I totally don't understand how this happened. I really liked previous book by Layla Reyne - really really liked the Changing Lanes series for example - but this one... I kind of struggled with Imperial Strout. I started it, then had to put it back down again, started again and read a bit more, but somehow I wasn't hooked to the pages. Maybe it was because I haven't read the Agents Irish and Whiskey series, of which Imperial Strout is a spin-off of. I just thought since this is a spin-off it should probably be fine to be read as a stand-alone - nope - but I felt a bit lost because there was so much history and so many characters from the Agents Irish and Whiskey. Up till 25% so much information was dumped onto me and I didn't now what most of that meant, because I was missing the information from the original books. Also one substory was introduced after the other. I'm not sure if this info dump continues, but I had to call quits at 25%. I just wasn't invested in this book and the characters and also quite lost.

Maybe some day in the future I will pick up the Agents Irish and Whiskey series and maybe then I can enjoy Imperial Strout, but as it was now Imperial Strout wasn't for me, which is really sad.

This is Layla Reyne so of course I had to love it!! But sadly I couldn't really connect with the characters, or the setting, or the plot. I felt like I was just floating along trying to get into it but I just couldn't??? I've been spoiled by Relay.

4.5 Stars!

Goodness, why do I feel like the party is halfway done by the time I arrived? And that the lights are off before the party is over? But then as much as I want to shout out the words ‘What the hell is going on?,’ I just blame it on the fact that this is my first Layla Rene read and my confusion is some sort of a punishment for ignoring the word ‘spin-off.’

Imperial Stout is the first installment, yes. But apparently most of the characters appearing in this story have starred in the author’s past series and it feels as though this is a sequel. No, this couldn’t be. I must go back to where it started! But where is that exactly?

Anyways. Let’s talk about Dominic and Cameron’s story.

At first, everything was perplexing. I had a hard time coping with everything that was going on and I felt crowded by the sudden mention and appearance of new characters. Although after some time, and mind you, I had to take down notes to be able to memorize who was whom, I more or less caught up.

I honestly didn’t like the deviation of names. Cam for Cameron, Nic for Dominic (and most often, Boston), sometimes they call someone by his/her first, and then his/her last name, you know what I mean. Had that been more consistent, I would love this book twice as much.

And I love it. I enjoyed anticipating what’s going to happen from one scene to another especially about the case that both Nic and Cam’s team are working on. The mystery behind it is enough to keep me holding my breath until the case is cracked. The dangers faced by the characters are so damn real and I found myself even more in awe towards the end when the mastermind has been revealed.

Nic and Cam’s romance was treated like a side story. Turns out they’ve known each other for a while and have had the same fantasy since the first time they’ve met. Even though they are both preoccupied by the case, their attraction vibrated throughout the story like it would explode even without a trigger. I wish their first kiss happened as part of this book though, or was included in a form of a flashback so I could witness it. Because you see? I’m a sucker for those kind of scenes. And it’s almost past fifty percent of the book that one of them got down to his knees. But the sex couldn’t be more stimulating. So real, so good.

I have a feeling the following book will be far more intense. The ending is forgivable but I was left with questions. Nic’s family mess turned out to be more serious than I gave it credit for but looks like a good mystery for the characters to unravel in the sequel.

This is a really nice start for a series and I absolutely recommend it. If you have read and enjoyed the Agent Irish and Whiskey series, you will enjoy this book as much as I did, maybe even more.

***And ARC of this book was privided by the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review***

Storywise this book was exciting from beginning to end. It started with a blast and stayed pretty action packed!

In terms of characters this was a bit of a miss for me personally. Well, partly? I do adore Cam! He's a fantastic guy; sweet and funny. I enjoyed his POV very much but not so much his love interest *sigh*

Sadly I never warmed up to Nic. I didn’t like him much in the previous series / book where he kept showing up and I'm afraid I continued getting bad vibes from him throughout this book :(

I would have LOVED this book a lot more if I'd been able to ship those guys 200% - As it is, I enjoyed the romance itself, even tho Nic doesn’t work for me; it’s all very well written, just like all the other books by Layla! I am a fan!

