The Solid Grounds Coffee Company by Carla Laureano {A Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

Analyn Sanchez can handle the long hours and arrogant clients that come with her job as a crisis management associate at Denver’s largest publicity firm. The high-powered job, expensive condo, and designer wardrobe are all part of her plan to prove to her family that her life choices haven’t been in vain. But when she’s asked to cover up a client’s misdeeds with serious moral and legal ramifications, she can no longer sacrifice her conscience for her career . . . and the cost is no less than her job.

Ever since a devastating climbing accident in South America eight months ago, and a bad decision that dried up his sponsorships, professional rock climber Bryan Shaw has found himself at similar loose ends. When the opportunity to buy a coffee farm in Colombia arises, he jumps on it―only to discover his wandering ways have left him utterly unprepared to run a business.

When Bryan returns home and offers Ana a role in his company as a solution to both their problems, she’s desperate enough to consider working with the far-too-flippant and far-too-handsome climber, even though he’s the polar opposite of her type A nature. As they delve deeper into the business, however, she begins to suspect there’s much more to Bryan than she’s given him credit for . . . and that sometimes the best plans are the ones you never see coming.

Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

Connect with Carla online at her website (www.carlalaureano.com) or on any of these social media platforms:

Facebook.com/CarlaLaureanoAuthor
Twitter.com/carlalaureano
Instagram.com/carlalaureanoauthor
Pinterest.com/laureano_carla

The Solid Grounds Coffee Company is book number three in Carla Laureano's The Saturday Night Supper Club series. I had read book one quite some time ago, but not the second, so I was vaguely familiar with the characters and their history, but not as much as if I'd read book two first. Regardless, I would say this would have been find as a standalone, but you will certainly appreciate the history and relationships more if you read the series in order.

Like the other books in the series, this is one that will definitely have you wishing you had a delicious treat nearby... in this case a hot mug of coffee!! Food and drink is definitely a huge part of this story and this series, which I'm sure many will thoroughly enjoy. In fact, you'll walk away from this one with more knowledge on roasting coffee than you ever dreamed possible!

For me, I must admit that this one was--- to put it in coffee terms--- a slow roast. It wasn't super fast paced and at times, it did seem like it was getting off to a slow start, but in the end the payoff was worth it. There were a few surprise moments that I didn't see coming, and I loved watching these two imperfect characters of Ana and Bryan as their relationship developed... what a perfectly sweet love story it was! Both had dealt with bad decisions in their past and whereas Bryan and grown from his experience and gone onto a fresh start with no secret about his former life, Ana struggled with perfectionism and putting on a mask to hide that past. In as many ways as they were different, they were also very much alike, making for an interesting dynamic that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Overall, this was a great read and one that I would certainly recommend.