In conclusion, I still hate third act breakups. I know its a staple of the romance genre, but its slowly killing me. Especially when the writing is going as smoothly as Hawkins so expertly accomplished in this rivals-to-lovers story. I've read most of Hawkins latest works so I'm familiar with her skills as an author. She's going places.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I love reading a LGBTQIA+ novel especially WLW and coupled with the enemies to lovers trope, this was definitely the perfect romance book for me.

Wonderful read for fans of Alexandra Bellefleur or Ashley Herring Blake. Captivating from beginning to end with playful banter, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers tropes. I loved nods to areas within Washington state, which was fun as a local reader!

The world needs more WLW romances and Dana Hawkins proves again to be a leader in the field of lesbian fiction.

This was sweet and I loved the bar setting for this, and the competitiveness for the bar bonus felt authentic. However I would definitely say this was more rivals than enemies.

I loved that the chapters all had some sort of drink concoction for the titles. But I didn't love that It was sooooooo slow!! It really didn't kick into gear until about 60% of the way through.

Overall, If you enjoy a real slow burn, then this book is for you!! It was an easy read with a little bit of spice but it definitely didn't hook me in.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

This was very close to being a good book. Enemies to lovers, hot bartenders, and more queer Seattle vibes should have been a recipe for success. And I did like most of this book, especially Remi and Maya's initial rivalry and the surprisingly sweet and tender start to their relationship.

But, the writing was a bit inconsistent; at times it was strong and at others it was so cringy it actually took me out of the story. Side note - I just read Dana Hawkins' other book and I feel like the writing in that one was stronger, so maybe this was her first? For example, Gabriella (the bar owner) is basically the major plot device of this story but her character and motivations are never entirely believable.

And then there was the third act breakup, which had so much miscommunication and painful moments that I could barely read it and had to aggressively skim through.

I do believe with some stronger editing this could be a fun four-star romance, so hopefully that happens before pub day! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I must say I now understand why people swoon over rivals to lovers after reading this book, love mutual pining, love the banter.
I can't lie and say Remi didn't piss me off at the beginning, but I think it added spice to this book, she's a great character full of personality, and Maya too, a bundle of anxiety that deeply cares about the people close to her.
I just loved them both so much, they suit each other perfectly, and I was so close to crying reading this book.
This book had me giggling and kicking my feet, I had a great time, and I can't wait for the next book in these series!

In the first couple of chapters, I wasn’t sure if like the book at all because I had a strong dislike towards both of the main characters. However, once I got to know them more, I fell in love with them and needed to see how it would all play out.
The characters are well written and developed and the flow of the plot was excellent and made sense. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you for the arc! 🤍

I have to confess that for the first couple of chapters I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book! I soon changed my mind one I got to know both Remi and Maya better.
The impact of childhood trauma on adult life, decisions and relationships gave this book a depth of emotion I honestly wasn’t expecting!
A great cast of supporting characters who I hope will get their own chance to shine I.e. Sophie and Ben.
Also, a new author for me to add to my list in the future.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. This is an honest review.

Bartender Remi James is trying to save to buy her first home, but the bank says they need her to have a much higher deposit or a salaried job. So, she is working hard to get the promotion that she deserves. Maya Marek is Remi's new competition. She is a ridiculously beautiful blonde, but she is Remi's competition, and Remi won't let anything stand in her way. But Maya has tuition to pay, and after being declined tuition assistance for her Nursing Masters, she is desperate for extra funds.

I really enjoy Dana Hawkins' romance novels! They're fast paced, easy to read and filled with loveable characters. I am always rooting for the main characters to throw aside their differences and get together. Remi and Maya definitely come out of their shells together, and seeing them mature together through their late night conversations is really lovely. They're super sweet when they're together.

Maya's mum and sister were also featured throughout the story, and her sister is incredibly sweet and fun! I loved that Mack, Charlie and Ben from Not in the Plan also make appearances!

You should read this if you enjoy:

🩷 Sapphic romance
🩷 Workplace rivalry
🩷 Slow-burn
🩷 Close proximity
🩷 Mostly closed door romance

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this one! All opinions are my own.

This is the second Dana Hawkins romance I've read so far this year and I am hooked on this series! I love the depth that the characters are given, how the dual POV adds to this and ensures you get a well-rounded view and how the relationships develop - even if you know you're going to get a happy ending.

I wouldn't really call this book an enemies-to-lovers romance, perhaps more rivals-to-lovers. I just don't think the stakes are high enough for the love interests to be classed as enemies. That being said, the journey the two main characters go through together is really well realised and deals with a lot of different themes.

If you want a cute and cosy romance that will make you happy, this is definitely one for you - but I would recommend reading Not In The Plan first just to set the scene with some of the characters.

I am so invested in some of the side characters now too and need the next book to focus on Ben or Sophie (please!)

I loved ‘Not in the plan’ so had high expectations for this one, but I just didn’t enjoy it or get into it as much as that one. It was an okay read, but not one I will be rereading or raving about.
A sapphic grumpy/sunshine rivals to lovers, but for me a little too insta-love once they got together, I mostly loved the characters but they did irritate me occasionally.
Remi is such a bitch and I love her, very Delilah Green vibes. —“Her teeth were too white. If she smiled wide and th sun was out, she was going to blind Remi, and she couldn't afford an eye doctor.”