I didn’t like Abby, the kidnapper woman (yikes) and that FBI dude, Bowers? Such a pain!

The bottom line is... I’m gonna stay #TeamAiden&Jamie. I might check out the upcoming title in this series so long it's M/M.

▽

Many, many thanks to the publisher who kindly provided a free copy for an honest and impartial review

I was really looking forward to this one after seeing Nic and Cam's smoking hot chemistry in the Irish & Whiskey novella - Blended Whiskey. They shared a steamy kiss scene that promised so much more. They are both really interesting men.

Imperial Stout was good but not what I was hoping for.

The chemistry they displayed in that one kiss from the novella was more than anything we get here. Don't get me wrong - I like them together but they spend a lot of time staring longingly at each other and have a few hot sex scenes but the actual time spent together laying the foundation of a relationship? Not so much.

This is the first book in their story arc so it doesn't need to come together right away - but their internal monologues pretty much have them in love already while the reality doesn't quite match up.

The case they are both teamed up on works a bit more with good suspense and twists that keep you guessing and brings in a lot of the former crew.

Another thing that didn't work for me was how much Reyne went back to the same well for plot when it came to the men. I don't want to get into too much because of spoilers but a lot of this felt like a retread of the previous series but without the emotional weight of Aiden's grief and Jamie desperately trying to break down his walls.

The main case was interesting but there were a few more plot threads going on that kept distracting from the main case and rang a familiar tune. It could be interesting in the next book but only if it takes a new turn.

It was nice to revisit everyone and I do like both Nic and Cam but I'm not sure if this is going to be a must read series like Irish & Whiskey were.

The over-the-top opening chapter left a lot to be desired and unfortunately, I don't think it got any better. I mostly enjoyed the Irish & Whiskey series but this was a dud for me.

I am so glad that Ms Reyne did a spin-off of the Irish and Whiskey series and it features Nic and Cam. These two do dance around each other for a large part of the book, but once they finally some the dancing, the fireworks exploded. This book picks up not long after Blended Whisky and their first kiss. Now they are working on a case together involving attempted theft from a dignitary who is going to show them at a museum opening. Things go FUBAR and Cam ends up going undercover. We find out about some of Cam’s past and he has to call on that experience to make it out alive. There were times that I was really worried that things were going to go terribly wrong. And while all this is going on, the people that Nic’s estranged father owes a huge amount of money to, start taking potshots at Nic. This was definitely a sit on the edge of your seat read. Oh and I so hate Nic’s boss and want to know what is driving his anger and hatred. I can’t wait for the next book in this series, so Ms Reyne, write faster ;)

Based on my COMPLETE AND TOTAL love for all things Whiskey & Irish, <b>Imperial Stout</b> should have been a home run for me. Unfortunately, Ms. Reyne sacrifices the development of her primary characters in favor of a not-very-compelling suspense plot, and the novel suffers.

In this first book of the new <i>Imperial Stout</i> series, I hoped to get to know Cameron and Dominic and their individual backstories. Had Ms. Reyne spent more time developing these two, I would have been more invested in the suspense plot that brings them together. Instead, Ms. Reyne assumes her reader knows and already loves these two, and has them lusting after each other every time they meet. They're both territorial, stereotypical alphas who can't go it alone/are the best at everything they do/are plagued with demons from the past.

Look, I like a super capable alpha, but lawyers who sit at a desk or in a courtroom all day (Dominic) are rarely bad asses in a street fight or when facing unknown 'baddies.' And guys who barely know the case in question are rarely inserted deep undercover to stop major art thefts with criminal gangs who know next to nothing about them. Regardless of makeovers that make them look street tough. Please.

The villains are over the top caricatures who catch a lot of breaks/smoke a lot of dope/have a lot of sex...and barely plot or connive to do much of anything.

