Book Description:
Daphne dreams of Mr. Darcy. Finn serves up pints and rock music. Can opposites attract when a tea shop princess meets her pub-owning rival?
In the charming mountain town of Wisteria, North Carolina, Daphne Austen clings to tradition like cream to a scone. She’s built her life–and her late grandmother’s tearoom, Tea Thyme–around all things English: delicate china, Jane Austen novels, and the comforting predictability of routine. The only thing threatening her perfectly ordered world? The loud, aggravatingly handsome Brit opening a pub next door.
After his ex-wife broke his heart and his business partner nearly destroyed his career, Finn Dashwood packed up his six-year-old daughter and left England behind. He’s looking for a fresh start, and the last thing he needs is a fussy, tea-obsessed neighbor criticizing his every pint and playlist. It doesn’t matter that she’s ridiculously kind (to everyone else) and that his daughter is utterly fascinated by her. Finn’s heart is not open to being broken again.
But disagreements turn into prank wars and then a competition when a high-profile wedding needs a last-minute caterer. The townsfolk are thrilled–Wisteria hasn’t seen this much excitement since the county fair lost a goat.
When the wedding demands both sweet and savory fare, Daphne and Finn are forced to put down their swords and pick up their serving trays. Between burnt pastries, brewing tempers, trending hashtags (#SipsAndSpats, anyone?), and one very adorable little girl, rivalry soon gives way to reluctant friendship–and maybe something that feels suspiciously like chemistry.
Can a tea shop princess and a pub owner with a past mix their lives as seamlessly as clotted cream and jam . . . or will their differences keep them steeped in rivalry forever?
Fall headfirst into a romance that’s as sweet as scones and as lively as a pub singalong. Early readers are raving about the laugh-out-loud humor, irresistible chemistry, and swoony, kisses-only romance that makes A Brewed Awakening impossible to put down. Grab your copy today and discover a charming enemies-to-lovers story brewed with heart, humor, and small-town magic.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading A Brewed Awakening, a foodie romcom set in a small North Carolina mountain town. Daphne is obsessed with all things Austen and British. She recently inherited her grandmother’s old world tea shop on Main Street and lives in the apartment upstairs. Daphne needs to grow the tea shop’s customer base to pay for essential building maintenance.
Finn is a single dad from England who’s new to town and looking for a fresh start with his adorable six-year-old daughter. He purchases the building next door to Daphne with a plan to refurbish and open an English pub serving hearty meals.
Finn and Daphne’s meet cute is awkward, embarrassing, and full of misunderstandings that set up their business rivalry relationship dynamics. Their romance is cute and sweet with all the feels. They’re both struggling with grief and loss and have emotional baggage to deal with, including trust and abandonment issues. During the story their relationship moves from enemies to friends to more-than-friends, and I loved how Daphne bonds with Finn’s daughter.
The town is like a character and the ensemble cast of side characters are LOL hilarious. While the romcom story elements are lighthearted, a natural disaster challenges the townsfolk to pull together and help each other.
I recommend A Brewed Awakening to contemporary romance readers who like small town foodie romcoms with the enemies to love trope, business rivals, matchmakers, and relevant faith elements in the story.
Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for the advanced reader copy.
