Book Review: Of Love and Beer by Amanda Darcy

Of Love and Beer by Amanda Darcy

Book Title: Of Love and Beer
Author: Amanda Darcy
Genre: Contemporary romance, Jane Austen retelling
Published: March 12, 2024
324 pages
My rating: 5/5

“If there was one thing Ellis could trust, it was her first impressions, and things were not looking good for Wallace. She’d always had a knack for sizing people up quickly, but she’d recently had the opportunity to hone her skills. Since June, when her partner announced his plans to retire, every beer loving Lothario in a thirty-mile radius had shown up at the brewery thinking that if they bought Barney out, they’d get to plant themselves behind the bar and “pick up chicks.””

Craft Brewer Ellis Bourne has two problems: avoiding the suitors her match-making mother thrusts upon her and finding a new business partner. Luckily for her, she knows she can always trust her first impressions. So when a handsome vintner Dean Pembrook insults her, she knows exactly what to think of him. That is until Dean’s friend shows interest in her business, and she’s stuck trying to ignore Dean and trying to get his friend invest in her small-town brewery.

Of Love and Beer is an entertaining modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set in the world of craft beer breweries. It follows the two main characters, craft brewer Ellis Bourne and vintner Dean Pembrook, in their workplace enemies-to-lovers romance. The story is told from a dual point of view, and it’s full of witty and fun banter and enough twists and surprises to keep even a seasoned Jane Austen fan on their toes.

As someone who drinks neither beer nor wine, initially the setting wasn’t particularly exciting for me personally. By the end of the novel, though, I was hooked. The author has done her research on the craft beer industry, and it shows. The reader learns, for instance, about how different yeasts give beer different flavors, but to the author’s credit, it never feels like an unnecessary info-dump and rather paints a vivid picture of the interests of the main character. I sort of hope we would have learned more about different wines when reading the story from Dean’s perspective!

When it comes to characterization, I loved what this novel did to Jane Austen’s characters. Ellis and Dean were both a pleasure to read, and some characters, such as Aunt Constance, became more likable than Austen’s version. However, there were a few characters I would have preferred to be fleshed out more. In Jane Austen’s novel, Jane’s demure character makes sense, but in this setting I was hoping to learn more about Jacey’s backstory to explain why she doesn’t show more overt interest in Ben. Wallace (the Mr. Collins of this book) is an obnoxious know-it-all, and it doesn’t make much sense why Lucy starts dating him. One character does call him sweet, but we never see his sweetness in action. It would have been nice to see him having at least some redeeming qualities, even if he didn’t make the perfect partner (in romantic or business sense) for Ellis.

There are a few issues that probably can be chalked up to the book being a debut novel. There is a little bit too much telling rather than showing things the reader could figure out themselves (such as what Ellis thinks about her parents’ relationship). There are also a few minor plot holes and way too many named characters that you only meet once and who don’t play any major role in the narrative. Nevertheless, none of these things detracted me from enjoying the book. I rarely enjoy romance novels, but this one deserves the five stars I’m giving it.

This contemporary romance is kiss-only, so if you’re looking for a steamier read, the book might not be for you. But if you like fun, non-steamy romances, I whole-heartedly recommend this book to you. It’s a great retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and I’m excited to read the author’s next Austen retelling!

Find out more about Amanda and her book from her author interview.