Aurora Rey has quickly eco me one on my favorite authors of this genre. Hard Pressed is well written an a delightful read. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. I confess that this story spurred me to look for cideries in my own area… in search for my own Dylan perhaps…
Loved this one - perfect fall read.

Another good read by Aurora Rey!
In Hard Pressed we see familiar characters from Greener pastures. This isn't a sequel, you don't need to read Greener Pastures, ( but I would because it's good!), we meet Dylan again. Alongside Mira... The two form a ‘friendship’, and sparks start to fly. The story is about two opposites who start to fall quickly for one another.

I've given Hard Pressed a 3.7 out of 5.

I love a good story that makes me crave something while reading it. And Hard Pressed had me wanting a nice cider at the oddest hours of the day.

After I had begun this book, I did find out that two of the characters had their own story, called Greener Pastures, and a few people even suggested I should read that first. But I was already invested, so just added that one to my TBR list instead. I personally don’t think not knowing the origin story of the side characters affected my overall view of this story.

Mira and Dylan both make cider. The only difference is that Mira is the heiress to a well-known, established business and Dylan is building her distillery from the ground up with her best friend Rowan.
The two women have never officially met, but when they are thrust together as co-organisers of cider week, they realize that they not only share a love for cider but can argue for days and still part ways with grins on their faces. The chemistry between Mira and Dylan can’t be denied, and as the two women get to know each other, they realize the attraction goes much deeper.

Aurora Rey has written a story that takes the reader into the world of cider, with a behind-the-scenes look at how the drink is crafted while creating two relatable and down-to-earth characters. There are the usual up-and-down angsty turns we tend to find in any good romance, but in the end, we all know that the two women will find the happily ever after we all want for them. Hard pressed is a sweet book worth checking out for a light entertaining read.

As soon as I saw the title of Aurora Rey’s newest novel, I was sure I wanted to read this book. The name Hard Pressed as well as the cover of the book made me think this narrative might be in the same universe as Ms. Rey’s last novel, Greener Pastures. I really enjoyed the first novel, and I’m happy to say that Hard Pressed is a good companion story.

First of all, Hard Pressed is a fine stand-alone novel. This is an enemies-to-lover’s workplace romance that tells about the love story of Mira Lavigne, the COO of Pomme d’Or, a large and prosperous cider company, and Dylan Miller, the co-owner of a small but growing cider company called Forbidden Fruit Cider. These two women seem to have very little in common even though both are in the cider making business. These differences cause them to clash from the moment they meet. Their differences become even more apparent when the two are selected as co-chairs for the annual Cider Association’s Cider Week.

I remember Dylan from the first book, and I’m glad she is being given her own love story. I had a little trouble at first seeing Dylan and Mira together. These two characters are very opposite in their outlook and personalities, but then again, the opposites-attract trope is very popular. Their love story is quite steamy at times. This author does steamy quite well.

I enjoyed revisiting this world and getting to see a character I liked find her own happy-ever-after. I recommend this book to all who love a good enemies-to-lover’s, opposites-attract romance.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

An enjoyable read. The romance works, but for me as is often the case, I liked the cool friends more than the leading women. The friends get all the best lines. The inclusion of a successful Black woman who is running a business in a male dominated field was great. Mira seems pretty kick ass. Dylan on the other hand is a tad annoying in her jealousy. The way they worked it out was believable, but a bit of a downer on the love story.

Never knew cider making could be so spicy. I should have know better with a title like Hard Pressed.

Aurora Rey really hit it out of the ballpark with Mira and Dylan's opposites attract romance. They're steamy. They're combative. It was all the things you want in a story about cider making. But for reals, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this by the pool with a cold pineapple cider in my hand.

Of course, no romance would be complete without the classic misplaced intentions or miscommunication. I'm usually annoyed by this, but was able to get over it quickly.

Extra kudos for having a POC main character. It could have been easily glossed over in a book about cider making.

Definitely going to check out other Aurora Rey books.

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books for providing an eARC for a honest review.

3.5/5 stars

This was such an engaging book! It’s kind of shocking to me that this is my first Aurora Rey book, but it was a great introduction to her. While this featured some characters from a previous novel, it was still easy to read as a stand-alone. They were featured just enough to that I gained interest in them as well (and might just go off to buy their book) but not so much that I feel like I’m out of the loop.

