The only thing worse than being roommates with my rival? Falling for him.
Returning to my small hometown after I crash and burn in the city is bad enough. Having my lifelong rival, Wes Stryker rub it in my face doesn’t make it easier. Even worse, I’m hired to help him pull his family’s distillery out of a rough patch. Oh, and I’m forced to be his roommate. And that means dealing with his annoying flirting and one-upping all day, every day. He’s unbearably cocky, and his dimpled smile charms everyone with a pulse – except for me. At least until he starts to make me ugly laugh and I see glimpses of his big heart under the side he shows everyone else. Resisting him when he wanders around the house in nothing but sweatpants, undressing me with his eyes? Not possible. But I’ve sworn off charmers like him and the last man I let into my heart destroyed my confidence and my career. I won't make that mistake again.
So, i really enjoyed the second half of the book. The first i found it a bit boring with all the talk about mixology. The spice was spicing and was entertaining. I didn’t love any of the character but the dog and the cat! they won my heart.
But overall it was a good reading and i had a good time.
Roses: I really enjoyed the premise of old high school rivals forced to work together and live with each other in the process. The world of alcohol is one I don’t see explored very much except for wineries in books so this take put a unique twist on things. I really enjoyed Wes and all of the side characters you got to meet along the way. Because they were pretty developed characters they each really helped elevate the story with their relationships. The spice in the story was actually done well. It wasn’t overly erotic but gave just enough.
Thorns: Rose and the ending. Starting with Rose. Like all characters and humans alike we are all flawed. But one thing I don’t enjoy in characters is just childlike immaturity. Rose handled quite a few situations in that way and it just rubbed me the wrong way. I was really disappointed that I didn’t like her as much as I thought I was going to but she just didn’t land for me. I think a lot of it came to a head at the end. I needed her to make the big gesture for Wes. She got to receive all of the romance things given to her by him but I didn’t see her do one thing for him. I didn’t like that. At the end that was the perfect place for her to give the big gesture of love, yet she didn’t and Wes again did. The only way I knew she was truly into Wes was more so because of the conversations she had with Jo about him. She never actually told Wes how she felt about him. When he confessed his feelings all she literally told him was that they couldn’t work because she wanted to be away from home and own her own business. Nothing was ever said about her actual feelings for him until the very end of the book. Again, her actions made it hard to like her. The ending 4 chapters felt rushed. I think adding a few more pages to flush out some of the loose ends would have helped make the flow better.
Overall it’s a decent story that I did like and was a fast read. So if you like dislike to lovers, forced proximity romances try this one out!
* ARC * Bartenders This was a fun book. I don't think I've read any books with bartenders as MCs. But it was good. I don't know too much about drinking, but it was easy to follow along. These characters were such flirts that I couldn't stop laughing. They were rivals their whole lives, but really, I just think they were so attracted to one another that they covered it up with competition. They riled each other up for the better. I enjoy reading characters that are relatable. You have Wes, who used to be the town flirt, who is now trying to make a name for himself. Then you have Rose, who returned home after a bad situation in NY, who is trying to get back on track for her career. They are both struggling, but they find a balance with one another.
First I want to thank the publisher and author for gifting me this read early! I am so grateful.
—Review—
Right off the bat, the plot didn’t thrill me, the whole forced proximity trope (which is usually my fave) bored me with them two. It took over half the book for me to gain any interest or liking for the couple. After 60% I got invested and powered through only to be left wanting more at the end. It is HEA, but idk once i finally was cheering for the couple I feel as tho the tension and build up just died.
-Cons- Grammar errors, repeated words Lot of errors, some text was hard to follow because of errors Spice scene was explained poorly, not very descriptive or immersive (began around 45%) The MMC is white but he’s written to sound like a black man (or maybe in my mind he just sounded black) I wanted more of Rose family mentioned
—Pro— Gets really good at 60%!! 2nd spice scene is better and consistently gets better everytime 😉 I love a black FMC 😍 No dumb breakup just to get back together scene
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
3.5/5
After leaving her ex whom she lived with, Rose (FMC) does not have anywhere to stay. Rose's parents do not have room for her to stay at their place in New York, so she is moving in with her childhood competitor ,Wes (MMC), in Jepsen by suggestion from her dad. Come to find out they are both working at Wes father's bar, where they both are competing to create a new cocktail. The competition consists of a cocktail they created together and then one made by each person. Throughout their lives Rose and Wes have been rivals. It all started when Wes won a baby competition while Rose got second place, this back and fourth has gone on throughout their lives. All that competition after so many years created an unexpected bond between the two enemies. Should they act on this attraction and feelings when they hated each other since they were little? Is it worth it to try and start a relationship when Rose is set to leave after the competition?
This is a quick read filled with spice and banter. It is a perfect story for those who love the enemies to lovers trope. I hope there is more to come with Rose and Wes.