Nothing about this novel rang true or authentic and it was a disappointment from start to finish.

Having read and loved the Irish & Whiskey series, I was eagerly awaiting Imperial Stout. Nic and Cam set the pages on fire! Their chemistry is off the charts hot. They also have a beautiful emotional connection. Both are leery about getting in too deep with the other but are unable to stop their need for each other.

Layla Reyne continues to create this world that you just get lost in. I didn't put this book down until the end. It was great seeing some favorite characters again but the focus and drive of this story is Nic and Cam. The book doesn't end in a cliffhanger but as more of a continuation. I have already pre-ordered the next book in this series, Craft Brew. I need more Nic and Cam!!!!

Seeing a new Layla Reyne book pop up happens to be one of those things that makes me happy. I LOVED her Agents Irish and Whiskey series. Readers in fact meet Nic and Cam in that series. I do believe that any reader could start the Trouble Brewing series without having read the books that this spin off series happened from. I do however believe that you'll enjoy Imperial Stout more if you start with Single Malt.

From the very start of Imperial Stout readers are aware of the strong attraction between Dominic Price and Cameron Byrne. They both acknowledge the fact that they have been dancing around the beginnings of something that has left neither man sure where to continue where they left off after a scorching hot kiss just a couple of weeks before.

I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of this series. Both Nic and Cam have pasts that they haven't shared with each other. Some of those secrets have barely been shared with those closest. Nic's past has already caused him some major grief. It's shaped him into the man he is now. It is also currently front and center and threatening to harm him and those closest to him.

The past that Cam is trying not to ever revisit forces him to do exactly that as he goes undercover for the case that he is currently working. The life that Cam left behind when tragedy struck too close to home has provided him with the skills that he needs to infiltrate a heist crew. All of this adds the perfect amount of intrigue and suspense.

Favorite quote: Nic to Cam: “No, Boston. ’Cause I like the taste of my beer on you.”

I must say that the first few chapters of this book were super confusing. I picked it up because it was first in a series and yes, I knew it was a spin-off of a previous series that many of my friends enjoyed. I thought coming in at the beginning of a new series would be a good place to start, but I was wrong. Throwing readers into action in the first chapter that used previous characters without an explanation as to the dynamics and relationships was very, very confusing. There really wasn’t even a backstory on their mission or their agencies or their work history, so unless someone reads the other series first, this is a tough one to read as a standalone.

Dominic “Nic” Price is a US attorney and he also owns a brewery. Cameron Byrne is a Special Agent with the FBI specializing in kidnap and rescue operations. Apparently, the two met and shared a first kiss in one of the books of the previous series so there’s somewhat of a relationship there at the start.

I had to consult the blurb a few times to keep the story straight because there was so much action and so many former character names and acronyms used that I was easily confused. Maybe it’s just me, but I like my stories to build slowly or at least give me a backstory immediately after the initial explosion of action, but I didn’t get that here. Then there’s a secondary plot that never gets resolved, but is apparently connected to Nic’s estrangement from his father. Someone is out to kill Nic, and somehow that’s connected to his father’s gambling debts. As the story closes, this subplot is brought back to the forefront so I suspect it’s going to be featured in the next book.

In the meantime, to get to the heart of the burglary and kidnapping that occurred in this story, Cam volunteers for an undercover operation that will be emotionally painful for him. It’s related to a tragedy in his past but it’s never quite clear exactly what that is. His coworkers and boss, who was away on his honeymoon as the story opened—another former book storyline—all seem to understand exactly why it’s a problem. Nevertheless, the main plot is resolved and he and Nic get together romantically by the end of the book, after a series of starts and stops due to work conflicts.

I would recommend this to someone who has read the author’s previous stories, but not to someone like me who had no clue of the history and backstory of this band of characters. Even now, days after finishing, I’m still trying to piece it together. Short of a full reread, which I’m not sure will help, I remain confused.

