Speakeasy (True North: Small Town Romance Book 5)

I received a free copy through the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion. 4.5 stars — Isn’t it amazing how you can find an author that just works for you? Which is not to say that every book is going to be a mega hit for you, but that you can be guaranteed an enjoyable experience at minimum? It was so refreshing to read another Sarina Bowen book and experience some magic that had been missing in my last few reads. I can 100% say that the True North series is my favourite by this author as well. Each story is so unique, but it blends interesting and deep issues with humour and sass. I LOVE that. And Speakeasy was just another great addition. I ADORED Alec and May. Both individually, but especially together. They both had their own vulnerabilities, and I felt like I truly got to see them work through them. Their love story was a strange one, both in the manner in which their relationship started, and how it progressed. But I believed it all along the way, even as they occasionally frustrated me. They had so much chemistry — both as friends and definitely in the steamy department — that I rooted for them every step of the way. I really loved that their bumps along the road were not typical of so many romance stories. I truly felt for May and how wrapped up in her own “hot mess” she was… I worried that I wouldn’t connect with her as quickly based on who I saw in previous books, but even as she was the EXACT same girl, seeing inside her head helped. I loved how strong she was, even if she couldn’t see it herself. I loved how determined she was. And she truly cared about others, despite sometimes getting wrapped up in her own head. I really connected with her quickness to cry and vulnerability. I just truly loved her. Alec was honestly a star for me. He was just so…vibrant and goofy and honest and FREAKING ADORABLE…and yet he hid behind this confident facade, and not many people saw the struggles he faced in how he saw his own worth. I truly loved him. I loved how while he couldn’t always articulate what made May different from other girls, he wasn’t afraid of his feelings…just confused. I loved how passionate he was about his bar and his trade. I loved that he went after that even while believing that he wasn’t smart enough. And I love love LOVED how once he knew about May’s alcoholism, he just jumped right on board trying to be there for her…but in different ways from her family. As always, the secondary cast was fantastic. As a fan of the series, it was so great to revisit so many characters. But even if I hadn’t met them, I would still love them. And OMG, some of Grandpa’s one-liners totally stole the show. I even appreciated the brief glimpses of a few new secondary characters. Makes you wonder who will show up in future books. As an aside, I will admit that having never seen In Living Color (or at least not that I can recall), I totally didn’t understand the three snaps reference, even as it amused me. I had to Google that shiznit, and now it comes full circle. So yeah. After a string of trying out new authors, and not always succeeding, it made this reader’s heart happy to be able to go back to a tried and true favourite and have another success.

When Sarina Bowen made us all elated with the news that there will in fact be another book in the True North series, I was elated. I loved the series so far, and I seriously couldn't wait to read more. I didn't expect the main female character to be May Shipley. Nor did I expect that there would me main hero, since in the previous books in the series, May was in a relationship with another woman, and she swore off man. So, I realized that this could easily be the book that took me outside my comfort zone. I'm not much of a daredevil when it comes to that, but I am a huge Sarina Bowen fan, so I guessed that I'd enjoy it regardless. And (un)surprisingly, I enjoyed it very much. This book is intense. It starts with a bang: we meet Alec while he's helping May make a getaway after seeing her girlfriend cheating at none other place than the bar Alec owns. So, even the beginning, the set up of the story is pretty emotionally charged, and that's something that doesn't change throughout the book. May is a character that holds a lot of angst inside of her. She's a recovering alcoholic, who just caught her ex-girlfriend cheating, and who had a lot of disappointment in love in her twenty seven years. Not only that, she's also tired of everyone, even her family, expecting her to fall back to her vices at any point and treating her like glass, when she actually needs someone to remind her that she indeed is stronger than that. That's where Alec comes in! He seems like a laid-back, easygoing character with not that much depth at first glance. However, throughout the book we see that the first impression was the picture of an always-down-for-a-party playboy Alec Rossi was expected to be by the society, and not the one of a successful businessman and amazing friend he was aspiring to be. These are two characters that turn to each other, letting themselves enjoy the wild and powerful sexual attraction they feel towards each other in moments they feel truly wounded, and it is a raw, sensual, scorching relationship. However, that relationship soon becomes a tender friendship in which both May and Alec find comfort. When what they have starts to feel a lot like love, that's when things get messy. "But love is messy, unpredictable, and occasionally loud. And I wouldn't have it any other way." One little thing that could have made this book even more enjoyable for me was if that sexual attraction, and the tentative friendship the MCs had took a bit more time to turn into love they feel for one another. It felt a bit too sudden, but it was just a little speck on the specter of the wild emotions I felt while reading Speakeasy. Sarina Bowen creates such relatable, wounded, and so easily lovable characters, they inevitably make you feel and empathize even when you'd rather not, or think you couldn't/shouldn't. And that makesheru one of my favorite authors! This atypical story definitely took me outside my comfort zone at first, but Sarina Bowen's incredible writing set over me like a comforting blanket, and let me enjoy this sexy and romantic story in its full glory. It's agsty, emotionally charged, and then unexpectedly funny at times, and utterly romantic. May and Alec grew into characters I loved, and their story is definitely one for the true fans of True North series: a bit unexpected, a bit angsty, a bit funny, and a whole lot of utterly beautiful and romantic. Recommended!