Dylan and Mira were such dynamic characters, who were completely different from each other but somehow seemed to compliment each other well. Dylan was a very suave and charming, but down to earth cider maker. On the other hand Mira, is a very well put together, organised and elegant boss of a major cider company. When made to come together for a project, they butt heads but sparks also seem to fly. I have a soft spot for some good banter and tension, so watching Dylan and Mira interact was delightful for me. Lots of banter, teasing and a whole lot of instant chemistry and attraction to make everything more interesting. Their romance was super engaging to read, we got plenty of spicier scenes and lots of great chemistry.

While I did really enjoy the romance, I do think the major conflict of the book felt very artificial. While I definitely understand the intentions, I just don’t think the characters would have gotten that angry. It kind of just felt like the character had to argue so it was placed in their with conflict, without making sense for the characters. Even so, I won’t let it ruin the romance for me, which was still super fun to read.

Hard Pressed by Aurora Rey is a sapphic cider romance. It's set in the Cider growing culture and economy of the North-East US. I am really not acquainted with this entire theme and so the book was pretty interesting for me in that respect. Our two protagonists are polished and professional executive Mira and the scrappy underdog Dylan. Mira works in and is practically in charge of the huge cider company her father established. Her company is dominant in the market and Mira aims to keep it that way with her no-nonsense by-the-books approach. Dylan is a small-scale cider maker who loves to experiment and aims to break into the market through innovation and out of the box thinking. When they end up as co-chairs of Cider Week (the biggest regional cider convention) sparks fly.

This book is an opposites-attract romance with a beautiful balance of sweetness and spice. Mira and Dylan’s mutual attraction is a lot of fun to read.I laughed out loud when Mira got distracted from the Important Zoom Meeting to thirst after Dylan’s sexy disheveled hair in the very first chapter. Their friends basically egg them on, and this makes for some pretty entertaining sequences where they try to figure out their feelings for each other.

But, the author also manages to mix in some spice with the sweetness. Their attraction is expressed through sex and the descriptions are pretty steamy. This book is pretty kinky and there is repeated use of sex toys and even a bit of waxplay. The kink compliments the steam pretty well and the whole experience is elevated by the focus on consent and mutual pleasure.

It’s not all smooth sailing however for Mira and Dylan. Mira has to struggle between being influenced by Dylan’s carefree spirit and her family’s much more conservative and cautious attitude. Dylan has to deal with how totally opposite Mira and her life is to what Dylan is normally used to. What I did appreciate however is that there is an attempt to channel this into constructive, mature communication.

As a point of interest, two of the side characters in this book - Rowan and Audrey are the main characters in a previous book also published this year - Greener Pastures

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I will be picking up other books from this author.

This is a story about Mira, who is the CEO of the most prominent cider company in New York State. She inherited the position from her father. She is a bit of an ice queen character, meaning she’s all business and wants things her own way. She’s also a traditional cider maker who sticks with her brand and isn’t interested in change or new products.

Dylan is a small operation cider maker. She likes to try new ideas and is totally into the manufacture ing side of her small batch cider.
She is in partnership with Rowan, who she met in college.

Dylan and Mira are brought together via their cider association that they are both members of. They are asked to co-share a gala event.

They start out not liking each other and constantly pointing out how different they are from each other. They begin to each share an attraction for each other.

I enjoyed Dylan’s character and her passion for her cider making. I liked learning about how cider is made. Mira was a very femme character and not shy about using her good looks to get what she wanted from men and women alike.

Both Audrey and Rowan are both back in this book from Rey’s Greener Pastures. There are many references made to this first book and you should read it first to appreciate the whole story line.

I liked the backdrop of the cider making and the rural farming in this book. I would have like more feels between the two MCs. Mira especially seemed cold and I wasn’t convinced of her feelings for Dylan.

ARC received for and honest and voluntary review from the publisher and Net Galley

First off, kudos to the author for making one of the protagonists a black woman. We don't see enough of this in lesbian fiction.

This book just didn't jump out at me like I was hoping it would. I found it hard to connect, mainly because I wasn't picking up on any chemistry between Dylan and Mira. I like when the book starts off with a little animosity between the characters so I can enjoy when that slowly melts, but that didn't happen for me.

The cider-making theme was fun and I liked that the story focused on women in the industry, but I feel like the romance part just fell flat.