Y’all this book was so cute! The perfect read when you want a fun, fast-paced, summer light read. I was lucky to be a member of Audrey Vaughan’s ARC team for Sips About To Go Down! This small town, forced proximity frenemies to lovers book checked all my boxes. One bed? Done! A sexy ass man who’s down bad for his woman? Check! He cooks??? *Soaked.* The spice was steamy but not overwhelming if you’re not a fan of long graphic descriptions. The diverse representation was refreshing, and I loved seeing Rose rebuild herself and follow her heart. I was proud of Wes for taking ownership of his past and putting in the work to rebuild his reputation, and his solid work ethic.
I love that everyone knew they would eventually get together, they just needed to pull their stubborn heads’ out of their asses. Although there was a third-act breakup, there wasn’t a massive fight or betrayal. It was one of those instances where two stubborn people needed some space to realize they were getting in their own way. I usually hate third-act breakups but this was well written and realistic. Overall a very well-written lighthearted story and I can’t wait for Jasper’s story. 🍻
I absolutely loved reading Sips About to Go Down and seeing the development between Wes and Rose. Not only do these characters have wicked banter from the first moment they reunite, there is also a sweet amount of tenderness as they grow to realize their attraction and subsequent feelings for each other.
It doesn’t take long for Wes to fall hard for Rose, and it was so fun switching between their perspectives and seeing the moments in which they each realized they were down bad. His adorable furry friends Murphy and Dennis made me laugh out loud, and showed a really nice side of Wes in contrast to his sarcastic, witty commentary with Rose.
In a sweet and amusing small town setting, Sips About to Go Down is a joyful, lighthearted read with a fun cast of supporting characters and dynamics. I look forward to reading more of Audrey Vaughn’s books in the future and absolutely recommend this one!
I voluntarily reviewed a free advance copy of this book provided by the author. The opinions expressed are my own.
Rose returns to her hometown after a breakup vowed to not date again, only to end up working and living with the rival she's had since she was young, Wes. The closeness of working together and being roommates clearly drives them to become friends with benefits and denied feelings. They are both bartenders so there is alot of mixology talk. This was a cute and simple quick with some spice read which I also listened to on audio as an immersive read. This is the type of audio book that is a prime example why I wish Dual narrations are actually Duets. In this reading, the male narrator has a slight southern accent giving Wes a distinct tone, BUT when the female narrator does his parts, he sounds more like an urban city guy than a southern drawl guy. It made for Wes's POV to seem like too different guys depending who was reading it. I think this would have played out much better had this been a Duet, where they each play their respective gender's parts. But overall both narrators did a great job on their own parts, and as I said the book was worth a quick read.
Thank you, Audrey Vaughn, for an opportunity to ARC read Sips About To Go Down. This small-town, forced proximity, one bed, he falls first, rivals to lovers story — so cute. FMC Rose, and MMC Wes, grew up as rivals from the time they were babies. I would have liked a little more backstory on why, exactly, they were rivals. I loved their competitiveness with each other, because who can turn down a good bet?! Wes is sweet, protective, and he can cook?! 🥵 He showed so much growth throughout the book. I loved watching Rose and Wes get to know who each other outside of what they remembered growing up. And the spice was 🌶️🌶️ 🌶️ I can’t wait to read Bottled Up and get a little snippet of Jasper and Sabrina’s story. This book is available July 9th and I highly recommend if you love any of these tropes!
First off I want to thank Audrey Vaughn so much for this ARC. This book was so good, I swear this made bartenders more attractive. Rose and Wes having been rivals since they were babies, literally. When Rose’s life turns upside down, she ends up back in her hometown forced to restart her life. Getting a job at her local bar leaves her working with Wes, things start to heat up. This rivals to lovers story will have you smiling the whole way through. I really enjoyed the forced proximity in this book, the banter was just perfect. AND THE SPICE! My goodness. If your looking for a spicy quick read this book is for you.
Enjoyed this one lot! Wellwritten story. Rosie and Wes' chemistry was portrayed well, and the way that their relationship developed made sense. The side characters were nice, I liked how their friends and family were mature, sounding boards to the both of them.
I was rooting for them both, and the 3rd act break-up had me gutted. I did appreciate that it wasn't due to miscommunication, but something that actually befitted Rose's character arc.
This is the authors debut novel, and I'd definitely read their future works!
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I received an ARC from the author. My opinions are my own.
Thank you to Audrey Vaughn for allowing me to read a copy of this book. I cannot tell you how much I loved this story. This story was so fun, and the ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL TENSION WAS SO STRONG in this book. Towards the end, there was a part where I rolled my eyes at, BUT I loved the ending and how it all wrapped up. This is such a good book, and Audrey's writing style just vibed with me so well. I was just caught by the allure and I would recommend this to any of my romance girlies, guys, and non-binary pals. I cannot express how much I loved this.
This is my first arc book. I was so excited and hope I can do the review justice. It's a cute rivals to lovers in a small town story. I love a black fmc, and I really enjoyed reading her happy story. The fmc and mmc history goes back to when they were babies and had an attraction to each other from the beginning of the book. I wish it deep dived a little bit to explain why the fmc viewed mmc as a rival. The spice is there. This is the first book I'm reading from this author, and I'm invested enough to read Jasper and Sabrina story. I'm also hoping for JD and Waylon to get a HEA. I wish it had more bantering. There were scenes that really could have been better with better banter.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was soooo cute. There were a few areas where it felt a little rushed and I do wish there was a little m9re depth to the characters but it was a fun, fast paced read!
