Book Review: A Room with a Brew by Joyce Tremel

It's Oktoberfest in Pittsburgh, and brewpub owner Maxine "Max" O'Hara is prepping for a busy month at the Allegheny Brew House. To create the perfect atmosphere for the boozy celebration, Max hires an oompah band. But when one of the members from the band turns up dead, it's up to Max to solve the murder before the festivities are ruined.

Adding to the brewing trouble, Candy, Max's friend, is acting suspicious... Secrets from her past are fermenting under the surface, and Max must uncover the truth to prove her friend's innocence. To make matters worse, Jake's snooty ex-fiancée shows up in town for an art gallery opening, and she'll be nothing but a barrel of trouble for Max.[summary via Amazon]

Warning readers, this is another one of those bittersweet book reviews. Lately I've been picking up the last book in several series, that were discontinued. For readers of the genre, you will know that period I'm talking about. Several years ago, a lot of series got cancelled after book 3, and so I have a lot of book 3's on my shelf to read. Why would I read the first two books, and hold off on the last book? Because I'm sad to see these series end, and didn't want to read the final book just yet. I felt that way with the Ethnic Eats Mysteries, and I feel this way about the Brewing Trouble Mysteries.

Max O'Hara is planning for Oktoberfest, and has hired an oompah band for the festivities. However, when one of the band members dies Max is curious enough to investigate. What was Doodle going to tell her before he died, and how is her friend Candy involved in this?

My favourite thing about the Brewing Trouble Mysteries is that it got me interested in beer and brewing. This was a difficult thing to do because... I have celiacs and have never liked the smell of beer. This is what a well-written cozy mystery will do. It will get you interested in something you thought you had no interest in. While I have no desire to drink a beer (even a gluten-free one!), I do find the brewing process interesting now. So much so, that thanks to the Brewing Trouble Mysteries I picked up the Sloan Krause Mysteries (written by Ellie Alexander). That's why reading the last book in the series has been so bittersweet. In three books, I've gone from "meh, I'm not a big fan of beer" to  "micro-brewing and nano-brewing is so interesting". Thank Joyce Tremel for this and so much more!

The mystery was fun and interesting. I was captivated by the clues laid down, and I had fun trying to solve it before Max and her "marauders"! Of course, with Jake's ex-fiance on the scene, I was hoping she would be the murderer, or even victim... but Joyce Tremel never makes it that easy for us to guess!!

A Room with a Brew was a delightful, bittersweet ending to the Brewing Trouble Mysteries. I will definitely miss adventures with Jake, Max and of course our favourite brew pub cat "Hop", and I hope there are more mysteries one day!!

Book Review: Tangled Up in Brew by Joyce Tremel

Brew pub owner Maxine “Max” O’Hara and her chef/boyfriend, Jake Lambert, are excited to be participating in the Three Rivers Brews and Burgers Festival. Max hopes to win the coveted Golden Stein for best craft beer—but even if she doesn’t, the festival will be great publicity for her Allegheny Brew House.

Or will it? When notoriously nasty food and beverage critic Reginald Mobley is drafted as a last-minute replacement judge, Max dreads a punishing review. Her fears are confirmed when Mobley literally spits out her beer, but things get even worse when the cranky critic drops dead right after trying one of Jake’s burgers. Now an ambitious new police detective is determined to pin Mobley’s murder on Max and Jake, who must pore over the clues to protect their freedom and reputations—and to find the self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner.[summary via Amazon]

In the second book in the Brewing Trouble Mysteries, Max and Jake are setting up for a weekend of fantastic brew and food at the Three Rivers Brews and Burgers Festival. Things turn deadly when a nasty judge dies, while eating one of Jake's burgers. When a new police detective is determined to pin the crime on Jack and Max, Max needs to poke around to find the real killer.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, To Brew or Not to Brew. While there are a lot of "foodie" themed cozy mysteries, this was the first "brewing" themed mystery I had read, and it was a great debut. I was looking forward to picking up with Max and Jake's story again, and this second mystery didn't disappoint.

