Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Eric Rossi isn’t a bad person. But he’s been talked into doing some pretty regrettable things by the man he thought he loved–like write a fake review of a pub he never stepped foot in for a food magazine that makes or breaks restaurants in Portland. He’s since dumped the boyfriend, but he can’t undo the review or the damage it’s done to the Irish Sisters and its passionate owner, Colm.

 

When Colm paid to have his family pub shipped from Ireland to Oregon, he put his savings, his heritage, and his sanity on the line. Now he gets so few customers, he notices each one. Especially the sweet, shy man who is dragged into the pub by his pink-haired niece. He calls himself Mark, and he is a chef’s dream, a man who completely enjoys everything Colm cooks. What Colm doesn’t know is that the man he’s falling for is the critic who’s almost cost him everything.

 

Eric didn’t mean to fall in love with the Irish Sisters or its blue-eyed, Irish-American owner. He definitely didn’t mean to lie about his identity. He’s already done enough damage, after all. Now he must make things right for the restaurant and disappear from Colm’s life before Colm learns the devastating truth, because the last thing Eric wants to do is destroy the chef’s heart, too.

 

Book Review

What a delightful story this turned out to be! I had high hopes based on the blurb because it contains several of my favorite ingredients: marvelous food, a man who made a major mistake and has no idea how to make up for it, and a dedicated pub owner who is determined to make his family’s establishment a success. Both Eric and Colm stole my heart within the first few pages, and I loved seeing them deal with their predicament around the unexpected twists and turns the author added. The more I read the more I loved it!

Eric has worked hard to build an existence around writing food critiques, has a real reputation in Portland, Oregon, and now even has a book deal. But he has made some big mistakes in the past: his choice of a douchebag boyfriend for one, and unthinkingly writing a fake review for a rival restaurant just because said boyfriend asked him to being the other. Now that Eric has broken up with the b*stard, he is beginning to get back to the much nicer person he was before, but the fake review is not something he can easily fix – if at all. And taking it back isn’t even a real priority until his niece drags him into the pub Eric has maligned (not knowing the back history) and the pub’s owner turns out to be a really nice guy.

Colm has put his life’s savings and his heart into making his family’s pub a success, only to find it an uphill struggle after that one bad review a year earlier. Then more bad reviews appear, and Colm has no idea what to do to avert total disaster. Colm is a great cook, he loves coming up with new dishes, and he is a wonderful guy. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious but marketing and PR genius, he is not.

Eric and Colm, as expected, do not have an easy time of it. Eric wants to come clean, but he hates disappointing Colm now that they sort of know each other. The pressure to make things right mounts until he comes up with a plan, but it may be too late. Colm figures out who Eric is and never wants to see him again. Watching these guys battle it out, both internally and between the two of them, was heart-wrenching and almost made me cry. I was relieved the author had figured out a way for them to make things work – it looked pretty hopeless to me despite the fact I really wanted them to succeed.

If you like Christmas stories that provide a very hard-earned happy ending, if you want to see two main characters torture themselves because they can’t figure out how to deal with their past, and if you’re looking for a read that is full of suspense, surprises, and a sweet love story that almost sneaks up on you, then you will probably like this novella as much as I do. Adorable!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by NineStar Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 88 pages/28800 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	12-November-2018
Price	$3.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://ninestarpress.com/product/a-touch-of-a-brogue/