I think I've run out of superlatives for this series. Let's just say three snaps in the shape of a Winner! Alec Rossi is the older brother of Zara (Bountiful) and runs a bar in Vermont called the Gin Mill which specialises in craft beers - yep I wanna go there too. He has disliked the Shipley family ever since the father sacked his Dad and he never saw his father again. Then the eldest Shipley sibling, Griffin dumped his sister to start dating Audrey (Bittersweet) and he really has a hate on. Factor in that the Shipleys are akin to the Waltons (all apple pie and family dinners) whereas the Rossis are more trailer trash and tattoos and you have a bit of a feud. One night he's tending bar when he recognises a woman locking lips with another woman in one of the booths as May Shipley's girlfriend. Conflicted about whether to tell May or let sleeping dogs lie matters are taken out of his hands when May walks into the bar and starts a fight. Her live-in girlfriend has started dating her ex behind May's back! Poor May, the bi-sexual, alcoholic screw-up of the perfect Shipley family, she can just see her family's faces as they regard her with pity yet again when she drags her possessions back to the family farm. Living at home again! The only person who doesn't treat her like she's made of glass is Alec Rossi, the big ol' man-hoe. He makes her laugh with his corny jokes and seems to think that she's still a fun girl. When a favour turns into a raunchy one-night stand May thinks she may have found a way to get away from her family's helicopter caring and get in touch with her wild side again. But it's just friends with benefits right? Oh Alec, how I love you. From your cool bar, glorious apartment, hot tub, corny jokes, family values and general hotness (shallow? like a puddle). I also loved May, so different rom her family, she struggled with guilt for being an alcoholic when she hadn't really had it tough compared to so many others. Maybe all that sounds a bit angsty, but I promise it isn't. In fact, this is probably the least angsty of the series since Bittersweet. What made it a five star rating for me was that Sarina Bowen made me fall a little in love with these two as they make lewd puns. They demonstrate what love is really all about, feeling better just for being with someone, sharing laughs in and out of bed (or a truck or a hot tub) all set in the cutest, sexiest little town in Vermont. When do we get Benito's book? I wann it!!

