Loved the first book in this series, and I loved this one too. I always love a little rivals to lovers trope.

In Walked Trouble by Dana Hawkins is a solid read with a mix of romance and suspense. The story follows the classic formula of romantic tension, which initially drew me in. The chemistry between the protagonists is engaging, and the banter adds a fun dynamic to their relationship.

💡 The Vibe: Fun chemistry and witty banter between the leads 🔥, but the storyline feels a bit predictable 😅. The pacing---some parts felt dragged out, while others were rushed 🕰️.

Overall, In Walked Trouble is an enjoyable. It’s a decent choice if you’re looking for a light romance.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

In Walked Trouble is a perfectly fine sapphic romance. I had a lot of fun reading it and overall really enjoyed. But it’s nothing new or original and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you’re looking for a light read I think this book is definitely that.

Thank you Net Galley, however I chose to DNF this book at 38%. The story just did not grip me the way I wanted and unfortunately lost my attention. I did enjoy Dana’s writing style and will try to read whatever else she writes.

This book's a fun queer romcom about two bartenders fighting for the same promotion. Remi's been grinding for years, hoping to finally buy a house. Then Maya shows up - gorgeous, blonde, and gunning for Remi's dream job. Cue the rivalry... and the sexual tension. As they duke it out behind the bar, trading snark and side-eyes, things start to heat up. Soon they're less focused on out-mixing each other and more on, well, mixing. It's your classic enemies-to-lovers setup with a boozy twist. If you dig stories where the "I hate you" slowly morphs into "I can't keep my hands off you," this one's right up your alley. Perfect for fans of queer romance who like their love stories with a dash of sass and a shot of steam.

In Walked Trouble by Dana Hawkins is a delightful sapphic romance that blends humor, heart, and a touch of drama. The story follows Remi James, a hardworking bartender with dreams of stability, and Maya, her charismatic coworker who is saving up for nursing school. Their dynamic is a classic grumpy/sunshine trope, filled with playful banter and undeniable chemistry.

What makes this book stand out is the depth of the characters and their emotional journeys. Remi and Maya both grapple with personal traumas—Remi’s unstable upbringing and Maya’s grief over her father's death. Their relationship evolves from initial friction to deep emotional intimacy, providing a satisfying and realistic portrayal of love and support.

The setting in a lively bar adds an engaging backdrop to their interactions, and the scenes where Maya showcases her bottle-tossing skills are particularly entertaining. The author’s ability to weave humor with heartfelt moments makes this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

If you’re a fan of well-crafted characters and a romance that develops organically, In Walked Trouble is definitely worth picking up. It’s a story that balances lightheartedness with meaningful exploration of personal growth and connection.

Thank you Net Galley and Nancy Warren, however due to personal things that had happen during the period that this book was to be published I was unable to read it and provide feeback.

A cute, enemies to lovers romance. Easy read, well paced and well written.

Recommend to any rom com lovers!

*Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

DNF at page 78, chapter 8. This was not the book for me.

We were already off on the wrong foot as Remi's anger feels so justified. Maya coming in at the same level as her after she's worked there for four years is such a terrible move by Gabriella and makes the whole set up feel uneven, and Maya hard to like as a consequence. Not helped by Gabriella pulling the "how dare you accuse me of nepotism" card like that wasn't exactly what she was doing.

The penultimate nail in the coffin was the revelation that Remi's poor attitude apparently comes from defending an underage coworker from harassment. Remi is great and customers who aren't awful people love her, but she needs to "stay in her lane". Was Maya going to face a similar scenario with a terrible person and let him do what he likes to keep the customer happy like Gabrielle wants? I'm assuming not.

I did enjoy trading viewpoints and if I was less turned off by the opening premise I think it could have worked for me. I liked the potential of both characters, or would have if the set up hadn't put me off of Maya entirely. If they had been on equal terms with similarly important goals for the money, I think this could have been onto a winner, but it just didn't work for me as it was and with the foundation so shaky I just didn't want to read on.

The book was so great!! The main characters were presented so well!! Honestly neeeeeeed moreeeeee from these characters!! Love this book!! ❤️ the ending was truly emotional and had me metaphorically gripping at the pages wanting to read more, love this book. Really need another book with Maya and Remi!!

This was such a fun LGBTQ+ book for Pride month! The story follows two women as they compete against each other for a large cash bonus at work, and fall in love as they work. It had mild hints of enemy to lovers, and hints of spice too!

I enjoyed the character development and how well their backstories were maintained. Remi is a badass who protects her heart of stone as a former foster child who has no one; while Maya had a healthy and happy childhood and loves fiercely. They balanced each other out perfectly and led to a well rounded love story.

Highly recommend for a fast read!

I have mixed feeling with this one: I thought Harper was just so childish and annoying, when the woman is a grown adult!! The romance didn't have any sparks and I couldn't feel the chemistry between our two main characters. I liked the restaurant setting and it was well enough written to make my mouth water. 2.5 stars

This book is the perfect romcom. I love everything about it. The characters, the setting, the relationship, the tropes… It’s so funny but also it made you think. I can relate so much with Remi, I feel her feeling. But I love Maya too.
Really, this book is so cute.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A very real romance

After working hard as a bartender, Remi is finally getting the promotion she deserves, with which she hopes to be approved for a home loan. Maya needs work to pay her tuition and complete her Nursing Masters. That's why she starts bartending back in Seattle. But what she doesn't expect is to be thrown into a competition for a promotion against Remi for a one-time cash bonus. That's how Remi and Maya become rivals. But working hard with and against each other can create some heat and tension that might turn into something more.