When I saw that this book was spun off of the Irish and Whiskey series I was excited. I liked what we had seen of Cam so far. I was more leery of Nic, as he came off as a cold fish. The case that they all worked on was a bit crazy. I started to suspect the head bad guy early on. There were quite a few twists to keep ahead of the bad guys. Cam’s role was interesting due to how it related to his past.

Nic’s past played a role too, but only because bad things kept happening to him. I was glad that the other figured out what was going on and like how now everyone is on board to help him out. It will make things interesting going forward as will the developing relationship between Nic and Cam.

This book starts and ends with so much action, it's fantastic! Such a captivating story, you don't want to put it down. I am so glad to be back in this world with the guys, makes me want to go re-read Jamie and Aiden's story.

Nic and Cam are such interesting characters and i LOOOVE an age gap, and older characters on top of that (youngest being in his thirties).

Bowers needs to go, he is such an ass! An i really want to know who this "GS" person is.
Two things i don't love.
1- The reiterating of a second kiss, when it was the third. Did the courtroom kiss not count?
2- In the end, Cam has Lauren look into everything on Nic's father and who this "GS" person is.
I get he's FBI and wants to help Nic, but its something private to Nic and Cam is stepping over a trust boundary. When/if Nic is ready, he will tell him.

**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Imperial Stout is the first book in the new series which follows on from the popular Irish and Whiskey series. The story revolves around two characters which were previously introduced in the final book of the last series: Dominic Price hot shot assistant DA and Cameron Byrne, an FBI agent who both become involved in a dangerous, undercover case.

There were several things I liked about this book. I loved the fact that it was a slow burner and we were kept in suspense of will they won't they get together. Although there were a few stolen kisses along the way, I didn't think that they would end up together until the next book. However I wasn't disappointed as it did end on a HFN note and left me wanting more!

It is obvious pretty much from the beginning that this is going to be a 3 or 4 book series like the last one. The underlying plot involving Nic's shady father made it an exciting read as you never knew when it was going to arise and whether it would interfere with the current case. I am looking forward to see how it unfolds in the upcoming books and how it impacts Nic and Cam's relationship.

I liked the fact that we got to meet the characters again from the previous books. I fell in love with Aiden/Jamie and Mel/Danny from the previous series and it was really nice to see how their stories worked out and that they got their HEA. Also was the fact that everyone is such a close little family and all their stories are intertwined. I would give anything to have relationships like that with my co-workers!

However there were a few things that just didn't really work for me. The first chapter just left me plain confused as it was so busy with so many people and so much happening. I sort of lost track of who was who and it took me a few chapters to figure out what was going on. Also was the fact that Nic was so involved in the physical side of the case. I found it hard to believe that a prosecutor would be involved in a field investigation, especially one who was assistant DA. It felt like one of those things that as a reader you are not supposed to question and just sort of go along with it.

I unfortunately didn't receive the last book in the previous series so I was meeting these two characters for the first time. I hope that as the series goes on I'll love Nic and Cam as much as as the others. I have to say that although I enjoyed this book, I don't think it was just as good as ones I have read from the last series. However I hope that this will change after reading the next books in this series.

Another excellent book by Layla! Can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us. Ever since the beginning I wondered what Cam’s story was. You know he hiding something what that is ,is what this book is about. I loved Dom’s Character was it was made clear that he would not be in the way of Whiskey and Irish relationship. I must say this pairing came as a surprise to me. Not a bad one, just an unexpected one. I highly recommend starting at the beginning so you get the full enjoyment of all the characters. Job well done Layla!

"Imperial Stout" is the first book in Layla Reyne's new series, which is a spin off of her well-known "Agents Irish and Whiskey" series. The MCs, Cam and Nic, were first introduced to us there, but this time we get their story and it can be read as a starting point.

This book is clearly the beginning of more to come and you can't miss that after reading it. The ending is leaving a lot of things hanging and throughtout the story we are getting teases about the characters' pasts, but never the whole truth about what happened. It became a little frustrating because of all the half thoughts and implications, the darkness that surrounded their pasts was never adressed full on and we're left wanting the facts of what affected them so much and shaped them to be who they are.

