Meet Tap, Stout, and Porter. All three Men of Lovibond standalone novels are now available in this single volume.
TAP—
All I wanted from her was a dirty weekend . . . until that wasn’t enough and I longed for so much more.
She’s my business partner’s sister. Forbidden fruit. Pursuing her can mean trouble for me at Lovibond Brewery. But I don’t care.
An epic love.
A miserable ending.
Unless it’s not.
STOUT—
Adelyn Maxwell is my neighbor but she’s no girl next door. The more I come to know her, the more I discover she’s a good girl with a lovely dark side. And maybe I don’t want her to stay on her side of the fence.
These twists and turns of fate will become one of two things: a wrecking ball to tear us apart or the connection to bond us together forever.
PORTER—
Frankee Dawson is no longer that girl I once called Kiddo. She’s grown into a beautiful, sexy, desirable woman. Very desirable. And that’s a problem. She’s my employee’s daughter. Lovibond family. And too young for me. Too innocent.
This was supposed to be a hot summer fling. Sex and fun without commitment. That’s what we called it. But we were wrong. This is more.
There are a million reasons for her to leave me. And trust me, she should. But all I really need is one good reason for her to stay.
Amazon US | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA
TAP ~ 4 stars
I regret waiting so long to start this series. I judged a book by its cover (and cover copy) and assumed this series was too light-hearted for me. I was sorely mistaken. Tap dealt with some incredibly difficult things and handled them well. I really enjoyed Lawrence (Wren) & Lucas (Brou)’s story.
Wren and Brou’s story (kind of) falls into the brother’s best friend trope. I love me a good brother’s best friend book, so this totally hit the mark there. Add to that the, erm, interesting way Brou actually began communicating with Wren, and I was hooked. I loved their yin & yang dynamic, and the chemistry they shared was immediately evident.
Lucas’ past took me by surprise. He had seemed so strong, so self-assured, so whole, when I found out what he’d been through my heart broke for him. The fact that he carried on in the way he did was a statement to the strength of character he possessed. I was equally impressed with Wren and how she had overcome the horrors of her past and how she then demonstrated how far she had come from that little girl when she knew her worth and wouldn’t settle for anything less than she deserved.
I’m not a beer girl, but I could appreciate how big of a role it played in this book. It was evident Ms. Cates did her research as far as brewing and tasting beer. I loved how she used that aspect of the world she built to bring her characters closer to one another. There were constantly little snippets concerning the beers that demonstrated the connection the characters had. It was a fun and unique way to show how closely Brou paid attention to all the things that Wren loved.
Georgia Cates did an excellent job of telling Brou and Wren’s story. She touched on some very tragic situations without ever crossing the line into making the story depressing; the moments of levity she added saw to that. I particularly loved how she handled the epilogue. Too many times they’re all sunshine and roses, but even in those final pages of the book Ms. Cates added a layer of tragedy and reality, while still giving her readers a satisfying ending
STOUT ~ 4.5 stars
I can not believe I waited SO long to read these books! I thought Tap was going to be my hands down favorite book in this series, but Stout easily surpassed it. Both Adelyn and Oliver far exceeded every preconceived notion I had about them. I quickly fell in love with both of them and was sorely disappointed each and every time I had to put this book down to tend to my everyday life.
The books in this series can be read as stand-alones, as they each focus on a different couple, but I would highly suggest reading Tap before starting Stout, as it gives precious insight into Oliver’s past. His past is essential to who he is as a person and not explored as fully in this book as it was in his sister’s, likely because she was older when it all happened, and she would remember more of the horrors they had experienced.
Adelyn and Oliver’s connection was immediate and intense. I loved that they understood one another in a way no one else did; I hated the reasons why they experienced that type of understanding, but it made their relationship unique and unimpeachable. From the beginning, they put their trust and faith in each other and allowed them to see the darkest most secret parts of their soul. It was that connection, that aspect of their relationship that I so greatly enjoyed.
One of my favorite aspects of Stout was how wholly it focused on their relationship. Even when there were horrific outside forces working against Adelyn and Oliver, they focused on their trust and affection for one another. Stout was far from all sunshine and roses, like any real relationship, and it was this focus on how they worked through the rougher parts of life that spoke to me. I loved the care they took with one another when they came across things that could have easily destroyed a relationship not built on the type of relationship theirs was.
The only thing I could wish for this book is that there was more. In no way am I saying this story is lacking – it wasn’t – it was wonderful and developed and left no loose ends. I am just so enamored by Adelyn and Oliver’s story I would have loved to have been able to spend even more time with them.
Georgia Cates’ Lovibond series is excellent, thus far. I have loved both books I’ve read and can not wait to open up Porter to get my final taste of the Lovibond world. I also appreciate how different she has made each book, while still making the world feel the same. Each hero and heroine has been completely unique, and all of them have been wonderfully compelling. I’ve loved each book I’ve read by Georgia, but these Lovibond books may be my favorites.
PORTER ~ 4 stars
I have loved this series, and I’m sad to be finished with it. Each man of Lovibond was interesting and, while similar in their overt manliness, unique. Porter, while dealing with dealing with its own complicated situations, was a little lighter than the previous two books in the series. It was a little more taboo – without crossing any hard lines – than the previous two books in the series, but it still had a fresh, sweet quality to it.
The timeline in Porter crosses over that of Stout. We FINALLY get to learn about the mystery woman Porter was sneaking around with, as well as why he was so secretive about that relationship. Again, these books are all stand-alones, and this has the fewest references to the previous books in the series, but I would HIGHLY suggest reading the other two books in the series, so you have a good feel of the world and the characters within it.
Porter is an office romance, it also has a significant age difference but nothing untoward. The inner-office quality, along with the fact that Frankee’s dad also worked for Lovibond made for an interesting dynamic between Frankee and Porter. Add to that the fact they began their relationship as a summer fling, as Frankee was moving at the end of twelve weeks, and you get a lot of exactly what you’d expect from a summer fling. Porter was a lot steamier than its predecessors, and it was easiest to gauge the change in Frankee and Porter’s relationship by the feel of these scenes as their tone gradually changed from fun and flirty to something far more serious.
Frankee was a fascinating character, she seemed much older than her years, and I enjoyed how easily she fit into Porter’s life and his family. She was so fantastic at supporting him and guiding him through stressful situations, and she was incredibly understanding of things that happened in Porter’s life before she became a part of it.
While Porter didn’t quite have the heavy themes the first two books did, it wasn’t light on drama or tension. The conflict that arose was something I did not anticipate. I was sure I knew what was coming to build to the peak of this story, but I was sorely mistaken. The point of conflict for Porter and Frankee was intense and maddening and could have easily ripped even the most stable of couples apart. I appreciated the way they both dealt with what happened and how they were sure to allow one another to deal with things in the way they needed.
My wish for this book would be that some of the secondary plot lines be a little more fleshed out. There was a particular thread about Frankee’s father that never came to resolution; while it didn’t affect the overall tone of the book, I would have loved to have known how it wrapped up. I also would have loved to have seen a little more resolution to the major conflict in the book. Although it was completely wrapped up, as far as Frankee and Porter were concerned, I would have appreciated seeing the final fallout with the other person involved.
Georgia Cates constructed a lovely world in her Lovibond series. I loved the men, the women, the families, and the employees we were able to get to know. While all of the stories are complete, and major storylines wrapped up, I would love to get to revisit these characters again in the future. They were a joy to get to know and watch find their happy endings. It’s a true sign of how great a book or series is when it’s never enough and that is exactly how I feel about this series.
Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.
When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her music and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire it.
Facebook | Twitter | Website | Instagram | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub
Share this:
