Blog Tour + Excerpt + Review: "Better Luck Next Time" by Denise Grover Swank and A.R. Casella

I am delighted to participate in the blog tour celebrating the release of "Better Luck Next Time" by Denise Grover Swank and A.R. Casella, book #2 of the Asheville Brewing series. While it reads as a standalone, I highly recommend picking up the first book in the series ("Any Luck at All") as well because I loved it.

 

I've been excited to dive into this story ever since I finished the last book, and it turned out to be even better than I had hoped. When we last saw her, lead character Adalia Buchanan was kind of a hot mess, having recently been bailed out of trouble (literally) by her older sister, Georgie, and relocating from New York City to Asheville for a fresh start. Despite her problems, Adalia was incredibly sweet, funny, and likeable, and I really wanted good things to happen for her. Adalia's love interest, Finn Hamilton, also seemed to be a good person in spite of the various conflicts between him, Georgie, and Georgie's boyfriend, River. 

 

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of Finn and Adalia as a couple because they seemed so different, but they proved that opposites attract because the free-spirited artist and the preppy businessman worked surprisingly well together. I loved how supportive Finn was of Adalia's art, even if he didn't always show his support in exactly the right way. He saw her talent immediately and encouraged her to get back to doing what she loved, because he could tell that she needed art in her life to be happy. In return, Adalia encouraged Finn to find a path that would make him happy, even if it turned out to be something a bit different than what he'd expected. 

The book's secondary characters were just as much fun here as they were in the previous book, particularly River's aunt Dottie. Jezebel the devil cat still ruled the roost in hilarious fashion, though surprisingly, she seemed to become attached to Georgie and Adalia's half-brother Jack. Speaking of Jack, I enjoyed getting to know him a bit better and finally learning the secret he had been hiding back in Chicago, which wasn't quite what I expected it to be. I'm excited for Jack's story to come in the next book, when he will be paired with River and Finn's friend Maisie.

Overall, I loved "Better Luck Next Time" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book of the series. 

 

*Review copy provided by the authors via Social Butterfly PR. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

About "Better Luck Next Time"

The last person she wants might be the second chance she needs.

Better Luck Next Time, an all-new funny and heartfelt standalone romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Denise Grover Swank and A.R. Casella is available now!

Adalia Buchanan broke up with art, but it won’t break up with her. So she paints in secret, then destroys her work. Her mentor stole her art months ago, and she’ll never share her work again.

After he sold his brewery, Finn Hamilton’s life was supposed to be on an upward trajectory. Instead, he’s lost his way. When he stumbles upon Adalia destroying her painting, two thoughts come to mind: one, she looks like a Valkyrie with blonde hair swinging and paint flying from her blade, and two, she’s talented. Very talented.

Suddenly, she's no longer the sassy sister of his best friend’s girlfriend—she’s an intriguing, beautiful woman he’s dying to get to know better.

Too bad Adalia, who's infatuated with Pride and Prejudice, thinks he’s arrogant and conceited, a modern-day Mr. Darcy.

Then again, Elizabeth Bennett changed her mind about Darcy, so there may be hope for them yet...if they can survive an evil cat, a goat-obsessed artist, and their meddling families. 

 

 

Read an Excerpt from "Better Luck Next Time"

“Working outside of the office?” Finn asked once he’d lowered himself into the other chair.

“Sort of.” Adalia didn’t feel like telling him what she was really up to. Not after what he’d said to her. She was worried she’d see disappointment in his eyes, although for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why his opinion mattered. “But mostly playing the ‘Who are you?’ game.” She was slightly embarrassed to admit it, but it felt safer than talking about the résumé. Or her art.

He leaned back, his upper shoulder pressed against the railing around the small seating area, his arms crossed over his chest—did he always wear button-downs or polos?—and an amused look lit up his eyes. “Okay, you’ve got me. What’s the ‘Who are you?’ game?”

“It’s simple,” she said, leaning forward, sure this would scare him off. He might talk like a poet, but he was still a rich boy businessman. His name was Finn Hamilton, for God’s sake. “You find someone walking by and come up with a story about who they are and where they’re going.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“I’ll start.” She scanned the street and found the mother pushing the stroller as she emerged from a store. “That’s Willow. She’s a former executive of some BS company from Charlotte—they probably made toilet paper or something. Then her husband got a hair up his butt to move to Asheville. She was reluctant at first, but see that yoga mat sticking out of the bottom of the stroller?”

Finn turned slightly, nodding when he caught sight of the woman.

“She joined a Mommy and Me yoga play group and she’s considering becoming a yogi.”

His slight smile turned into a full-blown amused grin. “And her baby’s name?”

“Fig Tree, Tree being the middle name, of course.”

“Of course,” he said, still smiling. “But you never said where they were going.”

“Home. The baby’s about to go down for a nap and she’s eager to try the tantric sex method she learned from the instructor while they sipped organic oolong tea after class.”

Adalia had said it to shock him. She was pretty good at catching people off guard, and she’d come to recognize it for what it was—a defense mechanism to keep others at a distance. And she definitely needed to keep Finn at a distance. Only he didn’t look as taken aback as she’d expected. Instead, he pursed his lips as though giving it some thought. “Interesting how you jumped right to sex.”

A slow smile spread across her face. He’d surprised her, and she delighted in surprises. Good surprises. “You disagree?”

He let his arms drop to his sides and sat up slightly. “No, quite the opposite.” He turned slightly to glance at the woman before turning back to Adalia. “I’m sure her husband is already waiting at home, ready to strip her naked the moment she walks through the door.”

The way he said it made Adalia shiver with anticipation, but she mentally shook herself. This was Finn. The man who’d betrayed River by selling Big Catch to one of those mega conglomerates with so many product lines the people who ran it probably only knew about half of them. Finn Hamilton was much too good-looking, rich, and cocky for his own good. He was used to getting anything and anyone he wanted, and she wouldn’t be one of his conquests. Not her and not her art either. 

 

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