I absolutely loved this book. My first read by this author. It will not be my last. It was funny and had lots of steam. The relationship was real. He loved her from jump and didn’t know it. Perfect!
This was cute, this was light-hearted and this was spicy! It had all the perfect rom-com feels and I absolutely adored it. Couldn't keep a smile off my face while reading it 🤗🥰
Cute and fluffy, just for the vibes. If you need a palate cleanser, this book would be perfect for it. It’s easy and fast read! It gives “novella vibes”.
It started off really really slow but it picked up after the halfway mark. I initially did not like Rose but I warmed up to her. Her and Wes’ sex scenes were so hot and loved them together. Wes displayed all the features of the perfect boyfriend material. I loved the way he courted Rose.
This was a quick, cute small town based romcom and I enjoyed it! I loved the back story of rivals to lovers and even more so the mixology/bartender aspect of it. I loved reading about Rose and Wes evolving and falling in love!
I loved this cute story with just the right amount of spice and plot.
Omg I really loved this book it was so good. I love how the characters had so much development throughout the entire story. Its a little spicy but I loved it.
I HATE 3rd act break up!!!!! Stop doing 3rf act break up it’s sooooo stupid why are we getting reconciliation on the last page AAAAHHHH. This whole book was just her pov “omg I like him so much he will never like me back and I have to move away so we can’t pursue anything” His pov “omg I like her so much she will never like me back I would move away with her” like come on now! Why does no one in romance books communicate it’s actually so irritating. Also how dare we call this enemies to lovers when he literally bought her dinner chapter 1 and they were fucking by page 100 pls that’s just friendly competition and a bit of banter. BRING BACK REAL HATRED!!! Yall not real haters fr
This book was worth every 5 stars plus moreeee!! It’s such a feel good contemporary romance, that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy with a grasping plot.
I think because I loved Wes and Rose together that this book didn’t seem corny, but it’s definitely something you would watch on hallmark but this is better. It’s the perfect book for the colder season that makes you wanna finish it in one sitting with your fav blanket.
Rose moving home was a blessing for her as she left her toxic relationship behind and found someone better than Erik. Also, I don’t drink but the creativity of mixings seemed so fun and peaked my interest. Overall 5/5 and definitely a top book for the year and the bonus epilogue made it even more special because it prolonged my time with the characters I’ve grown to love.
I think the author is new, seeing as I could only find this book published and the author must be commended on a job well done!! I hope to see a book on Wes’s twin or JD because the side characters also made the story humorous which is a YES in any romance.
Review from an ARC reader. I want to thank Audrey Vaughn for letting me be part of her ARC team.
rating: This book was a solid 3.5 ⭐️ but rounded down for Goodreads so: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ tropes: rivals to lovers he falls first small town one bed
Rose is our FMC. She’s forced to move back home to the small town of Jepsen when her whole life comes crashing down around her after her ex breaks her heart. She’s a pessimistic grump character with a chip on her shoulder. Rose’s luck seems to be turning around when she lands a job and a place to stay back home, but when she finds out that she’s going to be partners with, and living with, her childhood rival, things start to heat up.
Wes is the town playboy who has a habit of goofing around. He’s just as thrilled as the matchup as Rose is, but he tries his best to make it work and ends up falling in love with her.
This is a fast paced little read and has a lot of spice. The story itself is super cute, but I find it lacking and full of holes. At around 250 pages of content, I can’t help but wish the author had written about 100 more pages to fill in some gaps. Parts of the story just seem choppy and thrown together. It seems like some characters are better developed than others and the
Overall, it’s a fast paced story that if you don’t expect a lot from, it’s a solid read. The characters are cute and the 🌶️ goes strong.
This was a cute quick read. It follows the story of Rose as she tries to put her life back together after a bad breakup. She finds a job and a place to stay, unfortunately both of them are with childhood rival Wes.
Wes’ family owns a liquor company and they the assistant manager of the company bar. Wanting to grow and expand he pitches a canned cocktail idea to his dad. They think it’s a great idea but hire Rose to work alongside him. Problem is once they put the rivalry to bed (literally) and start to work towards a common goal together their competitiveness seems to open the door for deeper feelings. But can Wes, a notorious playboy convince Rose to give him a shot and not move to LA to chase her dreams?
Tropes:
Rivals to lovers Roommates Forced proximity One bed Small town romance
Thank you Audrey for the advanced readers copy to read and review.
I love the finding one self outside of trauma and growing together and independently . Although the troupe has been seen before, the author has woven Rose and Wes life and romance perfectly in this book and their story gives a heart-warming feeling overall. Amazing writing and story telling throughout. This is a must read you won't regret it.
what a disappointing ending ! she should have taken the job in my opinion and then that epilogue as well ?! been together on yr and they’re getting married ok buddy slow down. anyway in the beginning I thought the main character was gonna be insufferable but it was just a bad first impression one thing i disliked was the whole short short girl rhetoric it’s boring and over done !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.