Pretty Sassy Cool All Things Pretty, Sassy, and Cool.
We’ve really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters in Layla Reyne’s Agents Irish and Whiskey series and its spin-off series, Trouble Brewing. Awhile back, we chatted with Nic and Cam from Imperial Stout, and we were thrilled to have Cam come back with his BFF Jamie from Craft Brew! Today we’ve got Aidan and Nic from the latest book in the Trouble Brewing series, Noble Hops! 🙌 We’ve got the 411 that you need about Noble Hops down below, as well as an excerpt an a fabulous giveaway, so stick around until the end. 😊
***INTERVIEW***
Aidan: * leans forward, lowers his voice * So a couple years back—
Nic: As not your lawyer, I advise you to not finish that sentence.
Aidan: I’m a saint.
Nic: * rolls his eyes * Still a lie.
Aidan: Okay mister skipped out on a grand—
Nic: Neither of us are saints, but we both took an oath, and we do our best to stay on the right side of law.
Aidan: *smiles* This is why he’s the courtroom professional.
Aidan: That elephant has long since deflated. I was a dick. End of story.
Nic: Yes, you were, but you had a lot going on, and I also should have realized what was going on with you and Jamie sooner. But we’re both adults in our mid-forties who can admit when we were wrong and move on.
Aidan: We were friends and colleagues first, with a lot of things in common. Our legal training, how we approach our work—
Nic: Addiction to coffee.
Aidan: And Bay Area sports teams, except your Kings. I won’t go there.
Nic: I don’t blame you.
Aidan: * laughs * Which is to say, we were even better friends after, due to all we have in common, and due in no small part to our significant others.
Nic: Those sports allegiances we mentioned…
Aidan: Let me tell you how this past Super Bowl went.
Nic: * affects a Boston accent * Brady is the Greatest of All Time.
Aidan: He was fucking insufferable.
Nic: You didn’t have to go home with him. He still hasn’t shut up about it.
Aidan: The obnoxious Patriots fan aside, as we were watching the game, Jamie and Cam carried on entire conversations in half sentences, their own sort of shorthand.
Nic: I saw them work like that in Boston on Erin’s case. It was incredible.
Aidan: We can’t begrudge them that.
Nic: Especially when we frequently lapse into legalese on them.
Nic: * no hesitation * Irish Red.
Aidan: That was too fucking easy.
Nic: * smiles and shrugs * And me?
Aidan: Scapa. It’s one of the Northern-most distilleries in Scotland, on the Orkney Islands, and is sometimes unreachable due to the ice. But once you taste it, it’s surprisingly sweet, not as smoky as one would assume, and very approachable, as far as highland whisky goes.
Nic: * coughs to clear his throat * Thank you.
Aidan: His competence. My agents and I can do our jobs, as investigators on the order side, and have complete faith when we turn a case over to Nic and his team, that they’ll handle it on the law side.
Nic: You give us everything we need to work with. And bringing us in early makes it even easier. I appreciate that.
Interviewer: Okay, next—
Nic: Wait, that’s not my answer. What I admire most about Aidan is how he’s brought all of us into this family and held us together, no matter how hard we or others try to tear our family apart. He’s the center of the wheel and keeps us turning.
Aidan: * soft smile * I’ll buy you a bottle of Scapa for that.
Nic: You’re not getting a beer named after you.
Aidan: * pouts *
Nic: Lauren will have both our asses if she doesn’t get the next one.
Aidan: Fair point. And she scares me.
Nic & Aidan at the same time: He argues everything.
*Everyone laughs *
Nic: Not sure two lawyers trapped on an island together is the best idea.
Nic: A big family thing, maybe at Gravity, maybe out at Eddie’s place on the coast. I missed the party there last time, but I know from the wedding the next day, that the Talleys know how to do a party up right.
Aidan: Think we could fit everyone into a luxury box at Levi Stadium for a 49ers game? Because that’s where the party I’d throw for you would be.
Nic: * fist bump * Can it be when the Patriots are in town?
Aidan: That’s half the reason. And we’ll do the after party at Gravity, because we’ll need to drink after getting our asses whooped by the GOAT.
