{"id":16597,"date":"2018-05-29T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/?p=16597"},"modified":"2018-05-29T06:54:24","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T13:54:24","slug":"speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/","title":{"rendered":"SPEAKEASY by Sarina Bowen | Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Speakeasy\"<\/a><\/strong>Speakeasy ARC provided by the author for review<\/em><\/h3>\n

<\/h3>\n

SPEAKEASY is a barn burner of a romance with depth and complexity.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The thing I love about Sarina Bowen\u2019s True North series<\/a> is that you can pop in and out of it. SPEAKEASY<\/a>, number 5 in the series is out today, and something in Alec Rossi and May Shipley\u2019s story said it was time to pop in again. Maybe it\u2019s the Mr. Right\/Mr. Right Now premise, or the history between the two families, or the fact that Alec and May are the problem children in their families. Maybe it\u2019s that Griff is still trying to protect his little sister from high school party boy Alec Rossi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Except, they\u2019re adults now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alec is a budding businessman and owner of the Gin Mill bar. May is an attorney and recovering alcoholic. But people are still underestimating them.\u00a0<\/span>After a breakup with her live-in girlfriend that goes down in Alec\u2019s bar, May finds herself back under her parents\u2019 roof at Shipley Farm, and befriended by Alec. It\u2019s a secret that turns into friends-with-benefits, and then into more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, SPEAKEASY is a story of self discovery and breaking out of the boxes our friends and families put us in. It\u2019s about how perseverance and taking challenges head-on can make us better people.\u00a0 <\/span>And at the same time, it\u2019s a barn burner of a forbidden romance.\u00a0 Sarina does this romance + real life combo that I love and look forward to in her stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Speakeasy\"
In SPEAKEASY, out today, Alec Rossi is looking to expand his bar into more than just a tavern. What goes better with beer than pizza?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What makes SPEAKEASY such an enjoyable read is that it isn\u2019t just about May and Alec\u2019s attraction. Of course, Alec is funny and charming and there is plenty of heat these two. At the same time, these characters have lives and they\u2019re working on themselves in the midst of falling into a new relationship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SPEAKEASY deals with May\u2019s recovery openly and honestly, giving you glimpses of what the cravings look like when life throws you some curveballs and your family is in the cider business. Add to that the complication of May getting involved with a dude who owns a bar. It doesn\u2019t seem like the best set up for staying sober, right? Alec has his own drama as he looks to make the Gin Mill more than a tavern, while holding off bigger, better funded competition. Few people have faith in him making it happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the other things I loved about this story was the frankness with which it deals with STD testing and contraception. May\u2019s partner was cheating, so she goes to get tested. It\u2019s a passing, single scene in a doctor\u2019s office, but it\u2019s one that captures dating life in the 21st century. It\u2019s a small thing that brings complexity and realism to the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

It all adds up to an entertaining, thoroughly contemporary romance that\u2019s an absolute delight to read. May and Alec\u2019s developing relationship feels real as they move past \u201cIs this just a rebound thing?\u201d to letting each other in on their issues. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not all serious. Grandpa Shipley is on the scene to keep things light. Alec\u2019s charm and Grandpa\u2019s total lack of filter will keep you laughing even as things get real. 4 stars.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

P.S. What’s the deal with the pizza? Alec tests out pizza from the bakery as a possible add at the Gin Mill. And I make pizza at home A LOT.\u00a0 My go-to pizza dough recipe is Kenji’s NY-style on Serious Eats<\/a>. You can grab a bunch of different toppings ideas<\/a> here.<\/p>\n

Get SPEAKEASY on Amazon<\/a> | iBooks<\/a><\/p>\n

Catch up with on Sarina on SarinaBowen.com<\/a>| Facebook<\/a>| Instagram<\/a> |Twitter<\/a><\/p>

<\/div>
\r\n \"logo\"\r\n
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SPEAKEASY, book #5 in Sarina Bowen’s True North series pairs May Shipley and Alec Rossi in a scorcher of a romance that has hidden layers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[149],"tags":[2070,1171,1555,2072,2071,1133,1556,2067,2068,2069],"class_list":["post-16597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","tag-alec-rossi","tag-book-review","tag-contemporary-romance","tag-gin-mill","tag-may-shipley","tag-romance","tag-sarina-bowen","tag-speakeasy","tag-true-north","tag-vermont"],"yoast_head":"\nSPEAKEASY by Sarina Bowen | Book Review - DailyWaffle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SPEAKEASY, book #5 in Sarina Bowen's True North series pairs May Shipley and Alec Rossi in a scorcher of a romance that has hidden layers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michelle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michelle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/#\/schema\/person\/699f5bbc3243018b1b4177972fd4c932\"},\"headline\":\"SPEAKEASY by Sarina Bowen | Book Review\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-29T12:00:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-05-29T13:54:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/\"},\"wordCount\":664,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Speakeasy-Sarina-Bowen-pizza.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"alec rossi\",\"book review\",\"contemporary romance\",\"gin mill\",\"may shipley\",\"romance\",\"sarina bowen\",\"Speakeasy\",\"true north\",\"vermont\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Book Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/speakeasy-sarina-bowen-review\/\",\"name\":\"SPEAKEASY by Sarina Bowen | Book Review - 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