I liked the background and family depth given to them, and for the most part they were really good at communicating and understanding one another, which is refreshing. But of course we had a little bit of a third-act conflict that slightly ruined this, but thankfully was quickly and easily resolved.

I found it little slow, especially to get into, and I would say it needs some revising and editing, it just doesn’t feel quite finished or polished. It is currently at ARC stage though, so may well be unedited. I don’t think it would take much for this to become a book I loved rather than liked, there’s a lot of good parts to the story and characters, just didn’t gel quite right with me.
The pacing felt a little bit off, and the characters a bit messy, same issue with the writing.
Overall it’s well written, but some of the phrasing feels weird.

It is very inclusive, with lots of differences represented, I loved Mayas family, Remis roommate/bestfriend Ben and the bar owner Gabriella.
I enjoyed and recommend if you want an easy sapphic romance.

This book was good. Not great, but good. There was nothing groundbreaking in the book, no major reveals, just a good book.

The best thing about the book, in my opinion, was the writing. I truly felt the pain Remi felt. I truly felt the heartbreak Maya was dealing with. Somehow the author projected all those feelings so well, right off the page. While the story wasn't amazing, the writing really was.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4⭐️

As with “not in the plan,” it took a while to get into the story, but it was worth it!
Maya and Remi completely live up to the enemies to lovers trope.
In Walked Trouble is a wonderful romcom that puts a smile on your face. I was also happy that there was less fade to black. The spice was definitely there! The characters were well developed and were allowed to be normal despite all their flaws.
Recommended!

Thanks netgalley for providing the arc. This is my honest review.

Dana Hawkins does it again, giving us messy Sapphics with a story that tugs on the heartstrings!

All Remi wants is a home of her very own after a childhood of foster homes, and she's so close to qualifying for a loan. Then her boss at the bar, Gabriella, brings in another bartender to compete with Remi. Maya is home from university for the summer and looking to pay for tuition for her nursing degree. Gabriella has promised a bonus to the bartender who does the best, and the competition is on.

This is the second book in the Single in Seattle series, and it is just as fun as the first. The chapter names are mixed drinks mingled with the women's feelings to give a hint at what's to come. Remi's story is very much like those of foster kids I knew in childhood and is handled with grace. Maya's grief is extremely relatable too, and the growth for both women is amazing. This is a beautiful story, and I can't wait for the next one (maybe Sophie's story??)!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy!

This workplace sapphic romcom is a very quick, fun and entertaining read.

I like a good rivals to lovers as much as the next person, so I really enjoyed the premises of this book. Yes, their rivalry is a bit childish, yes, Remi was quite mean at the beginning, but it's compelling, it's funny and the tension is very well done. Their relationship evolves nicely, with intimate moments interspaced with external challenges. All the tropes are very well handled and make for a very sweet romcom with summery vibes.

I also like how special the setting is, with CHAPTER TITLES named after drinks (how amazing is that??). That element, along with well developed secondary characters, completely charmed me. Ben and Harper and Gabriella are the cherry on top and complement the two main characters very nicely.

Now, on to the main issue I have with this book: the characterisation. It's very tell and don't show, which is really too bad because there was a LOT of potential for Remi and Maya. Both have their traumas, which are handled quite well, but it could have been even more interesting and heart-warming if we had been shown instead of told what they needed from their ideal partner. This led to a disappointing third act break-up, which was just too basic (even though it as perfectly logical as a trauma response) to be believable and felt manufactured.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the chance to read this novel in advance in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this second book by Dana Hawkins. She is great at exploring the troubled pasts of her characters with sensitivity and showing the arc of growth in their characters. I also like how she conveys the importance of families - both biological and found - in the development of her characters as young adults.
I would recommend this and her first book to readers of LGBTQIA+ romance.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

DNF at 22%

There was nothing about this book that made me want to keep reading. The characters were bland and annoying and nothing really happened plot wise. Remi was mean and entitled and her only motivation was that she… really wanted to buy a house?? I’m sure this is elaborated on later in the book but without an explanation of why this is so important to her I had a hard time rooting for her. Maya had better motivations for wanting the money but her character still felt a little flat and her actions felt immature.
I also wanted more from the setting - this book takes place in Seattle but despite name dropping some landmarks and neighborhoods it felt like it could have taken place anywhere.

I’ve only seen positive reviews so maybe this book gets better but I just couldn’t bring myself to keep reading

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm for the ARC!!

I was ready to dive into another cute rom-com and this was a good one! This book has such a laid back plot that will have you reminiscing on your first love. Definitely a feel good, easy book to read.

Overall, I thought this book was fine. I liked that each chapter was named after a drink; that was cute. I also liked that the book was an easy read. The alternating POV chapters made it so the story was paced well. The spice was decent, though there was a decent amount of fade to black moments despite the spice itself being pretty descriptive. I liked Maya a lot, and I really really liked all the side characters. Remi...I found...difficult. She was an abrasive character who was deeply flawed and in need of serious therapy, which is absolutely fine if there is then growth and that realization by the character by the end of the book. But she never fully got there for me and the "love will conquer all" end felt too cliche. The competition also wrapped up with minimal flair, despite being a central part of the beginning of the story. It was also advertised as enemies to lovers but it was more work place rivals than a true enemies to lovers so that bothered me as well.