Nic: You’re starting to sound like your husband.
Aidan: Just you wait…
***About Layla Reyne***
Author Layla Reyne was raised in North Carolina and now calls San Francisco home. She enjoys weaving her bi-coastal experiences into her stories, along with adrenaline-fueled suspense and heart pounding romance. When she’s not writing stories to excite her readers, she downloads too many books, watches too much television, and cooks too much food with her scientist husband, much to the delight of their smushed-face, leftover-loving dogs.
***About the Book***
Noble Hops by Layla Reyne Also by this author: Single Malt, Cask Strength, Barrel Proof
Series: Trouble Brewing #3
Published by Carina Press on February 11, 2019
Genres: M/M Romance, Romantic Suspense
Character(s): Businessmen/Lawyers/Entrepreneurs, Detectives
Pages: 320
Goodreads Buy the Book
Everything Dominic Price has worked hard to uphold is about to come crashing down on everything he holds dear.
So much for the quiet life. Just as assistant US attorney and brewery owner Dominic Price is settling into a comfy new chapter with his partner, FBI agent Cameron Byrne, the sudden death of Nic’s father puts their happily-ever-after in jeopardy. Nic immediately suspects foul play, his prime suspect a notorious gangster his father was indebted to—only now the loan shark is out for blood.
Cam has been longing for Nic to finally let him in on this very personal case. But when Nic’s belief that he’s the sole Price heir is upended, the line between personal and professional starts to blur, leaving Cam unsure of where he stands.
Nic is depending on Cam’s kidnap and rescue expertise to save his recently discovered family member before it’s too late. But with a dangerous threat closing in, the ghosts from Nic’s past cast long shadows. Any relationship could crack under the pressure, but for Nic, finding his family might mean losing the love of his life.
***Excerpt***
Excerpt from NOBLE HOPS by Layla Reyne
Excerpt from NOBLE HOPS by Layla Reyne
“You’re here. That’s all that matters.” Cam teased the corner of Nic’s mouth, just short of a kiss, before he sat back and took another swig of his beer. He talked over Nic’s throaty rumble of frustration. “It feels like we’ve been gone forever.”
“Bird thinks so. Left us a surprise in your shoes.”
“In mine?”
“’Cause he likes me better.”
Traitor indeed, the both of them. “You stole my cat.”
“I showed your cat a better way.”
“No, you bribed him with extra food and treats. But I don’t want to argue about that right now. Got something else in mind.” He finished his beer, set the empty on the table next to Eddie’s, and stood. Nic moved to stand too, but Cam kept him seated, a hand on his shoulder and a leg thrown over his lap. “This okay?”
Nic rolled his hips, bringing their groins in grinding contact. “More than,” he said, voice rumbly for a different reason now. “This part of my body doesn’t hurt, at least not in the bad way. But I do wonder about the chair. This is how we broke the other one, if you recall.”
Cam waggled his brows. “How about we try to break all the chairs?”
“How about I get a kiss first?” Nic lifted his legs and bumped Cam forward.
Hands splayed on Nic’s chest, Cam kept himself from careening into him, but Nic, despite his injuries, seemed to want it rough, seemed to crave it as much as Cam did. Driving one hand down his back and the other into his hair, Nic dragged him close, smashing their lips together. Drinking with each long, slow swipe of his tongue, he drew a moan from deep within Cam, from that spot where his love for this man grew more and more each day.
“Still my favorite taste,” Nic mumbled, as they broke apart for air.
“You know…” Cam trailed a path of kisses along his jaw, softly pecking over the bruises. “Bird wasn’t the only one you taught a better way.”
“Even if I argue you to an early grave?”
Cam righted his head and gently took Nic’s face in his hands. “No talking of graves. And no arguing tonight.” He closed the distance again, wanting more closeness, more tastes of their future. “Just kissing. And celebrating this victory.”
“And fucking,” Nic growled. “Definitely part of this celebration.”
Cam grinned. “No objection, Counselor.”
***GIVEAWAY***
What do you think, Pretties? Be sure to grab NOBLE HOPS today!
