A review by aqsa_ayman
The Brewer's Tale by Karen Brooks
2.0
I love it when the author shares a bit about their inspiration at the end, and for this book it was evident that a lot of time and effort was put into creating an authentic setting with characters, laws and of course, the brewing process of the time. I really liked what the brewing brought to this story, with well thought out and researched descriptions of the process, and the little quirks that made Anneke's brew special, like the pagan corner crones. The author mentions that after all their research, her husband was even inspired to start his own craft brewery!
I've seen this described as a romance primarily, but that doesn't feel accurate. Besides the brewing, there is a lot to do with family heartache, gender divides, business acumen, the loyalty of friends. Romance is one of the main themes too, but unfortunately I didn't feel invested in it at all. There are too many damsel in distress scenes, and the love interest is one of those too perfect, flat personality types. I can quite vividly remember one 15 minute description of him that had me cringing.
There is also a heavy dose of cruelty and betrayal, which was quite hard to get through at times. Anneke was brave and wouldn't back down based on what others expected of her, and she endured through all her hardship. But I really can't stand one sided villains, and that's what I found in a character that took a very surprising turn with hardly any justification. I just could not understand his behaviour based on how he was introduced, and those questions weren't satisfied by the end.
I've seen this described as a romance primarily, but that doesn't feel accurate. Besides the brewing, there is a lot to do with family heartache, gender divides, business acumen, the loyalty of friends. Romance is one of the main themes too, but unfortunately I didn't feel invested in it at all. There are too many damsel in distress scenes, and the love interest is one of those too perfect, flat personality types. I can quite vividly remember one 15 minute description of him that had me cringing.
There is also a heavy dose of cruelty and betrayal, which was quite hard to get through at times. Anneke was brave and wouldn't back down based on what others expected of her, and she endured through all her hardship. But I really can't stand one sided villains, and that's what I found in a character that took a very surprising turn with hardly any justification. I just could not understand his behaviour based on how he was introduced, and those questions weren't satisfied by the end.