Review: Tapped by Liz Crowe (Brewing Passion #1)

Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Tasty Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Tapped is the first novel in author Liz Crowe's new Brewing Passion series, and it's a ménage romance set in the world of microbreweries. She previously published a series by the same title, but I'm not sure if she's going to re-work the books that were part of that. This series starter, though, has a similar story line to a standalone that was released under a different publisher, Lust on Tap, but I'm guessing that the author has made changes to the both the story and the characters. I can't fairly compare the two since I never had the opportunity to read Lust on Tap. 

Brewery owner Austin Fitzgerald and salesperson Evelyn Benedict have always had sparks, though not necessarily the good kind but they do belie the underlying attraction that sizzles between them. One hook-up and they're hooked on each other, but they both have issues that threaten to cause an implosion in their still young relationship. That is, until brewmaster Ross Hoffman, an old and close friend of Austin's enters the fray. They engage in a three-sided exploration of passion, but will these three survive intact when challenges begin to arise?

I've read many a ménage love story in the past, and more often than not, there's always one pairing that ends up having more of a connection than another pairing or all three participants combined. In the case of Tapped, Austin and Evelyn seemed to have a stronger pull to one another than Ross and Evelyn, BUT it was the connection between Austin and Ross that drew my attention, and I don't mean that in a romantic sense. They simply had an honest-to-goodness friendship and there was a great deal of trust and respect going on. I seriously liked these two.

The odd one out was Evelyn. I didn't like her. I honestly didn't get what it was about her that drew these two men to her as strongly a they supposedly did. She was a runner and never seemed to know what the hell it was that she actually wanted. She mishandled situations and lay the blame at someone else's feet. The ending also came off as rushed and abrupt. But yeah, I wasn't an Evelyn fan, and she's the reason I didn't love Tapped as much as I wish I was capable of. I am curious about Austin's brother Blake, though, so I'll still continue with the series. Three stars. ♥

Date Read: 17 February 2017

Learn more about Liz Crowe.

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