Remi has worked hard as a bartender and is hopefully up for a promotion, which will allow her dream of buying a property that she can call home. This is thrown into disarray when Maya joins, putting the promotion at risk. Maya has her own problems, saving so that she can take her Nursing Masters and pursue her own dream career.
This is an enemy to (hopefully) lovers story. I normally read "straight" Romances, rather than this F/F one, however when it comes down to it you just have two people looking for a relationship? Remi comes across as very tough, and Maya soft, however both have hidden sides. I would probably have more in common with Maya, rather than Remi, but it was interesting see how their relationship developed. Things are brought to a head when something happens to make them reevaluate their relationship.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

5 ⭐️ Ugh my heart!! In Walked Trouble is a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance that will have you laughing and feeling all the feels. The characters and dialogue absolutely drive this story; the main two characters (Remi and Maya) are well-developed, and their alternating perspectives strike the perfect balance between current events and providing necessary backstory to better understand and relate them.

Another huge win in this book for me is the accurate type 1 diabetes representation. As a T1D myself, I get so excited when diabetes is correctly portrayed in media (as it so rarely is). It’s clear that this author has a connection to type 1 diabetes or otherwise did their research and for that I’m so grateful!! Though it’s certainly not a focal point of the book, it made this T1D smile.

My heart feels so full and warm after finishing this treasure of a story. Do yourself a favor and add this to your TBR, as it’s set to release on March 26, 2024!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Dana Hawkins, and Storm Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.5/5 reviews.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this enemies to lovers sapphic romance. As someone who's worked in the restaurant industry before, it was cute to read about a love story happening in that environment. The characters were funny and relatable, and had flaws that they worked on throughout the book. I will say, the ending did feel a tad rushed and I wish it had gone a little slower and really wrapped things up. But overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

A sweet LGBTQIA+ enemies-to-lovers romance, bartender style. Remi and Maya engage in a little healthy competition at work and pretty soon they realize they have a spark of chemistry. I immediately engaged with all the characters and the plotline had me coming back for more. A mark of a great book for me is thinking about it even after I've put it down. I will definitely be reading more of Dana Hawkins in the future.

**Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.**

My second book by this author! Thank you to Netgalley and publishers and the writer of course :)

Remi and Maya are bartenders competing for a cash bonus at their workplace. This book has a great rivals to lovers trope which managed to keep the banter and tension without actual malice between them. While attraction was almost immediate, the build of their relationship was satisfying along side a well developed plot. Remi and Maya have fun chemistry together but separate are both complex characters with genuine attributes and depth. I enjoyed it.

In Walked Trouble by Dana Hawkins is a cute queer romcom. The story centers around Remi - a foster child turned bartender who deseparetely wants to find her family and own a house; and Maya - a bartender who wants to attend nursing school because of her sister's type 1 diabetes diagnosis. They are rivals, poised against each other for the bonus at Neuves at the end of the month. Who will get the money? And will sparks fly?

I thoroughly loved this enemies to lover romcom. I was a light read and easy to digest. The main characters are a bit immature at times...but they are 25 and 23 years old. So, what 20-some year old isn't a bit immature sometimes? This book was a feel good book with some minor twists and turns. 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

I really enjoyed this queer romance about two women who become co-bartenders competing for a bonus that they both really need. I wouldn't go so far as to say enemies to lovers but certainly antagonists with immediate chemistry they both deny to lovers. I liked that the character who connected the first book with this book was the best friend to one lead in each story and we got to see more of him, even if we only saw the couple from book one super briefly and were other use just referenced. The FMCs in this story both have some trauma in their pasts, but they find confidants in each other and it grows from there to deep love. I liked them both and their story, and I especially like that the author intentionally sets her stories where queer acceptance is the norm and queer joy and love are celebrated, so the characters don't have to deal with hate, aka the world we want to be a part of. I haven't been giving star ratings to books this year but since NetGalley requires it and I gave book one 3 stars, I'm giving this four stars, but closer to 4.5 realistically. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC--the book is out March 26th.

SYNOPSIS: Maya starts working at the bar Remi works at, and they are both told by the boss that one of them will get a cash bonus. Both of them need it for different reasons, and no amount of snarky comments, pouty lips, and to-die-for curves will get in their way. Remi and Maya are rivals. That’s why they’re so aware of each other in the tight space behind the bar, and in the walk-in refrigerator… right? But, somewhere between fighting over recipe developments and sharing embarrassing karaoke songs, something shifts.