Aurora Rey gives us a good book again with this, kind of, sequel to Greener Pastures and focusing on Dylan this time as she gets her chance for a happily ever after. Mira and Dylan were a fun couple with a good connection, I liked the setting, both geographically as in the cider industry, and the writing is on point as usual.
The new vs old and corporate suit vs creative thinker sides of their character made for a believable clashing of personalities and it was a nice to see them finding unexpected common ground.
So, in short..I enjoyed myself with this book but I do with everyone of Aurora Reys books. Maybe it wasn't her best, but even then it's still leaugues better than a lot of other stories out there.

***Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books for giving me the chance to read and review this book***

Dylan, one of the main characters of this book was present in Greener Pastures, but you can read Hard Pressed and get a hang of that even without reading the first book (but I do recommend you read it because I really like Rowan).
"I also think that Dylan, Rowan's friend, and business partner deserves an entire book" was said when I wrote the first review, and here it is!
Dylan and Mira are very different but connect when collaborating in organizing an event for the cider week. I liked Dylan more than Mira, but it does not compromise how I see the book. I do miss more angst and not the day-to-day misunderstandings that prevent them from being together in the beginning.
I really enjoy that both books bring a part of NY state that should be more known, the Finger Lakes area. It is where the author, Aurora Rey, lives and she knows it well. This and the cider production reality and the fact that women are doing it are undoubtedly upsides of this Cider series.

Perfect romance set in cider country
Oh how I love a story with an ice queen with a bit of grump and a pinch of enemies-to-lovers, an ice queen who finally meets her match. Rey gives us a slow burn, low angst f/f romance - in my mind the most difficult to write: It is all about the main characters, their character development, their chemistry and the slow dance between them unfolding. Well, this reviewer would not give 5 stars if Rey hadn‘t done a masterful job with Hard Pressed (great title). The chemistry really leaps off the pages. The writing is lovely and captivating.
I loved how Mira and Dylan have to concede to each other that they might have had some misconceptions about each other. The perfect daughter and perfect corporate suite turns out to have more to her than meets the eye - it was delightful to see Mira discover herself and her coming together with Dylan who is unapologetic butch, creative and chivalrous. What a first kiss!! The final show-down is organic and believable as is the HEA.
There is much diversity in this story but at some point I felt that less would be more esp. in a story set on the country side.

Thanks for the ARC via netgalley and Bold Strokes Books. The review is left voluntarily.

Mira is used to being the boss and isn't enthused when she has to take on a co chair for the annual gala she typically handles by herself. Dylan is excited to be able to work with someone running a more established cidery than her own but knows she has to tread lightly so as not to annoy the prickly head of Pomme. As they spend more time together they find that the spark they felt at first meeting is getting harder to ignore.
I really enjoyed this book, I haven't read a ton of books by Aurora Rey but I do believe I need to start making my way through her back catalog. I liked both of these characters and loved how the story was told through their alternating perspectives. I didn't realize this was sort of a sequel to Greener Pastures though, I felt like I missed a bit not having read that first. I did pick it up though as Audrey and Rowan seemed like a lot of fun. Mira's friend Talise was good for a few laughs too and I loved Dylan's family. I learned a bit about cider making and would love to visit a cidery like Pomme or Forbidden Fruit next time I'm in New York. It was a great book I'd definitely recommend.

This has been a story set in the world of cider production, beginning with a somewhat lopsided rivalry between Mira, the CEO and heiress of a large production company, and Dylan, la hecha a si misma copropietaria de una pequeña sidrería rural. Mira is a powerful upper class bisexual female while Dylan is a cider maker and does everything in her cider house, from taking care of the trees to bottling the final product, neither refinement nor glamour.

They couldn't be more different. But they are going to have to collaborate in organizing an event for the cider producers association, which is going to allow them to get to know each other in a way that they would never have done had it not been for this task.

Although the two have their initial doubts, little by little they will discover that they are not incompatible after all. It is to be expected that on their way they will encounter difficulties, posed by their surroundings and by themselves. Insecurities and doubts are going to be the main pitfalls. There has also been the occasional misunderstanding that has been about to spoil everything.

In spite of everything, of some excess of doubts and some questionable behavior of them, the history has been good in general.

A nd to whom it may concern, this book features "Greener_Pastures" leads Audrey and Rowan.

When I read Greener Pastures in spring 2022, I noted that "I would really like to see another story with this same setting featuring Rowan’s friend and cidery colleague, Dylan. Dylan was actively dating in this book, so that would make her a prime candidate for the next romance." When I read the excerpt for Hard Pressed, I was so looking forward to Dylan's story and a romance that would sweep her off her feet.

