Sunny Shelly’s Review: But First, Coffee, by Sarah Darlington

Title: But First, Coffee

Series: Love & Coffee Series #1

Author: Sarah Darlington

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 9, 2018

He’s a barista. She’s the CEO of Java Beans.

LANA BITTERMAN:

Every time I hear the name Joe Coffee, I nearly burst out laughing. However, he happens to be the best barista in the company; single handedly changing the store he works in from our lowest earner to our highest earner. So, naturally, as CEO I want to meet him and give him a well-earned promotion. But when he walks into my office looking like sin incarnate, covered in tattoos with electric blue eyes that send shockwaves through my body, the only thing I really want is… him… in my bed.

JOE COFFEE:

Lana Bitterman has a stick up her ass. Everyone knows that. And I don’t care about her one way or the other. I’m just trying to live my life my way, which was exactly why I dropped out of law school and became a barista in the first place. Only, my sister landed herself in a bad situation and Doug Maddox, someone with a serious grudge against Lana, know that. Doug’s blackmailing me. He’s using me as his spy. So when I walk into Lana’s office, I’m not actually there on my own agenda. Ms. Uptight won’t know what hit her. Little did I know, neither would I.

4 Stars

But First, Coffee is not the straightforward office romance I was expecting. It was full of twists and turns, had an element of suspense and a whole lot of chemistry between Joe Coffee and Lana Bitterman. (LOVE those names!)

Joe is desperately trying to hold his life together, and his ADHD doesn’t make it easy for him. He’s got some big skeletons in his closet, and a protectiveness for his sister, Kitty, that makes him go to some extreme measures. He likes coffee superstar Lana well enough, but he’s been blackmailed into ruining her empire by Doug, a sketchy guy who is holding something major over Joe’s head about Kitty. And the guilt he feels for what he’s doing to Lana comes across loud and clear throughout the book. And the fact that Joe is a cocky hottie with a super vulnerable side made me fall in love with him as a book boyfriend even more.

Meanwhile, Joe makes Lana feel things she hasn’t felt in forever. She’s not sure what to make of the charismatic barista, a few years her junior. The chemistry between Joe and Lana is great, and I really liked how their relationship developed.

Kitty is a great supporting character, and I’m very interested to see what happens for her in the next book. Doug…. he was a tool. He was creepy and slimy, but I’m keeping an open mind about him in case he’s in a future book by Sarah Darlington.

Overall, But First, Coffee was a great debut novel! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

“I’m only a barista,” he answered.

“That’s bullshit and you know it.”

“I’m not your saving grace.”

“I’m just asking for a good employee. Maybe one who can show me a little more respect.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t trust me so easily.”

I closed my eyes for second, grunting in frustration, because he had a serious problem letting me win this argument. He was pushing me, almost as if he wanted to see how far he could take this before I had no choice but to fire his ungrateful ass. I rubbed at my still tender hand and opened my eyes, ready to continue my verbal showdown with Joe.

But he surprised me when I noticed a tenderness in his eyes that wasn’t there before. “Let me see your hand.” I realized I was clutching the one that hurt in the palm of my good hand.

He stepped closer to me.

My heart went off like a wild animal. His nearness had way too much of an effect over me. I didn’t know if it was wise to let him get so close to me, especially when he smelled so good. It wasn’t cologne, just his natural manly scent.

He gestured again for my hand.

I was holding it captive, but I cautiously moved it in his direction. He took it in his warm and—surprisingly—gentle hands. The tips of his fingers massaged and squeezed over my knuckles and fingers as if he knew what he was doing, checking to see if all was okay. “Does any of this hurt?”

I felt numb and breathless as I answered, “Not really.”

“I don’t think anything’s broken, then.”

His fingers stopped moving, but he didn’t drop my hand, and I didn’t pull it from him, either. We both just stood there, trapped in each other’s gaze, technically holding hands, with neither of us making a move to break away.

Sarah Darlington grew up traveling the United States—although, she’s called Virginia home for most of her adult life. She’s the proud mom of an intelligent 5-year-old boy with autism, who makes every day an adventure, and a 1-year-old red-headed little girl who is as fiery as her hair color. She believes in true love, soul mates, unicorns, rainbows, and that Hogwarts really does exist. Before having kids she worked as a flight attendant. And when she’s not writing, she’s busy plotting her next grand adventure.