I read this book in one sitting because I was so captivated! The plotline and context is by no means a new or unique narrative, but in this book, the characters and the development of what felt like the CUTEST romantic F/F relationship blows all the other romance enemies-to-lovers-work-competition stories out of the water.

Honestly I have no flaws about this book. The writing was gorgeous, the pacing was expertly done - at no point did anything seem unrealistic or rushed or out of the blue. Each character was well described and fleshed out. I absolutely loved it and I'm excited to read more queer stories by Dana Hawkins.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I read about 30% and found myself just not wanting to continue: While I loved the PNW setting and vibes, I couldn’t connect with the characters. I loved the LGBTQ representation, but I just felt like I needed more from the story. I usually love enemies to lovers, but I didn’t find myself rooting for the either of the characters.

I had high hopes and I think others will find that they enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for access to this novel. I really enjoyed both FMCs and their perspectives. This competitors to lovers story pitted Remi (who has been bartending for years at Gabriella's bar) against Maya (a new hire and the daughter of Gabriella's friend Laney) in a battle to win a bartending competition put on by their boss. I loved how Remi's idea of family grew in the novel from her roommate and foster sibling Ben, her boss Gabriella, and parental safe space figure Darius to include Maya and her family. Although there was quite a bit of trauma bonding and this contributed to the conflict in the novel, I wasn't frustrated by the conflict and enjoyed the ending a lot!

It was a good romance and if I had not read the first book so recently I would have given it a higher rating, it was a nice love story, it seemed to evolve very quickly but that was not an issue, both characters were likeable and the sex scene was very hot and tastefully written but it just felt very very similar to the first book in terms of character background and issues. I did enjoy it though

I will say these two started off very childish and to me it made it hard to get into. However once the plot start developing and they matured a little I was ready for them to kiss. The tension between rivals to lovers is always amazing.

Personally i wanted to wrap Remi and Maya up in separate hugs because of their family issues. Remi’s trauma runs deep and I think her being in Mayas life was an excellent window into what she needed. On the other hand i think Maya needed to accept the family she had and Maya did a good job with that.

When they started discussing their trauma and opening up on their lives my heart melted. To be able to be that honest and open with someone is just so sweet.

I very much enjoyed the side characters and Harper. Harper’s whole story and connection to Remi and Maya was precious and probably my favorite part of this book.

My only problem with this was the immaturity in the beginning. I know they are rivals and 25/23 but it made it hard for me to get into. Especially someone with so much trauma I think that tends to make someone grow up faster, especially in Remi’s case.

I liked the tropes and the writing.

Dana Hawkins is my go-to for sapphic romance, and has made me a fan of the genre with her beautiful stories. In Walked Trouble was so hard to put down that I had to sneak every snippet of time reading it that I could. Enemies to Lovers, Workplace Romance, with chapters named creatively after adult beverages-sorta. I looooved it!

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
We see Ben again! Ben was a beloved character in Not In The Plan, and I’m glad we got to see how his life has been and that he’s still playing the role of amazing friend!

Gabriella. I love that she’s feared when she speaks English. Plus she smelled like roses and wore gold bangles. I want to hug her.

So much back and neck popping and cracking that I could practically feel it in my own body and was so jealous. I’ve never felt more seen.

Mama Butter Nips! Can’t go wrong when drag enters the scene.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“She looked like she had absolutely no nerves for her first day, and now Remi wanted to squirt her sparkly green eye with the soda gun. But just one eye because she wasn’t a total monster.”

“Puke. When Remi got home tonight, she was shooting a bleach-filled syringe directly in her ear canal to get rid of the sap.”

“Maya’s lips pressed into Remi’s neck, so softly that Remi swore Maya was telling her skin a secret.”

“... remember Harper like her foster sister from home number four, and think of Laney like her foster mom from home number three. Warm, sad memories that only surfaced during certain smells, or random songs.” (Ouch you hurt my heart, Dana Hawkins!)


This was a beautiful balance of sweetness, humor, and true wounds that healed slowly through love, friendship, and family. You might cry, there might be some angst, but it’s worth it in the end for these beautiful lovebirds.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dana Hawkins for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book, unfortunately, did not hit for me. It felt like I was reading a first draft. The POV’s were confusing and frankly inconsistent, and the characters had nothing in common besides trauma bonding. But I am glad I read it! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advance reader copy.

