Bartender is the brand new release by Annie Dyer! Let's take a trip to Ibiza and see what happens in the lives of Jameson, LaLa, and Livi. I will tell you now that Jameson is the main focus of the story, but you'll get plenty of visits with LaLa and Livi.
Jameson grew up visiting Ibiza on a regular basis. It is her Mom's happy place, and where you can frequently find Livi living. It's been a while since Jameson has visited though. She's recently had her heartbroken by a man she was in a relationship with, and so she is in need of an escape. What better place to go than Ibiza. Upon arriving, Jameson is immediately reunited her sister LaLa. They catch up on their lives during the drive to Safir. Once there is is time to party, go to clubs, and just live the island life of the privileged. It is quite the whirlwind. One night Jameson and crew head to a new bar that has popped up, and Jameson has spotted Tommy. He's the owner of the bar, a bit older, and extremely handsome. Jameson cannot get him off her mind. LaLa tries to convince Jameson to have a summer romance with someone. She's pushing for her friend Monty, but really anyone will do. Just something to bring back some life to Jameson before she heads off to New York. Eventually Jameson and Tommy begin talking, seeing each other casually, and hooking up. Now you might think their love story is the entire premise of the story, but it's not. There is a side story happening that involves Lawrie, Livi, Jameson, LaLa, Asher, Marcus, and Tommy. And that side story is where the suspense portion of the book comes into play.
Bartender is the second book that I've read by Annie Dyer, and I'm still getting a feel for her storytelling. It feels a little slow paced for my liking, and when it's in heavy description mode I tend to lose interest. But that's a "me" issue, not an issue with the book. While I say all that, I also want to say that I absolutely loved the setting. The characters were interesting but extremely privileged and not overly relatable. Jameson and Tommy were a good fit for each other, and the opposites attracts aspect worked well. More than anything though, I was curious about Livi, Gav, and Lawrie. I'd love a book that tells their story, as I'd love that backstory. The rest of storyline though, I really enjoyed probably more so when the suspense kicked in. I know a book about LaLa is coming, but I'm not 100% certain if I'll read it. I guess it depends on the description of the book.
Do I recommend Bartender? As long as you don't mind slower paced books, then yes I recommend the book. Full disclosure, I chose to give the book 3.5 stars (rating shown on Goodreads as a 3) primarily because of how slow it all felt. The side story wasn't enough for me to bump the book to a 4. Maybe had that been a larger part of the story, then perhaps, but it is what it is.
Thank you for reading my thoughts,
Laura
I didn’t plan on falling in love with a man who said he was just a bartender.
I didn’t plan on my White Isle vacation turning so dark.
And the bartender – it’s not just my heart he holds in his hands.
It’s my life.
Add to your Goodreads TBR HERE!
Meet Annie
Annie lives in the north of England, not too far from the amazing city of Manchester. She is owned by several cats and many hens, narrowly avoiding being a mad cat woman by enslaving a very understanding husband. She’s an avid reader of many genres and if she’s not writing a book, she’s usually reading one!
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Thank you to Annie Dyer and Wildfire Marketing Solutions for providing me with an advanced copy of Bartender
