Speakeasy (True North, #5)

by Sarina Bowen

• ISBN10: 1950155757
• ISBN13: 9781950155750
• Publish Date: 29 January 2024 (first published 26 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Tuxbury Publishing LLC
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 290
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

It's been a while since I spent some time with the Shipley's, and it was great to be back.

May had quite an emotional journey in this book. Parting ways with her cheating and emotionally abusive ex-girlfriend was not easy for her. She thought it just added to her hot-mess status. But, in reality, May was made of much stronger stuff, and I think she finally was able to see that by the end of the book.

She had a lot in common with Alec. They were both grossly underestimated by their families, and therefore, had something to prove. I really liked them together. I liked that they saw the best in one another, and were supportive without being judgmental.

There were a lot of other things I really enjoyed like all the beer talk, food talk, grandpa, and the bar jokes. This was fun with just the perfect amount of drama and emotion.

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[thebookdisciple]

Bowen brings us back to Vermont in Speakeasy. I never thought I would crave Vermont so much! May, our heroine, finds her live in girlfriend kissing another girl. Alec swoops in an rescues her like a true hero! I appreciated the depth that Bowen takes on with these characters. May's sexuality and alcoholism are topics that play a major role in the story. However, Bowen also knows when to lighten things up too.

May's struggle with addiction has shaped her and her family. Her family has always handled her with kid gloves for fear they might set her off. May is tired of it all, so the story is not just about her relationship with Alec, but about repairing her relationship with her family. The Shipley's are great and they provide some levity with their zaniness! May is also not sure that a real relationship with Alec would ever work. She is sure that friends with benefits is all they could be.

Alec is steady a s rock. He is one of those book boyfriends who just makes you swoon. He is so laid back. It was refreshing to have a character who is just kind of going with the flow as an opposite to the heavy emotions that May experienced.

Speakeasy is another stellar entry in Bowen's True North series and further reminder why Bowen is one of my go to authors!

 

• POV: dual 1st


• Tears: no


• Trope: addiction, friends with benefits


• Triggers: none


• Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series


• Cliffhanger: (show spoiler)[no] (hide spoiler)


• HEA: (show spoiler)[yes] (hide spoiler)

Character driven stories like Good Girl by Jana Aston, Wasted Words by Staci Hart, Fighting for Everything by Laura Kaye...then you will probably like Speakeasy!

 

Speakeasy

See full review on The Book Disciple

[Rowena]

I haven’t been in the mood to read lately so it took me a little bit to get this book read but it’s another winner for me. Sarina Bowen is an amazing writer and I adored Alec and May’s story. I connected with both of their characters so much and am really hoping we’re going to get more True North books. Full review to come but this one was so good!

[stacey_is_sassy]

It’s easy to exceed low expectations…

A wee bit spoilerish if you haven't read this series yet, please, proceed with caution.

I can truly sympathise with both May and Alec because I too suffer from…Middle Child Syndrome. Scoff all you like, but it’s a known fact that we, the middle child, are overlooked, forgotten and misjudged. I too have seen the shock on relatives faces when, surprise, surprise, I do something well. For me - *Oh, you’re a book reviewer? I didn’t even know you could read…* - NICE!! (slight exaggeration) For Alec, he’s a good-looking guy who likes to party, so, of course, he should hang out in a bar. If he owns and works the bar and it succeeds, it’s only because a partier knows what a partier wants…not because of long hours and hard work. In May’s case, she’s a recovering alcoholic which means she’ll always be A RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC.

You’re probably all doing one of those soft chuckles, shaking your head at us poor middle children. But honestly, we get it tough. I’ll give you an example…growing up I had to do whatever activity my sister did. I was a tomboy, she was a girly girl. My mother made me do JAZZ BALLET…I still have nightmares. Both my older and younger sisters are DRAMA QUEENS (in the nicest possible ways), me, I get nervous answering the telephone. Guess who was signed up for a singing ensemble?

I better stop here, or the rest of the review will be about…It’s the Hard-knock Life…for a middle child.

So, I get it, I really and truly get it. Alec and May have to face life’s battles while also prove that they are more than the partier or the alcoholic. I don’t know why but it seems that friends and families have low expectations of a middle child. Even funnier, we tend to live up to those low expectations. Why try harder if all you expect is mediocre? Maybe, it’s because we love to, occasionally, surprise the bugger out of you.

In Speakeasy, we are treated to another visit with the Shipley family and the True North gang. I loved feeling like I was visiting old friends and having a catch-up. These characters have grown so much since the beginning and we get to witness them grow even further. Instead of cider, it was all about the beer this time.

You may be asking, well Sassy, how does a recovering alcoholic end up in a relationship with a bar owner? Well, my book reading friends, it certainly wasn’t an easy journey. It all came down to how much you want it.

IT, you ask?

A relationship will work if both parties want it enough. Sobriety works if you never forget where you’ve been and keep on keeping on, walking the path to where you want to go. I loved that it wasn’t easy for either Alec or May. If it was easy, I’m not sure I would have believed it. Sarina Bowen gives it to us real, and that’s why she’s a master at her craft.

Speakeasy was real and at times emotional. I loved the storyline, the characters and the feelings this story provoked in me. Yes, I understood the characters better because of our shared battles of living the life of a Middle Child, but it was more than that. I recognised May’s feelings of failure and hating to disappoint loved ones. I could sympathise with Alec when bad choices in your younger years seem to be a name tag you’ll wear for the rest of your life. I loved that by the end of the story, you couldn’t help but look at May and Alec in a new light. They are more than their pasts and their bad choices. Both want to move forward together and once they start to trust their feelings, it was obvious they were perfect for each other.

I’ll be a little honest here…I think I may love Alec a little more than May. Seriously, wait until you meet this guy. He’s far from perfect but he’s sweet, kind, thoughtful, hard-working, lovable, good with kids, sexy and honest.

Anyways…MIDDLE CHILDREN UNITE!!

I highly recommend Speakeasy and if you haven’t started the True North series yet, get to it.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

[Linda]

Speakeasy was such a tender and tentative romance, with two unlikely protagonists who fell for each other even if they were sure that was the wrong thing to do.