This was an ok book for me; I enjoyed the main characters back stories and how they influenced their decisions.

The enemies to lovers was well done, but I did find that the ‘conflict’ or ‘miscommunication’ element did make the ending feel like it was rushed and a resolution was easily found.

This was a quick read.

I really enjoyed this book, and thought that this was a great improvement on Dana’s first book.

This was a cozy sapphic bartender enemies-to-lovers romance set in Seattle. The characters were lovable and immediately engaging, the supporting cast was well-flushed out and added something to the story, and the whirlwind romance was fun to follow.

***SPOILERS***

This book did feel very quick, and the enemies portion very quickly faded to lovers. That being said, the first 80% of this book flew by and was really enjoyable. Unfortunately the last 20% had so many unrealistic miscommunication tropes packed in it, that I began to lose interest in the story.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this eARC.

This was a very cute story. Was it unputdownable? I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it was very good. As a couple other commentators have said, I don't this qualifies as 'enemies-to-lovers'. Rivals, to be sure, but even when it seems like they're actively working against one another, it usually comes out that that's a misunderstanding.

I really enjoyed the characters. I personally didn't find Remi as abrasive as others (and even the description) implied. Don't get me wrong, she had her prickly moments, definitely has a temper, and desperately needs to speak to a therapist, but she was also loyal, protective, and beloved by the restaurant's regulars. Maya was a little more straight forward loveable. Hurting still from the loss of her father, trying to look after her family and get her education. At the same time, there is one thing about Maya that kind of bugged me I'm going to put behind a spoiler.[ So, early on, it's implied that Maya has a an inheritance from her father, possibly even enough to cover her schooling (her mother seems to imply this). At the time, Maya won't touch it. Because it makes her father's dead real all over again, I don't know. Either way, she's not in a place to deal with it. I get that. But the thing is, that money is never mentioned again. Not when Maya starts getting close to Remi or tries to take herself out of the running for the bonus, not near the end when she says she's letting her father go. It just felt very anti-Chekov's gun to bring it up so prominently, and never mention it again. (hide spoiler)] The build up of their relationship was cute. Given that the book describes itself as a spicy romance, I actually found it fairly tame. Maybe that's just in comparison to some of the other titles I've read recently.

The supporting cast was great. Maya's mother and little sister, Ben, Sophie, as well as Mack & Charlie (who I recognize as the protagonists of the previous Single in Seattle book, even though I haven't read that one yet). I had more complicated feelings about Gabrielle, Remi and Maya's boss at the restaurant. Don't get me wrong, she seemed nice and all, but I found I had trouble getting over her whole 'competitive cash bonus instead of a permanent raise' thing. Yes, I know, that's the entire set up for the stakes of the book, but it just...I dunno, seemed like a really fucked up thing to do to Remi and started me off on the wrong foot with Gabrielle.

The inevitable 3rd act break-up I still hate, and this book does nothing to dispel that, but I do get that it's because of how broken Remi was. I also was a fan of the number of times it was stressed that couples can argue without it necessarily meaning that that was the end of things, though it did seem Maya did the vast majority of the work towards maintaining their relationship.

All in all, a sweet unputdownable, enemiesrivals-to-lovers queer romance. 4 stars.

Read this right after the first on this set “Not in the Plan”. Always love books with overlapping characters. This story was happy and engaging. I felt like I knew what would happen but still went in a surprising direction. The characters were likable and realistic. Author did a good job of weaving in two different types of drama in a way that added to the story but didn’t overpower it.

I quite enjoyed this story. What starts with a rivalry of 2 bartenders turns to them realizing they want a much deeper connector over a slow burning enemies to lovers type tale. The characters felt real with flaws and redemptions that developed throughout the book.
I enjoy how we get to learn of the pasts of the 2 main characters and how that influences the future they begin to build with each other. It's rare to find a good sapphic story that isn't all spice but actually focuses on the character development

Dana Hawkins knows how to write a romance book where both of the characters have had difficult pasts but bring out the best of each other. With Maya and Remi, two bartenders that were enemies at first but ended up as lovers at the end went through their ups and downs throughout the book. It was a very light-hearted, rom-com with a perfect ending. Ben, of course, is one of those loveable characters who is put in the novels for comedic relief. You will also see him in her other novel, Not in the Plan. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC and I can't wait to read more books by this author.