This mystery centres around the the Three Rivers Brews and Burgers Festival, and it was interesting to find out about different brews, and what a brewing festival entails. The competition between each brewmasters is fierce, despite them being friends. Joyce Tremel sets the scene so perfectly, that I could imagine walking through the festival, with the smell of ale and burgers in the air. 

In a love-to-hate kind of way I liked the inclusion of Detective Vince, or as Max calls him "Vince the Viper". He is young and cocky, and determined to pin the murder on Max and Jake, and it takes everything they've got to prove him wrong. I very much can't wait to see what kind of trouble Vince will try and cause in the third book.

With adorable adopted kitten "Hops"and the picturesque setting in Pittsburgh (Go Penguins!) this was a fun, intriguing second instalment in this series, and I can't wait for the next book.

Giveaway: To Brew Or Not to Brew by Joyce Tremel

Today we're giving away our gently read paperback of To Brew or Not to Brew by Joyce Tremel.

An all-new mystery series set in a Pittsburgh craft brew pub, featuring a brewmaster with a head for sleuthing.
The Allegheny Brew House is a dream come true for Maxine “Max” O’Hara, who went all the way to Germany for her brewmaster certification, and is now preparing to open her own craft brew pub in a newly revitalized section of Pittsburgh. But before she can start pouring stouts and lagers to thirsty throngs, there’s trouble on tap. Suspicious acts of sabotage culminate in Max finding her assistant brewmaster and chef Kurt Schmidt strangled in one of the vats.
Between rescuing a stray gray tabby she names Hops and considering a handsome ex-hockey player as her new chef, Max doesn’t have a lot of time to solve a murder. But with a homicide detective for a dad, she comes to criminal investigation naturally. And if someone is desperate enough to kill to stop her from opening, Max needs to act fast—before her brand-new brew biz totally tanks...[summary via Amazon]

To enter:
1. Complete the Rafflecopter form below OR leave a comment with your email address.
2. Giveaway ends on April 21, 2016 and the winners will be contacted by email.
3. Giveaway is open US/Canada.

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Book Review: To Brew or Not To Brew by Joyce Tremel

An all-new mystery series set in a Pittsburgh craft brew pub, featuring a brewmaster with a head for sleuthing.
The Allegheny Brew House is a dream come true for Maxine “Max” O’Hara, who went all the way to Germany for her brewmaster certification, and is now preparing to open her own craft brew pub in a newly revitalized section of Pittsburgh. But before she can start pouring stouts and lagers to thirsty throngs, there’s trouble on tap. Suspicious acts of sabotage culminate in Max finding her assistant brewmaster and chef Kurt Schmidt strangled in one of the vats.
Between rescuing a stray gray tabby she names Hops and considering a handsome ex-hockey player as her new chef, Max doesn’t have a lot of time to solve a murder. But with a homicide detective for a dad, she comes to criminal investigation naturally. And if someone is desperate enough to kill to stop her from opening, Max needs to act fast—before her brand-new brew biz totally tanks...[summary via Amazon]

I'm not a beer drinker. Growing up in Australia, I never got the taste for what is very popular beverage down under. Despite not being a fan of the alcoholic beverage, I absolutely devoured this first book in the Brewing Trouble Mysteries, as much as any fan of the beverage would!

In To Brew or Not Brew we meet Max O'Hara, who is ready to open her own brewery. I instantly liked Max. She's Irish, has five older brothers and is feisty! She's the kind of girl you'd love to have as your best friend, and readers will find themselves cheering her on as she tries to solve the murder!

Max's sidekicks come in the form of ex-hockey player and family friend, Jake, and her kitten, Hops. Together the three of them create sleuthing magic as they work together to solve the crime!

I enjoyed every second of this debut mystery. It hits all the right spots for me, and whether you're a beer drinker or not, it will be a mystery that you won't forget in a hurry! I definitely can't wait to come back for more, with Tangled Up in Brew, out in October, 2016.