Title: Love On Tap
Author Name & Publisher: Karis Walsh (Bold Strokes Books)
Publication Date & Length: February 16th 2016- 240 pages
Lesbian Romance — Archaeologist Berit Katsaros travels the world in search of treasures from ancient times. A serious injury forces her to take a break from fieldwork and accept an interim teaching job at Whitman College. She finds nothing redeeming in her frustrating sabbatical…except her sexy landlord, Tace.
When Stacy “Tace” Lomond takes charge of her brother’s failing microbrewery, she discovers a passion and talent she never realized she possessed. After years of putting herself last and supporting others’ dreams, she’s ready to make a name for her artisanal beer among the academics and sophisticated wineries in Walla Walla, Washington. Berit might be a tempting distraction, but she’s only a temporary fixture in town and in Tace’s life.
Slow-crafted beer and time-worn artifacts. Both women recognize what’s important in their careers, but can they learn to appreciate the value of love?
I have to admit to being predisposed to loving this book. I’ve really enjoyed all the other Karis Walsh books I’ve read. But this book was a bit of a disappointment for me. Her writing is just as stellar as usual, with rounded characters and a tight plot. I think the thing that I didn’t like was a feeling of distance from the two main characters. It almost seemed as if they themselves weren’t fully engaged in their own lives, like nothing was immediate. Tace seemed to almost disassociate from things, and Berit seemed like she was never actually there in the first place. It’s the way the characters are, so I don’t know if there’s any way to actually make me feel more involved, but I wish there were. I liked the story. I loved watching Tace find herself in her brewery, and loved that Berit helped her realize that she deserves her own dream. I’m not totally sure I buy in to Berit’s resolution. I know she was sabotaging the hiring committee, but I really needed to see something that would convince me that she would take the step she finally took. All in all, an enjoyable read, but not her best.
Amy P.
I found it really hard to get into this book and for the first few chapters I almost gave up. The characters described didn’t seem to be real people to me. I couldn’t get into it at all. Once the interaction between Tace and Berit got going it became more interesting as they really developed. I can’t say the same for all the other characters though. Tace certainly grew as a person as a result of being with Berit and saw that her life was her own and she shouldn’t be living it to suit her siblings. Berit changed too in that she began to see that a happy life wasn’t just about work. Their relationship took a while to get going but when it did it was extremely passionate and loving. I just wish there had been a lot less angst getting there.
By the end I found I was enjoying how the story was going but it took a bit of perseverance to keep with it. I’m glad I did keep reading though as Karis Walsh is a good writer and found an interesting set of circumstances to bring her characters together.
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