Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Lisa Hughey’s Sideways introduces us to two more Speakeasy Taproom series characters: Tracy aka Cee-Cee and Colt. Tracy must leave her beloved Boston, escaping a scandal threatening her prestigious family. Needing to go where no one knows her, Tracy lands in Colebury, home to the Speakeasy Taproom, the Busy Bean, and the Gin Mill. Thinking she will only need to stay a few days in Colebury before her scandal blows over, she finds out quickly that it will be much longer. Without enough resources, Tracy finds a job with Speakeasy even though she has no experience. It is there where Tracy meets Colt, an infamous chef hiding away from his own painful scandal.
At first glance, Colt believes Tracy is like every other rich person he served in his former kitchens. After a time, though, he realizes that “Cee-Cee” calms his anxiety and makes him a better person. As these two grow closer, breaking out of their self-imposed restrictions, their journey towards a happy ending is challenged. Will they find their happy ending?
I enjoyed Hughey’s Sideways. I love the Speakeasy Taproom stories that allow us further into that story. It allows us to encounter Sarina Bowen’s characters but it also connects us more deeply to the other stories in the series. Even more, I love a hero who is grumpy and working through his issues, especially when he is met with a sunshiney heroine who makes everyone smile. This is definitely the case with Colt and Tracy. They complement each other: a yin to the other’s yang. Hughey builds their chemistry nicely and their journey draws you into the book.
If you have fallen into the World of True North, then you’ll want to read this Lisa Hughey’s Sideways.
In love and romance,
Professor A