Ora posso affermare definitivamente che se ho un ebook sul Kindle di Sarina Bowen non c'è TBR che tenga perché non troverò pace finché non lo avrò letto, fortunatamente i libri della Bowen sono quelli che leggo tutto d'un fiato e quindi le conseguenze non sono drastiche come si potrebbe immaginare. Speakeasy è il 5 romanzo della serie True North di Sarina Bowen ed ha come protagonisti May Shapley, sorella di Griffin che abbiamo conosciuto come protagonista nel primo romanzo della serie e Alec Rossi, di cui abbiamo avuto un assaggio nel libro precedente della serie, Bountiful. Devo essere sincera e dirvi che ero più che curiosa di leggere di May perché da quello che abbiamo potuto notare nei romanzi precedenti il suo è un personaggio che nella vita ha dovuto affrontare parecchie batoste per la sua età, primo fra tutti la presa di coscienza dei suoi problemi con l'alcool e poi sapersi districare tra relazioni amorosi non propriamente sane che l'hanno portata a dubitare di se stessa, del suo valore e della propria forza di volontà. Ma quello che potevo prevedere non è una sola goccia del personaggio favoloso che la Bowen ha costruito perché dietro un involucro che sembra avere qualche ammaccature May è decisamente uno dei quei protagonisti a cui ti affezioni subito perché umano, reale al punto che la sua sofferenza, i suoi sbagli, le sue passioni ed emozioni si riflettono sul lettore che non può fare altro che tifare per lei e il suo happily ever after. Entra in scena Alec, un classico playboy che non ha proprio voglia di mettere la testa a posto fin quando un'amicizia inaspettata con May e poi una relazione amorosa imprevedibile lo portano a cambiare le carte in tavola e mettere in gioco più del suo orgoglio ma addirittura il suo cuore. Alec, ma come capita con ogni personaggio che prende vita dalla magica penna della Bowen, ha tutte le carte in regola per far impazzire le lettrici dell'autrice americana: gentile, educato, amorevole, un ragazzo dai sani principi ma soprattutto un ragazzo che ha costruito il suo successo da zero ma se poi ci aggiungiamo quanto sia davvero un ragazzo d'oro nei confronti di May non posso fare altro che incoronarlo il mio book boyfriend preferito per quanto riguarda i romanzi della Bowen, addirittura superando il mio amore per Jude il protagonista del mio romanzo preferito della serie True North nonché di tutti i romanzi della Bowen. Ma cosa rende Speakeasy insuperabile ai miei occhi? Il fatto che l'autrice sia riuscita ad incastrare due trope tipiche dei romance (friend to lover & friend with benefits) e abbia creato dal nulla un gioiellino di rara qualità dove non contano la quantità delle scene intime tra i due personaggi, o le scene divertenti che ti fanno spuntare un sorriso sulle labbra ma il fatto che l'autrice ancora una volta abbia dipinto un quadro reale della vita di tutti i giorni di due persone non perfette, con problemi veri alle spalle, ma che cercano con le loro forze di superare gli imprevisti sempre a testa alta e nel frattempo scoprire l'amore, quello vero, quello che fa battere il cuore all'impazzata al lettore e lo costringe a fare le ore piccole perché non può minimamente pensare di separarsi dalla storia neanche per un solo minuto! Ho adorato May e Alec, ho adorato vederli lavorare come coppia e scoprirsi poco alla volta e poi comprendere che senza l'altro non sarebbero capaci di andare avanti. Ma la cosa più bella di un romanzo standalone in una serie di companion è sicuramente la possibilità di dare uno sguardo ai personaggi che ci hanno fatto battere il cuore precedentemente: ritornano Griffin e Audrey, Zara e Dave, Jude, Zach, Lark e quelli che spero – in futuro – abbiano un romanzo tutto loro perché di questa serie proprio non posso fare ameno. Un romanzo emozionante da gustarsi tutto d'un fiato o a piccole dosi che ci riporta ancora una volta a considerare come l'amore sia davvero la forza che muove il mondo ma anche la carica giusta per affrontare i momenti difficili della vita. Un romanzo che commuove, che diverte che ti riempie di felicità, un romanzo che va letto, assolutamente. 5 Stelle

Graças a Sarina Bowen, Vermont se tornou meu favorito lugar na terra do faz de conta. Assim como aconteceu com Bountiful, Speakeasy já é um favorito para sempre. Eu adorei tudo neste romance e devorei esta estória em um dia. Alec e May são personagens incríveis: humanos e perfeitos em suas imperfeições. May é uma heroína forte, e apesar dos problemas do passado, ela arregimenta forças para conquistar seu espaço. Ela e Alec possuem muito em comum, ambos precisar superar suas próprias expectativas a respeito de si mesmos para construírem seus futuros e superar suas limitações. A medida que eles se aproximam, eles constroem um relacionamento diferente de tudo que eles tiveram antes e o impacto deste novo relacionamento em suas vidas é enorme, já que nenhum dos dois estava procurando um novo amor. Como nos demais livros da série True North, a história de Speakeasy é incrivelmente rica e detalhada. Sarina tem o dom da palavra e povoa seus romances com personagem e situações reais, e detalhes do cotidiano local. Eu adorei o papel qque Griffin (irmão de May) e dos aspectos profissionais da vida de May e Alec tiveram na trama deste romance. De igual modo, Sarina trabalhou muito bem os conflitos (familiares, profissionais e amorosos) neste romance dando tempo para a reconstrução dos laços afetivos entre os personagens principais e secundários. Speakeasy é uma história que deve ser lida e relida. Doce, sexy, emocionante e super romântico, esta obra me conquistou já no primeiro capítulo e me fez derramar algumas lágrimas antes do que eu esperava. Um romance perfeito para quem já é fã da autora e para os novatos na série. Não perca esta joia.

If you like beautiful romances with great writing and awesome characters then this one's for you. Great series and each book can be read as a standalone.

If you don't know Sarina Bowen, go buy aaaall her books. She is a genius. She deserves my money. Really, no kidding here. Every book she writes is fantastic, she has become my favorite author. So do not think about it, it's a good purchase! I recommend reading all the books in order, so you have work to do. Enjoy!!!