It's a story that invites you to suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy it, or at least I had to do so because othewise I would have ended up constantry researching the things that seemed weird to me and unlikely to happen. For one thing, you couldn't figure out who was the boss, who called the shots and who everyone had to answer to. They were all tangled together and butting heads.

Also, Nic is a prosecutor but he had an active role in the investigation and did field work. In my mind the prosecutor goes in after the investigation, gathers all the facts and evidence and builds a case. His time is in the courtroom, not on the streets chasing suspects and running opperations.

You want another example? How about the fact that Cam hadn't picked a lock in twenty years, but he was still able to bust into a top of the art vault? I would have thought that technology would have progressed somewhat in two decades. So, as I said, be prepared to let some things slide and you're in for an exciting ride!

The case they were working was one with constant curve balls thrown in the way and they had to constantly adjust to the new variables. Aidan and Jamie were present here and it was nice to see them once more, but again there was the issue of who was in what possition and who was the boss of whom. Danny and Mel also found themselves mixed in the happenings, but I haven't read their book so to me they were just two secondary characters that I'd met in the original series.

The side plot that isn't resolved revolves around Nic's father and his financial status. It seems like there is danger all over the place for Nic so we'll see how that will turn out.

About the romance here, I would have prefered for them to have been more subtle with it especially since there are more books coming so there is time for them to be open once they've been together for a while and not right from the start. My issue here for wanting them to hide is that they work together and, from what I understood, their involvement is against the rules. So, it would have been more sensible to keep their relationship under wraps until they are sure of a future together and then see how they can keep their jobs and be together at the same time.

"Imperial Stout" was a nice start for this new series, with interesting charcters, nice action and deep secrets to be revealed.

4 stars



*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

Dominic is a US Attorney. Deep secrets haunt his past. His present is taken up with trying to stop a heist, survive his fathers bad deeds, and handle his burning attraction for his partner

Cameron is FBI. His motto is work hard, play hard. He does both with equal intensity. Losing a confidential informant and a suspect have left him very unhappy. He wants Nic very badly. Just doesn't have the logistics figured out.

An undercover operation goes sideways. Putting Cam and a witness in danger. Nic knows Cam is capable of taking care of himself but feelings are involved.

I liked these guys, as well returning characters from previous series. Very slow burn, with action taking up most of the book. Ended kind of abruptly I thought. Looking forward to the next book.

Imperial Stout, Layla Reyne

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: LGBTQIA

I loved Layla's AIW series, and this new one seems set to became another favourite of mine.
I do have trouble with all the acronyms, not just in this series but all US stories. Its hard enough keeping up with UK ones, but those from another country, not a chance. Thankfully though its fairly easy to mentally throw them all in a box marked “official legals” and then just try to remember the hierarchy and jurisdiction ;-)
As before there are some great characters here, not just the leads but in the supporting cast, and it was good to see some of the characters from AIW here. These people feel real, have genuine emotions, and act like I would expect, passionate when adrenaline is flowing, angry about perceived injustice, jealous at times, though not in a controlling way. We get to see how they think, how they feel and that made me understand them better and let me connect with them as genuine folk.
The issues with Nic's father looks set to run through the series, and bring even more trouble down on poor Nic, despite their 27 year estrangement. Cam has his own dark past that rears its head here and I think that will come up again. The plot is action packed but, thankfully for me, not overly burdened with technical terms and devices. I get lost when they go into that kind of detail, I'd rather know more about the characters and whats happening than the type of gun or car they're using.
Its a shortish read, 62,000 words but full of action and great characters. This main plot wraps up – ish, feels complete at the end so far as the main story goes. Somehow though, there are often over-spills from sub-plots in series like this, and of course there are issues raised such as Nic's dad and Cam's background that are going to follow through in later books.

