When he was in the Marines Corps, Mateo Garcia had a friends-with-benefits relationship with supermodel Olivia Sweet that suited his lifestyle. Every time he deployed, pretty-boy Mateo met with Olivia; he considered her a sort of good luck charm. Olivia has always been a little in love with Mateo, and with her career going downhill fast, she figured it was a good time to finally tell him what was on her mind: she wanted more. But when Olivia mentioned it, Mateo categorically refused to take the next step.

Three years later, a lot has changed. Olivia is forced to go back home to Salvation, Virginia. She is broke, jobless and boyfriend-less. She knew something bad had happened to Mateo in Afghanistan, but she did not know the extent of his injuries. Mateo is now Chief of Police of the small town of Salvation. On a rainy and very muddy night, when Olivia had several mishaps, Mateo's official presence is required. Upon seeing his scars, Olivia cannot refrain from gasping. Will things ever turn out the way she wants them?

TROUBLE ON TAP is the third book in Avery Flynn's brilliant Sweet Salvation Brewery series, and while Olivia is the latest Sweet triplet to have her own story, the book can easily be read as a standalone. The Sweets have been scorned, spurned, mocked and avoided ever since the first one set foot in Salvation, even though the Sweet triplets have always behaved properly, or more precisely two of them: Miranda and Natalie; Olivia has mostly lived up to the Sweet reputation, until now. Olivia decides it's time the people of Salvation finally realise that the new generation of Sweets is different, and she does something about it, which eventually involves Mateo, to unpleasant results.

Ms. Flynn's dialogues are as witty as ever, the writing is seamless and dynamic, and TROUBLE ON TAP is a solid and very fast-paced story with complex characters. Ms. Flynn displays her legendary sense of humour, and while there are plenty of laughs in TROUBLE ON TAP, character development is more extensive than what we have been accustomed by the author. Mateo especially has serious issues with his scars; he is far from the care-free man he was, and Olivia has fallen from her pedestal. She's back where she started from--her hometown where the Sweets have few friends, the public snub dating back decades ago. TROUBLE ON TAP is very much a story about appearances, how others perceive us, as well as how we act based on our perception of one's self. Avery Flynn's winning streak continues with TROUBLE ON TAP!

Book Summary

What fun is life without a little bit of trouble? Retired supermodel and forever wild child Olivia Sweet is nothing but trouble. The youngest Sweet triplet is back in her hometown, but instead of a triumphant return it’s a parade of humiliations. She’s broke, homeless and dealing with the fallout from her scumbag ex-boyfriend publishing naked pictures of her to a revenge porn website. Staid and stalwart veteran Mateo Garcia has seen more trouble than a man ever should in his lifetime. He’s gone from pretty boy Marine to a small town police chief with a chip on his shoulder and scars covering the left side of his face. Now his former lover, Olivia, is back in town and living next door. When the two are forced to work together to fix up the crumbling veterans’ center, the sparks fly between the beauty and the man who sees himself as a beast. Not everyone is happy that Olivia is back home though and Mateo has to choose between the town who wants her gone and an uncertain future with a woman who he thinks could never love him…