Pepper has just joined the Bohemia Bartenders and without having met any of them (?!) she goes on a gig in New Orleans with them. The gig is to make cocktails to promote a Bohemian distillery at the annual Cocktailia event.

This event is not without its unplanned side events: Pepper immediately has the hots for Neil, Bohemia Bartender troop leader; the whiskey they want to serve at their first night is contaminated with methanol; mysterious notes are left or delivered; and when Pepper and Neil join distillery owner Dash for the follow-up they got shot at - with arrows.

Actually, that’s where the story sort of lost me. From that moment on I had a hard time connecting to the story again. In part, I think, because the attacks on Dash and Pepper got increasingly sillier. And you just know this person is going to get caught because of their own stupidity. They should have stuck with just trying to ruin Dash’s business, leave out the personal attacks.

The other part is that I got a bit weary of all the mentions of cocktails. I guess that can’t be helped at a cocktail event where the main character works as a bartender. Still, it was like being the only sober person at a party where everyone else was drinking.

I read an ARC through Booksirens.