Stars: Five, great characters, terrific plots and a romance that fits the story, doesn't dominate.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and Publishers

3* An overly busy first chapter with sooooo much happening that it was hard to take in... Not the best start to an anticipated tale.

It was clear that Cameron was going to get his own tale pretty quickly into the AIW series, and I was really looking forward to it, but the opening chapter was overly busy. The scenes were hard to take in with all the jargon, the many characters and the many side characters and happenings. I couldn't at first make out who the good guys were, who the bad ones were, and who the not-so-bad ones were, and then came the nicknames, far, far, far too soon into the tale.

The actual premise of the tale isn't bad, but it's not an exciting one, and tbh, there were too many things in it to muddy it. I don't think that muddying the tale was the intention, rather, red herring'ing was, but the latter didn't really work out that well. A senior character in the tale, who as it ended, seemingly didn't get his just desserts, was kind of 'Really? Someone like that hasn't been reamed or sacked?? How??' and I ended up puzzled how someone in that position could be so incompetent and prejudiced, esp after an op went tits up because of said individual's change of plan without any warning, where a non-briefed team and a non-briefed civilian were part of it. But, I think we'll likely see this individual messing up more and more and big, gooey just desserts will end up coming their way.

The other... faction type storyline in the background just seemed a bit too much on top of everything else, but I suspect that it's the plot that will drive the guys' relationship. If so, it needed to be a bit more foreground and less background, but I see why the author couldn't do this against the busyness of this tale.

The tale plays a little bit on tech of which I've encountered variations in a couple of tales recently, and one that my workplace has been looking into for use on a day-to-day basis... and I'm not sure I believe in how things played out. The system at my workplace takes some 140 measurements before each... subject fully passes the system's test, and the similar one in this tale needed nothing more than one measure and a bit of practice from an unorthodox source. I'm sorry, but this didn't work for me, especially as there was no real explanation of the tech given, though it was under FBI control towards the end of the tale.

As to the leads, I didn't get the so-called attraction; they barely had any personal time together. And, by the time they did, I'd begun to get a bit irritated with all the Irish, Boston, Whiskey in it - do people really use nicknames so much IRL? And, yes, everyone from AIW and the Mel and Danny spin-off were in this, each with a role to play. Normally I love catching up with former leads, but they seemed a bit... planted.

The tale ends in a HFN and I think there's got to be at least 2 more in the series, as if the leads spend this little quality time together, they're going to need 2 tales.

ARC courtesy of Carina Publishing and NetGalley, for my reading pleasre

‘Imperial Stout’ is me stepping out of my comfort zone when it comes to M/M fiction, though Layla Reyne isn’t a new author to me. Written in a fairly different style from what I’m used to, and not having read Reyne’s ‘Agents Irish and Whiskey’ series, this is me coming in as a newbie. So with a very busy first chapter that included not only an action scene but a load of history between the protagonists which sort of involved also a best friend’s partner and ex-flame, I was a little lost, though duly warned about the kind of romance this path would take.

Still, I found it hard to engage with this one with the convoluted way the plot was initially presented, not like the way I was engaged in Reyne’s ‘Changing Lanes’ series, with my attention constantly pulled between the intrigue, the brewery, the huge number of characters mentioned or dropping in and the romance that was supposedly building. The pairing—between a US Attorney and a kidnap and rescue specialist with the FBI—, while intriguing, seemed to fade behind the never-ceasing activity that kept going on and I never quite lost the feeling of trying to play catch up having walked straight into a tv-series mid-season just as the action was heating up.

‘Imperial Stout’ is safe to say, probably more a book for Reyne’s stalwart followers of her previous series who want to continue into this spin-off in this particular world of whiskey, agents and lawyers. That said, while I still do like Reyne’s writing, I’m going to take a pass on this book and the series. I did try to get into Nic/Cam as much as possible, skimming the pages just to see how things finally fell into place for them, but ultimately, I just didn’t feel as though I made any headway into them at all. And without the base appeal of the main pairing in this romance, I couldn’t quite see the point going on.