Scan barcode
karlijnmerle's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sjohnson721's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved these two. They meshed well together. I am so glad Jax got a story of their own. I always look forward to when this author comes out with a new book. They are always so well written and the characters are wonderful. I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
blandrea_reads's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Under the Table is a part of the Accidentally Undercover series, but like most Layla Reyne stories, includes alot of familiar faces.
Feb Winters hates her name, hates Valentines day (which is her birthday), and as the Chef of her own restaurant, Under the Table, USUALLY avoids it at all costs, closing and giving everyone the night off. Except this year she decides to do a subversive Valentines theme, after encouragement from UTT's bartender, Dylan. When a food critic books in under an alias, the stakes feel raised. But Feb has no idea, since the Food critic's Alias is also an Alias, and not the only alias at UTT.
This story had a lot of the hallmarks that I have come to expect from a Layla Reyne romantic
suspense, which is "people in love, but also shooting and running". I haven't ready any of the other Accidentally Undercover books, but I don't think that impacted my experience. Thought if I was totally new to Reyne's universe (both Fog city and the Whiskey-verse) it would have felt a bit more confusing.
All in all it was a nice quick read, a F/NB romance, and enough food to make it interesting, and enough suspense to be more exciting than a contemporary restaurant drama.
Under the Table is a part of the Accidentally Undercover series, but like most Layla Reyne stories, includes alot of familiar faces.
Feb Winters hates her name, hates Valentines day (which is her birthday), and as the Chef of her own restaurant, Under the Table, USUALLY avoids it at all costs, closing and giving everyone the night off. Except this year she decides to do a subversive Valentines theme, after encouragement from UTT's bartender, Dylan. When a food critic books in under an alias, the stakes feel raised. But Feb has no idea, since the Food critic's Alias is also an Alias, and not the only alias at UTT.
This story had a lot of the hallmarks that I have come to expect from a Layla Reyne romantic
suspense, which is "people in love, but also shooting and running". I haven't ready any of the other Accidentally Undercover books, but I don't think that impacted my experience. Thought if I was totally new to Reyne's universe (both Fog city and the Whiskey-verse) it would have felt a bit more confusing.
All in all it was a nice quick read, a F/NB romance, and enough food to make it interesting, and enough suspense to be more exciting than a contemporary restaurant drama.
vicreads12's review
4.0
This was such a a fun book. So many people that I enjoyed made an appearance and the found family was amazing. I will say that if you have not read previous books then you may feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount the side characters are relevant in this book.
I really enjoyed Jax and Feb from the beginning. I enjoyed watching their relationship progress the way that it did. It was the right speed for them and it was low on drama which was also nice.
This is a super quick read that will leave you wanting more from this world and characters.
theboozybooknerd's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
I enjoyed this story, and the amazing cast of characters. February and Jax have a great spark, and a pull to each other that keeps the pages turning. The found family that Jax has around them really pulls at the heart strings, and shows that it doesn't have to be a blood bond to be called family. It's a quick read with a bit of suspense and a very slow burn with minimal spice. It's character driven, and that's what pulled me in to the story.
inkiereads's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book felt like a warm hug, which is surprising if you consider all the bounty hunters, assassins and bullet holes. I loved Jax from the moment we met them in previous books, and I’m so happy right now! Feb is amazing, and all the mentioned food made me so hungry. It was great to have so many familiar faces around again, it was like a family reunion! This will be a great read if you’ve already read all Layla Reyne books, but it’ll also be a great introduction into her world if you haven’t yet. Loved it!
I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book
I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
chiarob's review
5.0
Wow, I really enjoyed this! Suspense romances are not really my thing, because I generally find it difficult to follow what's going on in the story. But in this case, I found it easy to follow and it kept me hooked from the beginning. It reminded me of a TV crime series, in the best way possible.
Feb is a chef and owns a starred restaurant. She hired a new bartender, Dylan. But Dylan is actually a spy undercover! Their love story develops little by little throughout the story, while the suspense plot thickens.
There were a lot of side characters connected to the suspense plot, but I didn't find it overwhelming. It made sense that in a situation like that, so many people were involved. Most of them I'm sure were MCs of other books from the author, but it didn't feel like a simple promotion of the other works, the characters were needed for the plot. It definitely made me want to read their stories!
While the story relies a lot on the plot, I really liked how Dylan being non-binary was portrayed. They were simply themselves, whether they wanted to wear more feminine or more masculine clothes, make-up, and hairstyles.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
Feb is a chef and owns a starred restaurant. She hired a new bartender, Dylan. But Dylan is actually a spy undercover! Their love story develops little by little throughout the story, while the suspense plot thickens.
There were a lot of side characters connected to the suspense plot, but I didn't find it overwhelming. It made sense that in a situation like that, so many people were involved. Most of them I'm sure were MCs of other books from the author, but it didn't feel like a simple promotion of the other works, the characters were needed for the plot. It definitely made me want to read their stories!
While the story relies a lot on the plot, I really liked how Dylan being non-binary was portrayed. They were simply themselves, whether they wanted to wear more feminine or more masculine clothes, make-up, and hairstyles.
I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.
isalaur's review
fast-paced
5.0
As a huge Whiskeyverse fan I have been waiting for Jax’s story. The non-binary hacker turned law enforcement turned bounty hunter has always been a mystery to me and I wanted to learn more about them and see them get their HEA.
This book is part of a series sharing a common theme of undercover. In this book, Jax has gone undercover as a bartender at a restaurant as the team tries to catch a former CIA agent gone rogue. The former agent is a foodie so the team decides to watch this new restaurant, owned by February, which has earned a reputation among the foodies in the Bay Area. When they realize the agent has been using an alias as a food critic who plans to attend Feb’s Valentine’s dinner service a plan is set in motion to catch him. Needless to say things don’t go quite according to plan.
The story is fun and no doubt actual foodies will find the food descriptions an enticing part of the story. Not being a foodie myself, and actually a pretty picky eater, those descriptions did nothing for me in terms of food appreciation but I could appreciate the descriptive writing. The complications in the team’s plan are an interesting twist to the story. And speaking of the team it’s nice to see nearly the whole gang back together again. Those not physically present are represented in other ways.
This is a great read for Whiskeyverse fans and for those that haven’t had the pleasure yet this book should certainly entice you to want to meet all these characters and learn their stories. And it was satisfying to finally get more of Jax’s story.
More...