Unfortunately, Hard Pressed did no accomplish that from my perspective. I certainly got an opportunity to learn more about the independent cider maker, but her choice of a lover, Mira Lavigne, focused on lust and limited relationship substance. In fact, from Mira's actions or lack thereof (not truly engaging Dylan as Cider Week co-chair, opening flirting with a man while being interviewed on television), left me feeling like Mira was a true snake-in-the-grass and a high maintenance girlfriend.

When their relationship hit a huge impasse in the latter stages of the story, I felt that Dylan should just walk away from Mira. I never felt that their relationship would truly lead to "long term", Instead the author had Dylan do something that just left me shaking my head. Mira never seemed to be the one admitting her wrongs. 3 stars

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hard Pressed is a stand alone sequel to Greener Pastures. You don’t need to read the first book unless you like to catch up on previous main characters. And I was happy that Audrey and Rowan make several appearances in this one.

Rowan’s business partner is apple cider distillery is Dylan Miller. They are one of many small produces in upper NY state. Mira Lavigne is black, and COO of a large, well known, high end cider producer. Her parents started the company and she has been doing her job for five years. She is elegant, femme and smart like the brand she represents. Dylan get chosen to be co-chair with Mira for the Finger Lakes Cider Week and Gala. Instead of butting heads as expected they work together well once they understand each other.

I like that femme/butch attraction between the two. They seem to come together organically and with a lot of heat. (This seems steamier then I remember Rey's previous book.) I love a relaxed weekend when Mira spends time with Dylan and her engaged sister. I love how attentive Dylan is to Mira’s ideas and wishes. This was well on its way to five stars until the angst moment. I didn’t buy into the Dylan’s reaction and accusations. It isn’t an attractive side to her and although the apology is very sweet it left me unsettled as much as I was cheering for the relationship. I also would have enjoyed them interacting as a couple more with the sister or Audrey and Rowan. The book is very focused on just the main characters. But those are small downsides for me in this book and I still give a big recommendation.

I’ve enjoyed every book I've read written by the author and look forward to her next one. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

I struggled to connect with this book, although I loved the premise and had high hopes. I love all types of hard beverage based books - winerys, breweries, distilleries - so I was really excited to read about a cidery. I loved that Mira was a black woman business owner. I liked the juxtaposition of “new” vs “old” methods. My issues with the book is I was hoping for more world building; there really isn’t that much description of scenery or either of our characters enjoying what I imagine is a really beautiful part of the world. Instead the book heavily relies on dialogue, much of what seemed repetitive. I like spicy scenes in my romance, but found that there was a very large focus on Mira and Dylan’s sexual relationship while there wasn’t enough of them really getting to know one another. Large chunks of the scenes which I think may have added more depth to the story and to pacing but they were skipped over. For example Mira meets Dylan’s sister and friends, but they just meet briefly and then the scene skips to the next day. I just didn’t end up feeling like I really knew or understood the characters and overall was left feeling a bit let down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

This is sort of a sequel to Rey’s Greener Pastures, while I think you could read it as a stand-alone I would advise against it.
I did like Greener Pastures better than this one though.

What I really liked about this book is a black lead, we don’t get many of those. A black female lead working in and industry dominated by white men, it’s really nice. But also not used enough. There’s a tiny reference here and there about the industry mbo the our leads work in, but nothing major. While it isn’t necessary in a romance per se, I do think this one needed a little something. The writing fell a little flat for me and with a dark moment at the 80% mark I just felt a bit disappointed by this book.

Rey is a good writer and I’ve enjoyed previous books by this author, this one is just missing that little something for me.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 stars rounded up*

Hard Pressed is an LGBTQ+ romance between two rival hard cider makers in upstate New York. Mira is a hardworking, driven young woman starting to take the reins of her family's longstanding business, while Dylan is new to the game and all about carving out her own unique niche.

Mira is all about tradition, Dylan all about creativity, and... well, you know what they say about opposites.

And of course, the setting is to die for... I may be biased, but I think upstate New York apple groves are the perfect backdrop to any story.

I'll be honest, and I hestitate to say it, but I didn't quite manage to finish this one. I know it's a low angst, sweet romance, but it tends to make the plot seem a bit dull at points. This is a huge caveat though, because I know for a lot of readers, this is just the kind of romance they're looking for.