the morning. A policy he regrets when the woman who blew his mind turns out to be his nemesis. Not only is Darby's salacious coffee shop causing traffic incidents, its proprietress keeps making his life—among other things—as hard as possible.

Darby finds herself embroiled in a feud she never wanted with the cop who is as tight assed as his trousers suggest. But even as their animosity sizzles and the town begins to take sides, Ethan can't seem to keep his eyes off Darby's double D's.

Contains mature themes.

©2023 Cynthia St. Aubin and Kerrigan Byrne (P)2024 Tantor

Female narrator too inconsistent

I’m finding it hard to listen when the female lead narrates. When narrating, she is using a typical speaking voice, but when she is speaking for the book leads, she whispers or speaks very quietly. I turn up the volume to hear what they are saying & then it’s super loud when she narrates. Very frustrating. I’m constantly turning the volume up & down.

Odd story.

Not sure what it is about this series, but the stories are just odd to me. Nevermore Bookstore, however, at least had some chemistry and build up that made it feel like there was payoff in the end.

With Brewbies, I just never really bought what was being sold: the relationship/attraction/emotional development between Darbie and Ethan didn’t feel genuine, the small town stakes seemed too high for what was really at the heart of the situation, and overall while there certainly was a declaration of love… I never really understood how the characters got there. The sex scenes were hot, but that is insignificant to me if the emotional stakes don’t rise to the occasion, too.

Brewbies

Brewbies by Kerrigan Byrne and Cynthia St Aubin
Townsend Harbor series #2. Contemporary romance. Can be read as a stand-alone but better of having read the first book.
Darby Dunwell had a sizzling hot one-night stand she can’t quite forget. But she follows her plans and opens her coffee shop in Townsend Harbor. It’s a sex-positive, bikini-themed shop names Brewbies and has a successful opening. Until the sheriff serves her papers from an old obscure law shutting her down. Darby finds herself in the middle of a feud with the man she’s been unable to forget. There has to be a way to keep her shop open.
Sheriff Ethan Townsend is a rule follower. After getting his heart stomped by a hometown woman, he’s been going out of town to meet women who know the rules: no ties, no commitment. When the new coffee shop opens it’s the talk of the town and everyone complains to Ethan to fix the problem. He didn’t expect the owner to be the woman he can’t forget from a few months back. They had an amazing night and then she disappeared. He had intended to do the same thing but there was just something special about her that he couldn’t forget. Now he doesn’t want her to leave. But how does he manage the complaints about her salacious coffee shop?

A few twists and complications to keep it interesting. A good cause that she doesn’t promote outright but more tongue-in-cheek with slightly outlandish promo. I loved her wanting to be known for something other than a disease.
It took a bit to warm up to Ethan. He certainly wasn’t likable in the first book but we didn’t get his perspective really all that much either. Here we do and he’ll grow on you.

Amusing, sexy and fun.
🎧 Teddy Hamilton and Stella Hunter do a fantastic job with the performance and make it well worth choosing the audio.
4,5

Very To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything!

“Death by Airstream.”
The summary threw me off mentioning Darby Dunwell being a “trust fund kid” and calling her “Double D” because my expectations were then set for a romance involving an entitled brat with fake tatas and rich people’s problems— and that’s just not my thing. Think instead about artists and free spirits, living life in the moment, ala the movies House Sitter, Magic Mike, or To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar. House Sitter is especially apt because Steve Martin’s character was such an uptight, straightlaced, vanilla guy until he got blown over by the tornado that was Goldie Hawn’s character.

“A rhythm organic to their bodies … felt as ancient as the first song … all the secrets of the universe … the infinite tenderness…”
Seriously folks, you need to embrace the wind to enjoy this one, join the circus, deploy drag and swag, and yadayada other woke stuff. Like the first book, I sometimes found the story preachy and overdone on the virtue of tolerance. The writing continues to run over long with deep thoughts (case in point the hyperbolic “secrets of the universe” quote above describing one of the sex scenes).

“He’s a shirt tucker…”
But, if you can untuck your shirt and put your hall monitor badge down, this is a fun, sassy listen. My absolute favorite scene was when Ethan overheard the free spirited senior ladies summing up his straightlaced self: hilarious!

small town feels

I read nevermore bookstore and loved it. Then waited patiently for this book. This really gives me Archer's voice (nevermore bookstore) and Travis (Brewbies) by mia Sheridan vibes. If you read both you'd get what I mean. No they are not identical, or even the same plot. But the small town. The recluse. and in brewbies, the redeemable sheriff. and I say this with high praise and admiration. I loved Nevermore bookstore and Brewbies.

In Brewbies we get to know Darby, the pink haired, freebird, hold nothing back, soft hearted heroine. and Ethan, the sheriff who always tucks his shirt, always polite, and overly helpful Hero. The pair come together for 1 night, where Ethan is not so reserved, then meet again in Ethan's hometown when he serves Darby with a petition to shut down her business. Darby brings an entire circus to town in protest. and the 2 continue to fight and fu... well, you get the picture. Enemies to Lovers. Opposite attract. Romcom. All the small town feels.

I really hope to get more from these authors. I looked for other books from them but only found historical, which I don't read. But for the first time ever was tempted to try, just to get more of author's work. Maybe someday.

5+stars. HEA.