I loved every second of this book, of course. A rivals to lovers sapphic romance with banter, competition and heat? Count me in. This story was a delight from start to finish. I loved how real and relatable both characters were, and how determined they were to make their dreams come true. It was sweet and very entertaining to watch them go from rivals to friends to something more and deeply beautiful and sweet. Their relationship was far from easy, but they both had to choose what to do about it, and it's something that's very real and true and makes everything worthwhile. The writing was addictive and immersive, the plot gripping and full of trials for out protagonists that had me aching in the best way. The romance was truly beautiful, heartfelt, emotional and hot, all that I love in a good romcom. I'm eager to read more by this author!

I highly recommend this sweet and intense sapphic romcom!

"Solitude equaled comfort. Excpectation equaled heartbreak."

TW: sexually explicit scenes

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC of Dana Hawkins’ 2nd sapphic contemporary romance “In Walked Trouble”. Our FMC Remi is the lead bartender at Nueve- and she’s getting a co-bartender for the summer- Maya, a family friend of Gabrielle- Nueve’s owner and someone who might get the bonus Gabrielle is offering. The first few interactions between Remi and Maya are intense- they don’t understand or like each other. But from their disgust/ they start to understand and fall for one another.

I loved Hawkins last novel- “Not in the Plan”. Charlie and Mack were everything to be. I believed their love so much. I didn’t get that with Remi and Maya. Their enemies to lovers time wasn’t long enough for me to really get that they hated one another. And then they fell quickly.

Hawkins writes such dynamic characters and has disability rep in both novels. Overall I give this a 3/5 star. All characters have heart and I can feel their issues and see their growth throughout the novels, but the romance fell flat for me. Im hoping for a third in the PNW Queer romance series that Hawkins has created for us.

3.5 Stars. I had a bit trouble getting in the story because the stakes weren’t high enough for me and let’s be honest, in Remi’s shoes, if my boss was even considering given a bonus to a new bartender when I worked my ass off for 4 years, I would quit ! But after learning to know the characters, I was invested. The enemies to lovers added some spice without being dragged for to long. They are both endearing with hard backgrounds and both chase something to feel complete. Remi was my favorite character. I really understand her need for stability and the way she fights to have a home until she realizes home can be someone and not just a roof. It was touching and her character growth satisfying. Maya’s character was really likable too and I was glad I could see diabete 1 representation with Maya’s sister.
The third act break up was legit, and very understandable given Remi’s backstory. Poor girl would need some therapy. But the sequence of fights before the break up was a bit to much for me and frustrating for me to read.
But overall this was a well paced and sweet story to read.

In Walked Trouble is a super cute sapphic romance, that also deals with some heavier subjects with the characters backstories...in other words, my exact taste in books!

Remi grew up in foster care, and is a bartender awaiting a promotion to be able to get a house loan for her dream home. Maya is about to do her Nursing Masters, but is back home in Seattle living with her family and gets a job at the local bar. Now they are working together and are rivals, both competing for the same promotion.

I love a romance that has characters with developed backstories, and In Walked Trouble definitely had that. Remi has had a tricky upbringing being moved around in the foster care system. As much as I hate the way that the third act breakup was heading (I'm not a fan of miscommunication, and it was headed that direction), I think it all made sense for the way we grew to know Remi's character.

I really enjoyed the forced proximity with the bar setting! There were also some great discussions around being a bartender, in one scene a customer says “Come on now, I’m serious. I’ve tipped you like a hundred bucks. What do I have to do to get your number?” and we get some great commentary on sexism: "And there it is. This deep-rooted, misogynistic idea that she now owed him something because he’d dropped some cash."

We also had a side character with Type 1 Diabetes. As I can't speak to how well the representation was done, I will be looking for any own voices reviews from any diabetic readers.

Overall, I really loved this one! Characters who feel like real people, developed backstory, diverse side characters, cute romance...it ticks a lot of my boxes! I would definitely recommend for my sapphic book lovers, and I will be keeping an eye out for future books from this author. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy.

A Sapphic Cocktail of Delight

Remi has been senior bartender at Nueve's for a while, having worked there four years and learned all the tricks of the trade. But the one thing she longs for is her own home, though she loves living with her cousin Ben. She just needs to get promoted to head bartender.
We met Ben - Charlie's BFF - in the first book in the series, Not in The Plan.
There's a proverbial spanner in the works with new co-bartender Maya.
The blonde ice princess is her competition for the coveted bonus that manager Gabriella is handing out if sales increase by twenty five percent.
Whilst Remi needs it to help her buy a new home, Maya needs the fees to get her MA in Nursing. Her passion for healing comes from having a little sister - Harper - with type 1 diabetes and seeing her battle each day.
Both women have until the summer to prove they deserve the bonus, so the competition is on, and it's hot and fierce.
Probably one of the best scenes in the early part of the budding romance, is the fall 'drink menu' part.
Remi and Maya are forced to spend a Sunday together creating and mixing drinks. In their quest to perfect the right combinations, the connection between them starts to build into something more.
I particularly love the scene with Remi minding Harper, whilst Maya is in the shower after the cocktail menu designing session. Remi thinks with Harper, she's discovered a "twelve-year-old Yoda". And she's not wrong, the tween is wise beyond her years, probably having had to deal with type 1 diabetes over half her life has inured her to disappointment and pain, making her a little jaded, but also very smart and sparky. She's definitely a highlight of the book.
Sophie is another great character, never mind Gabriella, Laney and the amazing Darius. I want more of these people.
As with all romances, there are ups and downs, and the structure of the novel is pitch perfect, using something like cinematic 'beats' to create story arcs and increase tension near the end of the book.
The spicy bits are comfortable and well written as well as chilli level spicy, and I loved this book.
It deals with grief, dreams, abandonment trauma, fear and health scares.
Plus a fabulous found family.
But don't worry, there's a very satisfying HEA.